September
2007
With the first wave of Baby Boomers entering their 60’s there
is starting to be a shift in the high end housing market. Affluent
homeowners are trading in their large homes and opting for smaller
homes with all of the upgrades and bells and whistles that they
want. Home buyers are also increasingly looking for a “lock
it and leave it” lifestyle and are buying in gated communities
and neighborhoods where the yard maintenance is included as a monthly
fee.
In response to this demand Authentic Custom Homes has partnered
with PG Village Properties to develop and build a gated townhome
community called Village Park near downtown Boerne. Village Park
is located at 1041 Blanco Road and will consist of 25 townhomes
ranging in size from 1,100sf to 3,000sf and ranging in price from
the mid $200’s to the mid $400’s. Construction on the
townhomes will start in October 2006 and the first units should
be available in March 2007. For more information please call Kurt
Walker or Harry Craig at 830-816-7100.
|
Authentic Custom
Homes, Inc.
908 South Main Street
Boerne, TX 78006
Phone: 830-816-7100
Fax: 830-816-7101
Email: info@achomes.com
Website: www.achomes.com |
|
|
What’s
hot in custom homes?
It doesn’t matter if you are in the market for a new home or
not, we all love to look at new homes. It’s always interesting
to see what ideas builders are coming up with, what’s new in
the marketplace, and what people are looking for. In this issue we
are going to explore some of the trends in higher end custom homes
from recent Parade of Home shows in San Antonio and Austin.
The San Antonio Parade of Homes at Anaqua Springs featured five
homes ranging in size from 3,900sf to 5,300sf and priced from $1.3mm
to $1.6mm. Some of the most prevalent trends from the parade were:
- The
extensive use of natural materials – natural materials abound
in these homes, limestone, travertine, granite, flagstone, hickory,
cypress, and alder wood are everywhere
- Wow
pools- the pools are well integrated into the overall living concept
and are a prominent design features that can be seen as soon as
you enter the homes. Features include infinity edges, waterfalls,
and the use of mosaic tiles
- Ceiling
treatments – many of the homes feature numerous ceiling
treatments such as domes, groin vaults, barrel vaults, beams,
and pop-up (or tray ceilings), seldom a ceiling goes untreated
in these homes
- Coffee
bars – what master suite would be complete without a coffee
bar
- Mediterranean
style architecture – most of the homes are Mediterranean
style or influence, tile roofs with stucco and stone exteriors
are the norm
The Austin Parade of Homes at Seven Oaks featured seven homes ranging
in size from 9,000sf to 11,000sf, all priced over $2.5 million,
and all sold before the parade. The homes in the Austin parade were
considerably bigger but the trends were similar to San Antonio with
a few additional distinctions:
-
A definite focus on seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor
living – often it is hard to tell where the inside ends
and the outside begins
-
Extensive use of mesquite – Austin builders are using mesquite
for flooring, cabinets, beams, and even trim
-
A separate guest quarters – many of the homes have guest
quarters that are completely self sufficient with kitchens, bathrooms,
living and sleeping areas
-
Media Rooms – who needs to go to a movie theater when you
have one at home
That’s a few of the trends we are seeing in and around our
market place. We’ll inform you about other trends in future
issues.
Warmest regards,
 
Israel Pena, President
|
|
