Sean | Living Stone Design + Build

Design trends for 2014 and Beyond

by Sean | Apr 21, 2014 | Construction, Construction & Design

The National Association of Home Builders recently announced the winners of the Best in American Living Awards – a prestigious award program that spotlights design excellence for the entire residential building industry. Award recipients represent the forefront of innovative design in America, and are lauded as the most creative and inventive builders, remodelers, architects, developers, land planners and interior designers in the nation. Based on submissions from this year’s crop of winners, some of the newest trends in design that home buyers will see over the next several years include: White on White – Cabinets, flooring, backsplashes, counters, fixtures and appliances are beginning to lighten up. Layering white on top of white is a new approach in many kitchens and bathrooms that is giving way to a fresh and light feeling. To achieve clean lines and a modern feel, designers and builders are selecting European cabinetry, adding shiny surfaces via appliance, backsplash and countertop choices, and incorporating glass walls. Bold Exterior Colors – Bold colors are making their way to the exterior of homes. Whether it’s through paint, a mix of cladding materials, doors, windows, porches, shutters or trim, an extra layer of drama is being adding to the design of elevations, further enhancing curb appeal. Interior Courtyards – Interior courtyards are popular in all housing types right now. The primary difference is scale. Within single-family homes, courtyards provide private and safe outdoor living areas and are being shifted to side yards. Specialty Lighting– Specialty fixtures are “lighting it up” this year. Regardless of whether it involves a custom or a stock fixture, designers are finding ways to showcase them as pieces of art rather than just a functional element. Lighting is being paired with wood ceiling details to further enhance the room’s design and create a feeling of warmth. Historic Style with Modern Flair – New or remodeled homes, whether they are Craftsman, Prairie, Mid-Century Modern or another historic architectural style, are adding modern flair to their traditional designs through color, finish, fixture and lighting selection, while continuing to be influenced by the past through the use of reclaimed building materials and classic proportions and detailing. Blurring the Lines Between Inside and Out – Lines continue to be blurred between the inside and outside of homes. No longer limited to areas with warmer climates, this is being seen all across the country. More homes now feature moveable glass walls, gourmet outdoor kitchens and interior courtyard pools, adding more everyday living space.

Sullivan meets with Congressman Meadows

by Sean | Mar 21, 2014 | Accreditation, News, Recognition

Asheville HBA Meets Congressman Mark Meadows To Discuss National Building Issues

Congressman Meadows This past Tuesday, at the Asheville HBA office, Sean Sullivan (President of Living Stone Construction and President-Elect for the NCHBA), Steven Webb (lobbyist for NCHBA), Caroline Sutton (Executive Officer of Asheville HBA), and 7 others met with Congressman Mark Meadows to examine current and future problems the country faces in the building industry.

AuraLast Wood – building GREEN

by Sean | Mar 14, 2014 | Building Green, Green Building

JELD-WEN Ups the Ante on Wood Window and Door Performance ... Again CHARLOTTE, N.C. ̶ When it comes to wood, JELD-WEN is not only changing the game, it’s completely rewriting the rules. The company is tightening its stronghold on pushing the limits of wood window and patio door performance by introducing a new industry-leading lifetime limited warranty on all of its products made with solid pine AuraLast® Wood. JELD-WEN has also formed a partnership with OSI, which offers a premier installation system that helps ensure proper window and door installation to prevent energy loss and water penetration. “We’ve taken a three-prong approach - the best warranty, installation method and technology - to deliver the most reliable wood window and door products on the market,” said Elizabeth Souders, director of product management for JELD-WEN. An industry-transforming approach: The beauty of JELD-WEN AuraLast® Wood JELD-WEN introduced AuraLast Wood nearly 12 years ago and revolutionized the market with its proprietary vacuum-pressured treatment process that helps protect solid pine wood all the way through to the core. With the unique ability to protect against rot, termites and water saturation, wood could finally be considered a resilient, long-lasting choice alongside other highly durable, weather-resistant window and door materials. Yet AuraLast Wood also offers the beauty and design flexibility that homeowners, builders and architects appreciate about real wood. (more…)

Are green home buyers happy home buyers?

by Sean | Mar 4, 2014 | Building Green, Green Building

A new survey shows that they are.

It’s National Designation Month, when the National Association of Home Builders shine the spotlight on those industry professionals who go the extra mile by seeking the education and training they need to attain professional designations that signify their specialized knowledge.

It’s especially important with green ─ high-performance ─ building. More and more consumers are looking for homes designed to save energy and water and that incorporate locally sourced materials. Choosing a builder or remodeler who holds the NAHB Certified Green Professional (CGP) or Master Certified Green Professional designations is one way to find someone with the latest knowledge of these high-performance practices.

These industry professionals have studied the interplay between energy efficiency and indoor air quality, understand the principles of environmentally sensitive lot design and are trained to help their buyers make decisions to result in a home that is green as they want it to be.

Many of these professionals also turn to certification programs such as the ENERGY STAR and whole-house certification programs such as those based on the ICC National Green Building Standard (NGBS), a nationally accredited rating system that forms the foundation of their training.

The result: Measurable customer satisfaction.

The Levine’s Custom Petite Alexandra

by Sean | Mar 3, 2014 | Video Testimonials, What Customers Are Saying

“The process of design/build and creating something that is so energy efficient is a miracle to me. Sean has a way of putting things together so that we get the product that we want and then he puts together the quality product that he knows he can build.” Dr Steve Levine. “We found Sean to be a man of his word, honorable and he takes such pride in his work.” Cheryl Levine

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Testimonials

We are so appreciative that Living Stone reached out to your clients and friends to offer restoration services to our WNC communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. We wanted to take this opportunity to let you know how grateful we are that we chose Living Stone to help us restore our Black Mountain townhome. We couldn’t be happier with the process and progress thus far, from our initial meeting with Mike to see what repairs were needed… to our call with Justin for an estimate of the work… to our conversation with Alfred to review the comprehensive estimate… to our initial meeting with Chuck and everything he has done since to move things along flawlessly with our restoration… to our beautiful fireplace surround and mantle that Michael Blackstone built. We feel blessed that Chuck was assigned as our project manager, as we have had a great collaboration with him. His demeanor is personable, but straight forward. He is extremely accessible, either onsite or via text/phone to provide scheduling updates, answer our questions, offer suggestions, provide feedback on design selections, and discuss next steps. He made a great suggestion to reclaim the unused space under our stairs as storage space. Chuck is also very proactive, quietly working behind the scenes to make things happen seamlessly. He is committed to providing us with a high-quality restoration project while keeping our budget in mind. We already knew that Living Stone has an excellent reputation as a builder, but we are equally impressed by how much you give back to the community. That’s a large part of the reason we selected you to help us with our restoration. You have definitely exceeded our expectations thus far, and we know we will be very happy with our home once the restoration is complete. Although there is still work to do, we wanted to give you some preliminary feedback on how pleased we are to be working with Chuck and the entire Living Stone team. We are delighted to call ourselves Living Stone customers!

Lisa and Juan