I love hearing from all of you and I love to answer your questions. Seems like I get some of the same questions a lot, so I thought I would answer them all here with a post.
The most asked question since we moved into our new house –
#1. What color is your house painted? It is painted Swiss Coffee from top to bottom. That color works perfectly for my furnishings and with the amount of light that comes into this house. Some of my furniture has warm undertones and some has cool tones and in this house that one color works well for everything.
I did a post a while back where I explain a little about choosing white paint colors. Finding The Right White Paint If You Have White Furniture
#2 How Big Is Your House? This house is only 1982 sq.ft. It photographs larger than it really is. I love the two story ceilings in the living/dining area. You can also see into the loft area upstairs from the living room too, so it feels much bigger than it is.
#3 What kind of tile do you have in the living room and where did you get your hardwood floors? The tile in the living room is a ceramic that was here when we bought the house. I have no idea where it came from or what it is called.
The hardwood floors we put down and they are from Floor and Decor. It is called NuCore and the color is Gunstock Oak. They are a waterproof floor so very practical with the pool.
#4 Your Kitchen Makeover – So many of you want to do something similar that we did by using some of the existing cabinets and adding others. You can find a complete Resource and Cost post of our Kitchen Makeover here. You really can remodel a kitchen on a budget with some really careful planning. The only thing that we didn’t pay full price for were the floors. They were a collaboration with Floor & Decor. Everything else we purchased on sale as much as possible.
#5 Master Bathroom Makeover – This was a mini-makeover. We had some granite left over from the kitchen, so I bought a sink and faucet and had our installers cut it to fit the vanity in our master bedroom. I later stained the vanity with Gel Stain and bought hardware to dress it up. We also had some leftover wood floors from the kitchen family room installation, so I purchased a little bit more and had enough to have the wood floors put in all three bathrooms. The only cost was some labor to cut the granite and the sink. That pretty much makes this bathroom makeover free. Master Bathroom Makeover Reveal
#6 Where was the picture on the side bar of your blog taken? This is a picture taken of me on the porch at our previous house. It was taken for the 2015 Fall Home Tour. I really don’t like to have my picture taken, so when I needed an updated picture of me, I just cropped out my picture and use it on the sidebar. I should probably add a newer one, but then I would need to get my picture taken again and that’s not my favorite thing. haha
#7 You’ve mentioned you use to be in the corporate world, what did you do? I lived in Los Angeles for a few years before moving to Phoenix and I was a buyer for one of the large DIY Home Store Chains that you all shop at. I bought Lumber & Building Materials. If you went in to buy a door or lumber for your diy projects, I was responsible for sourcing, comparing prices, and ordering a multitude of products. Making sure the warehouses were always full so all the stores could have all the product they needed anytime was sometime a real task.
My final job was owner of a small chain of 5 Video Game Stores called Gamers. I opened these after we moved to Phoenix and owned them for 15 years before I called working quits. We did buy, sell and trade and had stores in two states. Think Game Stop. I opened before them and they use the same format that I started. Now I just enjoy my family and home.
#8 Where are you from? I was born and raised in White Settlement,Texas. It was a small one block long town at the time. When I was 15 my family moved to San Diego. I lived there all through school and for several years when I was first married, then moved to Bend, Oregon. I lived there for several years before moving to Los Angeles, then to Phoenix. Now all of my family live in Phoenix. I am so lucky to have my children and most all of my grandchildren living nearby.
Hope that answers your questions and gives you a little insight into what makes me tick. I’m just a simple country girl that loves my family and home and cherishes my friends. That pretty much sums me up.
Floors are beautiful. Just have a question. When I go on Floor and Decor website it lists NuCore as a luxury vinyl plank not hardwood?? Am I missing something?
Thanks!
No it is a luxury final plank, sorry it is not hardwood. I really does look like hardwood and is the perfect choice for a home with lots of traffic and where what is in play.
Hi Marty,
Love this post and finding out more about you. You have had a very interesting life. I am so happy you live near your family that makes things so much better. Terry and I someday when he retires want to move out of Illinois but my two girls and grandgirls are here so that makes it difficult to think about. We have 4 more years to retirement for Terry so I guess we have time to ponder that.
Illinois is a horrible state to live with all the corruption and high cost of living. Our cost of homes here is outrageous and taxes are insane. So hopefully someday we will move to a more retirement friendly place to live. Have a great new week.
Hugs,
Kris
It is always always interesting to become better acquainted with people. You have lived several nice places. I love your home and what you have done with it. The Master Gardener did a wonderful job on your landscaping.