New Home Features Archives

New Home Features

When building there are so many new home features to choose from – though it’s exciting, some can find the amount of choices a bit daunting. It’s inevitable that you will be met with options that you hadn’t even considered. We’re here to share our knowledge so you can get a jump on the building process – it will make you feel more confident going into the design phase.

Must Read Articles About New Home Features :

Exterior of a home with a tan colored entry doro

5 Essential Front Door Color Ideas to Choose From

The color you choose for your front door ultimately defines your house in terms of class, style, and taste. There are several front door color ideas that you can choose from — however, they should fit in with the overall palette of your home. Choosing your front door color will depend on the color of your house, your preferences, and how you’ve decorated. Here are five bold front door colors and tips on how to pick them.

exterior of a two story home with a garage and deck

10 Popular Custom Home Customizations

Customizations take a new home from typical to tailor-made. So, if personalization is what you crave, why settle for ordinary when it comes to your dream home? Here are 10 popular customizations you might love in your new home.

Everything You Need to Know About Ranch Homes

Learn why the one-story, open layout has made a comeback. The common saying, “as American as baseball and apple pie” could easily add “ranch homes.” A study released by the National Association of Home Builders shows two-thirds of home buyers (64%) would like a single-story home. To better understand the demand, here are some reasons the single story structure is popular again.

Closeup of Quartz Countertops in a kitchen

Quartz Versus Granite Countertops

Designing a house opens the doors to tons of options. Picking out the countertops in a new home for your food preparation and eating areas might be one of the most enjoyable aspects of your building project. Quartz and granite offer their pros and cons, so it’s important to have a baseline understanding of each before you make your final selection.

Recent New Home Features Articles:

Aging in Place

A growing trend is 'aging in place' whereby seniors are opting to stay in their own home rather than move into an assisted living facility. The CDC defines aging in place as, "The ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level." More and more people are looking for ways to help aging family members stay in their home--whether that be multiple generations living together or enlisting in-home care. As of 200... [Read More]

How Does House Wrap Protect Your Home?

House wrap reduces the movement of air into your home and helps keep wind-driven rain out of the walls. Tyvek House wrap is a leader in the industry. It allows any moisture in the walls to pass through to the exterior. Still dry air in the walls is an insulator providing year-round comfort. Tests show that at 9 Mile an hour wind pressure, walls with Tyvek wrap maintains 94% of the R-value compared to a wall without Tyvek at 37%. You can learn more by reading “Wraps You in Comfort”. [Read More]

Finished Basements

Have you been thinking about finishing your basement into living space for a long time? Fall is a perfect time to get ideas and plan. Even if it’s currently cold concrete crammed with boxes of off-season items, the lowest floor of your home probably has loads of potential. [caption id="attachment_5865" align="alignright" width="300"] Basement Home Theater[/caption] It never hurts to start looking and get ideas before you plan to dig in. Here are five to get you started: &nb... [Read More]

Oh, my poor tired eyes!

By the end of the day, after seven or more hours, perched over my desk, peering into a computer monitor that seems to grow smaller by the minute, oh my poor tired eyes! This started me thinking of ways to help new home buyers to alleviate eye strain in their new homes. When building a new home, make lighting a priority. Start with overall, ambient lighting. More formal areas may require a chandelier, which come in every shape and size. Simple ceiling mounted lights are sufficient for be... [Read More]

An Appreciation for Tradition

Few exterior cues hearken back to simpler times more than shuttered windows and big, covered front porches. Add divided-lite windows plus masonry accents to horizontal siding and you've got the recipe for an instant classic. Our Greenville home plan is a fine example. So...what about the inside? What interior amenities similarly reflect traditional roots? To begin, three bedrooms have been the "norm" for decades. The Greenville presents a traditional bedroom "wing" layout with the bed... [Read More]

Popular Features and Options to Create a Quieter Home

Everyone wants some quiet time to think and relax. Below are six things to consider which will make a quieter more peaceful home. And when done during construction, will cost less than doing them after the home is built. Solid core doors can be used to reduce the transmission of sound from room to room. Insulate the walls in bathrooms and bedrooms. This will act as a sound deadening barrier between the rooms. A quiet dishwasher will lower the operating sound in your ... [Read More]

Flexible Living or Flex Rooms

Terminology varies from region to region or plan to plan, but whether it is called a flex room, bonus room, flexible area, flex space, etc. you will want a house plan that offers areas that can be used for a multitude of purposes as you and your family’s lifestyle changes over time. With a growing trend for staying in a home longer rather than trading up to a bigger house, or for those looking to “right size” into a smaller home, having a floorplan that can adapt to changes in how spaces can ... [Read More]

What’s the Best Location for a Guest Bathroom?

The guest bath-also commonly referred to as a "powder room", is primarily a convenience. Having a guest bath means not having family, friends, colleagues and even clients admiring your child's collection of rubber duckies. But what's the best location for a powder bath? Well, that depends on how you live in your home. In home designs such as our Belmont, the guest bath is just off the garage entry. That's a great spot when you've got little kids because when they run full speed in the home... [Read More]

Tips to extend your outdoor living spaces all year round

The prevalence and popularity of outdoor living comforts are on the rise, as homeowners become accustomed to the many benefits exterior spaces have to offer. With cooler and shorter days just around the corner, now is the time to start preparing the outdoor spaces of your home for relaxing and entertaining that will transcend the seasons. Don’t let the darkness chase you indoors; with the right tools and techniques, you can extend your outdoor living season all year round. [caption id="att... [Read More]

Natural Stone or Stone Veneer Finishes

Today’s home buyers are more and more wanting to capitalize on the beauty and strength of stone on both the inside and outside of their homes. In the past natural stone was almost always cost prohibitive, but nowadays we no longer have to deal with monolithic blocks hewn from raw earth. Today, stone veneer is a lightweight and user-friendly option for home interiors and exteriors, and available in numerous colors and textures. You can add stone veneer to a host of surfaces, both inside and... [Read More]