jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Amidst a global pandemic, I am grateful for the time spent together with my family and some of the goals we have been able to accomplish together in 2020. One of those goals was to build a house!

Are we crazy for doing this? Yes! Is this process going to give me a full head of grey hair? Probably. Is it going to be the project of a lifetime? Heck, yes!  It’s been a longtime dream of mind to find some land a build a home.  Here’s how it all began…

We have been living in our current TX home since 2017 when we moved from Seattle (Issaquah) WA.  We sold our home in WA at a great time and had only had a few weeks to find a house in TX so it was a very rushed process, but we knew exactly what we were looking for and how much we wanted to spend. I’m grateful for the home we found and knew in my heart that this was a home that we would love, add our touches, and eventually flip while getting to know the area, town, and neighborhood better while planning for a future build. We’ve really fallen in love with Granbury TX and we knew we made the right choice moving here to raise our family.

 

The Selling Process – December 2019

With patience and the right planning, I knew we’d be able to make this dream happen. We made some minor updates to our home such as replacing the exterior door and light fixtures, then we renovated our kitchen to add equity and value to the home, with the intention of some day selling.  The day after Christmas 2019, I created a FSBO listing on Zillow, wrote the marketing copy, staged our home, and took and posted the photos. I received inquiries and appointment requests immediately, but nothing serious. I felt that this fsbo listing was a great way to test the waters and see what was out there in terms of a buyer pool. We weren’t in a hurry to sell and we would only sell on our own terms (price, timeframe, and lease back). Then three months later in March of 2020, Covid hit, and real estate seemed to halt for a brief few weeks. Schools and sports also shut down, so with the extra time we had at home together during quarantine, we tackled a few home improvement and gardening projects. I was cleaning and organizing the house like crazy so naturally, our home was always clean and show-ready for potential buyers. In April, potential buyers became active again and the requests for tours continued. I made sure to have viewers practice social distancing and wear masks when touring our home, then re-cleaned and sanitized after each showing. We received multiple offers, but the blessing came in June 2020 when I got a call from a prospective buyer looking at homes for her brother-in-law looking to move to TX from CA. Her and her husband toured our home, loved it, gave the seal of approval to her brother-in-law, and the buyer made an all cash offer sight unseen. They also agreed to our lease back terms allowing us to continue living in the home while we built our house. John and I knew this was the right time and the perfect buyer we had been waiting and praying for.  We had an attorney draw up the documents and handle the transfer of the title.

 

Finding The Lot…

Finding land to purchase was probably the most challenging part of the homebuilding process for us as we were very particular on the type of land in the location we wanted. Some lots were too sloped, too close to neighbors, had no privacy, some had a ravine right in the middle, some too narrow, too small, no trees, too far outside of town, located off a blind road, the list goes on.  Our land search took about a year and half. Our main requirement was trees, lots of MATURE TREES, and privacy.  After more months of looking and visiting potential lots, I found land that fit all our criteria – a treed lot on 1.5 acres, backing up to private ranch land so we would always have privacy without any homes being built behind our lot, and located on a cul-de-sac. I’ve always loved the idea of a cul-de-sac, especially with kids. I imagine the kids being able to ride their bikes and scooters up and down our street without the busyness of cars passing through, except for the residents who live on that street.  The lot had a fsbo sign posted, so out of curiosity, I got out of my car, walked the lot, and saw a vision for a home with landscaping features surrounded by trees.  I immediately contacted the owner listed on the sign and we began negotiations. The lot being located in a beautiful private community with amenities (trails, a fishing pond, and sports courts) were some of the added perks that sealed the deal for us.

Community stocked fishing pond

Choosing A Builder…

We met with several homebuilders in Granbury to get an idea of pricing, styles, floorplans, procedures etc. We first had our heart set on a particular builder as some of our friends had their homes built with and they were absolutely stunning. We liked the idea of a semi-custom build where you can choose from a portfolio of available floor plans and can customize certain areas. Many of the lots we found could not fit the floor plans we liked and needed. We ended up going the custom build route, which I never thought we would do, but I am loving the process so far. In a custom build, there are a lot of decisions to be made about everything, things you never thought about in a home.  We found an amazing custom homebuilder we really liked and we are now working with Remington Homes DFW. After our first pre-design meeting, I felt good about Remington Homes’ services and processes, along with the individuals I met, one of them was the owner. They are family-owned with a boutique feel and a hands-on approach. I learned that they have built many of their homes from floorplans on Architectural Designs, which was the same site I had been obsessively browsing to find inspiration and to pin floor plans from – it was a good match. Remington Homes also conducted several site visits for us and walked several lots with us before we made any decisions to make sure the land was buildable and could accommodate our desired floor plans.

