Kitchen Islands – Heart of the home
Today’s homeowners are spending more time eating in, entertaining at home, experimenting with new recipes, and multitasking. That might mean watching TV or reading the paper while stirring a pot of chili. Or supervising math homework and checking out Facebook while rotating batches of cookies through the oven for the next PTA meeting. In this new normal, the kitchen island has taken on an expanded role as the hub and heart of the home. It’s a preferred spot for cooking, homework, entertaining, storage, mobile computing, organizing, cleaning up, and hanging out. Everyday life tends to revolve around this anchor element, which can come in myriad shapes, sizes, materials, and configurations. Take a look at the possibilities!
Kitchen designer: Amazing Spaces, Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. www.amazingspacesllc.com
Is your website iPad friendly?
According to Boyce Thompson, Editorial Director of The Builder, The iPad Requires a Different Way of Thinking!
In his blog post, he states that the iPad has become a big phenomenon. “We had an agency come in the other day and they distributed a half dozen of the machines preloaded with their presentation. The message was more blatant than subliminal–you need to be thinking about new media, not just print and website, to distribute your content.”
He stated that the same message applies to home building. “Given the rapid adoption of iPads, websites need to be configured for easy and stimulating viewing on them. And the medium seems to be more about pictures, videos, and interactivity than text. It’s cool to be able to blow up images, customize floor plans, and watch YouTube content.”
There are other technical issues to consider. Because you can turn the iPad to view in landscape or portrait mode, websites need to look good in both. And because it’s a touch-screen device, pulling up “hover-over” clouds of information that lead to other places isn’t very convenient.
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If Mama ain’t happy…
When it comes to house hunting, women are the first to admit they can be picky. For example: a single mom vetoed 37 houses before she chanced upon her just-right fit: a newly built, $350,000 home that boasted a spacious layout, killer walk-in closets and custom details such as crown molding, granite countertops and a gas fireplace — for no extra charge. How did she stumble upon this particular property? She was driving around in the area and saw a woman-centric sign by the entrance. Why did she stop? The sign intrigued her.
Men may think they run the world, but it’s women who are now getting the royal treatment from the housing industry. Indeed, housing-market watchers say that builders are working strenuously to win the hearts — and checkbooks — of female buyers. And with the economy punishing the sexes unevenly, single women have become an especially important force to be reckoned with in real estate. According to the National Association of Realtors, they now sign on the dotted line in nearly a quarter of all U.S. home deals — up 14% in 2010 from 1995.
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Patio designs – 5 top trends
So when does a trend become a tradition? Continued interest in creating great outdoor living spaces, and the trend for jazzing up the backyard may just be on the verge of becoming a staple of the American home, and as much a requirement as a great kitchen or welcoming bath.
Every summer it seems homeowners find new ways to create a “wow effect” in their outdoor living spaces. The outdoor experts at ConcreteNetwork.com point to five hot trends in patio design to help elevate your backyard patio from a nice patch of bricks to your favorite spot to entertain and relax this summer:
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Looking to make connections within the industry?
With the launch of RealtyJoin version 2.0, you can expand your business network in the U.S. and Canada. The newly redesigned RealtyJoin 2.0, built by mRELEVANCE, is a social marketplace, offering participants a more user-friendly integrated website that includes WordPress blogs for all users, upgraded navigation, enhanced profiles, video options, upcoming events and the ability to post status updates, photos and video.
“The new RealtyJoin will enable users to increase their business by starting online conversations with buyers, sellers, architects, contractors, brokers, suppliers and other industry professionals,” said Mitch Levinson, managing partner of mRELEVANCE. “With people registering on the site, filling out their profiles and connecting with others, the website is already becoming the ‘go-to’ place for real estate industry connections. A number of high profile groups such as the Atlanta Board of Realtors®, Foreclosure.com and RIS Media are already participating and attracting new members through the affiliate program.”
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How can you turn your kitchen from drab to fab?
It’s often treated as an afterthought, but a great backsplash can be one of the most crucial design elements in any kitchen. Sure, it provides practical wall protection against grease splatters, dishwater sprays, and flying cake ingredients, but a good backsplash also plays an equally important role in the aesthetic mix.
When rendered in a bold color, pattern, or material, it can bring a commanding dose of eye candy to an otherwise plain Jane space. Or maybe its role is more of an equalizer. If the centerpiece of your culinary zone lies elsewhere, the backsplash can play a key supporting role by helping to achieve visual balance. A smart choice in hue and material will help to smooth out transitions between warms and cools, lights and darks, or shiny vs. matte surfaces.
Here are a few ideas:
*photos www.thundafunda.com
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Tour our model home - NEW model home coming soon 3903 Whispering Woods – Crystal Lakes Estates
I like keeping things simple!
As a custom home builder, I like keeping things simple! Building a custom home is hard enough with so many moving parts and personalities.
I find that some builders try to tell people what they want instead of learning about a customer’s desire, wants and needs. Everyone has had a different experience with homes they have lived in or currently live in.
Most people have areas they are more concerned about than others, i.e. grout for tile. Did you know there is an anti-mildew, anti-bacterial, water-repellant grout for tile? This is must for all shower areas. Contact us for more information about this product!
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Life Made Easy by Home Builder University
These days, life is just too hectic to spend precious time searching various resources for the continuing education and industry specific classes you need to stay current in your field. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a website for building professionals that made it easy to search for information about professional development courses? Well, now there is. mRELEVANCE, a leader in home builder marketing, has just launched a new interactive site that helps busy professionals like you find the information you need at a pace that fits your lifestyle at www.HomeBuildersUniversityBlog.com.
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Ready to build your custom home? It’s easier than you think!
When you hear the word “custom” associated with the home building industry, you probably think of a one-of-a kind home with everything you ever dreamed, right down to the door knobs, at a price reserved for people with large, six-figure incomes. At one time, that was probably correct. But things are changing.
Today, there are myriad custom home options and a variety of different levels of custom home builders in the Houston area. There’s still the full-time, custom home builder who builds a few homes each year. There are higher-volume builders, who will customize a home by moving walls or adding square footage. There are even higher-volume builders who offer custom options in just a few areas of the home, such as kitchens with sunrooms or kitchens as part of the family room.
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Slowly improving conditions in residential construction are easing the pressure on key rooms to do more with less.
According to April issue of Custom Home Magazine, “the housing recovery – slow though it may be—is starting to ease the downward pressure on home sizes and appears to be triggering a bit of a trend reversal, at least according to residential architects who responded to the AIA’s Fourth Quarter 2010 Home Design Trends Survey.”
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NAHB – New Homes Strengthen Economy Year Round
According to NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) Chairman Bob Nielsen, ”Home building is a key driver of the American economy. By generating economic activity including new income and jobs, purchases of goods and services, and revenue for local governments, housing—which has historically accounted for around 17 percent of the GDP—can put America back to work.”
The one-year local impacts of building 100 single-family homes in a typical metro area amount to $21.1 million in local income, $2.2 million in taxes and other local government revenue, and according to the economists at NAHB, 324 local jobs.
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