Saturday, December 4, 2010

Mattern & FitzGerald Announces New Model in Menger Springs

LaVillita on the River Walk 
Located on the south bank of the San Antonio River, La Villita was San Antonio's first neighborhood.   It's timeless architecture and importance to San Antonio's history have made it one of the top tourist attractions in town.  I'm proud to announce that Mattern & FitzGerald will for the first time open a model home that honors this style of architecture in the Menger Springs neighborhood located in Boerne, in April of 2011.  There are several elements that we will draw from when constructing the home, such as the stone work, windows and roof pitches, to name a few.  Moving inside, we will modernize and focus on cleaner lines with the latest in technology and efficiency that you would come to expect, and not expect in a custom home.  Trust me, we do our homework when we roll out something new and we truly feel like this is something that will hit home with many and offer both a timeless and up-to-date feel.   The official grand opening will be for the Homes of Distinction Tour that will open in May 2011.  You can get a sneak peak a few months early though.  

Friday, November 12, 2010

Wood on Ceilings

You've probably heard already about the "fifth wall" which is designer slang for the ceiling.  It's often overlooked, but as a custom builder we are always thinking about views, not only left, right and down- but up as well.  Oftentimes, we will introduce a wood detail such as tongue and groove pine on the porch, patio and balcony soffets (ceilings) and then stain them.  For a porch of average proportion, you are probably looking at a cost adder of about $2-3,000 for all materials and labor to install and custom stain.  If you subtract what would have gone there in the first place, then the delta may very well be worth it.  Before you install though, I would familiarize yourself with the different species of wood.  The reason you should do that is because pine can have knots, where as cypress or fir will not show knots as much.  There are cost differences, as well as inherent color differences between the species of wood, so do a quick lesson to become an expert before you try.  I think what you'll find is for pure craftsmanship and detail, it's relatively inexpensive to return a high visual impact for the money invested.  You can turn a dining room, or living room or study very quickly into a focal point just by investing in the ceiling.  There are numerous ways to make your home special and this is only one, so consider it next time you have the ability to do a project like this.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Comparing Builders

One of these days someone will invent an easier way to compare custom builder quotes to one another.  It is not easy.  I just had a prospect who asked me to help him compare the two bids because it was so difficult.  When comparing build contracts, it is always best to start with a good set of plans.  From there, you need to understand what comes standard with the home.  By standard, I mean what does the foundation consist of, what materials are used in the walls, roof, electrical, plumbing, windows, doors, sheetrock, etc.  Basically all the things that it takes to build a home before actual preference items come into play.  Preference items are often referred to as "allowance" items, items which you have a say in how they are finished out.  That would be things like lighting fixtures, plumbing fixtures, flooring, counter top materials, paint finishes, trim, hardware, etc.  Most builders have allowances that drive the budget, because most of the things that make up the home are driven by building code.  So the biggest trick for you the homeowner, is to somehow level the playing field by fully understanding your allowance items and the abilities you have to control those costs.  If I give you a 30K budget for flooring, and my competitor gives you a 25K budget for flooring- then one of us is off.  It's our jobs to make sure we crawl inside your mind and fully understand what's important to you so that you don't have a bad experience when it comes time to select your finish out.  That's why we take so much time during the bid process.  We don't want anybody cussing at us 6 months down the road after we've signed a contract.  So in summary, fully understand your allowances, make sure they are consistent with all bidders and make sure the baseline of the home is being built according to code and plan and you should be on your way.  Happy Halloween everybody.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Timeline to Build

When planning to build a home, the big question that normally comes up is how long does it take to build.  I would say on average it is a 90 day process for plan design, and approximately 8 months for the construction phase.  We don't average 8 months, we do better but there are a lot of key factors that can impact build time.  Weather is a factor, availability of labor and materials, and a huge one is timeliness of customer decisions.  With proper planning, we've finished projects inside 4 months- although that is rare and not preferred.  We also have worked very hard to develop a communication process that keeps everyone on the same page in regards to management of the entire project.  That focus alone has increased efficiency and saved both us and our customers thousands of dollars.  If you are considering building, start the planning process close to a year out for your family's move.  That should give you plenty of time and less stress and will help you enjoy the process much more.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Firepits

