Decisions, decisions, decisions...who likes decisions?

[Steel]

Housey thread!

I need some help making decisions please.

DH and I are having to make what seems like a million eggsential decisions about our build. I am trying to anticipate as many of them as possible and researching choices in advance but I am still drowning. So if you could see fit to help me out once in a while I would be very grateful.

Game rules: Honest opinions, no sugar coating required in this thread. My only request is to please, not criticise my house. What is built is built and if I got it wrong I got it wrong; there will be no crying over milk here.

 

[Steel]

So here is my first question.

This is a shot of a wall which has been marked by the electrician for chasing. There are light switches and electrical sockets marked. Our legislation requires the light switches not sit higher than 1200mm so we went for the maximum and they are at 1200mm. The sockets will sit just under them if you can follow the spray markings.

My question is - should I line them all up in a row at the same height? So I raise the sockets or lower the switches.

I thought not when I did the specifications but now I am second guessing.

 

[Kismet]

I would line them up. It would bug me if switches and sockets were at different heights

 

[Steel]

Next question is about flooring.

This is a head scratcher for us and we are just about at the stage where we will ''point and buy'' - just to get it done.

DH and I have made terrible flooring choices in the past so we tend to second guess ourselves where flooring is required.

Both of these are ''polished options''

We L.O.V.E. the tile on the left it is a marble with beautiful veining. The kitchen is 16 x 24 patio doors one end and windows the other. I mention this because the tile is available only in this 60 x 30 (our price range forbids any other options) and I am worried the floor will look very busy with all the distinctive veining?

The ''safer'' choice is the tile on the right; also marble but with less distinctive veining. To be safe this is my no.1 choice (it could be out of our price range as we do not have a price on it yet).

More options to come.

 

[Steel]

Thanks Kismet - this is what I was worried about.






Here is the same tiles as above in the same order. Below them is the same tile in 2 sizes. It is a honed option of the polished option (top right).

DH and I feel polished marble will be nicer. Are there an issues with polished/honed in a kitchen, with family/dogs/cats?

 

[Steel]

Same picture as above, different angle.

 

[Jas12]

AHHHH, decisions! I am building too so boy do i feel your pain. The decisions are overwhelming and we *just* got started. I''ts fun and exciting but trying to stay on a strict budget while picking from endelss options is not the easiest task....

I like the plain marble. Very pretty.

 

[Steel]

Next we move to our bathroom. I have an inspiration shot which actually helped to form the design to our master bath; double sinks (ours will be pedestal''s), arches, bath under the window (ours is roll top with chrome feet), door to wc, and large double shower.

 

[Kismet]

I would worry about the polished marble being slippery, especially if it got wet. What else is going in the kitchen? Island? Table? or will it just be a big expanse of open floor?

 

[Steel]

.

 

[Steel]

This is the bathroom from the doorway - or what will be the bathroom from what will be a doorway.

The opening on the right is the shower cubicle which will be a wet room without a plastic shower base - just tiles. So the mosaics on the top right are options for the base. Using mosaics are the easiest so we can shape the shower base and not cut tiles. *

The top right tile and bottom left tile are the same - the honed option we saw in the kitchen.

The bottom right tile and bottom middle tile are out of our price range. I loved the whiter middle bottom tile for the bathroom - but what do I know?#

The crome foot is from the roll top bath.

*Note - DH and I are doing everything. We tile, fit all units (kitchen, bathroom etc) you name it we will be doing it. So we are having to consider the materials, design and how to DIY it.

 

[Steel]

Date: 6/1/2009 10:43:20 AM
Author: Jas12
AHHHH, decisions! I am building too so boy do i feel your pain. The decisions are overwhelming and we *just* got started. I'ts fun and exciting but trying to stay on a strict budget while picking from endelss options is not the easiest task....

I like the plain marble. Very pretty.

Fun...**cough**!

I lost the fun a looooonnnng time ago. I am the budget mistress

and have turned into a beast with vendors - DH just looks aghast at me these days; but last week I saved 10k on radiators (that we didn't have to spend) and 500 on windows, and 500 on insulation. Buying the same stuff but knocking one vendor off another and walking away when prices weren't lowered. People tell me - oh it is great to be building in a recession. Ha. I say again, Ha! Nobody is lowering prices, you would think I was asking them to insert a herring somewhere personal - not for 100 quid off!

ETA: Which plain marble? The shiny one beside the vein-y one?

Date: 6/1/2009 10:48:54 AM
Author: Kismet
I would worry about the polished marble being slippery, especially if it got wet. What else is going in the kitchen? Island? Table? or will it just be a big expanse of open floor?

