Author Archive
Front-Loaded Garages VS Rear-Loaded Garages
Posted by: | Comments
Moving garages to the back of the homes at Dupont Commons makes them more attractive and inviting.
Beautiful and functional pre sale plans starting from $274,900!
Sizing Up Square Footage OR Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Posted by: | CommentsThe owners of a 90,000-square-foot home under construction near Orlando are trying to sell it for $75 million “as is.” The owners call it “Versailles” and bought 10 Segways to help their family get around the house until the economy crashed forcing them to sell. According to the story in the Wall Street Journal, the owners had planned on a 12,000 square-foot home, but during the design process the house took on a life of its own. “I wanted a bowling alley for the kids and I wanted an indoor roller- and ice-skating rink, and my husband wanted a 10,000 square-foot health spa with an indoor relaxation pool and the house kept growing and we had to keep buying more lots.”
Conspicuous consumption on this scale is out and more and more buyers don’t find a so-called McMansion appealing. It’s a movement championed by Sarah Susanka more than a decade ago in her first book The Not So Big House. “So many homes today are the developers vision of what we should need in terms of square footage and rooms and adjacencies, … The Not So Big House is about how to introduce spirit and personality into our homes,” said Sarah Susanka, architect and best-selling author.
A stone fireplace in a breezeway creates an inviting outdoor space, one of the unique details that make a Brock Built home more "livable."
It’s not so much about making a home smaller, but smarter in how you use spaces and how they look. Steve Brock was one of the first Atlanta builders to use this approach with Adams Crossing. He spent more than two years researching the type of home that he believed buyers really wanted that was also close to where they wanted to be. He says he was a little surprised at the incredible response. Brock Built continues that tradition today with an $8,000 buyer bonus through July 31st on homes in The Commons and lot 2 in Belmont Chase (pictured left).
The Secrets to Finding the Right Remodeler
Posted by: | CommentsHiring a professional and experienced remodeler is an important first step in making changes to your home – but how do you find one? Here are a few tips from the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov) on what you should look for in a remodeler.
Home improvement contractors often advertise in newspapers, the Yellow Pages, and on the radio and TV. However, don’t consider an ad an indication of the quality of a contractor’s work. Your best bet is a reality check from those in the know: friends, neighbors, or co-workers who have had improvement work done. Get written estimates from several firms. Ask for explanations for price variations. Don’t automatically choose the lowest bidder.
Don’t Get Nailed
Not all contractors operate within the law. Here are some tip-offs to potential rip-offs. A less than reputable contractor:
- solicits door-to-door;
- just happens to have materials left over from a previous job;
- only accepts cash payments;
- asks you to get the required building permits;
- pressures you for an immediate decision;
- offers exceptionally long guarantees;
- asks you to pay for the entire job up-front.
Hiring a Contractor
Interview each contractor you’re considering. Here are some questions to ask.
- How long have you been in business? Look for a well-established company and check it out with consumer protection officials.
- Are you licensed and registered with the state? While most states license electrical and plumbing contractors, only 36 states have some type of licensing and registration statutes affecting contractors, remodelers, and/or specialty contractors. The licensing can range from simple registration to a detailed qualification process.
- How many projects like mine have you completed in the last year? Ask for a list. This will help you determine how familiar the contractor is with your type of project.
- Will my project require a permit? Most states and localities require permits for building projects, even for simple jobs like decks. A competent contractor will get all the necessary permits before starting work on your project.
- May I have a list of references? The contractor should be able to give you the names, addresses, and phone numbers of at least three clients who have projects similar to yours.
- Will you be using subcontractors on this project? If yes, ask to meet them, and make sure they have current insurance coverage and licenses, if required. Also ask them if they were paid on time by this contractor.
- What types of insurance do you carry? Contractors should have personal liability, worker’s compensation, and property damage coverage. Ask for copies of insurance certificates, and make sure they’re current.
While most people know Brock Built as a new homebuilder, the company is also a professional remodeler that is licensed/insured, well known, guarantees its work and can get the job done in a reasonable amount of time. For pricing information contact Adam: 404.557.2523 or Craig: 404.472.4407
Here are a few of the types of remodeling projects Brock Built can do for you:
Make your home more “Green”
Finish Basements
Custom Wine Cellar
Custom Bar
Home Theatre
Sauna
New Kitchen Cabinets and Counter Tops
Bathroom Improvements
Build/ Enclose Decks
Porches
Garages
Re-Roofing
Fencing
Interior and Exterior Painting
Patio Upgrades with Fire Pits or Fire Places
Wooden Arbors
Exterior Pavers and Colored Concrete
Certified Green Homes Sell Faster and for More of the Asking Price
Posted by: | Comments
Certified green homes represented 12.3% of the total new construction market in Atlanta according to the 2nd Quarter 2010 Atlanta Green Home Sales Report. The report’s author, Carson Matthews, says it’s the highest percent of market share for green homes in Atlanta since he began the report in 2008. Green homes sold for 97.1% of asking price in 99 days compared to 92% of asking price for conventional new construction in 110 days on the market. This study looks at detached single family homes that were built 2007 or later and sold as “new construction”. The Green Home Sales Report looks at homes listed between $250,000 and $2,000,000 in Fulton, Dekalb, Cobb and Gwinnett Counties. The green homes have all been certified by a third party Green Building Certification including LEED for Homes, NAHB Green Building Standard, Energy Star and EarthCraft House.
