A Customized Home Creation

Customizing cabinets can offer a one-of-a-kind look. Embellish clean-line cabinet doors such as recessed-panel Shaker-style or flat-front contemporary panels with molding. Create depth and dimension in your new kitchen by staggering cabinets – a very affordable new home builder option to make your kitchen custom.

Play Up Hardware

Different pieces of refurbished antique hardware dress up cabinet doors and drawers with unique new home style. The aged pieces compliment the aged style of glazed cabinets.  If contemporary is more your new home style, add sleek pulls in brushed or glossy nickel.

Display Collectibles

Use glass doors to showcase personal collections of fine antiques, sentimental glassware, or playful pottery. Display colorful dishes to energize an all-white kitchen. There are so many ways to make your new home feel established, cozy and lived-in. Proudly display collectibles in your new home.

Disguise Clutter

Textured glass in upper cabinets helps define the open storage without demanding neatness. Mismatched dishware is muted behind textured glass panels.  This is an easy and affordable new home option that will customize your kitchen and make it more welcoming by softening the hard lines of the cabinets.

Include Decorative Molding

Add character to new home cabinetry with traditional or contemporary moldings. A decorative addition in a contrasting stain can give classic, cream-color cabinets a little extra energy.

Contrast a Dark Finish

Textured glass panels and black-glazed zinc knobs accent the black-painted cabinet doors, glazed in cinnamon red for greater depth. Flooring and countertops that contrast with the cabinet color can also infuse energy and style into a space.

Mix It Up

Warm wood door fronts blended into crisp white cabinetry creates noteworthy contrast and visual interest in this clean-lined kitchen. Equally bright and light, the wood adds warmth and color to the monochromatic room.

Make a Memo Board

Inset a tall cabinetry panel with an old-fashioned chalkboard to serve as a large message pad. Or paint a cabinet door with chalkboard paint. A pantry door is the ideal size and the perfect location for jotting grocery lists, snack suggestions, and don’t-miss messages. Too scared to do this on the outside of the cabinets? We understand.  Try it on the inside for a sleek, hidden and multi-functional cabinet!

Get Innovative

Transform a standard cabinet location into an appliance garage. Opt for doors that slide up out of the way for easy access to small appliances behind. Choosing a contrasting finish breaks up large spans of mundane cabinets.

Combine Door Styles

Cabinets feature doors of varying panel styles for a gathered look in this welcoming kitchen. Raised panels blend with beaded-board inserts for traditional style with a hint of casual country and glass doors provide an opportunity for personal display.

Add Wood for Warmth

A pretty and prominent wood graining in these walnut cabinets give contemporary slab-door styles a warmer look. Mixing traditional-style doors with modern New Home finishes, and vice-versa, lends unexpected interest.

Repeat Patterns

When selecting design finishes at your new home builders’ designer showroom, like CornerStone’s Interior Design Solutions, choose decorative muttins to glass-front cabinets to pick up architectural features of the house, such as in windows. Openings in just the upper portion of these cabinets add interesting display opportunities without requiring the entire cabinets to be neat and orderly.

Soften The Look

Upper cabinets fitted with frosted-glass doors offer a filtered view of their contents. For muted ‘pops’ of color, put your favorite fiesta wear beyond the frosted glass.  For a more monochromatic scheme, group monotoned sets behind the frosted glass.  Only the muted tone of your favorite dishware will show through. For a seaside style, select blue glassware.  For an earthy feel, use a green or tan color scheme.

Add Age with Distressing

Hand-distressed finished cabinets, such as an antiqued glaze, give a distinct weathered appearance that lends an instant sense of history and depth. Distressing can soften the sleek and shiny finishes of modern appliances in your new home by blending in old-world or farmhouse style.  Many new home options, such as an antique finish or cocoa glaze, can offer affordable ways to add distressed style to your new home decor, without drastic measures like taking a sander to your new home cabinets!

Award-winning quality Jacksonville new home builders, CornerStone Homes blogs about designing stylish new homes. The builder offers affordable new homes with outstanding craftsmanship and is among the highest in customer satisfaction ratings. A leading home builder in Jacksonville, Florida, CornerStone Homes received the Golden Service Award for its excellence in home building in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Proudly building, designing and decorating beautiful new homes in the finest Northeast Florida communities, CornerStone Homes also builds new homes on your lot, for the ultimate home building experience in custom homes.

