Laundry Room Tips for a New Home - 09/30/11 06:51 AM
Laundry rooms are known to be pretty disorganized, but that doesn’t have to be the case.  For many Tampa home builders, the laundry room is a low priority, but here are some tips to make this space more functional.

Make good use of the vertical space with hanging rods or drying racks Layout the space to accommodate 2 to 3 hampers to allow pre-sorting of clothes Design cabinetry to allow for storage of cleaning and laundry supplies, as well as ample counter space for folding Consider a built-in ironing board that can fold away when not in use If using … (4 comments)

National Coffee Day - 09/29/11 05:56 AM
Can 100 million coffee drinkers around the world be wrong?  With over 400 billion cups of coffee consumed each year (yes, that’s Billion), I guess it was time to throw this group a bone and give them their very own day.

Those numbers are overwhelming to me.  So who are these folks?  Well, believe it or not, nurses and physicians rank #1 and 2 as the top two coffee drinking professions.  I have no idea where Tampa home builders fall in this group, but I’m sure we could hang with the best of them, especially if there are donuts. 
To … (4 comments)

National Good Neighbor Day - 09/28/11 05:42 AM
Seemingly straight out of State Farm’s marketing manual, today is National Good Neighbor Day.  It’s a pretty recent holiday that got established in 2003, but Presidents since Nixon have acknowledged it. 

So what should you do today?  How about something simple like a friendly smile and hello to your neighbor.  Offer to help them out and get to know them better.  Maybe it's time to organize a block party.
We do our best to be a good neighbor as a new home builder in Tampa.  We make sure to send an introduction letter to the neighbors near all our projects … (0 comments)

House Siding Options – Stucco vs. Hardie - 09/27/11 05:44 AM
It’s not like these are the only siding options available.  There are plenty of brick, stone and other options, but most Tampa home builders offer these two options. 
Now for many people, this isn’t really much of a decision.  The style they want drives the siding.  Mediterranean homes require stucco and bungalow and craftsman homes need hardie.
For those who can’t make up their mind on the architectural style, this is a topic of interest.
So what is stucco and hardie?  Neither are structural elements of a home.  They are the material that is placed on the exterior walls of the … (6 comments)

Home Energy Monitoring – Does It Really Work? - 09/26/11 09:01 AM
In the past few years, there have been a variety of devices introduced to the market that monitor electric usage within homes.  I’ve looked at these from time to time, but have recently decided it’s time to jump in and try one on my personal home.

To my knowledge, no home builders in Tampa have done these as a standard feature, so my thinking is it was time to use my family as the guinea pigs.
So how does an energy monitor work?
Very simply, they track a home’s electric usage through sensors placed either on the meter or the … (2 comments)

Confessions of a Construction Lending Genius - 09/22/11 06:31 AM
We recently had a chance to talk with Ken Sale from BB&T.  Ken specializes in construction financing for new homes in Tampa.  Even he’ll baulk at the “genius” label, but he’s pretty darn smart when it comes to construction lending.  So we asked him some of the most common questions that we are asked by our prospects and customers.

What’s the best way to finance a custom home?
The best way to finance a custom home in Tampa and St. Petersburg is through the use of a construction/perm loan product.  A construction/perm loan finances the construction of the home and then when the home … (0 comments)

Why Are New Homes More Energy Efficient Than Existing Homes? - 09/21/11 06:05 AM
This is a common question for folks that are considering all their options in the housing market.  They talk with Tampa home builders about new homes while they look at the existing homes that are listed for sale.  At some point, usually when initial purchase prices are comparable, the thought turns to the ongoing costs of each option.  We’ve discussed how home insurance is typically less expensive on new homes, but lets discuss how a new home's energy efficiency impacts your monthly utility bills.

The bottom line is that new homes take advantage of new building materials, products and processes that … (4 comments)

The Top 5 Reasons NOT To Build With Javic Homes - 09/20/11 05:44 AM
It seems like there are Top 5 or Top 10 lists for everything.  I’m guilty of doing our fair share of them in this blog.  I have to admit that I was hesitant to do this list.  The thought of listing reasons why people wouldn't want to build with us...well that seemed counter productive.  Once I got started, I realized it was pretty easy and hopefully effective.  So here’s our Top 5 list of reasons NOT to build a custom home with Javic Homes.

