Yup. Can't believe we've been in our place that long! After being our GC, making most of the decisions (with full support of DH), surviving a whirlwind adoption, a life-altering surgery, and living in the house for two years, I think I can go forth with my "list of oops and loves". So here goes:

Oops:

-Living on a dirt road isn't fun when the snow melts or the June rains come.

-Want a bigger mudroom with separate cubbies for each family member.

-Laundry room is too small. Want a place for baskets for each person's clean clothes, to iron, etc. all in one room. And closer to the majority of bedrooms.

-Travertine kitchen floor with 3 (4 inc. DH) boys. And we cook/bake most of our meals from scratch.

-Air bath in master. It works great. But we just don't bathe. We shower. Extra money spent.

-Every bathroom has granite or marble countertops and stone floors. Beautiful. But it wasn't necessary. And harder to clean with all boys.

-Jack and Jill baths. Hate them now. Will only do private or hall accessed ones next time.

-24" griddle in kitchen range. Would rather have more burners.

-Gas fireplace. I want the real thing.

-White trim and doors. All boys. 'Nuff said.

-Bonus room over garage. Nice to have a huge playroom, but really a waste of space otherwise. Could have used the downstairs family room for a playroom instead. As it is, both rooms are underutilized.

Loves:

-My quirky but fun "pendant" lighting in the kitchen. Five bulbs on each chandelier over the island. Lots of light!

-Garage is 30' deep. We wouldn't be able to get our truck or SUV in and be able to walk around them otherwise.

-Living on a dirt road. It's quiet out here :)

-Pebble stone flooring in master bath.

-Steam shower.

-Lyptus flooring. Color varies enough to hide the dings and wear of life.

-American Clay plaster in the 3 rooms I did it in.

-Big work space in kitchen = multiple people can cook at one time.

-The pantry is 17' long. A little narrow at 4.5' wide, but the length makes up for being more narrow.

-Air switches at the sink for the pendant light and the disposal.

-Verde Fire granite island in kitchen.

-The "peanut" DeVine paint color (we color matched to a different paint brand) for the main color throughout. Hue changes with times of day.

-Generator DH decided to get. Paid for itself first time the power went out for hours and it was 19 below zero F outside! We had a few neighbors come over...

-Undermount sinks.

-Home office.

-Our 36" (each) fridge and freezer units by Northland. Paid the same $ to get both units as would have to get a single SZ unit. Work beautifully.

-Ceiling fans in bedrooms.

-Our massive mechanical room. Every piece of equipment has it's own spot and there is plenty of room to walk around in there.

-24" deep engineered floor trusses. They hide all the mechanical and plumbing. No bulkheads in the basement.

-Corbond insulation everywhere. Our garage does not go below 34F even when it is -20F or lower for multiple days. The carryover heat from the car engines is enough to keep it warm! But it also stays cooler in the summer too...

-Heavy duty doorknobs. They feel SO much better in hand and "wear" well.

I'm sure I will remember a bunch as soon as I post, but wanted to share. I know the decisions get overwhelming after awhile. It helped me to hear people talk about their positives and negatives after actually living in their home for awhile.

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