Resource: www.BHG.com/topics

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, Designing a Kitchen, General, Home Builders Customer Service, Home builder customer reviews, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Homebuilders in Jacksonville, Interior Design, Jacksonville Home builders, Jacksonville New Homes, Kitchen Trends, Kitchen design, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Monday, January 2nd, 2012
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About the blogger: Award-winning quality Jacksonville new home builders, CornerStone Homes blogs about designing stylish new homes. The company offers affordable homes with outstanding homeowner builder reviews and is among the highest in customer satisfaction ratings. A leading home builder in Jacksonville, Florida, CornerStone Homes received the Golden Service Award for its excellence in home building in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Proudly building and decorating beautiful new homes in the finest Northeast Florida home builder communities, CornerStone Homes also builds new homes on your lot, for the ultimate home building experience in custom new homes.

Glass Lamp Bases

We’re seeing glass lamp bases everywhere this season, in shapes that are short, tall, curvy, square, urn-like, or conical. Trendy designer lamps like these can cost a fortune, but affordable versions are being seen at discount stores. Or get creative and make your own for your new home by taking a sturdy glass vase to a lamp shop for conversion. (Note the cord falls from the bulb’s base, rather than from the base of the lamp.)

Painted Furniture

Though painting furniture takes some time, it is a project that can be accomplished by just about anyone. Black, white, or cream are perfect new home neutrals, yet if that’s not your style then go bolder with red, sage, or butter yellow.

Oversize Ottomans

Tired of that clunky wood coffee table? Give an instant update to a room by bringing in an oversized upholstered ottoman. Add a couple of trays and you’ll have room for display with space left to put your feet up.

Simple Window Treatments

Avoid fussy or heavy-looking window treatments in your new home. Instead, go for sheer and simple looks with tailored elegance, like these white linen Roman shades.

Pendant Lights

Instead of designing your new home with ceiling lights over a kitchen island, hang pendant lights for a contemporary or traditional new home style. While imported art glass fixtures can easily break a budget, it’s common to find stylish pendant lights at local home centers or in online lighting outlets.  {New home builders are installing them everywhere.}

Framed Bath Mirrors

Take a pass on standard medicine chests with utilitarian mirrors. Replace them in your new home with large framed mirrors that have infinitely more personality and presence. What to do with your stuff? Stash it in an organized vanity or in nearby freestanding cabinets.

Ceilings with Interest

Take your new home decor to new heights by focusing some attention on the ceiling. Whether you select step ceilings and structural treatments or stencil a ceiling with geometric patterns, wallpaper it, add a faux finish, or even paper it with squares of art paper as was done here, the look will be one-of-a-kind and keyed to your new home’s interior.

Decorative Glass

We’re seeing more and more decorative glass in everything from French doors to transom windows. Get the look on a budget by replacing one or two existing kitchen cabinet fronts with insets of decorative glass. Select from seeded or bubbled glass, ribbed or clear to add appealing sparkle to your new home’s kitchen.

X-Base Tables

X’s are hot! Look for affordable versions of X-bases in coffee tables, tea tables, side tables, tray tables, benches, and even dining tables to add this up-to-the-minute look to your home. Accessorize them simply with a few worthy pieces of art or vases.

Closet Systems

Grab every inch of storage possible by making over your closets with affordable closet systems. These are available for purchase through CornerStone Homes or at home centers an online sources like EasyClosets.com.

The Un-Chandelier

Contemporary dining spaces crave sculptural, clean-looking light fixtures. Simple shade-covered light bulbs hanging over a table are a just-right look for 2012.

The Decorated Bookcase

Don’t let your bookshelves just sit there. Do something daring! Paint the back walls red, gold, or chocolate. Or wallpaper the inside with a toile, stripe, or check.

Still not convinced? Do a temporary update by removing the shelves and fitting the back with fabric-covered foam core or wood panels. The shelving will hold the panels in place and you’ll look like a designer.

The Updated Pillow

Ditch those lumpy little pillows. Revive your sofa with the newer look of larger pillows in square, rectangular, and cylindrical shapes. Dressmaker trims of silk tassels, double brush fringe, or simple contrasting fabric flanges add designer style to any pillow for your new home.

Lantern Looks

Shop for slightly oversize garden lanterns to use as chandeliers in a dining room or entry. It’s an affordable trend that can create interest and add elegance to a room.