You Want Your Home To Look Like Everyone Else:  If that’s your goal, don’t build with … (2 comments)

Talk Like A Pirate Day - 09/19/11 06:04 AM
It comes each September 19th, and I think we need it this year more than ever.  Come on, it’s really easy, fun and completely mindless.  Plus, it gets us back in pirate speaking shape for Gasparilla, which is still several months away. 

There is basic pirate speak – Ahoy, Aye and Arrr!
Move up to the next level with some advanced pirate lingo like Scurvy, Grog and Land Lubber. 
Then start stringing them together around the workplace, home or pub.
At work feel free to plunder the lunch room and yell Arrrr! as you run out with everyone’s chips.  Introduce yourself to that new … (4 comments)

Video Tour of Culbreath Bayou Custom Home - 09/15/11 03:12 PM
We just completed the photo shoot today at this home for Housetrends magazine's next issue.  It's a wonderful home for some exceptional owners.  Below is a brief video tour.  Hope you enjoy it and look for the article in the upcoming issue of Housetrends Tampa Bay.

… (1 comments)

Javic Donates to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society For Each New Facebook Friend - 09/13/11 09:19 AM
September is Leukemia and Lymphoma Awareness month.  For every new Javic Facebook friend this month, we will donate $2 to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  As you’ll see from their website, this group does an exceptional job at researching and finding cures for a variety of blood cancers.

I’m sure many of us know people who have been impacted by a variety of blood cancers.  I have a close personal friend that successfully fought a battle against non-Hodgkin Lymphoma several years ago and have been a contributor to the organization ever since.  More recently, my dad passed away last year from myelofibrosis, … (3 comments)

Why Do People Want To Build A Custom Home? - 09/12/11 06:43 AM
There are probably ten times as many unflattering stories about building custom homes as there are custom homes.  So why do people want to build them?

Well, I’d love to say that it’s due to the magnetic personalities of custom homebuilders, but I don’t think that could be farther from the truth.  To oversimplify it, the reason usually falls into two categories.
Reason #1:  I Want To Be Creative
Some folks just love the ability of creating something completely unique.  A custom home really allows them to design the home to their exact needs.  Rather than selecting floorplans out of … (4 comments)

Are You Ready For Some Football? No? Then visit our Open House on Sunday - 09/08/11 06:14 AM
I’ve been ready for the NFL to begin and really looking forward to the first weekend of football.  But even in my home, I know that this isn’t the case with everyone.  While my son and I are busily preparing our fantasy football team and watching every game and replay we can, my wife and daughter couldn’t care less.

If this sounds remotely similar to your situation, a compromise may be in order.  Let me suggest that you take a break at halftime and visit our open house.
Once again, we are lucky to have great customers that are allowing … (1 comments)

September Newsletter - South Tampa Open House & Available Lot Report - 09/06/11 05:40 PM
CLICK HERE to access our September Newsletter, which contains the updated South Tampa Available Lot Report and information about our next Open House.
If you are not on our email distribution of the newslettter and would like to receive it each month via email, please provide us with your email address through our CONTACT US page.  Thank you!
… (0 comments)

Labor Day – I Just Don’t Get It - 09/02/11 06:19 AM
When it comes to holiday weekends, Labor Day is lost on me.  Please don’t misunderstand, I appreciate the long weekend.  After all it’s been several weeks since July 4th so I’m ready for an extended weekend break.  I just don’t understand why or maybe it’s what we are celebrating.

For the most part, all of the other holidays we celebrate make sense to me.
MLK Day celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. Washington’s Birthday (aka Presidents Day) celebrates the birthday of George Washington. Memorial Day remembers the soldiers who gave their lives for our country. Independence Day celebrates … (6 comments)

Building & Code Staff Appreciation Day - 09/01/11 05:55 AM
This one is a real blockbuster of a holiday, but it’s time to show a little love to the folks that make sure that our buildings are safe and up to code.  I’m sure the building, zoning and other employees at the city and county departments throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas feel like a punching bag from time to time, but today, September 1st, is the day for us to show our appreciation for them.

Again this is one of those holidays where nobody can seem to find the origin, but I think we can guess which underappreciated group couldn’t care less.  … (3 comments)

 
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Jon Solomon

Tampa, FL

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Javic Homes

Address: 4263 Henderson Blvd, Tampa, FL, 33629

Office Phone: (813) 870-2838

Cell Phone: (813) 220-5787

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