 

Floor Plan Design & Inspiration…

We rounded up our favorite floor plans from Architectural Designs. I spent hours on this site morning, noon and night! After narrowing down my favorite floor plans, we combined some features of two different floor plans and elevation inspirations while adding in our own features for a custom plan and drawings to meet our needs.

We knew we wanted to build a modern farmhouse style home with an open floor plan with a lot of natural light.

On my wishlist for a floorplan included a kitchen sink against a window (my number one ask), a butler’s pantry, mudroom, a private guest suite, a study/home office, game room/play area for the kids, a front porch, rear patio, fireplace, outdoor kitchen, and a detached shop. A short wishlist right?

Here were some of our favorite floor plan inspirations:

Favorite 2-story plans:

Main level

 

 

 

Second level

 

Main level

 

Second Level

 

Favorite Modern Farmhouse Elevations

 

 

Breaking Ground 2021

January 2021

A couple of months after closing on our lot purchase and waiting for the necessary approvals, we started 2021 by finally breaking ground this week! I can’t tell you how exciting it is to see dirt being moved.

I will be sharing the details of our selections (flooring, tile, countertops, lighting, cabinets, etc) in the next blog post, so stay tuned!

You can also follow along our homebuilding journey on our Instagram build page dedicated to all things homebuilding and design: IG @our.farmhouse.at.the.ranch

Thanks for reading! What are your favorite features when designing or building a home?

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

All images courtesy of Baked Bread & Pastry Co

If you have a sweet and savory craving, this is just the place for you, especially if you live in Granbury or plan on visiting anytime soon. From French croissants to bagels, and beautiful breads, BAKED Bread & Pastry Co is an artisan bakery focusing on slow fermented sourdoughs and European style pastries. All carefully handcrafted using the best ingredients and baked with love.

Tucked away on Cleveland Rd and located just off 377, the newly opened BAKED is a godsend for Granbury residents and artisan bakery aficionados alike (my Seattle native kids can attest). We consider it to be right up there along the ranks of Bakery Nouveau and Macrina in Seattle, and Bien Cuit in Brooklyn. BAKED offers the best and only artisan baked goods in town, and was recently nominated among the Best of Hood County 2020.

When my family and I moved to Granbury from Seattle in 2017, we agreed that Granbury was the perfect small town, and was just missing a ‘good bakery’, and a Target. Well, that good bakery dream came true and BAKED opened its doors to the community over a year ago for pop-up sales and preorders.

A crowd favorite – the Morning Bun with orange zest

Prior to preorders, BAKED owner Kris Trawick worked out of the commercial kitchen baking breads and pastries for pop-up sales and promoting her business via her adorable blue bakery truck often seen at local farmers markets. The experience, she said, allowed time to perfect her recipes and production schedule, while garnering all-important name recognition.  The response at farmers markets was positive with lines forming outside of her truck, and currently preorders have been an ongoing success selling out product with each and every bake.

Come opening day, customers will finally get to experience the quaint bakery cafe and modern farmhouse design inspired retail shop brimming with sweet and savory baked goods Kris has been dreaming of serving. Racks behind the counter will be loaded with beautiful breads like bagels and country loaves, rustic sourdoughs, olive rosemary, roasted garlic gruyere, and cheddar jalapeño. On the counter (behind plexi, for now) will be pastries such as cookies, scones, Danishes, croissants, morning buns, pop tarts, and Chai-spiced cruffins. Savory versions of those items may include ham and cheese croissants, bacon cheddar onion scones and ham and cheese hand pies.

My son’s favorite item on the Baked menu: Nutella Poptart

Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish

 

 

 

 

 

My personal favorite, their specialty, the Kouign Amann, pronounced ‘queen-a-mahn,’ is truly a labor of love.  The irresistible combination of sweet, salty, sticky, buttery, crispy, flaky, and tender is something you must experience to believe.

Soon, coffee and breakfast bagel sandwiches will be added to the menu as well.

Owner Kris Trawick (pictured front left), with her team of lady bakers.

