Tag Archives: South Florida luxury homes

Outdoor kitchen installation in South Florida

Outdoor Kitchen Installation Ideas

Florida is called the “Sunshine State” for a reason. If you are not soaking up the sun with a brand new outdoor kitchen installation, then you are simply taking South Florida for granted! Installing outdoor kitchens and residential areas is a core part of CCM’s exterior and outdoor paving services, and we have plenty of tips for you to design yours!

Planning Your Outdoor Kitchen Installation

Each outdoor area is different, so there are no rules set in stone. Nevertheless, here are some ideas for you to serve as a jumping-off point.

Flooring

The first piece of outdoor kitchen installation you want to consider is your floor. Because you will be outdoors (and because it rains often in South Florida), you will want floors that are weatherproof (and relatively slip-proof on a wet surface) yet stylish at the same time. So, don’t go with wood. Instead, you will want one of the following:

  • Tile
  • Concrete
  • Brick
  • Natural stone

Of these four, concrete is likely to be the most affordable. However, given the advantages of pavers vs concrete, we prefer natural Tuscany paving stones.

Setting the Atmosphere

When thinking about your outdoor kitchen installation, try to envision what mood/atmosphere you are trying to set. This comprises things such as lighting and heat, among others. As the outdoors are becoming a more popular place to hold parties and spend time with friends and family, more people are installing outdoor heating systems such as heat lamps or fireplaces and fire pits. If you opt to go the latter route, always make sure they are properly installed and in accordance with the law. From there, enjoy sitting around the fire and roasting your marshmallows!

Food & Drink

Finally, no outdoor kitchen installation would be complete without considering what it will actually do: serve as a kitchen-esque setting to eat and drink in. So, you must ask yourself: what exactly will you be doing out there? In addition to tables and chairs, here are some things to think about installing:

  • Wet bar
  • Kegerator
  • Prep station
  • Pizza oven
  • Microwave drawer
  • Pizza oven
  • Electric grill
  • Lobster boiler
  • Wash station
Make your house stand out like this one!

3 Ways to Make Your House Stand Out

In a dull, boring black-and-white world, you want to fill your house with vibrant colors — in other words, you want to make your house stand out. No one wants to be a part of the “Stepford” community where everything looks the same. For many people, one single house is all they get in life. So make it different — make it count!

How to Make Your House Stand Out

You don’t have to be a professional designer or landscape architect to do this. All you need is ideas, and herein the possibilities are endless. Here are 3 jumping-off points for you to get started.

Paving Stones

Let’s start with the outside: your driveway and the path leading up to your house. Here, custom paving stones offer you a tremendous opportunity to make your house stand out. Both concrete and asphalt are banal. Moreover, paving stones can be customized to your exact wants and wishes. What pattern do you want them installed in? What color or colors do you desire? Pavers are guaranteed to add value and beauty, plus they are crack-resistant and last for a lifetime!

Landscape & Gardening

Another outside feature all too often neglected is the landscape. Here, too, the possibilities of a custom design are almost without limit. If your front lawn boasts only a few trees and shrubs, consider the following:

  • Natural garden stones to create a unique focal point for your landscape
  • Retaining walls to segment your gardens and trees
  • A coy pond and bridge for an extra hint of luxury

Blur the Line Between Inside & Out

In most houses, the demarcation between inside and out is fairly clear. You can make your house stand out by blurring these lines a bit, installing a courtyard, arcade, or open air patio complete with uniquely designed columns and arches. The Sunshine State is made to be spent outdoors, and these components are all part of the rich tradition of South Florida luxury homes.

Custom Beach House in Highland Beach, Florida

Designing Your Custom Beach House

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the art of custom home building, combine it with beautiful sunny South Florida…and the result is a custom beach house. These houses, both primary homes and “snowbirds'” second homes, populate the whole Atlantic shoreline up and down route A1A. Everyone in Florida dreams of owning one of these marvelous domiciles…so why not make it a custom home as well?

Ideas for Designing Your Custom Beach House

Why not only a beach house, but more specifically a beach house that is custom designed to your needs and desires? For one, nothing puts the “luxury” in luxury home building more than a cool salty breeze and a gorgeous view of the ocean. Moreover, custom homes and luxury homes are one in the same, more often than not. So, these two concepts naturally merge and become one.

Building luxury homes in South Florida is at once an art as well as a science, and there are both practical and instinctual considerations to be made. With that said, here are a few for designing your custom beach house:

Practical Considerations

Windows & Doors

One thing home builders must not ignore is the elements, which are especially strong near the beach. Florida may be known as the Sunshine State, but to residents it’s also the Hurricane State. Being so vulnerable to storms during the annual hurricane season, well designed beach houses will always incorporate impact windows and doors.

Why impact windows and doors? For one, they are superior to hurricane shutters not only in appearance but also in function. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials that can be customized to your house, while at the same time providing the following benefits:

  • Anti-theft security
  • Temperature insulation
  • Sound insulation
  • Appreciated home value

Insulation

Humidity near the beach is just as bad (if not worse) as inland Florida, which is the number one factor that causes wet basements. The problem of condensation is not limited to basements, and can easily lead to mold and mildew throughout your beach house. So, be sure to have all the proper insulation installed.

