Kitchen Countertops: What’s Classic, Complicated & Trending

Countertops are the focal point of your kitchen, and can anchor the style of your home. Arguably one of the most used rooms in the house, the kitchen is on the front lines of a family’s daily routine. A good countertop should be stylish but practical for the lifestyle of the homeowner. With so many trends to choose from, let’s take a look at the style, cost, and upkeep of the most popular choices.

Butcher Block

One low cost and trendy option is butcher block countertops. Not only will this cost you less up front, but a wood counter will add warmth and an organic style to any space. This light alternative may be ideal for some food preparation but poses some challenges in upkeep. A wood surface is porous, not heat resistant or waterproof, and prone to staining and cracking. Many of these drawbacks can be mitigated with proper care such as oiling and refinishing, but butcher counters may not be ideal for every lifestyle. If you still love the style, we recommend committing to proper care and using wood as the counter on an island or limited space and incorporating more hearty countertops elsewhere.

Concrete

Another option that is making appearances in modern homes is concrete. Not only can this be a less expensive alternative, but concrete can be pre-made or custom poured in your actual home. This material makes an industrial statement with its bold yet minimal design. It’s important to keep in mind that concrete makes for a heavy counter and is also prone to chip, stain, and fracture, which can be difficult to repair. While the potential fragility can be discouraging, concrete can be sealed to help protect against heat and stains.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel offers another surface that can incorporate an industrial feel into your kitchen. This alternative is in many professional kitchens, is heat resistant, and can be an ideal surface to prepare food upon as it is easy to clean. Surprisingly, stainless steel can sometimes be more expensive than some economical stone options .

Marble

While prices for marble, granite and quartz counters vary, generally marble costs more on average. Marble offers both a timeless and elegant style and has been used in European kitchens throughout history. While the surface can be scratched or chipped, it is possible to polish out these imperfections. Additionally, sealing the surface protects against stains. As with other stone options, marble is heat resistant which is a luxury in the kitchen.

Granite

Granite is the most popular choice for home kitchens. It can stand up against, heat, knives, spills and any other catastrophe a kitchen should undertake. Granite does needs to be sealed to prevent staining and also is known to chip at corners though rounded edges reduces this risk. This popular classic offers a unique natural pattern in every slab and comes in a variety of styles contributing to its popularity in America’s kitchens.

Quartz

Quartz is another stone option but is technically considered an “engineered stone” created from stone chips bonded with resin. Quartz is similar to granite in its ability to survive daily abuse from cooking with rounded edges helping to guard against chipping. This man-made material has diverse patterns all mimicking stone.

With so many options to choose from, its important to consider both style, intended use and your commitment to upkeep as you design your home kitchen. Under the right contexts, all of these materials have pros and offer a unique feel to your custom space.

Source: consumerreports.org

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Where do you build a new home in San Antonio?

When it comes to building a custom home, there are constant decisions to be made. One of the most significant is deciding where to build your home. With San Antonio’s continued growth, finding the space to build often means looking on the outskirts of the city. The Texas Hill Country boasts beautiful rolling hills, expansive yards, more trees than rooftops and great schools. All these benefits come without the price tag of city taxes. Whether you want an oasis outside the city, or a refuge within the radius of HEB, the Hill Country has you covered.

Found between San Antonio and Austin is the rolling 4,000 acre community of Vintage Oaks. This community offers 1-14 acre lots with gated and ungated options to guarantee the ideal fit for each customer. Residents can enjoy the events, food and shopping of quaint New Braunfels as well as year round community activities. Home owners also have access to resort-like amenities including a fitness center, multiple pools, and a lazy river. No doubt about it, this community is a gem for families seeking to escape the city.

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Located in Spring Branch, Texas and nestled on the Guadalupe River is Serenity Oaks. This community boasts home owner river access as well as private access for lots located directly on the river. With 1-3 acre sites, home owners can expect a spread out feel while still having the opportunity to pass neighbors on walks. Serenity Oaks is a gated community with a recreational park offering a playground, basketball court and pool. Located in the Comal Independent School District, children have a variety of education options sought after in the area.

