Archive for the 'Custom Homes' Category

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

AMAZING HOME DESIGNS BY CENTRAL TEXAS CUSTOM HOME BUILDERS

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

A custom home is one which can be tailor-made to comfortably suit the need and requirement of each individual or family. There is no fixed design for the construction of a custom home, but there exist a few design patterns which one can choose from. Your custom home can be small, medium or huge; one, two or three storey; with or without a garden and garage; in the city or in the country side; facing the sun or in a shady region – all depending upon your personal choice and your requirements. A list of few of the most popular and trendy custom home designs are provided here:

Tuscan homes: These popular homes are a perfect combination of the old style homes and also sophistication. These houses generally come with natural stone detailing, ceramic tiles, turrets and decorative stylish railings. These homes have a romantic and rustic style and are favourites with people who have unique tastes and choices. They are different and out of ordinary in their build and designing.

Mediterranean styles: The idea of these homes originates from the countries adjoining the Mediterranean seas. The special features of these houses are their stucco and natural stone exteriors, tiled roofs with low pitched gables, wrought iron railings and their small porches and balconies. These houses provide an ambience similar to the houses of Spain or Greece.

Spanish styles: These stylish and elegant types of houses are known to combine the grace of the Mediterranean style houses with the history of the renaissance period. These houses are accompanied by smooth archways, accent towers, exposed wooden beams, ornate outdoors and decorative use of steel and iron in their construction and style.

Hill country style: The hill country side style of houses is unique to Texas and their unique features originated in the Deep South. Their style of construction, interiors and ambience perfectly amalgamate romance with elegance. The outstanding features of these houses are their open floor plans, straight roofs and ample outdoor homes such as porches and balconies.

Outdoor housing: These designs are perfectly ideal for the houses located in the areas which are bright, pleasant and sunny and conducive for outdoor living. These homes are complemented by large open areas and spacing which is ideal for relaxing or dining with one’s family. The common features of these kinds of homes are decorative stonework, high ceilings, ample outdoor spacing, fireplaces, gazebos and open air designs.

Craftsman: These houses are used for simple and comfortable living by making efficient use of all the available space and employing natural raw materials in the construction. Their popular features include low pitched roofs, cabinets, shelves and sun positioning.

There can be various combination of designs to build up your dream home. At Dustin Dewald Custom Homes, with little inputs in design from your side, we can design and build state-of-the-art Eco Friendly Custom Homes exclusively for you.

ENERGY EFFICIENT CUSTOM HOMES

Monday, February 15th, 2010

ENERGY EFFICIENT CUSTOM HOMES
If you are planning to construct a custom home of your dreams, an important point to be given consideration to is the energy efficiency of your new home. With the rising awareness about eco friendly homes and the fast depleting energy resources, it is required that we all contribute to saving of energy by building energy efficient homes. By building energy efficient custom homes, besides doing your bit for environment, you will be saving costs on energy as well. A few important points to be kept in mind while constructing an energy efficient custom home are as follows :

Sunlight orientation: The first and foremost point to be considered before construction of your custom home can be its location. It is advised to choose a location with maximum possible sunlight pouring into it. This would lead to proper natural lighting and good warmth, thus preventing the use of artificial lighting during day time and necessity of heating appliances like heaters or thermostats. This would highly save the energy which would have otherwise been used for these two purposes.

Proper ventilation: Provision of proper ventilation i.e. a number of doors, windows and ventilators in the house serves two purposes. First, it rules out the need for lighting the house artificially during the day. Second, proper flow through of wind in the house works as a natural thermostat. Mostly in the summer months, proper ventilation keeps the house cooled and prevents the necessity of temperature regulators and air conditioners. Thus, proper ventilation works wonders by cutting down on the energy consumption in the house in the form of artificial lighting or air conditioning. Proper ventilation also ensure healthy living environment.

Energy efficient appliances: A major step towards energy conservation in a custom home can be in the form of making use of energy efficient appliances which consume lesser energy and last longer. Some examples of a few such devices are as follows:

Fluorescent lamps:  In comparison with tube lights and incandescent bulbs, the fluorescent lamps i.e. CFL’s and LED’s use up lesser energy and need to be replaced after a comparatively longer time duration. Though their purchase cost is more than the ordinary bulbs, but the return in terms of eventual energy conservation is manifold.
Solar geysers: Solar geysers and other similar solar appliances which make use of the energy of the sun are an intelligent option over ordinary electrical appliances.
Frost free refrigerators: Frost free refrigerators save a lot of energy which is wasted for the purpose of defrosting the refrigerator.

You can avail tremendous benefits by building your own custom homes. Besides saving energy and cutting down costs, you can design your custom home to utilize natural resources and live healthy. At Dustin Dewald Custom Homes, Texas, we build energy efficient custom homes designed to utilize the benefits of natural resources. We serve Killeen, Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and Fort Hood areas in Central Texas

NOW IS RIGHT TIME TO BUILD YOUR CUSTOM HOME

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

You might have the exact picture of your dream custom home in your mind but you might be hesitating to put it into action or simply delaying it because you are thinking that you might land up with a more economical loan plan, or find still better designs or a better designer or just that the building’s construction costs might topple down. If this is a situation similar to the dilemma you are facing, then here is a list of a few justifiable reasons as to why NOW is the best time to give concretion to you dreams and start constructing your own dream custom house:

LOW RATES OF INTEREST: Due to fluctuations in the economy i.e. rises, falls, depressions and booms ; the economy is at such a point where the rates of interests on home loans are at an all time low. Dishonest loan companies are being slacked down by the government. So you do not stand a chance at being tricked. Also, the loan lending firms are looking for people with good credits, so it is easy to strike a good deal. Thus, now is the best time to land up with the best deal as far as the rates of interest are concerned.

VARIETY OF DESIGNS: With a variety of designs and styles ruling the market, it could get no better. Now you need not choose from the limited regular designs and end up having a common house. Rather, the latest variety lets you have the best and most innovative of designs for your house, including straw bale homes, earthen homes, barn conversions, stone and the likes of it.

REASONABLE COST OF BUILDING MATERIALS: Building your dream custom home could not get any cheaper. Though the rises and falls make the economy unstable; but from the looks of it, the cost of building materials is at an all time low and not likely to go lower in the near future.

BEST BUILDERS AVAILABLE: Not a lot of home construction is taking place these days. So you can easily find skilled and economical builders to turn your dream home into a beautiful reality. We at Dustin Dewald Custom Homes provide cost effective custom home solutions to our clients in Central Texas.

All said and done, we can conclude that NOW is the most appropriate time for the construction of your dream house. So what are you waiting for? All the odds are in your favor, just call us and get your dream home.