BUILDING A CUSTOM HOME… NEVER TOO EARLY FOR PLANNING AN OUTDOOR FIREPLACE

Fire Pits and Fireplaces Gain Prominence on Patios and in Courtyards of Arizona Custom Homes!

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There has always been a fascination with an outdoor fire while camping or spending time outdoors.  In Arizona, this fascination has been brought home to the backyard.  At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC many of our custom homebuyers want full fireplaces or built-in fire pits incorporated in the landscape of their custom home.

FIVE ACCENT LIGHTING TECHNIQUES FOR CUSTOM KITCHENS

Custom Kitchen Lighting… So Many Options for Accents!

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As a custom home builder we have had the opportunity to install a wide variety of accent lighting in custom kitchens.  Depending on the desires of the customer, home design and home style there are many options for kitchen accent lighting.  The five most popular in our experience at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC has been 1) underneath upper kitchen cabinets, 2) above upper kitchen cabinets, 3) hanging light fixtures above kitchen work areas, 4) underneath lower kitchen cabinets, and 5) jam switches.

1)      Underneath the Upper Kitchen Cabinets:  Often popular in custom kitchens are accent lights hidden underneath the upper kitchen cabinets, these can be hidden by the upper cabinets so that only the light itself is seen reflecting onto the kitchen counter.  Fluorescent or halogen light fixtures are great for this area, with a different glow, tone, and warmth offered by each.  These lights are usually designed to be powered by one or two light switches in the kitchen so that all of the under cabinet lighting is lit with the power of one switch rather than turning each one on individually.

GRANITE COUNTERTOPS… THE MOST POPULAR SELECTION IN WOODRIDGE’S CUSTOM HOMES

By Far the Most Popular Counter Surfaces… Granite!

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As Arizona custom home builders, it’s granite, granite, granite, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, our custom home buyers are choosing granite over any other countertop surface materials.  Granite is a natural stone, in the simplest terms, igneous rock with large crystals.  Granite ranges in color from white, gold, pink, green, blue, to gray and black.  These products are ideal for counter tops because, by nature its high durability and aesthetic qualities.

At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, our custom home buyers begin their granite selection working with a design and fabricating professional.  The colors and varieties of granite are numerous.  We recommend our customers begin looking at a color or shade of granite to focus their search.  Once a color range has been selected, the varieties in that color range are narrowed down even further.  For example, granite called Autumn Harmony, originating from India is a combination of browns, blacks and creams, yet has no veins.  Aurora Borealis, originating from Brazil, is also a combination of brown, blacks and cream, yet is venous.  Again, the colors and varieties are endless; and without the assistance of a professional the process can quickly become overwhelming. 

Granite, in a warehouse is usually stored in large four-by-eight foot slabs ¾” or 1 ¼”.  Once a custom home buyer has made the basic selections from the showroom or design professional’s samples, the actual selection process begins. 

SPANISH COLONIAL… EVER POPULAR HOME DESIGN

Arizona Custom Homes…  Spanish Colonial

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There is something totally unique about Arizona custom homes.  The homes in Arizona are not like any other part of the country.  Some may say, “Santa Fe”.  Perhaps, though many of the homes in Santa Fe are true to the Mission or Territorial architectural styles.   As a custom home builder, California actually serves are a great inspiration source for our Arizona custom homes.  It isn’t the inspiration of new homes in northern San Diego, but sometimes it’s the old, but true classics found in San Marino and Pasadena. The old Spanish influenced homes with fully arched windows, white smooth stucco,  red terra cotta roofs and big heavily carved wood doors, this architecture still inspires Arizona custom homes.  Spanish Colonial makes one think of Billy Wilder’s film, Double Indemnity as Fred MacMurray approaches such a house to renew an insurance policy only to find a dangerous and sultry Barbara Stanwyck.  Watch the first minute or so of the clip to get the feel of the Spanish Colonial as Fred MacMurry approaches the front door.  .

The Spanish Colonial home design is what; at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, is our term for the custom home that resembles the home highlighted in the movie clip.  This is probably not termed correctly to the professional designer or architect, but the custom homes we build today rarely seem true to one particular style.   

