New Home Owners

July 25, 2014

Transform Your Home With Gardens

Custom Home, New Home Owners Cache Valley, gardens, Mt. Sterling Homes

most trusted northern utah home builder

A Little Time and Effort Make All The Difference

Think about it, whether you have flower pot on your porch, a few bushes by your back door or even just the grass in your yard, most of us have some form of a garden to care for. Whatever type of garden you have it can always be made more beautiful and enhance the value of your home. As custom home builders in Cache Valley, Mt. Sterling Custom Homes is dedicated to helping you not only with your home but with the landscaping as well.

Gardens Enhance Your Home

Gardens are beautiful and pleasant and they can be functional part of your home. Historically gardens have been a sign of class and wealth, only upper class and royalty could afford to have decorative gardens. Working class families would just have patches of tilled soil to cultivate small crops. In modern society home sites can be smaller than ever but no matter the size of your land with a few creative tricks you can create a garden that will enhance your property value and compliment your home.

A Garden Takes Planning

Like most things the best gardens are well planned. Take the time to do a little research. What are your priorities? Are you looking for simplicity? Are you trying to be water-wise? Do you want flowers that bloom all season or plants that return every year? The internet or your local nursery will be a great asset in your planning stage. If you can’t afford to do the whole project all at once add a few plants each week, or month or even each summer. Eventually you will have the garden of your dreams.

Remember The Basics

Once you are planted, remember the basics, water and fertilizer. Utah is technically still the desert and most plants won’t thrive without a little extra TLC. Fresh mulch every few months, regular weeding and removing the “dead heads” will keep your garden looking fresh and beautiful.

If you are interested in building a home so you can have your own personal garden please give our new home consultants at Mt. Sterling Custom homes a call and let them help you with the home AND garden of your dreams.

July 15, 2014

4 Easy Home Projects for Summer

Custom Home, Decorations, Neighborhood, New Home Owners custom home, Mt. Sterling, northern utah home builder, summer projects

most trusted northern Utah home builder

Summer is the time to get things done! As northern Utah’s most trusted home builder we want to give you a few tips to keep your home maintained and in top condition. Here are four suggestions that we at Mt. Sterling Custom Homes think will help keep your home better than ever!

1. Clean out the Garage

Come on, admit it–how long has it been since your garage got a good deep cleaning? With constant traffic from cars, pets and kids and an endless “tucking of things away” because you don’t know where else to put them, it doesn’t take long for the garage to become a disaster! Start by going through all the stuff and get rid of what you haven’t used in the last year by having a mini garage sale. Then take everything else out (this is where the warm summer weather comes in handy) and go to town with a deep cleaning. Scrub the concrete, wash down the walls, wipe the shelving and storage spaces. Sort and organize what you are putting back in the garage and wahLah!! you have a clean, organized space absent of clutter, dust and pests.

2. Paint a Room (or two!)

When you have a new home remodeling is probably the last thing from your mind, but painting is an easy project that doesn’t cost much money and has a huge impact. So if you are getting bored with plain walls, tape off your trim molding, move the furniture (perhaps you can store some of it in your now clean garage!) put drop cloths down to protect the floors and go to town. If you don’t want to paint a whole room try an accent wall or perhaps a fun painting technique like a stencil.

3. Plant a flower bed or a garden

Northern Utah is a great place to try out your green thumb. The growing season is longer than you would expect and what home doesn’t benefit from the curb appeal of colorful flower gardens? Or, if you have enough space, take some of your yard and make a vegetable garden. It’s a great way to make friends with the neighbors and help your grocery budget.

4. Deep Clean Your Carpets

It’s recommended to have your carpets cleaned at least once or twice annually. This will keep your home looking new and also prolong the life of your carpet. Most local grocery stores rent “Rug Doctor” machines or something similar. A basic cleaning job shouldn’t take more than a couple hours. If your carpet is really soiled you might want to spend the day at the local pool and hire a professional to do the work. Either way your home will look marvelous!

Have you already started some projects this summer? We hope this list will give you some ideas to keep your new custom home looking great and move-in condition. As always, we at Mt. Sterling Custom Homes wish you the best of luck on all your home projects and if a new home is in your future please contact us so we can help you achieve your new home dreams.

January 23, 2014

Fun New Home Trends for 2014

Custom Home, New Home Owners 2014, Design, Trends

The new year has begun, and 2014 is looking brighter than ever for home design. If you’re getting ready to start building a home this year, you may want to look into some of the new trends that experts are predicting and we are starting to see (and love), and start selecting which of these trends you’d like to make a part of your new home! According to an article by CBS Money Watch, these are the top predicted trends for 2014.

