The great thing about a custom home is that you can style it and decorate it as you want. One of the spaces where people like to focus the most and add their personal touch is the master bedroom. We usually don’t get to spend that much time in our bedrooms, but there’s something about knowing that there’s a beautiful room waiting for us at the end of a hard day.
Although we’re sure you have plenty of great ideas for your master bedroom, check out these tips before you start decorating the room.
We’re the first to admit: there’s a lot of fun to build a custom home from the ground up. There are plenty of exciting choices to be made, from picking out the tiles for your kitchen wall to selecting the hardwood floors for the dining room. But all the stress and worry about making sure that everything is perfect can turn your custom home building project into a nightmare.
The key to a hassle-free custom home construction is having a clear plan from the beginning. To help you, we’ve created a list of four essential steps you need to follow to make sure that everything goes smoothly.
Building a custom home can be quite exciting. The unique sensation of having the freedom to control every aspect of the layout and design of your house is highly desirable. You get to specify important features, like the dimensions of each room or the style of the built-in shelves. Although it might be your plan to live in your custom home forever, you should still include those features that help maximize your the value of your house.
When it comes to custom homebuilding, everyone has a unique idea on what they want their house to look like in the end. The most professional and creative custom home builders go to great lengths to make that vision a reality for their clients. Sometimes, however, some requests could cost you, the client, and the builder lots of time and unnecessary expense. If you are thinking of finally building that beautiful custom home in Portland, Oregon, here are some costly mistakes that you might want to avoid.
Portland, Oregon is a utopia, providing residents with access to fantastic schools and a booming job market, surrounded by a picturesque wilderness. Choosing a home in Portland is a big decision, and a difficult one if you have a special type of home in mind.
If you are contemplating a new house in Portland, OR, but are on the fence about which to choose, these guiding principles may be just what you need to take the plunge.
Quality in Craftsmanship
Having a custom home built in Oregon means that you are in control of the quality. The builder is not going to be looking for the cheapest deals to fill the needs of multiple houses at a time. Instead, they get to examine all of the different types of materials available, and then make a choice based on quality, rather than price.
Higher quality will also extend to how well those materials are put together. A custom homes Portland builder is working with a select group of professionals, each with their own expertise to add to the job. With that type of attention being paid to the construction of your home, you can rest assured that not one nail placement is being overlooked.
Built to Suit Your Style
Any person who has ever bought a pre-fabricated home knows that no matter how seemingly perfect, there is always that one or two elements that are missing for you. Maybe one room has a closet in the wrong corner, or a window was placed in an inconvenient spot. When you build a custom home in Portland, every single aspect can be controlled by you. With no limits, you now have the chance to finally live in your perfect dream home.
No Messes to Fix
An issue with buying a home from a previous owner is fixing their mistakes once you have moved in. You could rip up carpet, only to find ruined wood floors or realize that the upstairs windows were accidentally painted shut. Even a pristine looking house can be hiding past mistakes that will take your time and money to fix.
When you custom build a home in Portland, every inch is brand new and free of poor color choices, bleach stained carpet, and crayon wall drawings. You and your family are free to create your own messes, without the worry about cleaning up someone else’s first.
Ownership of a Unique Property
Driving through a cookie cutter neighborhood can almost be unsettling. You know there are unique families living behind the closed doors, but there is little outwardly evidence of this. A custom built home is unique, both in its floor plan and its appearance, making it difficult to pull up into the wrong driveway by mistake.
The city’s breathtaking mountain views, tranquil lifestyle and temperate climate give you good reason to want to live in Portland, Oregon. Buying a custom home that you had a hand in designing just makes being a resident that much more pleasurable.
What makes the perfect master bedroom? Have you ever wondered why some bedrooms look like they came right out of glossy magazines and others look dull and boring? The answer is surprisingly simple – it’s all because some manage to plan it right and others, sadly, do not. If you get the opportunity to plan your house right from the beginning, and you get the help of industry experts and designers, you can build your master bedroom right out of a movie. This guide outlines a few steps to designing the perfect master bedroom.
Have Windows and Doors on One Side
There are several advantages of keeping the windows and doors on one side. This helps with air circulation and saves a lot of space as well. This is one of the most common designs that you will see in hotels. However, this design idea can become difficult to implement for en-suite bedrooms with a bathroom attached.
