Saturday, December 15, 2012

I GOOFED!

We are still making daily progress on our home.  Yesterday they cleaned the entire house and unveiled the carpet, hardwood, granite counter tops and it looks lovely with the appliances.  Today they placed the sod down without the trees which was weird because normally they grade the lot, plant the trees and than lay the sod.  I am still anxiously waiting to see what the tree placement and choices will be; however, it was a wonderful surprise to see the entire lot filled with grass.  

Later today, the workers came to install the back splash in the kitchen. The two tone kitchen with the Rushmore Maple Square Butterscotch cabinets and the Rushmore Maple Square Espresso gourmet island with the St. Cecilia granite looks absolutely beautiful together until the workers completed the back splash.  I came back to the house when they were just a few tiles away from completion and I gasped for air.  The back splash was installed with great skill and is awesome; BUT the color does not go with my palette.  I wish I had gotten there just an one or two earlier and would have stopped them from installing it. Part of the problem is that the granite and the back splash are competing against each other.  The colors are in both products but does not offer contrast. I really love the granite and called the tile company representative to discuss the colors and she assured me that the two would work together.  Well, it's a hot mess!!  I am so disappointed that it did not work out; however, I am happy to have taken the risk to think outside the box.  I have no idea what the outcome would be because I want it changed immediately.  I was told that it would be a messy job to remove the back splash because it would damage the walls.  I sent an email to our tile floor representative asking for suggestions/options because I know I can not live with the color as it is unless I change my entire theme to blend the colors.  It isn't so much that the colors are not in the same palette--it's just that when you look at the back splash you see a dark tone and the granite looks like it has swirls.  Honestly, it looks like a bad wardrobe combination.  I know our PM isn't going to allow for the tile to be replaced while under construction, but I am going to go for it anyway.  My dream kitchen became a disaster in a matter of hours.  If anyone has any information on how to replace the back splash or any other suggestions, please share.  In the meantime, the plan is to replace the back splash or change my entire interior design of the morning room, kitchen and family room which is not a bad idea because I do see the potential in making it work and I have already come up with some alternative designs.  I wish I could show you some pictures of the two tone kitchen because it's gorgeous; hopefully this weekend.  

17 comments:

  1. Yikes! It is so hard to see the entire picture as you pick from samples..Nadase I am so sorry...We have done backsplashes and they are fairly easy, but we have all the tools also. I would have to ask hubby what is involved in ripping it out, as you know it must be a smooth surface for the tile is sit flat....we have tiled our fireplace in our old home and if you have a wave or a bump in the cement board the tile will show it.......BUT it can be done...it can be fixed!! I am so very sorry girl, but it will get fixed one way or another. Let us know.....send me a pic in my email if you can.

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    1. You are right! Samples do not help!!! I love the stone and subway pattern which is beautiful but it's just the wrong freakin color!!! Ugghh It is an eye sore!

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    2. I can't believe it! I managed to get everything else done according to my vision and a stone backsplash was my desire but I thought the other color would be too white. I focused more on the beauty of the stone instead of the pattern of the granite which I usually do but I think the sample looked good and I neglected to think about the entire granite slab . Hope this helps someone.

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  2. I'm sorry the backsplash didn't give you the look you were going for. Like DW said, it's so hard to see the big picture when picking from such small samples. I hope RH comes up with a solution you can live with.

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    1. M, I wish they would allow the change to be made but I doubt it! They gave me a rough time with the doors and since this is my mistake I double doubt it! A couple of weeks ago I was about to switch it but I didn't and now I wish I had gone with my gut!!

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  3. Hopefully you'll be able to find a workable solution.

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    1. Thanks Courtney! The only solution is to change it. My kitchen and the entire house looks beautiful and now my dream kitchen looks horrific. Such a huge mistake on my part for not following my eye when I suspected it.

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  4. Oh no :( I'm so sorry, but you can't blame yourself entirely, because like everyone else says, it's hard to get a big picture of the finished product when the samples are teeny tiny!!! You know what you want, so go for it! Yes it's frustrating, but don't beat yourself up because of it. Your new home will ultimately be gorgeous and amazing!!! Chin up!

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    1. Such kind words Dwarlene D!

      Yes the interesting part is the house is so beautiful and I love what's been done! The part that breaks my heart is knowing they will not change it before closing. They have the right people and resources to straighten it out but not too kind about doing it.

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  5. Hi Nadase, I am so sorry to hear that you aren't happy with the backsplash, I hope that they can change it out with out too many issues. We have been following your blog for some time now, we were originaly planning on bulding with Ryan homes but have decided on another builder in our area that offers the same floor plan. Thank you for giving us so many valuable tips to make our descions in this build process easier.

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    1. Summer, I am happy I was of service to you and that brings me joy because this process is not easy! What floor plan did you choose and where and who are you building with now? Do you have a blog we can all follow? Thank you for visiting my site and by all means click the join this site button to watch how our journey unfolds. I would love to follow your journey too!

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  6. Nadase, I posted your pics on my site so people can see and help you.

    If you want to see Nadase's pic please see my blog dedicated to her at

    dwtimes2@blogspot.com

    Let's do what we can to give her some good advice.

    xoxoxoxoxoxxo

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  7. I feel for you. OUCH!
    It's tough when something big turns out differently than you were thinking,

    That big post I did after our carpet fiasco really applies, though I guess it doesn't help us much at this point, there's so much they could do to support more informed decisions. http://dreamrome.blogspot.com/2012/12/carpet-conundrum-concluded-and-flooring.html

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    1. What a nightmare! I hoping to get some good news from the tile company tomorrow. I emailed a bunch of pictures to see what she suggests.

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  8. R&N,

    The problem is that when you pull off the old mastic, the drywall paper is going to go with it, exposing the gypsum. Mastic wont bond very well to this surface and you can have problems, as well as uneven surfaces in the future. You can do it, but I wouldn't suggest it.

    I will say that if you are going to go to the effort to remove the existing drywall and put up new board, it might as well be ½” backerboard instead of drywall. It may be a little overkill for a backsplash, but if you are down to the studs it won't cost anything more. Using a backerboard instead of drywall will lead to a backsplash that is extremely durable and more water resistant (It is a Kitchen right?). In addition, with backerboard behind the tiles, If you want to change the tiles in the future, it will be a much easier task.

    Sorry to hear about your frustration. Let me know how I could help you further

    ~J

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    1. James, wow this is extremely informative!! This will help my decision a great deal when communicating with the tile company. I am a novice when it comes to installing backsplash. All the feedback I was receiving said the removal of the backsplash would rip the drywall because the adhesive they use is very strong which means holes in the drywall that would need to be replaced. I had no clue. This has been a huge learning curve for us and I really appreciate the feedback.

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