Green building, sustainability and high-performance homes are now part of the vocabulary of new home construction. We welcome the attention brought to these important issues. As professional builders, however, we take the subject with a grain of salt. Green building is a far more complex topic than that portrayed in the media. News spots or
Read more »
Life and work styles are evolving. Make sure the home office is up to date. It’s not news that home offices have become mainstream. According to a recent Forbes study, one in five Americans work from home, and that number continues to rise. Technology has made working from home efficient and convenient. The home office
Read more »
Voting for the 2014 Toast Of Music City Awards is underway, and Castle Homes has again been nominated for Best Home Builder! We hope you will take the time to vote again this year. Follow the link to ToastOfMusicCity.com. You may Vote every day through July 22nd.
Read more »
No one wants to think about house mold or, its underlying cause, moisture. As professional builders, however, we are conscious of the dangers created by moisture infiltration and we are in a position to prevent it. That makes it our responsibility to lead the discussion. Prevention of moisture infiltration — and the mold that can
Read more »
If you’ve ever driven past a new subdivision just getting started, you’ve likely seen a fleet of earth-moving equipment, multiple colored stakes in the ground, and the beginnings of streets, sidewalks, and foundations. These are the tell-tale signs of the building site being prepared for construction. Site preparation includes several steps. A survey comes first.
Read more »
Thoughtful planning will help homeowners get the most from this popular amenity. Home theaters were all the rage ten years ago. These rooms were designed for passively watching TV and movies, and were acoustically separated from the rest of the house. While some homeowners still want home theaters, most now opt for a media room
Read more »
Flex spaces, or flexible-use rooms, are increasingly common in modern housing to address homeowners’ needs to accommodate their changing lifestyle and allow them to “age in place”. Flexible-use rooms provide important options to homebuyers. Whether they be young couples with a growing family or retirees needing creative outlets. A den might one day serve as
Read more »
Regardless of a home’s size or style, all construction follows a consistent pattern and pace. Excavation and foundation work will be followed by the framing phase, which will be followed by rough mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. As soon as those stages are complete, insulation will be installed. These steps follow each other quickly and
Read more »
Everyone has a vision about a dream home. The dream may have a particular style, such as a Mediterranean or Colonial, or perhaps a certain room is the focus, such as an idealized kitchen or master suite. These visions are an important starting point in your search for a new house, helping to narrow your
Read more »
One of the most exciting and dynamic periods in the construction of a new home is the structural framing stage. It is the time when two-dimensional plans take on a three-dimensional shape. As floors, walls, and a roof rise from the ground, the owners can envision the finished home and walk through its spaces. As
Read more »
Here’s the secret you’ve been waiting for: To help ensure a successful and satisfying homebuilding experience, maintain regular and productive communication with your builder and his team. Lack of communication is, without a doubt, the single leading cause of headaches and hard feelings. Minimize stress and ease the building process by keeping the lines of
Read more »
As a professional builder, we keep our eyes on emerging trends in the housing industry, from new structural materials and energy-saving systems to interior finishes. One of the big trends we’re tracking — and accommodating for an increasing number of our homebuyers — is the use of cabinetry in a greater variety of rooms and
Read more »
When we hear the term “green building,” most of us think of energy efficiency and, increasingly, healthy indoor air quality. While those are certainly central components of high-performance housing — especially given our nation’s current energy prices — they are not the only factors that ensure a truly sustainable approach to home building. One of
Read more »
Healthy indoor air quality may be the most important aspect of building green. After all, what could be more important to your health than the air you breathe? Achieving healthy indoor air, however, depends on a comprehensive approach to high-performance building. There’s no way, for example, to make an indoor environment comfortable and healthy without
Read more »
Walk into any new home and you’ll immediately notice a big difference from many older homes: an abundance of natural light. Because of poor thermal performance, windows and glass doors in older homes were necessarily scaled down. Today’s builders, however, are able to take advantage of advanced technologies, a wider range of sizes and styles,
Read more »
How to Fight Escalating Lumber Prices The essential skill of value engineering Lumber continues to be THE big issue in homebuilding. As we write this in May 2021, costs for framing lumber and plywood are three times what they were a year ago. That’s right—they’ve tripled. It’s insane. They might go even higher. An April
Your home builder needs to navigate a maze of government regulations—homeowners can help make the process easier A successful new-home build is a predictable one, with no unpleasant surprises. Predictability comes from good planning, as well-planned projects tend to stay on budget and on schedule. Good planning includes making sure the home will meet all
The short answer is no, and here’s why that’s a good thing Some builders are what one might call ‘order takers.’ They do anything the homeowners want within the constraints of budget, timetable, and zoning or code regulations. That’s understandable: everyone wants happy customers and positive reviews. But the best builders understand that an anything-you-want
As published on May 4, 2021, StyleBlueprint.com by JENNA BRATCHER From the Love Circle vista point and the pedestrian bridge overlook to the lush landscape and equestrian barns of Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin, Middle Tennessee offers its share of stunning scenery to admire. We may not always have an opportunity to enjoy them, but there are plenty of
Custom homebuyers have asked what we think about this popular flooring. Here’s our answer. We don’t often talk about products in our blog, but when lots of clients ask about a specific one, we like to offer our thoughts. That’s the case with luxury vinyl tile flooring or LVT. We’re not the only ones getting