Home Design Trends to Watch out for in 2018

Digitally generated contemporary domestic kitchen interior design.

As the new year approaches, so do the new home trends. No more cool neutrals, white kitchen accessories and marble. Bring on the earth-toned shades and casual styles. Here are some predictions for 2018 trends.

More color in kitchens

White will always be a classic kitchen design color; however, homeowners are expected to throw in bits of color. Neutrals like grey and blue are predicted to be popular. To add a little warmth to such a cool palette, designers are leaning towards warm wood tones, like mahogany, instead of painted cabinets.

Warm colors throughout the home

In 2017, rich jewel tones matched with cool neutrals was all the rage. This upcoming year seems to be shifting to warmer vibes. The design scene is going to be taken over by reds, warm greys, and earthy shades of rust, camel, brown-blacks and burnt yellow for a rich and sophisticated look.

No more white or stainless-steel sinks

Once age, grittier textures and warmer hues are taking over. Designers are even predicted to rely more on concrete, stone, granite and copper composite sinks in darker hues of gray, black or bronze.

Florals make a comeback

Thanks to grandmas, floral prints tend to get a bad rep, but this year that’s changing. They are expected to come back in a bold and fashionable way. Oversized blooms in high-contrasted colors like teal and goal or black and white are suggested by experts.

Wallpaper-like backsplash

Instead of subway tiles, choose tile that looks like concrete, resin, wood, fabric and even wallpaper. You then get the freedom of design that wallpaper has matched with durability and ease of maintaining the tiles.

Casual and calm modern bedrooms

2017 bedroom trends centered around dark, bold colors like black and raspberry, but this year will bring a more serene vibe. The minimalist looks centered around soft neutrals, simple and functional pieces with delicate fabrics are what homeowners are leaning towards.

Benefits of an Open-Concept Home Design

Amazing home interior architecture, cathedral ceiling with brick fireplace and spectacular glass staircase.

 

In today’s market, it seems as though more and more people are opting for an open-concept home design when looking for a new home. Gone are the days of having each room separated from one another. In home design, both production and custom, we are seeing this trend move towards an open concept.

We are now seeing less formal dining areas and more kitchenettes and dining areas in the kitchen. The traditional dining style is moving towards more of a relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen. This new style also makes for easier entertaining. Here are a few other great reasons for the open-concept home design.

  1. More functional Entertaining Space – As we mentioned above, the open-concept home design eliminates the walls and doors dividing up space. This concept allows the host and the guests to feel more connected and enjoy the time together without feeling left out or separated.
  2. Maximize the Flow of Natural Light – With the open-concept design, it allows for large windows to let the natural light flow throughout the home more easily. Imagine large transom windows in a great room bringing in enough light to brighten the whole home.
  3. Added Visibility – If you have small children or pets, you will appreciate this one. Without several walls and doors dividing each room, you are able to keep an eye on your small children and pets easier. Even though you may be in the kitchen, you can still see them in the living room or dining area.
  4. Maximize the Square Footage –  By de-compartmentalizing your home and opening up the space, your home will feel a little larger. The less walls you have and the more open space, the bigger it will feel.
  5. Your Kitchen Becomes the Focal Point – As mentioned previously, with the open-concept design you not only have a larger area to entertain but your guests feel more welcome and comfortable sitting in the kitchen. Your kitchen becomes more of the focal point, or the heart, of the home. This is one main reason why many clients prefer to add the extra bells and whistles to the kitchen. This will become the highlight of the home.

As more people enter into the home market, the more we are noticing a rise in demand for these open-concept floor plans. This change in home design is adding more space for growing families and more opportunity for entertaining. If you are interested in speaking with P&D Builders about building your dream home contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you.

Add Holiday Cheer to your Home for Less!

Christmas tree surrounded with gifts

December is right around the corner, the holiday cheer within everyone is starting to grow. We’ve put together some fun ways to creatively decorate your house for the holidays that won’t break the bank.

