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
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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
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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,
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A lot of people don’t understand the sheer complexity of the builder’s job and the systems required to build a house from scratch. Many analogies have been used to describe the professional builder: the conductor of an orchestra, the captain of a ship, even a general executing a military campaign. The point is that the
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How far the bathroom has come in housing history, from an unheated shack outside to a treasured private retreat. Sure, the basic functions of a bathroom are intact and in place, but in today’s master suites, especially, the space has evolved to include a variety of spa-like amenities and luxury features. As in the kitchen
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Most of us have fond memories of family barbecues in the back yard or running through the sprinklers. Only the clairvoyant among us could have imagined the new ‘back yards’: the highly appointed outdoor spaces that are becoming increasingly popular in today’s new homes. Long gone are the days of the patio slab, rectangular swimming
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As life gets busier and stress levels increase, more and more people are turning to their homes as a place of refuge and escape. As a professional builder, we’ve seen an increasing interest in the transformation of the master bedroom into an “owners’ suite”; a true, in-home retreat area. This trend has evolved from a
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Every family is unique. We strive to create a distinctive home and living experience for each of our valued clients. Our sales and design staff consider the number of people in a household, the gender and age of each family member, and even particular preferences, interests, and special needs. A critical element in fulfilling that
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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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Societal trends are making the home office a must-have for many homeowners. Careful planning is the key to getting a space where you can be truly productive. Remote work arrangements have been on the upswing for a long time. Research firm Global Workplace Analytics figured in 2019 that there were 4.3 million telecommuters in the
by Brianna Goebel, StyleBlueprint As many of us start to dream about summer days and much-anticipated vacations (perhaps more so than usual), we often look outside our home’s four walls for some peace and relaxation. However, you don’t need to travel far away for the getaway of your dreams. Local builders, architects and interior designers
by Jenna Bratcher, StyleBlueprint Undoubtedly, we all have things we’re looking forward to doing, seeing or experiencing as we anticipate brighter days ahead. The past few weeks have given us food for thought as we crave treasured activities such as hugging friends, going to the gym and dining at local restaurants. We asked some of
Health concerns have turned homeowners’ attention to the often-ignored indoor humidity range. Health and wellness have seized center stage in the homebuilding world. This year’s coronavirus scare and lockdown made indoor air quality a top priority even among those who hadn’t thought much about it before, and most industry pros expect it will still be
Home Builder Digest names Castle Homes one of the Best Custom Home Builders in Nashville, Tennessee Home Builders Digest – With more than 26 years of experience, Castle Homes builds in an extensive range of styles. It has worked on numerous luxurious Contemporary and Modern homes, in addition to several French estates, English cottages, Contemporary