General Contractors
Quality is in the Decorative Trim Details.
Wood Trim Details in Custom Home Under Construction
Custom molding and trim speak volumes about craftsmanship. Truly esteemed and experienced custom home builders can add style and value to your home by carefully incorporating customized trims, such as crown molding, window trim, columns, coffered ceilings, mosaic tile designs and more. These are just a few thoughtful details that will transform your house into a truly special and unique home.
Interior trim details start at the bottom with the shoe molding and literally work their way up to the ceiling’s crowning glory.
Shoe Molding
Shoe moldings are a beautiful addition to baseboards that can create a smooth and useful transition from floor to wall. They can even help draw attention to a room’s decorative flooring such as hardwoods or custom tile.
Window Trim
A literal picture frame for outdoor views, window trims perfectly frame your view, adding intrigue to what’s outside.
Panel Molding
Decorative panel molding expertly frames shelving, artwork or open space to add dimension to any wall. A library or media room can even be trimmed in decorative paneling to support plasma or large screen televisions and media equipment, while adding a luxurious richness to the room.
Crown Molding
Crown molding finishes off a well designed interior, adding grace and classic architectural style to an interior room. Like shoe molding, baseboard trim, and window trim, crown molding can and should be consistent throughout your home. It is a simple, but effective way to add understated elegance.
Good interior design does not stop at the crown. Many classic homes also feature accents on the ceilings of rooms of all sizes for an extra pop of color, texture, or to draw attention to special lighting fixtures, such as chandeliers and pendant lights. Cove or coffered ceilings and light medallions add something a little extra to a home’s interior design.
Decorative wood trims are an easy way to update your existing home or add value to a new construction. Floor to ceiling, your home’s style should be reflected by every trim detail, no matter how small. A house well-outfitted with a few simple trim accents will certainly deliver that wow-factor that will stand the test of time and trends.
Get Tax Credits for Solar Hot Water Heaters
Tax Credits for Solar Hot Water Heaters
Long, hot baths don’t have to be a waste of energy. Solar hot water systems can heat the water for your kitchen or bath without running up your electric or gas bill.
In fact, many homeowners are now replacing traditional hot water heaters with solar powered systems, proving to be a revolution in green building. Solar water heaters use collection plates and highly insulated storage tanks to harness the power of the sun, thereby reducing carbon footprints and saving money on energy bills.
Systems are categorized as either active or passive. Active systems circulate the water within the tank using pumps or coils. While passive systems rely on gravity and the water’s natural temperature based circulation. An experienced green builder can advise you as to which system fits with your solar water heating needs. Some factors to be considered include your home site, local building codes, and the size of your family.
Whichever system you choose, the benefits can be astounding. According to some statistics, solar water heating systems can reduce your monthly utility bill, essentially paying for itself in less than five years. Your home builder can also help you to comply with federal tax credit regulations regarding a new solar hot water heating system to further help in covering the costs of the unit and installation. Federal tax credits will pay for up to 30% of the cost of installation of an energy star solar water heating system, but only if the system is installed before the deadline of December 31, 2016.
It’s important to contact your green building specialist as soon as possible to discuss the solar heating options for your home to start saving money and energy. Whether you’re building a new construction or updating the system in your existing homes, it’s a win-win situation for all homeowners.
Smart Home Automation Systems
Custom home by Brock Builders
Do you like the idea of coming home to the lights properly illuminated, a favorite song playing and the air or heat turned to a desirable temperature? What about the ability to open the front door with a keypad lock or fingerprint and no longer needing to fumble for keys? Home automation, better known as smart homes, make this and much more, possible.
Smart homes have the ability to simplify our daily lives into one of freedom and convenience. When building a custom home or undergoing a home remodel, it is important to work with a qualified general contractor who understands home automation. While you may only have the need for a basic package, such as a lighting system, it is still recommended to use a general contractor to assist with the wiring and installation.
What exactly is smart home automation?
A smart home is not just a home of the future, but rather an integrated way to wire a home to a network that controls all of the functions at once. Whether you prefer to use a remote control or wireless access is dependent upon the amount of home automation you wish to have. The heart of the smart home system is the network, which feeds from one main source of wiring and eliminates the need for several components, such as DVD, CD player and lights that are individually controlled.
Home automation systems are available in easy-to-use kits that allow the homeowner the freedom to install timers and wireless gadgets with the ease of a remote. The remote often controls appliances such as lighting, HVAC, and stereos. True home automation, however, is a much more complex system yet features many benefits and simplifies day-to-day activities.
Energy savings are just one of the many benefits of having an automated home, as the homes are typically more efficient. Some home automation systems heat and cool based on the time of day, while others adjust the temperature when someone is physically in the home. The networks can also automatically tell appliances to reduce function levels or go to “sleep,” thus lowering electric bills.
For those only wanting to program the home’s lights and HVAC, smart home technology is not as expensive as one may think. But for those looking for a more complex automated home, there are several exciting advances in wireless home automation and home automation electronics. A few new examples include:
- Programming your thermostat, oven and music from the Internet when not even in the home
- Illuminating the home with light before pulling in the driveway, or out of town to simulate someone is home
- A set of security cameras tied into the lighting system and doorbell
- Having a video feed of your favorite television station and making it visible in every room of the home you enter…and more!