When building a firepit, there are a couple of things to consider.  Number one, you need to have a place to drain water when the rains come.  In the attached picture, you can see where we have holes along the bottom of the face rock on the exterior side of the pit.  Secondly, you need to have the guts of the face stone lined with fire brick.  This protects the face stone from the extreme heat of the pit and prevents cracking.  Third, you want to make sure that your flame source is positioned properly for heat distribution.  We generally go lower for more of a natural firepit, and higher for more of a formal, low flame solution type of pit.  We finished this pit off with fireglass for extra "wow" factor.  We mixed Platinum fire glass and Diamond fire glass to give it a custom look.  At night, when the flames bounce over the glass- you'll forget your troubles.  Fire elements are fantastic in a backyard and can be enjoyed by the whole family if done with safety in mind, and a little creativity. 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

TEAM Effort


Together Everyone Achieve's More
Great definition of team.  Above are a couple of photos after trophys were presented during the Parade of Homes 2010 Preview Party.  We were fortunate enough to win 8 out of 12 available awards, including the prestigous President's Award.  It was a final culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of good people.  You'll notice the photo of Jason and I with the homeowners and the "Homeowner" name tags we had made for them.  That was a great feeling.  Also more of a team shot with MSA Architecture, Lori Caldwell Designs, Michael Edwards Cabinetry and last but certainly not least the hard-working staff at Mattern & FitzGerald Custom Builders and their significant others.  What a great team effort and great group of people to go to war with.  Thanks to you all and especially the homeowners for such an awesome opportunity.


Sunday, September 5, 2010

Video Coverage of 2010 Parade Home

Just a quick note to let you know we've updated our website with some beautiful gallery shots, particularly in the outdoor living section and exterior elevation section.  We try to keep it fresh and continually updated with the latest pictures to help give you ideas of different things you can do.  I'm also including a link below to some great video footage of our 2010 Parade Home which gives an overview of the house just in case you can't make the show this year.  Happy Labor Day.
Great Day San Antonio Feature on Mattern & FItzGerald Parade Home

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Dramatic Entryways


Your entryway is more than a door mat with your family initials or a cute saying.  We look at entryways as the first statement after curb appeal that people notice.  This picture is a small representation of our entryway for the 2010 Parade of Homes this year.  In this particular design, we wanted the rock on the outside of the home to appear to pass through the front door and glass.  We used a vermeer cut stone and actually a commercial door and window frame to achieve the look.  One thing that bugs me about white Texas limestone too is the chalky residue that ends up on your hands and clothes.  We put a water based sealer on the stone so that it wouldn't happen here.  Finally, you can see what a difference a dramatic piece can make.  Those vases are filled with water, and the florist strung together live flowers to create an amazing focal point as you walk in.  Just think, we haven't even got past the front door.  Come see us September 4th through the 12th at the 2010 Parade of Homes in San Antonio.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Coolstone Tricks

This entry to the dining room is made by using a synthetic product commonly referred to as coolstone.  Our stucco contractor applys this and the great thing about it is it doesn't carry the weight of actual stone.  One thing as a contractor you have to be really careful of though is that it doesn't look fake.  A cool trick you can do is once the material is applied, you can grind it afterwords, to have less pitting of the material and fake people out.  The base parts of the arch entry are applied directly on to the lathe with a trowel, and the crown pieces are actually made of foam.  It all hardens to a stone-like feel once completed, but this picture doesn't do it justice on how dramatic it is.  You can use your imagination on where to put coolstone, but people use it in all kinds of areas.  In my opinion it is a great ROI for value when considering areas of the home to get high visual payback for the money. 

