Tag Archives: custom home

The Board and Batten Fad!

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If you’re a fan of rustic or farmhouse-style design, you’ve probably seen board and batten accent walls popping up all over Pinterest and Instagram. It’s a look that’s really in style right now, according to Jason Gale, owner of Stone Creek Custom Homes.

“What I find funny is everyone used to put the siding on the back in subdivisions where you have to have 75% masonry to hide it. Nowadays, people are putting it on the front and doing rock or stucco in the back because that’s the look they want!” he said.

But what exactly is a board and batten accent wall, and why is it such an exciting trend in home design?

As a Texas-based luxury home builder, we’re here to answer those questions and give you some ideas for incorporating this trend into your new or current home.

Board and batten is a type of siding that’s been used in traditional American architecture for centuries. It consists of wide, vertical boards (the “boards”) with narrow strips of wood (the “battens”) covering the gaps between them. This creates a textured, three-dimensional look that can add visual interest and depth to any wall. It’s becoming a more popular choice as opposed to using paint or wallpaper on an accent wall.

Of course, we love to incorporate this imaginative style into our client’s new custom homes, but you can also add one to an existing home, if you like to DIY! To create a board and batten accent wall, you’ll need to start with a smooth, flat surface. You may need to remove any existing trim or molding and use drywall to smooth out the surface.

Once you have a smooth surface, you can start adding the boards and battens. You can use pre-made board and batten siding, or you can create your own by cutting the boards and battens to size. The boards are usually 6-8 inches wide, and the battens are 1-2 inches wide. You can space the boards and battens however you like, but the most common spacing is about 12 inches between each board.

Now comes the fun part – choosing a design for your board and batten accent wall. You can create a simple, classic look with straight boards and battens, or you can get creative with different shapes and patterns. Some popular designs include X-shaped patterns, chevron patterns, and even diamond-shaped patterns. Truly, sky’s the limit here!

Incorporating different colors and finishes can also add visual appeal. You can paint the boards and battens different colors, or use different stains or finishes to create a textured, multi-dimensional look.

Whether we’re building a beautiful new dream home for you or you’re simply wanting to update your current space, a board and batten accent wall is a trend worth exploring. It can add character and charm to any room, and with so many design options, it’s a great way to express your personal style.

At Stone Creek Custom Homes, we’re always excited to incorporate unique and original design elements into our homes, and we think board and batten accent walls are a perfect example of that.

2023 Home Design Trends to Consider!

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Open Floor Plan Concept

Open Floor Plan Concept

2023 is promising to be an exciting year for luxury custom home building and design, with a range of cutting-edge and avant-garde trends emerging in the market. As a high-end luxury custom home builder in South Texas, we’re well-positioned to take advantage of these trends and bring them to life for our cherished clients.

One trend we’re seeing is a renewed focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. Homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. This has led to the use of more sustainable building materials, like reclaimed wood and bamboo, as well as the incorporation of features like solar panels and green roofs.

As everyone’s electric and water bills are skyrocketing, it’s essential that we consider all of the sustainable tools available to us. We use spray foam insulation and tankless water heaters to cut down on electric bills. The upgraded costs typically pay for themselves within 12 months as the electric bills are DRASTICALLY reduced.

Additionally, we can install a rainwater catchment system for our clients, to ensure not only sustainable water but extraordinarily clean water as well.

Another trend we’re seeing grow is the use of technology to create smarter homes. From automated lighting and temperature control to voice-activated assistants, homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes more connected and convenient. We’re able to incorporate these technologies into our designs to offer our clients the ultimate in modern luxury.

Another exciting trend that brings family and friends together are homes with open-concept designs. This means fewer walls separating living spaces, which creates a more spacious and airy feel in the home and allows for greater natural light and better flow between rooms. Details such as large windows, skylights, and sliding glass doors help to bring the outdoors into the home in such a glorious way.

Finally, we’re also seeing a renewed interest in traditional design elements, like ornate moldings, detailed millwork and grand staircases. These elements add a sense of grandeur and elegance to the home, creating a sense of timeless beauty.

We’re committed to staying ahead of the trends and introducing them to our clients in order to build custom homes as unique as your signature!

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.

Xeriscaping: Beautiful and Sustainable Landscaping for Your Home

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Living in Texas, especially South Texas, means water is almost as precious as gold. Water restrictions are just a part of daily life, and nothing suffers more for it than our lawns. If you’re looking to build a new house or are considering landscaping alternatives, consider xeriscaping.

