New home
Evaluating land features for home building is key to saving time and money. The most important land features to evaluate include the following: Slope – Land that is slightly sloped (less than 10% grade) or flat is best for building. If you are purchasing land that is above a 20% grade you will likely need to invest in leveling the land before building. Water – Hire a civil engineer to professionally evaluate the land for possible surface and subsurface water. Soil Type – Granular soils include any combination of silt, sand or gravel and are the best soils to build on because they drain well and have high load-bearing capabilities. Clays are generally more difficult to build on and require bringing in granular soil or require building expensive engineered foundations. Building on ledge is can be difficult if the site requires blasting. Evaluating land features for home building requires the help of experienced professionals. Consider hiring a civil engineer, environmental engineer or another trained professional before purchasing any land for home building. Follow us on Pinterest to see our home building portfolio and to get ideas for building your dream...
New home
The first challenge of building your dream home is finding the perfect location to live. Think about the following factors when choosing a place to build a new home. Climate – Choose a location that suits your family’s lifestyle and hobbies. Size of the city or town – Do you enjoy small town life where everyone knows each other? Or do you prefer a big town with more privacy? Real estate values – Check price trends of home’s in the city or town you are considering. Taxes – Are the local real estate taxes, sales tax and income taxes affordable and reasonable? Employment – Look into employment rates and opportunities in the surrounding areas to ensure there are options for your specific career type. Education system – If you have children or plan to start a family be sure to check the statistics of the local education system. Crime rates – Find crime rates online or by contacting the local police department. Commute – Test the commute of any prospective city or town to your current job. Also consider the distance to airports and public transportation if necessary. Healthcare availability – Is there healthcare within a reasonable distance to your desired location? These are just a few things to think about when starting the home building process! Visit our Pinterest page to see our home builder portfolio and start gathering ideas for your dream...
New home
Custom built homes are on the rise in 2015! More house hunters are finding that they can build their forever home with all the features of their dreams. Here are some of the top new home trends for 2015. Smaller homes – New construction homes are getting smaller. It’s possible that that is due to rising heating costs and the aging population looking to downsize. Green features – Homes are being built with more energy efficient products including low E windows, water efficient products and ENERGY STAR products. Technology – Keyless entry, learning thermostats, smart security systems and technology are being incorporated into new homes. Being able to control the home from anywhere using a smart phone is growing in popularity. Universal living – Home are being built with more universal features to make it easier to grow with your home. Incorporating universal design into your home can make your new home your forever home. Outdoor living features – Outdoor kitchens and living areas are becoming more popular in new homes to make more space for entertaining and relaxing. sunrooms and patio rooms will also be popular to be able to enjoy the outdoors during colder months. Custom storage – Homes are being built with more planned out and hidden storage...
New home
Building your brand new dream home comes with amazing benefits that you can’t get when buying a used home. Here’s why you should build a new home: Floor plan – Choose your favorite floor plan and home style that meets the needs of your family and your lifestyle. Low maintenance – New homes can be built with any low maintenance and maintenance free products of your choice. Repairs won’t be needed for years to come with your new home. Energy efficient – Your custom built home will be complete with energy efficient windows and high quality insulation which means low energy costs. Warranty – Almost everything in your custom home will be under warranty by the manufacturer for a period of time. Safety – New homes are much safer than older homes when it comes to safety. New homes come with hard-wired smoke detectors which are much safer than battery operated detectors. Electrical systems in new homes are also safer because they are brand new. Price – The price of building a new home can be comparable to buying a used home. Location – When you build a new home you have control of the location and the surroundings when choosing your lot. Landscaping – You won’t need to rip up old landscaping to make the home your own. Start fresh with new trees and bushes to match your style. Details – You’ll have the ability to choose the finishing touches for your home, such as kitchen and bathroom cabinets and hardware. Builder – Choose the best builder for you by checking reviews, references and seeing some of the...
New home
Building a new home or an addition is an exciting endeavor from the preliminary design to the final walk through. It’s important to understand how the process works, and with 36 years of experience – we can help you sail through each step of the process. Initial Site Visit A design consultant will meet with you at your home for an initial meeting to discuss your needs, wants, and the desired outcome for your project. In order to have a realistic project scope, we’ll discuss budget ranges in this visit as well. The goal of the first meeting is to develop a budget, define the scope of work, draw preliminary sketches, and to discuss preliminary material choices. Contract (Detailed Job Specification) Our second meeting can take place at your home or in our Fairhaven, Massachusetts office. During this meeting, we will review your budget, scope of work, preliminary sketches, and building material choices made during our first meeting. Together we will discuss pricing and when a decision is finalized we will seek a preliminary commitment from you. Then, we will produce detailed job specifications and a construction contract and secure a deposit to enter the design stage. Design Stage Our team will meet with the designer to produce working drawings. Initial approval is required on floor plans and elevations. Usually, this is a multi-meeting process during which the layout and specifics are fine tuned. Once the floor plans and elevations are approved, the drawing can be completed and we can obtain the necessary building permits. Building a house is a multifaceted process that requires professional management. We will plan...