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In the tiny Texas town of Bulverde, lies Belle Oaks. Offering a 15 minute distance from North San Antonio, this community can offer peaceful scenery without a killer San Antonio commute. Prospective homebuyers can choose between 1-2 acre sites also zoned within the Comal Independent School District. The community offers outdoor amenities such as trails, a playground, a pool, and sport courts. For those seeking aquatic leisure, Belle Oaks is only 20 minutes from the beautiful Canyon Lake.

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All three of these communities allow people to purchase land but wait to build until the time is right for them, a sign of the easy going nature found in home divisions on the margins of San Antonio. The Hill Country is filled with gorgeous views and growing communities allowing a small town feel without losing access to city amenities. Wherever you picture your dream home, it can’t beat the Texas Hill Country.

-The Team at Texas Signature Custom Homes

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Work from Home & the Newfound Value of a Home Office

“Sorry, that’s my dog barking in the background!” Sound familiar? COVID-19 quarantine and shelter in place orders have sent many of us home while still juggling a full workload. Facetime, Slack, and Zoom have all taken new prominence in our lives as we try to find our new normal. Whether it is helping the kids with school, trying to operate business as usual from the bedroom, or looking for some quiet on the back patio, we have all felt the challenges of this new work format.

Finding a suitable place in the home to connect virtually can be difficult. It can feel like waiting for the stars to align for pets, appliances, and family to all be quiet enough for a peaceful hour of work at home. While it has been nice to be near to those we love through the stay at home era, we must also face reality. Work from home may not be going away anytime soon, and we need to set ourselves up to be productive in this format.

Work from Home

In a CNBC article, Fidelity’s Chief Risk Officer, Greg Montana, predicts there will be no return to packed office buildings. Montana thinks there will be some return to office work, but not like before as he leads one of the world’s largest financial institutions which has 95% of its workforce at home. The CNBC article goes on to cite a Global Workplace Analytics claim that employers can save $11,000 per employee who works from home at least half the time. Cost savings, expanding technology, health concerns, and convenience may have catapulted us forward into the work from anywhere format for good. This brings us back to the barking dog in the background of our zoom call. What should we be doing with our homes to anticipate this change?

Investing in a dedicated home office space is quickly transitioning from a “nice to have” to a “must have” for homeowners. The corner of a bedroom might work temporarily, but we all know we need more permanent solutions. Not only can a dedicated workroom increase our quality of life amidst chaos, but it also holds the potential to increase the value of our homes.

A dedicated, working space off the main living area could make our homes more desirable when we market them in this new era of remote work as a business norm.

Having a home office with a heavier soundproof door and dedicated space to serve as a differentiator between home and work might just be the next best investment for your career, sanity, and home. For those who are self-employed and now using a home space as their primary place of work, you may even be able to use a home office as a tax deduction. Work from home can become a joy if we take the steps to set ourselves up for success. Simply having a differentiator within the home can ease the mental strain of “never leaving the office” now that you live there. As we write this article from our kitchen table and make our own home office ready, may we advise you to invest in an office space now to proactively take advantage of the opportunity COVID-19 has brought us.

Okay Fido, you are free to bark now!

Written by Michael & Mallory Smith

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What are the costs and benefits of your home floor style?

The foundation of any interior room is the flooring. Both functional and decorative, flooring is not only the feeling we get under our feet as we cook, clean, and dance our ways through our homes, but flooring also sets the tone and mood of a room. With all the weight floors take in our home, it’s great to know the wide variety of options we have to perfectly customize our spaces. Let’s dive into a discussion on the approximate costs and benefits of each flooring category.

Solid Wood and Engineered Wood

Bringing mental images of Abe Lincoln in his log cabin or Paul Bunyon clearing trees out west, the classic of all classics for America homes is solid wood. Solid wood gives a vintage, historical feel to a home. Like a versatile outfit, solid wood can be dressed up or dressed down in any home. It can be refinished multiple times by sanding it down and re-staining which adds to its versatility. Solid wood will wear and show scratches over time and refinishing it can be costly. Nonetheless, the natural warmth of solid wood is hard to beat.

