Tag Archives: electrical outlets

The Garage of Your Dreams

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Garage projects can be a lot of fun. It’s often an under-utilized or cluttered space in many homes, but for some of us, the garage can be a haven. We recently completed a garage addition project for a client of ours in the Hill Country that included a professional auto lift so he could easily work on his truck at home.

Just like every other room in the house, when we’re building a custom home for our clients, the best way to maximize your space is to start with your interests and lifestyle. Depending on what you’re into, your garage can accommodate those needs and become one of your favorite rooms.

Here are some ideas on things you can do to your new or old garage:

The Ultimate Workshop

There are a few key elements to building your ultimate workshop. First, you’ll need to have plenty of electrical outlets installed, so you don’t have messy cords all over the floor. When it comes to a workshop space, you can never have too many outlets!

Who doesn’t want or need more storage? Especially when it comes to a workshop space, we suggest built-in open cabinets for all of your tool storage. You can also put lockable doors on some of the cabinets for any expensive tools.

Lighting is another important aspect of a garage workshop. Track lighting is an easy option to give you some directional lighting and overall room illumination. If you want to up the cool factor, consider installing a motion direction on/off switch for when your hands are full of hammers, nails, sawdust or whatever else you’ve got going on.

A serious workshop isn’t complete without a dust collection system, central vacuum and air ventilation system. All three of these systems will keep the dust, pollen and other heavy particulate matter off of you and your equipment.

Do yourself a favor and if you plan on spending any time in your garage at all, have it insulated to help it stay cool or warm, when needed. A few floor AC units or space heaters and your DIY projects are good to go!

Entertainment Room

Instead of being a throw-away space, how about transforming the garage into an entertainment space with a fun theme like an old fashioned soda fountain or an arcade? It could be a great space for the kids to play in without concern for spills or breaks.

You could even have foldable tables and chairs handy and enjoy happy hour inside or outside the garage. With the right décor and tasty craft cocktails, it might even be better than your backyard patio!

Finer Décor

As with everything we do at Stone Creek Custom Homes, the sky’s the limit. Whatever you envision can be made reality. Impress even the most jaded style critics with a garage fit for a king. Imagine a garage that’s outfitted with beautiful wood cabinetry and red brick flooring, a flat-screen HD TV on the wall and a built-in safe for valuables.

You can also go retro with open shelving, marine lighting and reclaimed wood. All you need is an antique car to complete the look! However, James Bond enthusiasts might appreciate a more sleek visage with floor-to-ceiling ebony cabinets that hide any mess, so all you see is your Aston Martin DB5. Hey, a guy can dream, right?!

When you’re ready to get started, we’re here! Call us anytime at 210-494-5400.

 

 

 

 

 

Creating Your Custom Home Patio & Backyard

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Water Feature

We want all of our clients to dream big when envisioning their perfect home and that includes your ideal outdoor patio. Sometimes people are afraid to shoot for the moon and the stars because it’s simply not in their budget right now.  Sure, budgets are a fact of life, but the fact is, whether it’s in your budget or not, planning your dream house allows us to put infrastructure in place that doesn’t really cost much, but saves you time and money when you are ready to expand.

Knowing where you’re going to put your outdoor barbecue pit, rotisserie feature or future sink, for example, all comes into play when building infrastructure. It helps us to know that a few years down the road you’re going to need an electrical outlet here or additional space there. It’s much less of a hassle and less expensive than a retro-fit application.

Outdoor Kitchens

Outdoor kitchens are trending in the United States, especially in warmer climates like Texas where we love to grill and barbecue.  They’re a stunning showpiece to any new home and are perfect for families who enjoy hosting parties and events. Because the outdoor kitchen should complement the architectural elements and landscape, we like to incorporate compatible materials and subtle architectural details that are aesthetically pleasing and able to easily withstand the elements.

Landscaping

One of the most interesting new landscape opportunities we’re seeing are edible gardens. We’re not talking just vegetables, but blended gardens that incorporate edibles with ornamentals, such as tomatoes mixed with roses. This fresh take on gardening is more natural to the environment and is a fun way to create your own farm-to-table dishes. A well thought-out garden, such as planting wild basil, also invites birds, bees and butterflies into your backyard.

Water elements can be a wonderful addition to enhance the zen-like atmosphere of your backyard – making it the go-to spot for relaxation after a crazy work day. With so many designs these days, there’s a water feature for every type of landscape and budget.

With modern techno gadgets like mosquito-control misters, outdoor air-cooling systems and new water-resistant acrylic fabrics in a wide array of patterns, many people are making their outdoor patio as comfortable, if not more so, than their living rooms.

Still, before you get too excited, you should first get familiar with your backyard space and then decide how you wish to use it. Stone Creek Custom Homes is here to help guide you through all of these important decisions. Call us today at 210-494-5400, and let’s get started!