  1. Use small Christmas trees to spread the joy throughout your home easily. This way you won’t have to rearrange any furniture or take up much space, but can still have the effects of a tree.
  1. Use ribbon instead of greenery to save some money. Greenery can add up if you try to place it in every room of your house. Instead, use ribbon to cover different areas. For example, wrap your banisters in a festive colored ribbon and add a bow to the end.
  1. Make an advent calendar using a chalkboard or a white board. This is a simple way to decorate any room and you can add different embellishments like string, ribbons or ornaments to enhance it.
  1. Use ornaments or creative napkin folding to spruce up the dinner table. This way if you don’t have holiday dishware your table still looks festive. You could put an ornament on every place setting or fold your napkins to look like a Christmas tree.
  1. Add garland or decorations above the headboard of your guest’s bed. This way when guests come stay with you for the holidays, they instantly feel welcomed with holiday cheer.
  1. Hang greenery above your front door on both sides. This gives the outside and inside of the front of your house some holiday spirit without too much hassle.
  1. Paper bag luminaries are a safe an easy way to decorate inside or outside. All you need is paper bags, a festive hole punch and battery-operated tea lights and you’ve got easy decorations.

From everyone here at P&D Builders, LTD., we wish you a happy holiday season!

Simple Fall Decorating Tips

A family raking fall leaves outdoors together, working as a team in their home back yard. Children, a boy and girl, provide assistance, helping parents rake and bag. A residential building, their house, is in the background.  The happy group conveys teamwork and togetherness as they complete autumn yard work chores.

Fall weekends are filled with seasonal fun like going to the pumpkin patch, apple picking or tailgating with your friends. There is not much time left to spend decorating, so we have crafted a list of quick decorating fixes that will not take a large amount of your weekend time.

Dining Room

Livening up your dining room table with some fall flair is an obvious starting point, since you’ll likely be using it to serve up a game day buffet or family feast. You do not have to overdo it or do anything crazy but a little bit can go a long way. A few pumpkins, candles and flowers can make a beautiful table and add a fall feel without much effort.

Head to your local grocery store to grab a fall flower arrangement or some greenery. Choose a vase with a narrow opening to help corral the flowers and make them easier to arrange. As for table linens and place settings, keep the colors neutral so your centerpiece can be the focal point.

The Living Room

A common fixture is most living rooms is a fireplace. This gives you the perfect opportunity to dress up the mantel for the season. Adding some fall-colored blooms, pinecones and candles are great and easy options that will liven up the space. Drape some natural and seasonal garlands, like cotton branches to make the space feel festive.

The Kitchen

If you are hosting any events this fall, the kitchen will be one of the main gathering places for cooking and eating. Do not miss this opportunity to make this room stand out. Find a few spots to place accent items and make sure they are visible but not in the way. Natural elements like a large pumpkin and pinecones piled in a bowl are all you need. Another helpful thing for guests would be to set up a drink station on the counter or on a bar cart. This can keep drinks hot or cool depending on what is being served.

Focusing on key areas where your family and friends tend to gather will make your home feel welcoming and warm in the cooler days ahead! Enjoy the season!

Greenprint for Success

From AEP Ohio | Efficiency Today2017-EfficiencyTodayMagazine_FNL_RE-SIZE_singles_no-crops_170825-14

Mac Roberts remembers a time in the not-so-distant past when green construction practices were asked about once in a blue moon.

Today, he reports that customer requests for energy-efficient homes are the norm versus the exception. “We build about 25 homes per year–all of them ENERGY STAR® Certified,” said Roberts, an owner/principal at Central Ohio’s P & D Builders. “In fact, we’re in the process of building net-zero houses for two customers.”

For readers green in the ways of efficient home-building lingo, “net-zero” refers to a home that at least creates as much energy as it uses.

About 75 percent of the homes built by P & D in 2016 were in AEP Ohio’s service footprint. For those homes, they were able to take advantage of the AEP Ohio EfficiencyCraftedTM Program, which supports a homebuilder’s green building efforts and provides third-party efficiency verification.

“AEP Ohio’s program definitely factored into our efficiency approach,” said Roberts. “Our company is always looking for ways to perfect our craft of homebuilding, and the support we received helped position us for the uptick in demand for efficient homes.”

Led by Roberts, who spearheads the company’s emphasis on efficiency, P & D won a coveted AEP Leadership Award in 2016 for their sustained excellence. And they’re regular winners at the annual EfficiencyCraftedTM Recognition Lunch for builders and raters. “They win so many awards, they’ve practically worn a place in the winners circle,” said Jim Miller, energy efficiency program manager at AEP Ohio. “They deserve every piece of hardware on what must be a very crowded shelf.”

