The Board and Batten Fad!

If you’re a fan of rustic or farmhouse-style design, you’ve probably seen board and batten accent walls popping up all over Pinterest and Instagram. It’s a look that’s really in style right now, according to Jason Gale, owner of Texas Signature Custom Homes. 

“What I find funny is everyone used to put the siding on the back in subdivisions where you have to have 75% masonry to hide it. Nowadays, people are putting it on the front and doing rock or stucco in the back because that’s the look they want!” he said. 

But what exactly is a board and batten accent wall, and why is it such an exciting trend in home design? 

As a Texas-based luxury home builder, we’re here to answer those questions and give you some ideas for incorporating this trend into your new or current home.

Board and batten is a type of siding that’s been used in traditional American architecture for centuries. It consists of wide, vertical boards (the “boards”) with narrow strips of wood (the “battens”) covering the gaps between them. This creates a textured, three-dimensional look that can add visual interest and depth to any wall. It’s becoming a more popular choice as opposed to using paint or wallpaper on an accent wall.

Of course, we love to incorporate this imaginative style into our client’s new custom homes, but you can also add one to an existing home, if you like to DIY! To create a board and batten accent wall, you’ll need to start with a smooth, flat surface. You may need to remove any existing trim or molding and use drywall to smooth out the surface.

Once you have a smooth surface, you can start adding the boards and battens. You can use pre-made board and batten siding, or you can create your own by cutting the boards and battens to size. The boards are usually 6-8 inches wide, and the battens are 1-2 inches wide. You can space the boards and battens however you like, but the most common spacing is about 12 inches between each board.

Now comes the fun part – choosing a design for your board and batten accent wall. You can create a simple, classic look with straight boards and battens, or you can get creative with different shapes and patterns. Some popular designs include X-shaped patterns, chevron patterns, and even diamond-shaped patterns. Truly, sky’s the limit here!

Incorporating different colors and finishes can also add visual appeal. You can paint the boards and battens different colors, or use different stains or finishes to create a textured, multi-dimensional look.

Whether we’re building a beautiful new dream home for you or you’re simply wanting to update your current space, a board and batten accent wall is a trend worth exploring. It can add character and charm to any room, and with so many design options, it’s a great way to express your personal style. 

At Texas Signature Custom Homes, we’re always excited to incorporate unique and original design elements into our homes, and we think board and batten accent walls are a perfect example of that.

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Get Inspired by These 2023 Home Design Trends!

Open-Concept Design in the Texas Hill Country Near Fredericksburg

2023 is promising to be an exciting year for luxury custom home building and design, with a range of cutting-edge and avant-garde trends emerging in the market. As a high-end luxury custom home builder in South Texas, we’re well-positioned to take advantage of these trends and bring them to life for our cherished clients.

One trend we’re seeing is a renewed focus on sustainability and energy efficiency. Homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint and live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle. This has led to the use of more sustainable building materials, like reclaimed wood and bamboo, as well as the incorporation of features like solar panels and green roofs.

As everyone’s electric and water bills are skyrocketing, it’s essential that we consider all of the sustainable tools available to us. We recently had the pleasure of installing a rainwater catchment system for our client in the Texas Hill Country near Fredericksburg. She’s ecstatic about how pure and clean the water is – perfect for washing windows with no streaks! Additionally, we use spray foam insulation and tankless water heaters to cut down on electric bills. The upgraded costs typically pay for themselves within 12 months as the electric bills are DRASTICALLY reduced. 

Another trend we’re seeing grow is the use of technology to create smarter homes. From automated lighting and temperature control to voice-activated assistants, homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes more connected and convenient. We’re able to incorporate these technologies into our designs to offer our clients the ultimate in modern luxury.

Another exciting trend that brings family and friends together are homes with open-concept designs. This means fewer walls separating living spaces, which creates a more spacious and airy feel in the home and allows for greater natural light and better flow between rooms. Details such as large windows, skylights, and sliding glass doors help to bring the outdoors into the home in such a glorious way. 

Finally, we’re also seeing a renewed interest in traditional design elements, like ornate moldings, detailed millwork and grand staircases. These elements add a sense of grandeur and elegance to the home, creating a sense of timeless beauty.

We’re committed to staying ahead of the trends and introducing them to our clients in order to build custom homes as unique as your signature! 

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If You Love to Entertain, This Prep Kitchen is for You! 

