Friday ISO: Writing Desk/Nightstand

Writing Desk as seen in Better Homes & Gardens

We're going to have lots of guests. At least I (part of me) hope so! I've got *lots* of ideas on how to make the guest room the most accommodating and many will be the subject of future ISO columns, I'm sure.

I'm not a matchy-matchy kinda girl. Keith is a matchy-matchy kinda guy, though, which does present its own design challenges, ha ha!

I think He is going to let me have some fun with the guest room, though.  Because I'm not matchy-matchy, I don't want matching nightstands. And, I know I want one of them to be a writing desk.

Keith's brother always has to work when he's hear (sad!) and my parents check their e-mail quite a bit on their visits. I think a writing-desk style nightstand would give people the space and the privacy needed to work. 

I came across this one in an issue of Better Homes & Gardens a few months ago and tore it out. Sadly, they didn't provide credit for it in the resources section. To me, it looks like an Ikea piece or maybe it's from the Better Homes & Gardens' collection at Wal-mart.

Regardless, I'm on the hunt for something that will work as a writing desk AND a nightstand.

Join the hunt!

Going Up...

Great progress was made on the house even during the holidays! We've been able to walk on the second floor and get a good feel for the view that we'll have in a few months. Next step? Hopefully the weather deck! A boatload of pictures are below :)

As we were waiting to confirm the window sizes, the framers
were busy with the garage roof trusses.

Window sizes confirmed! Second story up!

A look at Keith's office, the picture window in the living room
and our master bedroom windows.

The second story deck. We can get out here
from either the master bedroom OR Keith's
office. I told Keith we need a wine fridge in the
master bedroom in order to truly enjoy this space :)

And the view of the second-story deck from
the other angle.

The stunning view of the canal from the second-story deck.

This is a good look at the seawall and the rear exterior. Lots of
windows should mean lots of natural light!

Jackson surveying the newly-delivered roof trusses.

That cut out? It's for the weather deck!

The roof trusses went up very quickly.

I love this angle that captures the roof trusses and our bay
window from the master bedroom.

This one shows you all the progress we've made. I can just
picture myself on that front porch with some lemonade now.

This angle shows you just how the weather deck sits on
the roofline. Keith can hardly stand the anticipation.

Our hairy house :)

Sticks & Stones

Lots of progress on the house this week--it's starting to look like a house! It's been fun to stand in the actual "rooms" and get a feel for the space. The builder explained that there were phases where the house would seem big (post-block, after drywall, etc) but we're in a small phase now. The studs seem to dwarf it all. And, while I know the house will be much larger than our Ohio house or the condo we're renting now, it's odd to be able to walk from one side of the house to the other in a matter of seconds. I'm anxious to see the second story go on (which is happening as I type) and then for the roof, electrical, plumbing, drywall...

This view is one that won't be there once the drywall goes up! It's the
guestroom looking into the family room and kitchen.
Great view of the two-story family room.

This is my office (Megan's). We made the closet a bit smaller
so that the pantry was a bit bigger (see below). I've been playing
with space layouts now that I see where the doors will be :) 

It really has been fun to watch the building process through
Jackson's eyes. Here he is in the living room.

Stairs! They actually build the first three steps
from scratch (the remaining treads are one-piece).
I love how the bottom fans out.

A good view of the newly-bigger pantry. I can't
wait to see how much food we can stuff in here.
And, see what Jackson manages to hide!

Fort, Ancient Ruins or the Future Licursi Dream Home?

The Answer is C! This week, we've been watching the walls go up on the first floor of the Bimini Bay Home. It's been interesting to see just how quickly the concrete block does go up. The Schmidt Brothers also build both stories out of block giving me a great sense of security against Hurricane Season. Enjoy the photos!

Day one of the block building

I really do like the sunsets in Tampa. And, our great
 photographer caught a good one here :)
This is the one that I thought made the house
 look like something out of Rome.

  

A garage!



A view from across the canal

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!)