There are codes and there are standards. A great home requires both.
A few decades ago, a TV commercial for Kosher hot dogs showed a surprised and disappointed Uncle Sam learning that government authorities allowed the company to use artificial colorings and non-meat fillers in their product. The tagline was a classic: “We don’t. We’re Kosher and we have to answer to an even higher authority.”
We have a home featured in the Luxury Living Home Tour. Come to enjoy deliciously catered food, beer and wine, with special entertainment by Celloist Amy Huzjack. This will be a fun and exciting event!
Featuring eight Luxury Homes, the tour starts Friday September 18th from 3pm to 7pm, and is open again on Saturday September 19th from 11am to 3pm.
Friends of New Haven Homes can attend for free. The cost for a ticket is $50 per person, or $75 per couple. Send me an email and I will send you complimentary tickets. bill@mynewhaven.com
We are showcasing a very tastefully amenitized home in a spectacular setting. It’s a New Haven Home you won’t want to miss!
Change orders almost always lead to budget increases and schedule delays, especially now
With inflation showing up in the news and at the grocery store, some homeowners are asking what they can do to keep construction costs from escalating. Part of the answer is to choose the features and products you want before the work begins, and then keep changes to an absolute minimum.
This has always been sound advice, but supply issues and price trends make it especially important now.
Transparency about what you can afford is the only way to get the most house for your money
Your new custom home is a huge investment, so you need a builder you can trust. Ways to confirm trustworthiness include reading online reviews, calling references and noting the builder’s professional certifications.
The best accessible features are really just good design
For lots of reasons these days, more households include parents and grown children. As of 2026, the share of home purchases made for multigenerational households has reached 17%—a significant jump from the 11% we saw in 2021. About 60 million Americans (roughly 1 in 5) now share a home with two or more adult generations.
As home prices continue climbing, the best financial decision for many families is to gather under one roof.
Builders need a lot of information to arrive at an accurate number
Every now and then a homeowner will call to ask how much our new homes cost per square foot. The answer, of course, depends on a range of variables. Some of these are obvious, and others less so.
The differences everyone grasps have to do with the house itself. In a custom home, the architectural design and the quality of finishes (siding, trim, fixtures, and so on) are driven by homeowner choices and will be unique to each project. But those aren’t the only variables.
Using current knowledge about building science helps to weather storms
One benefit of a high-quality new custom home is that it will better handle severe weather events and power outages. These are a fact of life in all parts of the country. From Atlantic hurricanes which routinely leave millions without electricity across the southeastern United States to severe outages on the west coast caused by atmospheric rivers.
This is an important question for everyone, including your builder
Common knowledge says to be skeptical when searching for a builder. That’s good advice: skepticism is wise at the beginning of your search, just like when looking for a surgeon, car dealer or other service provider. But the ultimate goal is to find someone you can trust and collaborate with.
Companies built for production work aren’t built for perfect work
On the surface, it’s easy to describe the difference between production and custom builders. The production builder follows the same basic home plans over and over, while the custom builder creates a unique home for each client.
Custom home pricing is a complex subject. Here is a way to think about it.
How much do cars cost? The obvious answer is that it depends. You’ll pay way more for a Tesla Model S than for a Toyota Camry. That’s no surprise to anyone.
