Five Tips For Working with a Custom Home Builder

Custom Home Builder
A custom home built by Nelson Construction and Renovations.

When building a custom home, nearly everything pivots on your relationship with your builder.  You need someone who is more than just a contractor or designer – you need someone you can trust.  Reversely, your builder will rely on you for many things throughout the course of the project.  Understanding the relationship and working together as a team will determine how smoothly your project goes.  To help you with this vital aspect of your project, here are five tips for working with a custom home builder.

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The New Shape of Home Design: 2021 Design Trends We LOVE

Design Trends 2021

When it comes to home design, 2021 is the year for turning a new leaf.  Favored design trends from the last decade are fading fast, being replaced by a bold sense of adventure in color, texture and style.  Read on to find out what’s “in” and “out” in 2021:

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How Design Trends Have Changed in 2020

Craftsman home clearwater florida

A lot of things have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and construction and design are no exception.  Here are three ways that design trends have changed in 2020.

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How to Create a Custom Range Hood in Your Kitchen

Custom range hood
The custom range hood of this black-and-white kitchen in one of our custom home remodels is the perfect focal point for the room.

More and more homeowners are steering away from industrial-grade, stainless steel range hoods and are opting for custom millwork to complete their kitchens.  If your stove is the focal point of your kitchen, then the range hood should complement it accordingly.  But installing a custom range hood is not just a matter of building a wood box and painting it.  As in all things construction, you can’t forget about the logistics behind the finish piece, and that often involves multiple trades.  Here are a few tips to help you when considering a custom range hood for your kitchen.

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What Reclaimed Wood Can Bring to Your Design

Reclaimed Wood Used for Fireplace Mantel
Reclaimed wood fireplace mantel made from wood salvaged from the Belleview Biltmore Hotel that opened in Clearwater, FL in 1897.

Using reclaimed wood is a large part of sustainable design for those wanting to re-purpose and reuse materials. That said, there is so much more reclaimed wood can bring to your home.

Using reclaimed wood is exciting and can bring character, interest, warmth, and texture to a room.  Weathered boards and old beams can add a sense of history to new homes or contemporary spaces. Ceiling planks can help add charm, warmth and a European feel to a kitchen or home.

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Exposed Bulb Lighting – A Very Popular Lighting Choice

Exposed bulb orb pendant lighting over a kitchen island in one of our home remodel projects.

Exposed bulb lighting has become increasingly popular and looks like a trend that is here to stay. Rather than hiding the bulb behind an opaque shade, exposed light fixtures put the simple, sculptured form of the bulb on display, creating an outstanding point of interest.

For those captivated by the look, there are a remarkable variety of options. Pendant lights are one of the most popular and widely available forms.  They are being chosen to replace chandeliers and track lighting and work wonderfully well over kitchen islands.  

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Traditional or Modern Style? Can’t Decide? Then Transitional Style Is for You!

Transitional style home
This Transitional Style home we built in Clearwater includes quartz countertops, Shaker-style cabinets, unique light fixtures, and a variety of modern and traditional elements.

Are you planning your new home or a major renovation but can’t decide on the style you want? Is it a tug of war between going with a traditional style of comfortable furniture and classic designs or a modern style of sleek, clean lines?  You will be happy to learn that you can have them both in the trending transitional style.

The eloquent luxury transitional style gives you the freedom to pick your favorite elements from both traditional and modern resulting in a harmonious fusion that is comfortable, classic and chic.

When well executed, one of the major benefits of building a custom transitional home is the freedom to choose your favorite elements from each style without sacrificing the aesthetic, worth, or quality of the final product.

So, how can you do this and what are the elements to consider?

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Spring Show Stopping Kitchen Inspiration for 2020

An award-winning show stopping kitchen.

Show-stopping kitchens are the top amenity asked for by homeowners.

Designing a stunning kitchen is more than just updating an old counter-top and appliances and putting on a fresh coat of paint. To truly create a show-stopping kitchen you need to consider all the details that will help bring everything together to make an aesthetic space both you and your loved ones can enjoy together.

And what are “all the details” that you should consider when wanting to create a show-stopping kitchen?  To answer this question, here is a list of some of the top details you can consider adding to your kitchen design.Continue reading

The Art of Mixing Metals in Your Home

Brass and stainless steel fixtures
Brass and stainless steel are the perfect combination in this custom kitchen in Harbor Oaks. Glass cabinet knobs add even more elegance and texture.

We love to see more and more homeowners jumping on the mixed metals bandwagon.  Gone are the days of monochromatic finishes, when interior designers and homeowners were limited to a single metallic finish in their faucets, light fixtures and hardware.  Combining a variety of metallic hues like copper, bronze, gold and silver is a trend we can definitely get behind, for not only does it add texture and depth to a space, it gives us a diverse color palette with a ton of room for creativity.  Like anything, though, this design technique can be misused and end up looking more like an afterthought than an aesthetic feature.  Here are some guidelines to help you understand the art of mixing metals when selecting the finishes and fixtures on your home.

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5 Construction Tips When Building or Remodeling Your Home In Florida

When Building or Renovating Your Home in Florida, Consider These 5 tips.

Renovating a house in Florida is not like construction in the rest of the country.  Not only do you have to deal with the humidity (hello, mold), there’s also the hurricanes, termites, frequent rainstorms and beating sun (which lead to dry-rot).  It’s no wonder the construction industry is so heavily regulated down here. 

So what do you need to know to properly navigate the ins and outs of a renovation in Florida?  Read on for five important tips. 

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