News on Builder News
When you look at custom homes in Austin, the first thing you look at definitely is not the foundation or retaining wall. You’re looking at the stone and stucco, the roof, the windows, entry gates and doors. Yes, those absolutely give the home personality and flare. The foundation and retaining wall are the structural backbone of the home. They make everything with the rest of the home possible. As Gary explains in this video, raising the home up to a certain level adds value to the home through the views and vistas it brings.
If you look around Austin, you’ll see several styles of homes. From the 1920’s cottages of Tarrytown and bungalows of Hype Park, to the contemporary and modern homes of today, Austin is home to many architectural styles. Custom home builders in Austin must be versatile in their knowledge of style and design to suit the needs of Austin’s eclectic inhabitants. At Sterling Custom Homes, we are well prepared to build the style home of your choice. But how do you know what style fits you best? Follow our blog series on architectural styles to gain insight into your taste in design and style.
This Sterling Custom Home accurately reflects Spanish Colonial influence.
Spanish Colonial
It’s no mystery that architectural styles have influence on other architectural styles over time. The same is true today as we build luxury homes in Austin. The Spanish Colonial movement dates back to when the Conquistadors began to build after they dropped anchor in Central America. The Spanish and Mexican influence on architectural design continued to evolve during the early 20th century with the Spanish Colonial Revival. Evan though the style continues to be tweaked and modified, homes today remain influenced by these certain Spanish Colonial features: Read More→
When researching custom home builders in Austin, you have to ask yourself, “What sets all these custom home builders apart from one another?” Sterling Custom Homes has created a video series to answer that exact question. “Sterling’s Best Practices” focuses on the unique aspects of the homes we build. These details might not be apparent when you walk a build site or completed home, but they definitely add value your home, and it’s important for you to notice even the slightest things we take into account during construction.
For example, in this video we discuss how and why we install outdoor light fixtures the way we do. When we mount a light fixture on an exterior stone wall, we cut the piece of stone in which the light is mounted on so it sits flush against the stone. When you don’t cut the stone, the light fixture must be caulked which does not feature a smooth, finished look.
Physical plans are drafted in phase two of the Pre-Construction Process
A few days ago we began a conversation about our Pre-Construction Process of building custom homes in Austin, and discussed the first half of this process. The second half of the Pre-Construction Process deals with the physical plans for your home. These milestones are as follows.
Conceptual Plan – This plan is a 1” to 10’, small scale drawing with the initial dimensions of the home layout on your home site. Once drafted, you review the layout and then meet again to discuss changes and return them to the architect/designer.
Preliminary Plan/Review – This plan is 1/4” scale drawings of the front elevation, floor plan, and site plan with topographic overlays displaying the house situated on the home site. You will now review the plan with furniture cutouts, provided by Sterling.
Finalize Preliminary Plan & Specifications – Once the preliminary plan is finalized, we will walk you through every aspect of your home. Room by room we will define the scope of the project, identifying materials and finishes. Our specially developed interactive software system helps automate the specifications process. This results in a 41-page document defining every detail of your home.
Price Preliminary Plan & Specifications – Read More→
Pre-Construction Process before the plans are drafted.
With decades of experience, expert craftsmanship and professionalism, Sterling Custom Homes builds the best quality custom homes Austin has to offer. We have developed and mastered several processes associated with the overall construction of the home, from lot selection, all the way through and past the completion of the home. The first of these processes is the Pre-Construction Process. Even this process can be split into two sections: before the plans are drafted and after. Today we will explain the part of the Pre-Construction Process in which plans have not been drafted yet.
Initial Sterling Consultation — As we meet at the Sterling office, we will explain our process. We will discuss your desired location and design criteria, along with your preliminary budget and financing if necessary.
Home Site Selection (if necessary) — Here we will discuss the area in which you would like to live, considering communities and school districts. We will conduct a lot analysis featuring lot criteria, such as being on a golf course, having a view and acreage, and other factors such as sun orientation, topography and trees.
Lot Purchase (if necessary) – Read More→