Tag Archives: Vintage Oaks

Here’s what you need to know before building in the Hill Country

March 1, 2021UncategorizedAlamo Heights, blog, build, builder, custom, custom built, Dominion, green, high end, Hill Country, home, home builder, Jason Gale, luxury, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, recommended, San Antonio, Schertz, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Texas Hill Country, top rated, Vintage OaksStoneCreekTX

Building a home can be a daunting task, here’s a few quick tips to get you off to a good start with your Hill Country home.

Emphasize choosing the right lot

Most people picturing their dream home don’t picture their dream lot, but people moving to the Hill Country often have specific reasons for doing so. Are you hoping for some acreage, longing for anything with a view, or hoping for an active community? No matter why you are looking to build in the Hill Country, be sure to find your ideal place to build with a lot conducive for the home you desire. Some developments will offer “discount” lots that seem like a steal, until you realize the extra expenses required to make it buildable. If finding the right lot feels overwhelming, finding a builder with experience in realty can help answer your questions, avoid potential pitfalls, and help you visualize an empty lot as your dream spot!

Set your budget AND consult the experts

We recommend setting your budget before beginning the design process. Having a preliminary budget is also helpful to give your builder a baseline on what aspects you can afford to incorporate in your home. While having a preliminary budget can help protect you from spending more than you bargained for, we also recommend consulting your home building team on how to specifically categorize your funds. Experts can also recommend how much to include in contingency in case of any problems or potential upgrades. We have found that having a little extra tucked aside can be helpful when you inevitably find a dream backsplash or favorite light fixture that is out of budget.

Balance your personal style with features that boost resale value

While you want your home to reflect your style, keeping a future home buyer in mind can benefit you down the line. Choosing classic color tones, adding a home office, opting for modern light and bath fixtures, and keeping an open floor plan are just a few of the many ways to boost future resale value. With expert experience in both building and selling homes, we are happy to walk you through the process of building a home that you and future buyers will love.

Consider local style

Different regions in the Hill Country can have their own unique flair varying from a mix of rustic, modern, ranch style, farmhouse and more. When building in the Hill Country, consider finding a community with exterior styles similar to your own that still boast a unique, custom feel. This consideration can boost future resale value, as neighboring homes can have an impact on your home value when it comes time to sell.

Choose carefully and make final decisions

As you choose design aspects for your interior and exterior, make your design decisions carefully as changing your mind can prolong the building process. While the many decisions can feel overwhelming, using an interior designer can help you visualize each individual decision and guarantee cohesion in the final outcome. Many home building companies partner with designers for that very reason.

Consider your desire for space and your willingness to commute

It’s a common trend, lots get bigger as you move further away from the heart of San Antonio, or any major city. Do you want room for the kids to run around or the feeling of walking around in your backyard without seeing into your neighbor’s window? Are you craving the community feel of a smaller town filled with character, like New Braunfels, Bulverde, or Boerne? At the same time, it’s important to also consider how long you are willing to drive to get to children’s schools or your workplace. And importantly, where is the nearest HEB? Let’s face it, their tortillas are a staple in any Hill Country kitchen. With the rise of workplace flexibility and bustling small towns surrounding San Antonio, it may be easier than ever to move further out, but it’s still important to consider what your family needs in a close radius to home.

Make a list of your ‘must-haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves’

It’s important to cultivate a list of what you need in your future home versus things that are simply a nice addition. For one, knowing your must-haves is imperative to clearly tell your builder what you need, both for budgeting purposes and for the actual home itself. Scrolling through endless Pinterest photos of dream homes can leave you with a wishlist that may exceed your budget. Making the prior distinction between ‘a want’ and ‘a must’ can provide clarity when the time comes to choose between features.

Don’t forget outdoor entertaining spaces

Picture this, you move your family to the Hill Country, build your dream home, and realize you don’t have any outdoor space to enjoy the gorgeous hillside views. The horror!! It’s important to incorporate large outdoor features into the budget early on so it can be a part of your overall home loan. Waiting to build a porch, pool, outdoor kitchen, patio or more can sound like a good idea, this means you will later have to pay cash or secure a second loan. This doesn’t mean you need to build the screened in porch, pool, pergola, and outdoor kitchen all at once, but choosing the one you know your family will utilize from the beginning will allow you to have space to enjoy the Texas scenery right at move in. Planning ahead for outdoor space will also leave your home feeling complete, even if there are some big ticket outdoor features that you plan to add later on.