Upgrade Your Faucet

Add curving style to a kitchen or bath… Look for elegant tall arched faucets in finishes from bronze or chrome and brushed nickel. Designer models might cost hundreds of dollars, but Moen offers budget-friendly look-alikes for the rest of us.

Think a Hint of Pink

Though neutral interiors may be soothing and long-lasting, they can also be a bit boring. Perk up neutral spaces in your new home with little shots of a trendy color like kiwi, persimmon, or marine blue. We love how the restrained touches of pink in this black-and-white room give it an updated mood for summer.

Resource: www.bhg.com/topics

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, Designing a Kitchen, General, Home Builders Customer Service, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builder customer reviews, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Homebuilders in Jacksonville, Interior Design, Jacksonville Home builders, Jacksonville New Homes, Kitchen design, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
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New Home Buiders, CornerStone Homes, Decorates with Shades of Gray

About the blogger: Award-winning quality Jacksonville new home builders, CornerStone Homes blogs about designing stylish new homes with shades of gray. The builder offers affordable new homes with outstanding craftsmanship and is among the highest in customer satisfaction ratings. A leading home builder in Jacksonville, Florida, CornerStone Homes received the Golden Service Award for its excellence in home building and homeowner reviews in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Proudly building and decorating beautiful new homes in the finest Northeast Florida new home communities, CornerStone Homes also builds new homes on your lot, for the ultimate home building experience in custom homes.

It’s the hottest thing on the runway and working its way into our homes. Who knew the color of cloudy skies and flannel suits was so chic! Dove gray, slate, pewter, taupe…after a decade in love with brown, we’re shifting our sights to a color that has a little less color, but (many would argue) a lot more style.

Color experts and trend watchers believe our growing fascination with gray may be a backlash to the long-reigning casual look that includes, but isn’t limited to, our love affair with browns, beiges, layered fashions and jeans. Some suggest we’re up for a little more refinement…from neat, contemporary looks to more formal styling.

Enter gray. The offspring of power black and tidy white, this urban hue boasts qualities of both. It’s also associated with both age (gray hair) and youth (city life).

Ironically, color without much color are perennial favorites of both fashion types (who like their complexity) and business types (who like their lack of emotion). But today’s array of colorless hues offer something for everyone. Light, silver, or metallic grays look dressy and elegant. Dark charcoal grays are sophisticated and masculine. Any color, in fact, can be (and is being) grayed-down to a quiet neutral hue.

If you’d like to add gray to your new home, consider these three tips from the pro’s…

Add Plenty of Texture. Neutral colors and schemes look best when enhanced with texture. Gray works especially well applied to apparel textures inspired by sweaters, heavily washed t-shirts, corduroy or linen.

Balance flat and glossy. Save shiny grays for smaller areas: draperies, pillows or a leather sofa. Flat paint finishes add sophistication, avoid a too-metallic look and even hide fingerprints.

Use a variety of light sources. Gray is the color of shadow; avoid adding more with poorly lit rooms or heavy-looking light fixtures. In your new home, add plenty of table lamps, floor lamps, wall sconces or see-through, lightweight pendants and chandeliers.

Gray’s Anatomy – Is It Warm or Cool?

Gray can be mixed with just about any color, in fact, designers classify gray colors as warm or cool, and usually work with one or the other when planning a room.

Cool grays have blue or purple undertones, resulting in hues such as steel, slate, silver, pearl, gunmetal or charcoal.

Warm grays have red, orange or brown undertones that result in hues such as dove, taupe, pewter, driftwood, dolphin or khaki.

Ironically, grays with green undertones have BOTH cool and warm qualities.

Which Wood Finishes Look Best with Gray?

While some often think gray tends to look good (or best) with contemporary furniture, that’s not to say it can’t work with other styles. Gray is found in aged woods, so it is very versatile.

If you want to fill your new home with coastal furniture, you may include painted or whitewashed woods that pair best with coastal grays. Think dove or pebble stone gray, weathered driftwood and boardwalks.

If modern furniture fills your new home and include straight-cut, solid-colored styles in white, black or charcoal and pair those styles with city grays. Think steel, concrete and industrial metal-inspired hues.

If contemporary furniture styles, including streamlined or Art Deco, abound in your new home, make them sophisticated with chic grays inspired by executive apparel and urban fashions. Think taupe, mushroom, peppercorn, pewter or ebony.

