Color Trends for New Homes

If you have been following my recent articles, you know that I have been writing about what we saw and learned at the International Builders Show. This week we’ll talk about color. Emerald, there I’ve said it. That is the color of the year according to one of the paint companies. Not all agreed. As you probably can imagine, all of the major paint companies were there. PP&G, Sherwin Williams, and others had booths at the show. Instead of placing the focus on a specific set of colors, this year the emphasis was on color palettes. See the links below for more on palettes.

There is a new Dry Erase Paint from Sherwin-Williams. Paint your kids walls, give them dry erase type markers and let them express themselves, It easily wipes off and is ready for the next artistic effort. Dry erase paint could maybe find a place in your office or kitchen for jotting notes. While at the Sherwin Williams web site click on their Color Visualizer and you can paint a house on line to see what a selected color will look like on that house. 

Go to the Color Sense Game on the PPG website to find the color that matches your personality. The game will ask you questions, one of those do you like kitties or puppies type profile, and then tell what colors best works with your personality. Actually it was fun to do, give it a try. Who knows it might point you in the right direction for color selection. PPG also has a Color Visualizer option. It will allow you to import your house picture and then try out different color schemes.

All of the paint companies are rolling out or improving their Low Volatile Compound Paints. Low VOC paints have been around for a while, but now some companies are offering no-VOCs. This puts less harmful vapors and smells in the environment.

Many of the companies offer an APP that will display colors on your tablet or phone. Simply pick the color you would like to check out, display it full screen and hold it up to the wall. 

If you would like more information about this article or any of the articles we have written, just give me a call. Also if you have a topic you would like for me to cover then email or call.

Next week we will talk about a seminar that Suz and I attended called 90 Ideas in 90 minutes. You will get the abridged version.

www.sherwin-williams.com 
http://www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com/ 

For comments about this article contact Ronnie Godfrey at:
Ronnie@RGodfreyHomes.com or call 817 988 0149.

"You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Matthew 5:43-45 NIV

Design Trends in New Homes

Some of the best attended seminars that were offered at this year’s International Builders Show dealt with design, both interior and exterior. Large class rooms capable of holding more than 200 folks were filled to standing room only. Items covered in these sessions will be influencing builder’s decisions for a while.

Contemporary styles seem to be the target that many designers, builders and architects are moving to. One builder/architect that spoke mentioned that he was building 3 traditional styled homes a year in Florida until someone talked him into trying a contemporary style. Since changing over he now build 30 per year. DR Horton Homes, the nation’s biggest builder, is adding contemporary to their portfolio.

What does contemporary style mean? Here is an excerpt from Better Homes and Gardens’ attempt at defining the style. “Many contemporary homes feature lots of glass, open floor plans, and inventive designs. Void of elaborate ornamentation and unnecessary detail, drama on the flat-face exteriors of contemporary homes often comes from a dynamic mix of contrasting materials and textures, exposed roof beams, and flat or low-pitched roofs.” I’ll add, regarding the lack unnecessary detail that, you won’t see shutters on windows, elaborate columns and balustrades on the porches, and has mostly a clean unfettered look.

Now as far as interiors goes, HGTV had this to say: “Contemporary style encompasses a range of styles developed in the latter half of the 20th century. Pieces feature softened and rounded lines as opposed to the stark lines seen in modern design. Interiors contain neutral elements and bold color, and they focus on the basics of line, shape and form.” Boiled down by me; It has clean lines, anything that is not traditional in appearance.

Herewith are few notes (edited for brevity) that Claire Easley a senior editor at Builder Magazine took at one of the seminars: “The No.1 trend right now is undoubtedly bring sexy back,” said Marc Thee of Marc-Michaels Interior Design. “Put sexy back into every room, every space. One thing you can do to guarantee home sales is to give the buyer reasons to be in the market.”

Fortunately, he and Doug Van Lerberghe, of Denver-based planning and architecture firm KEPHART, used the session to offer specific tips on how to “bring sexy back” to every space in the home, many of which can be utilized in a variety of markets and price points.

