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.

How to Give Your Home Curb Appeal for Low Cost

Outdoor lighting can make a huge impact on the curb appeal of your home.  One trick you can do is consider the outside angles of your home, and amplify the corners and dark spaces.  Not only will it give your home added security at night, but it makes the house transform into something completely different.  On our website at www.matternandfitzgerald.com, I have a lot of exterior photos of homes.  Look at the ones with night shots and pay close attention to the lighting.  On these attached pictures, we have some different elements going on.  First, we have gas lanterns.  They are about $1000/each when you consider the fixture and the gas run, but that is probably one of my most favorite elements.  It's switch operated, and natural gas is so cheap that you won't be stung with a large bill. The other thing we have is called soffet lights.  Soffet lights are actually down lighting, vs. up lighting and it gives the house a very cool look.  These are basically recess cans in the eaves of the roof, and they run about $85/each installed.  We also have low cost landscape lights to concentrate eye focus on the planting beds.  I think a kit of 6 is close to $80 without the transformer.  Lastly, in this case we have a beautiful front door that can be showcased with ample lighting.  If that light wasn't on, it would make for a dark entry anyway.  If you are designing a home, or considering reinvesting some dollars into your current home- consider the exterior lighting which you will enjoy and get a high visual return on investment.

The Importance of Landscaping

Courtesy of sweethomedecorating.com

As Spring approaches, I told my wife the other day my entire goal was to get my yard plush and green this year, with freshened-up mulch and plants.  I don't know about you, but whenever I go to a golf course, or Sea World or a nice hotel like JW Marriot with beautifully landscaped grounds- I can't help but walk away vowing to make my yard a better place by putting a little more effort into it.

At Mattern & FitzGerald we offer landscaping assistance to the homeowners prior to moving in.  There are some different ways that you can tackle it, and I just wanted to point out a couple.

First, you can interview several different reputable landscape companies, and have their draftsman draw you a plan.  This is a service that can be free if you use them, or somewhere in the $500 range if you don't. Usually the hook is they will donate the drawing time to the cause if you decide to use their services.

The next way that I like best is to have a master plan designed by a landscape architect.  Two years ago, I engaged Matt Stevens mwsla.com to do my personal residence.  Matt is a Landscape Architect and got his degree for it from Texas A&M.  My wife and I were extremely happy with his design and he won a Summit Award for it last year.  The cost can vary but a ballpark number for detailed drawings is $2500.  Yes, that's a lot of money, but what it gives you is detailed drawings, quantities, a master plan and lighting and elevation considerations.  The most important benefit though is it gives you a level playing field from which to solicit bids.  There's no real way to cheat the system when it's laid out in detail like that.  My thought is that you will almost recoup the investment in the plans by getting it competitively bid out from the same basis point.

I would encourage you to do a little advance, thought-out planning on the landscaping portion of your home and get some assistance to help you make your yard an oasis from a stressful day.