Although country, mission or cabin styled homes designed with rustic furniture aren’t typically used with gray, gray tones occur in the country and nature, too. Look for a hue inspired by a galvanized steel watering can, weathered barn woods, blacksmith’s tools or wrought iron.

If you are traditional and loving classic furniture in your new home, including mahogany, cherry or oak styles, it can be the most challenging to pair with gray. Look for grays with blue, green or purple undertones, such as slate, heather or pewter. Or opt for very light grays, such as pearl, oyster or silver to contrast with the dark tone traditional woods.

Check out a new home builder’s photo gallery for new home style, designs and trends at http://www.mycornerstonehomes.com/design-photo-gallery.php.

Content provided by www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, General, Home Builders Customer Service, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builder customer reviews, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Homebuilders in Jacksonville, Interior Design, Jacksonville Home builders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Friday, September 9th, 2011
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CornerStone Homes, recipient of the award in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Award-winning quality Jacksonville new home builders, CornerStone Homes builds affordable new homes with outstanding craftsmanship and among the highest in customer satisfaction ratings. A leading home builder in Jacksonville, Florida, CornerStone Homes received the Golden Service Award for its excellence in home building and homeowner reviews in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Proudly building beautiful new homes in the finest new home communities in Jacksonville, Orange Park, St. Augustine and surrounding areas, CornerStone Homes specializes in Building On Your Homesite, for the ultimate home building experience in custom homes.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (July 2011) – CornerStone Homes’ dedication to outstanding customer service was recognized at the 2010 Laurel Awards with the Golden Service Award, one of only two Grand Laurel Awards presented by the Northeast Florida Builders Sales and Marketing Council.

“Customer service is more than just a marketing term for us,” said Managing Partner Mark Downing.  “We build homes with our customers in mind and take extra steps to make sure our buyers are comfortable and genuinely satisfied.  Our goal is to exceed expectations in every home.”

Woodland, O’Brien & Associates, a national independent research firm exclusively for new homes, is commissioned by CornerStone Homes monthly to survey customers and measure their satisfaction levels in multiple areas regarding their homes, quality, experience and overall service with the company.  The homebuilder consistently achieves positive responses from customers.

The 2010 year-end surveys revealed 93 percent of the company’s customers surveyed by Woodland, O’Brien & Associates indicated they would enthusiastically and willingly recommend CornerStone Homes to their friends, co-workers and relatives.

CornerStone Homes uses many systems to track and deliver superior customer service.  Company representatives communicate with homeowners and closely monitor their experiences throughout the building process to ensure expectations are met.  Follow-up after move-in is also important.  CornerStone Homes schedules in-home visits at the one-month and 11-month anniversaries.  They also provide a user-friendly new home warranty program.

“We want customers to have a great experience building their dream home with us,” Downing said.  “We have great new floor plan designs and we will personalize plans to best meet homebuyers’ wants and needs.”

The award-winning new home builders, CornerStone Homes, builds one-of-a-kind new homes with outstanding quality craftsmanship and incomparable customer service.  The company has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in homebuilding, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism.

One of Northeast Florida’s premier new home builders, CornerStone Homes is building in the finest neighborhoods including new homes in Nocatee, custom new homes in Palencia, new homes in Payasada Estates, new homes in World Golf Village, new homes in Jacksonville Ranch Club, new homes in Kensington, new homes in MuraBella, RiverTown new homes, new homes in Hunter Oaks, Clay County new homes in Doctors Inlet Reserve, new homes in Eagle Harbor, Eagle Landing and Rolling Hills.  In addition, the company builds new homes on privately owned home sites from $60 per square-foot.

Contact a CornerStone Homes New Home Counselor for more information on building on your lot, finding your move-in ready dream home with beautiful designer selections or building your home your way in one of the fine communities throughout the Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Clay County, St. Johns County, Florida area.  www.MyCornerStoneHomes.com

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, General, Home Builders Customer Service, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builder customer reviews, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Homebuilders in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Home builders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Friday, August 5th, 2011
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Award-winning quality Jacksonville new home builders, CornerStone Homes builds affordable new homes with outstanding craftsmanship and among the highest in customer satisfaction ratings. A leading home builder in Jacksonville, Florida, CornerStone Homes received the 2009 & 2010 Golden Service Award for its excellence in home building and homeowner reviews. Proudly building beautiful new homes in the finest Northeast Florida communities, CornerStone Homes also builds our new homes on your lot, for the ultimate home building experience in custom homes.

