This custom home, built by Hibbs Homes and designed by Architect Kim Spurgeon, was recognized by the City of Kirkwood as an Infill of Merit.

Building a new home is not about the builder. Sound funny? Let me explain. In my opinion, the builder is only as good as his team. Proof in point – a new home we recently built in Kirkwood, Missouri. The home was just recognized by the Kirkwood Landmarks Commission as an “Infill of Merit,” an award that recognizes a new, single family home that fits comfortably into the existing neighborhood and is found compatible through architectural style, and the use of scale, proportion, materials, textures and details. Since Hibbs Homes is primarily an infill builder these are goals we have for every home we build, but there was special emphasis placed on this home by the team.

You may have noticed I’ve used the word “team” twice, so let me explain what I mean. When the homeowner first selected Hibbs Homes to build their new home, they also selected architect to Kim Spurgeon to complete the team. Kim is well known and respected in the city of Kirkwood, and is an award winning architect who has designed many homes in the community- a community in which she lives.

Working together, as a team, we were able to meet our clients’ goal to design and build a home that fit seamlessly into the neighborhood. That was very important to our client, and as infill builder, it’s important to me. Our client had an idea of what they wanted the home to look like, and after several meetings we were able to flush things out. During the design process, I offered thoughts and suggestions on construction materials, costs and how various design elements would affect the budget. We met frequently during the design process to make sure we were still on track with the design and budget.

This team effort worked to perfection. Not only did we have an award winning home, but one that came in on budget. Building a new home can be a fun and rewarding experience, if you have the right team working in the right direction.

Here is a shot of a home being built in the Contempri Homes factory in Pickneyville, IL.

I’ve written before about modular home construction, and how more and more of our clients are asking about the process. To help them learn more about it, I had to do my homework. And the more I’ve learned, the more I realize it’s a legitimate way to build a new home.

Part of my homework included a trip to Contempri Homes in Pinkneyville, Illinois. There I was able to see the construction process in person. What impressed me the most was the concept of building a custom home backwards. That may sound funny, so please let me explain.

When homes are built in a factory, manufacturers install the drywall first, then work backwards installing exterior sheathing and siding last. This allows the crews to work from the back side, paying close attention to properly caulking and insulating the structure for an air-tight envelope. This is critical when building high performance homes. In addition, using full lengths of unbroken drywall at all wall intersections and corners helps improve the thermal envelope. Drywall also comes first when building the roof and it runs to the exterior edge of the walls so there are no air gaps at the ceiling perimeters which can be very difficult to seal.

Here you can see studs in to the drywall from the exterior of the modular home.

I already knew of the other benefits to modular construction – working in a controlled environment which is not susceptible to the weather, being able to control and reuse waste, new homes being built in a matter of weeks instead of months, and that a modular home undergoes more inspections than a site built home. But what excites me the most is that modular homes are also being verified green through programs such as the National Green Building Standards, Energy Star, and USGBC’s LEED.

I’m sold and ready to build our first modular home, and fortunately we have a client interested as well. They are a wonderful young couple from South St. Louis County who already have a lot. They’ve taken a very active role in learning about modular construction as well, having already visited two modular factories.

The Hibbs Homes crew stops for a photo opp with the Contempri Homes crew.

They’re interested in building modular for several reasons – a better built home, environmentally friendly construction, and saving money. The modular industry says you can save up to 15% building a modular home and we’re going to put that claim to the test.

We’re going to share information about the project from start to finish, writing about all phases of the construction process here on the blog. You can follow our journey by subscribing to the blog via our RSS feed using your favorite reader, or you can have it delivered right to you by subscribing via email. It should be an interesting one, and hopefully you’ll come along for the ride!

There are many benefits to building a new home, but perhaps the most important to homeowners is the money they save during the life of their home. The saying goes that a penny saved is a penny earned, and when it comes to the cost of living it couldn’t be more true.

The National Association of Home Builders recently reported that the majority of new homeowners (about 73% according to the 2009 American Housing Survey) spend less than $25 a month to maintain their home. And a new construction homeowner spend around 13 cents less per square foot for energy usage than the average homeowner-and that lower average cost even includes new homes that aren’t built using leading energy efficient practices. Imagine how much more savings a durable and energy efficient home would be in comparison!

Many of the clients we have built custom homes for in the past have told us how surprised they were to find they were spending less money to live in their new, energy efficient home even with a larger home. We have also had clients come to us who have decided to build a new home because the costs and time associated with maintenance and upgrades to existing homes in their price range really put them off the idea of buying.

While some home buyers are intimidated by the prospect of building, often these worries come from the unknown when it comes to costs. But, as these numbers really show, working with a qualified home builder to purchase a lot and build within your budget can be an rewarding investment that will actually save you money in the long run.