How to Create and Open Kitchen and Save Space

I used to get nervous telling people that they didn't necessarily "need" a formal dining room- but not anymore.  The more people we meet with, the more I'm convinced that there is an evolution of less formal, and more open eating spaces going on.  Take this picture as an example.  This homeowner wanted a space where they could cook and visit with the kids and or guests while doing so.  If you look off to the right you can see that the breakfast table is fairly sizeable and can seat quite a few folks as well.  Quick disclaimer, I have a formal dining room and love it, as I'm sure do a lot of you.  This economy has forced us though to think more creatively and repurpose spaces so that you don't have a room that's collecting dust while you live in it.  We are doing more banquettes now, large islands with multiple seating, informal breakfast areas, and breakfast areas on "steroids".  What I mean by that is an oversized breakfast area, with built-ins or niche and plenty of seating for 8 people.  One other cool thing about this picture is if you notice the backsplash is done in venetian plaster- not tile.  Really cool treatment that you could also consider doing yourself. 

How to Design a Cool Ceiling

One area that often gets overlooked is the ceiling.  Sometimes called the "5th wall", you would be surprised what an impact can be made with a little thought.  The ceiling in this picture is one we did that has a sheetrock furr down around it, creating a tray ceiling.  We then added 2 X 4's at the bottom most part of the tray both horizontally and vertically to create a cove to hold rope lights.  This particular tray received a plaster treatment, but you could go a lot less expensive by doing something with a paint.  There are all kinds of cool paints now available at your local hardware store.  We sheetrocked over the cove area, then we triple ran rope light so that you would notice it at anytime during the day.  This is key, because so often people only run one strand of light, and it is lost on the effect that you are trying to pull because you can only see it at night.  The rope lights are switch activated, so they can be turned on and off at your discretion.  This effect can be done on all scales of budget, so if you are considering doing something to your ceiling- this is a fantastic option for the price.

Summit Awards 2011

Wow, what a night.  Fresh off the heels of being surrounded by San Antonio's finest builders, we are still basking in what was an incredible evening.  Once a year we gather for a black-tie event that honors builders and real estate professionals for various categories related to their craft.  We were fortunate enough to come away with 7 Eagles this year.  These were the categories that we won:

• Best site signage- builder
• Best Product Design, Custom: $300,000-$399,000 
• Best Product Design, Custom: $626,000-$750,000
• Best Rural Product: $626,000-$750,000 
• Best Rural Product: $751,000-$1,000,000
• Best Rural Product: $1,001,000-$1,250,000
• Best Theater Room

I think the thing that we're most proud of is the range of homes that won best product.  Most builders specialize in a certain niche- which is smart.  For some reason or another, we focus on all ranges and will build for whatever the budget allows.  I often think of building as a puzzle, and assigning the dollars where you get the most return- regardless of budget.  I often tell people that I don't care what you give us, we'll make it look good.  In fact, the lower budgets are sometimes the funnest because it stretches you to think more creatively and figure out ways to achieve certain looks for less money.  That is a challenge no matter what the budget.  I'm very proud of our team, not only of employees but the wonderful craftsman, designers and partners that we are fortunate enough to work with.