design: Home Design Mistakes - #1 - Single Purpose Rooms
- 11/20/10 04:50 PM
Over the years, builders, designers and architects witness patterns develop as they work with families in designing and building custom homes. These patterns combined with the feedback we receive from the hundreds of families we work with, helps give us insight into the "dos" and "don'ts" of designing a custom home. We call these "don'ts" Home Design Mistakes or HDMs. The builder and architect are tremendous resources in guiding families through this process and helping them learn from those who have gone before them. This series will focus on some of the most common HDMs families have made when designing and building … (3 comments)
design: Do Small Builders Only Build Big Homes?
- 04/18/10 01:34 AM
Many times when I share my profession with someone, they immediately say "Oh, you build all those big homes". Although it is nice to be acknowledged for our work, it is frustrating that this common misconception keeps many families from enjoying the satisfaction of working with a small custom builder. This misconception persists due to some realities that govern our industry. Here are some of factors that are at work; Lot Prices The least expensive lots are often found in large master planned communities. The economies of scale in these developments combined with selling the lots off very quickly allows for … (0 comments)
design: Two + Two = Nine
- 04/08/10 04:53 AM
Add CommentOne of the hardest aspects of construction for home buyers to understand is how homes of similar size and room counts can have so many variances in their respective prices. In one of my continuing education classes Steve Zbranek, our instructor, placed a very simple drawing on the board which helps illustrate the quandary homeowners face when reviewing pricing on their home. Example Please note the examples below. Structure A measures 10' x 10' for a total size of 100 square feet in size. This creates a total of 40 linear feet of wall space. Structure B measures 2' x … (0 comments)
design: You Don't Have To Spend A Million Dollars
- 02/15/10 02:55 PM
You don't have to spend a million dollars to have a custom built home. One of the most common misconceptions about custom home builders is that they only build expensive homes. The reality is most custom homes cost much less than a million dollars.
What is a custom home? A custom home is when a family works with a builder to design the floor plan, select the site and designate the amenities and features of their new home based upon their own decisions and budget. The plans can be designed from scratch or modifications of an existing plan. … (2 comments)
design: The Death Of The Media Room?
- 07/29/09 05:49 AM
The Rage For decades, media rooms have been the rage. They started as bonus space above the garage and morphed into massive spaces with a dozen speakers, multiple seating levels, 120" screens, $5,000 leather seats, wet bars, popcorn machines and much more. The desire to recreate the theater experience at home was a powerful motivation for families to pour money into these rooms and for audio/video companies to develop entire lines of premium equipment, lighting and furniture to fill up these spaces. Over The Garage In the first generation, media rooms stared out over the garages as it was cost effective to finish … (0 comments)
Over the years, builders, designers and architects witness patterns develop as they work with families in designing and building custom homes. These patterns combined with the feedback we receive from the hundreds of families we work with, helps give us insight into the "dos" and "don'ts" of designing a custom home. 
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