Consider lighting for design and lighting for the sake of light

Including a stunning light fixture can upgrade the feel of a room, but can leave your family in a dimly lit space as beautiful light fixtures often provide less light. To overcome this, we recommend pairing recessed lighting with pendant lighting to mitigate this problem and provide ample light in addition to a showstopping fixture.

Where to put the laundry room

Laundry rooms can be upstairs, in unfinished basements, in the garage…. we’ve all experienced inconvenient laundry spots. While simply having one on the main floor is a common option, one of our favorite tricks is to connect the laundry room to the master closet. This may finally be the solution to get your spouse to stop leaving their dirty socks on the closet floor.

Consider how noise will travel

It’s important to consider how noise will move throughout your future home as there are many ways to limit noise. The pitter patter of little feet sounds more like a stampede on the wood floors you insisted cover the second level instead of carpet. Saving on a cheaper, lightweight door may leave rooms less sound proof. Additionally, rooms located off the kitchen, play room, garage and other high traffic places may all be prone to noise and should be considered when planning the layout of your home. With a little forethought and expert help, your home can be built to quiet these everyday noises.

Find the right professional to fill in the gaps

While you may be certain that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly what you want. There are SO many things that the average customer doesn’t consider. How many outlets does a room need? Which way will water drain on the lot during heavy rain and how do you build to prevent it from pooling inside your new dream home? Our last suggestion is to find an experienced home builder who can give you peace of mind and create your Hill Country dream home.

We hope you feel more prepared for this exciting next step towards your future home.

Here’s what December told us about the 2021 housing market…

January 29, 2021Uncategorized2021 Hill Country Home Builder, 2021 Housing Starts, 2021 San Antonio Housing Update, best, Best Hill Country Home Builder 2021, Bexar County Texas Homes, blog, builder, custom, custom built, Custom Home Building Company in San Antonio Texas, high end, Hill Country, home builder, Jason Gale, Jason Gale Homebuilder, luxury, new, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, private, real estate, San Antonio, Schertz, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Stone Oak, Texas Hill Country, Vintage Oaks, What does the Hill Country Home Market Look Like in 2021StoneCreekTX

1. People REALLY want to buy your home. Like really, really.

The total housing inventory was down 16.4% from the prior December. As a result, the amount of time a home spent on the market was basically halved while receiving double the number of offers. Along with faster closing times, we saw a 13.5% increase in average home price (www.nar.realtor).

For anyone that has shown a house before, you understand having your home on the market for less than a month is a major win for anyone looking to sell. That’s less time spent yelling at the kids “it has to look like no one lives here” with the added bonus of a 13.5% selling price bump.

2. Most people want extra room to accommodate working from home.

Realtors reported over 60% of potential buyers to be looking for extra space in their next home to use as a workplace (www.nar.realtor). While a bigger home can mean a more expensive home in a competitive market, building from scratch allows you to benefit from your high sales price without paying the premium in the current market. Building a home can even allow you to acquire “instant equity” in some circumstances when comparing the sales price of your finished home to the actual cost of building.

3. There will not be a sharp rise in the amount of first time home buyers.

Mortgages are expected to rise but remain near record lows of about 3% interest (www.nar.realtor). While this is a major incentive for new buyers, higher asking prices have prevented a significant rise in first time home buyers. We expect this trend to continue with large down payments creating a barrier to entry.

4. Housing starts may be recovering to pre-2008 numbers.

More new homes were started in 2020 than any other year since the Great Recession. In fact, December 2020 saw the end of a year with the highest number of new homes started since 2006 (www.census.gov). With a constricted pool of options, more and more homes are being built to help meet the demand. As the nation feels the hope of additional economic stimulus, increased new home projects are expected to continue.

Maximize Your Fall Decor while Minimizing Storage Space

September 30, 2020Uncategorizedautum custom home, blog, build, builder, custom built, Dominion, fall hill country homes, fall home decor custom, gale homes, high end, Hill Country, home builder, house, Jason Gale, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, san Antonio fall decor, san antonio home builder, Stone Creek Custom Homes, sustainable, Texas Hill Country, top rated, upscale, Vintage OaksStoneCreekTX

We’ve all been to Hobby Lobby when they start carrying their fall decor. Not a single surface is free of pumpkins or bright orange leaves. But how realistic is it to have a whole collection of decor for every season?

