New Homes AUGUST 2013 by Bugle, Sentinel & Enterprise Newspapers

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NEW HOMES

August 2013

How to find a Builder to Properly Construct your New Home When you decide to build a new home, the type of house you want influences what type of building company you select. Home building firms can have from one to hundreds of employees. Some buyers prefer the security a large corporate establishment represents. Others prefer the personal attention and family feeling of smaller companies. Careful consideration in choosing a builder can assure that the amount of time, emotion and money you will invest in a new home will result in a comfortable home that you can enjoy for years. There are basically three types of builders: production builders, semicustom builders and custom builders. Choosing a builder in each category has its advantages and disadvantages. Production builders are organized for higher volume construction.They have standardized model homes to tour and study the quality of the builder’s work. Having a standardized list of choices for floor coverings, tiles, countertops, light fixtures, cabinets and exterior finishes means it’s faster and easier to make selections. The cost of your selections is known quickly and can make it easier to finalize your decision. Through repetition, the production builder has worked any bugs out of floor plans and the time to build is usually shorter. Higher volume work, such as a subdivision, and the advantage in scheduling trade contractors can result in significant cost savings. A disadvantage to choosing a production builder is that any change to the floor plan that alters the structural elements, such as foundation walls, requires reengineering and resubmission of plans to the building department. These expensive and time-consuming steps disrupt the momentum of high-volume construction. Semi-custom builders work with existing plans, but are flexible regarding changes. Some home buyers feel more comfortable starting with a plan, rather than developing their own. The disadvantage to making changes to an existing floor plan is that the fine-tuning takes time and money. When floor plans are changed, the economies of large-volume work are lost, resulting in higher prices. Custom builders specialize in starting with a blank sheet of paper and creating a unique home. They have experience with a wide variety of finishes, unusual treatments and design details. Because each house

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is one-of-a-kind, home buyers can expect significant initial investment in time and dollars for design development and the creation of working blueprints and specifications. There are several different sources for finding the builder. Local home builder associations are professional organizations that can provide lists of member companies. Call (your association) for a list of builders (and any other services your association offers consumers). Potential home buyers can check newspaper advertising and real estate agents, as well as driving around and looking at new homes. Moving a long distance from your current residence makes the task more challenging. A visit to your new city where you can use the methods described above will probably be necessary. After you get a general idea of the available builders comes the important task of narrowing your list of potential builders down to one. Look closely at each builder’s finished work and their work in progress. Notice the quality of site management. Are the homes and materials reasonably protected form weather, traffic damage and theft? When you meet the builder, ask about things that are important to you and get a sense of the company’s personality.You will be spending considerable time with the builder and his employees; you will want to find a company with whom you are compatible. Ask to meet the person who would be in charge of building your home. What experience does he or she have? Many builders today provide a homeowner manual that guides buyers through the process and serves as a reference after move-in. Find out whom you would contact with questions. Are there routine points when you are invited to tour your home and have the company’s undivided attention to discuss questions? What is the policy on change orders? Ask to see the contract documents and warranty,and take blank copies home.Pay close attention to sample specifications and written warranty standards. Throughout the selection stage, your explorations and conversations will no doubt lead you to the same names again and again. Comparing one detail after the next, you will probably keep coming back to the same builder. When the price range is in line with your budget, and you feel more excited than ever to get started, you have

Photo courtesy of Metro Creative Connection

probably found the right builder. This information comes from Carol Smith, Building Your Home: An Insiders Guide (Washington, D.C.: BuilderBooks, 1996). You can purchase it and other

residential construction products from www.builderbooks.com or (800) 2232665. Article courtesy of Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago

Invite more natural light into your home (MS) - A dark home can be dreary and drain residents’ energy levels rather quickly. Natural light has the power to make a person feel more energized, and it also can buoy spirits. As a result, many homeowners want to increase the amount of natural light in their homes. Increasing natural sunlight in a home reduces reliance on interior lighting. This reduces energy bills and lowers the home’s carbon footprint. Natural light also can help people in a home feel happier and more content. According to the National Institutes of Health, some people experience serious mood changes during the winter months. Dubbed seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, this condition may be effectively treated with light therapy. Exposure to more light can alleviate fatigue, loss of interest and sad or anxious feelings. Homeowners looking to increase the natural light in their homes, be it for medical or aesthetic reasons, can do so in a variety of ways. * Keep the drapes open. Opening blinds and curtains as far as they will go allows as much light to shine in without having to do major home renovations or spend any money at all. Homeowners concerned about

privacy can install a window film that allows viewing from the inside only. * Clean the windows. Dirty windows obstruct sunlight from entering the home. They also can make a home appear unkempt. Spend a free day cleaning the windows so that they’ll let ample light in. * Install seamless or low-profile windows and doors. Seamless sliding doors enable a large amount of light to enter the home. Such doors can replace an entire wall to brighten up a dark area of a home. The more windows and doors a home has, the brighter it will be. * Take inventory of dark spots.A room may be dark because it simply does not have a layout conducive to brightness. Is a wall blocking light from reaching a portion of the room? Think about changing the room’s layout or even making structural changes to improve light distribution. The addition of a small window on a south- or west-facing wall can greatly improve natural light. Using mirrors can also reflect light where it is needed. * Invest in skylights or solar tubes. Both skylights or solar tubes enable

light to enter a home from above. Skylights are larger and require considerably more work to install, while solar tubes are more low-profile and can be put into rooms that do not abut the roofline, such as those obstructed by attic space. The tubular cylinders are installed between the roof and the ceiling and carry light through a reflective tube to the room below. Diffusers on tubular daylighting devices scatter the rays so the light doesn’t cast harsh shadows, and UV filters can help protect furniture from discoloring. * Trim shrubs and trees. If trees and bushes are blocking light from entering your home, trim them to enable dappled light to come through. Deciduous trees that will naturally lose their leaves come autumn can be planted on sunny areas of the property. This way in the summer months they will shade the house and keep it cooler, while in winter more sun will stream in when the leaves are shed. * Create a three-season room. Make a spot in the home where sun will be at a premium. A solarium or greenhouse attached to the home can be a warm and sunny spot.

New windows may allow more natural light to enter a home.

Increasing natural light in a home can improve feelings of well-being and also reduce energy consumption during daylight hours.

Matthias Jans Architect recognized as an industry leader Winner of dozens of architectural design awards, including the prestigious Crystal Key Award sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago, MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT is recognized as an industry leader, both in the Greater Chicago area and throughout the Midwest. For 30 years, their award-winning staff have built a reputation of excellence based on an unyielding commitment to this simple principle: Total Client Satisfaction. This high level of satisfaction begins, not with the completed design, but before a single idea is committed to paper. It begins with the MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT team philosophy: architect and client sharing ideas, problems and solutions. Through this team synergy the talented architects of MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT transform our combined vision into an innovative and efficient master plan. In addition, your project architect is also your personal account representative, so the expert who is most familiar with your individual needs addresses your questions and concerns.

The architects of MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT utilize some of the most advanced computer aided design technology available. This software enhances the architectural design process, allowing for more creative design and more accurate drawings. In addition to Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Documents MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT provides a variety of important services to help your project run smoothly and trouble-free including: Project and Field Research, Zoning Documents, Competitive Contractor Bids, Construction Management and on-site inspections. The most important benefit they offer, however, is keeping you informed throughout the Planning, Design, and Construction process. For every MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT project, communication is their #1 priority. For your next project, please give MATTHIAS JANS ARCHITECT a call so they can show you how their team approach and philosophy can create a unique project that best suites your needs.

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