My Modern White Farmhouse

Welcome to My Modern White Farmhouse! My husband and I (empty-nesters) have decided to build a new house and you’re invited to come along on this wild ride. 

Join Us On The Ride – Our New Farmhouse

You probably think we’re crazy, right? When most people our age are downsizing, we decided to go a little bigger and build a new home. 

My house plan is actually called an “elegant farmhouse” complete with a circular staircase. I made a few changes and ditched the circular staircase because it’s just not my style. 

Many designers are trying to tell us that the modern farmhouse style is on the downtrend. Who cares what they say? Not me! 

They want us to embrace their color of the year and ditch the white cabinets. I have liked light and airy for a long, long time and I’m not about to go dark now. That’s just not me, thank you very much. 

Hey, here’s a photo of our land!

Modern White Farmhouse will be build on this empty land with green grass and trees in the background

The Reason We’re Building a New Home 

Why are we building a house now? It all started many years ago when we bought a tract of land out in the country not far from our old home with plans to build someday. Someday is finally here!

Let’s fast forward a few years. I decided to upgrade our old (not historic, not pretty), tired house. When we contacted several general contractors to come and give us prices, I almost fainted when I received the price quotes for adding on and redesigning that old house.

If we were going to sink that much money into that old house, why not just spend more and have a house built from the ground up?

Our Old House Is Tired

Did I mention that the floors sloped in our old house? I could make a list a mile long of everything wrong in the old place and all the things I wanted to change.

So, we decided to go for it! Then my sister retired and she and her husband moved back to Georgia (our home state) after spending over 30 years in Colorado. They couldn’t find a house they liked, so they started a new build a few months before we did. They are almost done! 

As you can imagine, my sister and I have had many conversations about our new home builds. Our tastes are similar so we’re always sending each other photos and asking opinions of finishes, etc.

When I was searching for the perfect house plans I realized there’s no such thing. I also remembered what my mom said when I was a tween and we lived through a new house built. She said, “No matter how many bases you think you’ve covered, once the house is finished and you move in, you’ll think of things you wish you had added or done differently.” So there’s that. 

There’s No Perfect House

So, there’s no perfect house. And like I told my sister, “As long as you love it, that’s all that matters.” 

Our new home is a two-story house. I originally wanted everything on one level. However, I couldn’t find a house plan I liked so I ended up going with a two-story home. The master is downstairs (a must for me) and the only thing upstairs is two bedrooms and a bathroom. Another staircase leads to a bonus room over the garage. 

The upstairs will belong to the grandkids. It’s all theirs. I’ll clean it, of course.

I found my house plan online. I did hire an architect to make some changes to the original house plan including the staircase and kitchen. 

Changes I Made To My Modern White Farmhouse Plans

I’ve always loved an open floorplan – way before they were all the rage. In my old home, I had walls removed to create an open concept dining, kitchen, and family room. 

The Kitchen

My new house plans had an island (a must-have for me) in the kitchen but it also had a peninsula (with seating) separating the kitchen from the family room. The kitchen sink, dishwasher, and lower cabinets were in the peninsula. 

The island was between a wall of cabinets and the peninsula. The fridge and pantry are off to the side. I didn’t care for the peninsula, so I had the architect remove it completely and make the island bigger. So now the sink and dishwasher have been moved to the larger island. 

The original kitchen plan had a range. I wanted a cooktop and double wall ovens so we made that change too. 

This is the first time I haven’t had a window over my kitchen sink but there are plenty of windows in the family room and the breakfast area so I think I’ll be fine. 

The Staircase

The original staircase was a curved staircase. It’s a little too formal for me so I had the architect change it to an L-shaped staircase.

The last change I made was adding a half bath to the bonus room. I can’t believe the original house plans did not include a bathroom in the bonus room. I can’t imagine having to go and running down a flight of stairs and across the first floor to go to the bathroom. 

Where We Are In The New Build Process (August 2020)

DHEC has to check the soil and make sure we can install a septic tank. Check ( we received approval last week)

DOT has to make sure there’s a way to access the land and that it’s 911 accessible. Check. It’s done now too.

Green Trees on green grass

We live in SC and the county we live in requires these two things completed before our builder can get the permits. They are all running behind because of COVID. I have patience. All is well. 

Our builder has applied for the building permit and he’s putting in the pole for temporary electricity. Our electric company has marked the spot. They will come out to get electricity flowing.

Once the building permit is obtained, we’re good to go on our modern white farmhouse. We’re so excited!

That’s enough rambling for today. Make sure you stay tuned for the next step in building our new modern white farmhouse. 

Alli loves her southern, country lifestyle. Whether she's decorating her new modern farmhouse or cooking up a storm for her family, Alli is all about living her best life now and spoiling her grandkids! She enjoys traveling, reading, Duke basketball, photography, and all things coastal. Alli wants to be a beach bum when she grows up.

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