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.

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.