Approximate Costs: $5 to $10 per square foot

The variations of wood flooring have become far more diverse than what comes in the forest. Engineered woods are incredible options for many homes due to their classic feel and greater resistance to humidity than solid wood. On the downside, engineered wood is less durable and more prone to dents than solid wood. It also cannot be refinished as many times as solid wood. Engineered wood can make exotic wood styles marginally more cost effective for your home giving them a leg up in their ability to be customized.

Approximate Costs: $4 to $9 per square foot

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Laminate Flooring

The true chameleon of flooring is laminate. It can be made to mimic virtually anything. Laminate flooring is much easier to replace than woods, so updating styles is more feasible without professional help. Relatively cheap per square foot, yet extremely durable and wear resistant, laminate flooring poses a phenomenal value. Laminate gets a knock for style as it typically has repetitive patterns that can make it appear less classy.

Approximate Costs: $2 to $7 per square foot

Ceramic and Porcelain Tiles

Ceramic and porcelain tiles come in various colors, patterns and shapes ranging from classic, modern, and everything in between. Porcelain tiles are even available in faux wood “planks” to offer the style of hardwood juxtaposed with the durability of porcelain tile. A variety of ceramic flooring is terracotta tiles which can be a little more high maintenance but boast classic warm earth tones that have been popular for generations and are heavily trending. Between the two varieties, ceramic tiles are often less expensive and less durable than porcelain tiles.

Approximate Costs: $3 to $15 per square foot

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Concrete Flooring

A floor that previously looked unfinished is now considered stylish and chic for modern homes. Concrete offers a simple base for any consumer customization allowing its cost per square foot to vary as much as the designs. When sealed, this floor option is extremely low maintenance and easy to care for. While some homeowners opt for concrete to save the budget, terrazzo floors can climb to the top of a builder’s budget. This timeless classic has gained recent attention and is chosen for the beautiful mix of broken stones and materials set in concrete offering a wholly customized outcome.

Approximate Costs: $2-15 per square foot

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Here’s everything you need to know before building in the Texas Hill Country

Building a home can be a daunting task, here’s a few quick tips to get you off to a good start with your Hill Country home.

Emphasize choosing the right lot

Most people picturing their dream home don’t picture their dream lot, but people moving to the Hill Country often have specific reasons for doing so. Are you hoping for some acreage, longing for anything with a view, or hoping for an active community? No matter why you are looking to build in the Hill Country, be sure to find your ideal place to build with a lot conducive for the home you desire. Some developments will offer “discount” lots that seem like a steal, until you realize the extra expenses required to make it buildable. If finding the right lot feels overwhelming, finding a builder with experience in realty can help answer your questions, avoid potential pitfalls, and help you visualize an empty lot as your dream spot!

Set your budget AND consult the experts

We recommend setting your budget before beginning the design process. Having a preliminary budget is also helpful to give your builder a baseline on what aspects you can afford to incorporate in your home. While having a preliminary budget can help protect you from spending more than you bargained for, we also recommend consulting your home building team on how to specifically categorize your funds. Experts can also recommend how much to include in contingency in case of any problems or potential upgrades. We have found that having a little extra tucked aside can be helpful when you inevitably find a dream backsplash or favorite light fixture that is out of budget.

Balance your personal style with features that boost resale value

While you want your home to reflect your style, keeping a future home buyer in mind can benefit you down the line. Choosing classic color tones, adding a home office, opting for modern light and bath fixtures, and keeping an open floor plan are just a few of the many ways to boost future resale value. With expert experience in both building and selling homes, we are happy to walk you through the process of building a home that you and future buyers will love.

