2009 Parade of Homes Part 2

Just a quick progress report but I wanted to give you an idea of the Mattern & FitzGerald Parade elevation for the 2009 Parade of Homes. This picture was taken in early June and looks markedly different now, but it kind of gives you the idea.

We wanted to do something a little different this year than Parade's past. I am calling this the Austin House because the clean lines of architecture in Austin were my inspiration. The home will be transitional, meaning it will be a blend between modern and traditional. It's not so contemporary it's over the top, but has a unique architecture featuring the Spirit of San Antonio conservatism. Some of the main features will include stained concrete floors, sand and stain finished wood, grass in the driveway, amazing outdoor living and lots and lots of rock on the interior and exterior.

The show begins September 5th and runs through the 13th. You can purchase tickets at the door for $12 or $10 if purchased at Home Depot.

Quick Tip on Interior Rock

For the Parade of Homes this year, we have an extraordinary amount of rock inside our home. Rock is so powerful when placed inside of a home because it brings in natural elements and connects with people like few other materials. Anyway, when rock is brought in from the quarry, it has quite a bit of dust on it. For outdoor rock, the rain will eventually wash off the dust. For the inside however, you should hose down the rock before bringing it inside. If you do this, not only will your rock look better but you won't have to worry about chalky residue on your clothes when you bump into it.

Timeline to Build a Custom Home

One question we get asked early on is how long does it normally take to build a custom home. I like to break that up into four components usually.

1. Planning Stage: This is the moment you finally sit down with an architect and begin to draw up plans. This process can take anywhere from 30-90 days based upon revisions. I'd say the average time though is probably about 60 days.

2. Site Prep and Clearing: This is a stage where we prepare the lot for the home. This generally takes about 1-3 weeks.

3. Construction: This is the part where we actually build the home, plan for landscaping if any and prepare for final inspections. This can take anywhere from 6-8 months usually depending upon complexity and weather.

4. Final Inspections and Closing: This is the part where we invite third party inspectors and do what we call "punching out" the house. We like to get ultra critical at the end and make sure the house is tight and free of final concerns. Of course, there is usually post move in follow-up at certain points within the first year to make sure the homeowner is satisfied.