People who call Wilmington home, either as a primary residence or as a vacation retreat, know how blessed we are to have such a beautiful climate and be able to participate in outdoor activities year round.  When architects and clients design here, they will be incorporating outdoor living in the plan.  Decks, porches, and patios for eating and relaxing are automatic. 

The transition between indoor space and outdoor areas can be designed to have the affect of extending the living space.   Windows and doors let in light and frame views of the landscape or scenery beyond.  One of the primary purposes of remodeling is to open up views.  Perhaps what could be wonderful sight lines to the exterior are obscured by small windows, or a feature such as a fireplace right in the middle of the view.  Maybe better access to decks or porches could be accomplished by relocating a door or adding one.  An outdoor cooking or eating area may need improved access from the kitchen. 

The mix of sun and shade is a critical consideration in planning the location and design of outdoor spaces.  What direction does the planned feature face and how does the sun travel over that spot in different seasons?  What affect will a roof over that spot have on the light entering the adjacent interior?  Is the wind a factor in enclosing the space or leaving it open?  What materials are suitable for the expected elements and how long might they last? 

If your home is missing an outdoor structure that would enhance your lifestyle, or it is time for an update, The Farlow Group can help. 

ream it.  Build it.  Live it.

In these times of sluggish home sales, and rising costs of assisted living facilities, homeowners are often opting to stay longer in their current home or to have parents move in with them.  Families who elect these options will often need some remodeling to bring their homes up-to-date for current interests, or to achieve mobility-friendly changes or enhance privacy. 

In addition to addressing how rooms are configured and what materials to include, design changes can necessitate updates to heating and cooling equipment or other systems.  Remodeling costs may be somewhat offset by potential energy savings over time with newer appliances or equipment, and by installing water saving appliances and fixtures.  Remember to count the value to your lifestyle in savings of time and convenience with better functioning designs and features! 

The vast number of choices in materials and fixtures at every price point mean that you will certainly find options that suit your budget and tastes with a little research, and help from your contractor and design professionals.   If this will be your first experience with remodeling, be sure to read our blog post “Remodeling Basics” for pointers on how to plan and execute a project.  Then, contact us, to get started on this new adventure of living in your home sweet home!

For the homeowner attempting to reconcile future market value of their home versus costs, the calculation can seem daunting.  All living arrangements carry an expense, but we have grown accustomed to expecting others (potential buyers, appraisers, lenders) to share our perspective of our home’s dollar value, even without considering the emotional value that we tend to add on top of the market.  After all, a home is where the experiences of family are most immediate, and we cherish that history.  

So how does one account for how much to spend on updating and enhancing structures and interiors when some portion of what we spend may be an expense instead of an investment?  Probably the same way one arrives at any difficult decision—decide on what is most important in your particular situation, gather information, sort options, and then decide.  Having made the best decision you can based on the information available at the time, don’t look back.  You’ll go nuts trying to control the uncontrollable, of which everything that lies in the past is included!  Spend on what is most important to YOU, and save on what you care the least about in terms of your home experience. 

For the builder who is carrying on in this business climate, the choices can also be difficult; however, in business a calculation based on emotion may end an enterprise.  If we can’t make a profit that allows us to build our business, then there is little point in being in the building business.  Just turning over dollars to stay busy is operating at a loss, because the liability factor in creating a custom home using thousands of components, any one of which could unexpectedly underperform, carries a risk to the business that must also be accounted for.  As a homeowner, you certainly want your contractor to be available in the future, because houses can be depended upon to need fixing, even if they can’t be depended upon to go up in market value. 

To sum up this philosophy, you can use the same decision making strategies that would be prudent in any decision of importance.  Be as honest as possible about what is important to you and why, and make choices that are reasonably calculated to return whatever proportion of resale versus expense that you are comfortable with.  Borrow the least amount that still gets the job done, give yourself credit for your efforts, live happy, and don’t look back…except to remember fondly that you purchased a chance at history that only you could make.

INTEGRITY.  Clients need to know that their builder possesses integrity in his business relationship with them, with trade partners, with regulators, and with finances.  Builders build homes to make a profit, an essential element in maintaining a business, but also for the creative reward they feel from making a really good product and having clients speak well of them.   A good contract document that balances the responsibilities of both parties helps to clarify understanding, but a document cannot impose integrity.

There will be challenges to overcome with any custom design.  Bringing together thousands of components assembled by dozens, or even hundreds, of craftsmen in a one-of-a-kind setting will present some obstacles.    A good builder is constantly refining techniques and systems to improve his process not only because it improves his referrals, but because he enjoys doing business that way…with integrity.   A good businessman wants to know when his clients have concerns so he can help them find solutions.  Good communication happens much more easily in a climate of trust.