CornerStone’s attention to detail, exceptional customer service and scheduled appointments throughout the build of your home provide a one-of-a-kind homebuilding experience, even for the most experienced of home buyers.

Meeting its customers’ broad range of building needs in Northeast Florida, new home builders, CornerStone Homes has received high marks and tons of accolades by offering buyers the opportunity to use its home design expertise on privately owned homesites.

“Building a home is more than finding the right size floor plan to fit on a lot,” said Mark Downing, managing partner of CornerStone Homes.  “Our customers want a distinctive home that is designed to meet their needs along with the personalized attention and care that makes the homebuilding process a pleasant and rewarding experience.”

Called ‘On Your Lot’, the program makes it possible to access CornerStone Homes’ innovative and award-winning designs, which can be personalized for individual homesites.  The program also assures that homebuyers enjoy the company’s incomparable customer service and attention to detail before, during and after the home’s construction.

CornerStone Homes builds in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties.  The company has a tremendous portfolio of designs that it can customize for homebuyers, saving them time and money on architectural fees and professional construction management.

The company’s step-by-step process is designed to make the building experience smooth and enjoyable.  It often begins in a CornerStone Homes model center, where the customer can review plans and features.  Soon after, a company home counselor will schedule an appointment to personally view the customer’s homesite and outline a detailed action plan for the site preparation and construction.  A final written quote will be provided to the homebuyer for approval.

Before construction begins, the customer will meet their onsite builder, visit the company’s design center to view colors, finishes and fixtures available for their new home and meet with a CornerStone Homes Managing Partner, a builder with more than 30 years experience.  The CornerStone Homes’ team will guide home buyers through the financial process and frequently works with real estate professionals.  Once the home is under construction, customers enjoy weekly builder updates as their new home is built and an impressive home warranty at completion.  The company’s On Your Lot program is competitively priced.  Buyers can select a home starting from $60 per square foot.

“Our team works closely with each buyer throughout the entire process to best serve their needs,” Downing said.  “We are passionate and take great pride in our homes, and we want our customers to be completely satisfied.  We offer homebuyers extremely competitive pricing, from $60 per square foot, and complete satisfaction.”

The award-winning CornerStone Homes builds one-of-a-kind homes with outstanding quality craftsmanship and incomparable customer service.  The company has received accolades, honors and high ratings for its excellence in homebuilding and customer satisfaction.

In a recent third party survey, 100 percent of the company’s customers said they would enthusiastically recommend the homebuilder to others and nearly 40 percent had been referred to CornerStone Homes by previous clients.

The award-winning new home builder, CornerStone Homes, builds one-of-a-kind homes with outstanding quality craftsmanship and incomparable customer service.  The company has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in homebuilding, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism.  CornerStone Homes is the recipient of the Grand Laurel Golden Service Award for 2009 and 2010.

One of Northeast Florida’s premier new home builders, CornerStone Homes is building in the finest neighborhoods including Austin Park at Nocatee, Palencia, Payasada, GroveWood at World Golf Village, Kensington, MuraBella, RiverTown, Hunter Oaks, Doctors Inlet Reserve, Eagle Harbor, Eagle Landing and Rolling Hills.  In addition, the company builds new homes on privately owned home sites from $59 per square-foot.

For more information, visit the homebuilder’s website at www.MyCornerStoneHomes.com or call at (904) 786-7000.

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, Florida, General, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Homebuilders in Jacksonville, Jacksonville Home builders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Tuesday, July 5th, 2011
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CornerStone's Castille II New Home Kitchen and Large Granite Island

Today’s kitchen brings everyone together in the heart of the home. An expansive island is the key to this great gathering place where others lend a hand and the cook is never isolated. Everything takes place on the island from food prep and serving to casual dining and homework. A long-time workhorse of the kitchen, the island has evolved into an ever-expanding piece of working art. With options as endless as your imagination, today’s islands – some as long as a room – accent the main cabinetry with contrasting stains, showcase stone or glass countertops and mimic pieces of furniture all while incorporating storage, shelving, seating and cleanup facilities.