Check The View You Have
While everyone cannot live on a majestic cliff overlooking the ocean, it’s always possible to make the most out of even a simple view. If your master bedroom is in front of a garage, keep the layout in such a way that you are at least able to look outside towards the yard or some other enjoyable focal point.
Give Importance to Privacy
If you have some extra space in the house, try to use it to create a small foyer that separates the bedroom from the other rooms of the house. This way you have your privacy without always having to shut the bedroom door(s). Also, try to avoid designing the bedroom so that the doors open up right into the kitchen, family room or the great room of the house.
Opening Up To The Outdoors
If you are involved in designing the house from scratch, try to have the master bedroom in a place that it lies adjacent to an open space, like a terrace (for a second story house) or a garden (for ground floor homes). A simple French door can then easily connect you with the outside world and make the room look larger. This will also allow more natural light into your bedroom.
Consider The Furniture
There’s a good amount of furniture that you’ll likely want in your master bedroom apart from the bed. The dresser, nightstand, a sitting chair, should all be considered when developing your floorplan. Consider how you can accommodate all these pieces without making the room cramped or unbalanced.
If you want a master bedroom that’s elegantly designed yet also highly functional, you definitely need some help from the experts. We’ve design and built plenty and look forward to helping you too!
Imagine moving into a home where every brick, every door and every window has been built to your liking. Welcome to the world of custom homes, an experience that is hard to replicate if you buy a pre-built home. It is often said that your home defines your lifestyle,e and this perhaps explains the overwhelming popularity of custom homes in Oregon as other parts of the United States. Most people think that building a custom home in Oregon starts with finding the right contractor. Yes, choice of a contractor is very important as they will give shape to your ideas, but there are a number of other factors that come into play way before you even start discussing a project with a contractor.
Choose Community Wisely
You may have come across different websites and publications that rank different communities in Oregon. Don’t blindly believe what they say! There is no community that is “perfect” for you to start hunting for a lot, and there is no do-not-buy list either. The fact is not all communities suit every individual and family. There are communities that are conservative while others are liberal; there are communities that are great for retirement homes while are great for a young couple. Choose a community by taking into account all the pros and cons for your specific needs, not just what everyone else is saying.
Be Careful With the Lot
Let’s say you find an awesome lot in your most desired community, and at a great price. You might be tempted to simply pick it up without taking into account whether it is best suited for your particular home idea. Like communities, not all lots are meant for all kinds of property. You should walk on the lot and take note of its dimensions and gradient before you buy it. If you do have a relationship with a contractor already, make sure you get their opinion n the lot before you take the plunge.
Take Note of Amenities
Before you make up your mind to buy the lot, consider the nearby amenities. If it’s out in the country, is access to all required utilities readily available? In urban settings, are there fun places to shop, eat and play for your kids? If you don’t take these things in consideration, you could end up with a beautiful home but limited recreational activities for you and your family.
There are people who stay away from building a custom home thinking it will be expensive and cumbersome. But the joy of designing and building something from scratch to your liking is a feeling unlike any other when you do it right. What exactly does that mean? Here are four things to look for when building a custom home in Washington or Oregon.
#1 Contractor’s Skills & Expertise
The choice of contractor when building a custom home in Washington is almost as serious as choosing a surgeon for a surgery. If they are inexperienced in the area and aren’t used to building in the PNW, you might run into problems. You need to carefully review the skills and expertise of the contractor before engaging them in your project. Take a look at their portfolio and the kind of projects they have executed in the past. Never go in blindly and hope for the best when it comes to building a home.
#2 Fix Your Budget
Fixing your budget is as important as finding the right contractor. You need to discuss the project carefully with the contractor beforehand so both of you are on the same page. From start to finish, you need to get an accurate quote from your builder and source funds at least 20% higher than what the contractor has quoted, just in case something doesn’t go as planned or you decide you want to add or modify your original building plan.
#3 Future Oriented Design
Your needs are likely to change down the road, and would most likely grow as your family gets bigger. So it’s very important that you work towards a design that leaves rooms for future expansions, or other modifications you may want down the road. When you are discussing the project with your builder, always make sure you ask about this. After all, they’ve built a lot more homes than you have and probably have great recommendations when it comes to planning for the future like this.
