5 Facts To Know About Custom Homes

One of the advantages of creating a custom house is that you get to design it from the bottom up, including the floor plan and all of the amenities. But there are a few things you should know before making any decisions or even starting to make preparations. Here are some fascinating facts regarding custom homes from Stone Creek custom homes.

1. CUSTOM HOMES ARE MORE EXPENSIVE BECAUSE YOU GET TO CHOOSE YOUR OWN OPTIONS.

Many builders claim that custom homes cost roughly 50% more than regular homes, but the true expenditures are far greater. The reason for this is that you’re not just repurposing an existing structure; you’re creating a brand-new home with its own style and appearance. And this is where the true expense begins.

2. BUT IT’S WORTH IT BECAUSE YOU GET TO CREATE IT FROM THE GROUND UP.

A custom home is more expensive up front, but it pays off in the long run. You don’t have to settle for anything less than a home with a variety of distinctive features. You may have anything you desire and build a home that meets your needs in terms of style, shape, and size.

3. THE ONLY LIMITATION TO CUSTOM HOME DESIGNS IS YOUR IMAGINATION.

Custom homes can be practically anything you want them to be in terms of design. If you’re bored of the same layouts and uninspiring designs, a custom house provides you with virtually limitless floor plan and design alternatives. From large coastal homes to sophisticated downtown apartments, you can build almost whatever you can imagine.

4. QUALITY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN QUANTITY.

Although some people want their homes to have every conceivable feature, a bespoke home is normally built for functionality, simplicity of use, and elegant comfort. You want more than simply the most up-to-date conveniences; your plans should represent your lifestyle and priorities rather than what’s fashionable or popular.

5. A CUSTOM HOME IS PERFECT FOR FAMILIES AND THOSE WITH SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS.

You can personalize a bespoke home to meet your specific demands if you’re creating one. Perhaps you have a family and require additional space or features for the children. Perhaps you’re an elderly person who needs a home that’s easy to navigate and doesn’t have any steps. Whatever your situation, there are unique design options available to you.

You, not the builder, are the ruler of your own house in a custom home. You receive all of the amenities you want and need, including a huge master bedroom and hardwood floors. You also have the option of customizing the home to meet your specific requirements and lifestyle preferences. To put it another way, custom homes are bespoke for a reason: they’re built specifically for you! To learn more, contact Stone Creek, a Portland, Oregon custom home builder.

3 Tips for Early Spring Landscaping

Spring is next week; that means it is time to begin landscaping your yard. If you have plans to make your yard spring ready, here are three, true and tested, tips you can use.

Be Irrigation Savvy: One of the main components in making your landscape a pleasant sight is through having an efficient irrigation system. Two recommended irrigation systems are drip irrigation and a sprinkler system. A drip irrigation and sprinkler system can help your greenery stay healthy and vibrant, longer, during those dry spring and summer months.

Test the Ground’s Soil: A landscape thrives when the soil is nutrient rich. To see if your yard has nutrient-rich soil, you should test your landscape’s soil. Signs of healthy soil include the presence of earthworms and other ground organisms, root development, plant residue, and the workability of the dirt.

If you find that your ground is not up to par, you can take steps to rejuvenate your landscape’s soil by using fertilizers from organic sources, adding essential trace elements and by crafting your compost.

Rid Your Yard of Weeds: Weeds can wreak havoc on a landscape both externally and internally: They not only look unpleasant, but they also steal nutrients from the ground.

Ridding your yard of pesky weeds can make any landscape more appealing in minutes. There are a couple of ways to remove them, with the most straightforward way is by picking them via hand. Another way to remove them is by mowing your landscape regularly.

Pros of Green Environment-Friendly Homes in Portland, OR

There are environment-friendly home builders in Portland that specialize in outstanding custom homes that are energy efficient, comfortable, safe for the family and pets, and built to the highest standards.

What are the eco-friendly materials that are being used?

They are described as products that increase energy efficiency and reduce the impact on human well-being and the environment. Many different materials can be used for foundations, insulation, exterior and interior walls, flooring, and countertops. Such materials come from rapidly renewable sources, ones that reuse waste that would otherwise have landed in landfills, have low VOC emissions, are exceptionally durable, require little maintenance, have a longer life of material so has fewer requirements for replacing and thus reduces the quantity needed to produce, and other benefits. Eco-friendly materials are good for the earth and the wallet.

Some conventional eco-friendly materials are the following:

* Faswall is an alternative to traditional foundation and wall materials and cinder blocks by using waste materials from wood that is mixed with cement to create a durable and robust material that is also wind and fire and sound resistant and has excellent insulating factors.

* Cotton insulation is an alternative to fiberglass. Cotton insulation is derived from natural cotton fibers that are recycled into a similar shape as traditional insulation, is easy and safe to install, has sound-insulating qualities, and a high fire rating.

* Great choices for eco-friendly flooring: recycled wood taken from demolition sites or trees that were torn down but were never used. Bamboo is a grass that fully matures in only three years and is durable and robust and has an attractive appearance that is similar to wood flooring and cork flooring that uses only the renewable bark of the tree and does not kill the tree.

Prehab green housing and tiny homes have become a significant and growing lure.

Many prefab houses have advantages such as speedy building, solar energy shingles, built with toxin-free materials, have energy-efficient windows and doors, spray-in airtight insulation, a healthy indoor environment, an air-filtration system that removes allergens, energy-efficient appliances, low-flow water systems, paints and other finishes which are VOC-free: radiant heat flooring, Energy Star windows, and other energy-savers.

Tiny houses fit into that category and can range from perhaps 500 square feet to over 3,600 square feet. They are popular because you can pick a zero-energy or LEED platinum house directly from a website and have it installed on your lot as a full-time home or a secondary structure. You can also take it with you pulled by a proper vehicle when you go on a short-term getaway.

You can get more details and advice from environment-friendly home builders in Portland who would be happy to discuss the whole concept with you.

Spring is Coming!

Spring is on the way and with it will be higher temperatures.  Now is the time to ensure your existing air conditioner or heat pump are working properly.

When looking for local air conditioning repair companies or heat pump repair services it is important to do some research.  Here are a few tips:

  • Check out the companies BBB profile to see how they are graded and if there have been any complaints filed against them.
  • Make sure they are licensed with your state to perform the services you require.
  • Look on review sites like Yelp, AngiesList, Google+, etc.  But, keep in mind that not all “reviews” are legitimate.
  • Asking friends and family for referrals is always a great way to find service proffessionals!

If you are in the Vancouver, WA area, Tri-Tech Heating & Cooling is a licensed HVAC contractor that can help with all of your HVAC needs.