Prep Kitchen & Pantry

As a luxury custom home builder in Texas, we recently had the pleasure of constructing a stunning new home in the Texas Hill Country near Fredericksburg for one of our clients who couldn’t be more happy! Among the myriad standout features of this home is the modern prep kitchen and pantry, which includes a unique swinging bypass door that connects the main show kitchen to the prep kitchen.

A prep kitchen is becoming a more popular addition to custom homes and is truly ideal if you love to host parties. This highly functional space is designed specifically for food preparation and organization. It’s often smaller than the main kitchen and offers additional counter space for chopping and preparing ingredients, which allows you to keep any mess hidden from guests. 

A prep kitchen can also be equipped with a sink, refrigerator and, just like the aforementioned Fredericksburg home, the inclusion of a swinging bypass door between the main kitchen and prep kitchen, which offers numerous benefits. 

For one, it enables the homeowner to seamlessly move back and forth between the two spaces, making it easier to prep and cook meals. It also allows for more efficient use of space, as the prep kitchen can be used for its intended purpose while the main kitchen is being utilized for cooking or entertaining.

In addition to the convenience and functionality of the swinging bypass door, the modern prep kitchen and pantry also offer a number of aesthetic benefits. The sleek design adds a touch of luxury to the home and makes it a visually appealing space. The pantry, which is a key component of the prep kitchen, provides ample storage for dry goods and small appliances, keeping the main kitchen free of clutter.

Overall, the inclusion of a modern prep kitchen and pantry with a swinging bypass door is a valuable asset for any luxury custom home. It offers convenience, functionality, and elegance that adds value to your home. As a Texas luxury custom home builder, we are always looking for ways to incorporate innovative and practical features like this into our projects, and we are thrilled to have had the opportunity to include it in this beautiful new home.

Check out our reel on social media so you can see how we incorporated the swinging bypass door. Isn’t it time your kitchen looks and functions exactly the way you want it to?! 

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Have You Ever Heard of a German Schmear? 

German Schmear Technique Used on a Texas Signature Custom Home in Fredericksburg

No, we’re not talking about that yummy cream cheese that you spread on bagels, although that sounds good too! In fact, the word schmear is the German for smear and is a common term in our industry.

A German schmear is a traditional finishing technique used for brick that involves smearing mortar over the face of a brick or stone wall surface. This unique style mimics the look of irregular stones and heavy mortar joints and, interestingly, has been used on cottages and even castles for centuries throughout northern Germany. 

Due to the significant number of German settlers in Texas and their influence, this technique is often found on Texas Hill Country Homes and is still being used today on newly-built houses. The photo seen here is actually a snap from one of our own Texas Signature Custom Homes outside of Fredericksburg and is a perfect example of this rustic yet elegant stonework. 

A classic schmear involves white mortar over read brick, but there are endless brick colors and mortar tints that could be used instead. Also, German schmears aren’t necessarily relegated to solely the exteriors of a home, but can also be used to update your interior brick walls and even a fireplace. 

We love using stone with a German schmear on our custom homes because, not only is it a charming finish, but stones were the first building blocks of human-made dwellings and easily stand the test of time. It’s no surprise to us that the first-ever stone house was built in 3500 BC in Scotland is considered the world’s oldest house. 

If you want to find out more about using a German Schmear for your next custom built home, you know what to do. Give us a call! 

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What you need to know about San Antonio home building in 2022

A lot has changed over the past two years, but some things haven’t. One thing that has remained the same: people still need homes. In fact, people are spending even more time at home as working remotely has remained widespread. Thus the importance of one’s house as a safe space has only grown, leading more and more people to build.

What does this mean for building demand? 

Pardon our pun, but we’d say custom home demand has been building… A lot of potential new homeowners spent last year waiting for things to “slow down” before breaking ground on their dream home. This has created pent up demand in a market that still hasn’t seen demand fall. In fact, around 4 out of 5 builders expect to build more homes in 2022 than in 2021. Already, 2021 was a booming year for the industry and builder’s optimism leads us to believe 2022 will be another full year. Since housing is a constant need we don’t recommend waiting for a “dry spell” to start building. Instead we recommend starting early to get a better spot in a builder’s queue of people waiting to build their dream home. 

