Ugggg-I want to build MY home, MY way...how do I start?

You have owned a used home, maybe built a "new home" with one of those cookie cutter production builders, but now you have decided to build YOUR home. One of the main complaints that people have with the tract built home is that the builder says "NO!", or this "Series" of home does not allow for that kind of feature. Where is the fun in that! You are investing your hard earned money and you want it to be YOUR house, not Big Builder, Inc's home.

But how do you start, what do you do?

Step #1 - Decide on a budget.
How do you do that? Think about how you need to right size your home - do you need less space since the kids have left, do you need more space since you are having kids (or the kids are coming back!), what do you want your monthly investment to be on your new home. Meet with a mortgage professional who understands new home construction lending to help you set your initial budget.

Step #2 - Decide on a builder
There are many things to consider but make sure the builder you choose is a full service, design and custom builder. Questions you will want to ask: What are your warranties? How do you inspect your home? How energy effiecient are your homes? How flexible are you in designing MY house?

Step #3 - Put together your lists
Sit down and put together 2 lists. One list is your "Gotta Have" list that has the things that you absolutely have to have (3 bedrooms, covered back patio, etc). The second list is your "Want to have" list that are all of the things you dream about (safe compartment behind a bookshelf, outdoor fireplace with pizza oven, etc). Your budget will help make sure you accomplish your "Gotta Haves" and open the door to select the most important "Want to Haves"

Step #4 - Pick out the property
Knowing your budget and the costs associated with your home will help you set your sites on exactly what kind of land you want and how much you want to build. Most reputable builders can also help you with suggestions on where to start your search.

Step #5 - Make sure you have fun
Remember you are building YOUR home so make sure you enjoy the process!

DTH named Energy Star Partner of the Year!

If you’ve been looking for a custom home builder in Houston, San Antonio or Austin area that will build you a beautiful, energy-efficient home at a price you can afford, you’ve come to the right place. Design Tech Homes has just been recognized as the ENERGY STAR 2011 PARTNER OF THE YEAR.

We are honored to be one of only 40 organizations selected out of more than 20,000 public and private sector ENERGY STAR partners nationwide. And Design Tech Homes is only one of three home builders selected out of more than 8,500 Energy Star Builders nationwide.

“Partners like Design Tech Homes that build homes that earn the ENERGY STAR are helping American home buyers find more comfortable homes that also save money on energy bills and protect the environment,” said Elizabeth Craig, Acting Director of EPA’s Office of Atmospheric Programs. ”Home builders such as Design Tech Homes are building an energy-efficient future for America’s families that will continue to deliver savings for years to come."

Click here to learn more about our green, energy-efficient homes and construction methods.

Design Tech Homes is one of the few full-service custom home builders in Texas providing total project coordination from land clearing to construction financing, and one of the only build on your lot Texas builders to provide a 20 Year limited Structural Warranty.

At Design Tech Homes, you not only have the option to choose from a large selection of proven floorplans, but we will work with you to create a unique, custom floorplan that best fits your needs. While many custom homes in San Antonio, Houston and Austin are built to meet minimal requirements, we feel it is important to ensure that your home is built on your lot to the highest standards of construction today. That's why our homes go through a comprehensive, third-party home inspection process unlike most custom homes in Houston, Austin or San Antonio.

We feel certain you will find Design Tech Homes to be the only Houston, San Antonio and Austin home builder that can bring your vision to reality.

The Best Way to Tackle Spring Cleaning

It's springtime, and for many that brings to mind the notion of a single, monolithic event: Spring Cleaning. Always a source of complaints from all those involved with this chore, we at Design Tech Homes have discovered some simple tips to help manage the workload:

• Always start at the top of the room and work your way down.
• Always clean top to bottom. When you dust, start at the top and work down.
• Take all your cleaning tools with you into each room to avoid unnecessary trips back and forth.
• Unplug the phone and the turn off the T.V.
• Eliminate clutter. An uncluttered home looks better than one that is dust-free but strewn with odds and ends.
• Clean as you go! It takes a lot less time to remove new dirt than old, and to clean and put away stuff as you use it, than to clean and store the pile-up you can accumulate.
• A house that smells fresh will give the impression of cleanliness. Leave baking soda on carpeting for the night to absorb musty odors, vacuum in the morning.
• Keep a big astro-turf mat on the porch to cut down on tracked in dirt.
• Keep a basket in the kitchen for the mail, newspaper, car keys to help with clutter.
• Keep a hamper in every bathroom.Make everyone in charge of making his or her own bed and picking up their stuff.
• Always pickup the T.V. room before bedtime and start the dishwasher.
• Prioritize, if your time is limited decided what is most important.
• Delegate, get the entire family involved.
• Make a checklist, when a job is completed, check it off - you'll feel as though you are really accomplishing something.

