Picking the Perfect Lot

To be perfectly honest, the phrase “perfect” rarely applies to a lot. It really comes down to what features make it perfect or most favorable for the buyer. Choosing the lot or home site where a home will be built is an important part of deciding to build a new home and should be one of a buyer's first considerations. 

 

If you’re building new construction real estate in the St. Louis or St. Charles county area, find a lot you can appreciate for years as well as one that will appreciate in value. When considering features that make one lot better than another, there are a variety of things that may be important.

 

Quick Summary: How to pick the perfect lot.

To choose the perfect lot to build a new home, one needs to consider: location, size, direction, elevation, drainage plan, surrounding areas, utility pedestals, lot premiums, and what builder options there are for the lot among other details. A local Realtor experienced in new construction can help you address these considerations and guide you through the process of building a new home.

Location

The home site one buys is likely where you are going to live. If you have children in school you’ll need to pay attention to area school district boundaries. If you work outside the home you’ll need to factor in your preferred commute time. Check if the lot is close to shopping, parks or restaurants that you frequent. If the lot is in a new neighborhood being built, you’ll want to consider the neighborhood amenities and/or HOA fees. It's a good idea to check with the municipality you are considering to see if there are specific rules or guidelines that apply. 

 

The Direction of the Lot

We understand that the direction a home will face is often important to buyers. Whatever the reason, the direction a home faces is often considered to be one of the most important factors that buyers consider. Be sure your Realtor and homebuilder know if the direction of the lot it of upmost importance to you.

 

 

Hilly Versus Level Lots

Do you prefer a level lot or a home built into a hill with a backside of windows to see the view? Think about what you want and what you might be willing to work with.  After all, a truly level lot does not even exist. Due to grading plans and required drainage swails, completely level lots pose a variety of issues and challenges.  While a lot may be mostly level, there are sure to be areas that have slight elevations. 

Lot Premiums

Homebuilders may charge a lot premium or additional charge based on lot features and location within a community. Lots with more space, that offer a good view, or something that sets them apart from other lots may draw a lot premium.

 

Builder Options for a Particular Lot

The choice of homebuilder options may be different based on the lot you choose. If you have a piece of land in mind that you want to build on, you may have a variety of home builders that will help you build develop on the land. If you purchase a lot within a particular neighborhood, you’ll likely only get to use the homebuilder who is developing that neighborhood. So if the homebuilder is important to you, check to see if they can build on your chosen lot or what lots they have available.

 

See our list of Preferred Builders in the St. Louis area.

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If you want a home crafted for you with the latest building technologies, The Boehmer Team can help. We’ve assisted hundreds of new construction buyers in the St Louis and St. Charles area as well as helped many sell their current homes. From budget to builder, to lot and material selections, to final paperwork and closing, we represent and protect the interest of new construction homebuyers to make the process go smoothly. Thinking of building or buying new construction? Contact us or visit BuyNewAndNow.com to see a list of new homes that are currently for sale.

 

 

Why Home Builders Love Low-E Windows (And Why You Should Too)

Why Low-E

The effect on the comfort level of a home’s occupants is one reason home builders like Low-E windows. Low-E has the ability to keep the temperature of the surface of the glass facing the interior very near that of the room itself, regardless of outside temperatures. For example if it is 0 degrees F outside, the inside surface of double pane glass can be as much as 30 degrees warmer than single pane glass but still 25 degrees lower than Low-E coated glass. The converse can be true during hot summer months. 

Another great reason for Low-E windows is energy efficiency. They are energy efficient because any material that reflects, absorbs, and emits radiant energy is going to save energy. Regular uncoated glass windows will take in heat during the day but release it right back out through the glass at night. This is why in some houses a room can be very hot during the day and freezing when the sun goes down. The result of this heat transfer is using our heating and cooling appliances more than we need to. No matter what type of Low-E windows you get, they will perform better than windows that have only clear glass.  

What is Low-E?

The ability of a material to radiate energy is known as emissivity. In general, highly reflective materials have a low emissivity and dull darker colored materials have a high emissivity. All materials, including windows, radiate heat in the form of long-wave, infrared energy depending on the emissivity and temperature of their surfaces. Radiant energy is one of the important ways heat transfer occurs with windows. Reducing the emissivity of one or more of the window glass surfaces improves a window’s insulating properties.

Low-e coatings have been developed to minimize the amount of ultraviolet and infrared light that can pass through glass without compromising the amount of visible light that is transmitted. Low-e glass has a microscopically thin, transparent coating – it is much thinner than a human hair – that reflects long-wave infrared energy (or heat). When the interior heat energy tries to escape to the colder outside during the winter, the low-e coating reflects the heat back to the inside, reducing the radiant heat loss through the glass. The reverse happens during the summer time.

 

What Low-E Is Not

Low-E is not the same as tinted glass. Tinting is the adding of alloying materials to the glass itself. Also, tinted glass tends to absorb sunlight and will get very hot when installed as a single pane, hence tinting does not improve insulating value.

The Future of Low-E

By changing the types of materials used in the ‘stack’ or layers of Low-E, or by increasing or decreasing the number of layers, we can now get more specific in choosing glass which will meet our exact project needs. Need high visible light but low U values? There’s a Low-E for that. Need greater protection from fading? There’s a Low-E for that. And it gets even more specific than that. Adding argon gas to the captive air space, as we all know, will improve insulating value. Adding various tinting agents to the glass itself will allow for even further refinement of the glass’s performance.

Is moving to a brand new home with Low-E windows and other high-end details on your mind? Contact The Boehmer Team. We can help.