As I mentioned in the last post, Saturday morning Chad and I hopped over to Elberton, GA (less than 30 min drive) to look at more granite options. Why did I even do this to myself? The goal should be LESS options, easier decisions. It was granite overload. This is just one room...
Such gorgeous things!
Our absolute FAVORITE was Bianco Romano granite.
(Ok, well honestly my first favorite would be marble. Know not perfect for the kitchen but oh. em. gee. All the different marble they had was beyond amaze)
But back to Bianco Romano. It looked great with our paint sample, SW Intellectual Gray, which will be our kitchen cabinet color.
There were flecks of gray, black, metallic silver...again, so gorgeous.
A view of Bianco Romano in a kitchen.
So that's the one! Easy, right?
YAY!!!..... UNTIL we found out the price. BOOOOO!!!
Ok, honestly it wasn't that bad if any of you out there are interested, it's definitely doable. It really is even more gorgeous in person. Totally check it out if you want a "marble look" on a granite budget. I definitely recommend it!
Our thoughts were just that when building a house, there's so many times you "go over a budget" (each category has a budget. Ex: cabinets/granite is one itemized line to make up the big budget). We had already thrown in some things (some even necessities even that came up) that weren't in "the big budget", so sure, even though it may be just a couple hundred more for the granite we really wanted, when you keep adding up hundreds and hundreds...well they add up QUICK..turn into thousands..thus causing me to go into cardiac arrest.
To us, it just wasn't worth it when we found one that could do the job just as well. Heck, we're both just ecstatic to have GRANITE for once in our lives, so not really picky over here. I think you just have to draw the line somewhere and make those tough decisions. Unless you have unlimited funds, of course. Then I'd just love to be your best friend :)
Insert Colonial White. An even lighter, white granite with not so much going on and a better price.
Still great flecks of grey, black, and taupe which will pull out our wood floors...grey cabinets...black accents. I think it will even let the grey cabinets stand out more than the granite per say, which I like.
Here's Colonial White on this kitchen island. You can see how great it looks with grey.
Transitional Kitchen by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Martha O'Hara Interiors
and again...this slab had a good bit of swirls and flecks.
and again...this slab had a good bit of swirls and flecks.
Traditional Kitchen by Anaheim Kitchen & Bath Designers Marble Yard - Granite - Orange County, Anaheim
So yes, the Colonial White allowed us to stay more within our overall cabinet/granite budget. You CAN stay within budget when building a house, as much as you may think it's impossible. (and I'm talking about per itemized category, not the big overall budget because yes there will be unexpected necessities that come up [grading problems, septic tank problems, etc...] that you just can not help and will need contingency fund for) Just stick to your guns, remember you don't have to have it all right away, be creative with frugal ideas, and learn to sacrifice some things for those other things you really, truly want to splurge on at the moment. Heck, we even sacrificed a master tub for a tile shower for goodness sakes. It's all about what fits YOUR life. Don't ever let anyone talk you into anything or make you think you're crazy. It's your house, you have to live in it. Nobody else. It's also what makes your house, well...your house.
So that's my advice for the day, if anyone wants my two cents worth. We love our new home so much and this has been such an easy process, but maybe partly because we've tried not to make this THE most important thing in our lives right now. Because it's not. I keep telling myself "It's just a house"...and at the end of the day, that's all it is and that's all we need. A house. To make a home filled with our family, love, laughter and new memories. This is such a huge blessing for us. So excited we have made one of our last, final decisions this week with the granite. There is light at the end of the tunnel and GOD IS GOOD!
So yes, the Colonial White allowed us to stay more within our overall cabinet/granite budget. You CAN stay within budget when building a house, as much as you may think it's impossible. (and I'm talking about per itemized category, not the big overall budget because yes there will be unexpected necessities that come up [grading problems, septic tank problems, etc...] that you just can not help and will need contingency fund for) Just stick to your guns, remember you don't have to have it all right away, be creative with frugal ideas, and learn to sacrifice some things for those other things you really, truly want to splurge on at the moment. Heck, we even sacrificed a master tub for a tile shower for goodness sakes. It's all about what fits YOUR life. Don't ever let anyone talk you into anything or make you think you're crazy. It's your house, you have to live in it. Nobody else. It's also what makes your house, well...your house.
So that's my advice for the day, if anyone wants my two cents worth. We love our new home so much and this has been such an easy process, but maybe partly because we've tried not to make this THE most important thing in our lives right now. Because it's not. I keep telling myself "It's just a house"...and at the end of the day, that's all it is and that's all we need. A house. To make a home filled with our family, love, laughter and new memories. This is such a huge blessing for us. So excited we have made one of our last, final decisions this week with the granite. There is light at the end of the tunnel and GOD IS GOOD!
I think the granite y'all picked is beautiful & will look amazing in your kitchen!! I too felt so, "wow! granite!" when we finally got our put in. Neither of us had it before so, we were just happy & excited to have it! Now though we know that we won't go with the color that we chose... it hides everything on the counter! LOL! I love y'alls though & think y'all made a great decision!! & props to y'all for sticking to your guns & staying in budget!!
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