ARIZONA CUSTOM HOMES… WOOD BEAMS AS POPULAR ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES

Tuscan, Andalusian, Spanish Colonial… Including Wood Beams Compliments Many Home Styles

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Popular Arizona custom home styles include Tuscan, Andalusian, and Spanish Colonial.  When designing, planning and building a custom home, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, it is never our intent to imitate a Tuscan villa as though it were physically moved from Tuscany and relocated in Scottsdale.  It is more a reflection of the Tuscan style incorporating the best of the features into our own Arizona desert lifestyle.  One of the most beautiful architectural features found in these homes are wood beams.  Wood beams are often used inside the house, on the exterior of the house, and on patio ramadas.  Some are actual structural support systems, while others are complementary architectural details.

BUILDING THE GREEN CUSTOM HOME… SOLAR!

The Eagle Solar Roof

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As custom home builders, Eagle Roofing Products has been one of our suppliers at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC  for years.  Recently, Eagle Roofing has introduced a new roof solar panel.  The Eagle Solar Roof uses highly efficient silicon solar cells.  It is a solar system that powers the home, but also integrates seamlessly with the home’s roof tiles.  Integrating the functionality of a solar powered home with the beauty of its roof tiles is worth checking into.

There are significant benefits to including an Eagle Solar Roof into a custom home including:

• Quiet and reliable power generation
• Significant federal and state rebates and tax incentives are available
• Bank extra power with the local utility
• Substantially reduces or eliminates monthly energy bills
• Increases resale value to the property
• Reduces pollution
• Provides safe and sustainable energy to the home

During the day the solar panels create energy for the home, at night energy is drawn from the utility grid. 

CUSTOM HOME KITCHENS AS A GATHERING PLACE!

Kitchen Design and the Multiple Uses of Kitchen Islands

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An elegant home with everything one could hope for—from unique living spaces to a custom kitchen just meant for entertaining.  In recent years, kitchen trends have changed significantly.  A shift has taken place from the functional wall of cabinets to architectural spaces where window walls and work islands are replacing the row of look-a-like cabinets along each wall.  Complimenting the architectural style of a home, kitchen cabinets look like independent pieces of furniture grouped in furniture-like arrangements.  Stained alder wood is a popular material used for custom kitchen cabinets, mixing stained cabinets with painted and glazed alder wood cabinets.  Long gone is the small window sink placed between cabinets, but replaced by larger windows and plenty of natural light. 

Many Americans are spending more time at home and entertaining at home, increasing demand that kitchen spaces be aesthetically pleasing and great entertainment areas.  As custom home builders, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC we have see this transition.  Our custom home buyers want style, natural light and room to gather and socialize in their kitchen.  Many also are seek abundant storage space with state of the art kitchen appliances.  Space, often at a premium, requires that every inch count. 

BUILDING THE CUSTOM HOME MINDFUL OF BACKYARD SPORTS

Tennis Anyone?  Golf Anyone?  …In the Backyard?

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In Arizona, not all yards are large enough for a tennis court, but many Arizona backyards are large enough for a sport court, putting green, batting cage, trampoline pit, or skateboard ramp.  Popular in Arizona, are small sport courts and half-court basketball, as shown in the photos here.  Courts can be used for multiple purposes, or dedicated to one sport.  Whether it is a half-court for basketball as shown here, or multi-sport court for volleyball, tennis or badminton, each comes in an array of colors and designs.  Because these are custom courts, each court is built to meet the unique needs of the custom homebuyer and designed for the specific space available. 

There are several types of surfaces and choosing the correct surface depends on the intended activity.  Many of these sport courts are made of a modular polypropylene surface with an interlocking design, and placed over a draining system.  Most surfaces are smooth and non-abrasive and come in a variety of UV protected colors and designs.  When running or jumping on the surface, it offers some ‘give’ helping absorb shock and minimize impact to the knees and joints.  Many are virtually maintenance free. 

MANY USES OF THE UNDER-COUNTER REFRIGERATOR IN CUSTOM HOMES!

Chilled to Perfection!

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Under-counter refrigerators seem to be showing up everywhere lately.  In the custom homes built by Woodridge Custom Builders LLC we have placed them in kitchens, wet bar areas, coffee bars, home offices, garages, and guesthouses.  Woodridge has also placed them in the master suite.