The Farlow Group has been blessed with many clients who call on us for multiple projects.  We consider their continued patronage and referrals to be the highest form of compliment.  As the testimonials on our website convey, clients value their ability to trust in our relationship as much as they do the enjoyment of their homes.  To us, integrity is an essential component in building homes.

As a home builder in Wilmington, North Carolina, we have constructed many styles of homes.  While doing research online concerning exterior elements of a classical revival home, we came across a website that we thought you may enjoy.  The website http://www.ontarioarchitecture.com/ has excellent photos and descriptions of architectural styles from many periods.  There is also a wonderful glossary of building terms relating to architectural elements. 

The Ontario Architecture site was created by an associate of the building and construction department of Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; however, many of the photos look like they could easily have been taken here in the Wilmington area!

On June 2, 2011, Jim Farlow of  The Farlow Group attended a day long workshop on the North Carolina Energy Conservation Code.  Adopted in 2009 by our state, the N C Energy Code for residential and commercial buildings provides technical data and solutions for achieving efficient use of energy resources through prescribed construction methods and recommended materials.

 The workshop was conducted by Mathis Consulting Company, whose presentation was both enlightening, and inspiring.  Jim’s favorite part was a discussion concerning costs and benefits of retrofitting existing buildings to improve energy efficiency, and the corresponding affect in reducing, or even eliminating, the current ever expanding need for increased energy production.  An example was given of how the cost of constructing a single nuclear power plant could be applied to update enough structures to make the plant unnecessary, while substantially increasing the safety and comfort of existing buildings, and employing many more people across a wide geographic area in the process.

 For more information, visit the Mathis Consulting Company website, www.mathisconsulting.com , and click on the tab at the top of the home page, “N C Training” (ignore the drop down box).  There are pdf manuals of the code for both residential and commercial construction, with lots of pictures.  Great info for building professionals or anyone interested in the topic of energy efficient building practices.

The Farlow Group recently completed this water side porch

enclosure with glass doors that open completely by sliding to

stack on the sides.  The clients love it so much that we are

now enclosing their ground level porch as well. 

The sliders control how much breeze enters without

blocking the views. Baseboard heat makes the space

comfortable in winter too.

Remember when you were looking for that perfect home to buy or thinking about building your dream home?  Did you identify certain rooms, or even just a space within a room, that would be just right for a favorite activity; be it reading, surfing the net, crafting, yoga, or watching nature through the window…whatever you like to do? 

Do you have that space now? Strategy…you can still carve out your space using the first steps involved in reshaping any space:  EDIT and REARRANGE.  Maybe you couldn’t find a spot for your favorite activity because all the spots are already taken up with, well, things.  Remove unneeded items to make space.  Before moving any big furniture, get a light-weight chair, perhaps from the breakfast or dining room, and move it to various places within the room to check out what a chair in that spot would feel like.  Check out the room from both seated and standing positions to get additional info on how it would feel to arrange the room differently. 

If these preliminary steps inspire you to more involved refurbishing—perhaps you need more light, sound control, or an entire addition–you can Contact Us for a complimentary consultation.  Plan, execute, and enjoy!

The business of being a general contractor is, basically, bringing the needed resources to a project at the time they are needed.  Obviously there are thousands of details that go along with what happens both before and after the issues of what and when.  Who, how, and why being among them.

So where does a contractor committed to excellence turn for resources to enhance his skills and improve his knowledge and methods to benefit his clients?  Professional organizations are a great source of knowledge, and an opportunity to connect with colleagues to draw on their experiences as well.

At The Farlow Group, we belong to a local buying cooperative, Cape Fear Builders Guild http://www.capefearbuildersguild.com , to enable us to obtain collective pricing from selected vendors.  The concept began as a way to allow a group of contractors to function as independent businesses, but achieve the attractive pricing options from suppliers that might otherwise be reserved only for large tract builders.  That concept has certainly been beneficial, but along the way, the group members have also become friends and developed an appreciation for one another as colleagues with common problems and interests. 

At the national level, Jim Farlow is a member of the National Association of Home Builders program known as Builder 20 Groups.  Membership in the Builder 20 program joins builders from around the country together in groups of up to 20, to share any information that will enable the members to improve their businesses.  Groups can also function like a board of directors to solve problems by one member posing a question to the group and opening a discussion.  Because members of each group are from non-competing markets (different states or geographic areas), information can flow freely without compromising any member’s competitive advantage in their own market.  Jim Farlow is a member of the Keystones group, who meet every 6 months at different locations around the country, with each member taking a turn hosting the meeting in their area.  Between meetings they stay in touch by email, phone, and yes, on Facebook!