Do you have a mental image of your dream home or a list of products and design features that you want to include in your custom built home? Homeowners building a custom designed home are able to take advantage of innovations that add long-term value, comfort and convenience to their day-to-day lives. As consumers begin to consider the things from large to small that will make their new home comfortable and functional for their lifestyle some common threads occur. New homes can include energy efficient products and design features that range from installing energy efficient appliances to building a net zero home. Other in demand products for custom built homes include radiant floor heating and built in smart technology products.
Radiant Floor Heating
Radiant floor heating is on of the most in demand products in custom home building for several reasons. While the up-front cost is higher than a mechanical force air system the long run advantages often make it the best choice especially for consumers wit asthma or other health concerns. Homeowners with allergies and asthma benefit from radiant floor heating because it does not move air around sending dust particles through a duct system. When installed and used properly, radiant floors are also energy efficient as the concrete and water in the floor retain heat allowing it to be turned off when the desired temperature is reached. Radiant floors allow for flexibility, as they are compatible with many energy sources including boilers, electricity, gas and even solar power.
Energy Efficient Products
Consumers are becoming more interested in building homes that are energy efficient. Terms like “green”, “sustainable”, and “high-performance” are used interchangeably and more frequently in custom home building. It can be intimidating and expensive to consider solar roof panels or geothermal heating. The good news is that many of the best products used to build an energy efficient home are less expensive than consumers may expect. Products that give excellent return on investment in this area include spray foam insulation, quality HVAC systems (in the right size for the home), and great windows. Additionally, choosing deep porches and roof overhangs assist in reducing solar gain. High performance home building is an area to discuss with a builder that utilizes the design-build method. Planning and communication between the builder, architect, and trade contractors to review the plans before the building project begins to include the energy efficient choices of the homeowner makes the home building process more efficient and cost effective.
Smart Technology
Smart technology… it is amazing how quickly technology in this field has advanced. Would you like to be able to push one button to turn off all the lights and lock the doors before you go to sleep at night? Homeowners can choose to build their custom home with technology that allows everything from the temperature of the air, to the lights, home security, and entertainment to be accessible from their phones. This type of technology is especially attractive to Gen Xers and Echo Boomers that want seamless integration of technology.
One of the wonderful things about building a Tennessee custom designed home is the ability to include the products that will provide value to you and exclude the products that are not of interest in your life. There are many options to consider for homeowners and part of the fun is selecting the right design and products for the lifestyle they enjoy.