And the Spring Building Projects Begin!
Spring seems to make everything come to life. People are undoubtedly more enthused about starting home design and building projects when the weather warms up and the sun starts shining. We’re proof of that this year!
I wanted to share a couple of spring projects we have going on right now. As the weather continues to warm up, we hope more and more people start thinking about building, remodeling, and renovating the inside and outside of their homes.
- We have two contract houses in the beginning stages. One in near Shelbyville, and another in Spencer County. The footers have been poured on these houses and we’re grateful that the weather has allowed us to get this part of the process of construction underway.
- We’ll be starting another custom building project in Shepherdsville very soon and will bring you the details and progress of that home as it unfolds.
Although we advertise ourselves a lot as a Louisville builder, we actually cover all of the surrounding neighborhoods and counties outside of Metro Louisville like Shelby County, Oldham County, Bullitt County, Spencer County and more.
Contact me today if you’re thinking about building or remodeling, whether you live in Metro Louisville or in one of the communities surrounding it.
Five Ways to Save Money When Remodeling Your Home
When remodeling your home, one of the first things to think about is whether or not the renovations you have planned will boost your home’s overall value. Putting your renovations to work for you—ensuring that they help make you money in the long run—can be a daunting task, especially when you’re renovating on a budget. Use the five tips listed below as a guide for smart, economical, and budget-friendly ideas when renovating your home. If you need help from an experienced custom home builder and remodeler, contact me today and let’s start a conversation.
1. HAVE A PLAN Before you start on your project, set up a plan that carefully outlines what you hope to accomplish. One way to do this along with organizing your thoughts is to cut out pictures and magazine articles relating your projects. Do some research online not only for ideas and inspiration.
2. CONSIDER SECONDHAND STORES Many towns have discount stores – such as Habitat For Humanity stores – where donated and excess job site items such as lumber, appliances, hardware, and more are sold at a relatively low rate. Saving money on items like this can lower your bottom line while still yielding a beautiful finished project that increases the value of your home.
3. CURB APPEAL MATTERS Increased curb appeal adds lasting value to any home, and can be a project that has minimal costs involved. With a little elbow grease, fresh plants and shrubbery, and new house numbers or light fixtures, your homes exterior will be brightened up and its value increased.
4. SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR FRIEND Now more than ever, companies are making use of social media sites like Facebook to reach out to customers with deals and one-time offers. This can be a great way to get a discount on appliances, services such as carpet installation or roofing, and more. The more you save on the initial remodel, the more money will be in your pocket when it comes time to sell your home.
5. LOCATION IS KEY Be sure to take your location into consideration when planning renovations. If you live in a hot climate, green cooling systems are a great investment that will add huge value to your home. Likewise, if your home is in a large development, taking the time to add exterior features that will set your home apart is a great investment.
And remember, always be sure to use a licensed, insured general contractor.
So what’s your Louisville dream home look like?
We thought this would be a fun topic to put on the blog and share on social media. We’d love to have your input. Not because we’re trying to sell you a home (we don’t have much inventory right now) or because we’re hoping to build your next custom contract home (although we’d gladly take you up on that). We just wanted to see how things are changing in the Louisville real estate market.
So what’s your Louisville dream home look like?
It seems like out are the days of 4,000 or 5,000 sq foot and above homes. Sure they happen, but it seems the market has moved to a less is more focus. Simple homes with more amenities. People are downsizing their mortgages and their upkeep left and right—when they can sell, that is. People have even started buying tiny houses (http://tinyhouseblog.com/). You might not be there yet, but your dreams, goals, and desires for a dream home may have been altered in the last five years of this economic shift. If so, we’d love to know how so.
Do you prefer a community-type development like Norton Commons, or a traditional suburban neighborhood like Fox Run? Would you like an infill home built in an older, existing area like St Matthews, Middletown, Clifton, Lyndon or many others? By the way, these old lots are few and far between.
Would you prefer to be in a town home, patio home, or condo type development with some unique twists? Are you looking at having one to five acres on a tract outside the city in a neighboring county like Spencer, Shelby, Oldham, or Bullitt?
So do you prefer a two story traditional, a one and a half story, or a ranch?
When it comes to the basement, is it a walkout or a traditional basement? Finished or unfinished? Believe it or not, some like an unfinished basement as a romp room, storage space, or more importantly, as one less place to clean and dust.
What are the must-have amenities?
Are you a cottage home, craftsman, traditional, modern, or cape cod fan?
Brick, brick and brick, or hardiplank/ siding?
Leave your thoughts in the comments, on the Facebook thread, or @reply us on Twitter.
International Builders Show in Orlando is Coming Up
We’re heading back to the annual International Builders Show in Orlando Florida. Yes, somebody has to go to Florida in February, so we drew the short straw. We’re one of the Louisville Builders taking one for the team.
This show has been an almost annual event the last few years. We attend this show in part because I serve on the local HBAL Board of Directors, the HBAK Executive Board, and in part because even us older builders like to keep up with our industry. As we’re using Twitter, Facebook, and blogging, we have to keep up with all the latest products and trends in our industry.
Every year, we come back with new ideas and updates on the pros and cons of green building and developing, new regulations making home building more difficult, the state of the housing market, and the latest product enhancements that affect our customers. Those are all very good reasons to make the annual trip.