Floor Plans

• While formal living and dining rooms have been pronounced dead by much of the industry, Van Lerberghe emphasized that “livability is all about lifestyle choices,” He encouraged builders to offer floor plans that could be easily customized, so buyers can choose how their living space works without having to pay custom home prices.
• For builders looking for a safe bet, according to Van Lerberghe, mid-century modern designs sell faster than any other plan design.

Entrances

• …..Oversized doors, in the area of 3 ½ feet by 8 feet, don’t cost much more and are a detail people notice, Van Lerberghe said.

Living Rooms

• When looking for inspiration for artistic features, Thee shared his not-so-secret source for ideas “Thanks to image-heavy sites such as Pinterest and Houzz, ideas for show-stopping details abound.
• For feature walls and fireplaces, Thee touted monolithic details and “clean sweeps of material,” such as inexpensive tile that, when used at a large scale, can make a big impression.
•  “White kitchens will never be passé,” “Thee said,” adding that visual interest can be bumped up by contrasting light cabinets with warm, dark tones in floors.”

Master Bedrooms

• Thee also recommended inserting pendant lighting where nightstands with lamps might typically sit. “It’s a super sexy detail, and remember we’re bringing sexy back.”

Master Baths

• Euro showers are coming into fashion, both presenters agreed, which eliminate barriers between tubs and standing showers by converting floor space next to the tub to an open showering area.
• “Tower cabinets and vessel tubs: If you’re not doing them, you need to be doing them,” Thee said.
• And as always, natural lighting should reign supreme, so Thee suggested using floating mirrors so as not to sacrifice windows for the sake of vanities.

Lat week’s article had a link to a very contemporary home. Here it is again: www.tnah.com.

Next week, I’ll have presentation on color. Get ready for some exciting new color schemes.

What’s New at the International Builder’s Show (IBS)

This is the second in a series of articles to tell you what is new in the Building Business and today specifically what we experienced at the IBS. We will start by telling you what we saw at this year’s New American Home.

Each year since 1984 a new home has been built near where the IBS is held. The purpose is to highlight materials and practices shown on the floor of the convention halls. The 2013 version was built by Blue Heron of Las Vegas, a builder/architect/ interior design firm led by second generation home builder Tyler Jones. His company built a 6721 square foot, 4.5 million dollar home on a 1/3 rd acre lot in the hills of L as Vegas.

The home was built to rigid green building standards and used as its consultant the National Association of Home Builders Research Center. NAHB’s Research Center has been fine tuning the requirements for earning the Green Building Designation for several years and has now had them approved for publication as an industry standard.

The home contains 3 bedrooms, a home office, and a library. There are 5 half baths and 4 full baths. Dominating the views from each room are the water features. There are 2 zero-edge pools, various ponds canals and walls that have a continuous flow of water over them. Additionally the pathway between some of the living areas may be stepping stones across a pond.

Nowhere in the home do you lack the sense of openness. Many of the rooms have disappearing glass walls achieved with motorized glass doors that stack into a wall. Out each of the openings is a living area. It is almost a mistake to try to quantify the size of the home without including in the square footage the many patios, cabanas, the sky deck and the outdoor kitchen. Did I say kitchen? Pardon me, kitchens and bars.

Many of the finishes were new and unusual. Some flooring materials were used on some of the ceilings and some decking material, used on the walls.

The builder had one of his suppliers invent a manmade stone wall material that was found on interior and exterior walls. Then he used another wall finish that was captured loose rocks between a steel mesh.

The home has gas fired condensing units for the HVAC system. There is a gas fireplace in each bedroom, living area and outdoor retreat. Photovoltaic panels can be seen from the highest outdoor area, the sky deck. The home can be operated electronically from a cell phone, Ipad, etc... Lights, thermostat, music, fireplaces, security system, I’m sure I’m missing something, can all be remotely controlled.

As I write this I’m filled with the sense that I’m not doing the home justice. So let me direct you to a web site with both videos and pictures of it under construction and after completion and fully decorated. I have in my office more information about this beauty. If you would like, call me and we’ll set an appointment so that you can see what I have. Also if you can’t afford a $4.5 million home call me, then again if can afford one call me. http://www.tnah.com

The article coming up next week will talk a bit about design of new homes, what are the trends and who says so.  


