Luxury Home News @ The Custom Home Blog

James Bond Wishes He Had One

Okay, so maybe that’s a bit of an overstatement, but can’t you just see this in a James Bond movie?

When we designed this Parade Home, we knew something special needed to be done with the space that was created behind the wall of the  study. The shape of the space meant that it could not be used for a traditional room, but it was just the right size for a safe room.

The term “safe room” may have been popularized by Jody Foster but it is actually just a room where a homeowner can place safe(s) that is/are hidden from someone attempting to burglarize the home. In this particular house, the space is big enough for someone to hide in, but the door does not actually lock shut.

Of course, does it matter that it’s not locked if the burglar can’t find the door or even any evidence of a room?!!

The “door” to this room is, in fact, a motorized cabinet that turns 360 degrees when a secret button hidden behind a book on the shelf, is pressed. What’s really neat about this cabinet is that it serves many purposes – wet bar, multimedia cabinet, door – pretty much as much as you can expect from a cabinet!

Is this practical for every home? Of course not. But what’s really great about this specialty cabinet is that it makes the most of the space while enhancing the lifestyle of the homeowner. And isn’t that what everyone is after? To find out more about the Custom Builder who built this, read about it here.

Green Building Professional

Jenkins Custom Homes recycles 80% of all jobsite materials on every custom home construction project in Austin.

Just call us Austin green home builders, as we have been doing this for over 3 years now in partnership with Construction Waste Recycler of Texas.  It is simply the right thing to do for our environment.  It doesn’t cost that much extra and tends to keep the jobsite cleaner, not to mention the positive effect it has on all who work on the project and visit it.  We are proud, as a home builder, to support the environment and promote good, green community relations on all our jobs.

Why Waterproof?

Waterproofing the exterior decks is one of those things that, while not required, really has become a necessary step (for us) in home construction.  Furthermore, there are many different ways to waterproof, some less expensive than others.  When we look at budget items that could be cut, we may discuss things like waterproofing the exterior decks.  If it is left up to us, we will select the method shown below.  However, sometimes clients want to look at less expensive alternatives. Why?  It simply comes down to cost/benefit and return on investment.  Water on an exterior deck that is installed properly will not cause immediate issues.  It is one of those long-term maintenance items; however, the cost to maintain this particular item can be rather high (depending on the type of floor covering chosen).  In addition, any little pin-hole leak in the floor covering allows water to seep in and go places it really should not be.  It is highly unlikely it will get into the house, but the constant expansion and reduction caused by the saturation and drying out of the framing beneath the floor covering can be enough to cause cracking and other issues over time. The way we build homes at Jenkins, that is unacceptable.  You would think that all builders feel the same, but…well, not so much.  Most builders, if they do it, use what we call a “quickie solution”.  There are products that can be slapped on like paint and called “waterproofing”.  That’s just not how we roll…

Here, watch a video of our trade partners installing waterproofing on the deck of a waterfront home we are building.  This particular home is in the flood plain; so there are lots of exterior decks.  It is a substantial cost to us to waterproof them all correctly, but it’s just the right thing to do.

Top 8 Custom Home Pricing Questions

We are often asked questions about pricing in our industry.  So we thought it might be helpful to arrange a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) about pricing in the custom home industry. These are our top 8 custom home pricing questions.

1) Question: Do you send each and every house plan out for bids from the trades before you provide the estimate to the client?

Answer:  No. There are several reasons for this. The primary reason is that residential estimating, unlike commercial, has too many variables. Commercial construction can be specified and estimated in a fairly precise manner. Residential cannot, at least not high-end residential. High-end residential consists of hundreds of different products which can go into the home, each resulting in a different labor and material cost.

2) Question: So how can you be so detailed and precise in your cost estimates?

Answer: We select the products that provide the best cost/benefit to the client and then use our extensive cost database to price each item. We use past labor costs to predict future costs. In essence, we have taken our years of experience and documented the cost of each and every one of the options in order to build a cost database that will allow us to be precise in our numbers.

3) Question: Do you know the cost of every option?

Answer: No. We do have to make a phone call every now and then to get pricing on something we haven’t ever used. There are always new products on the market, and we have to learn all about how to install them and what the various costs are so that we can be accurate in our estimates. To us, being accurate is tantamount to being honest. Once we have given a firm price to the client, we will never go back and ask for more money. So, we had better be accurate or it will cost us!

4) Question: Why are there so many different options and variables in residential construction versus commercial?

