Nailing Down a Competitive Bid

A well-defined process can make bidding more accurate and productive. Homeowners see the competitive bidding process as a way to get the most value for their money. But it doesn’t always work that way. Bids are only useful if they come from comparable companies, and if they are structured so that they can be accurately

Why The Time To Build Is NOW

New homes won’t be any more affordable in a year or two. Potential homebuyers who are waiting for costs to come down before building might want to reconsider. The fact is that the past year’s rise in new home prices will most likely continue. While higher interest rates and a weak dollar could play a

Size Matters: Choose Your Contractor Wisely

The low-bid, budget company may cost more in the long run. Here’s why. Does your builder have the size and — more importantly — the management systems needed to handle a custom home project? If not, the final cost in dollars and frustration may be more than you bargained for. There are innumerable ‘horror stories’

Southern Living Cover August 2013 Idea House

Best Ever Southern Living Idea House Built By Castle Homes

The best idea house ever is what Southern Living magazine is calling this year’s home at beautiful Fontanel in Nashville built by Castle Homes and featured on the August cover of the magazine. With an incredible overview of the exciting building and inspiring design ideas of the farmhouse style home, the two-story living room is featured

The Successful Outdoor Kitchen

Creating a backyard gathering space that works hard and looks great. Outdoor kitchens are hot. In a 2012 survey by Professional Builder magazine, a fourth of the respondents named outdoor kitchens as one of their top selling features. There’s no shortage of ideas for these spaces, as a simple online search will show, but the

Eliminate Surprises by Clearly Defining the Job

Building a new home is one of the most important investments a family will make. In many cases it represents the single largest financial investment. The home is designed and built to provide years of pleasure, comfort, and security. It is the physical manifestation of “family” and the place where celebration and joy are expressed

The Launching Pad: Preconstruction Meeting

Without a successful take-off, a safe landing is impossible. All homebuyers want their new home to turn out just as they envisioned, built on schedule, and for the agreed upon price. As a Professional Builder, we want exactly the same thing. That’s what makes the preconstruction meeting so important. This is a time for builder

Shedding Light on Window Options

It wasn’t that long ago that a window was a window … was a window. Basically, a hole in the wall fitted with a wood-framed pane of glass that allowed a view to the outside and provided a little bit of daylight into a house. Over the past 25 years, windows have changed dramatically. Not

Extending Exteriors

A home’s exterior finish is literally its face to the world. The right combination of material, color, and texture deliver a lasting impression, evoke pride and create value. The right exterior finishes for a given climate and their proper installation reduce ongoing maintenance chores and repair costs. In our experience, there are several factors that

Southern Living Showcase Home Roof by GAF

The Roof Over Your Head

A roof is a primary factor in any home’s curb appeal. But more important, it serves a critical role in maintaining or improving energy efficiency, managing water and moisture, and guarding against damage caused by high winds and fire. Recent upgrades to national building and energy codes place even more responsibility on builders and contractors

Solid Ideas for Controlling Concrete

It’s easy to take concrete for granted. Most of us think of concrete as something stable, enduring, and strong. We believe that once concrete is set as a foundation slab, patio, driveway, or path, it’s there to stay. While it’s true that concrete is arguably one of the most stable building materials available, it nevertheless

Foundations of Quality

The word “foundation” evokes thoughts of strength, permanence, and solidity — the basis for everything that follows. A home’s foundation is simply the most important part of its construction and overall performance, if not top of mind among homebuyers and owners. The reason there are different types of residential foundations has to do with the

Excellence vs. Perfection

In the pursuit of excellence, we coach our homebuyers about the building process so that their expectations are high but realistic. We want our homebuyers to push and challenge us to always do better, but it is also our job to define excellence … and point out the difference between it and perfection.

Universal Design: Home Design For All Ages

Universal Design, or UD, is an architectural practice that allows occupants of all ages and capabilities to live independently and comfortably over a long period of time in the same house.

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