Yup, Sherry and I have started work on another new house. But before you gasp – we’re not moving into this one… and it isn’t technically ours. Heck, it’s not even built yet.
In fact, the lot currently looks like this:
Some of you may remember this Mega House Crashing that we did last year where we toured 8 custom show homes – each constructed by a different builder and decorated by a different interior designer – as part of an event called Richmond Homearama. Well, their 2014 event is now in the works and they’ve asked us to design one of the homes! Cue the girlish shrieking (not from me, I promise my shrieking is quite masculine).
We’re both crazy excited about the opportunity. Okay, and a bit overwhelmed too. This is a whole new challenge for us in many ways. Planning an entire house design at once (from scratch on a wooded lot). Working with a new construction (which we’ve never done before). Designing for someone else (each of the homes are sold after the event). Budgeting with someone else’s money (cue the maniacal laughs). Not to mention holding our own against six seasoned interior designers who turned out hotness like this last year.
But how could we pass up the chance to dive in? Especially since it’s for a great cause. While we often take on side gigs like this to help pay the bills, this one is a purely creative endeavor for us. Homearama compensates their designers for their year of planning and work, but we’ve opted to donate our entire fee to Richmond’s Habitat for Humanity, a cause that Homearama will also be supporting in other ways throughout the event.
This project also goes along with the goal that we mentioned here – to take on projects beyond our own walls as a means of stretching ourselves in new ways. So we (literally) jumped at the chance. This is us playing it cool while touring the lot where our house will go up (it should be under-roof by Christmas).
And (surprise!) we’ve already been working on floor plans for the last few weeks (even though the event isn’t until May of next year). Of the seven custom builders in the show, we’ve paired up with Biringer Builders. When we first met, they shared their plan with us and we’ve been scribbling on it ever since. That has been one of the coolest parts so far. Since the house is still just on paper, we’ve been able to make a few exciting changes to the floor plan. And John, the builder, has been an awesome collaborator in accommodating our design ideas (“what about a french door there?” “how about building in a bookcase/window seat here?”) as well as suggesting ways to make them even better (“what if we put a transom window above that french door?”). And boy is it easier to move walls before they’re built.
John’s team will be executing all of the actual building, so this isn’t a DIY job for us – with the exception of any furniture or art projects that we want to make for the finished spaces. We’re in charge of helping with the layout/floor plan, picking all of the finishes that go in (flooring, counters, appliances, sinks, cabinetry, etc), and then furnishing and accessorizing the entire house. And with John’s expert carpenters, masons, and electricians at our disposal, we’re able to dream a bit bigger here – which is fitting since we’re trying to raise as much money for Habitat as we can – so we plan to work our buns off to make this house something special.
Between now and next May when Homearama officially opens, we’ll be keeping you guys posted on the details as the house comes together – from sharing the final floor plans and selecting all of the finishes, to the decorating decisions that go into each room. It should be lots of fun, especially since we get to execute ideas that we don’t necessarily have spots for in our own house. This means you, walk-in pantry.
So that’s what we’ve been juggling pretty much since we moved. Cat = out of bag. Just cross your fingers that we don’t choke, ok? Many of the real designers have been doing this for years, so we’re a little jittery about our first time at the rodeo. Kind of makes us want to pull a Clara and hide under the table for a little while…
…only to be enticed out by gleaming tile samples that Sherry can rub her face on.
Update: Wanna see the finished showhouse? Click here for Our Full Showhouse Tour, which includes final pictures of every room, the floor plan, budget info, a video walk-through, and shoppable showhouse furniture & accessories.
CrayolaJW says
Oh em gee! This is super exciting stuff and for a great cause – what a dream!
Vicki says
Astronomical, awesome news. We’ll all have a wonderful time watching the progress. We all believe you can do an awesome job. There haven’t been very many pictures of Burger lately. Is he okay? Love from your honeymoon state.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Vicki! He’s great! He’s even in the latest Young House Life post here: http://life.younghouselove.com/2013/07/there-were-three-in-the-bed/
xo
s
Leatitia says
Building and decorating without spending a dime? OMG you must be crazy exciting about this!!! I’m sure it’ll turn out very pretty. Trust your instinct! But not the ‘kermit the frog’ one. ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Avoid all Frog-tape-colored swatches!
xo
s
Morah says
RAD! You are gonna rock it. Congrats.