Buying Land for Your New Home

Buying land may seem intimidating at first, but it really isn't difficult at all if you plan a course of action and stick to it.

Know Your Budget
Talk with a loan officer to find out how much you can afford. Both down payments and interest rates can be higher for land than for homes, so it's important to get the facts before you go shopping. If you plan to build soon, the loan officer should explain construction loans, including the closing procedures you'll encounter while the house is being built.

Target a Location
If you've already looked at homes in the area, you may know where you want to build.

Your Wants and Needs
Make a list of all features that would exist on the ideal piece of land. Review the list, highlighting your must-haves, such as a great view, privacy, or a waterfront building site.

How Much Land Do You Need?
What's the minimum size lot or tract of land you are willing to consider? Keep in mind that a heavily wooded, 1-acre lot may be more private than a 3-acre lot that's all lawn. Tour a variety of neighborhoods and pay attention to the settings.

Consider Restrictive Covenants
Developments are governed by guidelines called Restrictive Covenants. Some dictate paint colors or have an architectural review committee that must approve your home plans. Study covenants carefully to determine if you can live with them.

Start Your Search

• Look for 'For Sale' signs as you browse the area.
• Search for properties on the Internet.
• If you see interesting tracts of land, note their exact location. A visit to the county tax office is usually all it takes to find the owner.
• Find a real estate agent who likes to work land sales. Talk with the agent about all of the categories above, and any others that might help her locate the perfect tract.

Development of the Lot
When considering a lot make sure that it has good drainage and does not hold water. Check with neighbors, if possible, to see what happens to the lot during long hard rains. Home sites with lots of topography can add to the cost of your home due to differentials in the foundation. It is a good idea to find out if the lot is in a flood plain.

Pool Safety Tips

Drowning accidents are the leading cause of injury/deaths among children under five. More than 80 percent of the drownings occur in residential backyard pools or spas. It can happen quickly, always without warning, without a splash, and without a cry for help. To help avoid such a tragedy, please read the following pool safety tips.

Secure Pool Area
A fence or barrier completely surrounding the pool can prevent many drowning accidents. Most children who drown or nearly drown were last seen in the yard, porch, or patio prior to the accident. Although a fence separating the pool and spa in the single most effective barrier for preventing childhood drownings, not one method alone is totally effective in preventing drowning accidents. Pool owners can take practical steps to make their pools and spas less dangerous by installing "layers of protection".

• Pools should be fenced from the rest of the house. Fences should be five feet high.
• The area adjacent to the outside of the fence must be free of objects which may aid children in climbing over the fence. These include items such as chairs, tables, tree branches, etc.
• Gates should be self-closing and self-latching, opening outward away from pool.
• A gate latch should be placed at the top of the gate and be inaccessible from the outside by small children.
• All doors and windows leading to the pool should always be secured and locked at all times.
• Additional "layers of protection" include safety covers, alarms on doors and motion-detection devices.
• Remember pool covers, gates and other layers of protection do not replace adult supervision.
• Assign an adult Water Watcher to supervise the pool/spa area, especially during social gatherings.

Effective Supervision

• Never allow young children to be left alone in and around the pool for a moment. Make sure an adult is always present.
• Babysitters and guardians should always be instructed about potential hazards in and around the pool.
• Never rely on flotation devices or swimming lessons to protect a child. Twenty-five percent of all drowning victims have had swimming lessons.
• Mount flotation devices designed for lifesaving near the pool. Many float-type toys are thought to be lifesavers. They are not! They are only toys and should be used only as toys.
• Look in the pool area first if a child is missing.
• Never keep toys around or in a pool.
• All adults, children and Baby-sitters should learn and practice CPR.
• Keep a telephone outside the pool area. Post the 9-1-1 emergency number on the telephone.

Cleaning and Removing Mildew from Exterior Walls and Siding

Moisture, and therefore mildew, can be controlled to a degree by arranging landscaping so that natural breezes can flow near the house and dry the siding if it becomes wet from rain or dew. Keep shrubs awayfrom the walls. Gutters and downspouts, as well as a moderate roof overhang, will help also. Give special attention to air movement patterns on northern exposures where sunlight cannot assist in drying.On sidings which may have a tendency to absorb moisture from rain or dew, a semi-gloss or gloss latex or oil paint with an appropriate primer is recommended. When wood siding is stained or left to weather naturally, use a water-repellent (often combined with a woodpreservative) finish. These products are available in hardware/paint stores.