I want a custom home, but I can’t find a place to build it

Clear lots in major cities, such as San Antonio, can be hard to come by. Lot supply can vary significantly depending on location with a general rule that the closer you are to the heart of a city, the harder it will be to find land. While many people may think that you have to have a lot before you find your builder, a custom home builder could be the perfect solution to finding the right lot. One benefit of a local builder is local expertise in the real estate market. More than anyone else, they know where the best places to build are. Take our staff at Texas Signature Custom Homes. Our team has a lifetime of experience building in the San Antonio area. One member even got their start from selling lots locally and has witnessed trends first hand.

Utilizing a local builder’s expertise in the San Antonio real estate market can streamline your home building process by helping you know where to look for lots. An added bonus is that a builder can help you evaluate how easy it will be to put your dream home on a given piece of land. There’s nothing worse than saving a couple thousand on a lot that was a “steal” only to find out it isn’t as buildable as you were led to believe. Home builders can help you avoid this pitfall and even help evaluate simple things such as where the water drains to make sure you aren’t building in a spot that could flood your first floor.

Over the past few years, we’ve been building more and more homes in the surrounding San Antonio area. People are moving further out for larger lots and better access to the Hill Country. Now that remote work is reducing people’s commutes, we expect this trend to accelerate as more home building customers purchase lots in Bulverde, Boerne, New Braunfels and other surrounding areas. If you are willing to be further from San Antonio, the area is filled with many rich communities filled with amazing designs and new builds.

Personally, I think any lot within 20 minutes of an HEB is prime real estate, but the rolling Hill Country with its quaint small towns and endless trees is pretty appealing. Add in access to HEB’s house made tortilla’s and you have the perfect recipe for a dream home.

Will there be delays?

Unfortunately, global supply chains are still practically the wild west, with standoffs between product shortages and surcharges in shipping costs. While it can be challenging to predict what will be short next, home builders have navigated these challenges for well over a year now. Experienced builders with a deep knowledge of building timelines will be able to navigate these delays by pre-ordering pieces with expected delays. Even better, builders who have been around for a while should have strong ties with local contractors and skilled laborers needed to complete a build. This too can help you mitigate delays born of labor shortages.

To evaluate whether a builder is experienced, find out how many years they have been in the business and how many houses they’ve built. You can also ask potential builders what their timelines are currently looking like. Here we recommend listening for honesty, not the shortest timeline. While it can be tempting to go with the builder who promises a quick 6 months. With these market conditions, they may be exaggerating or frequently cut corners in the name of speed. Regardless, there is a high chance they will be unable to deliver a truly custom experience. Or even better, find out first hand from a brand’s customers. A client who has dealt with many delays and project mismanagement is likely to share this information via reviews on the company’s social pages to warn other potential buyers. 

Construction costs are expected to come down

On a positive note, we are expecting to see a drop in the costs of many inputs for custom home building. This is a win for everyone, allowing home builders to deliver more value for a client’s budget and for a client to have more of a chance to customize before making cuts. The ambiguity of the many costs of home building can be intimidating for someone building a home for the first time. That’s why we at Texas Signature pursue radical transparency with budgeting, to allow the home owners to have confidence and more control over costs. We recommend finding a building company that is willing to give it to you straight and have candid conversations about costs while also offering their expertise on how much each category should average. This will allow you to be in the driver’s seat, but with the added benefit of a map to tell you how to get there and how much it’s gonna cost.

Building a home can be one heck of a ride, but we assure you, the view at the end is worth it.

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5 Tips to build the perfect custom home

Building a Texas Hill Country custom home can be an exciting adventure to embark on. When building a new home or even improving an old one, there are so many things to consider. Homebuilders will need to consider where to build their house, how much money they want to spend, and what the design of your home will look like. While all of these aspects throughout the home building process are important and need to be addressed, one of the most integral and potentially difficult parts of building a custom home can be navigating the design process. Here are 5 tips to help you design the perfect custom home.

Get serious about your budget

A line-item master budget can be an extraordinarily helpful tool when designing your perfect Texas hill country home. The list of amenities and features you may want to incorporate will be far more financially feasible if you plan on how to pay for them from the start. Come up with a master budget (that has space for wiggle room) that details what you’re willing to spend when designing your custom home. Your budget is a great place to include specifics like custom cabinetry, granite countertops, or 18-foot ceilings that you may want in your home. After your budget has been created, you can sit down with your custom home builders before creating blueprints to discuss the intricacies and costs of the design you want to incorporate. It’s also smart to budget when you’re designing your home because small building incidentals can unintentionally add up quickly. If you build an emergency fund into your budget, there will already be funds set aside to cover small issues when they arise, like if you decide to change your design plan, or add in another custom feature down the road. Doing some financial planning on the front end of designing your home will save you time, energy, and money in the long run. It will also often help your money to stretch further during the building process, moving you one step closer to living in your perfect custom home.

