tampa homebuilder: August Newsletter
- 08/01/11 10:49 PM
CLICK HERE to access our August 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)
tampa homebuilder: Simplify Your Life Week
- 07/31/11 10:53 PM
Now who’s not ready to simplify their life?! Finally, a holiday that we can all get on board with. But wait a minute – What does it mean to SIMPLIFY? Do we have to give up all our worldly possessions and move to a hut in the woods? Not quite.
A little research and we learned this event is celebrated the first week of every August. Guess its not simple enough for a day, so it gets a full week. Being a simpleton myself, I believe that simplifying is all about having enough without having too much – cutting back … (2 comments)
tampa homebuilder: What's the Difference Between A Semi-Custom and Custom Home?
- 07/28/11 11:42 PM
Builders toss a lot of confusing terms around, but our customers often give us a puzzled look when we talk about custom and semi-custom new homes. So what are these? What's the difference? And why should you even care?
First of all, it's important to understand that new homes fall into one of three categories - Production, Semi-Custom and Custom. As a customer looking for a new home in Tampa and St. Petersburg, most new homes fall into either Semi-Custom or Custom. Yet just to clarify, a Production home is typically built by large homebuilders where they build the same plan over … (1 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Rain, Rain, Go Away – Come Again Another Day
- 07/27/11 11:14 PM
Who are we kidding?! No matter how much singing, dancing and praying we do, the rain is still going to come. It’s simply that time of year in Florida. So how does that impact building a custom home?
Well it’s critical for scheduling, material management and moisture prevention. Given this rainy environment, here are some examples of what a quality custom builder in Tampa should be doing. Scheduling: It’s key to build additional days into the schedule during this time of year. Sounds obvious, but it’s one thing to plan for downtime due to the daily storms of June and … (1 comments)
tampa homebuilder: How Do I Avoid a Lien On My Custom Home?
- 07/26/11 10:44 PM
You may have heard the horror stories about people having liens placed on their homes by sub-contractors that were never paid by their builder. So how do you make sure that you don't fall victim to this problem?
As background, when a lien is placed on a home, the homeowner may be forced to pay the value of the lien or sell the property to pay the lien. Florida Lien Law requires sub-contractors to mail a Notice To Owner document, in order to protect their right to lien if they aren't paid. We frequently get frantic phone calls from our customers regarding the certified Notice … (3 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Here Comes Santa Claus...
- 07/25/11 10:54 PM
Is it not enough that retailers have us conditioned to expect fully decorated stores before Halloween? Now the onslaught of Christmas in July sales has hit the mainstream, too. All of the advertisements for Christmas in July got me thinking about my fireplace, and whether it is really worth the cost. As a designer for a Tampa custom home builder, clients often ask me my opinion about the value of a fireplace. Since I have only personally lit my fireplace (and by lit I mean hit the remote control button to start my gas fireplace) a half-dozen times, is it really worth it?
… (1 comments)
tampa homebuilder: I’m Not Trying To Be Difficult, It Just Comes Naturally
- 07/21/11 11:39 PM
I’m possibly the poster child for this statement. I know my work colleagues, family and friends are nodding their collective heads. It may surprise them that I’ve actually mellowed out over the last few years. I'm certain it has nothing to do with getting wiser with age (the opposite is probably happening), so lets just chalk it up to a little bit of patience developed through parenting.
I do know that I’ve always been demanding on myself, and by default, those around me. This was evident with the first home we built, since I was the first customer. It was possibly the most challenging … (2 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Get To Know Your Customer Day
- 07/20/11 08:03 PM
In case you missed “National Get Out Of the Doghouse Day” earlier this week, the more important day might be today, July 19th, “Get To Know Your Customer Day”. I have no clue who makes these up, but it is a great chance for us to reach out and thank our customers.
Building custom homes in Tampa allows us to really “get to know” our customers. From the very beginning, we find out about their kids and how they live. We learn about their tastes and style. Sometimes it may seem a bit personal when we want to know if … (0 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Life Is Like A Box of Chocolates, You Never Know What You're Gonna Get
- 07/19/11 07:31 PM
Of course, this is one of the great lines from the movie Forrest Gump. I think most of us would agree with this statement, too. Fortunately, this doesn't have to be the case when it comes to building a custom home in Tampa. Unlike buying a product in a store that you can look, touch, feel and smell, buying a custom home can be a lot like this quote from Forrest's mama. Many builders don't spend the time to discuss the details of the home and their proposals aren't specific to eliminate surprises.
Luckily, there are custom builders that can address this. Here … (3 comments)
tampa homebuilder: What Are Impact Fees?
- 07/18/11 11:43 PM
Impact fees are charges that are implemented by local governments on new development to help pay for infrastructure to support the development. The idea is that the population growth due to the new development should help pay for the capital improvements, like schools, roads and water, that the development needs.
