Tag Archives: green construction

Home building process

Home Building: What You Should Know

Home building can be a very exciting experience for the new home owner. Especially if you have never owned a home before, there is something quite special about knowing that you live in a place you can truly call your own. At the same time, there is no denying the stress that comes along with it. That’s why it is so important to actively prepare for your new home construction.

What You Should Know About Home Building

To minimize stress and maximize your comfort and convenience, here are some essential things you should do before getting your home built.

Budgeting

Every responsible adult will know to “run the numbers” in order to determine their home building budget. However, the trick is to account for all your costs, many of which are hidden. There is the direct cost of construction on the one hand, but on the other hand:

  • Permits
  • Down payments
  • Refunds & savings (from taxes or otherwise)
  • Cost of your estimate (if there is one)

Choosing Your Builder

Next, there is the matter of finding your contractor. This may or may not be as simple as asking your friends and family who they might refer, but you should be mindful of:

  • Whether they are licensed
  • Whether they are insured
  • What their reputation is

Also, it’s never a bad idea to request a look at their portfolio so you can see what they’ve done for yourself.

Consider Going Green

“Going green” with environmentally friendly home design isn’t for everyone, but it should always be considered. Everything from electricity, windows and doors, home insulation, HVAC, utilities, and water usage can all bring huge economic benefits when your house is environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

Remember Your ROI

Is it ever too early to start thinking about resale? We think not. Even if you’re planning on living there forever, you never know how you will fill in the future. That’s why you should always be mindful not only of how much home building costs now, but how much return on investment it will produce down the line.

Custom home construction in 2015 - what will it look like?

What Will Custom Home Construction Look Like in 2015?

Custom home construction is an exciting and dynamic industry, always changing with the cultural, economic and aesthetic landscape it inhabits. Year after new year, it changes as new homeowners take a liking to new and upcoming trends. Now that 2014 is behind us, we at CCM are excited to see what this new year brings us. Here are our predictions for what custom home building will look like in 2015!

What Custom Home Construction Will Look Like in 2015

Going Green in 2015

First and foremost, it’s impossible to deny that more and people are going to make their home green in any way that they can. There’s no reason to doubt that this trend will continue in 2015, and not just for moral (i.e. environmental) reasons. There are also practical benefits to “going green”: some evidence suggests that green construction costs less and improves homeowner satisfaction.

It’s All About the Bathroom

Bathrooms are often the focal point of luxury home building. Why is this? Because it is both easy and highly desirable to incorporate an atmosphere of luxury into your bathroom. How else would you describe a jetted bubble bath, heated towel racks, and even an HDTV rack in the far corner? Many homeowners have recognized this potential in custom home construction, and many will continue to do so in 2015.

So Long Asphalt! So Long Concrete! Hello Pavers!

We can’t say that concrete and asphalt are “so 2014” — after all, paving stones have long been a staple of custom paving in South Florida. In 2015, it looks like this trend will be catching on elsewhere. More people realize that their pavement, driveways and walkways have been neglected for far too long. After all, why spend so much time and money beautifying the inside of your home only to pave your driveway with unattractive, cracking asphalt? Why put the effort into custom home construction only to have your outside as banal and commonplace as everyone else’s?

Each new year brings with it new opportunities: an unknown future waiting to be explored. For our part, we can’t wait to explore the exciting possibilities 2015 will bring for custom homes.

Exterior of custom beach house

Why Build a Custom Home in South Florida?

If you have ever driven through Highway A1A and seen the beautiful, luxury mansions that look over the Atlantic shoreline, you know one thing: there is no shortage of upscale housing. Whether in Delray Beach or Highland Beach, this is true. So, you may be wondering why you should build a custom home in South Florida at all?

Aesthetic Considerations

The answer is quite simple: custom home building isn’t just about luxury. It’s also about getting exactly what you want in a luxury home. This is only guaranteed when you build a custom home in South Florida. Any other luxury home may look nice and have many features you like, but it may not be 100% to your wants and needs. The following are only a few examples of what we mean by this.

Floorplans & Layouts

Typical floorplan of a house

This is what the typical floorplan of a house might look like.

Blank floorplan of a custom home in South Florida

This is the floorplan of a custom home in South Florida.

