Nashville Interiors is giving some lucky reader a $500 gift certificate to a Nashville treasure – Bella Linea.  From luxurious sheet sets to fine down comforters and pillows, cozy blankets and sumptuous bath linens, Bella Linea has just the things to start your Spring off right!

In Bozeman, Montana, Anders Lewendal is hard at work building a home he hopes will be a blueprint for creating jobs in America.

Lewendal, an economist turned builder, is constructing a house made entirely from American-made products. Everything from the nails, screws and bolts, to the steel, staples and bathtub is made in the United States.

In all there are more than 120 products from more than 33 states. However, the builders do acknowledge that using American products can be more expensive.

A box of nails is $5 more than those made in China and steel is $146 more a bundle. Even though certain goods are more expensive, in total, the cost of the house is nearly identical. Currently, the all-American home, which is not yet finished , is running only 1 to 2 percent more than a foreign-sourced house.

Lewendal is convinced that if every builder bought just 5 percent more American materials it would create 220,000 jobs.

Here’s the list of products Lewendal is using to build the Made in America house:

Product          Manufacturer/Supplier          State

Windows         Amsco Windows           UT

J bolts/foundation         S.C. Prototypes         MT

J bolts/foundation/stock         Pacific Steel         UT

Gorilla Duct tape         The Gorilla Glue Co         OH

4″ perforated pipe, radon         Northern Pipe Co.         ND

4″ pvc fittings         GPK         ND

pvc glue         Oatey         OH

8d ring shank nails         True Spec         CA

16d sinkers          Griptite          WI

1/2″ foundation nuts          CAT          IL

gun nails          Maze          IL

damp proofing          Mulseal/Tremco          OH

Rebar          Nucor          UT

Concrete          CMI          MT

Concrete Portland Ash          Grove          MT

Concrete aggregate          CMC.          Beglade MT

Concrete sand          CMC.          Beglade MT

Hangers, straps, H clips          Simpson Strong-Tie          CA

TJI’s I-Level          Truss Joist          OR

2×4′s and 2×6′s          RY Lumber          MT

Plywood          Potlatch          ID

2×4′s and 2×6′s          F.H. Stoltze          MT

2×4′s and 2×6′s          Idaho Forest          ID

PL 400 sub floor adhesive          Loctite          CT

MiraTEC fascia          CMI Corp          PA

treated plate          McFarland Cascade          WA

T braces/framing          Appleton Supply          WI

sill seal          Reflectix          IN

powder actuated pins          TW Ramset/Redhead          IL

foam board          Dow          IL

Spray paint          Rustoleum          IL

Spray insulation          JM Corbond MT          TX

Screws          Por Pac CO          CT

Wire joint          Thomas & Betts          TN

Spray paint          ACE          IL

paint          Sherwin Williams          OH

Window foam          Touch n Seal          MO

Caulking          White Lightning          OH

Plastic elect. Straps          Handy Straps          WI

meter base          Eaton/Cutler Hammer          PA

electric panel          Eaton/Cutler Hammer          PA

Breakers          Eaton/Cutler Hammer          PA

PVC pipe/fittings          Ridgeline Pipe          OR

2″ Romex connectors          Bridgeport          CT

Boxes          Allied          OH

Wire-service, romex          Southwire          GA

staples          Sturgeon Bay          WI

4/0 SER straps          Sturgeon Bay          WI

Telephone wire          3M          MN

wire connectors/crimp sleeves          Ideal          IL

wire staples          Sturgeon Bay          WI

Furnace disconnect          Eaton/Cutler Hammer          PA

recessed cans          Juno/Schneider Electric          IL

recycled glass          Livingston Landfill          MT

Furnace          Trane          TX

Cooling Coil          Trane          TX

HRV          Trane          TX

Air Cleaner          Trane          TX

Zoning/Thermostats          Trane          TX

Ductwork          Norwesco          WA

Screws          Brynolf Manufacturing          IL

PVC          Cresline-Northwest          WA

Condensate Trap          Airtec          MA

Registers/Grilles          Hart & Cooley          MI

Allthread Rod          Chicago Hardware          IL

Pipe Brackets          C&S Manufacturing          WI

Conensate Pump          Franklin Electric          IN

Unistrut Cooper          B-Line          IL

Flexible Duct          Atco          TX

Duct Sealant          Hardcast          TX

Flex Duct Straps          Source 1          OK

PVC Glue/Primer          Oatey          OH

Thermostat Wire          Honeywell          MS

Exhaust Fans          Broan          WI

Concentric Vent          Source 1          OK

Exhaust Hoods          Broan          WI

Nuts/ Washers          Perine Danforth          WA

Dryer Box          In O Vate Tech          FL

Duct Liner          Johns Manville          CO

Duct Liner Pins          Hardcast          TX

Allthread Anchors          ITW Buildex          IL

Ductstrap          Colombia Man          WA

Manual Dampers          Norwesco          WA

Sill Sealer          Reflectix, Inc.          IN

PVC Primer and Cement          Oatey          OH

PVC Pipe          Cresline-Northwest          WA

Pex Pipe          Viega          KS

Kitchen Sink          Moen          PA

Kitchen Faucet          Moen          NC

Kitchen Basket strainer          Dearborn Brass          TX

Kitchen disposer          In-Sink-Erator          WI

Bathroom Pedestal Lav          Mansfield          OH

Bathroom Lav faucet          Moen          NC

Bathroom Lav sink          Mansfield          IL

Bathroom toilets          Mansfield          IL

Bathroom toilet seats          Kohler          AR

Master Shower          Aquaglass          OR

Master shower valve          Moen          NC

Master shower trim          Moen          NC

Master soaker tub          Aquaglass          OR

