Tag Archives: how to

What About the Kids?

September 6, 2018UncategorizedAlamo Heights, art, beautiful, best, Bill Smith, birdhouse, blog, build, bunk beds, custom, custom built, DIY projects, Dominion, fairy garden, green, high end, home builder, home decor ideas, house, houzz, how to, Jason Gale, Jesse, kids, kids room, luxury, mailbox, new, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, personal, play room, playroom, private, real estate, recommended, reviews, sales, San Antonio, Schertz, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Stone Oak, sustainable, sutapants, teepee, Texas Hill Country, theatre, top rated, upscale, Vintage Oaks, wall artStoneCreekTX

When you envision your perfect dream home, make sure to carve out a little dreaming for the kids too! Whether you’re looking to start from the ground up or you just need a make-over, here are some great ideas that will make the kids happy! Some of these are also an opportunity for family bonding.

Wall Art

Give the kids permission to paint on the walls and you’re definitely going to get kudos from the kiddos. Use wainscoting in a room and paint the wall below with chalkboard paint. The kids can pick whatever colors they like and have a blast!

Additionally, removable wall transfers are a great and affordable way to let the kids decorate their own room, knowing that as soon as they’re bored with it, it can easily be changed. These “wall tattoos” come in a variety of styles and patterns.

Playtime

What kid doesn’t want his/her own playroom? Turn that extra bedroom into a mini theatre where your kid(s) can create, imagine and perform. All you need is a mini stage with a curtain, a mic and a few chairs for family and friends to watch… because the show must go on!

DIY Projects for the Kids

Wanting to spruce up your home décor this fall? Get the kids involved and create a homey atmosphere at the same time! Some easy DIY projects might include building a bird house. It doesn’t take much – just a few scraps of wood, some paint and bird feed. You might need a few power tools as well. We like THIS easy to make birdhouse, which claims to take 5 minutes and cost only $5. Check it out:

Other fun DIY projects include painting a mailbox, creating a mini fairy garden in the backyard and making a teepee. If you want a serious project, build some bunk beds, which are perfect for sleepovers and space savers. Who wants a regular bed these days anyway?

We bet you can come up with even more fun ideas to help make your house a home for the whole family! If you’re ready for a new home, please call us at 210-494-5400 to set up a consultation or fill out our online form.

Transform Your Bedroom for Fall

October 7, 2016Uncategorizedaccents, Alamo Heights, animal pelts, antique, beautiful, bedroom, best, Bill Smith, blog, cary grant, chaise, clean, custom, custom built, decor, Dominion, green, Hawaiian, high end, hollywood regency, home builder, house, houzz, how to, humphry bogart, Jason Gale, Jesse, luxury, mattress, new, New Braunfels, nordic, Olmos Park, organized, personal, private, real estate, recommended, retro, reviews, sales, San Antonio, Scandinavian, Schertz, sleep number c2 Bed, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Stone Oak, style, sustainable, sutapants, Texas Hill Country, themed, top rated, Transform, upscale, vintage, Vintage Oaks, wall colors, wallpaper, woodStoneCreekTX

There’s nothing more cozy than a cool night in the fall snuggled up in bed with a good book, your favorite record on the turntable and, to top it off, a hot cup of cocoa (with or without marshmallows) sitting on your nightstand. This all sounds wonderful… until you look up and realize that your bedroom just doesn’t fit the mood, the season or even your personal style anymore. When that happens it’s time to find some new inspiration, so here you go!

Wallpaper

Wallpaper is back, but this time, it’s even cooler. You can choose from metallic paint designs on colored wallpaper, large pattern designs or unusual, textured wallpaper that can make a great conversation starter when friends come to visit. As always, just be sure you love it before you give it a green light, because once it’s up it’s not coming down easily.

A Little Bit of Paradise

The tropical motif is in, which is perfect in South Texas, where we have high temps throughout the year. Tropical patterns on sheets and comforters are a fun way to alter the look of your bedroom. These looks aren’t over the top – they’re much more subdued than what you might expect. Think dark blue with white palm fronds. Add some tropical looking plants and some artistic bamboo pieces or Hawaiian artwork and voila!

Go Retro

Vintage is always in, but can take some time and effort to do well. By shopping at garage sales or online you can find some beautiful vintage pieces, like an antique chaise lounge or 1950’s brass Hollywood Regency headboard that will make you feel like you just stepped into a Humphry Bogart or Cary Grant film, and there’s nothing wrong with that!

Scandinavian Style

If you love simplicity and muted tones, now might be the time to transform your bedroom into a Nordic wonderland. Scandinavian-inspired décor, including warm wooden accents, animal pelts and wall colors such as gray and off-white are currently all the rage and create a clean-looking and organized bedroom that’s soothing for your evening respite.

Hi-Tech Sleep

The Sleep Number c2 Bed - it’s not exactly décor-related, but it’s a must-have for tech lovers. It’s a mattress that helps you optimize your sleep. It not only offers adjustable firmness, so neither you or your partner ever have to compromise again, but it actually tracks your sleep cycle, giving you important insights when you’re in dream land.

When you wake up, call us at 210-494-5400 to set up a consultation on not only your dream bedroom but your dream house! If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.