We’re here to share a few minimal tips to usher fall into your space while keeping it limited to a single storage box for the off seasons.

One of our first tips is to embrace some neutrals and softer tones allowing you to maximize your use of decorative pieces. Next, mix in shades of rust or terra-cotta that have been the stars of this year’s home color palettes. For those of you with neutral bedding, one unique tip we came across was to swap out your sheets for a pop of rust during the fall months. Similar warm effects can also be achieved with a fall colored throw blanket.

Our favorite suggestion is to invest in some fall pillow covers to mix with your current throws. Depending on whether it works with your color scheme, we recommend a deep rust velvet cover for a pop of fall and cozy to your seating area. If rust doesn’t compliment your color scheme a minimal “hello fall” pillow works with any color combo. For minimal storage purchase a pillow cover in the same size as your current throw pillows allowing you to simple swap covers when fall comes around! This decorative trick can be done in the living room and bedrooms for pops throughout the house. Here is a link to the covers we ordered on Amazon.

Fall offers the excuse to splurge on a few extra throw blankets. I know in Texas we may sweat through Christmas, but the morning chill with a cozy throw and hot coffee is simply divine! With the weather starting to cool off, now is the time to include chunky knit throws in fall colors or neutral tones. Opting for neutral tones allow you to keep the cozy throws out through the whole holiday season which, you’ve guessed it, keeps seasonal storage to a minimum.

For the pumpkin obsessed, we are with you! Covering your porch in mixed tones of pumpkins allows for a bold statement that you can change each year as you shop new selections of fresh pumpkins. Mixing in white and neutrals pumpkins offers just enough of a twist to a classic.

My personal favorite way to include live pumpkins is using mini white pumpkins on your coffee table, mantel, or table centerpiece.

For the decorator who varies between minimalist and maximalists, this suggestion is for you. Fall florals can vary from including a subtle sprig or an entire show stopping centerpiece. We’ve been crushing on dried wheat or pampas grass this year which can offer a subtle fall feel or be mixed with fall leaves to make a DIY fireplace centerpiece. We suggest having a vase of various florals or dried grasses year round that can easily be switched out seasonally to keep storing to a minimum and maximize your decorations budget.

We hope you enjoyed these tips to maximize your fall decor while minimizing the burden on your closet space. Goodbye y’all and hello fall!!

What are the costs and benefits of your home floor style?

August 31, 2020Uncategorizedbest floor for hill country home, best home floor, custom, custom built, custom flooring, Dominion, high end, Hill Country, Jason Gale, luxury, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, on trend home floor, private, San Antonio, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Texas Hill Country, top rated, upscale, Vintage OaksStoneCreekTX

The foundation of any interior room is the flooring. Both functional and decorative, flooring is not only the feeling we get under our feet as we cook, clean, and dance our ways through our homes, but flooring also sets the tone and mood of a room. With all the weight floors take in our home, it’s great to know the wide variety of options we have to perfectly customize our spaces. Let’s dive into a discussion on the approximate costs and benefits of each flooring category.

Solid Wood and Engineered Wood

Bringing mental images of Abe Lincoln in his log cabin or Paul Bunyon clearing trees out west, the classic of all classics for America homes is solid wood. Solid wood gives a vintage, historical feel to a home. Like a versatile outfit, solid wood can be dressed up or dressed down in any home. It can be refinished multiple times by sanding it down and re-staining which adds to its versatility. Solid wood will wear and show scratches over time and refinishing it can be costly. Nonetheless, the natural warmth of solid wood is hard to beat.

Approximate Costs: $5 to $10 per square foot

The variations of wood flooring have become far more diverse than what comes in the forest. Engineered woods are incredible options for many homes due to their classic feel and greater resistance to humidity than solid wood. On the downside, engineered wood is less durable and more prone to dents than solid wood. It also cannot be refinished as many times as solid wood. Engineered wood can make exotic wood styles marginally more cost effective for your home giving them a leg up in their ability to be customized.