Look at these two floorplans and the first thing you will notice is that one isn’t even a floorplan at all! And this is precisely the point. When you build a custom home in South Florida, you start from absolutely nothing. You get to customize each aspect of your house — from the tiniest detail — right from phase one.

Paving & Landscape

For truly luxury home construction, what’s outside is just as important as what’s inside. That’s why so many homeowners in South Florida are turning to custom paving and landscape. A particularly important area is driveway and walkway paving. Take this for example:

custom paversAmerican real estate. Luxury house exterior with brick trim

There is no question that both houses are upscale and beautiful, but only the left picture with interlocking custom pavers truly compliments the quality of the house.

Practical Considerations

There are dozens of practical advantages to building a custom home in South Florida, such as:

  • Particular needs of the homeowner such as wheelchair ramps
  • Better resale value
  • More flexibility on land usage

Green Construction

Finally, one specific practical consideration in the realm of South Florida home construction is how to your home green. In this area, there is no question that you get unparalleled advantages when you build a custom home in South Florida. When you have 100% control over the building process, you can determine everything from your energy source to more environment-friendly housing components. For example:

  • While pre-built homes come with certain appliances, you can install Energy STAR components.
  • Greener landscapes and garden work.
  • Many homeowners consider windmills unattractive and will therefore no sell a home that has them, but you have the option of installing them if you deem environmental concerns to be more important.
  • Installing solar panels.
  • Choosing natural gas as your energy source.
Blueprint of as-built home

Prefab Homes & South Florida Custom Home Building

Prefab homes (prefabricated homes or “prefabs”) are often associated with mobile homes, but they certainly have a place in South Florida custom home building. In fact, you might say they are the true method and style of custom home building! What are prefabs, and what makes them so special?

Prefab Homes & South Florida Custom Home Building

In a technical sense, prefab homes are manufactured off-site and then put together on-site. To illustrate, this is the traditional method of custom home building in South Florida:

traditional method of custom home building in South FloridaBy contrast, this is part of a prefab home that already has whole walls and rooms pre-built: Delivery of prefabricated wooden houseThis helps to distinguish prefab homes in South Florida from other ones. However, it tells us little about the difference between prefabs and mobile homes. Yet, as all upscale homeowners know, there is a big difference between luxury and mobile homes. The true difference comes from the style of prefabricated housing.

Prefab Homes & The Style of South Florida Custom Home Building

What truly distinguishes prefab homes in South Florida is not the way in which they are made. It is their style that distinguishes prefabs from transportable homes. Separately producing individual components of a custom home gives homeowners the option of a highly complex and modern design. The individual components can come in 3 primary varieties:

  1. Panels – individual pieces of the housing structure such as walls and floors.
  2. Modules – whole rooms that come pre-built.
  3. Sections – whole sections of a house that include entire rooms such as the master bedroom, closet, bathroom, etc.

The Advantages of Custom Building With Prefab Homes

For custom home builders in South Florida, the principal advantage is less work and effort. However, this doesn’t mean a decrease in the quality of your luxury home! There are many advantages that you may find interesting.

Design

Stylistically, prefab homes make for both easier and more customizable design:

  • Easy Design: Many homeowners find it easier to design their custom home when they have the prefabricated building blocks right in front of them. They don’t have to imagine what a particular room will look like when it’s in front of their eyes.
  • Custom Design: Prefabs also allow South Florida homeowners to get more creative with their design. By streamlining the process, they allow you to choose one style for your bedroom, another for your bathroom, and yet another for your living room.

Green Construction

Prefab homes are also widely commended from their environmental friendliness. Having its components separately produced makes it easier to add green features after construction. For example, it is much easier to install solar panels on a prefab. There is also a growing trend of building entire prefabricated houses out of green materials. A good example of this is the luxury Perrinepod.

What You Should Know About Prefab Homes in South Florida

Prefabs come in many different shapes and sizes. They are a truly custom option for luxury home building in South Florida. However, because there are no two alike prefabs, there is no universal standard for building one.

Certain prefabs (or all prefab homes in general) are prohibited in neighborhoods and housing communities. Therefore, if you are interested in custom prefab home building in South Florida, make sure your contractor knows the local zoning and permit regulations.