Steve Brock, founder and president of Brock Built Homes, was selected as the 2009 EarthCraft Home Builder of the Year by the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute. Established in 1984, Brock Built Homes has built most of its new homes to EarthCraft standards since April 2007. EarthCraft, created as a collaboration between the GAHBA and Southface, now trains builders and certifies homes in five Southeastern states besides Georgia, including Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama. Since its inception in 1999, EarthCraft Home has certified more than 7,000 sustainably built, energy-efficient homes in metro Atlanta.
Well Water Keeps Dupont Commons Green and Clean
Posted by: | Comments
Dupont Commons by Brock Built features an irrigation system that uses well water in its sprinkler systems and has an extra hookup for homeowners to use for things such as washing their cars. Having a community well puts less stress on the city’s municipal water system, and saves residents money on their water and sewage bills. Home owners also have the flexibility to use water for activities such as power washing or cleaning their cars when needed while other communities are limited to an odd/even watering schedule under the new Georgia Water Stewardship Act that went into effect statewide last month.
Anatomy of a Front Porch OR Why Size Really Matters
Posted by: | Comments“Nobody thought much about the front porch when most Americans had them and used them. The great American front porch was just there, open and sociable, an unassigned part of the house that belonged to everyone and no one, a place for family and friends to pass the time.”
–Rochlin, The Front Porch, in Home, Sweet Home
No other feature on a house creates a sense of community like the front porch. Shifting the garage to the back and moving the house closer to the curb with a covered porch out front encourages interaction, creating a safer and friendlier neighborhood (there are statistics to back this up). But not all front porches are created equal, especially in the South where wider porches have been historically built to provide shade from the sun and fit more family and friends on it. Brock Built constructs usable porches on many of its homes that are 6 feet or more (decorative porches generally are 5 feet or less). Check out what it’s like to live in a neighborhood that feels like home by calling 404.472.5707.
The front porches looking out onto the park at Dupont Commons
Happy Birthday America!
Posted by: | Comments
As your family celebrates the 4th of July, use caution if you’re lighting your own fireworks. There’s a 1 in 19,556 chance you could hurt yourself. You’re actually four times more likely to injure yourself shaving or using a chain saw. And you have a one in 3,623 chance of injury mowing your lawn.
So play it safe today and skip the yard work, shaving and let the professionals put on the firework displays. Here’s a list of where you can find them in Metro Atlanta (http://tinyurl.com/34vqyxr).
Speaking of playing it safe, as a special thank you to the people who protect our neighborhoods, Brock Built is offering a $5000 buyer bonus for police officers and firefighters on all our communities. Call 404.472.5707 for more information.
Americans Getting More Stressed Over Long Commutes
Posted by: | Comments
Long commutes can negatively impact your physical and mental health
A report out today from IBM finds that our daily commute to work is taking a toll on the health, social lives and even job performance of many Americans (http://tiny.cc/f582e). Sixty-five percent of those in the survey said their commute gave them sleeping trouble and anger issues. The IBM Global Commuter Pain Study surveyed 8,192 people in 20 major cities around the world and found that commuters are having a harder time dealing with rising gas prices, long commute times and rude drivers. Some of the findings in the report:
85 percent of Americans said traffic has gotten worse or stayed the same in the past three years.
84 percent of Americans continue to drive to work alone.
31 percent of respondents said that during the past three years traffic has been so bad that they turned around and went home.
If you’re ready to ditch the long commute and save money (and your sanity), check out some of Brock Built’s great, in town neighborhoods. Give us a call at 404.472.5707 to find out about our $8000 buyer bonus on homes in the The Commons and on lot 2 in Belmont Chase, both through July 31st.
Free Urban Art Tour on Atlanta’s BeltLine this Sunday
Posted by: | Comments
Many of Brock Built’s new and existing communities are on or near the new BeltLine that’s a $2.8 billion redevelopment project that will provide a network of public parks, multi-use trails and transit along a historic 22-mile railroad corridor running through 45 neighborhoods that circle downtown Atlanta. While the proposed light-rail trains are a few years off, part of the BeltLine is already open to pedestrians and off-road bicyclists. There’s also “Art on the BeltLine: Atlanta’s New Public Place, ” a temporary art project that is placing visual and performance art installations, as well as historic site interpretation, at different points along the corridor.
The BeltLine will be holding a special “Graffiti Tour” this Sunday that starts just a few blocks west of Brock Built’s The Commons at Historic Westside. For more information on the tour, go to http://beltline.org/. If you’d like to stop in check out The Commons before the tour, give us a call at our Sales Office at 404.569.3803.
BeltLine Graffiti Tour (west side)
Start Date/Time: Sunday, June 27, 2010 4:00 PM
End Date/Time: Sunday, June 27, 2010 6:00 PM
Description: The meeting location for this walking tour is at end of Lena St near the Washington Park Tennis Center and Natatorium- closest address is 1077 Lena St NW 30314.
Cool Idea to Keep Attics From Getting so Hot
Posted by: | Comments
Heat radiates into the attic on the left while it
The last place you want to be on a hot Atlanta day is up in your attic. Temperatures can reach well above 140 degrees, but that’s not the case in a Brock Built home. Listen to Steve Brock talk about using LP TechShield in all his new homes. TechShield is the original radiant barrier sheathing and the #1 selling brand. This innovative product helps block radiant heat in the roof from entering the attic, keeping the attic cooler, lowering energy costs and making the home more comfortable. LP says it can cut monthly air conditioning bills up to 17%.