Approximate Costs: $4 to $9 per square foot

Laminate Flooring

The true chameleon of flooring is laminate. It can be made to mimic virtually anything. Laminate flooring is much easier to replace than woods, so updating styles is more feasible without professional help. Relatively cheap per square foot, yet extremely durable and wear resistant, laminate flooring poses a phenomenal value. Laminate gets a knock for style as it typically has repetitive patterns that can make it appear less classy.

Approximate Costs: $2 to $7 per square foot

Ceramic and Porcelain Tiles

Ceramic and porcelain tiles come in various colors, patterns and shapes ranging from classic, modern, and everything in between. Porcelain tiles are even available in faux wood “planks” to offer the style of hardwood juxtaposed with the durability of porcelain tile. A variety of ceramic flooring is terracotta tiles which can be a little more high maintenance but boast classic warm earth tones that have been popular for generations and are heavily trending. Between the two varieties, ceramic tiles are often less expensive and less durable than porcelain tiles.

Approximate Costs: $3 to $15 per square foot

Concrete Flooring

A floor that previously looked unfinished is now considered stylish and chic for modern homes. Concrete offers a simple base for any consumer customization allowing its cost per square foot to vary as much as the designs. When sealed, this floor option is extremely low maintenance and easy to care for. While some homeowners opt for concrete to save the budget, terrazzo floors can climb to the top of a builder’s budget. This timeless classic has gained recent attention and is chosen for the beautiful mix of broken stones and materials set in concrete offering a wholly customized outcome.

Approximate Costs: $2-15 per square foot

Cultivating Your Summer Outdoor Space

June 30, 2020UncategorizedAlamo Heights, Bexar County Backyards, custom built, custom homes in the San Antonio area, house, Jason Gale, local, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, outdoor patio updates Hill Country style, outdoor space in the hill country, private, real estate, San Antonio Style, Schertz, Stone Creek Custom Homes, summer in san antonio, Texas Backyards 2020, Texas Hill Country, top rated, upscale, Vintage OaksStoneCreekTX

Are you getting the most out of your backyard space? With the meticulous attention we give to the interior of the home, it can be easy to overlook the backsides of our properties. These spaces may not be enclosed by four walls and a roof, but that does not mean they do not have incredible potential to be a place of retreat for our families. We have been inspired by backyard makeovers we have been seeing around town lately, and we thought you would be intrigued in upgrading your space too. The home does not end at the back door. Let’s dive into a few ideas to help jumpstart your journey towards the wonderful backyard experience you’ve been craving this summer.

Creating your own fire pit to gather around gives you the luxury of time with loved ones. Whether you choose stone or wood, there is no shortage of ways to bring a spark to your backyard. This more permanent addition can be DIY’ed or built by an expert contractor to match the exterior of your home.

With a little design work and some expert craftsmanship, you can turn a small square footage area into an impactful relational space. Check out these backyard nooks we found on Pinterest which were artfully redesigned to maximize their relational impact for the homeowner. String lights have been the hottest trend for a while due to their soft, warm glow and fun visual appeal. There’s a million and a half ways to DIY your string light set. A covered porch to hang string lights or greenery from will create a space of peace and tenderness to relax under. We love the idea of being protected from the sun on those hot summer days too.

Plants, plants, and more plants. Greenery can make a formerly stagnant place come to life. Whether you hang them from the ceiling, post them to a wall, or let them crawl, bring greenery into your space for a refreshing addition. Larger bush varieties can also provide much needed shade and privacy to keep your yard space serene and shaded.

A deceptively simple update for a porch is to frame your current posts with wood. For those craving the clean lines and simple statement, surrounding your current posts with painted or stained wood can create a phenomenal appeal. The color scheme can be tailored to fit your home style for a modern, rustic, or farmhouse feel.

Another update that offers a big design appeal is horizontal privacy fences. Whether you are putting your first fence up or ready to replace yours, this design offers sleek, modern lines and a safe enclosure for kids and pets to run around outside.

The last trend we’ve appreciated is enlarged patios to cultivate the perfect entertaining space. Using jumbo concrete pavers allows you to enlarge your patio without actually having to pour mass amounts of concrete and permanently lose out on green space.

The best part about upgrading a backyard space is it will hardly cause an inconvenience to your daily life which is a major win for both you and the family. Get out there and make the most of that space this season!

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