Today’s home offices have changed residential design forever. They are now a mainstream feature in nearly every type, size, and price of new home. Professional, market-sensitive builders know that families need a separate space to conduct business from home. The successful integration of work and living environments is critical to meeting individual family needs. At
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Modern housing may not have reached Jetson-level performance just yet, but a growing number of new homes today are prepared for ever-increasing amounts of automation and electronics — more than any existing or remodeled home can ever hope to be. These homes, built during the last five years, are equipped with advanced wiring and cabling networks
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Once you’ve settled into your new home, it becomes increasingly your responsibility to maintain it. As a professional builder, we have a period of time in which we respond to warranty service calls and address questions from our new homeowners. Eventually the baton is passed to our owners for the regular maintenance of their home
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In an increasing number of newly built upscale homes, full bedroom suites are replacing converted dens and musty basements as the standard accommodations for out-of-town friends, bounce-back children, and visiting in-laws. In the interest of providing short- and long-term guests with a greater measure of privacy and comfort, new-home clients are requesting guest suites when
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What ever happened to customer service? Today, simple respect and responsiveness seems to be more the exception than the rule … especially after the sale. How a homebuilder manages after-sale service, also called warranty service or call-backs, is a key indicator of the company’s overall professionalism and ability to meet (and ideally exceed) a homebuyer’s
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Some homeowners are very interested in the homebuilding process, while others are more content to follow the lead of the builder and be available only when needed. Most clients fall somewhere in between. Regardless of their approach or comfort level with new home construction, clients play a vital role in its success. The ideal homeowner
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Builders hear this question a lot. The answer, as with most such questions, is “It depends.” But on what? People who haven’t built before often have an unrealistic concept of how long it can take to plan, budget, and build a home. Many variables can affect the timetable. Three that stand out are design, permitting,
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Why did Castle Homes choose LP to partner for the Southern Living Showcase Home at Dorset Park? Superior engineered wood floor components that build straight and stable floors. “We’re a big believer in using an engineered floor system,” said Brett Wright, project manager for Castle Homes. “All of the pieces of LP’s floor system worked
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Even small changes made after work begins can have surprising effects on the budget. Here’s why. Minimizing change orders is one of the most effective things homeowners can do to control costs. The reason is that seemingly small changes can have cost impacts beyond the builder’s control—costs that ultimately are borne by the customer. We’re
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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
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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
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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’
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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
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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
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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
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Successful builders are choosy about the people they work with. Here’s why. The best business relationships are those where everyone has high standards, both for themselves and for the other parties. This is certainly the case when building a new custom home—a complex, expensive and emotion-laden effort in which the homeowner and builder must collaborate
Celebrating 25 years of home building, Castle Homes marks the occasion with the official unveiling of the national House Beautiful, Whole Home Concept House, powered by LG. The stunning Belle Meade home is open daily for tour November 3, with proceeds benefiting the Nashville Symphony. Here’s more on this incredible project, – the top home
As featured in The Wall Street Journal, Friday, October 18, 2019. More photos from this amazing Castle Homes project
Latest In Home Building And Interior Inspiration Packed with inspiration from 15 interior designers from across the United States, visitors will see the latest in beautiful color, wallpaper with Sure Strip technology, durable yet chic furnishings, new technology, and creative kitchen and tile products. A design-build project, Castle Homes collaborated with architect Kevin Coffey on
The ability to weather storms is another advantage of hiring a pro with up-to-date knowledge about building science. One often overlooked benefit of a high-quality new custom home is that it will better handle severe weather events and power outages. These are a fact of life in all parts of the country. Atlantic hurricanes routinely