Tag Archives: sustainability

2023 Home Design Trends to Consider!

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!

Live Smarter with SmartHauz!

Courtesy of SmartHauz

Courtesy of SmartHauz

We are thrilled to now showcase the first Apple HomeKit “smart” model home in Texas! We recently partnered with Austin-based company, SmartHauz.me, to install smart features, something more and more of our customers are requesting. In fact, we are now offering core smart features for our clients with options to upgrade, depending on how smart you really want to be.

We interviewed Founder and CEO, Sunny Sneckner, to get some more insight into what he does. Sunny worked for Apple on the Austin campus for 6 years, which is where he first saw the opportunity to provide service for people who wanted the convenience of on-site support. SmartHauz was formed in January of 2017.

“I wanted to work with builders to integrate the cost of smart technology installation into their new homes. People can roll the cost into their mortgages, so that they’re paying just a few extra dollars a month,” explained Sunny. “This is the true state of luxury. There’s nothing luxurious about walking around your house and turning off all the lights.”

Our Stone Creek Custom Homes’ model home, located at 1225 Vintage Way in New Braunfels, is equipped with the basic necessities, including lights, locks, environmental controls and doorbell.

“The majority of the house is now controlled with smart switches and smart dimmers on the lights, two smart thermostats, which can save you about 20% on cooling/heating costs and a smart lock equipped with a video doorbell that allows you to use your phone instead of a key to let people in and out, say to drop off packages or for maintenance.

If anyone comes up to the doorstep, you’re alerted before they even press the button, and you can communicate with them over video remotely,” he said. “These features are what make a smart home really functional. They save time and energy and offer you peace of mind. If you’re laying in bed at night watching TV, you don’t have to get out of bed to lock the door and turn off the lights.”

Sunny also loves to use his smart technology to automatically turn the ceiling fan on and off while he’s sleeping, to help control the temperature in the room, and keep him cool. Customers also dig the smart garage door, leaving you never to wonder again if you remembered to close it. Now you can use your phone to find out and close it from wherever you are in the world. They also offer smart sprinklers, which can reduce water consumption by a whopping 50 percent. Smart technology isn’t just about convenience, it’s about sustainability and cost efficiency in the long run.

New home buyers can rejoice that we are now offering a variety of smart home packages, as part of your build. There’s also the option to have a design consultation with Sunny and his team to custom tailor your smart features. “Just like picking out marble for your counter or wood for the floors,” said Sunny.

It’s all surprisingly easy to use, and Sunny makes sure he or a team member personally walks you through set-up on your iPhone, iPad, or whichever technology you prefer to use. For more information on Smart Hauz, visit https://smarthauz.me/.

If you’d like more information or to set up a consultation or tour, give us a call at 210-494-5400.

 

Sustainable Urban Living in San Antonio

The Renewable Republic

The Renewable Republic

We are continually inspired by stories of our fellow San Antonians who not only think outside the box, but live outside of it as well! We recently discovered The Renewable Republic – a group of locals working to build a sustainable urban community that is working to live smarter, cleaner and more abundantly.

Their little urban farm, located off of S. St. Mary’s near Roosevelt Park, is an impressive sight to see. Besides growing traditional produce, which supports their family, tenants and some friends and neighbors (as well as the occasional CSA), they are growing vertically, have a tilapia farm and a giant water catchment tank, but that’s not all.

They keep chickens (although rather precariously-elevated above St. Mary’s), use solar energy to run everything and, in their spare time, make bio-diesel by recycling used restaurant cooking oil – the byproduct of which is used to make glycerin soap that they sell at places like Dignowity Hill Farmers Market.

For folks looking to learn from these savvy sustainable practitioners, Renewable Republic is hosting an Urban Farm Camp this summer for kids, from July 18-22 or July 25-29, and there have been talks about eventually hosting one for adults as well.

The owners are excited to help other neighborhoods build similar communities and are happy to lend their expertise. If starting your own garden seems too daunting, why not see if your neighbors would be willing to collaborate on one for the whole neighborhood? According to Renewable Republic, they have seen the simple act of growing one vegetable change lives. Reconnecting with nature through growing is just of the benefits of bringing rural life to the city.

What are you inspired to do in your community? We’re always inspired to help our clients build their dreams. Feel free to call us at 210-494-5400 for a consultation. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.