Planning a Great Football Tailgate… At Home
Kitchen Remodeling: Getting the Kitchen You Want
Time and again, one of the best renovation bangs for your buck is a kitchen remodel (see the 2014 Cost v. Value Report). Whether you are looking to remodel your entire kitchen or just give it a face-lift, upgrading your kitchen is one of the most noticeable – and pleasurable – changes you can make to your home.
However, before you get started, do your homework. A kitchen has many features and functions, and there are thousands of options. You can easily become overwhelmed with the vast array of choices, so do not rush into any spur-of-the-moment purchases or decisions. This is not a room to “piece together” without the full vision in place.
Building Your Home: The Custom Design Process
Over the years, we’ve heard clients tell us that designing their “dream home” has been one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives. Not only is custom home design a fun process, but it is eye-opening as well. You get to see what a truly custom home looks like for you.
What does custom home really mean?
Our home design process, being truly custom, is perhaps a different experience than what you are familiar with. Often the term “custom home” is used loosely to describe how customers can make minor changes to the floor plan or select their own fixtures and finishes. This is not what we mean.
Our process is holistic, which means it truly reflects your needs and wants in a home and your personality. This is why when a client wants us to design and build a custom home for them, we suggest one of three approaches:
You relay the style and amenities you want in a home, and from there, we’ll review existing floor plans that are similar to what you are looking for. If one matches, there may only need to be minor changes to the design.
You may look at an inventory of designs and pick out elements from a few different designs you like. From there, we’ll merge those ideas together into a new design.
You may have a design of your own – either from a catalog or a sketch you did. We will work with those ideas and turn them into working plans for your custom home.
After we meet with you and you’ve decided to proceed, we’ll draw a preliminary set of plans, which includes floor plans and some basic elevations of the home. This serves as a starting point, and from there, we’ll continue to revise the drawing to get them right.
Once the preliminary drawings are set, we’ll begin to create a full set of working plans. These plans have much more detailed and are provided to subcontractors so they can bid on the project. They are also submitted to the township for building permit approval.
No matter how the idea begins – whether it is based on an existing plan or something within your mind – we give you the liberty to design a home specific to your needs and budget. Learn more about our custom home building services.
Properly Dispose of Common Hazardous Household Items
Building Your Custom Home – Lot Considerations
Building a custom home can be a fun and exciting process, and one of the first things you’ll decide is where you are going to build the home. Typically, by the time clients come to us, they already have a specific lot in mind. It is at this point that they want to know if the lot is buildable.
Summer Energy-Saving Tips for Your Home
The cost of fossil fuels seems to increase every year; with that is an increase in our electric bills. Many of the items we have come to depend upon run on electricity: cell phones, televisions, laptops, the dishwasher and this time of the year, our air conditioner. To minimize your electric bill, we offer you these energy-saving tips for the summer:
Giving Your Home More Curb Appeal
If the exterior of your home is dated, worn or tired, there are a few things you can do to improve the outside appearance of your home. Not only will these upgrade the curb appeal, they may also increase the value of your house.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
● New Shutters – Add them to your windows to create a nice accent to your siding or other exterior finishes, or replace your old faded shutters with new ones to dramatically improve the look of your home.
● New Siding – Siding is designed to give your home protection from the elements, and new siding can significantly alter the appearance of your home. If you own an older home with aluminum or asbestos siding, replacing it with vinyl siding will improve the look and functionality of your exterior.
● Add or Enlarge a Front Porch – Adding a porch or expanding an existing porch area is one of the best ways to make your home appear more inviting. Depending on the size, it can also create more outdoor seating.
● Replace Your Windows – Replacing your windows is a great investment to make in your home; a variety of options exist to match budget and the performance you are looking for. Often times, replacing windows can lead to decreased utility costs because the existing windows were not properly sealed or maintained.
If the exterior of your home needs updated and you want to talk about your options, give us a call. We’d be happy to sit down with you and find a solution that makes sense for you.
Design Trends for the Master Bath
As important as any room in the house, the master bathroom is most likely where your time is spent at the beginning and end of each day. Having a design and amenities that are practical and relieve stress can be critical to getting your day started on the right foot and ending your day on a relaxing note.
