When building your new custom home you have that special opportunity to choose all the details. Bathrooms are one of the smallest rooms of the home, but actually one of the most important. Of course there is bathroom fixtures, flooring, paint or wallpaper, but it is the bathroom lights that will bring the whole room together. You can have the most expensive whirl pool tub, shower enclosure, marble top hickory vanity, and walls painted for near gold plated prices, but if you can’t see yourself, then the purpose has been defeated.

Lighting for a home begins not when the construction has already started, but actually  in the blue print stage. Many homes will come with a lighting sheet in the prints. Deciding ahead of time on the location, size, and purpose for each light makes the on site construction process go much more smoothly. Think about total area to be lit, the ability of each light fixture, and the uses for each light. A chandelier may be perfect for living room, but it may take several track lights to make the room bright enough.

A bathroom is no different. When choosing bathroom fixtures light the decor of a home is important. Contemporary bathroom lighting might not look the best in a rustic log home, so choose lighting fixtures that match your motif. Also some homes can be done with different styles per room. One home I visited recently had very traditional home furnishings through out the first floor. On the second floor the 20 year old college aged daughter resided. She preferred the contemporary look, so her bedroom and bath were redone in contemporary bathroom lighting. It really suited her area.

Also consider the type of light for the bathroom. A rule of thumb that is seen at times in the industry is to allow about two to two and a half feet of area per light. Bathroom wall lights help in the illumination. Ceiling lights and recessed lighting are also good choices.

For the bathroom vanity lights, more thought should be applied. Down lights in the middle of a room or in the shower are fine, but when lighting the vanity area, they are not adequate. A bar light mounted above the sink is good. But more light is even better. Side bar lights are a good addition. Mounted horizontally, one on each side, they work together to light the person’s face evenly. Light cast from above and each side respectively removes the shadows. Vanity lights are best when the shine directly onto the person. Halogen or glowing bulbs are very good for this. A dimmer on the lights allows for brighter lighting when working on detailed makeup.

Exhaust fans are another area that can be improved upon. In the United States, an exhaust fan is required when there is no window in the bathroom. The vast majority of the time the fan is simply stuck in the corner of the room and forgotten about. Today there are so many more options and ways to use that fan to your advantage. Consider adding a light fan combo instead. There are some on the market that are very plain and inexpensive looking. Instead of settling for one that looks like an escapee from a yard sale, take the time to explore more of your options. I found a really nice one that had a round light with a antique metal looking finish. The fan was cleverly mounted behind the edge of the round light, thus hiding any grating.

Now that you have a nice fan light chosen, take the care to locate it in the bathroom so that it has the room to illuminate the room to its fullest ability. Many fans are stuck in the corner above the toilet or on the top of a wall. Don’t settle for that. A nice fan light can enhance the room and also add to the lighting. This is where planning ahead can make all the difference. If the room is already wired and you bring home the wonderful light fan combo that matches your interior design, it will look really silly stuffed into a corner.

Heat lamps are also a great way to enhance a room. Though not decorative, they really feel good after a bath or shower. My children love to sneak into my master bath on a cold day and turn it on. I have found my little lady of five parked on my vanity chair with the heat lamp on. She loves to wear shorts as much of the year as she can get away with. On  a cold morning she thought that heat lamp was just for her. Heat lamps are also very helpful to elderly people who struggle with circulation. Getting chilled after bathing is the last thing that is good for them. The heat lamp can assist in keeping their bodies the right temperature while they dress.

When building your custom home the electrician for the job may hate this recommendation, but it is really important. The bath should be wired with dimmers and each light individually. The switch plate may look like an over kill for a bath, but each light has a separate purpose and use. A heat lamp only needs to be on after a bath or shower. Shower lights only need to be in use when the shower is occupied. Vanity lights need to be able to be adjusted from bright to dim depending on the activity they are lighting. An exhaust fan needs to be in use just part of the time but the light built into it may be needed when the fan is not. Separate wiring, though more costly and time consuming up front, is a real treat for the life of the room. When building new you have the pleasure of customizing that home to meet your wants and needs. The electrician will come around when they see that you are set on your plans. This sounds silly, but I have found that men tend to think very functionally, i.e. “There’s two lights in there, what else could this lady want?” Whereas the lady of the house thinks about choosing clothing colors, applying makeup, styling her hair, and more in the illumination of the bathroom. Stick to your plan. You are the customer and the subcontractors simply have to come to your terms in the end. It is your home and you are the one who has to live with the final product, so take the time to make it the way YOU want it.