To remove mildew from siding, follow these steps:

Wood Siding, Hardi-plank or Stucco - Use the following solution:

• 1/3 cup all-purpose laundry detergent
• 1 quart household chlorine bleach (must be fresh)
• 3 quarts warm water
• An alkaline cleaner such as washing soda or a cleaner containing trisodium phosphate can be added for extra cleaning. Follow package directions or use ½ to 2/3 cup.

Scrub the surface with a soft brush. Avoid splashing on shrubs and other plants. Rinse well.

Commercial mildew remover/cleaners are also available. Do wear protective clothing – long sleeves, goggles, rubber gloves.

If your siding needs to be repainted, choose a mildew-resistant paint. The most mildew susceptible paints are latex paints, especially when linseed oil base primer is used. Acrylic gloss and semi-gloss latex paints are less susceptible to mildew than flat latex. Linseed oil base paints are also very susceptible. The least susceptible paints are exterior enamels. Special paints are available that contain a mildewcide.

BRICK- Once a year spray your brick off with the hose and a spray nozzle. A solution of one cup of bleach mixed with a gallon of water can be used with a stiff brush to clean this off. Don't use wire brushes or synthetic brushes--they can discolor the brick--use a natural fiber brush. Soak the brick before washing with the bleach solution.

STONE- To clean stone walls, fences or other structures, wash with a mild soap solution. Rinse well with clean water.

Cleaning Ceramic Tile

Ceramic tiles are popular as design features within many areas of today's modern homes. They vary in size, style, color and cost, and are popularly used because of their beauty as well as their ease to clean. Whether used as flooring or on walls, ceramic tiles can be maintained easily if you follow some standard procedures for their upkeep.

Ceramic tiles are made from clay that contain silicates. To produce a tile, this clay mixture is formed and baked at high temperatures. Ceramic tiles can be purchased in two forms: unglazed or glazed. Unglazed tiles typically require more cleaning maintenance because they are not coated with an outer shell. All tiles, however, can, and should be, routinely cleaned using a plain water solution. By wiping down tiles on a daily basis using water, then drying them with a clean cloth or sponge/sponge mop, you can avoid the build-up of dirt, mold, mildew, and hard water stains that can gather on the surface.

What holds ceramic tiles together is a substance called "grout". Grout is a mixture made of cement and fine sand, or comprised of acrylic materials such as silicon, etc. Grout also tends to accumulate mold, mildew and stains that often result from the build-up of hard water and calcium deposits. If you notice that the grout between your tiles has begun to mildly discolor and your tiles have a dull finish, you can make a solution of 1/4 cup of mild detergent added to a one-gallon bucket of water. Take a sponge, dip it into the water, and clean over the areas that are affected by the dirt. Once you have cleaned all the areas thoroughly, rinse down the tiles and grout using plain water.

When cleaning tiles, do not use any harsh abrasives, such as scouring powder, as these cleansers may scratch and damage the tile's surface. Unless a cleanser's label specifically reads that the cleanser is safe for use on tiled surfaces, do not use the product.

For more severely grimy tiles and grout, where mild detergent cleaning does not cleanse thoroughly, you can use a solution made of chlorine bleach and water to remove any dirt present. Before making this solution, be sure that the environment that you will be working in is well ventilated. Additionally, it is advisable that you place strong rubber gloves on your hands especially if you will be cleaning walled surfaces.

To make the solution, take one quart of chlorine bleach and mix it into two-gallons of water in a bucket. Once mixed, let the solution sit for approximately 15-20 minutes. Next, if cleaning walls, take a sponge or, if cleaning floors, a mop or soft bristle brush, and dip the tool into the solution. Take the sponge or mop/brush and rub it all over the dirty areas. Once all of the areas have been covered by the solution, let the solution remain on the surfaces, untouched, for approximately 10-20 minutes depending on the amount of grime present. After the time has elapsed, rinse down the whole area with plain water. Next, use the mild detergent and water solution procedure, explained previously, to remove any remaining traces of chlorine bleach. Finally, rinse down the area again using only plain water. Once all of the detergent solution has been rinsed away, wipe down the tiled surfaces with a clean cloth to dry the area thoroughly.

In between using these methods to clean your tiles, it is also recommended that you use a commercial mildew retardant spray on your tiles to prevent germs from accumulating on them. If you use these procedures on a routine basis, you will extend the life of your tiles and keep them looking good as new.