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The Johnson Residence
Sterling Custom Homes is proud of our ongoing association with one of the finest waterfront communities on Lake Travis – The Reserve at Lake Travis. We remain busy with projects in this fine community, recently completing a beautiful custom home on Poco Bueno Court built to the exact specifications of our clients, the Johnson’s. This has been a fun home to build for some really neat people. The home is an engineering feat, with the pool suspended 15 feet out of the ground and a 10 car garage tucked below the house and pool! Over the years we have come to be known not only for our quality and integrity, but also for the high level of technical expertise we bring to each and every project. We’re a builder with an engineering background, not a marketing company that builds homes, which causes us to stand out among other custom home builders in Austin.
The Mahood Residence
Another project underway in The Reserve at Lake Travis is the Mahood residence on Ruffian Heights Court. A tight-knit family, each of the children had input as we developed this plan and worked through the specifications. The home sits high on the ridge above Lake Travis and will take advantage of the incredible Lake and Hill Country views from that perch. We always look forward to their visits from out of town! This is another fun project that will result in a quality home for a great family.
Topography, Trees and more effect the custom home building process.
When you are looking for a lot for custom homes in Austin, there are many things to consider. What do you see when you look at an unimproved lot? You may see some nice trees and a great Hill Country view. For me it’s more complicated than that! Many things go through my head when I first walk a lot…
What are the building setbacks?
What are the deed restrictions?
What utilities are available to this property?
Will we need a well and/or septic system?
If there is a sewer system, how deep are the taps buried?
Will we need a grinder pump?
There are many technical questions to be answered, but aside from that, here’s my thought process when I first step foot on a lot to assess it for my client:
What is the sun orientation? I always identify true west and then northwest so I can understand where the afternoon sun will be located and at what angle it will hit the lot in the hottest part of our summer.
You’ve chosen your lot; you’re ready to build your Austin luxury real estate…What do you need to do to make sure you take advantage of that killer view?
At Sterling Custom Homes, we love to be involved with our clients from the very start. Laying out the footprint of the home is an important first step in the design process and it requires careful consideration. Of course most clients are interested in maximizing a certain view corridor, but there are many other variables at play that need to be discussed. Sun orientation, slab heights, trees, access – these are just a few of the topics that arise when we meet on the lot with our client and the architect. Once these topics are discussed, we can assess which views are most important to the client and from which rooms they would like the views to be seen.
The above picture illustrates the design of this Lake Travis home which frames the view of the cove leading to the main body of Lake Travis. What you don’t see are the many factors that were considered before the decision was made to adopt this orientation and maximize the view. The home is actually turned at the end of an entry corridor to look out over the back right corner of the lot, rather than looking directly back parallel from the street. The results are spectacular! Read More→
Many consumers are not aware that the state does not license and regulate home builders in Texas. There’s a saying in my industry, “When the housing market’s good, everyone with a cell phone and a pickup truck calls himself a builder!” It’s a sad reality and it waters down the quality and professionalism within the industry that some of us have worked so hard to achieve.
At Sterling Custom Homes, we have been building the highest quality custom homes while developing the systems that make the homebuilding experience organized and enjoyable for our clients for more than 22 years. We have been a solid, conservative, quality-minded, customer-focused, professional business that has been rewarded with the most loyal, vocal customer base in the industry. Other builders may craft clever stories about their qualifications, but Buyer Beware!
When choosing a builder it’s important to look past carefully crafted marketing materials which are often filled with half-truths. It’s imperative that you learn about the true qualifications of your builder, who will be managing one of the most important financial commitments you may ever make. Read More→
Building Momentum
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As a custom homebuilder, we like to say that the most cost-effective way for us to build your home is to build the momentum that keeps the project moving forward. By this we mean that there are so many interrelated activities associated with the construction of your Austin luxury real estate that it’s important to work with a builder who can organize the process and keep it moving forward for you.
The key to building and maintaining the momentum of the project is to keep the client ahead of us on their selections. By providing the information we need to order materials and direct sub-contractors properly, we avoid timing gaps that can be difficult to make up.
For instance, if a client hasn’t completed his or her tile selection the materials can’t be ordered in time for the tile contractor to take care of his job. That same tile contractor may go to a different project and not be able to return for a week. This in turn has the domino effect on all the activities that follow the tile project and could cost the schedule several weeks of total completion time. Read More→