Find the best location

When it comes time to design your luxurious new home, choosing a location is a key step. If you already live in the Texas hill country, you may just be moving down the street. However, if you’re from a different part of Texas, another state, or even another country, moving to the greater San Antonio area may be quite a change. exas Signature Custom Homes prides itself in building on your lot. This means that as a company we are ready and willing to build on the lot you’ve chosen or help you find one. We build in many neighborhoods across the Texas Hill Country, a few of which are  Vintage Oaks, Timberwood Park, and Bell Oaks. However, those are only three of the multitudes of locations and neighborhoods that exas Signature Custom Homes can build your perfect custom home in. If you already have a location in mind, exas Signature Custom Homes is excited to build with you. If you’re still in the decision-making process, it’s smart to consider the future and style of your new home. This may make it easier to choose a location or neighborhood. Many new home builders also enjoy seeing neighborhoods in person and speaking to new potential neighbors to get a feel for the area. These steps are helpful in determining if you’d feel comfortable moving in. Doing some research and visiting potential locations is a great way to make sure that you end up in the neighborhood of your dreams.

Get Involved in the blueprint process

The right team of home builders can make the blueprint process a breeze, however, it’s smart to be involved. Being involved in this important step of the building process can help you not only achieve your desired floor plan but also add in space for the specific design details you’d like included early on. Your builder will also be helpful with providing insight and advice for the layout of your home, the space you have, and how the design will play out in real life. Building a home is a unique opportunity to create the perfect, custom home of your dreams. Therefore, involving yourself in the planning process is important so that your home is everything you’d like it to be. As your builders develop floor plans, implement design and ask for your input, make sure to stay involved in each step. You should also feel comfortable voicing your opinion.

Don’t over customize

A common mistake that custom home buyers make is going overboard on customizing their new build. This can often look like an owner choosing customizations that are beyond unique and uncommon. While no builder wants to keep their client from achieving their perfect custom home, there are some design decisions that can produce a negative impact in the long run. For example, some customizations may be a poor use of the space in your home, and may even be a poor use of your budget. Building a custom home is an excellent idea and ultimately, what you choose as the client, is what will be built. However, many owners will over-customize a home that will make it difficult to eventually sell. When it comes to customization you should build out the plans for your home as you see fit and make decisions that will make you happy and comfortable. It’s also wise to consider the future and try to balance customization with what will contribute to the home’s resale value.

Choose Texas Signature Custom Homes

Texas Signature Custom Homes understands that designing and building your dream home can be one of life’s most exciting adventures, but it can also be overwhelming. At Texas Signature Custom Homes, our builders are completely committed to providing you with outstanding customer service throughout the entire building and design process. Our business has a consistent track record of the not only meeting, but exceeding our customer’s expectations when it comes to client communication, building times, and elements of design. We build the kind of homes that we would want to live in. There are no cut corners, only surpassed expectations. 

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Why Building a Home in San Antonio Can Be Cheaper Than Buying One

It’s not a secret to anyone living in the greater surrounding San Antonio area that the city is quickly growing. More and more people are moving to San Antonio because of the rich culture, the excellent job market, and the beautiful scenery. This means that homes are more in demand than they ever have been.
In fact, The San Antonio Board of Realtors reports that the average cost of a home has increased 19% within one calendar year, which interestingly, it’s greater than the rise in home costs from June 2019 to June 2020 (source). As locals welcome the influx of new faces flooding the San Antonio area, they also usher in a rise in the cost of living, which has directly affected the cost of owning a home in the Alamo city. This leaves many people confused about whether buying or building is a better idea. If you’re deciding between building a home or buying one, here are three reasons why building a home may be more financially advantageous than buying one in San Antonio right now.


Your custom built home will be new


San Antonio offers a lot of history as a city. Whether it’s historic battlefields like the Alamo, hotels that have stood for hundreds of years, or even the River Walk, which was added in 1941, the city shines with all the things people have constructed. While the history of the city is a jewel in San Antonio’s crown, it also means that there are many outdated homes across the city. This fact coupled with the real estate market boom means many people are selling their homes. Furthermore, a lot of the inventory people are listing is outdated and the cost can easily be inflated. Instead of buying an older home, you can build a custom home that will cost less in the long run. Maintenance upkeep is typically far less for newer homes. Eventually things will need to be replaced, but that could be ten to twenty years in the future, instead of within the first year of buying an older home. Beyond that, new builds typically have more competitive utility rates. Custom built homes have a track record of being more energy efficient and therefore less expensive than older homes with higher bills. Oftentimes, newer homes can be more cost efficient for these reasons.