Lauren says
Oh my goodness this is exciting!! I can’t wait to see what you all do – you’ll be fiiiiiine. ;) Someone will be so lucky to live in the house you all put together!
Tara says
Wow – how exciting! My input – make an awesome laundry room with storage and places to hang clothes to dry :). And, room enough so that you don’t have to put away your ironing board! I can’t wait to hear more!!
Kim says
Oh man!!! That is super exciting!! I’m sure you guys are gonna do great and I can’t wait to see the details as you go! Now when we come to your blog we can see 2 house for the price of 1!! Well, not price…you know what I mean. :)
Tyesha | House Made Home says
How exciting! I’m so happy that I’m a fellow Richmonder and can visit the Richmond Homearama…especially the house that you guys get to work on!
P.S. I saw you guys at a local mall and was super excited and called my husband immediately and told him that I saw my DIY idols.
Congrats again!!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! We would have loved to say hi! Come chat with us next time :)
xo
s
Kim says
Oh man!!! That is super exciting!! I’m sure you guys are gonna do great and I can’t wait to see the details as you go! Now when we come to your blog we can see 2 houses for the price of 1!! Well, not price…you know what I mean. :)
Kara says
Wow, what an exciting opportunity! You may be the new kids on the block, but that just means you have the freshest ideas to bring to the block! I love how you can share this process with us.
Plus that is incredibly kind of you to donate your fee to the Habitat for Humanity organization. Inspirational all around.
That pic is perfect – how many times did you have to jump to get that one?? :)
YoungHouseLove says
I think it took us 4 attempts! One of us was always on the ground while the other one was in the air!
xo
s
Laurie says
Holy Cow that would be a fun project! I don’t know if I could keep it from getting personal and trying to move my stuff in at the end.
I just went through one of our Parade of Homes last weekend. Best feature I saw? Giant walk in closet in the bathrooms. They should all be like that.
Best feature I’ve ever seen in one of those homes? The baseboard vacuum. When you sweep up the kitchen floor, all you have to do is sweep it into the little baseboard opening and it sucks it up. All kitchens should come equipped with one of those.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so cool!
xo
s
Sara says
So cool – congratulations, guys!
karen says
sooooo exciting!! what a great opportunity. you two will do an amazing job!!
i basically designed the inside of my own home also…we will start to build 2014! it is a smaller version of this beaut!
http://www.houzz.com/photos/165338/Exterior-traditional-exterior-minneapolis
one thing that i tried really hard to incorporate in my home are lots of vista’s. every entrance into a room must have a view…be it the ravine, a fireplace or even the lighting fixtures.
YoungHouseLove says
Woah! That’s gorgeous!
xo
s
Brenda says
This is such an amazingly cool opportunity! There’s a different kind of dreaming you can do when you’re starting from the ground up rather than working with something that already exists. I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Connie says
My dad always called under the table Griggen Town. Alas he never explained the derivation and Google doesn’t know, so let’s hope Clara can explain since she’s a resident of Griggen Town.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Sharon says
So exciting! I can’t wait to see how it all comes together! The house will be BEAUTIFUL!
Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says
What a super cool opportunity! That is so awesome!
Jane B. says
Wow! Exciting! And you were thinking that the book was a big adventure…
Also exciting (for me) is that table (where Clara is hiding) and chairs! I’ve been looking for something just like that. Can you spill the beans and let me know where are they from?
YoungHouseLove says
It’s from a local place here in Richmond. Maybe called Furniture Makers? Hopefully Justin will see this comment and chime in with the goods like the other table :)
xo
s
justin says
The round table that Clara is playing under is from Haynes. They have this new line of furniture that is similar to styles from restoration hardware but it is a bit more affordable –
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Justin! I knew you’d know!
xo
s
Jane B. says
Thank you S and J.
Lela says
NO WAY! This is so freaking awesome! I am completely jelly! You both have NOTHING to worry about when it comes to “competing” with the other decorators! Yours will be so amazing! Can’t wait to virtually enjoy this right along with you guys. I’m super stoked :))))
Angel says
THIS IS SO AWESOME!
I am half jealous / half glad its you not me!
Can’t wait to follow along with it, and see all your ideas. It will be cool to see what you guys would do with a space when you can step a little out of the “we have to live here” comfort zone.
OMG. This is the most exciting thing ever. EVER.
Melissa says
SUPER EXCITING!!!
I am pumped for you guys to have this opportunity, to share it with us and Habitat for Humanity!!!
Yay!!!