CUSTOM HOMES… EVER POPULAR SPLIT FLOOR PLANS

Still Strong, The Split Floor plan

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Ever strong in Arizona custom homes is the split floor plan.  The split floor plan is not limited to high-end custom homes.  It is a very popular floor plan for homes of any size.  Simply, this floor plan places the master bedroom on one side of the house.  The secondary bedrooms are located on the opposite side of the house.  The family room, kitchen and public rooms of the house are placed between the bedrooms in the center of the house.  This sets the master bedroom apart from the rest of the house helping achieve the master retreat feel.  The floor plan may not work for everyone, but for families with teenagers it works out great.  Loud music or slumber party laughter doesn’t usually travel to the master retreat on the other side of a house.  It is sometimes referred to as the Mother-in-Law floor plan.  This floor plan works with any home style from Santa Barbara, Tuscan, Spanish Colonial to traditional ranch.

The attached floor plan is an example of a split floor plan.  The master retreat is on one side of the house and the secondary bedrooms are on the other side of the house.  The master retreat has a guest bedroom on the same side of the house.  In this plan, the guest bedroom includes two entrances, one from within the house and a private exterior door located under the covered loggia. This floor plan can be modified if the entrance within the house is not desired creating more privacy for the guest quarters as well as the master retreat.

As custom home builders in Arizona, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, we stay abreast of changes in floor plans, home styles and various amenities.  We built our first split floor plan in 1990, yet this plan had been popular in Arizona long before that.  This is a floor plan that has staying power and offers a custom home buyer good resale value. 

Split floor plan in a Tuscan Courtyard style custom home

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. 

FIREPLACE SURROUNDS IN THE CUSTOM HOME

So Many Options for Fireplace Surrounds…  Where to Begin?

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As a custom home builder, at Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, our custom home buyers have many choices to make during the design and construction process.  Options include everything from flooring, cabinets, doors, door hardware, and light fixtures among other features and amenities.  One such selection a custom home buyer may need to make is the type of fireplace surround to choose.  There are so many styles from traditional wood mantels to stone.  Many times it depends on the style of the home, a very traditional style home in the Midwest may be very different from the custom homes we build in Arizona. 

Becoming very popular in Arizona custom homes are those fireplace surrounds that have the Old-World look.  This look can be achieved with stone fireplace surrounds, precast concrete, or crushed marble fabricated surrounds.  Precast concrete is a masonry product that simulates natural stone and is more cost effective than natural stone.  Precast concrete mantels are cast molds of concrete, or made with reinforced high-density industrial grade fibers.  The finishes resemble natural stone finishes in a variety of earthy colors.  These fireplace surrounds are beautiful and can be very economical.  Other fireplace manufacturers cast their surrounds from crushed marble and bonded with white Portland cement.  These fireplaces are faux finished to give the custom homebuyer the exact look they desire.

MASTER CLOSET SYSTEMS… IN THE CUSTOM HOME

No Need For A Dresser or Chest of Drawers with Master Closet Systems

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When planning and designing a custom home, the decision regarding the master closet ultimately surfaces.  At Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, most of our custom homebuyers elect to have the master closet built-out by a professional closet and storage company.  These custom closets create significant more storage than a dresser or chest of drawers, and frees the master bedroom of such furniture pieces.  The space and organization created by a professional closet system is incredible.  The number of styles and combinations are endless, stacked shelves, open shelves, shelves closed by glass doors, shelves closed by cabinet doors are shelf options alone.  Rack styles are also endless; half-rack with shelves above, full-floor length racks, and two half-racks are just a few choices for hanging clothes.  Including a bank of drawers creates additional options, standard drawers is one option, while sock drawers, and jewelry drawers offer specialty options.  Unique storage areas for large hats, handbags, dirty laundry, and even luggage are possible.  Shoes can be hidden or exposed and maximized to hold as many pairs as one desires.

Using a professional closet and storage company can instantly double or triple storage space. Jeane Perantoni is an experienced designer at California Closets (http://www.californiaclosets.com/) and works with our custom home buyers; Jeane excels at creating space yet matching selections to the homeowners’ style.  Initially understanding this benefit helps a custom homebuyer understand that the shell of a master need not be excessively large.  Building-out a closet significantly adds storage space, yet it can add match any interior style as well.  Most closet and storage companies offer multiple materials, fixtures, finishes and amenities that can match or complement a homeowner’s style. The finishes include cherry, alder veneer, white, oak or maple among others.  These units can be installed as full-floor to ceiling or placed at a comfortable height for the homeowner.  Depending on the size of the closet, an island of drawers or shelves is also possible. 

The photos above show the basics of a master closet build-out; in on of the custom homes built by Woodridge Custom Builders LLC, there are combinations of shelves, rack, and drawers.

 

Master Closet Systems

 

 

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

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.