Whatever you envision in a home of the future, chances are likely that it can be done. As technology and imagination continue to grow, smart homes will hopefully one day work in complete harmony to improve our daily functions.
Tankless Hot Water Heaters Add Convenience
Rinnai Tankless Water Heater installed in a historic home remodel
Imagine the luxury and convenience that comes from enjoying a long shower and not having the water run cold halfway through. One of the most in-demand appliances in custom home construction and home remodeling is the tankless hot water heater. Perfect for families who constantly run out of hot water or those looking to save energy costs, tankless hot water heaters qualify for a $300 federal energy tax credit and supply an endless demand of hot water.
Just as with any large purchase for the home, it is important to research the products available and understand the way in which tankless water heaters operate. An expensive purchase, tankless hot water heaters are not necessarily simple, over-the-counter systems. There are several factors involved with purchasing and installing an on-demand hot water heater and familiarizing yourself with the following basics will make your decision much easier.
How they work
On demand hot water heaters don’t store hot water, but rather create it as soon as needed. In tank-type water heaters, hot water is sent from the heater to your appliance, like a faucet or shower head. Hot water sits in the pipes and tank waiting to be heated and cools off when not used.
A tankless water heater works by heating the water directly. While it does not necessarily instantly produce hot water, it will not later run cold. There is no storage tank where water heats and stands by, ultimately cooling over time if unused. That waste of water and energy is what makes tankless water heaters more energy efficient, as they avoid standby heat loss.
Point-of-Use Tankless Water Heater
Depending how you want to use the tankless water heater, you’ll want to decide between whole house heaters or a point-of-use system. Point-of-use tankless water heaters provide hot water for small sources, like a cup of tea. Less expensive than whole house tankless water heaters, point-of-use heaters cost a few hundred dollars, minus installation. The point-of-use tankless water heater is relatively small and will usually fit inside a sink cabinet or in a closet.
Whole House Tankless Water Heater
Although more expensive than point-of-use heaters, whole house water heaters have higher gallon per minute flow rate capacities and can supply enough water for more than one fixture. For larger families, more than one whole house water heater might be necessary, as it is important to have a water heater that can handle the maximum flow of the appliances or fixtures you plan to use simultaneously. Whole house units are available in gas and electric varieties, however there are several additional expenses that come with the installation of whole house electric tankless water heaters due to the large amount of electricity required for operation.
Whatever option you choose, tankless hot water heaters add luxury to any household but also require professional installation and additional research. Working with a qualified general contractor is advised to learn more about choosing the right tankless water heater for your next home.
Tips to Stay Within your Building Allowance
Custom home by Brock Builders
Whether building a new home from a stock plan or working with a custom home architect, staying in budget is what homeowners aim for most. Although most general contractors will provide a building allowance, not all builders explain what is covered in the construction budget and leave many homeowners confused about what they are actually allowed to choose for their home. Settling for the cheapest bottom line and not comparing allowances from builder to builder often leaves the homeowner with a higher price tag in the end, or less than satisfactory products and finishes in the home. With a few simple steps and questions however, building a house on a budget is not as hard as it seems.
While the term budget can often sound restricting, in new home terms it is meant to identify the bottom line, or implied total cost of building your home. A construction allowance shows more than just the final cost. It should include several components that allow homeowner and builder to agree on the number at the bottom and the products in the end result. Many new homeowners make the tragic error of wanting one number on the receipt but don’t understand how the building allowance works. Before signing on the dotted line, consider the following points:
Don’t buy more house than you can afford.
While this may seem obvious, several new homeowners find themselves building a larger home than they can afford only to run out of money for allowances. If your entire construction budget is spent on the dwelling itself, there is typically not much money left over for upgrades or high-end products and the homeowners are left unsatisfied. Too much house often equals too little money for the finishing touches.
Talk with your builder about your wants before signing any contracts.
A good builder or general contractor will listen to your wants and needs before creating the new home allowance. Discuss what you envision the home will look like. Remember, adding a couple of square feet here and there or switching tile for hardwoods can translate to thousands of dollars in unforeseen upgrades.
Visit wholesalers to see if your choices are available.
You may prefer granite countertops, but your building allowance only calls for laminate. Often times in the construction budget breakdown, the builder’s preferred vendors or stores are available for you to visit and make sure for yourself that the products you anticipate wanting in your new home are in fact part of what you’re paying for upfront.
Spend money now on the products that will cost more to install later.
Products such as tile work, hardwoods, fireplace surrounds and cabinetry can be expensive to upgrade, however they are even more expensive to install at a later date. There are hidden costs in removing, stripping, replacing all of these products, not to mention costs for installation. It makes sense to spend the money now to have them done, rather than pay someone later. After the move in, less costly items such as light fixtures, towel bars, and drawer pulls can be upgraded and installed as time and money permit.
Remember, the most important thing when trying to stay within your new home allowance is to do as much research upfront and talk with your builder about the types of products you envision in the home. Simple conversations in the beginning can result in thousands of dollars saved in the end.
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