1. The open-concept kitchen. If you haven’t noticed, kitchens aren’t tucked away behind walls anymore. Recently built homes have an open kitchen that connects with a living space. These so-called great rooms are great because they offer a more guest-friendly environment. We have found that family and friends tend to gravitate towards the kitchen, where the food is, which is why we are also seen and designed some wonderful new kitchens just to give your family space. These kitchen designs are also great for the cook.

MtSterlingKitchen

2. Neutral colors. There’s a great shift in the color schemes of many modern homes these days. Where designers used to look for dark, bold, rich colors to liven a home, they are now using neutral colors (whites, grays, taupes) to create a more calming, bright, airy and cheerful effect within the home. Neutral colors also make it easy to change your style seasonally (or if your tastes change) by just switching out pillows, blankets etc… (But don’t be afraid to use a few bold colors to add contrast in your design!)

3. Efficient design. These designs allow for everyone and anyone to use them. They are simple, but very functional. They maximize the living space per square foot of cost while also eliminating waste.

4. Quartz. Granite countertops are quickly being replaced by quartz countertops. Quartz has the same classy look and the same quality feel as granite, but it’s actually more practical. It’s non-porous so it’s easily cleaned, not to mention that it will resist cracking and wears more than a granite countertop will. We are also see more butcher-block and stainless counters coming back.

5. Energy-efficient and water-saving appliances. Not only will these appliances look nice, but they will also save you big bucks when it comes to energy and water bills. These appliances are no longer just for the rich and famous, but they now come in highly-affordable models.

As you keep your eye on the upcoming trends, remember to contact your most trusted northern Utah home builder for the best advice on your personal homebuilding decisions!

October 18, 2013

Why Build a Custom Home

Custom Home, New Home Owners Budgeting, Buying, Mount Sterling Construction, northern Utah homebuilders, Patience, Planning

There are many reasons to build a custom home, and choosing to do so could be one of the best decisions of your financial life. First, no two families are the same. Each will have a different preference on how a certain function of the home should work, or where a certain thing should be. Cookie-cutter homes for the masses do not give each family that freedom. As top notch, Northern Utah homebuilders, we understand that fact and specialize in helping families create their own living space.

Second, production builders use products that minimize the cost of construction, but also maximize their own profits. What that means for you as a homeowner is that the products used during construction may not have the life expectancy you hope to get from a new home. When you have your home custom built, you have a say in the materials used, and this ensures you get the quality you want, as well. Additionally, you get to choose the style that suits you; from the floors to the built-ins, everything is catered to your personal tastes.

Buying a home is an investment in your future, and if it is going to be a place you spend the next 20-30 years of your life, it might as well be a place you love. Contact northern Utah homebuilders for more information about the process. They can walk you through the ins and outs, including what you can expect to pay. Following are a few tips to keep in mind if you are planning to custom build your home.

*Keep an eye on your budget – manage your expectations and desires realistically so you do not end up overextending yourself.

*Plan ahead – custom building can be a little more expensive than building from pre-existing blueprints, so it is important to know what you want and plan your finances accordingly, while also being as frugal as possible during the build.

*Be Patient – custom building a home will take longer than other options, but is well worth it. There are blueprints to draw up; building permits to obtain, and then the actual building time will vary based on your design. Stay in contact with your builders for updates.

With those tips in mind, anyone can successfully build a custom home. While not all of the decision-making may be desirable for some, those who enjoy deciding exactly what their home will look like will enjoy the process.

Iannucci, L. (n.d.) “Should You Custom Build Your Home?” Bob Vila (Website). Retrieved from http://www.bobvila.com/articles/423-should-you-custom-build-your-home/ . Accessed on October 1, 2013.

August 22, 2013

Housing Industry and the Current Status in the U.S.

Architect, Industry, New Home Owners, Purchasing APR, Building, Homes, Housing industry, Mortgage Rates, Mount Sterling Custom Homes, Safety, US

There are plenty of people that worry about the state of the housing market in the United States. The housing market affects different people on different levels. Some depend on the housing industry for employment. Other people are worried about getting a return on an investment they made on a home in the past. There are groups of people that wonder if now is the time to buy a home or would they be better off renting a home. There are many reasons to worry about the housing market and that is why there is so much information being written about it.

The state of the housing market can be broken down into several areas. These include the sales of homes, the construction of new homes and the interest rates of mortgage. In order to understand how the housing market is doing, you have to look at all three areas.