Elizabeth says
Stop it. Y’all are too cool! Have SO much fun!
Sarah @makingitmyhome.blogspot.com says
Wow!!! What an incredible opportunity! Can’t wait to hear more about it and see how the designs come out. I’m sure it will be fabulous
Nick @ Wills Casa says
Hey this is awesome! We’re actually building from scratch right now and just broke ground 2 weeks ago.
Here’s a link to the floor plans we designed for our new shack, check it out!
http://www.willscasa.com/2013/06/design-process-floor-plan/
YoungHouseLove says
Looks awesome! So exciting to be breaking ground already!
xo
s
Stacey says
That’s a heckava feather in your cap! Well done! The success you have earned through hard work is so inspiring!
Kelly says
Congrats and good luck! What a wonderful opportunity for you guys! Will you be using thrift store finds in the decor portion of it?
Also, I’d like to say thank you for donating your “fee” to Habitat. My brother is a HUGE supporter as well. Every year he participates in the Habitat 500 bicycle ride in Minnesota. That’s 500 miles in a week! He sends the majority of the money he raises back to his home county Habitat orginization.
YoungHouseLove says
Your bother’s my hero! Such a cool thing to do! And as for thrift store & secondhand finds, they’ll definitely be in the mix along with big box stuff and small boutique stuff I think! Can’t wait to see where we end up.
xo
s
Sarah says
Oh this is so exciting! What a fun opportunity. I hope you guys will share lots of updates with us, since it will be such a different experience from fixing up an older home. Have fun!
AliMoonGoddess says
So exciting!
Can’t wait to see this come together. You will do amazingly at this. Habitat continues to surprise me in making dreams come true for people.
Jessica says
i’ve been staring at this comment box for a while trying to put into words what kind of impact your contribution will make to that Habitat. as a former Habitat AmeriCorps member, volunteer and staffer…THANK YOU! your house is already beautiful because of the love and good karma going into it!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Jessica! You’re so sweet! We are such HUGE fans for all of the good work that Habitat does here in this city that we love so much!
xo
s
Jennifer says
What an amazing opportunity! You guys will do a great job. Have fun with it!
Katie says
Oh em gee!!! I am dying of jealousy! I visited Homearama after I saw your posts last year, and was so disappointed that there wasn’t one this year. Now I’ll DEFINITELY be coming in 2014! You two are awesome, and I can’t wait to see what you do with your new new house!
-Katie at AdventuringAtHome
Marisa says
Very cool – so happy for you guys. Just did a Build Day with a local Habitat for Humanity and they are an amazing organization.
Have you seen any episodes of Sarah’s House with Sarah Rivhardson on HGTV where she designs a new home from scratch (rather than the ones where she’s renovating a home)? She gives great tips about what to save and splurge on in terms of choosing from standard builder offerings to upgrading cabinets or hardwoods. Could give you good food for thought in the building process!
YoungHouseLove says
I LOVE those episodes! I better start trying to hunt them down online or on TV so I can rewatch them and soak up all of her tips! Haha!
xo
s
ColleenwithJustPaintIt says
Fabulous! I can see it now, YHL Furnishings, YHL Paint, YHL Lighting. Oh wait, you’ve already done that. ;)
Keep doing what your doing because whatever it is, it’s WORKing!
Manda Wolf says
What an awesome opportunity for you guys. I am so happy for you and excited to see what you have planned. I hope we are going to start seeing more of this kind of thing, it is very cool!
Manda @ Our Wolf Den
LaTonya says
What a wonderful opportunity! I am so excited to see the your future posts on the design process. Don’t be scurrred!!! You two are well equipped to blow this project out of the park. I am so excited for you. Habitit For Humanity also holds a special place in my heart. I have done build projects in Washington, DC and Durham, NC. Have fun!!
karen says
that room where clara is under the table is stunning!!! i just love windows that are not ‘dressed’. is that one of last years homes?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a recent model that our builder just completed. It’s GORGEOUS! We want to do a house crashing for you guys!
xo
s
Alison says
I almost had a heart attack when you said you have another house! :) So excited to follow this journey with you and hopefully see the house in person in Richmond!!
TheBrooklynFig says
This is amazing- congratulations! I’m so excited to hear your future updates about the house- what a great opportunity for you!