DH mentioned that. I don't know. The area near the patio doors will have a dining table on it and the other side will have wall units either side with a large island (dishwashers will be built into this island - so will be there forever). There is also a fireplace in the middle.

 

[Hera]

I'd be concerned with those tiles in the kitchen as well. You will want to consider the COF (coefficient of friction) in determining what is best for your kitchen. I think it's 0.5 but I'm not positive. It may be best to go to a tile store and ask. Are you in the US?

Also, just for consideration. I always am a big supporter of honoring your architecture and many design decisions can be solved by following its lead. Can you give some more details about what type of home you have (style) and what type of design aesthetic you're trying to achieve?

 

[Aloros]

I like the plain honed marble. It''s very pretty, and won''t be as slippery as the polished. In addition, the polished looks like it throws quite a reflection, and I''d imagine that would draw your eyes to the floor instead of to the rest of the kitchen. I think it''s distracting.

 

[Steel]

Date: 6/1/2009 11:32:54 AM
Author: heraanderson
I'd be concerned with those tiles in the kitchen as well. You will want to consider the COF (coefficient of friction) in determining what is best for your kitchen. I think it's 0.5 but I'm not positive. It may be best to go to a tile store and ask. Are you in the US?

Also, just for consideration. I always am a big supporter of honoring your architecture and many design decisions can be solved by following its lead. Can you give some more details about what type of home you have (style) and what type of design aesthetic you're trying to achieve?

You sound like you know what you are talking about. I have no clue what COF refers to. (ETA: Off to google...)
I'm in Ireland.
I can't post a picture of the rooms as they are too big! I won't post a pic of the house outside for personal reasons.
It is in the countryside sitting on a large plot which will be hidden from view (by a min of 3 tree layers (in at the moment). There is a fruit orchard and veg growing area, obviously we have a chicken area too. It will become an organised hobby farm with large feature landscaping and lots of natural areas of wildlife. I am very keen to keep a very country feel and not go modern at all. The house has a large footprint but has been staggered with wings hidden from view so it looks like a traditional cottage which has taken steroids. We couldn't afford sash windows but have large cross bar windows which dominate every room with 8 1/2ft ceilings. I will have chandeliers in most living areas (halls, kitchen & reception rooms) with oak flooring throughout (except bathrooms, kitchen and utility room).

My theme is classic, traditional, clean & minimal (I want the floor, units and lighting to give the rooms life - not the nick-nacks). My only contradiction is modern v's traditional. Like in the kitchen I want the units to be super poncy traditional with carvings and frills but the flooring to be modern; shiny and clean - as opposed to flagstones which would be traditional.

 

[Hera]

I have an Interior Design degree but have limited knowledge of flooring. I do think the honed would be more appropriate for your floor. When I think about polished marble floors, I think about an application in a formal living or dining area.
The honed should be fine, but I would just be concerned about marble and the fact that it can stain so you may have to seal it.

 

[soocool]

Date: 6/1/2009 10:26:14 AM
Author: Steel

So here is my first question.

This is a shot of a wall which has been marked by the electrician for chasing. There are light switches and electrical sockets marked. Our legislation requires the light switches not sit higher than 1200mm so we went for the maximum and they are at 1200mm. The sockets will sit just under them if you can follow the spray markings.

My question is - should I line them all up in a row at the same height? So I raise the sockets or lower the switches.

I thought not when I did the specifications but now I am second guessing.

Is this in a kitchen, bath, ???

 

[oobiecoo]

I would definitely go with honed in the kitchen... and it looks like you''re doing it in the bath too. Just a tiny bit of water on the polished tile will have you slipping and sliding. Personally, I would only use polished in a small area with no water and that won''t be used often.

 

[soocool]

Date: 6/1/2009 10:35:43 AM
Author: Steel

Next question is about flooring.

This is a head scratcher for us and we are just about at the stage where we will ''point and buy'' - just to get it done.

DH and I have made terrible flooring choices in the past so we tend to second guess ourselves where flooring is required.

Both of these are ''polished options''

We L.O.V.E. the tile on the left it is a marble with beautiful veining. The kitchen is 16 x 24 patio doors one end and windows the other. I mention this because the tile is available only in this 60 x 30 (our price range forbids any other options) and I am worried the floor will look very busy with all the distinctive veining?

The ''safer'' choice is the tile on the right; also marble but with less distinctive veining. To be safe this is my no.1 choice (it could be out of our price range as we do not have a price on it yet).

