More Quality Products KB Used In My Home

A while back I blogged about some of the quality brands that KB Home was using in building my home. Here are a few more:


Emser Tile - an industry leading designer, marketer, and producer of the world’s finest tile & natural stone, porcelain, ceramic, metal, glass, quarry, & more! I opted for tile in my wet areas because of its durability and beauty. With my bathroom very simple (solid white marble countertops and surrounds along with espresso cabinets), I wanted my floors to have some character. These "Titan" tiles give my rooms a nice neutral look.

Shaw Flooring - is the world's largest carpet manufacturer with a reputation for offering strong and attractive flooring. When I was picking out my wood and carpet flooring, I could only see the website pictures and a sample at the Design Studio. I really had no idea what it would look like once it was installed in my home. Now that it's installed, I absolutely love it! It warms the rooms in a way that tile floors just cant do.

My wood flooring is called Nightsong Hickory and they are 8" wide planks. Yes, 8" wide! The dark tones go well with my espresso cabinets.

 

My carpeting is a multi-colored shag like carpet in "Thistle".
 

Sherwin-Williams - Founded in 1866, it is the largest producer of paints and coatings in the United States. Their paints were used on the interior and exterior of my home. I have no doubt they will stand up to the busy life of my family.


Whirlpool - the world's leading global manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. When it comes to appliances, I don't buy brands Im unfamiliar with, so Im very pleased KB Home offers Whirlpool, too.

 

Moen - the #1 faucet brand in North America, Moen has been around for 75 years, offering a diverse selection of thoughtfully designed kitchen and bath faucets, showerheads, accessories. They look amazing and work flawlessly.

Seagull Lighting - the industry's most expansive line of Energy Star qualified lighting fixtures and ceiling fans featuring decorative lighting designed with today's consumer in mind and catering to modern tastes and home fashions.

Kwikset - manufactures and markets a complete line of door locks and door hardware including door knobs, door levers, deadbolts, handlesets, pocket door hardware and electronic keyless entry locks for residential and light commercial applications. Millions of families have relied on Kwikset for security and peace of mind.

 

 

 

Carrier - the world leader in heating and air-conditioning with proven innovation of new products and services that improve global comfort and efficiency. I know this unit is built to stand up to the hot Texas heat for years to come.

 

 

 

 

 

Rheem -  is the industry leader for total heating, cooling and water heating solutions. In fact, Rheem is the only brand with product offerings covering residential and commercial heating, cooling, conventional storage-style water heaters, tankless water heaters, solar water heating systems, replacement parts and accessories for all categories.

Day 136: Meeting About Granite Leads to Changes

This morning I met with Cade Horton, the Regional Operations Manager for KB, along with Rob and Branden from Summit Stoneworks, and Raymond to discuss the granite that was installed. Mr. Horton was able to shed some light in that the samples were switched out after I made my final selections. Consequently, from there, there was a failure to communicate to me about the change. The Summit Stoneworks guys didn't mention a whole lot. They suggested an alternate granite, but it wasn't on my color scheme's radar.

 

Mr. Horton offered for me to reselect my choice for countertops and backsplash. While I'm heartsick that I cannot get the Delicatus granite, I'm thankful he was so helpful in his offer to make it right.  He recommended the Colonial Cream granite that was in the kitchen showroom. After lunch, Mom and I went down to the design studio to have a look, however it wasn't exactly what I wanted. I'm still set on the black and white contrast "look". Perhaps its hard to make a change when you've been planning on having something a certain way for half a year.

 

We browsed through all of the granite, but didn't really see anything in white other than a piece that had purple veining. When I consider the possibility of ever selling my home, would the new buyers want purple countertops?  Eh. No.  Overall I wasn't gaga over any of the granite.

So, then we looked at the Silestone and I did like one. It's a quartz product called Eco and is made by Cosentino, the makers of Silestone. The one I liked is called Polar Cap and it's pure white. It sparkles yet isn't as flashy as granite, but it's also not as difficult to maintain. It's made from 75% recycled materials such as mirror, glass, porcelain, ceramics and vitrified ash. Even 94% of the water used in its manufacturing process is re-used. It's non-porous which makes it ideal for areas where the kids will be. Im also impressed that it doesn't give off any radon like granite does.

 

 

The reason I liked it was because of my initial visit to the KB Home Studio when I went to pick out my initial options. The design kitchen had the Eco countertops in the crystal ash color, a gray with tiny bits of sparkle, which I later learned was from the bits of mirror used in its production. It was, however, unavailable at the time (and still is today). But today, they had the white Polar Cap in the design kitchen and of course, white is the color I have been wanting all along. After seeing that there wasn't a granite that I loved, this was my next favorite in line from the Delicatus. Im happy it was here today or Im not sure what I would have done. Perhaps God knows that, with kids, I needed something that can withstand all of the abuse we'll be throwing at it.

 

 

Next, I picked a new backsplash by Emser Tile called Lucente Stone Blends Servolo glass mosaic. It features clear and matte glass with quartz stone, adding a bit of gold/copper sparkle to it.  It should look amazing with my expresso cabinets and will bring the warmth of the wood flooring up into the room. Even though pictures do not do these two justice, at all, watch in the following weeks for pictures of the countertops and backsplash to be installed. 

 

I have to say that today Mr. Horton, on behalf of KB Home, definitely showed me that they do care about their customers. They were willing to make it right, and in doing so, I continue to be a very happy customer who is equally as proud to have chosen KB Home as my first time home builder.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 124: Tile Complete

It's a cold day today which means the workmen couldn't finish laying brick. The tile inside is complete and looks sharp!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 123: Tile, Marble & an A/C. Oh My!

Lots getting done today. My bathroom is tiled, needs grout. My bath also got it's marble--counter, tub surround and shower. The kids' bath got tiled, grouting all done. Their bath also got its tub surround tiled. Last, I noticed the vent covers in the ceilings were all installed and the A/C is outside on its pad.

 

Outside, about one-third of the front facade was bricked. I am convinced there is way too much brick pallets than my house will require. I hope they leave it for me.