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Breaking Up a High Foundation


One fear that we frequently encounter from homeowners  when building in the hills is how to break up a high foundation in the backyard.  I wanted to show you a picture of a house that had that same problem and how we tackled it.  Just so you know, this home's outdoor living is 6' out of the ground.  It makes for an awesome view, but if we don't plan appropriately, it can feel like you have a sheer wall there.  I have a motto that I like to "use what the land gives us".  You could also say "make lemonade out of lemons".  We decided to add planter walls in varying heights to offset the sheer wall descent that we would have had if we had left it alone.  Now I'm not going to lie to you, this is not cheap.  I think as a rough ballpark planter walls, done right with concrete bricks and concrete footer as a base can run in this case as high as $10-12,000 all in.  That stings when you're writing the check, but the finished product is well worth it in my opinion.  In fact, I think the back of the home in some ways is more beautiful than the front of the home.  As in all home building, you have to look at ROI, and ultimately do you feel like you gain a return on certain decisions.  In this case I think so.  Of course the ultimate validation was this home won a Summit Award for best landscaping in all of San Antonio for 2010.   Remember, you can make anything look amazing if you use what the land gives you.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Amazing Granite Install



This was awesome. I love doing cool things and this was no exception. What I want you to see here is that there are different design options when using granite. This particular granite was provided by the fine folks at Delta Granite, here in San Antonio, Texas. This piece is actually going on an island for the Parade of Homes 2010, and has what we call a fabricated edge. That means the piece really isn't that thick, it just appears that way. The granite is actually 3 centimeters thick, but has an added-on piece around the perimeter to make it look enormous. In fact, we had to prep the island by adding a second sheet of plywood as an underlayment so that it would allow the countertop to reside higher and keep the fabricated edge free of the opening drawers. Just a quick little background on how hard these guys work, this picture was taken at 7:00pm at night and the strategy of placement and physical movement took a good 30-45 minutes. It was really amazing to witness, and you be the judge on the final product but I think well worth the effort. Great job to Delta Granite and my man Geoff Zickler. Last but not least, Lori Caldwell once again shows her design eye by choosing this beautiful piece. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Parade of Homes September 4th through the 12th.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Exterior Elements

For the San Antonio 2010 Parade of Homes this year, we are doing some really interesting elements that we hope will spark creativity and forward-thinking for your design ideas. This year, we are actually using stucco, various kinds of rock and wood. Now stucco and rock you may see everyday, but wood you don't. It's kind of a retro feature that we added as a subtle element on a bottom right section of the home, and the top left. Once stained, we hope to create a feeling of warmth that feels inviting as you walk in the front door. We have some really cool tricks up our sleeve as you walk in, but you'll have to come see for yourself starting September 4th. The other thing I want you to notice is you can add quoines to any kind of rock pattern. Quoines are different types of stone that flank the 90 degree corners of the exterior of a home. We try to make them subtle so that it doesn't scream at you, but it is a very elegant look that you can add with a little creativity and help from a mason. Can't wait to see everyone at this year's Parade.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Cool Staircase

In the San Antonio 2010 Parade of Homes, every builder will go for certain "wow" factors in their homes that showcase craftsmanship and unique design. One of ours this year will be a metal and wood stair case with open risers. In staircase language you normally deal with a few basics:
  • Treads- the flat steps that you walk on
  • Risers- the up and down vertical backs that you see as your walking up the stairs
  • Stringers- the long run of material that leads up to the top and actually supports each individual tread
  • Hand Rail- the grab rails that are used for assistance as you walk up the stairs
  • Landing- sometimes there may be a midway point that is flat and allows you to stop and redirect the stairway in a different direction as shown in the above photo
I know this may sound crazy but I've probably had 5-6 meetings with different subcontractors on this detail alone. The "devil is in the details" and we like to make sure we've considered all design options to give you something really cool to look at.

We are going to have a combination wood and metal staircase that will incorporate a welder for the skeleton, custom hand rails and wooden treads that I think will create quite a buzz. It's not easy to do but that's what makes it fun. Hopefully you'll get an opportunity to come see it the first week of September when the show opens and see this remarkable work of craftsmanship for yourself.