More options to come.

Polished marble is extremely slippery when wet. I would never use it on the floor in a kitchen or bath (plus it scratches and you have to be careful what you use when you clean)...our friend is a tiler and he gave us a ton of advice when he did our home.

Our kitchen floors are ceramic tile (industrial grade for better wear), but houses settle and move constantly no mater what you think. As a result there is a section of our kitchen floor in which the tiles developed a hairline crack in a few tiles (al connected and due to movement in the house). The veining truly disguises the hairline cracks and unless you know it is there you canot tell.

 

[Hera]

How about considering Porcelain tile? I have seen some with the appearance of marble but have superior durability.

 

[Steel]

Date: 6/1/2009 12:04:29 PM
Author: heraanderson
I have an Interior Design degree but have limited knowledge of flooring. I do think the honed would be more appropriate for your floor. When I think about polished marble floors, I think about an application in a formal living or dining area.
The honed should be fine, but I would just be concerned about marble and the fact that it can stain so you may have to seal it.

Ooooh! Thank you for your advice; nice to have an expert on board.

I think i knew the honed would be a major player in this. The polished screams ''buy me'' but I have been wrong before. I know we have to seal the marble and we are fine doing that. We are not au fait with how much or how little maintenance the marble will need or how badly and easily they will stain.

Date: 6/1/2009 12:21:43 PM
Author: heraanderson
How about considering Porcelain tile? I have seen some with the appearance of marble but have superior durability.

I wanted marble as my flooring since I was a little girl looking at the sotheby''s back catalogues but ruled it our for price. When looking for this house I fell for a large polished porcelin tile but rejected it last week becasue there was no variance in the tile. I knew i would stare at the floor and work out which way each tile was set and be further annoyed if we set some the same way up adjacent to one another. So having loved the clean cream polished porceling it was an easy move to polished marble and I found some end of lines which were just the sq ft we need for a reasonable price.

 

[Steel]

Date: 6/1/2009 12:18:47 PM
Author: oobiecoo
I would definitely go with honed in the kitchen... and it looks like you're doing it in the bath too. Just a tiny bit of water on the polished tile will have you slipping and sliding. Personally, I would only use polished in a small area with no water and that won't be used often.

Date: 6/1/2009 12:20:05 PM
Author: soocool
Polished marble is extremely slippery when wet. I would never use it on the floor in a kitchen or bath (plus it scratches and you have to be careful what you use when you clean)...our friend is a tiler and he gave us a ton of advice when he did our home.

Our kitchen floors are ceramic tile (industrial grade for better wear), but houses settle and move constantly no mater what you think. As a result there is a section of our kitchen floor in which the tiles developed a hairline crack in a few tiles (al connected and due to movement in the house). The veining truly disguises the hairline cracks and unless you know it is there you canot tell.

& Kismet

ETA: &

Date: 6/1/2009 11:43:45 AM
Author: Aloros
I like the plain honed marble. It's very pretty, and won't be as slippery as the polished. In addition, the polished looks like it throws quite a reflection, and I'd imagine that would draw your eyes to the floor instead of to the rest of the kitchen. I think it's distracting.

You have all mentioned that the polished will probably be slippery. I will wet the tiles and see how it goes. I had thought about it but only for a second so thank you for reminding me.






Soocoool:

The picture of the electric's was the kitchen lower corner by the patio doors - it has a corner or identical size on the other side (one is cut by a door to the kitchen the other by a door to a reception room). Both corners will have units with the dining table sitting in front of the doors.
We hope we will not suffer with too much settlement (wishful thinking I know) but you make a very interesting point about the veining.....

oobiecoo:

We have no clue if we will do the honed yet, but we have to decide asap as the 'end of lines' are a one time only type deal. If we do not make a decision and pull the trigger they will go and we many not afford marble thereafter. I love the shiny look - damn my magpie instincts.

ETA: Aloros:

You make a very good point about a shiny floor drawing the eye. I liked the idea of it being 'clean' and didn't consider that it would pull the eye...hmmm.

 

[Burk]

No time to read through all the decisions and weigh in but wanted to say I feel your pain and we''re not even as far as you in the building process!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I would line up all the switches.

Not sure I would do polished marble in a kitchen. I agree it will be slippery. Also the larger the tile the more slippery it will be. Grout helps which is why bottoms of showers are usually done in very small tile. Honed is a more modern look. I think the veins might be too busy.

 

[swingirl]

Can you give us a idea of that else you have going on in the kitchen? Style of cabinets and colors?