Sales of Existing Homes

During the height of the real estate boom, houses were selling like hotcakes. You could get a premium price on any home you owned because of the demand that there was. When the bottom of the market fell out, the sales of existing homes also slowed. Homes would sit on the market for a lot longer and the price they could get was much lower. Over the last few years the average price of homes has risen slightly, but it really depends on where a home is. Many homes have still not gotten back to the value they had before the real estate bust, but they will get there eventually. The amount of time it takes to sell a home is also decreasing and homes that are priced well and presented in the right way can still sell quickly.

Building of New Homes

At the height of the real estate boom, the sales of new homes were never higher. When the market fell, no one needed a new home and construction of new homes stopped as the supply of homes in the market was much higher than the demand. In 2012 the construction of single family homes increased a little less than 3% over the previous year. That trend is expected to continue and should increase even more in the future.

The Mortgage Rates

The mortgage rates and the availability of money for people to buy a home is a reflection of the housing market. For the past several years the rates have dropped and people have been able to obtain mortgages for as low as 3% APR. That makes home more affordable for everyone to buy. It also is easier than it used to be to get a mortgage although it is still not as simple as it was 10 years ago.

June 24, 2013

Why Be Choosey When Building a Custom Home

Custom Home, New Home Owners, Purchasing Custom Homes, decisions, Mt. Sterling, new home, purchasing

One of the biggest decisions that a person or couple can make throughout their entire life is having a home built or purchasing a home. However, there are many pros and cons to both, most custom home builders will tell you that it’s cheaper in the long run and you get exactly what you want with homes that are custom designed by the buyer. Being picky over how your home is going to look or how the floor plan is going to be is not a bad thing. In fact, it shows that you are more interested in the future than what is currently happening right now. Why be choosey when building a custom home? Because in the long run it will save you time, money, and headache.

Having a home built can be extremely stressful and when it comes down to married couples, most say that it caused several discrepancies within their marriage. The decisions to be made may take up to a year to work through and plan. This is just the beginning. The planning process itself can take up to a year and a half depending on if the buyer has an idea in mind for what their end product will look like. This is one of the upsides to having a home custom built. Being choosey about it, just shows that you don’t want to live with the last homeowner’s choices but want to create your own dream house.

A key point to be choosey about when having your home custom built is the appliances, fixtures, and landscape. Even though you’ve already got your foot in the door to owning your dream home, these things can be the make it or break it of your vision. Choosing to place a chandelier in the kitchen might seem like a great idea now, but considering prices and how much electricity that fixture might take, you might find a cheaper fixture that looks just as good and drains less energy.

It’s very important that the choices made are those that you’re willing to live with for the remainder of your stay in the home. If you are indecisive about certain things, try visualizing what it will be like in your home. You can even take pictures of the items in the store, or find them online to compare how it would look versus a different model. Why be choosey when building a custom home? Because if you’re not, you could end up paying a ton of money for remodeling that could have been avoided by being choosey and planning ahead.

June 21, 2013

Questions To Ask Your Custom Home Builder

Architect, New Home Owners, Purchasing architect, Building Process, company, experience, new homes, purchasing, questions

Purchasing your first home can be a very rewarding experience, especially if you get the chance to watch the construction as it is progresses. The first step in the construction of your home is finding the perfect custom home builder. This might be challenging for those that are novice in the field of purchasing homes, however with the following ‘questions to ask your custom home builder,’ the process will be easy enough for a toddler to do.

1. What are the strong points of the company?
The answer to this question will vary depending on the size of the building company. Strong points can be a personalized updating system where the owner is notified after each milestone has been met in planning. Another could be working solely with one project until it is completed before scheduling another, for companies that tend to overbook their time this can be very worrisome.

2. Does your company work with an architect?
This may not be a very big deal to some people as the architect can be hired outside of the company, but companies that provide their own are rated higher among individuals who are looking to work with custom home builders.

3. Are you experienced in building this size of a home?
This is an excellent question because many companies are either large home builders or small ones. Finding a company that can build any size home at the owner’s desire is a diamond in the rough.

4. What stage in the building process should you be called in?
Although many companies will say immediately, because the quicker they get started on building your custom home, the quicker you can move in it. However, if the decisions have yet to be made on location, size, or style it’s best to figure those out before going forward.

5. Do you have a company construction crew on hand?
Normally this would be ideal, but some companies do tend to sub-contract. Companies that are larger might have their own crews on hand but if they do, the question of how many projects they are currently working on should also be asked.

6. After construction, can you help with home decorating?
This question is not one that is highly asked but there are many home designers that are connected to specific custom home builders. If requested, they might be able to give you a great deal on a package through their advised designer by having your home built by them.

7. Can you provide References?
This question should not be overlooked. References are the only real key that anyone has to knowing what type of work that a company is capable of. By calling the previous clients that they have built homes for and getting a review, you’ll be able to understand exactly what they can provide to you.

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