This year’s NAHB International Builders Show is February 8-11. Normally, this would be a perfect time for builders to take in a conference, although this year we actually have two, possibly three custom homes we’re starting in January and early February. We’re also finishing up a dental office addition for our friends over at A Winning Smile Dental Center in Okolona. If you’re looking for a Louisville Dentist, they are expanding and accepting new patients. We won’t complain about the activity, or the break to sharpen our saw.
P.S. If I can get my new iPhone 4 working before the trip, I will be live tweeting, shooting videos, and blogging about the show like in years past. Stay tuned for more.
Merry Christmas from PL Lyons
Christmastime is here! Can you believe this year is almost over? Every December we pause to reflect on the passing year—areas where we succeeded and areas where we can improve.
We also like to take this opportunity to let our employees and our clients know how much we appreciate them. The people we work with really are the life of the business, and we have the best. We are grateful for the loyalty of both our employees and our clients, and we look forward to continuing to build those relationships as we enter the New Year.
Hopefully the excitement of the holiday season will linger awhile as we enjoy time with family and friends over the next couple of weeks. 2012 holds the promise of a happy and successful business year ahead.
From everyone at PL Lyons, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Happy Thanksgiving from our family at P.L. Lyons Custom Building and Remodeling
Our team here at P.L. Lyons Inc, which includes myself, (Perry Lyons) my wife Linda, and our right hand man and superintendent Buck Steinbach, want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.
Take some time this week to count your blessings.
Take some time and relate with your family and friends.
Take some time and be thankful for your freedoms.
Guys get your share of football.
Ladies get your share of shopping.
Everyone get your share of good eats.
Enjoy the change in seasons. Some people never get to see a leaf fall, a snow flake, a bloom in spring, or a sunny July day.
If you spend any of your time off working on that honey-do list, you might find last week’s post helpful about winterizing your house.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Share on FacebookRocky Pusateri of Elite Homes talks about 2012 Homearama at Shakes Run
Rocky Pusateri of Elite Homes talks about many of the benefits of building a Homearama home in 2012 at Shakes Run.
We figure Rocky hit on all the high points, so we’ll list the bullets here and you can watch the quick video for the rest. He summarizes it well as he usually does.
- Shakes Run gives you the feel of the country (think Spencer or Shelby county but without the bedroom community feel) but has the city life within three miles at the Gene Snyder in Middletown (think churches, Target, Kroger, schools, and restaurants like Wild Eggs).
- A home in Shakes Run (or any Homearama site) would give you an instant value. As Rocky states, many of the contractors and subcontractors want to put their best foot forward. Often times they are willing to discount new products or services in order to get the massive free publicity that a Homearama home gives.
- Shakes Run has lots of green space, lakes, and many walk out wooded lots. Balance this with a clubhouse and pool, and you have the suburbs meet the country.
Perry Lyons of P.L. Lyons just finished up a home in Shakes Run. He knows the ground, the restrictions, and the process. He’s also a respected builder in the community, and serves alongside Rocky on the board at the HBAL. Needless to say, we’d love to build a contract home or Homearama home for you at Shakes Run.
If you’d like to visit Shakes Run, we’d he happy to give you the nickel tour, simply fill out this convenient form or call us at 244-0114 to set it up.
New pictures of some of our custom homes in the Louisville area
Since we primarily build new custom homes in Louisville and the surrounding areas, we wanted to take a minute to share a few pictures of some homes we’ve recently completed.
These three homes were all built in the Fox Run subdivision in Eastern Jefferson County. We build to suit your needs and have built custom homes and completed custom remodels and additions in a number of prestigious areas and neighborhoods in Louisville including:
- Anchorage
- Lake Forest
- Douglas Hills
- Plainview
- in Briar Hill Estates
- Beckly Woods
- Hunters Point
- Winchester Acres
- Fairway Crossing
- Fox Run
- Glen Lakes
If you’d like to learn more, please contact me today.
Share on FacebookGroundbreaking event at A Winning Smile Dental
PL Lyons has recently broke ground on a new commercial construction project for A Winning Smile Dental Center. The process actually started about a year ago, but we were challenged somewhat with different zoning regulations and stipulations.
We’ve worked hard to get everything squared away and we now officially have the building permits in hand. The pictures and video below show the initial demolition that took place as well as where the actual new addition will stand.
Stay tuned as we document the progress of this job up to its finishing stages. We look forward to working with Dr. Witte as he expands his practice to better serve his patients.
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Looking at building a Louisville custom home? There are some cool communities in the area
Maybe you’re one of the lucky people out there who already knows exactly what neighborhood you want to live in, what type of house you’re looking to build, and everything else is just details.
Doesn’t sound quite like your situation? Don’t worry, that’s actually not the case for most people. In fact, the process of deciding to build a custom home, choosing the perfect neighborhood, and finding the right custom home builder doesn’t always come easy.
Louisville offers some great neighborhoods in many different locations around town, so no matter what end of the city you want to live in, at least you can rest assured that you’re bound to find a neighborhood that is perfect for you and your family.
Ready to start researching communities in the Louisville area? This tool is a great place to start. It’s the Greater Louisville New Home Guide and provides maps, information, and resources to help you narrow down an area, find a custom home builder, and even search communities in surrounding counties.
The homebuyer guide walks you through specific details to keep in mind when searching for communities, builders, and the price range of your new home.
Once you’ve found a few locations you’d like to see, I’d love to talk to you about building a custom home in your chosen neighborhood. I’ve been building homes in Louisville and surrounding areas for more than 30 years and am a trusted registered builder. I can even help with your neighborhood selection process. Contact me to get started!