Popular brands for these refrigerators include U-line, Sub-Zero, GE, Viking, and Kitchen-Aid.  Some of these units have pull out drawers, and glass doors.  The glass doors can be switched to an endless number of alternatives from the standard appliance look to matching kitchen cabinets.

CUSTOM HOME KITCHENS… WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT!

At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, it’s our business to know what is popular for custom homes.  Some styles come and go quickly while other trends seem to have more staying power.  It is amazing how long the faux finishing craze has lasted, in fact, the finishes seem to get better and better the longer the style sticks around.  Current kitchen styles are particularly important since the kitchen is a predominant area of the house. To get it right it begins with a good set of house plans and home design.  Outlined below are features designed and built into some of the homes constructed by Woodridge Custom Builders LLC.  For the most part… by the lists below, anything goes!

 What’s Hot for the New Custom Home!

• Kitchen islands rather than kitchen peninsulas
• Cabinets and islands that look like stand-alone furniture
• Cabinets made of a variety of materials from traditional stained cabinets to distressed, painted and glazed cabinets
• Multiple cook kitchen designs
• Mixing cabinet colors
• Dark alder wood with a glaze-finished on cabinets
• Granite countertops
• French doors
• Outdoor kitchens including a grill, sink and refrigerator
• Kitchen-like spaces in the master bedroom for coffee-making areas and under-counter refrigerators for morning juices and bottled water
• Wine storage, from shelving to niches to wine refrigerators
• Stainless steel appliances
• Commercial grade ranges
• High kitchen ceilings
• Large windows, no longer reserved for the space above the kitchen sink
• Large islands.  Really large islands
• Pendant lighting
• White cabinets
• Under counter icemakers
• Useful pantries
• Natural stone flooring
• European Apron front sinks
• Multiple ovens, sometimes a full-range and wall oven/microwave combination
• Cabinets with corner posts and/or hand-carved corbels
• Oversized range hoods, designed with mass and constructed with mantels, and niche
• Stylish stone backsplashes with decorative elements scattered throughout
• Hand painted scenes or still life tiles located behind the cook top or range
• A fireplace in the kitchen or dining nook
• Under counter refreshment refrigerators located on an island, just for bottled water, or sodas.  No need to open the full-size refrigerator just for water or have a water dispenser in the refrigerator door
• Round kitchen tables
• Soft under cabinet lighting
• Two dishwashers
• Sofa and chairs in the dining area so family and guests can comfortably hang out with the cook
• Great kitchen lay-outs ergonomically designed with form and function in mind
• Tuscan style kitchen themes
• Modern style kitchen themes

 What You’re Not Likely to Find in a New Custom Home!

• Whitewashed oak cabinets
• Blond cabinets
• White appliances
• Cathedral arched cabinet doors
• Laminated counter surfaces
• Low ceilings
• Soffits
• Ceramic tile counter tops
• Fluorescent lights
• Sliding doors
• Kitchen desk areas
• Wallpaper borders
• Dining chairs with wheels

THE CURRENT HOUSING MARKET – PHOENIX AREA

Phoenix Area Turn-Around?

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Distressed property sales accounted for more than half of all housing sales during the month of July 2009.  Distressed sales include bank owned/foreclosures or short sales, accounting for 69% of all residential sales in Maricopa County or the Phoenix metropolitan area.  These distressed sales are a major impact on the Phoenix area market.  July also saw a nearly 11% decrease in the number of pending sales, although this is still the 5^th highest month of sales in the 36-month period from July 2006 until the present.  An unusual characteristic of this market is the list price for active listings has become the base price when making an offer on a home, primarily in house priced below $200,000.  The list price used to be considered a top, as offers came in less than the asking price, in today’s market that has changed.

Although the Phoenix housing market saw a decrease in pending sales, the good news is associated with the average sales price.  July saw an average sales price increase of over 2%, the fourth month in a row for increases in the average sales price.  Though this doesn’t mean the Phoenix real estate market has completely turned-around, it is nice to see the average sales price is the highest it has been since January 2009. 

A NEW TREND IN CUSTOM HOMES… THE HOME THEATRE

Custom Home Theatre Viewing Room

Custom Home Theatre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Including a Home Threatre in a Custom Home… Is it Worth the Expense?

