Crab & Slab!

Progress can now be seen in Apollo Beach!

This week the slab was poured. Walking around on it, I'm not sure if it feels big or small (the builder told us that through various stages of the house, it would either feel large or tiny), but it was strange to be able to walk from side to side in just a few steps.

Last weekend, Keith and Jackson bought a crab pot and threw it off our lot. Two days later and we had enough Blue Crap to whet our appetite...that's right, we had one :)

Enjoy the pictures!

Newly poured slab

Vapor barrier goes on (what does a vapor barrier do anyway?)

Jackson pulling the crab pot in

Keith and Jackson standing by the prize

Mmmm....Dinner (Blue crab turns Red!)

The Inspiration.

I am very excited about picking out the finishes for the new house. But, it's turned out to be quite a challenge! Before moving to Tampa, Keith and I were working on redoing our master bedroom. While doing that, we stumbled upon our true design style. I'm not sure if there's an actual name to be assigned with it, but I like to think of it as British Isles meets Glam...BIG? Ha!

It's dark wood-finishes combined with grays and blues and a touch of metallic glitz.

I found an artist that really embodied our color scheme and was perfect for our new waterfront home. Her name is Gabriella Fiabane and she has galleries in both Key West and Nantucket. Find some of her works here: Watercolor Studio.

This is the picture that we're using to inspire us. It's from Gabriella's Sunrise Study series.

The Design.

We were instantly drawn to the Schmidt Brothers who are building our home. It's a family-owned business and that element comes through in every transaction.

During our first meeting with the builder, Keith shared his love of the weather (check out his weather blogs in Tampa and Cincinnati) and his desire to have an observation deck. We were told it was actually doable!

So, during that meeting, we itemized what we needed in a floorplan:

• First-floor guest suite
• Two work spaces (Keith and I both work from home)
• Jack-and-Jill style kids' bedrooms
• Weather deck

After a few rounds of revisions, here's the plan we settled on.

The Search.

For years while living in Cincinnati, Keith and I have dreamed of living close to the beach. We dared to think we could find waterfront property. I own a PR agency with clients nationwide. At the end of last year, Keith started working remotely. And we found out I was pregnant with our second child, a girl.

Having grown up in Orlando, we knew Florida was calling.

We first started our search in Jacksonville, FL and quickly realized it wasn't the right town for us. It doesn't seem that Jacksonville has capitalized on its waterfront property, at least in our price range!

So, we headed south. This time, we started online. We fell in love with a planned community called MiraBay.  We found a great Realtor in Glenn Shirley and planned a visit. Unfortunately, MiraBay only looked good on paper for us. The homes which were in our price range were all foreclosures or short sales and would all need major improvements.

But, we knew that the town MiraBay was in, Apollo Beach was home. And, another neighborhood Glenn showed us was the right fit.

We're building in Bimini Bay.