Answer: Primarily because clients in the high end are willing to consider the cost-benefit of better products. When price is all that matters, the less expensive option will always be chosen. However, high-end clients are willing to consider the ongoing maintenance costs of the home, energy costs, and what we call “lifestyle upgrades” such as whole house automation.

5) Question: If there is so much variation in the pricing, how can bids be compared from one builder to the next?

Answer: It’s tough. The best way is to ask for as much detail as you can possibly get. Then, ask more questions about the products chosen and methodologies being employed for each discipline. For example, where concrete is concerned, ask about the type of slab (slab on grade or post tension, for example), PSI of the concrete being used, soil testing, engineering of the slab (how much rebar, etc,) and keep asking questions until you feel confident in the answers you are getting. Ask the same questions of all your builders so that you can find out if they’ve all priced things generally the same.

6) Question: If I find a builder who has less experience and has forgotten to price everything in, haven’t I just found a bargain?

Answer: You would think so, but the answer is a resounding no. There is no industry in which the saying, “You get what you pay for” is MORE true than the custom home industry. If you don’t agree, read about the Sandra Bullock lawsuit against her home builder in Austin. She sued her builder and actually won. Many, many others who aren’t able to sue or who didn’t win have similar stories to tell. Building a home is complex. If done properly, it will be a huge blessing for many years to come. If not, it will be a curse. It’s as simple as that.

7) Question: Is there a big profit margin in the custom home industry?

Answer: No, and this is probably the area of the most confusion. People think about retail markets such as jewelry where markups can be 50% – 100% and assume our market is similar. Unfortunately for us, the margins are paper thin in the custom home industry. For instance, the common cost plus markup in our area is cost plus 18%. In this industry we deal with REALLY BIG numbers and REALLY BIG risks and LITTLE BITTY margins. That’s just the nature of our business.

8.  Question: Why is there so much variation in cost from builder to builder if the margins are so small?

Answer: Because of the many variations in products that go into the home. This goes back to the answer in #1. Also, there can be a fairly big difference in labor costs.  That’s another area where an experienced builder can really save you money. Good relationships with trade partners yield the best results and pricing.

What are your questions? If these questions have led you to more questions, bring them on. I will be glad to do my best to answer them.

Designs that Inspire

Grandchildren Sleeping Quarters

Today, we are talking about design elements that inspire. Inspiration can come from many sources and this one comes from function, specifically how a home can really make family time more precious and valuable. When we interviewed these clients, they talked about the importance of having a home that was central to their kids (and, hopefully, future grandchildren). They had one grown child who was getting married soon and another who might be at some point. So, they wanted a home that would accommodate, even encourage, their kids to come and stay with them. ?Austin, being central to Texas, was the ideal location for all of them to meet. Plus, waterfront was available and is, besides being a great investment, attractive to the kids. This all culminated in a desire to build a custom home. So, we were commissioned to do just that.

One of the design elements that we recommended to them was the grandchildren sleeping quarters. Although they hadn’t given much thought to it, we told them about the different stages and, well, challenges of having young children while visiting Mom and Dad’s house. They were determined to make this a home that would be inviting to the whole extended family and encourage them to stay as long as possible. So, by designing the grandchildren sleeping quarters just down the hall from their parents, we were giving the parents a good night’s sleep. Let’s face it, if the parents sleep well and have a quiet place to rest even during the day, they will stay longer.

Courtyard

Another design element we felt was important for young children was the front courtyard, especially for this specific lot. The lot had sloping topography requiring a raised slab in back and the lake at the property line, neither of which were a great place for young children. The front courtyard is enclosed, making it a safe place to play and enjoy. Even the fountain is tall and wide enough to be kid-safe.

If you would like to see more photos of this beautiful custom home, click here.

Sky Mall Magazine

Don’t know if you have flown lately, but we noticed that the latest issue of Sky Mall magazine contains a picture of one of our homes. It’s on page 44, and it is actually a photo of a gel mat that is in one of our homes, but that qualifies, right? I remember when we opened our home for them to come and take the photos. We didn’t receive any compensation for it, but there is one thing we did get… being able to tell our kids, “Hey, we built that house!” Of course, they didn’t believe us at first. No surprise there, though, because we are constantly teasing them., to the point that they no longer believe us when we make questionable remarks. Anyway, I digress.

It is truly a blessing to be able to do what we do for a living and what fun it is to see our work in print! Seeing articles written about features in our homes, the success of our little business, or our amazing team of professionals is what keeps us doing what we do. This time of year, particularly, it’s nice to reflect on how fortunate we really are. Here’s hoping that you and yours find the blessing of where you are in life at Christmas, New Year’s and throughout the year!