Consider local style

Different regions in the Hill Country can have their own unique flair varying from a mix of rustic, modern, ranch style, farmhouse and more. When building in the Hill Country, consider finding a community with exterior styles similar to your own that still boast a unique, custom feel. This consideration can boost future resale value, as neighboring homes can have an impact on your home value when it comes time to sell.

Choose carefully and make final decisions

As you choose design aspects for your interior and exterior, make your design decisions carefully as changing your mind can prolong the building process. While the many decisions can feel overwhelming, using an interior designer can help you visualize each individual decision and guarantee cohesion in the final outcome. Many home building companies partner with designers for that very reason.

Consider your desire for space and your willingness to commute

It’s a common trend, lots get bigger as you move further away from the heart of San Antonio, or any major city. Do you want room for the kids to run around or the feeling of walking around in your backyard without seeing into your neighbor’s window? Are you craving the community feel of a smaller town filled with character, like New Braunfels, Bulverde, or Boerne? At the same time, it’s important to also consider how long you are willing to drive to get to children’s schools or your workplace. And importantly, where is the nearest HEB? Let’s face it, their tortillas are a staple in any Hill Country kitchen. With the rise of workplace flexibility and bustling small towns surrounding San Antonio, it may be easier than ever to move further out, but it’s still important to consider what your family needs in a close radius to home.

Make a list of your ‘must-haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves’

It’s important to cultivate a list of what you need in your future home versus things that are simply a nice addition. For one, knowing your must-haves is imperative to clearly tell your  builder what you need, both for budgeting purposes and for the actual home itself. Scrolling through endless Pinterest photos of dream homes can leave you with a wishlist that may exceed your budget. Making the prior distinction between ‘a want’ and ‘a must’ can provide clarity when the time comes to choose between features.

Don’t forget outdoor entertaining spaces

Picture this, you move your family to the Hill Country, build your dream home, and realize you don’t have any outdoor space to enjoy the gorgeous hillside views. The horror!! It’s important to incorporate large outdoor features  into the budget early on so it can be a part of your overall home loan. Waiting to build a porch, pool, outdoor kitchen, patio or more can sound like a good idea, this means you will later have to pay cash or secure a second loan. This doesn’t mean you need to build the screened in porch, pool, pergola, and outdoor kitchen all at once, but choosing the one you know your family will utilize from the beginning will allow you to have space to enjoy the Texas scenery right at move in. Planning ahead for outdoor space will also leave your home feeling complete, even if there are some big ticket outdoor features that you plan to add later on.

Consider lighting for design and lighting for the sake of light

Including a stunning light fixture can upgrade the feel of a room, but can leave your family in a dimly lit space as beautiful light fixtures often provide less light. To overcome this, we recommend pairing recessed lighting with pendant lighting. This can mitigate this problem and provide ample light in addition to a show stopping fixture.

Where to put the laundry room

Laundry rooms can be upstairs, in unfinished basements, in the garage…. we’ve all experienced inconvenient laundry spots. While simply having one on the main floor is a common option, one of our favorite tricks is to connect the laundry room to the master closet. This may finally be the solution to get  your spouse to stop leaving their dirty socks on the closet floor.

Consider how noise will travel

It’s important to consider how noise will move throughout your future home as there are many ways to limit noise. The pitter patter of little feet sounds more like a stampede on the wood floors you insisted cover the second level instead of carpet. Saving on a cheaper, lightweight door may leave rooms less sound proof. Additionally, rooms located off the kitchen, play room, garage and other high traffic places may all be prone to noise and should be considered when planning the layout of your home. With a little forethought and expert help, your home can be built to quiet these everyday noises.

Find the right professional to fill in the gaps

While you may be certain that you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly what you want. There are SO many things that the average customer doesn’t consider. How many outlets does a room need? Which way will water drain on the lot during heavy rain and how do you build to prevent it from pooling inside your new dream home? Our last suggestion is to find an experienced home builder who can give you peace of mind and create your Hill Country dream home.

We hope you feel more prepared for this exciting next step towards your future home.