If you’re not familiar with the term, xeriscaping is landscaping and gardening that minimizes the need for supplemental water from irrigation by using plants natural to the environment. In fact, a xeriscaped yard uses about half the water of a traditional yard.

Other Benefits of Xeriscaping:

-          No need for pesticides or fertilizers.

-          It’s pollution free.

-          It creates a natural habitat for your local wildlife.

-          It requires a lot less maintenance, so it’s perfect for families who are always on the go or travel a lot.

-          Drought-proofing with Xeriscaping is a great way to improve the value of your property.

Beautiful and Green (sustainable)

Unfortunately, xeriscaping has earned a bad reputation as being unattractive. Sure, this type of landscaping means that you may not have an endless carpet of feather-soft grass in your front yard, but let’s face it, even with unlimited watering, that’s just not realistic. Still, this doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice beauty for practicality.

At Stone Creek Custom Homes, we work with some of the best landscape designers who seamlessly combine their knowledge with your own personal aesthetics to create a stunning outdoor environment for our client’s new homes.

Here are some things to keep in mind for your own Xeriscaped yard:

-          If you like to have a colorful yard, you can plant native wildflowers that are as hardy as they are gorgeous.

-          Use structures like walkways, pavers, stairs, a small bridge or other aesthetic elements, such as fountains, to minimize the need for plant life.

-          Make sure to consider the overall style of your home to help inspire the outdoor environment.

-          If you want to do some pre-planning and designing on your own, make a sun chart that delineates how much sun and where your property gets throughout the day. This will help you properly match the right plants with your home’s sunlight exposure.

-          Get your soil analyzed. You can send in samples to your local agricultural government office. This will help you determine what plants are realistically sustainable on your land and where your soil might need to be augmented.

Feel free to call us at your convenience at 210-494-5400 to discuss your own home and xeriscaping needs! Also, if you’d like to be added to our private email list to receive the newsletter, please sign up here.

The San Antonio Film Festival is Back!

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The San Antonio Film Festival (SAFILM), which is celebrating its 21st year next week, will be screening dozens of amazing local and international independent films throughout the five-day cinema event at locations around town, including the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. MovieMaker Magazine called SAFILM one of the coolest film fests around and we agree!

This year, SAFILM takes place from July 28 to August 2nd and you can buy a badge for the entire festival or tickets for individual films or blocks of films that catch your fancy. Check out the schedule online for more information.

We’re happy to announce that one of our friends, local writer and director, Kimberly Suta, will be screening her documentary short about the exploding culinary scene in San Antonio that showcases some of our city’s most talented chefs, local growers and others trailblazers on the forefront of the evolving food culture. San Antonio: An Edible Renaissance will be playing in a block of films starting at 7 pm on Thursday, July 30th.

This fest is a great way to discover and learn more about the city of San Antonio and the burgeoning culture here as well as discover some hidden, not to mention well-known, talent. Their red carpet events are often graced with some big name stars and film industry people and are fun events to attend, even if movies aren’t in your wheelhouse. Here are a few of the upcoming films that caught our eye:

Blind Date (short) on July 31

By San Antonio Director Mragendra Singh

Description:  A socially awkward, middle-aged man, who lives with his loud mouth, paraplegic mother, goes on a blind date.

The Doo Dah Man on August 1

By Director Claude Green

Description:  1980. Smitty, an escaped convict, is driving aimlessly across America in a stolen car. Jake, a New Jersey college student, is also on the run, from a home life that has suddenly exploded in his face as his estranged father wants to re-join the family. Their lives intersect on the lonely highways of America’s southwest.

Viento Aparte on August 2

By Director Alejandro Gerber Bicecci

Description:  Omar and Karina’s mother fell ill on a holiday trip on a beach on the Mexican pacific coast. Without further notice, brother and sister will start a 2,500 kilometers journey to their grandmother’s house in Casas Grandes (Chihuahua), near the Mexico-USA border. They will face a country wounded by violence, distrust, helplessness and abandon, where the only possible shelter is to stay together.

We hope to see you out on the town next week exploring and celebrating independent film and the growing San Antonio arts and culture scene. SAFILM is just another reason we’re extremely proud to help families build long-lasting homes in the Alamo City.