Friday, May 21, 2010

San Antonio Parade of Homes 2010


Just a quick shot of the Mattern & FitzGerald Parade home entry just 3 weeks into construction. The home this year is going to have even more modern elements than last year, but we promise not to go too crazy. No chairs without seat backs or anything like that. If you'll notice the roof lines, the pitches are one direction in some cases and slightly lower than a more traditional roof line. A pitch means the relationship between rise and run. The Parade is going to be the first week of September, so we have about 90 days or so to finish. No pressure. Come out and see us if you get a chance, Cresta Bella is located at Camp Bullis and IH-10, just across the street from The Dominion. We are located at the top of the hill in the estate section.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Trim Color


In construction, the decorative baseboards and casing around a door opening that we use is commonly referred to as trim. There are many types of trim styles available to you. When it comes to painting them, typically you see the wall or base color one shade and then the trim color a contrasting color that stands out. A real elegant look that you can do is to paint the trim color the same color as the base color, but change the sheen. In the attached picture, we have used a base color that is flat and then painted the trim the exact same color, but painted it in egg shell. This creates a subtle variance to the eye, yet doesn't call attention to the trim as loudly. "Understated elegance" is a term I would use to describe this technique. The good news is it's cheap to do and makes a great impact. If you are contemplating doing a quick weekend remodel job, try painting the trim for instant impact.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

2010 San Antonio Parade of Homes

I am proud to announce that Mattern & FitzGerald will once again be participating in the 2010 San Antonio Parade of Homes. The Parade will be held this year in a new exciting subdivision called Cresta Bella, located at Camp Bullis and IH-10 West, just across the street from The Dominion. Cresta Bella will be a mixed-use community with businesses, cottages, multi-family, 90' wide product and estate product at the top of the hill. The views are amazing and we will be building in the estate section at the top of the hill. This is a rapidly growing corridor for San Antonio and is located across the street from The Rim, Fiesta Texas and the Shops of La Cantera. This year we are going to take another step forward in modern design, with hill country elements and traditional style all wrapped-up in our version of the next big thing in San Antonio. We have broken ground and are preparing for the September grand opening, so stop by and say Hi next time your in the area.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Basketball Gym Floor


This was a fun project to do. As a guy, you pray for the day someone asks you to build one of these. What kid wouldn't want to have a basketball gym in their house? What was really cool was shooting hoops on it when we were done. The flooring was an interesting process. In the NBA and college, maple floors are used most of the time. Unfinished maple to be exact- no stain. Under the floor it gets really interesting. On professional and college courts, there is floor leveler for the concrete, plywood, felt, thruster pads and maple wood. The thruster pads are what give the floor that hollow sound and the spring back that you may have noticed before when you bounce a ball. We didn't get to use them for this court, but we did use everything else. We ordered the wall pads after measuring the dimensions from an online source, and we spray foam insulated the room since it's 18' high ceilings were alot to air condition. We scaled the court to have the lines of a college team and put several coats of polyurethane to protect it. All in all it was a show stopper and another example of how fun construction can be.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Stone Creek Ranch Homes of Distinction Tour 2010


I am proud to announce that Mattern & FitzGerald will be participating once again in the 2010 Homes of Distinction Tour in Fair Oaks. The tour kicks off on Thursday, February 25th and runs every Thursday through Sunday for the next three weekends until March 14th. The event showcases homes with the latest in green features and this year, we have chosen to partner with the Build San Antonio Green program. Being green doesn't mean boring either. This sprawling 7300 square foot home features a double-sized kitchen, media room, wine room and bar, resort-type area in back featuring pool and secondary jacuzzi area, and of course the cherry on top; regulation NBA half court air conditioned and inside! I will definitely be challenging some people in a game of horse before the homeowners move in. Come see us during the event and view for yourself this amazing entertainment-type home. Get more details at the below link:

http://stonecreekranchhometour.com