-The Team at Texas Signature Custom Homes

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The Definitive Guide for Staying on Budget when Building a Custom Home

Have a contingency fund

We’ve all seen at least one episode of an HGTV show where something goes horribly wrong and the budget takes a major hit. The best way to plan your custom home budget is to leave room for unexpected expenses. Here we suggest to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Your contingency fund can absorb unexpected shocks without hurting the rest of the budget.

Another benefit of having a contingency fund is having a pool to dip into for pieces you really love that exceed budgets. This is crucial when your dream countertop costs more than expected. Having this fund gives you flexibility to splurge without having to deplete other budgets.

Lastly, we recommend setting aside this fund to give you the flexibility to change your mind. As the framing goes up, you may realize that another window is needed for natural light or another change needs to be made. Budget now to give yourself options later.

Make an itemized custom home budget

We all know it is important to have a set budget for how much you are willing to spend on your Hill Country dream home. More importantly, you need to know how much to spend on each category. An itemized budget provides organization, accountability, and clarity for both you and your builder. Without specified categories, it is impossible to track your progress in spending. This make sure you continue to have funds for the many important things in your dream Texas home.

An itemized budget also allows you to make educated decisions and tradeoffs. If you splurge on a dining room light then others need to be substituted to remain on budget. This clarity allows you to make educated decisions as you choose the features in your custom home.

Work with the right professionals

Most of us aren’t walking around with the expertise on what to budget for things like flooring, drywall, and contingencies. That’s why it’s important to find the people who can. The right professional home builder can help set realistic budget expectations catered to your specific budget and style. Even better, a local builder has specialized knowledge on what your home needs to stay cool in Texas summers. They can also help you set the right contingency fund to avoid going over budget. A good home builder considers factors such as your lot, home plans, and design preferences. A builder with years of expertise in the field often finds ways to maximize your budget for your priority areas.

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Don’t make every nook “Pinterest worthy”

It’s hard to scroll through cultivated images and not feel the pressure to make every nook photo worthy. In reality, not every corner of your house needs to draw attention. While having your dream home should be a priority, it’s important to focus on focal points in your home. This is easier on your custom home budget as focal pieces tend to be costly, but it’s also beneficial from a design perspective.

Allowing simplicity in some features allows show stopping aspects to stand out, such as floor to ceiling windows of your Hill Country view. When every aspect of a home is cultivated for snapshots, it can become overwhelming and even feel cluttered. A more simplistic approach overall allows show stopping features to be appreciated and can help your home feel stunning, rather than overwhelming.

Make a list of non-negotiables

While this may seem counterintuitive, making a list of non-negotiables can actually help protect your budget. This can help you and your builder have a clear roadmap of priorities. At first, every detail in your Hill Country home may feel like a non-negotiable, but with the many decisions that will be made, you will soon learn that there are many things that you simply do not care about as much as lighting, tile, wall colors etc.

This means that items that don’t fall on your non-negotiable list can be substituted for more cost effective options allowing you to direct more funds to the home aspects that you care more about.

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Choose your style before the decisions are made

When faced with warehouses of options for your custom interior, it can be overwhelming, particularly if you have yet to decide on a style for your home. Do you want Hill Country Style, a modern farmhouse, or terracotta tile to incorporate the Mexican roots in the San Antonio area? Without choosing a guiding style, it can be easy to find yourself choosing individual accents that you love that have no cohesion resulting in a chaotic space. Many of the most eye-catching accents also usually come with a hefty price tag.

Deciding upon the style and feel you want for your custom home can help guarantee cohesion and help you decide how to alot your budget. Are the floor to ceiling black paned windows crucial for the style you want? Then splurge! Do you want the look of hardwood floors but are flexible on the type? Then save! Use engineered hardwood that offers the same style for a lower cost.

When designing and building your Hill Country dream home, we know budgeting can be overwhelming. With decades of combined experience in the home building space, our team is here to help with free consultations to help turn your dreams into reality.

Click here to schedule a free consultation for expert help!

-The Team at Texas Signature Custom Homes

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