Master soaker tub trim          Moen          NC

Master soaker tub valve          Moen          NC

Bathtub waste and overflow          Watco          MO

Full Bath tub/shower          Aquaglass          OR

Full Bath tub/shower trim          Moen          NC

Full Bath tub/shower valve          Moen          NC

Water Heater          Bradford White          PA

Pex Fittings          Zurn          TX

PVC Fittings          Sioux Chief          MO

Hangers/pipe insulators          Sioux Chief          MO

Roof Jack          Oatey          OH

Plumber Putty          Hercules          NJ

Wax rings          Hercules          NJ

Thread Dope          Hercules          NJ

Plumber tape          Smith/Cooper          CA

Black pipe          RJB Wholesale, Inc          WA

Black pipe fittings          Anvil International          NV

Gastite pipe and fittings          Gastite          MA

Soulder Flux          Rectorseal          TX

Soulder          Exeon Inc.          IL

Copper Pipe          Cerro Flow Products Inc.          MO

Copper fittings          Elkhart Products Corp.          IL

Backflow preventor/PRV          Watts          ME

Expansion Tank          Amtrol          RI

Hose bibs          Woodford          CO

Chattahoochee Pencil Company          GA

1. Furniture
Be most cost-conscious of your pieces that require the most fabric like a big couch or large window. Choose heavy duty, comfortable and affordable fabric on these items and choose a more expensive fabric for the pillows. It’s the same idea as taking an inexpensive black skirt with a great cut and pairing it with an expensive blouse.

2. Lighting
It’s amazing what we can have made today. A client brought me a photo of a light fixture she loved that was $5,000 and we had it made for $400.

3. Drapes
If you can’t afford a more expensive fabric, make sure you choose an interesting style. This will be the focus instead of the fabric.

4. Rugs
Take the time to bargain hunt. If you need to have something on the floors in the meantime, use seagrass throw rugs. As you find the right rugs, replace the seagrass one at a time. A client and I were at the flea market recently and bought a $15,000 rug for $500 because the seller had no idea what the rug was worth. That’s a bargain that’s worth the wait.

5. Accessories
Don’t rush to accessorize. Over time, you’ll see items you’d love to have and if you don’t have any space for them, you’ve got a problem. Some inexpensive ways to accessorize are using groupings of old books and groupings of photos. One or two expensive frames can be mixed with ones that cost less.

Photo Courtesy of Terry Bates

“By the time the drywall goes up, you’re half way through your budget,” says Terry. And at this point, you may not have the money left to pay for the finishes that you fell in love with in the beginning.

“You have to ask yourself, ‘Who am I and how do I want to live? Not, what do I like?’ Most people live casually even if they have the resources to live formally. Small, well-designed homes that live large are consistent in finish all the way through.”

But this doesn’t mean that every single item was the most expensive. “If you have a good plan, then you recognize that in every room you have a main focus, two or three secondary points, and everything else is tertiary,” offers Terry.

By allocating your budget based on this plan, you can spend less money on the tertiary points. If you don’t have a good plan, then you’ll make decisions for every item, like a faucet, based on how it compares with other faucets in the showroom and the tendency is to pay for the best one – generally pushing you over budget.

If you realize that in your plan, the faucets are tertiary and maybe the shower is the main focus, you’ll realize that the faucet can just be one that works with the design because the main point is the shower. This keeps your budget balanced in order of importance and you end up with great value in a home that is consistent from start to finish.

Photo Courtesy of Castle Homes

5 Basic Rules for Flow

1. Keep sight lines unimpeded
One way to draw people into your home and keep them on the correct path through your home is to use sight lines that end in either an exterior view, or an interior architectural element or piece of art. Desiging the floorplan in such a way that creates a barrier in this sight line hurts the flow of your home.

2. Make the most of hallways
Generally, hallways are designated space for moving from one part of the home to another that take up space that you could incorporate into your rooms if you choose a more open floorplan. They do, however, provide for privacy in certain cases. Whenever possible, incorporate windows or open archways into rooms to open up your hallways.

3. Match the flow to the house’s shape
Rectangular or elongated floorplans like a Ranch style or Charleston Single are better suited to linear paths where all the spaces in the house are situated along an axis running through the house. More popular today are homes with more of a square, or boxy, footprint and these homes are more suited to a circular flow through the home.

4. Move from public space to private
The public spaces in your home like the kitchen, living area, den, and dining room, should all be situated closer to the main entrances of your home; typically a front door and a side door or garage entry. As you move through the common areas in your home and away from the main entrances, you reach the private spaces like bedrooms, bathrooms, or even a personal study. This progression insulates your private spaces from the hustle and bustle of your family and friends.

5. Avoid dead ends
For rooms to work together, there has to be uninterrupred access along the entire circulation path through your home. Particualrly in a home with a circular flow, you need to make sure that there are no walls that create barriers at any point in that pathway. This creates a dead end that kills the flow through your home. Even if it means including a door that connects spaces you wouldn’t normally connect, it’s worth it to maintain your unbroken circulation pattern.