Aesthetic Considerations

  • Installing a dock nearby or on your property if you own a boat
  • An outdoor residential area with a grill, bar, etc.
  • Balconies
  • A wraparound deck
  • Paving stones and custom landscape treatment
  • Open concept designs to let the ocean breeze in
  • Sunlights installed in your roof
  • And so much more — it’s your custom beach house, and the sky is the limit!
What luxury home building in South Florida results in

Putting the “Luxury” in Luxury Home Building

What puts the “luxury” in South Florida luxury home building? Is it the glass, the countertops, the appliances, or the floors? Is it floor plans customized to your every desire, down to the finest details? What about the exterior — rock gardens, hardscape pavers, and landscape designs?

What Luxury Home Building Is

The answer is all of the above — and so much more! The beauty of custom home construction is that it takes into account all your wishes and directs them toward one end: life in a house of luxury.

Building a luxury home is a huge enterprise that takes into account far too many elements to list here. However, CCM is happy to provide you with a few ideas for luxury home building from the inside-out. Here are a few jumping off points.

Bathroom

  • Fixtures & Accessories: Consider adding a spa and/or jetted tub, heated racks for towels, steam-free mirrors, multi-functional and/or low-flow faucets and fixtures, and bidets.
  • Design: Incorporate bronze, glass or natural stones into tiles and surfaces of your bathroom.

Ceilings

It’s easy to overlook the potential of adding luxury to the ceiling, However, no other part of the house has more potential to showcase the magnificence of luxury home building. Consider construction with such materials as:

  • Faux wood
  • Urethane & PVC
  • Plaster

Kitchen

Kitchens are one of the most expensive spaces to renovate and remodel, but they are also one of the most essential — and luxury home building is no different. They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, for it is where meals, parties and other events center in. Therefore, your kitchen speaks to your entire home. Add some luxury to spill over into your whole house by retiling and resurfacing your counters. You can also design your kitchen to maximize space and eliminate clutter.

Living Room

Finally, your living room has just as much — if not the most — potential to enhance the luxury of your home. You can add style and appeal by:

  • Carefully selecting the furniture that will furnish your living room
  • Making sure to install a fireplace, the centerpiece of most living rooms
  • Customizing your room with tiles, columns and millwork
South Florida luxury home using Mediterranean Revival

The History & Tradition of South Florida Luxury Homes

You don’t have to look hard to be amazed by magnificent South Florida luxury homes. Driving up and down Route A1A, it’s hard to miss the style and elegance packed into each individual house. There’s a wealth of history in every minor detail, and we don’t take that for granted!

South Florida Luxury Homes: Historical Styles

Have you ever seen an awe-inspiring luxury home and thought to yourself, “I’d love to live in that someday”? With Complete Construction & Management, that dream can come true. If you are looking to construct a brand-new South Florida luxury home, the rich tradition of South Florida architecture can be a good starting point. Here are four distinct styles that may serve as your inspiration.

Mediterranean Revival

Mediterranean revival luxury home in South Florida

 

  • Floor Plan: Rectangular
  • Height: One or Two-Story
  • Walls: Stuccoed
  • Roof: Tiled, Red/Rust/Auburn
  • Windows: Circular or Arch-shaped
  • Balconies: Grilled, Wood or Wrought-iron

Taking its inspiration from Spanish Renaissance palaces, Mediterranean revival architecture puts the luxury in South Florida luxury homes! It is a dynamic style, able to be simple yet also boasting balconies, keystones, columns, and ornamentation if desired.

Mission Revival

Mission San Diego de Alcala is a good example of Mission Revival

  • Walls: Stuccoed, Smooth, or Plastered
  • Roof: Tiled, Hipped or Gabled, with overhanging eaves
  • Windows: Arched, Round or Quatrefoil
  • Balconies: Parapets
  • Porches & Walkways: Covered exterior walkways with pediments and/or colonnades

Mission Revival is a South Florida luxury home style for those who appreciate subtlety. What it lacks in extravagance at first look, it more than makes up for when you walk through the doors. Notable for its incorporation of courtyards and open-air arcades, Mission Revival allows you to truly enjoy the great outdoors of sunny South Florida!

Spanish Colonial Revival

example of Spanish Colonial style used in many South Florida luxury homes

 

  • Walls: Smooth, Stuccoed, Plastered
  • Roof: Flat or Low-pitched, often clay-tiled
  • Windows: Casement or Double Hung, with canvas awning overhangs
  • Balconies:
  • Porches & Balconies: Small, wood, plaster or iron-trimmed
  • Chimneys: Stuccoed, located in gable peaks

Like the Mission Revival style that derives from it, Spanish Colonial Revival are known to be more subtle than lavish. Nevertheless, Spanish Colonial Revival is noticably the more exquisite of the two, and makes for a great compliment to custom landscaping outside your South Florida luxury home.

Spanish Eclectic

South Florida luxury home modeled after Spanish eclectic style

  • Walls: White, Stuccoed
  • Roof: Terracotta, Red/Earthy-tone
  • Windows:
  • Balconies: Large, with wrought-iron grilles
  • Porches: Archways, open-air patios, arcades and courtyards

Spanish Eclectic is what characterizes many South Florida luxury homes. It’s beautiful and exquisite arcades and courtyards will make you feel like a Greek or Roman aristocrat. Fine plaster and painting are shared throughout, from front to back and everywhere in between.