Ready to carb-load? To start, BAKED will have a soft opening this week (by invitation only), and beginning September 28, new hours for the public will be Monday through Friday 7am – 2pm and Saturday 8am – 2pm. You can still preorder here.  Follow BAKED’s social media pages and IG for their grand opening and the latest bakery updates: @baked_breadandpastryco.
jillivictorio@gmail.com /

It was maybe even more anticipated this time around since folks loved the first release in March so much (another silver lining during quarantine). As much as I wanted to set my alarm for a super early wake up call this time around, I didn’t because I was preoccupied with enjoying my only free weekend this month before the kids’ first games this season.  Thankfully I had previously saved a bunch of items I liked to my favorites and shopped what I could around 10:30am CST.  By then, some highly coveted items were sold out.

Thankfully since Targets are open, some of the designs trickled into stores before the big launch and I did get a few beautiful pieces!

Here’s what I got and loved:

I’m a sucker for affordable decor pieces, especially from some of my favorite designers that happen to partner with Target. I snagged the wood bowl and a couple framed pieces of art to start. The bowl is transitional and can be used to function in a kitchen or sit pretty on a shelf. I also love the vintage inspired art pieces so much – best of all, the pieces are so budget friendly!

Here’s what I’m hoping to still find:

I was really hoping for the brass sconces, the metal two arm ceiling light fixture, and abstract wall art.  I feel like one can never have too much lighting and art in the home, and I have the hardest time finding ones that I really love but are also affordable. Also, the wood boxes are adorable – I love the layering look of them for a shelf space.  For you Studio McGee design fans, what do you have your heart set on?

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

My favorite sale of the year is in full effect! It’s my favorite time to snag some amazing fall pieces on sale (like these amazing booties) and grab some tried and true favorites (sweaters, tops, and denim!).

With the kids headed back to school this week, and myself continuing to work from home, there’s no better time than to stock up on back-to-school and wfh essentials.

Here are my top picks for this year’s sale:

Back To School

1 | 2 | 3 | 4| 5 |6

 

Zoom Calls

1 | 2 | 3

Fall Days Ahead

1 | 2 | 3

1 | 2 | 3

Denim

1| 2 | 3

 

At Home

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

 

What’s on your Anniversary Sale wish list this year?

jillivictorio@gmail.com /

Earlier in the summer season, my dahlias made their appearance. Of the 5 tubers I planted in the spring, I was able to harvest about half a dozen bouquets. I’ll definitely be planting more next year! I hope you’ve seen some of the beautiful blooms on my Instagram page @jillivictorio.

I remember the excitement of planting and growing my first dahlias in Issaquah, WA. It all started with only three tubers I ordered from Floret Flower in 2017. As soon as the first Breakout Dahlias bloomed, I was hooked. I’m so happy I’ve been able to grow a few here in North Texas, as the flowers I tend to love most (peonies) are not suitable for hotter climates and mostly thrive in the NW. Dahlias however, thrive here, so I’ll be growing more for sure. My dream is to plant hundreds of dahlia tubers on acreage for my own mini flower farm to enjoy fresh bouquets at home, and to share with neighborhoods, family, and friends.

Here’s a look back on my flower cutting garden’s progress this summer. This year, I’ve stuck to dahlias and zinnias. Next year, I hope to plant more floral varieties.

Dahlias in June

Dahlias in July

 

 

At late summer,  Zinnias have taken over my flower garden beds.  I’ve been growing zinnias for a few years now, but this year has been my favorite batch of blooms. I sowed only one pack of zinnia seeds, and we’ve been graced with a ton of these beautiful blooms all summer long, even after they are cut! Zinnias are the flowers that keep on giving. They are truly one of the easiest flowers to grow!

Zinnias in June

Zinnias in July

Zinnias in August

I’ve cut down these zinnas almost weekly to encourage more flowers to bloom, and to my surprise, they’ve doubled the amount of blooms! I’ll definitely be purchasing this variety of seeds again for next year. I order a lot of my seeds from Eden Bros and have had fantastic results every time. This was my first time ordering Pumila Zinnia seeds from Eden Bros. According to the description, the more you cut, the more they bloom!  If you want easy to grow, bountiful blooming flowers all summer long, I highly recommend Pulimia Zinnia seeds!

What flowers have bloomed in your garden? I would love to hear from you.