Tag Archives: quality

The Power of Solar for your Home

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We’ve explored various roofing options before in a past blog, but we wanted to go a little bit deeper into the amazing benefits of solar roofing, particularly if you live (or want to live) in San Antonio or the surrounding area. The market for alternative, renewable energy sources is growing rapidly and will likely only continue to gain momentum.

Not only is solar roofing a wonderfully green and eco-conscious option where you end up generating money instead of burning it, but locally, many electricity companies are offering consumers rebates when they make energy-saving improvements to their homes.

SAVE MONEY WITH SOLAR

CPS Energy, which services San Antonio, offers a rebate on solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight to electricity. Currently, the power company that services Schertz is also providing solar rebates to consumers.

In fact, these company offer a wide variety of rebates on things from pool pumps to air conditioners and new construction. While these rebates aren’t indefinite, it’s worth noting that rebates on solar roofs have been consistent. CPS even offers one for solar water heaters, up to $2,000. Energy Star estimates that you can reduce your electric bill by 50% when you switch to solar water heaters. For specific information on rebates, it’s best to contact the companies directly for details.

SOLAR SHINGLES vs. PANELS

Solar panels have been around a lot longer than solar shingles, which first came into use in 2011. Shingles are installed similarly to asphalt shingles and, in fact, replace the asphalt shingles where they are installed, which can result in modest savings.

Solar shingles can be installed on various types of roofs and most people find them much more aesthetically pleasing than the somewhat bulky appearance of panels. However, panels are considered to be a touch more efficient than shingles, but not by much. Currently, the conversion efficiency of shingles is 19.9% while panels are 20.3%.

OTHER BENEFITS OF SOLAR

-          The financial rewards are by far the best reason to install a solar roof. In case it wasn’t clear, not only do you save money using solar, but if the conditions are right and let’s face it they are in South Texas, you may even start receiving a check from your energy company after a while.

-          Over the long run, a homeowner might save $20,000 over a 20 year time period with a solar roof, at least that’s the national average. In Texas, it will be more like $30,000.

-          Using solar power is a reliable, secure and independent resource that cannot be controlled by a company or agency, which is why even the military is working to install solar power systems.

-          Interestingly, solar power creates jobs. As an energy source, solar power creates almost three times more jobs than money invested in coal or natural gas.

Besides the cost of initial installation, the disadvantages of having a solar roof are virtually non-existent. If this is something you’d like to consider for your new custom home, give us a call at 210-494-5400.

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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.

Meet Stone Creek Custom Homes’ Darla Strawther

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You may have spoken with her on the phone or even seen her in person, but oftentimes Darla Strawther, the Office Manager for Stone Creek Custom Homes, is working behind the scenes making sure everything stays on track. Among a million other things, Darla is responsible for the accounting, ordering and coordinating with clients.

Darla:  I’m pretty much a jack of all trades. I do a little bit of everything except go to the house and physically build it.

Darla jokes that the biggest challenge of her job is keeping up with six men, i.e. Jason, Jesse, Brad, Blake, Jimmy and Bill, but regardless of any challenges, she finds her job extremely rewarding.

Darla:  I work with wonderful people – our customers and the people here, our own staff – it’s a good group.

Those who have worked with Stone Creek before know that the relationships we build are of the utmost importance. In fact, our relationship with Darla started back in 2008 when we built her new home at Waggener Ranch. She began working for us part-time in 2009, and then full-time in 2010.

Darla:  It’s all about the relationships here – it truly is! The majority of the time we have had wonderful relationships with our customers. All of us go to the same eye doctor [for example] because we built their home. We keep in contact with several of our customers.

When it comes to her own family, Darla has been married to her husband, Tim, for over 28 years, and they now have two grown children, Jonathan and Natalie.

Darla:  We all do CrossFit together, and we like to travel. Tim was in the U.S. Air Force for 26 years, and we lived in Germany for six, so we have traveled a lot. Last year we went to Rome, and our next trip is to Ann Arbor for Labor Day, where Tim is from.

When asked if she goes on any of the hunting and fishing trips that the guys like to go on, Darla explained that although they’d certainly welcome her, it’s not exactly her cup of tea.

Darla:  I’m not going six miles into the ocean – no way could you get me to do that! They always bring me back some fish or deer meat. It’s really nice that they do that. I don’t always know where they are or what they’re doing, but they’re always there for you, and that’s what’s great about it.

To speak with Darla, give us a call at 210-494-5400. She’ll make sure your next custom home project runs smoothly!

 

 

 

 

How to Save Money on Your Mortgage

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The process of obtaining a mortgage to build a new home can be confusing and stressful for anyone (and often is), but first-time home owners can be at a major disadvantage if they haven’t done their homework. Here are some things to consider before stepping into the potential quagmire of a home loan.

Find a Good Mortgage Lender

Don’t go with the first mortgage lender than comes your way. It’s a common misconception that all mortgage lenders are alike. We wouldn’t exactly compare them to snowflakes, but truth is each one is different in a variety of ways. Taking the time to find a lender that listens, is transparent and conscientious, and takes the time to explain details can establish a foundation for either a good or bad experience. A bad lender can cost you thousands of dollars by not responding in a timely fashion in order to lock in your mortgage rate. Also be aware that closing fees do vary from lender to lender.

While we don’t want to dissuade you from working with a bank that you trust, you might want to consider working with a local mortgage lender over a corporate giant where you’re little more than a number. You should also avoid finding a lender over the internet. Being able to sit down in front of your lender and talk face-to-face makes it easier to hold them accountable.

Do’s and Don’ts

Any good lender will tell you that when you’re considering making a big purchase such as property, you do not want to make any other significant purchases, such as buying a car. Hold off any big expenses until everything is signed, sealed and delivered!

Even if you’ve got the best credit score on the planet, it never hurts to prepare yourself by eliminating any debt that you owe. You can start now, before you’re even seriously considering, by paying off small credit cards. Whether you go through with your new home or not, this will help you save on interest and may even help you resist buying those new tires or pair of shoes!

If you do need help repairing your credit, check out a program through nfcc.org, who not only helps repair credit, but can also provide low interest mortgage payments.

Saving Money in the Long Run

It’s not in your lenders best interest to let you know that you can save literally thousands of dollars over the lifetime of your mortgage by making extra payments each year. It’s easier for most people to pay an extra $100 or $200 bucks a month, but you can pretty much do what works best for you. You might consider putting any return back on your taxes into the mortgage, that way it might not sting as much. You’ll be surprised to find that by doing this you can shave 7 to 10 years off the life of your mortgage.

We’re here when you’re ready! Please call us at 210-494-5400.