Chinaberry Construction Update

For weeks I’ve been promising y’all a construction update and I’m jumping on today to give you just that – and it’s a big one! So much has been accomplished since the last blog post update, I figured the best way to show it all was to give you a little tour… so that’s exactly what we’re going to do!

(If you’re new here, I’d love it if you’d start with this post to get caught up on our journey and how we got here. Then you can see all the updates here.)

We’ll start on the outside.

They just finished painting the exterior. Of all the decisions we’ve had to make in building this house, the exterior colors were probably the easiest. Heather and I knew exactly what we wanted it to look like.

The main color is Maison Blanche by Sherwin Williams. It’s the perfect light, creamy tan.

Trim is Curio Gray by Sherwin Williams. Which, oddly enough, doesn’t really look gray at all, but more deep taupe.

The original plans only had a brick skirt, but we wanted more brick to give the farmhouse look a bit more of a classic feel.

As I’ve shared before, brick was a big decision for us and really helped us get the feel we wanted. It took lots of searching to get that vintage, reclaimed brick without the reclaimed brick price.

We settled on a brick from Cherokee Brick called Silo Square and couldn’t be happier with that choice. The little pops of blue really give the look that the brick was once part of an old building with one of those signs painted on the sides.

We also opted for an ivory colored mortar and a flush mortar joint to give it more of that vintage feel.

There’s just something about this view of the house that makes it one of my favorites. I think it’s all the angles coming together that gives it such visual interest.

I’m also pretty fond of the view from the top of the hill looking down on the property. That’s the test kitchen over to the right.

Speaking of the test kitchen, look at this beauty!

It was designed separately from the main house, but the architect did a fantastic job of giving them a cohesive feel.

Once last minute change Heather wanted was a little balcony on the top, so that’s what you see there with the double door.

The overhang on the right side of the kitchen is where 4 large sliding doors will be to give me tons of great natural light for shooting photos of all the food. We’re planning for a big farmhouse table out on that patio, too.

Heading into the main house, we’ll start in the main entry. These 8 foot mahogany doors let in tons of natural light. There are three sets of doors like this across the front of the house. The ceilings in this room are 19 and 20 feet high. The tall ceilings give the rooms a grand feeling without them being huge.

Looking toward the fireplace, you can see the tall ceilings. That brick, which is the same brick from the exterior, will go all the way up the wall and be flaked by built-in bookcases.

Here, you can see a little more of the color and variation in the brick.

Directly across from the entryway is the dining room. This is one of my favorite rooms. It’s a bit different than the original plans, but we just love it. We’re planning some type of water feature on the hill just across the yard to take advantage of the great view.

Standing in the kitchen looking into the living room makes me so, so happy. While many folks say that open concept plans are going out of style, I love the way the rooms are connected. The openness means that even when I’m in the kitchen, I can still be a part of whatever is going on in the living room. I can just imagine all the happy memories that will be made in this space.

This is the view into the kitchen from the living room. Imagine the cooktop and double ovens on the far wall, the sink under the windows to the right, and the refrigerator on the left beside the set of double doors. Oh, and a big giant island right smack dab in the middle.

Just out back of the living room is one of the outdoor living spaces. This wall will be where the outdoor kitchen is beside the wood burning fireplace. We’re going to screen this space in so we won’t get carried off by those Alabama mosquitos!

Back inside, just through the living room is Jack’s bedroom. Originally that small window up top was in the attic, but we decided to vault the ceiling and let even more light into the room.

Jumping back through the kitchen is the master bedroom. I sure love those huge windows, but without some serious blinds or drapes, there will be no sleeping-in in this room!

The master bathroom is another room that’s changed a little from the plans. The large soaker tub will sit right under those windows and the shower will be in that space over to the right.

You can see that cabinetry is starting to find its way!

While you can’t see much of this room, Heather’s studio, you can see the beautiful, super tall 6-panel doors that we picked for throughout the house. The double doors on the right will be the doors the lead between the master bedroom and master bathroom.

This space is the bonus room that sits above the garage. We’ve also changed this space a little as we’ve moved through the process. A half bath became a full bath and we moved the closet around to take better advantage of the space. I’ve just got to figure out how I’m going to fit a skee-ball machine in here. (Of course I’m just kidding… kind of.)

And here’s the new Southern Bite Test Kitchen. This view is from the bonus room looking out back.

The main floor is mostly kitchen, seen here. Imagine that far wall with the sink under the windows, double ovens on the far left, and the fridge against the right wall. The large island in the middle will house a gas cooktop. Through that door on the right is a small butler’s pantry area, a half bath, and a large pantry for props and ingredients.

Upstairs will be a full bath and my office. You can see the double doors that will open onto the small balcony. That little ledge happened out of necessity to run a/c ducts, but it will be the perfect spot for our little Ella to join me at work where she can see out the window.

And here’s the other side of the office. This side looks toward the back yard and house. Lots of good stuff is going to happen right here.

So there you have it! A little photo tour of the progress! As you can imagine, we’re so excited about making this place a home. And we’re so grateful for the journey that has gotten us to this point. It hasn’t always been pretty, but we find ourselves blessed, nonetheless. And, of course, none of this would be possible without the folks that helped us to build Southern Bite to what it is today. And we are eternally grateful to each and every one of you. It’s as simple as that. Love y’all.