Who You Gonna Call?
How do you identify a great custom builder—and choose the best one for your needs? There’s an oft-repeated quip that building a custom home is as much about the experience as the result. Yes and no. It’s true that you will invest more emotion into the design and construction process than with an off-the-shelf tract […]
What’s Your Real Market?
The answer will have an impact on the selections you make and the final home cost. Potential clients often ask for our homes’ average cost per square foot. The question is understandable. Price per square foot is a metric the real estate industry uses to gauge the competitiveness of resale homes, and homebuyers have internalized […]
Understanding Resilient Design
A growing topic of discussion among builders in recent years has been resilience. Homes designed and built for resilience will weather all but the most extreme environmental conditions and will remain livable during power outages. They offer homeowners true shelter and peace of mind. The most obvious natural events are those that make the news— […]
Avoid the Pitfalls of Pinterest (and Other Photo-Sharing Sites)
The first step to getting real value from these sites is to understand their strengths and weaknesses Many of our custom home clients love photo-sharing sites like Pinterest, and those sites can be a big help when searching for design and product ideas. However, they can also lead to frustration and disappointment. The result you […]
Where’s My Garage Door?
Although professional builders do everything in their power to keep home construction on schedule, they face more challenges than ever. Most have to do with back-ordered products—ongoing fallout from the pandemic. The supply chain affects every builder in the country, but as an illustration let’s consider a highly respected design/build company in Orlando that needed […]
Pros and Cons of LVT
Lots of homeowners are interested in this popular flooring—here’s what you need to know. Although the word “vinyl” raises some people’s eyebrows, luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is actually a high-quality engineered flooring material. In recent years, LVT has become wildly popular, even among well-heeled homeowners. It’s easy to see why: with looks similar to hardwood […]
7 Tips for Finding a Trustworthy Remote Builder
If you are planning on building a second home, hiring a remote builder can offer a lot of benefits. Not only can it save you time and money, but it can also give you access to a wider pool of talent. However, finding a trustworthy remote builder can be a challenge. To help you navigate […]
Exterior Home Finishes
The right materials on the outside of your house can both distinguish it and add to its value. The exterior finish is a home’s first impression, a greeting to neighbors and visitors, and a mark of the homeowner’s taste and style. Making the right choices in cladding, roofing, trim, and hardscaping can protect your home […]
All Quartz is Not Equal
Even if the budget is tight, this is not the place to economize. Here’s why. If asked to describe your relationship with your home’s products, only a few would warrant the term “intimate.” One of the few is your kitchen counter. You gaze at it and rub it daily. You trust it not to contaminate […]
The Best House You Can Build
There are codes and there are standards. A great home requires both. There was a TV commercial for kosher hot dogs that first aired in the 1970s. With a surprised and disappointed Uncle Sam as background, the narrator described how government authorities allowed the company to use ingredients […]