Grace says
Are you guys for real? No, seriously. Are you? How do you guys do it all?!! You all are amazing and so blessed. Congrats on an awesome and exciting new venture. I know you guys will be amazing, and I am already dying to see all the pictures! You have inspired me so much over the last few years since I found your blog, and I am so excited to see the motherload of inspiration you all will put in this house.
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
Thweet!!!! (yes when I get excited I like to talk with a lisp) This is right up your alley. You guys will knock out a wonderful and inviting space I’m sure. I have been dreaming of this day. Literally, you guys were pretty much the 2 extra contestants during this years HGTV Star. I would watch everyone else’s designs and then think to myself (or dream it that night) what space yous guys would have created. What can I say? Most of my dreams are very literal and help my brain sort through dilemmas I face during the day. ie “How can I get John & Sherry onto one of my favorite HGTV shows?” :o)
My best, Lynn
*so how often will we get updates on this new project? Sporadically or will you be adding a new Page Tab at the top? What, what?
YoungHouseLove says
We plan to just post about it as we go! So we might have an update every few weeks or so once things get rolling (probably should pick up around fall/winter once the house is being built and then once it gets under roof). So excited!
xo
s
Megan Poletti says
That is incredibly exciting! Congratulations! I am eagerly anticipating all the details :)
Robin says
Richmond Homearama is always a popular event but I imagine with “cat = out of the bag” it just became a “must see” design showcase that will draw even more locals, “design tourists”, and I suspect some TV features! So yay for me being local … I’ll definitely buy my tickets early :) And thank you Youngsters for donating your fee to Habitat for Humanity and I applaud you for searching out opportunities to stretch your wings and reach new heights!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Robin! Can’t wait to see you there!
xo
s
Mary says
Habitat for Humanity! Such a worthwhile cause. You two are very generous! Am looking forward to following along. Congrats!
Angie says
Wow, that’s a dream assignment. You get to start from scratch with someone else’s money? That’s right up there with a mall shopping spree. Do you think you’ll have a hard time handing it over when the time comes? It will certainly help to have your own new (to you) house to work on, so maybe it wouldn’t be as hard as if you guys were still at house #2.
YoungHouseLove says
I think we’ll love the heck out of that house and sniffle when we say goodbye but we love our new house like crazy so we won’t be sad to come home to that!
xo
s
Jeanna says
My respect for you (which was already high) just jumped even higher with your generous choice to pass your wage for an entire year of work to Habitat for Humanity!! Way to go! Congratulations on this amazing opportunity, and relax, you will do just fine :) Can’t wait to see the finished product!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Jeanna!
xo
s
Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says
Oh and off the top of your head do you happen to know if you came across any of your house crashes that effortlessly pulled off a grey and yellow combo in their house? Preferably in the kitchen? I’m at a standstill in finding good inspiration pics. Any help is greatly appreciated.
MB, L
YoungHouseLove says
You can search through all of our inspiration images by color here (well, the ones we’ve cataloged – so there are still more to be added). Hope it helps Lynn!
xo
s
Annelies says
Congratulations! That seems so much fun to do! Amazing where you guys find to time to do all of this, but can’t wait to see the result!
Some other questions… Are you still planning a blog post on all the hotels you stayed at during the book tour?
Is Clara still writing to the other Clara?
YoungHouseLove says
We have lost touch with the other Clara but hope to start that up whenever she resurfaces! As for the hotel post, we had a computer crashing issue and aren’t sure we have all the pics, but we’d love to do that sometime if we do!
xo
s
Rachel says
I was the marketing director for a builder several years back. They opted for ME to design the house, as they recognized that I had a knack for it from a couple of open houses I helped stage. I was scared out of my mind!!!!! It was tons of work and I was so intimidated going up against the seasoned designers but I did my best to make it bold, comfortable and memorable and the house ended up winning the Cleveland Citirama People’s Choice Award! And it sold right away. I’m a photographer now, but being congratulated by the City of Cleveland architect was definitely a bright spot in my eclectic career. :) Love your work – you’ve got this!!!
Michelle Kersey says
Congrats you guys!!!!! That’s so awesome! We have a homearama in my town too. Love touring it! Good luck! Not that you need it!
Arielle says
WOW! I am so super excited for you guys! I got chills and teary eyed reading this post! The fact that you are donating your fee to Habitat for Humanity is pure, unfiltered awesome!
Side note…I said that and just noticed a Target ad right above the comment box for Brita water filters. Subliminal messaging?? I think so!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s hilarious about the filter! And you’re so sweet Arielle. Love you lots.
xo
s