A glance at the history of P & D Builders lets you know that this is a company that is used to peer and customer recognition. Founded in 1962 by Richard E. Dillon, P & D has built relationships as rocksolid as their homes. “It’s all about trust, respect, communication and the mutual exchange of ideas,” explains Roberts. Roberts is one of a four-person dream team at P & D, along with owner/principals, Dan Dillon, Darin Hilt and Ed Snodgrass, each a specialist with a different homebuilding expertise.

With hundreds of happy clients living in homes built to uniquely high efficiency standards, an overcrowded award shelf, and a habit of never resting on their laurels, the future at P & D looks to be a very bright green.

 

Settling into Your New Custom Home

Family Unpacking Moving In Boxes From Removal Truck

Your custom home is finished and it’s time to get settled in! This can mean more than sitting down on the couch in an empty living room or ordering pizza for the first couple nights in. The following tasks will help you get to know your new home and community in an organized manner. Moving into a new custom home is an awesome and exhausting experience. So first things first, take a deep breath and catch up on some much needed sleep, then take on these tasks.

Change of Address

You might have thought of this before you moved, but if slipped your mind then now is the time to take on the task! You will want to transfer all existing utility services to your new address. Next, fill out a change-of-address form for the United States Post Office. Then start updating all other items such as magazine subscriptions and banking information, that way you are not going months without receiving important documents. And finally, don’t forget to transfer items such as school and medical records. If you can update this information online, that will be easiest!

Getting to know your Home

There might be a new security system that you are unfamiliar with or you might not know where the circuit-breaker panel is located. Take time to set up any systems, appliances or connect your smart devices. Also check the batteries to ensure the smoke alarms and carbon-monoxide detectors work.

Introduce your Family  

Neighbors can play a huge role in your new neighborhood. Not only is it fun to meet new people, this will help establish a community trust. The more effort you put into getting to know your neighbors, the better it will be in the long run. You can begin to look out for one another and help each other out when it is needed.

Take a long Walk or Drive

Grab the family and take a walk or drive around your new parts! This is a great way to meet people, get to know the area and learn about what is a possible walk or short drive away from your new home. Start to learn where the closest bank, grocery store, gas station locations are and that will make your life easier when you do not have to GPS everywhere.

Enjoy your new custom home and thank you for choosing P&D Builders!

Easy Essentials Fall Outdoor Decorating

Pumpkins near the door during Halloween season

Just like that another summer has come and is almost (unfortunately) gone. Good things fall has tons of positives to offer! Football season, pumpkin flavored everything, changing leaves, sweater weather and more! Before you know it will be time to start decorating for fall, here are a few easy suggestions on how to make your exterior look festive for the new season.

  1.   Line your steps with different colored and sizes of gourds and pumpkins. This will liven up the colors of your outside area.
  2.  Mums come in a variety of colors and sizes. Choose one or two colors from a uniform look or go wild and get as many colors you can find. Display your mums in different ways like a wagon, bushel basket, wheelbarrow or an old caldron.
  3.  Once fall comes around you will begin to see dried corn used a decoration of choice for many. Indian corn adds color and texture to any setting. Tie a few cobs together for a simple arrangement to hang out your door or porch railing.
  4. Haybales are a fall staple. They look good by themselves and offer up extra seating or they are good for adding different levels of height to your exterior display.
  5.  Mix up the colors, and by mixing up we are inferring it does not all have to be orange. Make a statement by adding white, green, yellow or red.
  6.  And finally, add a festive fall wreath to your door! If you don’t end up doing any other decorating, at least do this to put your family and guests in the fall mood every time they walk in the door.

From everyone here at P&D Builders, LTD., have a wonderful fall season!

Improve your Kitchen’s look with These Quick tips

P&D Builders, custom home, home, Columbus Ohio, home builder

Your kitchen is used every single day; it is the heart of your home and also a major selling point. Completely remodeling your kitchen is a great way to keep it up to date but also expensive. If you do not have the budget right now, here are a few cheap changes that can transform the look of your kitchen.

