Severe Topography

Usually the most desirable lots will have some topography to deal with. It’s just one of the characteristics that make the property more interesting and more challenging. Severe topography, such as the example shown here, will cause additional costs for site work, retaining walls and driveways. When choosing a lot, our clients often ask us to quantify the additional costs associated with these lot characteristics to better understand if they can build their home within the necessary budget.

While there are many factors that will affect the lot-associated construction costs, a discussion with the client helps us understand the design criteria and allows us to present options for consideration.  

• Is the slope sufficient to consider a “walk-out” or “over-under” plan?
• How will we manage the driveway as it slopes up or down on the property?
• How much additional slab costs will be incurred for foundations that are high out of the ground?
• How much will it cost for retaining walls and fill material, if needed?

Once these questions are answered, our clients can make their lot purchase decision with the full knowledge of the incremental costs associated with the lot.

Sterling Custom Homes has been building the highest quality Austin luxury homes since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process, please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.

Sterling Custom Homes

The resurgence in home sales has made its way to the Austin custom home market! For the past several months we have been working with more and more clients who are expressing an interest in the custom homebuilding process. Instead of settling for the inefficient layout or undesirable aspects of a used house, our clients are interested in designing and building a custom home that will be fresh, new and unique to their specific lifestyle.

We currently have 11 homes in various stages of design, with six of them scheduled to start in the next few months. Why are so many clients ready to move forward on their custom home projects? I think one of the reasons is the efficiency of the design in a custom home. Unlike a used home, you’re only paying for the space you will use, designed specifically to your unique lifestyle.

There’s also the comfort of knowing that the process will be organized and enjoyable, the result of nearly 25 years of custom homebuilding experience and over 300 projects. You don’t have to look far in the Austin / Lakeway area to find someone who knows of our legendary quality and value. We’d love to talk to you about your next custom home project!

Sterling Custom Homes has been building the highest quality Austin luxury homes since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process, please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.

2013 BP MS 150

Looking for good fun, intense exercise and the opportunity to support a great cause? Consider the upcoming BP MS 150 bike ride from Houston to Austin this weekend. The BP MS 150 is a two-day fundraising cycling ride organized by the National MS Society. This ride is the largest event of its kind in North America.

The ride is a two day, 180-mile journey for MS from Houston to Austin. Breakpoints are positioned every 8-15 miles. The ride has been raising money for MS research since 1985. A list of milestones can be viewed here.

This year’s ride will connect an estimated 13,000 riders, in addition to thousands of volunteers and supporters, as they embark on a shared journey to drive awareness and raise $18 million for MS. In its history, the ride has raised more than $157 million for MS research, programs and services.

Your premier Austin custom homebuilder, Sterling Custom Homes, salutes all the generous riders and volunteers in this year’s event! Sterling Custom Homes has been building the highest quality Austin luxury homes since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process, please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.

Having run seven marathons in the past few years, I have had the opportunity to meet many dedicated, driven local athletes. Through my association with Rogue Running of Austin I came to know several runners who have achieved one of the highest honors in all of running, qualifying for the Boston Marathon! I had planned to write this blog about my friends who have earned the right to run in the prestigious Boston Marathon today. I am saddened by the news that an explosion has killed and injured participants and spectators.

Instead of congratulating them for their accomplishment, I found myself searching for news via Facebook to learn if they were all ok. Cowardly acts like this are aimed at robbing us of our freedom and shaking the very foundation of the faith that guides us through our daily lives. It’s a sad day in the world today and our prayers go out to those suffering from today’s senseless tragedy.

We “turned this house around” to capture the view.

As your premier Austin luxury homebuilder, we spend much time evaluating lots in an effort to find the perfect opportunity for our clients. Once this is accomplished, the challenge is then to design a unique custom residence that will uncover the hidden value of the property.

A pefect example is a home we are currently building for our client in Seven Oaks. We located a lot that others had discounted because the view was from the front of the property. We contracted to purchase the lot and included a feasability period in the contract which gave us time to get an initial sketch of the vision we described. 

This is certainly nothing new for us. At Sterling Custom Homes we specialize in consulting with our clients from the very start. Laying out the footprint of the home is a critical first step in the design process requiring careful consideration. Of course most clients are interested in maximizing a certain view corridor, but there are many other variables at play that need to be discussed. Sun orientation, slab heights, trees, access – these are just a few of the topics that arise when we meet on the lot with our client and the architect. Considering these factors, we help guide the client to the design that will enhance their lifestyle and maximize the added value to the property.

…and this is the view we captured!

In this example the challenge was to capture the stunning Texas Hill Country view which is visible from the “front” of the house. Our solution was to turn the house around, taking the driveway up the slope and around back to a Motor Court that would position the Entry at the “back” of the house. The result is a magnificent, picturesque view of the distant Hill Country – adding considerable value to the property versus a traditional home orientation. The results are spectacular!

Our 24 years of experience as the area’s premier Austin custom home builder allows us to help our clients understand the impact of these important design decisions, guiding them to the layout that best fits their budgetary and aesthetic goals.

For more information please visit the Sterling Custom Homes website. To discuss the custom home building process, please call Gary Grambley at (512) 263-2214 or email gary@sterlinghome.com.

Qualified applicants should submit their resume with salary requirements to christine@sterlinghome.com or via fax at 512-263-2318.

Sterling Custom Homes, Inc. is committed to a policy of equal employment opportunity and does not discriminate in the terms, conditions, or privileges of employment on account of race, age, color, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, or religion or otherwise as may be prohibited by federal and state law.

Sterling Custom Homes – Seven Oaks

For over 24 years Sterling Custom Homes has been your premier Lakeway custom homebuilder. Over the years we have carefully developed processes that make your custom home building experience both organized and enjoyable.