Most cities use impact fees. New homes in Tampa and St. Petersburg certainly will have impact fees. So how much are these fees? As you would expect, it is a difficult question to answer. Each department within the city calculates their impact fee and each city calculates it differently. Although … (1 comments)
tampa homebuilder: National Get Out Of The Doghouse Day
- 07/17/11 10:54 PM
Sorry, but nothing related to home building on this post, just something that caught my attention. As far as strange holidays go, this has got to be one of the oddest. It sounds like a "free pass" or "get out of jail" day. I can picture it now. Not for me of course, but "a friend". Oh no, "my friend" screwed up again and is banished to the doghouse. Well, I guess today is the day to ask forgiveness and work your way back into the house. Good luck with that.
It makes me wonder if it's a holiday just … (5 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Do I Really Need A Builder To Develop My Plans?
- 07/14/11 10:41 PM
This is another common question we are asked and there are a lot of ways to skin this cat, so lets walk through them. If you've ever done a search of home plans on the internet, you know there are hundreds of websites available that sell ready-made home plans. Another option is to engage an architect or draftsman directly to develop your plans. So why would you need a builder to develop your plans?
If you have a large lot without restrictive setbacks, trees, utilities or easements, then ready-made plans are worth considering and may work well for you. It's important to know … (1 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Why Do I Need A Soil Test?
- 07/14/11 01:30 AM
It's a great question. After all, most of the custom homes we build in Tampa and St. Petersburg are on properties that have an existing older home that will be removed. So the thinking goes - if that existing home didn't have any problems with the soil, why would the new one?
As background, a soil test is work that is conducted by a geotechnical engineer to determine the soil type, strength and quality on a particular property. Since most homes' foundations contact the soil and not the bedrock, a soil test lets us know whether the soil can support … (4 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Embrace Your Geekness Day
- 07/12/11 08:40 PM
It's time to break out the Dungeon games, comic books and old Star Trek episodes. Believe it or not, Embrace Your Geekness Day is a copyrighted holiday and it comes every July 13th. As the founders of this holiday say, "You're a geek and this is your day to roar!" None of us wants to admit it, but we all have a little geek in us. Just so I can beat my buddies to the punch, this photo isn't one of my old high school yearbook pictures, but I'll admit to having some geek in me, too.
Many people view the term "geek" … (2 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Problems With Spray Foam Insulation
- 07/11/11 11:12 PM
You may have noticed from our past blog posts that we spend a good bit of effort evaluating and re-evaluating products that can make the homes we design and build more energy efficient. One product that we have used many times in Tampa's new homes and renovations is spray foam insulation. It's a product that we get asked about a lot, so here are the problems that we've encountered with it.
First, what is spray insulation. Well, spray insulation is a polyurethane or icynene foam that is sprayed into the space between the walls and floors to insulate homes. Many … (8 comments)
tampa homebuilder: What Does SEER Mean For My Air Conditioning?
- 07/10/11 10:56 PM
When it comes to energy use, your Air Conditioning can be 50% of your electric bill in Tampa, especially during a hot summer like we are having. I like saving money, so you could take the approach in the photo, but there are some better options. As a custom homebuilder in Tampa, we continually look for ways to build energy-efficient homes, especially through the use of efficient AC systems. We are often asked, "What is SEER?" SEER is an efficiency rating for AC systems, much like miles per gallon (MPG) is used to rate automobile efficiency.
We all understand that if you drive … (2 comments)
tampa homebuilder: What's The Difference Between Porcelain & Ceramic Tile?
- 07/06/11 10:48 PM
I get asked this question from time to time. I figured it was time to clarify it and do a little research to make sure I was up to speed on the differences. Tile products are available in an unbelievable variety of colors, patterns and textures these days. This fact alone can be overwhelming when trying to choose the perfect tile for your custom Tampa home. But the thing that seems to confuse people more than the design choices is the difference between the types of tile. Each type is made from a different composition and that is what determines the … (5 comments)
tampa homebuilder: Curiosity Never Killed The Cat
- 07/06/11 06:00 AM
Everyone knows the old saying "curiosity killed the cat". It's the kind of phrase you hear repeatedly growing up, discouraging you from getting in harm's way or asking one too many questions. Personally, I feel that whoever coined the saying must have led a fairly boring life. Curiosity doesn't kill the cat, it only makes him smarter.
This summer, I was given the chance to intern with Javic Homes, and what a golden opportunity it has been so far. As a student in the Rinker School of Construction at the University of Florida, I hope to one day (many, many … (3 comments)
CLICK HERE to access our August Newsletter, which contains the updated South Tampa Available Lot Report and information about our next Open House.
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