Tag Archives: builder

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

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.

 

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

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.

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Maximize Your Fall Decor while Minimizing Storage Space

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.

All Roads Woven Baja 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.

Navy & Rust Color Block - Mohair Velvet Pillow Cover - 14x24 Lumbar

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.

August Sage Chunky Wool Throw Blanket

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.

Love + Grey home decor

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.

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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!!

Upstairs/Downstairs: Should You Go With a One or Two-Story Home?

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We know that having a new custom house built is a huge decision. This is your dream home – the one you and your family may plan to live in for the next 20 years, the one you intend to happily grow old in. Many of our customers already know whether they want a house with one or two stories, but some don’t. For those still debating, here are some pros and cons worth considering:

-  Two-story houses can give you more space for the money, particularly if you’re on a small plot of land. With a two-story, you won’t spend as much on the foundation and roof.

-  With a two-story you can enjoy a bigger backyard. This is a plus for people who wish to build a spacious patio or garden.

-  Although the stairs in a two-story house can give you a built-in exercise regimen, it’s a fail if you see yourself getting lazy and avoiding them. If you have some sort of health impediment, then a one-story is definitely the way to go.

-  One-story homes may allow for more privacy. You can put the kids’ bedrooms on one end of the house and the master bedroom on the opposite end. Open floor plans for two-story homes can also be noisy. Still if you like the look of a two-story, you can have the master bedroom built on the first floor with the remaining rooms upstairs. This has been a popular trend for a while now.

-  Heating and cooling a two-story used to be a problem, but modern homes are much more efficient. However, you might think about putting in a second-floor laundry room close to the bedrooms.

When it comes down to it, no matter what concerns or wishes you may have, we can turn a con into a pro! Call us at 210-494-5400 to get started. If you’d like to be added to our private email list to receive the newsletter, please sign up here.

Custom-Made Furniture for Your Custom Home

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If you’re going to spend the time and money to have a custom home built, why not fill that beloved home with some extraordinary custom furniture as well? If you plan ahead you can create a symbiotic environment and have furniture designed to fit the exact space it’s going to live in.

If this is something you’ve never considered, you may not know that San Antonio, and certainly Texas, is home to some brilliant and highly-skilled custom furniture designers, who can make furniture that’s either traditional or avant garde. Here are just a few local furniture designers/builders you might want to consider.

George Schroeder of Schroeder Design

George Schroeder has earned a reputation as one of the leading large scale metal artists in the United States, and we’re lucky that he’s located right here in San Antonio. Schroeder somehow manages to translate fluidity and energy into his pieces, so that they’re all incredibly creative and unique. Although the scope of his work really runs the gamut, from modern sculpture to paintings, his ability to construct magnificent custom furniture that are iconic pieces in any home is a rare gift.

Peter Zubiate of Zubiate Projects

Peter is known for his beautiful wood furniture and often works with local architects and builders to create specifically-designed furniture, including tables, chairs, beds, built-ins and unique pieces. Whatever you can think up, Zubiate can bring that vision to life.

WOOD by Alberto

Another talented, but perhaps lesser known woodworker in San Antonio is Alberto of WOOD by Alberto, who makes handmade, original Texas wood products, including furniture. He recently completed a commissioned project for a local home of stunning large custom barn doors that are connected via heavy duty metal wheels that allow the doors to slide open.

Cortese Brothers

Cortese Brothers is a family owned and operated furniture company in San Antonio. They work closely with customers to create furniture that’s beautiful yet affordable. They incorporate your initial design research into the finished piece.

Deep Fried Design

Although Andrew McGuire hails from Austin, we won’t hold it against him because his furniture is absolutely stunning. He makes stylish modern furniture like beds and tables using reclaimed wood. He has a photo on his website of a funky coffee table he made from a reclaimed gym floor. It’s clear this custom furniture maker not only thinks outside the box, but lives there.

If you already have the furniture and just need the perfect home to put it in, call us at 210-494-5400. To be added to our private email list to receive the Stone Creek Custom Homes newsletter, please sign up here.