Treehouses Aren’t Just for Kids

September 8, 2016UncategorizedAlamo Heights, Austin, beautiful, best, Bill Smith, blog, build your own, cabin, custom, custom built, Cypress Valley Canopy Tours, DIY, Dominion, gingerbread Victorian, green, high end, home builder, house, houzz, how to, Jason Gale, Jesse, luxury, new, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, personal, private, real estate, recommended, reviews, sales, San Antonio, Schertz, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Stone Oak, sustainable, sutapants, Texas Hill Country, top rated, Treehouse, treehouses, upscale, Vintage Oaks, yoga studioStoneCreekTX

You don’t have to be a kid to want your own treehouse, and actually living in a treehouse is more viable than you think! We were inspired by Cypress Valley Canopy Tours’ luxury treehouses, located outside of Austin. Practically floating among the trees is a multi-teared treehouse system complete with a kitchen unit, a bedroom/living room unit and a crow’s nest for ultimate sightseeing. All of this is surrounded by gorgeous decking where you can just relax and take in nature and all its beauty. Oh, and did we mention it even comes with air conditioning?

The owners actually built all of the treehouses on their property with their own hands. You can see the labor of love in every detail, from the wood they chose to the thoughtful design. Just because we adore this place so much, we’ll also mention that they offer zipline tours along the tree-lined creek, including nighttime adventures lit up by fireflies and paper lanterns. It’s a magical way to experience the Texas landscape.

So maybe you don’t have the time or interest in building something so elaborate, but having your own treehouse can be pretty easy. Still, you should give yourself a moment to dream. You could have a gingerbread Victorian, a rustic cabin, an open-sided yoga studio or something even more unique. Here are some tips to get you started.

First things first – you can’t have a treehouse without a tree, so make sure to choose a sturdy one in a good location, because once this thing is built you won’t want to take it down.
One of the first rules of treehouse building is make it light-weight. You should keep weight and stability in mind the entire time. Instead of having a foundation like a house, your treehouse will have a platform.
Pick a wood that is strong yet rot-resistant.
Ask yourself some questions to help you make better design decisions. Are you building a treehouse for the kids or is this an adult hideaway? What kinds of things would you like to have in your new treehouse? A little kitchenette perhaps? Or just a lot of pillows you can lay back and take a nap on?
It’s very important that you properly level the floor to achieve stability. The load should be centered over the trunk and the weight spread out among several branches.
Build in gaps around branches and trunks so as to not restrict the growth of the tree.
Make your life easier by building sections of the house on the ground and then lifting them up into place.
However, before doing anything, you might want to check your neighborhood HOA and municipality regulations to ensure you won’t be breaking any rules.

Did we say this would be easy? Well, maybe not easy, but pretty amazing once it’s done. Of course, you can always call us if you need some help! For a consultation on a more traditional-sized home, please call us at 210-494-5400. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.

Starting an Herb Garden in South Texas

April 13, 2016UncategorizedAlamo Heights, beautiful, best, Bill Smith, blog, custom, custom built, Dominion, gardening, green, herb garden, herbs, high end, home builder, house, houzz, how to, Jason Gale, Jesse, luxury, new, New Braunfels, Olmos Park, personal, private, real estate, recommended, reviews, sales, San Antonio, Schertz, south texas, Stone Creek Custom Homes, Stone Oak, sustainable, sutapants, Texas Hill Country, top rated, upscale, Vintage OaksStoneCreekTX

It’s only April, which means either you’re already harvesting vegetables from your garden or you’re considering starting one. If starting a garden seems like a daunting task, consider starting a small herb garden that is much more manageable and also provides your meals with the freshest, tastiest ingredients for your spring and summer dishes.

Thankfully, many herbs like it hot, which means they’re perfect for Texas. Besides being edible, they also look beautiful in your backyard and often smell even better than they look. Here are a few herbs and ideas you might consider for your new herb garden:

BASIL: Everyone loves basil, but this little guy likes water, so make sure to plant it next to other herbs that need to be watered frequently – at least once a week. We recommend experimenting with the different varieties of basil. The purple basil is beautiful and tastes amazing!

DILL: Butterflies love dill just as much as we do. If you’re wanting to draw in these gorgeous creatures then plant lots of dill. Make sure to compensate for the fact that they will eat plenty of leaves.

GARLIC: Garlic does best when planted in the fall. We recommend planting short neck varieties, and don’t forget to fertilize with nitrogen every three weeks. It should be ready to harvest early next summer.

MINT: Use mint to make a small aromatic shrub. It comes in a variety of different colors and flavors, and goes quite well with spring cocktails. However, keep it trimmed as it can spread quickly.

CILANTRO: Although cilantro is a common staple in this region for its contribution to numerous Mexican dishes, it does best in cooler weather so plant it in the fall. However, you will want to protect it from a hard frost.

POTTED PLANTS: Texas is full of sunshine but because we do have the occasional frosts, we recommend putting the more sensitive plants in pots that can be easily moved inside. Check out this buzzfeed video on how to make a very cool three-tiered mini herb garden:

A beautiful garden calls for a beautiful home! Call us at 210-494-5400 to set up a consultation to discuss your new custom-built luxury home. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our monthly newsletter, please sign up here.

Xeriscaping: Beautiful and Sustainable Landscaping for Your Home

September 10, 2015Uncategorizedagriculture, beautiful, best, blog, builder, central, custom home, custom home builder, green, Hill Country, home, house, how to, Jason Gale, kimberly suta, landscaping, luxury, quality, San Antonio, south, Stone Creek Custom Homes, sustainable, sutapants, texas, unique, what to do, xeriscape, xeriscaping, yardStoneCreekTX

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.

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