The freedom to design


One of the wonderful things about choosing to build a custom home is the freedom to design. When you decide that building your own home is what you want to do, a whole new world of possibilities opens up for what the inside of your home could hold. Whether it’s modern or traditional, your custom builder should be able to help you decide on which direction to move forward. While this may seem like a more costly decision, it can actually save you money in the long run. When you are buying a house, unless you have time and funds budgeted for a major home renovation, you are more or less settling for the architecture and layout that is already in place. With a custom built home, you pay for exactly what you want. If you build strategically, this can be more price competitive than buying an existing home. Some existing homes will contain unwanted expensive features that have been chosen by the previous owners. People who build custom homes have a blank canvas on which to paint their dream house and the option not to have to pay for the upkeep of expensive features that they may not be interested in.


Skip the competition



As more and more people move to San Antonio, real estate competition and home prices will continue to rise. Even real estate experts are not sure when the San Antonio market will begin to cool down. With this unexpected economic climate comes the virtual certainty that house hunting will not be easy. When buying a home, it’s smart to analyze financial costs, but it’s also wise to consider your time. Instead of months of searching for a home that fulfills all your needs and also exists within your price range, you may consider looking into custom building. If you decide to build a custom home, you rid yourself of the potential of competing offers, which can quickly and drastically raise the price of buying the home. Instead, building a custom home can provide price security as you have greater control over expenses. Instead of navigating a competitive market and potentially overpaying, there is the option to build a home that is more reasonably priced and stable.

We know that deciding between building or buying can feel like a stressful process. However, the team at Texas Signature Custom Homes has decades of experience in hearing people’s dreams and turning them into reality.

If you’re interested in booking a free consultation with one of our experts, click here.

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How to have instant equity when you build a custom home

After months of pouring over every decision, you open the door to your dream home on move in day. Imagine exhaling with contentment, knowing you already have equity in your new home. Sound too good to be true? It doesn’t have to be.

What is Equity?

Equity is the difference in what a home is worth versus what you owe on it. Generally, the market determines what a house is worth. “A home’s value at any given time is what a willing and qualified buyer is willing and able to pay for at that time” (source).

There are two traditional ways to gain equity, paying what you owe on the house or waiting for the value of home to increase over time. People who purchase a finished home are paying the full market price (or more in the current competitive market). They end up paying for the additional equity thoughtfully built in.

Thus initially, if someone has equity, it’s usually from their own deposit. This does not represent any true economic gain. In contrast, building a home can present an economic opportunity. For someone to have instant equity in a new build, the cost to build must remain under the appraised market value for the finished home.

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However, many people build a home without extra equity. Others spend more than their new home would be appraised for. This can happen simply because the average client may not understand what truly adds value to a new home. As you can imagine, it is much easier to add cost than value.

How to add Equity

Generally, it is the ‘luxuries’ that add up in your budget without really contributing to home equity. When you build, it’s possible to consider these factors along the way. This could leave you with instant equity on closing day, meaning you could turn around and instantly sell your new home for more money than you spent to build it.

Instant equity can be created by considering the overall values of the market in addition to your family’s wishlist. Value comes from smart, lasting decisions that will remain over time. Examples include, adding an extra room, garage, or a home office. While spending extra on your favorite light fixture may feel valuable, it will eventually be outdated and does not represent as much value to the home buyer market.

To gain equity by building, you must balance your wishlist with market must haves. This goal often requires making many decisions based on logical market factors instead of only relying on personal must haves.

With the many decisions required in building a house, it’s important to find an experienced builder to help you maximize equity and avoid spending pitfalls. Their expertise can help you navigate budgeting and keep you from spending more than your future home’s market value.

If you are interested in learning more, schedule a free consultation today with one of our experienced staff members to discuss your goals and how you can build your dream home with instant equity.

For more information on budgeting, read out Decisive Guide to Staying on Budget when Building a Custom Home

-The Team at Texas Signature Custom Homes, proudly building custom homes with spectacular service in the San Antonio Hill Country

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