Have you ever wondered what a contractor was thinking when they designed the exterior of the homes they build?
No doubt, you’ve seen some super attractive homes, and some less than stellar ones as well.
When it comes to making the outside look really good, many builders fall short.
When we design a brand new community, we engage a lot of thought to making it look and feel the best we possibly can. So today, lets talk exteriors.
Creating a 55+ Community Starts With Quality Exteriors
Setting the tone:
I’m surprised in recent years, how popular tv channels like HGTV have become. If you haven’t watched it, you’ve probably heard about it. They are the go-to channel for home remodeling. I’ve always been surprised with how the host or hostess is able to pick up a sledge hammer in one frame, bust down a wall in the next frame, then pose for the camera without having broke a sweat. (They’ve got to be using help—I’m on to them…)
Anyhow, they’ve helped create a whole new culture of design savy homebuyers. Oftentimes though, we get hung up on the interior design of a building. Those who study design, are in fact, called interior designers. Much less frequently do we hear about exterior home designers. Granted, many of them do that as well, but the exterior is every bit as important as the interior of your home.
While the interior is where you will spend most of your time, the exterior sets the tone, not only for your own home, but for the whole community. Even if you aren’t actively paying attention to the homes and yards you pass, subconsciously, they are speaking to you.
If the landscaping is poorly maintained, then you’ll feel that it’s a lazy community. If the homes look fresh and clean, you feel the quality. Similarly, even if the homes are build well, kept clean, and well maintained, you might feel that something is lacking if the exteriors lack any good style.
The exterior of your home says a lot about you, your neighbors, and your lifestyle. Usually you feel it, more than notice it. So it better be done right.
Good design is not easy:
The conversations that I dread most, are the ones preceding a new subdivision. For us, this involves our two in-house designers, and sometimes a couple of 3rd party designers. We’ll often have them bring their best ideas to us, but the process of picking an exterior has only just begun.
For months, we’ll go back and forth, tinkering, throwing colors and textures out, bringing them back, swapping them, and completely overthinking every inch of the home.
Some would argue that we have too many minds working on what should be a simple decision, however, we don’t see it that way. There are too many examples of builders who picked the first good idea that they found, only to have it look like garbage. You see this all over the place.
As tedious as our process is, we want to get the ambiance of your community right the first time. So amid many debates, we work hard, often till the eleventh hour, until we have something that we can all agree on.
The result:
If you’ve been through any of our retirement communities recently, hopefully you were impressed. Every color, every plant, everything you see has been the subject of much internal debate.
When it comes to finding a feel-good community, we have it. Not only do we make the exteriors look as beautiful as possible, but we strive to make them as low maintenance as possible, saving your HOA a little extra effort down the road. It’s a fine balance and a tough job, but when we drive through communities we’ve built, even 20 years after they’ve been finished, they still look amazing. That is a very rewarding feeling and we hope you enjoy them as well.