Comfort, openness and stylish flexibility take priority in kitchen designs. Able to accommodate the needs of empty-nesters, multiple children households and visiting friends and family, a well-designed kitchen is as multi-functional as it is beautiful. Enhancing the warm and welcoming feel, built-in appliances hide behind sleek cabinet faces; organizers stash bills and keep a plethora of media cords and charging devices out of sight. A butler’s pantry, with mini wet bar and prep sink, helps to keep the ‘sous chef’ and guests close enough to help and converse, but neatly out of the work triangle.

In decades past, rooms were joined with small openings, leaving guests to wonder through a maze of rooms to find the kitchen. After all, they were utilitarian and often out of sight, out of mind. Increasingly, kitchen designers and homeowners alike have replaced more formal spaces with relaxed, casual kitchens that open to the family room, dining room and expand into areas such as the breakfast nook and covered lanai.

A backsplash adds texture and color while making clean up a cinch. The colors can be muted or vibrant and are often repeated in the furnishings, accents and accessories. Metals, in various finishes, not only grace appliances and gadgets, but also the backsplash. From stainless steel walls to pewter rope braids to bronze fleur-de-lis inserts, metal tiles are creatively being used as backsplash feature walls or in small accents. Although glass tiles have been in modern kitchens for years, they’re not going anywhere soon. The latest designs mix tile and glass for a unique, colorful and sometimes unexpected twist.

Similar to the modern bath, 2011 kitchen palettes are inspired by Mother Nature. Beach, garden and other outdoor-inspired designs are everywhere. Varying tones of warm and dark woods can be found throughout the world, but don’t rule out classic white. Gorgeous white cabinets can easily be infused into beach cottage, farmhouse or contemporary architecture. Other key design elements include wide plank flooring, tile that imitates wood or stone that reinforces a casual elegance.

Kitchens, as you might have noticed, are becoming more high tech and better equipped, too. Stainless steel appliances that can talk to your smart phone, custom-designed hoods, convection ovens, warming drawers and a multitude of clever storage options abound. Drawers and cabinets are customized so everything is stored exactly where it is used – and no space is wasted. Even the mundane pantry has gotten an injection of sophistication with integrated wood shelving, a second sink, coffee system, wine storage and more.

Although the modern-day kitchen sounds ubber expensive, kitchen-savvy homeowners and professional designers make the most of the kitchen design by selecting the features that appeal most. Designing a kitchen with smart placement and excellent function doesn’t have to be expensive, just put thought into your everyday needs. Opening walls and making space for the center-piece island can drastically increase fun and function without breaking the bank.

The award-winning, quality new home builder, CornerStone Homes, builds energy-efficient homes with outstanding craftsmanship and incomparable customer service. The builder has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in home building, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism. CornerStone Homes is the recipient of the Grand Laurel Golden Service Award for 2009 and 2010.

A premier new home builder in Jacksonville, CornerStone Homes builds in the finest neighborhoods including Austin Park at Nocatee, Palencia, Payasada, GroveWood at World Golf Village, Kensington, MuraBella, RiverTown, Hunter Oaks in Mandarin, Doctors Inlet Reserve, Eagle Harbor and Eagle Landing in Orange Park, and Rolling Hills. In addition, the homebuilder will build its new homes on privately owned home sites from $60 per square-foot.
For more information, visit the homebuilder’s website at www.MyCornerStoneHomes.com or call (904) 786-7000.

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, Designing a Kitchen, General, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Interior Design, Jacksonville New Homes, Kitchen Trends, Kitchen design, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville by Candy Harvison Tuesday, June 7th, 2011
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It’s All in the Details.

What Makes Your Potential Home Builder Qualified?

Competitive pricing, location and construction quality are important factors to consider when choosing the RIGHT home builder for your new home. Once you’ve narrowed your selection based on location, floor plan, amenities and overall investment, the right choice is all in the details.

CornerStone Homes understands that whether you are buying your first home or settling into your third, a new home isn’t just an ordinary purchase. In this digital age, we consumers analyze our next purchase and gather a plethora of information from coffee makers and automobiles to clothing and electronics (just to name a few) – and those are considerably smaller purchases. So, it just makes sense that we want to obtain information when we purchase a new home.

We want you to know all the details about CornerStone Homes, who is among the top quality new home builders in Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Orange Park and the remaining Northeast Florida area.

We encourage you to ask these questions of all the home builders you are considering:

- What makes your company different from all other home builders?

- Can I make changes to your floor plans?

- What type of home warranty do you provide to your homeowners?