#4 Eco-Friendly Architecture
If there is one thing that characterizes modern homes, it’s their eco-friendly design. Everywhere in the world, we’re seeing serious concerns for environment and how we have stretched our planet to its limits. Cutting down on power bills and increasing the use of natural light has become as important as choosing the right storage plan for your kitchen. Also, in case you decide to sell, energy efficient homes tend to find buyers easily compared to those that rely on power for lighting, cooling and heating purposes.
At Elk Ridge Custom Homes, we get dozens of inquiries each week. For the majority of our clients, the kitchen is one of the most important topics of discussion. As custom home builders, we believe if your home has a heart it surely has to be the kitchen. We’ve built all kinds of homes, from the cozy ones to properties that are dressed in luxury. We can say one thing for sure: a great home starts with a great kitchen, and this article explores a few reasons why we hold this belief.
It’s a Continuing Tradition
If you go back into history and take a look at the remains of ancient buildings across different cultures, you’ll find that kitchen has always dominated home architecture. Early human civilization was centered on food, leading the kitchen to be one of the most important parts of any home. This tradition has continued well into our modern world.
Resale Value
When it comes to building smart, you can’t really go wrong by investing in your kitchen. Square footage, a nice kitchen and a great master bedroom are three of the most deciding factors that determine a home’s resale value. While you may not be that concerned with resale value if you are building a home for yourself, it’s good to be smart about this in case life changes and you do find yourself relocating down the road.
It Defines Your Lifestyle
The kitchen is where you welcome and entertain most of your friends and guests, and its décor and layout cast an impression in their minds. In this way, your kitchen can really define your values and lifestyle around hospitality. Naturally it’s also the most expensive room in your house, so treating it with high priority can make a real statement to all you welcome into your home.
It Is Where the Family Meets
Regardless of whether you have a small or a large family, the kitchen is the place where your family meets to have dinner, share their stores and create memories! It’s the place where kids often complete their homework and where couples can reconnect at the end of the day with a nice glass of wine. A modern kitchen serves as the control center of your home, creating a focal point for establishing memories to cherish for a lifetime.
Given the importance of kitchen to your home and life, you need to carefully plan the project. Take note of the size, layout and storage – these are the three vital things that make a good kitchen. The idea of a modern kitchen is constantly evolving, so make sure you research the possibilities and adopt a design that suits your needs and defines your lifestyle.
At Elk Ridge, our standard kitchen is one of the best out there. Download our free PDF now to learn more about our process, and specifically how we can build the kitchen of your dreams!
As we are headquartered in Vancouver, WA, we have a special place in our hearts for any projects that we do in this area. We know the market, community, and everything else very well so you can be sure you get the perfect homebuilding experience. For this post, we look at four specific things that are crucial to building a custom home in Vancouver, WA or anywhere else in Oregon and Washington, the areas we serve.
#1 Know Your Needs
The process starts with knowing your needs as the very idea of custom homebuilding is based on a niche space that is defined by your goals and aspirations. How big of a home you are looking for? How many bedrooms do you need? How many bathrooms do you want to have? Are you looking for an attached or detached garage? These are very important question that should be discussed and listed out before the process even gets started. You will be asked all of these questions from your builder anyway, so you might as well be prepped ahead of time.
#2 Hire A Seasoned Builder
There are dozens of builders who can build homes in our Vancouver area, but not all of them have expertise in building custom homes. This is why you should be extremely choosy while hiring a builder for your project. Go deep into their portfolio to get a thorough feel of the projects they have executed in the past. If you don’t do your due diligence here, your dream home could turn into a nightmare. Additionally, make sure the builders you hire must be fully licensed and insured.
#3 Consider The Lot
Before you start discussing the project with a custom home builder you need to make them aware of the size, dimensions and gradient of your lot. This is very important as not all floor plans may be compatible with the shape and size of your lot, or your house could end up looking like it was forced into place. We are very experienced with this and can suggest the right kind of floor plan for your lot.
#4 Resale Value
Even though you might be convinced this is your lifelong home, the statistics say you are likely going to move again! Because of this, you should always keep the resale factor in your mind when building. Over customization and too “unique” ideas may prove to be an obstacle in attracting a buyer. Also make sure that the plan you work on is extensible and allows for modification and improvements as this is what most buyers look for while choosing a property.