Steele Trademark Homes Inc. Understanding the home building process. THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 Putting all the pieces together Building a house is kind of like putting together a puzzle. A lot of pieces have to fit before you can begin to see the whole picture. When you work with a great builder, the process will come together in a way that seems easy! Posted by Wood+Steele at 10:23 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: A great builder WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2012 Banking on Building Your Dream How do you get a loan to build your home? Talk with your builder. He has had many construction loans and can point you in the right direction. Use a local bank where you can put a face with a name. If you have questions, you can chat face-to-face, and not with a call center half way around the world. Your local bank also has the pulse of the community and your local suppliers. Most banks will loan up to 85 percent of the appraised value of the home to build it. This means that in most cases you will need some capital to build your home. Never put the cart in front of the horse and have your dream home built in your mind before you have your finances in order with the bank. Pick a lot, pick a plan, pick a builder, and pick a bank. Four important selections before you choose paint! Posted by Wood+Steele at 9:38 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Banking TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2012 Immersion Building Take a chance and involve yourself in the building of your new home. It is an intimidating venture, but if you immerse yourself in it, you will have a better appreciation for your home and your builder. Posted by Wood+Steele at 9:56 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Quotes MONDAY, MAY 14, 2012 Looking for the Right Pane? A critical factor in the efficiency of a home is the type, size, and placement of windows through out the rooms. A good builder will discuss with you what is best for your home. While the number of windows on the house plan may look good, those may not fit with your specific lot or the situation of your home on that lot. More windows does not always equal a better home. When you consider your window choices, it is also important to factor in the weather conditions for the region in which your new home is being built. There are many different types of windows available on the market: single hung, double hung, casement, sliding, fixed are just some of the types offered. Be sure to ask you builder what kind he uses and why. Some builders make their window pane choice based on which will cause the least amount of pain to the their bottom line... But as has been stated before: You get what you pay for! You can avoid the painful cost of having to prematurely replace your inferior window panes by understanding the best choice for your new home upfront. Look to your builder for good advice...and see more about the world of windows here: http://www.atrium.com/ Posted by Wood+Steele at 11:00 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Windows THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2012 Good Things Come in Threes! So you want to elevate your home beyond just a builder's spec home... but there is that whole budget thing. What are good choices to turn your basic home into a well-appointed home? Three Interior Choices: Upgraded kitchen cabinets, tops, and appliances Hardwood floors Interior trim Three Exterior Choices: Brick Stone Landscape (and an irrigation system to keep that landscaping looking great= **highly recommended!**) Talk with your builder. A good builder will listen to your wishes, and then will be honest with you about what you are able to accomplish within your budget. Posted by Wood+Steele at 10:35 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: A Well-Appointed Home WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2012 Steps to Making Your Stairs Safe While walking into a home with a gleaming hardwood staircase can be stunning, please keep in mind the safety factor with stairs. Putting a thick pad and good quality carpet on your stairs can save you tons of money and heartache, especially if you have small children in your home. A tumble down carpeted steps may land your child with some bumps and bruises, but a fall down those gleaming hardwood stairs will most likely land you in the ER. Most people would agree that paying for an upgraded carpet and pad is a better investment than paying for casts and stitches! Hardwood stairs can be beautiful, but do require regular maintenance to keep them gleaming. When properly cared for, i.e. "no shoe" policy and regular vacuuming, a well-carpeted staircase can last 10 years. When it comes to the stairs in your home, it pays to take the proper steps, considering all of your home's inhabitants. Posted by Wood+Steele at 8:44 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Carpet, Stairs MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012 Which Wood Would We Want? Wondering about which type of wood to use in your new home? Here is a comparison/explanation of solid hardwood vs. manufactured wood. Solid hardwood is a solid piece of wood from the top of the wear layer to the base of the plank. (Tongue and groove has a wear layer. It's the portion above where the wood is fastened. On most hardwood this is typically 3/16-3/4 inches.) Engineered hardwood flooring has a wear layer that varies in thickness based on the size, type, and species of hardwood chosen, and its sub-straight is made up of cross-bonded plywood which makes it more dimensionally stable. Solid hardwood is more susceptible to moisture or lack of moisture. With the finishes available today, a good engineered floor is less costly and more earth friendly (it uses less of a specific species, plus the plywood is made of recycled or otherwise wasted materials). Today's finishes on hardwood flooring (either solid or engineered hardwood) are more durable than site finished applications. Today's finishes, if properly cared for, will last a lifetime. Ask what type of flooring your builder uses and why. Posted by Wood+Steele at 11:26 PM No comments: Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Wood flooring Newer Posts Older Posts Home Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Wood+Steele View my complete profile BLOG ARCHIVE ▼ 2013 (3) ▼ August (1) Steele Trademark Homes Inc. receives attention in ... ► March (1) ► February (1) ► 2012 (46) LABELS A great builder (5) A Well-Appointed Home (1) Banking (1) Carpet (1) Electrical (5) Foundation (5) Framing (4) HVAC (2) Kohler (1) Mechanics (1) Newspaper article (1) Paint (1) Plumbing (6) Quotes (8) roofing (1) Square footage (1) Stairs (1) Termite treatment (1) The __ Word (5) Understanding the home building process (1) Windows (1) Wood flooring (1) Picture Window theme. Theme images by andynwt. Powered by Blogger. Deze site gebruikt cookies van Google om services te leveren en verkeer te analyseren. 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