- Do you provide only one lending choice in your home financing program?

- What processes do you have in place to keep me informed and involved in the entire home building process?

- Do you have a Customer Satisfaction Rating in writing?

- What do testimonials and previous clients say about your overall home building experience?

These questions may seem obvious…and most of them are.  We have found that buying a home can be a very emotional experience. By asking these questions, you will receive intangible information that can’t be found on your standard marketing material and brochures.  When it comes to building your home, it’s important to get to know the homebuilder, overall values and business practices. Entering into the exciting journey of building your dream home is more than just an investment of dollars and cents; its an investment of time, emotion and expectations. Whether you choose CornerStone Homes as your home builder or not, we look forward to helping you navigate through making the best decision for you.

The award-winning, quality new home builder, CornerStone Homes, builds energy-efficient homes with outstanding craftsmanship and incomparable customer service.  The builder has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in homebuilding, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism.  CornerStone Homes is the recipient of the Grand Laurel Golden Service Award for 2009 and 2010.

A premier Jacksonville, Florida new home builder, CornerStone Homes builds in the finest neighborhoods including Austin Park at Nocatee, Palencia, Payasada, GroveWood at World Golf Village, Kensington, MuraBella, RiverTown, Hunter Oaks in Mandarin, Doctors Inlet Reserve, Eagle Harbor and Eagle Landing in Orange Park, and Rolling Hills.  In addition, the homebuilder will build its new homes on privately owned home sites from $60 per square-foot.

For more information, visit the homebuilder’s website at www.MyCornerStoneHomes.com or call (904) 786-7000.

Filed under: Clay County homebuilders, General, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Home builders in Jacksonville, Homebuilders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Home Builders, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville, Purchasing a New Home, St. Johns County homebuilders by Candy Harvison Wednesday, May 4th, 2011
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Green living isn’t just recycling soda bottles (although, our Mohawk Ever Strand carpet is made of recycled bottles)! Every phase of building a green home has an environmental impact. Through careful planning, these elements can be managed to create a sustainable, environment-friendly home. The location, planning, and design of the home and landscape each play an important part.

The location of a home has a lot of impact. When possible, a truly green home is convenient walking distance from public transportation. The home’s orientation to the sun, number of windows and more are taken into account for the energy efficiency calculations.  The overall geography of the site is chosen to conform to principles of energy conservation which are carried out in the home’s floor plan.

The green approach applies to the construction process as well as the home itself. Materials-efficient planning can save time and money while conserving resources. For example, wall lengths conforming to standard sizes of building materials will reduce wasted materials. This also saves money, since custom-sizing materials takes time and labor. Many computer modeling programs are available to help designers pre-manage the materials to be used in a home. Plans are made in advance to use or recycle the waste produced during the construction of the house. Where possible, the surrounding landscape is preserved.

For maximum energy efficiency, the sustainable home features thermally efficient shell materials and insulation. A high-efficiency heating and air system is complemented by light-colored roofing materials, which help conserve energy. The principles of passive solar energy can make a new home extremely energy efficient, keeping it naturally cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Following these principles may determine which direction the home itself faces, or the location of features such as the garage. Active solar energy collectors may also be used, as well as solar-powered exterior lighting, which stores up a charge during the day to be used overnight.

Natural lighting is an energy-conserving element that influences the floor plan itself. Natural lighting can be combined with task-specific indoor lighting and low voltage, high efficiency dimmers to greatly reduce the amount of energy needed to light the home.

Along with energy, a green home conserves water.  Low flush toilets and low flow shower heads reduce the water wasted by everyday activities. Some sinks may be too remote for the hot water system to reach efficiently. Point-of-use water heaters can be used for these instead.

The outside of the house is also designed to conserve water and energy. Homeowners can channel rainwater to be recycled for natural landscape irrigation. Plants used in landscaping can require minimal water and be indigenous to the area.

Sustainable building is not an all-or-nothing proposition. It may not yet be practical – or possible – for everyone to implement all of these elements into a single new home. However, a little goes a long way when designing and building a green home. Even a few of these features, combined with energy and water efficient appliances and environment-conscious habits, will have a lasting positive impact.

