Read the full article at SouthernLiving.com When approached with a custom build project overlooking the hills of Tennessee, Castle Homes, a longtime member of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program, knew just who to call to bring the homeowners’ panoramic vision to life.  “They wanted to bring the outdoors in,” says Heather Looney, Castle Homes Vice President and Designer. “They wanted to see the trees and everything that Tennessee has to offer. Pella® Reserve Windows allow the home to breathe, and to bring the outdoors in, without being hammered by all the e ..read more

Your spring maintenance checklist doesn’t have to feel daunting. Use this easy guide to protect your property and avoid larger issues down the road.  Tending to your home is a year-round commitment, but spring is a time when it feels most fitting to check things off the to-do list and embrace the changing of seasons. Each time Castle Homes completes a project, they share a handy list of recommended home maintenance, broken down by season, so the list doesn’t feel endless. Spring-time maintenance includes repairs and touchups, yardwork, concrete care, checking irrigation systems, and ready ..read more

A design-minded client with an appreciation for modern architecture saw her vision come to life. The objective of good design, as many would agree, is to create a space for the client while maintaining a foundation of quality craftsmanship, livable spaces, and thoughtful details. “The key is listening to our client and trying to understand that we are designing a home for them that needs to fit their lifestyle and fit their budget,” says Castle Homes owner Alan Looney when chatting about the modern residence driven by his client’s appreciation for contemporary architecture and interiors. The f ..read more

The answer will have an impact on the selections you make and the final home cost. Potential clients often ask for our homes’ average cost per square foot. The question is understandable. Price per square foot is a metric the real estate industry uses to gauge the competitiveness of resale homes, and homebuyers have internalized that way of thinking. To their credit, most of our Castle Homes clients know that because custom homes are unique (which is why they want one) we can’t make hard comparisons. So they ask for a ballpark figure, or price range. But to arrive at an accurate range, we need ..read more

In the future, you can tell friends and family what things were like during the Great Supply Crunch If you’re contemplating a new custom home, you’re no doubt aware of rising costs for lumber and other building materials. That problem has gotten plenty of media coverage. But price isn’t the only challenge. There’s another issue that, while it gets more attention from the business media than from the popular press, is giving headaches to builders and homeowners alike. Click here to see more of Scandinavian Retreat. Image: Leslie Brown Photography.Supply Chain Impacts We’re talking about the sup ..read more

Prevent surprises and delays by getting answers from the top. There are lots of things homeowners can do to keep their building project running smoothly. Number one is making timely product choices, but another key step is to direct all change requests and questions, no matter how small, to our team here at Castle Homes. Communicating With Your Builder It’s tempting to ask workers to make small changes, but that can create stress and misunderstanding. For instance, a homeowner may ask an electrician to move the junction box for a wall sconce a few inches to one side. Simple, right? Maybe, but ..read more

With its spectacular vistas, personal touches, and a design that leans masculine, this home is everything the homeowner wanted — and more. For Mike Rustici, the hilltop property he owns in Brentwood’s Witherspoon neighborhood offers views of the valley that stretches toward downtown. He turned to Castle Homes to design and build a home that preserved the views. “I wanted a quality house that didn’t feel grandiose but warm, comfortable, and functional. Alan and Castle Homes have the reputation of building high-quality houses,” the client explains. “I was impressed and pleased with the ability t ..read more

There are codes and there are standards. A great home requires both. There was a TV commercial for kosher hot dogs that first aired in the 1970s. With a surprised and disappointed Uncle Sam as background, the narrator described how government authorities allowed the company to use ingredients like artificial colorings and non-meat fillers. The tagline was a classic: “We don’t. We’re kosher and have to answer to an even higher authority.” It was a brilliant piece of advertising. But it wasn’t brilliant just because of the tagline. It was also true. Government standards define what a company can ..read more

Installed costs vary greatly from product to product, but the builder can help manage them Cost control is top-of-mind for anyone building a custom home these days. That includes keeping final product costs as close to the estimate as possible.  With this in mind, some homeowners browse at design centers and box stores, then come to the builder with lists of products they have chosen, along with prices. The problem is that those prices lack context. That’s because price isn’t the whole story—installed costs can vary greatly. To accurately predict those all-in costs, you need to have insta ..read more

Price chaos for materials has made budgeting more complicated. Here’s what you need to know. Most people are familiar with allowances—a way to let homeowners create firm budgets for items that haven’t been specified at the time of contract signing. For instance, if the homeowners and kitchen designer concluded that $30,000 would support the quality of cabinets they wanted, then when it was time for the final choice they just had to stay within that budget. Prices were stable enough that no one worried about coming up short.  Click here for more of Contemporary Retreat. Image: Leslie Brown ..read more