Choose the Perfect Patio Surface for Your Custom Built Home Plan

June 23, 20150

Design your own home with a stone patio.

When you design your own home, consider a stone patio.

One of the best things about being able to design your own home is you can build in extras like curb appeal that builders don’t have a major interest in providing. Builders know buyers are focused on things like price per square foot, quality of the kitchen and bathrooms, size of the bedrooms and luxurious upgrades throughout a home’s interior. Understandably, they focus on what’s inside a home’s walls because that’s primarily what determines a home’s selling price. The outside, unfortunately, is relegated to a minor afterthought. Unless, that is, you design your own home!

In Spring and Summer the Patio Is the Heart of the Home in Massachusetts

Are you putting the finishing touches on your ranch style house plans in MA? Just starting the process of outlining your custom built home plan in Duxbury? Do not underestimate the importance of the patio. Cool summer evenings and warm spring days are best spent outdoors. Make sure your custom home plans do justice to this important part of your home.

Consider different patio materials in your custom built home plan.

Your custom built home plan should consider patio materials.

What Is the Best Patio Surface?

When choosing the makeup of your patio, there are some definite things to consider. First and foremost, if you plan to entertain often, make sure the surface is safe. The last thing you want is for you guests to slip and injure themselves. Safety is paramount, but cosmetics are a close second. Sure you could do as most builders of spec homes do and pour a simple concrete slab, but where is the character in that? More aesthetically enticing options include:

Wood. A wood patio blends in beautifully with the trees and landscaping in your yard. You can stain it to achieve a hue that complements your home’s exterior. In addition, one great trait of wood is when the mercury rises, it does not absorb heat like concrete does.
Tile. Tile allows you to experiment with a variety of textures and materials. Just keep in mind the slip factor. There is gritty anti-slip coating you can apply to make a tile patio less risky. Just ask your contractor and he can fill you in.
Brick, rock or stone. These natural materials are inherently anti-slip, beautiful, durable and easy to clean. Because they are rough and porous, they don’t show dirt and mask stains.

Turn to the Pros for a Pretty Home or Patio Makeover

Nothing says relaxation like entertaining friends and family on your durable, functional and pretty patio. If your patio needs some work, contact us. Whether you are about to design your own home from scratch or simply want a patio makeover, Colony Home Improvement is at your service. We have proudly served Massachusetts homeowners for more than four decades. We look forward to putting our expertise and patio passion to work for you!

Your Ranch Style House Plan May Need Some Modern Features

May 19, 20150

Check out updated ranch style house plans.

Ranch style house plans can be updated.

While some people are ready to move into a two-story home, you may enjoy the ability to design your own home in order to keep your ranch style house. Updating your ranch style house plans in Dover will help you get the features you want while remaining comfortable in a single-story home. Experienced contractors can help you add more modern features so you can customize your current home.

Stretch Your Home

Some ranch style homes use brick or another material that stands out along the bottom of the home up to the windows. From the windows upward, you are likely to find wood slabs or shingles. This can give your home a stunted look, making it appear smaller than it really is. Instead, you can either install new siding from the top to the bottom of your home or you can use paint to blend the bottom materials into the siding on the top.

Consider a wrap around porch when you design your own home.

Design your own home with a wrap around porch.

Add Gables

Gables, which are peaked additions to the roof, can change the overall look of the exterior of your home without fully adding a second story. Contractors for home additions in Dover can help you identify the appropriate location for adding gables. Above your front door is just one ideal location for this type of addition.

Wrap the Porch

Beautiful wrap porches can be a great feature for a home, giving you a place to enjoy the outdoors. However, they aren’t a common feature in ranch style homes. When you design your own home, you can include features that aren’t typically used in your style home so you can help yours stand apart from the others in your neighborhood. A wrap-around porch adds a country feel to your home and offers a place to rest and relax after a long day.

Your kitchen can be updated by contractors for home additions.

Contractors for home additions can update your kitchen.

Focus on the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in your home. Contractors for home additions in Dover will tell you this is one of the most common requests they get from all homeowners. If you have an older ranch style home, replacing the laminate countertops with granite, marble or another material can dress up your kitchen. Replacing cabinets can also have a dramatic effect on the look of your kitchen. However, if you can’t afford to replace them entirely, consider giving them an overhaul with a coat of paint.

When you design your own home, you aren’t restricted by the ranch style it was originally built in. With the help of experienced contractors for home additions, you can transform your current one-story ranch house into the one you’ve always dreamed of without making any major changes to the structure of the home. These ideas can help you customize your ranch style home.

If you’re interested in making ranch style house plans in Dover or the surrounding areas, contact us. Our contractors can help you add modern features to change up the look of your home.

Tips for Designing a Custom Built Home Plan

April 30, 20150

Design your home with custom built home plans.

A custom built home plan reflects your wishes.

The best way to get exactly what you want in a house is to design your own home. A custom built home plan in Brookline provides a variety of benefits, including full control over the design and budget, as well as the ability to achieve the unique living space you want. The following tips will help you create the home of your dreams as you work with an experienced contractor to design your plans.

Start Simple

You may have big ideas for your home additions floor plan in Brookline, but this doesn’t mean you should start with all of the complexities. Instead, you should begin with a simple overall layout so you can determine exactly what you want from your home. You can embellish it with the details later. This allows you to brainstorm and consider a number of ideas before you finalize your plans.

Consider the Future

You may only get the chance to design your own home once. For this reason, it’s important to consider your future when creating your plans. For instance, if it’s currently just you and your significant other, but you know you want children in the future, you need to make sure you have room for everyone. As long as you think ahead, you will be happy with your home for longer.

