Plumbing selections include the faucets, sinks (in some cases), pot filler, toilets, shower faucets, and bathtubs. Not selecting pipes materials (carbon steel, stainless, pvc?), like I assumed plumbing selections would be. This process was exciting and overwhelming, but allow me to state some lessons learned in the process :)
Prep
As I discussed in this blog post, I wanted to know specific faucets that there in our base bid. We elected for a fixed price contract, meaning that we did not know specifically what amounts the builder paid for the faucets. However, it helped to write the list price for each model on a sheet of paper. That way, I was able to know the difference in the price for overages.
Also, it was helpful for us to consider that not all faucet colors were priced the same. Specifically, the least expensive is almost always chrome, followed by brushed nickel, followed by oil-rubbed bronze or other colors. The base faucets were all selected as Delta models, which means that if we switched up to Moen or another brand, we would have to pay for an additional cost for installation for a converter. Brizo faucets are affiliated with Delta, so no additional cost (beyond the faucet cost, itself).
Kitchen Faucets and Sinks
Okay, so two full kitchens, right? Modern farmhouse, here we come! Our kitchen sinks and faucets are located on our kitchen islands. Therefore, we had to consider line-of-sight. If the faucet had been placed against a window or wall, I may have picked a bulkier or taller faucet (but probably not!).
Let's first look at what was in the base bid (which, because we selected J.S. Robinson, meant that even the base selections were pretty darn sweet!).
It is awesome! My parents loved it, the style and in chrome, but wanted a touch faucet. So their final selection was the same Delta Essa faucet but with Touch2O technology.
Mom and Dad decided against having a farmhouse apron sink. They also have not been super happy with their current black granite sink. It shows a lot of water marks and is difficult to clean. Enter the Kohler Riverby under-mount sink:
It is an enamel cast iron beauty (and the price comes with the cool grate).
As for Matt and my side of the fence, we wanted something a bit unique. Maybe it was the mechanical engineers in us, but we liked the idea of something industrial.
Drum roll please....
Loving the look of this faucet. It does not sit too high to block eye line but the spray-er (is that the term?) is easy to use. Our last touch faucet had a spray-er that we always had to fish back into the faucet. So excited!!!
We also decided to have a pot filler (for all those days that I cook...oh wait...). Here is the pot filler:
Finally, the biggest choice for me was the sink. I ended up talking myself out of a super expensive sink that I continue to drool over. First, look at this gorgeous sink (I admit it, I never thought I would drool over a sink):
Drool worthy. However, the fact that it cost almost three times the second most expensive sink I looked at was a problem. Also, since my sink is on the island, you really would not see this beauty unless you are standing behind the island. But after this sink, the regular cast iron white farmhouse sinks looks so average. Then I saw this Kohler sink with a unique-yet-simple twist:
We chose a single bowl option with the cool horizontal grooves. Hopefully I love it forever and do not spend my life cleaning those grooves :)
Next post about master bathroom selections!
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