The Edwards Build a House

Voila!  The first red coloured house in the neighbourhood!  We hope with the board-and-batten style on the top that it adds some variation in texture.  We are still missing the corbels along the front roofline, but it's so nice to get past what feels like another major milestone in the home design process. 

We had our first casualty, though, once the painters seemed done:

Broken window!

Kai was already on it and has ordered a replacement window. 

We've had some frustration with our builder, although it really boils down to difficulty/lack of communication, either from a cultural aspect or from unspoken expectations from either side.  We think I expected to have great flexibility (relatively) in design, and he expected to basically follow the plans from his spec house.  What I really want is the choice to upgrade/change/whatever as we see fit, with at least knowing what our options are.  In some cases, we weren't given a choice until we asked, and in one or more cases, we asked for a change and were never told it would cost x-amount extra.
I don't know who he works with or how when he builds the uber-highend homes, but I feel like I've been constantly hounding him for a list of upcoming decisions to be made and their timeline.  We have so little time to work on these kinds of things in person, I try to prepare ahead of time online with ideas as much as I can before we go out to places.  

Now, this has nothing to do with questioning the quality of his work.  We have no doubt it will be a solid, high-quality home when all is said and done.  He has made modifications for us along the way by thinking of things we would not have considered.  He has also been somewhat generous with us given his ability to get materials used in his other homes.

We'll see how it all comes together.