The award-winning new home builder, CornerStone Homes, builds one-of-a-kind homes with outstanding quality craftsmanship and incomparable customer service. The company has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in homebuilding, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism. CornerStone Homes is the recipient of the Grand Laurel Golden Service Award for 2009 and 2010.
One of Northeast Florida’s premier new home builders, CornerStone Homes is building in the finest neighborhoods including Austin Park at Nocatee, Palencia, Payasada, GroveWood at World Golf Village, Kensington, MuraBella, RiverTown, Hunter Oaks, Doctors Inlet Reserve, Eagle Harbor, Eagle Landing and Rolling Hills. In addition, the company builds new homes on privately owned home sites from $59 per square-foot.
For more information, visit the homebuilder’s website at www.MyCornerStoneHomes.com or call at (904) 786-7000.

Resource for a majority of the blog content provided by: www.newhomeguide.com.

http://www.newhomeguide.com/new-home-services-guide/buying-a-home/before-you-buy/custom-designed-green-homes.html

Filed under: Building Green, Energy Efficiency, General, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Homebuilders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville by Candy Harvison Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
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Filed under: General, Heart Health, Home Improvement, Home Remodeling, Homebuilders, Jacksonville New Homes, New Homes, New Homes in Florida, New Homes in Jacksonville by Candy Harvison Thursday, February 10th, 2011
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When the temperatures outside drop, stop and think what effect the colder weather could have on your home. There are many steps you can take inside and outside your home to help it better weather the colder months. Follow these steps, and you will be safe and comfortable during winter.

Bundle up! Preparing your home for winter

Safety check
Make sure your smoke detector has fresh batteries and that the fire extinguishers are fully charged.

Since your heating system will soon be getting a work out, you’ll need to change or replace filters and clean the vents. Now might be the time for a professional duct cleaning as well.

You’ll also want to have your chimney cleaned to prevent dangerous creosote build up.

Get the yard ready
Give the yard and gutters a thorough cleaning and move debris away from the perimeter of the house.

This is a good time to trim back the branches of shrubs and trees that are touching the house. You can reduce the damage from winter ice and snow storms, which often send tree limbs crashing through roofs, with some prevention now.

Make sure to keep up on your leaf raking so you don’t smother the new grass of cold-weather growers like fescue. Remove dead summer vegetables, flowers and perennial foliage and add to the compost pile, along with all those leaves.

It’s time to plant early spring bulbs and fertilize established beds. Weeding now can save you a lot of time next year. Dig up tender warm-weather bulbs that can’t make it through the winter and store them in a paper bag at in a dry cool place — 65 degrees F or cooler.

In and out of the shed
Detach hoses for storage in the shed, and, since you won’t be using your sprinklers until the spring, check the system for leaks, drain it to prevent burst pipes and shut it down.

You’ll want to protect your outdoor furniture from winter weather too. Cover up or store items like seat cushions or umbrellas. Larger pieces and grills will need a waterproof cover.

Lots of things we keep in garden sheds won’t make it through a freeze, so be sure to remove paints, caulks and liquid materials to a warmer location, like a basement.

Check roof and windows
Protect your roof by replacing any shingles that are loose or missing. To keep the weather from finding other ways inside your home, be sure to caulk any gaps around window or door frames.

It’s also time to remove screens and put up storm windows. Be sure to clean windows outside while you’re at it, and label the screens so you’ll have an easier time replacing them in the spring.

Your clean and checked chimney won’t do much good without the wood for a fire. So cover up the woodpile to keep it dry and make sure you have a supply of kindling ready to go.

Now you’re ready to sit back with a warm drink, the people you love and let the winter weather storm on in.

The award-winning new homebuilder, CornerStone Homes, builds one-of-a-kind new homes with outstanding quality craftsmanship and incomparable customer service.  The company has received accolades and high honors for its excellence in homebuilding, customer satisfaction and community volunteerism and is the recipient of the Grand Laurel Golden Service Award in 2009 and 2010.

CornerStone Homes is building in the finest neighborhoods including Austin Park at Nocatee, Palencia, Payasada, GroveWood at World Golf Village, Kensington, MuraBella, RiverTown, Hunter Oaks, Doctors Inlet Reserve, Deer Creek Country Club, Eagle Harbor, Eagle Landing and Rolling Hills.  In addition, the company builds new homes on privately owned home sites from $60 per square-foot.

For more information, call (904) 786-7000 or visit www.MyCornerStoneHomes.com.

Resource:  Blog post by NewHomeGuide.com

Filed under: General by Candy Harvison Tuesday, December 21st, 2010
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