For comments about this article contact Ronnie Godfrey at Ronnie@RGodfreyHomes.com or call 817 988 0149. 

What’s New in the Building Business?

My lovely wife and I will be compiling our notes this week to come up with what we have found at the annual International Builders Show (IBS). She will have a list and I will have another. Look for hers to bring you information about appliances, colors, decorator items and such. I of course will touch on and for that matter will have touched all of the tools, tractors, trucks and other important stuff.

The IBS, also known as the Builder’s Convention has to be held in one of only 2 or three cities due to its size.  This year it was in Las Vegas; and no we did not gamble and go to shows with show girls dressed in skimpy outfits. Suz wouldn’t let me.  

We will discuss the findings of the seminars that we attended. Usually we go to 5-7 of those. Again this year was no exception.

Stay tuned.

Psalms 34: 7-9

7 The angel of the Lord stands guard
      around those who have respect for him.
      And he saves them.
 8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
      Blessed is the man who goes to him for safety.
 9 You people of God, have respect for the Lord.
      Those who respect him have everything they need.

 

A New Street in Glen Rose, Texas

This new street is in our new subdivision, Bluebird Park. Our new street is concrete instead of asphalt. The concrete is thick and well laced with steel. The concrete men were there at 5:00 am and I was there to oversee the construction. We were placing concrete until the evening. The name of the street is Birdsong Court. To see a video of our new street, click here! Now we are doing mowing brush and tree trimming.

We will be building 10 homes there nestled near large Native Pecan Trees. There is a giant pecan tree at the end of the court, under which there will be a neighborhood park. In addition to this park there is about an acre and half that will not be developed and can be used for gardens or orchards.

We’ve added some more floor plans. Our original thinking was to build homes from 1050 square feet to 1400. Now I have plans for a little bigger, up to 1750 square feet. Also I’ve added a 2 story plan with the master bedroom downstairs, a computer nook and plenty of storage.

All of our homes will be built to be energy efficient. We’ve won awards for our energy smart homes and these homes will be built to the same standard as our award winning homes.

Our Model of our Model Home

Ronnie at R Godfrey Homes

We thought we might make a model home and we did. Normally when I say a Model home I mean something you can walk into. This time however, we made a gerbil sized model. It is 1/2"= 1 Foot. The idea behind this was to give folks a chance to see something instead of a sheet of paper, to give the floor plan a little more life.

We will display this dollhouse at Bill Vineyard's office at Paluxy Realty in Glen Rose. Give him a call if you wish to stop by to see it. 254 396 5580

Overlooked Fire Hazard!

Recently a neighbor of ours had a fire in their home. That is what prompted me to write this article. An often overlooked fire hazard is the build-up of lint in a dryer vent or exhaust. The dryer vent in most homes is a 4” tube, usually made of flexible material for the part between the dryer and the wall and rigid material inside the wall and up in the attic. As your clothes rotate in the heated dryer, small pieces of lint are blown into this tube. These can adhere to the sides of the tube and build up in thickness slowing down the drying process as well as creating a fire hazard.

 According to the U.S. Fire Administration for every 1,000 fires caused by lint build-up 1.8 lives are lost, over 30 people are injured and damages to the home average over $9,600 (see URL below for more information).

Not to be missed is the fact that the dryer will not work at its peak performance when the vent is clogged and will cause it to take longer to dry your clothes and drive up your utility bills. This was happening in our home with Suz telling me that something was wrong with our dryer. Our home is 6 years old and cleaning the vent didn’t occur to me until our neighbor’s fire. I bought a lint cleaning device, ran the powered brush up the vent and vacuumed out a bucket full of lint. Now we can dry clothes in half the time.

As a service to our community, I’m offering to clean vents of widows and single women at no cost. When I do this, for your comfort, I will bring another person with me, probably someone from our church. This takes about 30 minutes and as soon as I’m finished we will leave. There are no strings attached no cost, no sales pitch, and no obligation, just allow us to show God’s love to do this and expect nothing in return. You can contact me at 817 988 0149, email me at ronnie@RGodfreyHomes.com or call First Baptist at 254 897 2351.

The equipment that I use: http://www.linteater.com/ and the URL mentioned above.

http://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/statistics/v13i7.pdf