Bathroom lighting is worth the time and effort to think through exactly how you want it to look and function. Visiting a few lighting stores and looking on line with help to shed light on exactly what you like and don’t like. One horizontal vanity bathroom light fixture may really match your home, but another may shed more light. This is where taking the time to investigate and view as many as you can may be time consuming, but it greatly pays off in the end. Custom homes are the very pinnacle of expressing yourself, so don’t let builders or electricians stand in your way. Partner with them instead to create the space that you envision. Criticizing them will not get you far, but working with them and explaining your ideas will assist them in making your space a reflection of your mind’s eye.

Vessel sinks are a nice addition to a bathroom. Visit Bathroom Design Tips for more bathroom ideas.

When choosing windows for your bath consider economical, but not cheap window blinds.

Hand Peeled Timber Roof System

 Maximizing quality and cost is the bottom line of nearly every home owner. From the layout to the finishing touches, there are many things a home owner can do help in building an affordable custom home. Just because your home is going to be new does not mean that there are not ways to save money wisely.  

There are many opinions on this, but when we contract for individuals with limited resources here are some of the things we suggest.  

1. For a more cost effective budget we have had good success with choosing a good double paned vinyl window that is not necessarily the most well-known name brand. Such windows cost even as much as a third or more less than the top of the line brands.   

2. This also applies to exterior and interior doors. We have used stock doors from Lowe’s and people think they were built in  

Interior doors and Carpeting

our wood shop. There is still quality to be found at the lower end of the price chain. But do keep an eye on quality. Some products are low quality. One just has to look and also consult your contractor.  

3. You can go broke on a kitchen counter top. We have had good success choosing a laminate Formica top verses a solid surface such as Corian or granite. Many laminate suppliers have a wide variety of finishes that even look like granite or Corian. I had a bank appraiser once look at one of our homes and she was sure that our $800 laminate counter top was really a $4000+ granite one. Solid surfaces are very classy and lovely, but sometimes you have to make choices where to spend your funds. And in the future, when you are rich and famous, you can always replace it with a granite top. It is also possible to spend wisely and economically for kitchen appliances.  

4. You can choose mid-grade carpet instead of hardwood floors throughout the house. Or just put the hardwood floor in the dining room and living room, or great room. You can always install top of the line carpet in other rooms, or upgrade to more wood floors in the future.  

5. Ceramic tile and vinyl flooring. Ceramic looks so nice that this is a hard choice for me. Also Mike (my husband and personal contractor   is very good at laying the ceramic. S0 here are a few tips for ceramic: watch for discontinued tile at a flooring store or even Home Depot. You can find some lovely tile for $1 to $2 per tile. Just be sure to buy a few more boxes than you need so that  in the future you can replace a tile if it gets cracked or damaged. That is a good idea no matter what your tile costs. Matching a dye lot in the future is almost impossible.  

THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO ECONOMIZE ON~  

Now that you have saved some money, here are some spots in your new custom home that you will want to think about upgrading: a timber roof system, cathedral ceilings, adding a loft, making a larger master bedroom, or great room. These are very hard to change after your initial building is completed. One should carefully think through these and other options.  

As a homeowner, sometimes you have to make a choice like this, “I want the vaulted ceiling over the great room. So I’ll spend a little more for that. But I am happy to walk on carpeted floors for a few years and the extra money into a vaulted ceiling”.    

But one thing you do NOT want to do is to consistently choose high end items and expect your custom home builder to keep reducing his prices. This can inadvertently make your contractor give your home less than the very best. Sometimes we see  

A lovely but economical kitchen

homeowners ending up with no warranties on the home, and other prolbems they have acutally done to themselves. If you think about it, this is your contractor’s full time job. How would you like someone asking you to take a pay cut on your job?…  

So all in all, think through your custom home, plan, dream, and also be wise.  

Sue

 If someone can be passionate about something other than sports, your kids, or politics, home building is one for me. For 13 years now we have been partnering with our customer to help them take pencil sketches and turn them into reality. The building road is hard enough and you need someone who is knowledgeable at your side to turn those dreams into reality. 

Floor plans are the heart of what your future home is all about. For more sources to obtain floor plans, see my post named “Custom Home Design…laying out floor plans”. 

FLOOR PLAN PLANNING 

After you round up some good floor plan books and magazines and even visit a home show or two, look through your accumulated information. 

Standard floor plans from these sources are just a place to start. We have never built a home that was not customized in some way. As soon as you move a wall, or add a foot to the living room you home moves into the custom home class. 