This article will cover the 4^th (and final) part of our Pre-Construction Process. In our previous 3 parts we discussed the steps required to go from Lot Selection all the way to Preliminary Plans and Specifications. We now have all the information needed to accurately price your home. 

Step 8: Price Preliminary Plan & Specifications

In the Specifications Meetings we walked through the Preliminary Plan room by room identifying all the materials and finishes to be used to create your unique custom home. We now compile all this information using our proprietary Sterling Custom Home Pricing Module to produce a detailed Cost Sheet. The Cost Sheet itemizes all the cost components for your project, giving us a clear picture of where your money is being spent. If we want to identify potential cost-saving areas, all the information needed is right at our fingertips. Revised Cost Sheets are produced in a matter of minutes, giving the client the benefit of comparing several different scenarios before final approval.

Step 9: Complete Construction Drawings

Now that we’re comfortable with the pricing we direct the architect to move forward with the detailed Construction Drawings. This set of plans will include the floor plans, exterior elevations, site plan, electrical plan, interior elevations, roof plan and foundation plan. A thorough review of these documents may result in some final plan changes. Engineering is now completed and final plans are prepared for the various trade partners.

Step 10: Sign Contracts and Begin Construction

With all the required components completed – the plans, the specifications and the cost sheet – we are now ready to sign construction contracts and begin construction of your unique Sterling Custom Home!

Sterling Custom Homes has been building the highest quality Austin custom homes since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.

12900 Shore Vista Drive – Caslano on Lake Austin

Since 1989 Sterling Custom Homes has been recognized as the premier Austin custom homebuilder. We have had the privilege of building in the finest communities all over our wonderful city. One of our favorite communities, Caslano on Lake Austin, is now offering a magnificent 11.89 acre tract as a single homesite. This is a rare opportunity to design and build your family estate home with plenty of room to roam.

Caslano is a beautiful, private, gated community with large acreage tracts and waterfront property. This is a mature community with most of the land already improved. We have enjoyed building in Caslano in the past and we look forward to serving more clients there soon.    

This particular tract at 12900 Shore Vista Drive offers a variety of building areas to choose from. The home can be set up to maximize the fantastic Hill Country views, take advantage of the perfect sun orientation and provide a steady breeze from the prevailing winds. And as if 11.89 acres isn’t enough, you’ll get the benefit of backing up to a spacious HOA park area!

Amazingly, this property is available for only $489,900 through Megan Gattis at Gottesman Residential Real Estate. We have built on many million dollar tracts of land, and this beautiful estate property stacks up to any of them!

For more information about this unique property please contact Megan Gattis at 512-914-3024 or email her at megangattis@gmail.com .

Sterling Custom Homes has been building the highest quality Austin luxury homes since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process, please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.

Sterling Custom Homes – Austin, Texas

The key to a pleasant custom home building experience lies in the processes and organization developed by your Austin custom homebuilder. At Sterling Custom Homes, we have created and continually refine our systems to provide you with the most organized, enjoyable building experience in the industry.

This blog series will delve into our pre-construction process, which contains 10 easy steps that carefully guide you to the actual construction of your unique Sterling Custom Home.

 Step 6: Preliminary Plan Review

In our world a preliminary plan is a ¼” scale version of the clients’ floor plan and elevation. You’ll recall that the prior plan versions were at a smaller 1”=10’ scale. We review the ¼” scale plan with the clients,  providing them with furniture cutouts to work on the space planning. Any changes to the plan are communicated to the architect and a final Preliminary Plan is produced.

Step 7: Finalize Preliminary Plan and Specifications

Once the preliminary plan is finalized, we meet with the clients to go through the Sterling Detailed Specifications. In these meetings we will take the client through the plan, room by room, and define the scope of the project. We will discuss every option available as we determine the materials and finishes that will be applied. Our specially developed interactive software system automates this process and produces a comprehensive document defining every detail of this unique home.

Stay tuned for additional blogs covering the remainder of our innovative pre-construction process.

Sterling Custom Homes has been the premier Austin home builder since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.

Sterling Custom Homes – Lake Travis Waterfront

Sterling Custom Homes, your premier Austin Texas custom homebuilder, has been developing innovative processes that make your homebuilding experience both organized and enjoyable - since 1989.

This blog series will delve into our pre-construction process, which contains 10 easy steps that carefully guide you to the actual construction of your unique Sterling Custom Home.

Step 4: Initial Meeting with the Architect

This important meeting is usually conducted at the homesite. Here, the architect will gain an understanding of the lot characteristics, such as Trees, topography, view corridors, sun orientation, etc. In conversational format we will learn more about the clients’ lifestyle and the vision they have for the home. With the budget in mind, the architect is already envisioning the layout and design. The builder will be thinking more about budgets and construction costs, but this is why it’s important to have the entire team working together in the design process. There is no challenge in designing a home that the client will love – but is over budget. The expertise and creativity come into play when making the critical design decisions that will enable us to bring the architecture and budget together for the client.

Step 5: Conceptual Plan Review

Our first look at a floor plan, this sketch is a small scale drawing of the layout of the home. We review this plan with the client and help them understand how the plan flows. We talk about things like the finished floor elevation, slab heights, retaining walls, ceiling heights and a number of other technical items. We explain in understandable terms the components of the plan that will have the biggest impact on cost. As a team, we work together to make the most of your vision while keeping a close eye on the budget.   

Stay tuned for additional blogs covering the remainder of our innovative pre-construction process.

Sterling Custom Homes has been building the highest quality Austin luxury homes since 1989. We are a full-service custom homebuilder eager to assist you with your lot analysis, home design and construction. For more information about our unique process please contact Gary Grambley at gary@sterlinghome.com or call 512-263-2214.