  1. Remove, recycle and refresh. If the doors on your cabinets are old and ugly, take them off and create an open shelving option for your kitchen. This is a great opportunity to update the hardware on your drawers and cabinets. What is worn down in the kitchen can usually be painted or refinished to give it a modern look.
  2. Add more storage. Either declutter your space or add more storage. These options include adding hanging racks, open shelves and cabinet organizers to store the essentials.
  3. Change out lighting. Depending on the age of your kitchen, you will most likely have pendant lighting or fluorescent overhead fixtures. To bring your kitchen into the modern age, consider replacing some of those fixtures with recessed alternatives or LED lighting. Even just replacing the bulbs is cheaper, easy to install and saves energy.
  4. Upgrade your faucet. Do you have an old-fashioned faucet? Is it time for a change? Instead of replacing the entire sink, just changing the faucet can give the kitchen a whole new look. Think about energy-efficient alternatives like low-flow faucets to save you money on your water bill, or adjustable, restaurant-style varieties for the chef in the family.
  5. Hide your counters. Old countertops can suffer through the years. If you have worn countertops but don’t have the budget to replace them. Find creature ways to hide their blemishes. Add decorative cutting boards, hide them under appliances or apply a fresh coat of paint.
  6. Paint your cabinets. Painting or refinishing your cabinets is another inexpensive way to change the look of your space. It is less expensive than buying new ones and at the same time it refreshes the appearance of your entire kitchen. Don’t paint them any weird colors though, and avoid bright hues.
  7. Add a backsplash. Backsplashes can be customized based on the color scheme of your kitchen. It is as easy as buying tiles at a local home improvement store and using caulk and grout to install them in the design or style you want.

All of these are simple, inexpensive changes you can make to your space to give it a much needed makeover.

(The photo is a kitchen in one of P&D’s custom built homes!)

Greenprint for Success: How P&D Builders Positioned Their Business for Today’s Homebuyer

Originally published by AEP Ohio in the 2017 Efficiency Today magazine. Click here to read the full article

greenprint-for-success

Mac Roberts remembers a time in the not-so-distant past when green construction practices were asked about once in a blue moon.

Today, he reports that customer requests for energy-efficient homes are the norm versus the exception. “We build about 25 homes per year–all of them ENERGY STAR® Certified,” said Roberts, an owner/principal at Central Ohio’s P & D Builders. “In fact, we’re in the process of building net-zero houses for two customers.”

For readers green in the ways of efficient home building lingo, “net-zero” refers to a home that at least creates as much energy as it uses.

About 75 percent of the homes built by P & D in 2016 were in AEP Ohio’s service footprint. For those homes, they were able to take advantage of the AEP Ohio EfficiencyCraftedTM Program, which supports a homebuilder’s green building efforts and provides third-party efficiency verification.

“AEP Ohio’s program definitely factored into our efficiency approach,” said Roberts. “Our company is always looking for ways to perfect our craft of homebuilding, and the support we received helped position us for the uptick in demand for efficient homes.”

Led by Roberts, who spearheads the company’s emphasis on efficiency, P & D won a coveted AEP Leadership Award in 2016 for their sustained excellence. And, they’re regular winners at the annual EfficiencyCraftedTM Recognition Lunch for builders and raters. “They win so many awards, they’ve practically worn a place in the winners circle,” said Jim Miller, energy efficiency program manager at AEP Ohio. “They deserve every piece of hardware on what must be a very crowded shelf.”

“AEP Ohio’s program definitely factored into our efficiency approach…Our company is always looking for ways to perfect our craft of homebuilding, and the support we received helped position us for the uptick in demand for efficient homes.” Mac Roberts, Owner/Principal, P & D Builders

A glance at the history of P & D Builders lets you know that this is a company that is used to peer and customer recognition. Founded in 1962 by Richard E. Dillon, P & D has built relationships as rock-solid as their homes. “It’s all about trust, respect, communication and the mutual exchange of ideas,” explains Roberts. Roberts is one of a four-person dream team at P & D, along with owner/principals, Dan Dillon, Darin Hilt and Ed Snodgrass, each a specialist with a different homebuilding expertise.

With hundreds of happy clients living in homes built to uniquely high efficiency standards, an overcrowded award shelf, and a habit of never resting on their laurels, the future at P & D looks to be a very bright green.