Home Update – Jessa

Things are moving along nicely and we are getting so excited! It’s really coming together and it is so fun to see our visions come to life. Not only are we doing an update today, but we are also launching a $500 Crate & Barrel Giveaway with Sierra Pacific Windows! Check out my latest Instagram post (HERE) to enter the giveaway!

UPDATE:

Windows and doors are officially in! We never realized when starting this build how much time and energy would go into the window & door portion of the build but it was a lot. From picking out which window company to go with, all of the options and types of windows to use, and then trying to imagine what they would all look like beforehand (we’re super visual so this was hard) it was enough to make you go a wee-bit mad. However, in hindsight, it was all worth it.

The backside of our home is almost entirely glass so we had to put a lot of stock in the decisions that were made here. We initially struggled with which company to go with because they honestly all seemed the same and the dealers we worked with were processing us more like a number than a customer but then when we met with Sierra Pacific our experience was completely different. They’re a consumer-facing business (you don’t have to go through a dealer/middle man to buy from them) so we got to talk and work with them directly and they worked so hard to make sure we got exactly what we wanted.

The construction space is so busy right now with a booming economy it was a breath of fresh air to work with a company that patiently navigated us through everything and didn’t stop until we got what we needed (Layne was our guy and he was seriously the best, we’ll leave his contact info at the bottom of this post). Another big plus was the big lift-and-slide door from our great room and the multi-slide door from our gym ended up being priced more affordable than the other brands we talked to for the same door options.

I just about cried when the windows were delivered and installed, they are SO BEAUTIFUL. It has always been a dream of mine to have wood windows and these are everything and more.

The key takeaways I found in the window selection process would be to interview multiple brands and make sure and vet them thoroughly so you know exactly what you’re getting, ask about their warranty, find out what type of window rating they have (for us we have crazy wind so this was important for us to understand), weigh the benefits of Wood vs Vinyl (things like pricing, energy efficiencies, aesthetic, durability, etc.), and compare pricing between who you interview– this helped us a ton in appreciating the value we got with the selections we made. It all can be super time consuming but I promise it’s worth it in the end.

So without further adieu, here are the windows! We can’t wait to show the finished look.

Progress photos below + installation of window video (PS — the 70ft ladder shot made everyone but the guy on the ladder cringe)!

WHERE THINGS ARE AT NOW

We just got through 4-way inspection and we are now on to insulation, drywall, sheetrock, etc. It’s really starting to come together. We’ve had a lot of questions come through so we will do a little Q&A below!

Q: Who is your builder? Why did you choose to go with them and why did you decide to hire a contractor?

A: Shelby Custom Homes. We interviewed most of the top custom home builders in Utah and when we finally met with the Owner of Shelby Homes, Mike Duell, we knew we had our guy. He’s a hands-on guy that works directly with his clients and that’s exactly what we wanted. We even interviewed some of his previous clients and toured their homes (which he was all for making happen). His team is also great to work with and has made a lot of the craziness we run into manageable. We’re especially fond of Brandon, he’s a diamond in the rough!! This build has been full of ups and downs and plenty of curveballs and we’re 100% happy we went with Shelby Homes and would recommend them to anyone looking to build a custom home.

Q: Who is the architect for your house?

A: James Carroll! First off, he is AMAZING. Our home was a little interesting because the foundation had already been poured before we bought the home and James was the original Architect. After purchasing the lot we contacted him about getting the original plans and after talking with him we knew that he was the one we’d have do the redraw on our plans. The funny thing is we actually did interview one other place for safe measure and when we told them we were talking with James they told us, “look no further, James is the best” — that made it easy. He’s such a great guy, he’s the type that you can easily talk to and he’ll take your ideas and transform them into beautiful designs. James was one of the first guys we hired for this project and he has been a dream to work with and 100% recommended.

Q: There’s snow in your house! Isn’t it ruining your house?

A: Our sentiments exactly!! We got this question so many times, and originally we were a little spooked about it too! However, all of the subfloors are made from a product called AdvanTech which has the lowest water absorption rate in the industry — so they’re waterproof (hopefully!) but we have shoveled it after every storm. It’s still a little weird and nerve-racking but with windows almost all the way in it’s been less and less of a problem.

Q: What is the mood board for the exterior of the house?

A: Eeek! So excited to share this. We worked with Alice Lane Interiors on the design of our home. Here are some concept images. Our house will be a beige color, and YES the door will be peacock blue.