Insulation

One of the benefits of a new house is the high-tech materials that can make a house really energy efficient and comfortable. The guys have finished with the first layer of insulation in the exterior walls. They've used a product called TUFF-R, which is a polyisocyanurate insulation. (I can spell it, but don't ask me to pronounce it.) This may not be the sexy or exciting side of building, but I'm really looking forward to warm rooms on cold winter nights. I can already feel the difference the insulation makes. Saturday was probably the hottest day so far this summer, and the house was noticeably cooler. TUFF-R's foam core is sheathed with aluminum foil, which acts as a radiant barrier. As I understand it, insulation can only absorb so much heat before it starts working against you by literally holding the heat and radiating it inside the house when you'd rather it cool down. Simply put, the foil prevents this from happening.

All of the seams have been filled with an expandable foam making this layer an excellent barrier against "wind infiltration." Now, the walls are ready for electrical wiring and plumbing to be installed, followed by a layer of insulation batting over it all.

Light Show

OK, I've spent several hours looking through my clips and magazine tears of lighting fixtures. I don't know what I expected, but picking the lighting fixtures has been really complicated. First, there are many more lights that you think there are in a house. Second, I'm walking that fine line of having some variety in the house without it looking like a circus.

I started with bronze hardware and wall sconces for the first floor living/dining room. I've been keeping an eye on the Julian sconce in the Pottery Barn catalog for a year or more—and it's now on sale! I like its clean lines, metal shade, and pull chain, which will allow me to control the lights individually around the room. I ordered 5 a couple of weeks ago, and they're perfect.

Now, I've got only got 20 more to select! Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and, believe it or not, Shades of Light have a lot of fixtures I like, but a company called Visual Comfort (its retail division is Circa Lighting) makes some of the most beautiful retro fixtures I've ever seen. I've got to check them out before I make any more lighting decisions inside.

Lighting is like jewelry on the architecture. With my new construction, I'm counting on the lighting to give the house an instant patina or vintage look. I'm one of those people who have to at least thumb through every catalog that comes in the mail, and thankfully I did. I never would have guessed that a catalog called Shades of Light would have much of anything of interest to me, but I found the perfect fixtures for my porch. I'm ordering the small bronze outdoor hurricane lanterns (a pair for the front door and a single for the back door) plus a hanging Moravian Star light for the side porch.

Interior Color Picks

Mark, my builder, wanted the interior color specs over a month ago. When we signed the contract to build, he took me through pages of specifications that covered just about every aspect of the house and project. When we got to the interior paint colors, though, I told him that I couldn't "imagine" more at the time and had to wait until walls were up and some of the materials, like the flooring, were determined before I could make paint color decisions.

Well, that day has come and gone, so I spent this morning finalizing the interior colors (and finishes). I had walked Eric through the house last week giving him an idea of what I planned to do. I know ideas involve a lot more detail than they're accustomed to. I just hope the painter doesn't lose it when he sees some of my specs. For one, there are three different colors for the trim in the house. Two, I'm asking the painter to use a 1/2 pigment of the door color for the panels on the door. (A detail I picked up from a Stephen Gambrel project that I saw published in another magazine.) And, three, I'm sure the paint finishes I specified are more complicated than what they're typically asked to deal with....but then again, maybe not. We'll see.

Here are the Sherwin-Williams interior paint colors list. And, visit their site to try out the room visualizer. Colors are different from computer monitor to computer monitor, but the simulator does give you a reasonable idea of the look.

Living Room
Walls – SW 6519 Hinting Blue (satin)
Trim – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (semi-gloss)
Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Doors – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 with 1/2 pigment for door panels
Exterior Doors (inside) – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 1/2 pigment for door panels
Exterior Doors (outside) – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)

First Floor Half Bath
Walls – SW 6519 Hinting Blue (satin)
Wainscot/Trim – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (flat)
Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Doors – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 with 1/2 pigment for door panels

Kitchen/Mudroom
P&F Cabinets – Pre-Painted by Plain & Fancy (fyi: color match is SW 7008 Alabaster)
Open Shelves/Exposed Wall Studs – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (semi-gloss)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (semi-gloss in kitchen, flat in mudroom)
Exterior Doors (inside) – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 1/2 pigment for door panels
Exterior Doors (outside) – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Mud Room Walls – SW 6519 Hinting Blue (satin)
Row of Small Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Mud Room Trim (for doors and row of windows) – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)

Stairwell
Walls – SW 6519 Hinting Blue (satin)
Trim – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)
Stair Risers and Trim – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)
Stair Treads – Wood
Stair Banisters – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (semi-gloss)
Stair Handrails (both) – Wood
Ledge Floor – Wood

Upstairs Common Area
Walls – SW 6519 Hinting Blue (satin)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (flat)
Trim – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)
Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Doors – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 with 1/2 pigment for door panels
Bookcase – Pre-Painted by Plain & Fancy (fyi: color match is SW 7008 Alabaster)

Master Bedroom (north side)
Walls – SW 6190 Filmy Green (satin)
Trim – SW 6212 Quietude (semi-gloss)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (flat)
Doors – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 with 1/2 pigment for door panels
Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Closet Interior – SW 6190 Filmy Green (satin)

Guest Bedroom (south side)
Walls – SW 6308 Possibly Pink (satin)
Trim – SW 6252 Ice Cube (semi-gloss)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (flat)
Doors – SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 with 1/2 pigment for door panels
Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Closet Interior – SW 6308 Possibly Pink (satin)

Upstairs Bathroom
Tiles for Lower Wall, Bath Stall, and Floor – tk
Walls – SW 6519 Hinting Blue (satin)
Trim – SW 6219 Rain (semi-gloss)
Ceiling – SW 7007 Ceiling Bright White (flat)
Window Sashes – SW 7623 Cascades (gloss)
Door - SW 7074 Software (semi-gloss) with SW 7074 with 1/2 pigment for door panels

Note: ceiling finish is semi-gloss downstairs for ceiling beams and bead board. Elsewhere, where ceiling is Sheetrock, the ceiling finish is flat.

Hooterville

When I first showed the house plans to Stephen Drucker, the editor in chief of House Beautiful, he admitted that he had imagined me building and living in something modern! A glass and wood box? He jokingly mentioned Green Acres, which made me laugh. When I was growing up, I loved that show. I also watched The Beverly Hillbillies...with their cement pond. And I fantasized about the train station's water tank on Petticoat Junction. What a cool place for a dip! Is this why I keep thinking about converting the bottom of a old silo into a plunge pool? Or splurging on a wood-fired, hot tub? It's interesting when something strikes a note that suddenly throws your thoughts back years...and you realize that ideas today may have roots in things you were exposed to so long ago!