Before moving the enormous dirt pile from the back of the house to the front — and filling in the mote around the front porch — the basement concrete panels were covered with stucco. Unlike typical building materials, stucco can be applied directly to the aerated concrete panels. No need for the multi-step process of [...]
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The fibrous concrete panels we are using to build the house — stacked up and secured with polyurethane before being filled with concrete — were something of an aesthetic mess. Bumpy, lumpy, and uneven, the walls didn’t much lend themselves to being easily stuccoed. Eames and a helper spent three long days this week rasping [...]
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The aerated concrete panels we are using to build our home are not a common system, so few crews are familiar with the materials and method. Aaron Eames, the manufacturer, has spend the past month working on the first two levels and training Brad and his crew in the techniques invovled. With the training completed, [...]
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When we built the last custom home, we determined that we needed a security system. Our house was large and in a moderately remote location. Given that all the lots were five acres, the few neighbors that could even see our home weren’t likely to hear anything. Installing a security system seemed to be a [...]
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With the basement poured we’re waiting on the concrete panels. They should arrive next Wednesday. In the meantime, we’re on the lookout for honest, quality subcontractors and suppliers in the Utah County area, who would like to bid for remaining work on the house. We’ll be making a short list of a few we’d like to [...]
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I love weathervanes. Especially rooftop weathervanes attached to the top of a cupola. And I’ve been trying for months to figure out how to include one on our craftsman style home, even though it seems an abrupt contrast to the design. They are just so cool! You can use a weathervane to accentuate the peak [...]
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Every house needs to have the street number clearly marked for the sake of visitors and emergency personnel. Rather than using cheap looking numbers from the home store to accomplish this, choose from among the myriad address plaques available for personalization. An address plaque is one of those special details that can make a home [...]
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After writing about some really cool features for your custom home a few weeks ago, I was reminded that knowing what to avoid is a big part of getting the home you really want. And the truth is, sometimes home designers/builders don’t seem to actually live in homes. Too often they create features that aren’t [...]
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Details make all the difference in home livability. Your new custom home can go from great to amazing with some forethought and planning. Check out these 8 cool features submitted by the SeerStone Homes community. Implement those that fit your lifestyle and you’ll be on your way to luxury living!
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For the first many months of planning, we had determined that our new, custom home would have a real, wood-burning fireplace in the family room. We’d still use a gas fireplace for our master bedroom, but not in the main living area. Neither of us is terribly enamored with gas fireplaces. We have found four [...]
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To maintain sanity while building a custom home, you must come to grips with one sad fact: the construction industry is a living mess. It’s rife with inefficiency, stupidity, dishonesty, and carelessness. I don’t know if it’s the worst industry on the planet, but I do know one thing. Sam and I are business owners. [...]
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Following a trend has its downside. Once the trend has passed, you are left with a dated pile of hip huggers. Or low riders. Or whatever. Still, I have fallen in love with the resurgence of the American Craftsman homes. Maybe that’s a risk, but I couldn’t help myself. According to Daniel S. Morrison, in his [...]
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Whenever we are building, we make it a habit to attend the Parade of Homes in both Utah and Salt Lake counties. I can’t get enough of it. Sam was overdosed about three years back. But it was at the Parade that we made a remarkable discovery. Remarkable, at least, for custom home builders who [...]
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