Pick out floor plans that match your ideas. A good way is to copy 

The Broadwater Plan

them on your home printer and then circle home features that you like and cross out things you don’t like. 

Another avenue is to round up your best ideas and then go visit your builder. Many custom home builders will look through your ideas and then give you some pointers. 

Once you have some sort of a floor plan worked out, it is much easier for the general contractor to give you a better estimate of price per square foot. 

Or take a floor plan that is the closest to your ideas and then slightly modify it. Total redraws can get time consuming and it is difficult to get the builder to do it for you cost free. 

Another smart option is to choose a home package supplier, such as a log home or timber frame company, and have them give you a price for your home. 

For standard construction homes a popular option is the panelized systems. These homes go together very quickly and tightly. They also will look at your plans and give you a price based on your plans. 

HELPING TO GET A FEEL FOR ROOM SIZE 

Room sizes can be difficult to get a good feel for, so get out a measuring tape and measure the rooms in your existing home. 

Broadwater Kitchen and Great Room

Think about how many feet longer or shorter, wider or narrower that you would like it to be. 

Visit model homes and ask for a floor plan of that model. Then you can view the home with the floor plan in your hand. 

Go out in your yard and step off what the different room sizes are. 

People are wise to incorporate more closets and bigger closets. A few extra feet to the master suite always is well used space, as are lofts located over the kitchen and downstairs baths. 

A first floor master suite with no second floor rooms above is is also a wonderful feature to any home. The second floor traffic can be very annoying when you are trying to get a nap. 

So all in all, do your homework. Get your resources. Read up about your favorite home styles and types. And get ready to go visit some builders. For more ideas on finishing walls visit Wall Quotes Central. 

Building Dreams, 

Sue Lemmon, Cowboy Log Builders LLC

 This post is tailored to point out common problems many, many homeowners face when trying to choose a custom home builder, even if you are going to build part or most of your home 

Custom Home By

yourself, there is always a  time that you will need to hire someone. From digging basements, to pouring cement floors, to installing cabinets, to running your electric, contractors are an integral part of nearly every home building project. 

There is no lack of builders in the phone book, or on line, or with model homes in commercial sections of town. But how do you weed out those that will really partner with you for the duration of your custom home journey, but will not cost an exorbitant amount? 

First let me outline some ground rules that EVERYONE should incorporate into your home building plans:  

1. Always talk to a few different builders. Two to three contractors are usually sufficient. Get a feeling if they are someone you would like to work with. If you can never get them to call you back, just imagine what the construction phase will be like. But on the other hand, remember to give them a reasonable time to get back with you. A week or more is not uncommon as they are out working and not in an office all the time. 

2. Try to get at least three bids on a project. Beware of contractors who quote you very low prices. Many times they will either walk off the job when they run out of money, or they will be asking for more funds during the project. A good contractor is very capable of bidding a job accurately. Even as builders ourselves, we sub out some things. We always look for a few bids very close together in price. I can’t tell you how many times we have come behind other contractors who have treated really wonderful home owners terribly. In the end it is much harder to win their trust. So be smart and don’t just go with someone because they are the cheapest. 

3. Talk to other people who have used the contractor. There is nothing like personal referral. Also try to see other projects the contractor has built. This will show if he has the skills to handle your construction. (Thank you to Diego of Nubilt from Colorado, USA for improving this point for me) 

4. When talking to different builders, ask for an estimated price per square foot range that they usually work within. Of course, thing such as bathrooms and kitchens can really change the price, but still there should be an underlying rule of thumb that they use. In just a 60 mile radius I have personally found general contractors who differ in price by as much as $100 per square foot. So do your homework and don’t be turned off if you stumble on the most expensive builders first. 

5. Try to visit homes they have worked on. Even a drive-by can be insightful into their ability. 

The journey of your custom home should be exciting and enjoyable for you. Many individuals will only get to build one or two custom homes in their lifetimes. So, choose a general contractor you feel you can trust and who has evidence of their craftsmanship. 

Building Dreams, Sue Lemmon 

Mike Lemmon of Cowboy Log Buildesr LLC ~My personal favorite contractor

Cape Cod Custom Home

Hello! And WELCOME to About Custom Homes! When considering building a custom home the very best thing you can do is research, research, research, before you ever start. From start to finish, there are a multitude of options and ideas to explore.  

But, with some pointers, we can help guide you to important decisions and eliminate some of the “extra” that is not necessary. From building lot selection to home furnishings, custom home builders to custom home plans, this site will help equip you with some very important and realistic advice to help you along the way.