Here are some of the current design trends we are seeing in the master bathroom.
Under-the-Floor Heating: Several methods are available to have heat installed beneath your bathroom floor; some are more cost effective than others. This is a great way to make your master bathroom a cozy and inviting space.
Large Walk-in Tile Showers: The walk-in tile shower is becoming a staple of a custom master bathroom. Benches are often placed into a corner of the shower, and niches can be built into the walls to hold soap and other toiletries. Body sprays and rain-shower and handheld showerheads are often a luxury that customers request to enhance their shower experience.
Vanities with Knee Space and His-and-Her Vanities: His and her separated vanities are still a popular trend, but now they include a knee-space countertop area in between the two sinks. These spaces are built for women to comfortably sit to apply makeup and do their hair, as well as providing the lady of the house additional counter space.
Freestanding Soaking Tub or Clawfoot Tub: Although large whirlpool tubs with tile surrounds are still a popular choice, we are seeing the trend shift to “freestanding” soaking tubs or claw foot tubs. These stand alone in their space and because they do not need a tile deck, they don’t require a lot of extra space.
Toilets in a Closet: Hiding the toilet and keeping it from a visible location when you first enter the bathroom is nothing new and doesn’t need extensive explanation as to why this is desired. But what’s trending today is to completely hide the toilet by positioning it in its own small room or “closet” within the master bathroom.
Which trend do you want for your own master bath? To view more trends and get ideas, visit our portfolio.
Common Exterior Problem Areas
Before dog-days of summer are completely upon us, take a look around your house for at some common exterior problem areas. If you see any of these, make note of them, and try to check at least one off every week. Doing these little things around your house now not only will preserve the exterior, but it will also give you more time to watch football this fall!
Caulking around Windows, Doors, and All Exterior Finishes: Caulk is not designed to last for the life of your home and will eventually break down. This can lead to hidden air leaks and, in certain cases, disastrous results. We recommend checking the caulking on the exterior of your home each year. Our service department is available to do an exterior home inspection and let you know where re-caulking is needed.
Exterior Painting: Wood frames on your exterior doors, porch posts and other painted materials should be painted every 3-5 years to prevent rotting. Rotting door frames is a very common issue that we see and can be prolonged by painting and maintaining proper drainage away from the bottom of the door.
Tree and Shrub Branches: These are often planted close to the house, but as they grow, they can scrape the exterior and cause damage on windy days or completely fall over during a thunderstorm. Keep them trimmed to prevent damage to your property.
Wooden Deck Boards: If you notice a board warping, splitting or splintering, take the time to replace it. Steps can be particularly dangerous, as weak boards can cause someone to fall.
Erosion around Your Foundation: Over time, the soil around your foundation will settle, causing low spots around your foundation. These spots are where water can puddle, and water against your home’s foundation can cause greater damage. Fill in these spots with dirt (not mulch) and take special care make sure the soil allows water to flow away from your home.
Introducing Willow Bend Farm Community
Our 2014 Parade of Homes entry is located in beautiful Willow Bend Farm.
Willow Bend Farm is an artfully planned neighborhood community and is cloistered in the beauty of trees and rolling meadows of West Lampeter Township, just minutes from downtown Lancaster. Metzler Home Builders, Inc. and the Charlan Group, the award winning builder/developer team, have transformed this choice, serene Lancaster County location into a neighborhood for community living while preserving and enhancing the natural beauty and park-like setting.
This beautiful community features a mix of single family homes, semi-detached duplex units, and studio series townhomes. There are many plans to choose from, or you can hand pick your own lot and build a custom plan to fit your needs.
Four acres of open space, cobblestone curb and lighted streets along with two miles of walking path make this neighborhood a must see!
Currently, our Sheffield III Model is open for touring as part of the Lancaster Parade of Homes. This 2,460 square foot Craftsman-style home is attractive inside and out. The Parade is free to the public and open now through Sunday – weekdays 5-8 pm; weekends 12-6pm. Stop in and see the charmingly private Willow Bend Farm Community for yourself.
To learn more about the homes currently on the market or to schedule an appointment, visit www.willowbendfarmhomes.com.