Archive for March, 2010

BUYER’S GUIDE TO BUILDING CUSTOM HOMES

Monday, March 29th, 2010

To build your own home is a truly wonderful feeling. It is like turning your dreams into reality. For good results, you must contact a custom home builder who can guide you about the optimal resources, designs and costs involved. Before making any decisions, you will have to do research and gain know-how about the kind of property you are investing in.

In case of custom built homes, there is greater need for investment. It also requires more inputs and time to complete. For different custom home builders, the process of construction varies according to their ways of operating.

Over the past few years, the demand for custom homes has rapidly increased. As you screen custom home builder companies for your property, it is important to compare their services and project handling skills. Make sure that your home is built by a company that has experience and reputation in the industry and does not abandon your project before completion.

A noteworthy point is to be aware of the difference between normal building firms and custom home builders. Normal building firms may not have the required expertise to understand the nitty gritty of custom homes. To be sure, you must look for a builder that can create a unique home for you, from start to finish.

By verifying the elements listed below, you can select a reliable custom home building firm for your property and save considerable time, energy and money.

  1. Enquire about the number of custom homes built by the company in a year. This allows you to judge their experience and know the amount of time taken for completing a project.
  2. Don’t trust the information provided in the company brochure alone. Try to find the facts behind the marketing jargon. Good custom home builders will provide references on their own for customers to assess their work.

In the end, your wise and well-informed decisions can turn a custom home building project into a highly successful and memorable experience.

We at Dustin Dewald Custom Homes have years of experience in building unique Custom Homes in Central Texas region.

Killeen Home Builders - Central Texas Custom Home Builders

IMPACT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS ON CUSTOM HOME PROJECTS

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

With the global economy still recovering from the recent economic downturn, people are reconsidering their plans in every aspect of life. Along with the financial system, the real estate and home building industry also suffered a major setback.

If you are undertaking a custom home project, it may be difficult to decide whether this is a good time to carry on or wait for the economy to recover. For making the right decision, you must understand the effect of economic factors on your plans, including:

Construction loans
At present, the fund flow is restricted and there is not much liquidity in the market. Lesser number of banks are providing loans for construction but there are several options that can be used to borrow money. It is best to consult your banker for these alternatives.

Credit score
Following the economic crisis, there has been a rise in the minimum credit score required for a good rating and getting a construction loan. This has been increased from 620 to 700 now. Instead of being discouraged by this change, you must make efforts to improve your rating and become eligible for borrowing.

Property Cost
Cost of property touched the rock bottom in recent economic depression. Also the cost of construction has fallen down considerably. If you have finance available, this is the right time for you to invest in your home.

Recession has given the right opportunity to invest in building up your dream custom home. It is advisable to take into consideration your current financial position and resources to fund your home. With markets picking up globally and packages given by government, there are various financial agencies willing give loans at reasonable costs.

We at Dustin Dewald Custom Homes build custom homes in Central Texas areas. For any enquiry, please feel free to contact us.

Killeen Home Builders - Central Texas Custom Home Builders

CUSTOM HOME LIGHTING - CENTRAL TEXAS

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

The perfection of original custom home lighting comes with an amalgamation of creativity, calculation, and technology to make a living space entirely unique and personalized. The cost of efficiency must always be accounted for to make sure that a superior level and quality of lighting does not lie heavy on one’s pocket in electrical expenses. Custom home lighting must go entirely with the interior decoration and the daily lifestyle of the family in order to blend harmoniously and effortlessly into the many facets of daily life. Most of the lighting kits and box store fixtures fail to be up to the mark in many respects when it comes to the finer details of this complicated discipline of custom home lighting, as they lack long-term viability and durability. It is advisable to work with a professional team that is experienced and is extensively trained in the field of custom home lighting. When you are building your dream custom home, your builder takes care of the lighting needs and most of the time it is included in the quote.

  • Analysis of energy efficiency - While planning for custom home lighting, energy efficiency is kept under consideration. Various energy saving equipments are used to keep the energy consumption minimum. Also there is a general trend prevalent among people; they are resorting to store-bought fluorescent bulbs over lamps and overhead lights in places like the living room, bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, these days. These lights result in saving lot of power and are comparatively much more sustainable.
  • Requirement analysis - A requirement analysis is made and appropriate lighting equipments, tubes and bulbs, fixtures etc are finalized. Finalization of the equipment is purely on the basis of how much and in which way lighting is required in the house.
  • Creation of layered lighting effects - Another upcoming trend is combining custom home lighting designs with the concept of home lighting controls in a way so as to lay down multiple layers of light that combine to create unique effects  in various portions of the home.  These layered lighting effects also have an impact on human emotions and moods.

Thus, using a proper combination of automation and manual controls, one can thus have an immediate, to a myriad of colors and special lighting effects throughout the house.

We at Dustin Dewald Custom Homes spearhead the design and implementation of lighting systems in the home. When we build a custom home, we take into consideration various aspects of lighting and our team of experts work to create the magic.

Killeen Home Builders - Central Texas Custom Home Builders

HOW TO CONSTRUCT YOUR CUSTOM HOME

Monday, March 8th, 2010

If you have decided all about constructing your dream custom home, but are in a dilemma where and how to start? Here is a list of how to go about for the construction of your dream home.

  • Location: The location of your home is the first and the foremost thing to be kept in mind. Based upon the location of your place of work, school for kids and so on, decide the location of your custom home. Also take into consideration the weather conditions desired.
  • Budget:The second most important point to be kept in mind is your budget. Estimate the amount of money you want to spend on the construction of your custom home. According to that you must plan the builder, the designer and the construction material which you would like to employ for the construction of your home so that you do not exceed your pre-set budget. You may need to play your home loan as well.
  • Builders:Pay complete attention to the credentials of the construction firm which you plan to hire. Check their market reputation and take a look at their previous works before you finalize your contract, keeping in mind the size of the home, the style of the design, amenities, allowances, the tentative schedule, and the anticipated cost.
  • Designing and building: Though most of the builders with good reputation would be excellent in space utilization and designing. It is advised to fully understand the design being created. You should give your inputs to create your home according to your requirements.
  • Specifications:Now that all the planning and pre-requisites have been taken care of and all the broad details have been specified; it is time to get into the actual details and intricate construction specifications like brick, stone, stucco, roof, floors, plumbing fixtures, doors, trim, hardware, etc.
  • Final plan and construction loan: After taking care of the broad as well as the intricate details, the final plan should be drawn, inclusive of all the major and minor costs and all the approved plans. This is when you should think of approaching a bank or a loaning firm for a construction loan. But, make sure that your final approved plan and complete budget are in place before taking this step.
  • Building: When all the above mentioned steps have been followed and the loan has been finally issued, you can start with the building of the house actually. Your inputs while building would always be helpful.
  • Completion and loan closing: Now that the construction of the home is complete, inspected, and ready for occupancy; you can move in your new home. The construction loan is paid by the mortgage and regular mortgage loan is paid as planned with the financing agency.

We at Dustin Dewald Custom Homes build custom homes in Harker Heights, Fort Hood, Killeen and Copperas Cove areas in Central Texas.

Central Texas Custom Home Builders - Fort Hood Area Custom Home Builders