Design your own home so you’re happy with the end result.

Prioritize the Features

Your custom built home plan in Brookline is designed with your own personal touches. However, sometimes things may not go as planned and certain aspects will need to be changed to meet your budgetary requirements. For this reason, it’s essential to prioritize which features are a must-have and which ones are negotiable.

Maximize Your Space

While you may have clear ideas for what you want in your home, your contractor may be able to offer ideas that maximize the space you have. Certain layouts will work better depending on the size and shape of your lot, as well as the position of the house on it.

Consider Function

Another important element to consider in your home designs is the functionality of your layout. For instance, placing your living room right next to what would be your child’s room may make it more difficult for him or her to sleep while you stay up and watch a movie. Another example is the ideal positioning for the bathroom. A central location, often close to the bedrooms, is essential.

When you design your own home, you will be able to create the house you’ve always dreamed of. However, when you’re creating your custom built home plan in Brookline, it’s important to start simple and consider your future in your designs. Along with working with an experienced contractor, you can build a home that meets your needs and reflects your personal tastes.

If you’re interested in creating a home additions floor plan in Brookline or the surrounding area, contact us. We can help you create the home of your dreams.

Add Value, Space, Light and Luxury by Designing Your Own Home

April 23, 20150

Add light when you design your own home.

Design your own home to add light to your home.

The ability to design your own home offers a large number of advantages over settling for an existing build. For homeowners who take this important step, creating custom built home plans in Duxbury can add value, space, light and a feeling of luxury to any home. Whether you are building from the bottom up or are renovating an existing home, working with experienced contractors will ensure you maximize the benefits.

Ensure You Have Enough Space

First and foremost, many people choose to create their own home addition floor plans in Duxbury and the surrounding areas to make sure they have enough space for their family. Whether you are happy with the size of your family or you still plan to add to it, it’s important to make sure you have a sufficient number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as ample storage space so no one feels cramped. When you design your own home, all of these elements are up to you to determine.

Add Value to Your Home

When the housing market crashed, many people lost a significant portion of the value of their home. While the market has improved in recent years, a custom home addition can be another way to increase the value of your home and help recoup some of your losses. This is especially true if you are interested in selling in the near future. If you don’t want to move, custom built home plans in Duxbury can be more cost-effective than relocating to a larger home.

Add more space with custom built home plans.

Create a Feeling of Luxury

You are the king or queen of your castle and you deserve to feel like it. This is one of the biggest reasons individuals choose to add on to their existing home. For instance, perhaps your master bedroom isn’t much larger than the other bedrooms in your home. Creating custom addition plans will allow you to expand your bedroom into a master suite, complete with a walk-in closet and private bathroom. This can lend your home a more luxurious feel.

Let the Light Shine In

Natural light can provide a number of benefits, including lower utility bills. Many home addition floor plans in Duxbury include skylights to help you maximize the amount of sunlight that enters your home and help heat it in the winter months. The addition of skylights brightens your home naturally and gives the appearance of larger rooms.

If you thought designing your own home was just a pipe dream, think again. Custom built home plans in Duxbury can be an excellent way to increase the value of your home, ensure you have enough space, add a touch of luxury and provide natural sunlight. With the help of experienced contractors, you can transform the look of your home instead of shopping for a new one.

If you’re looking for experienced contractors in Massachusetts, contact us. We can help you create custom addition plans build the home you’ve always wanted.

Benefits of Designing a Unique Custom Built Home Plan

April 7, 20150

Get what you need from custom built home plans

Custom built home plans give you just what you need.

You’ve likely gone through many model homes and pored over blueprints from a number of builders. However, it’s likely you haven’t found anything that offers exactly what you want. You could make costly changes to an existing plan or you could design your own home. If you’re thinking about custom built home plans in Wellesley, MA, here are some of the benefits to consider.

You Get Exactly What You Want

When creating Wellesley home addition floor plans, there are certain elements you may really want in your home. Chances are a pre-designed home isn’t going to meet every single specification. However, when you team up with a design build contractor who will work with you through every step of the process, you can be sure your home will look exactly how you envisioned it. You will have a say in absolutely every detail so you can feel in control and at home.

The Flexibility to Mix Design Elements

If you’ve paid close attention to model homes and pre-existing home plans, you will notice the entire home typically flows with one design scheme. However, it isn’t unusual for homeowners to prefer different elements from a variety of schemes. When you design your own home, you have the ability to implement any design elements you want, regardless of whether they technically match.

Design your own home to meet your needs.

Consideration of Your Budget

One of the most important elements of any home addition or build is the cost. Many homeowners end up making changes on the spot because they don’t realize they won’t like something until some of the work has already been done. With custom built home plans in Wellesley, MA, you will get to view the construction project in 3D computer images so you have a feel for what it will look like before work even begins. This can help you stay within your budget.

An Integrated Approach

Design build contractors provide an integrated approach to your building project. Instead of paying one person to create your plans and another company to complete the work, increasing your costs, you will work with the same company throughout the process. The project manager will be there every step of the way to oversee it all and serve as the mediator between you and the work crew. This is another way to help keep your costs down and ensure proper communication for the best results.

Making the decision to design your own home can be overwhelming, but once you realize the benefits of custom built home plans in Wellesley, MA, you will clearly see it is the right choice. You will have full control over your project and can increase the chances it will fall within your budget without sacrificing the home you’ve always dreamed of.

If you’re interested in Wellesley home addition floor plans for your building project, contact us. We are design build contractors in MA and can help you through every step of the process, from the initial plans to the final building.

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