Woodridge Custom Builders LLC

Is a home theatre worth the extra expense and space when building a custom home?  At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, as custom homebuilders we have heard both sides of that debate and understand the various viewpoints. Let’s face it, there are some of us that just don’t; that is DON’T; go to movies or watch many movies at home.  For those people building a custom home, the home theatre is not considered as a useful option.  That’s not to say that an exercise room or a large game room is out of the question.  Each of our custom homebuyers designs the home of their choice and includes the features most important to them. 

For some custom homebuyers, especially in today’s market, a room dedicated to showing movies or watching television has been postponed to the next custom home.  In today’s market, custom homes are getting smaller with emphasis on the most important and frequently used spaces.  The home theatre is one of those rooms that have been eliminated by a few of our custom homebuyers.  Not only has the complete home theatre room been scrapped but also, the rarely use formal dining rooms and formal living rooms have been eliminated replaced by large great rooms and larger kitchens designed with family and entertaining in mind.  

For those custom homebuyers that are movie families, the families that adore going to movies and even more would enjoy the movie experience without ever leaving their home, the home theatre is in.  For these custom homebuyers, the ability to enjoy professional, cinema style presentations of movies or sporting events all in the comfort of their own home makes a home theater a valuable and useful amenity to them. 

 A home theatre, without a dedicated room, can be as simple as a large entertainment area within a family room or game room that delivers the ultimate in large screen display and a sound system that simulates the cinema experience. The home theatre can also be the ultimate in home entertainment with a dedicated room for movies, favorite television programs, and sporting events.  Theatre style chairs, lighting, temperature controls, black out shades, sound absorption or custom draperies, and the ultimate in state-of-the-art electronics systems can create the ultimate relaxing and entertaining cinema style experience.

 At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, we have constructed dedicated rooms as home theatres for some of our custom homebuyers.  The rooms begin as any other room, yet at the rough electrical stage of construction we begin installation of the structured wiring necessary for the locating audio and video central control units and ancillary speakers throughout the room.  During the insulation stage of construction, we make a point to insulate these walls reducing transmitted noise.  The floor is elevated by several inches one or more times in the framing stage of construction for elevating theatre style seating allowing unobstructed views of the large screen.  In the finishing stages of construction the fine details of the audio and video electronics systems are worked out.  Finally, the entire system including lighting, temperature controls, draperies, sound and video are controlled by one centralized remote control.  When accessorizing or decorating such rooms, voluminous flowing curtains or other wall treatments may be added to absorb reverberated sound minimizing its transmission to the next rooms.   Accessorizing these rooms with theatre style chairs, colorful large print carpet, flowing draperies adding the elegance of an old theatre and popcorn machines add to the fun and relaxing atmosphere of these home theatre rooms. 

The cost of a home theatre varies by the size and complexity of the construction and electronic systems selected.  The structural and construction details of the room are similar to construction of other rooms, but the varying costs of a home theatre are totally dependent upon the type of audio and video and electronic systems selected.  There are generally packages available from home theatre electronics companies ranging from $6,000 to $30,000 per package. 

At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, we recommend that if a home theatre is planned and designed for a custom home, to include the home theatre in the initial construction stage.  We have had some custom homebuyers reserve a third or fourth car garage-stall for a home theatre to be constructed later.  It’s been our experience, that it is actually more economical to install the home theatre with the initial custom home construction.  This makes sense for a couple of reasons, such as modifying a garage means partial demolition of the garage to replace with sound exterior walls and removing existing drywall and insulation for complete rewiring the room with the necessary structured wiring.  Then rebuilding the interior of the space.

As custom homebuilders we enjoy assisting our custom homebuyers decide if a home theatre is right for them.  If so, is a large screen television in a family room with a great audio system enough for them, or is an ultimate cinema-style home theatre better for their lifestyle?  Whatever our custom homebuyers choose, our network of architects, subcontractors and home theatre experts can help them to achieve the theatre of their dreams.

 This home theatre room highlights some of the features of a custom home theatre.  This home theatre room is located in the center of the home off a hallway. This room, located on the interior of the home, doesn’t have any windows for natural light.  All lighting is overhead or wall-mounted.  The speakers are inconspicuously flush with the walls.  Controls are mounted on either side of the screen enclosed within cabinetry.  The carpet selected by the homeowners is a large colorful print in movie reels and popcorn.  The theatre style chairs have been elevated permitting unobstructed views of the screen.  The arms of the theatre style chairs are flanked with drink holders adding to the cinema style experience.