The Valle Group Blog

7 Things to Think About When Considering Building a Passive House Building a home is a significant life decision with lots of factors to consider. One major decision is whether to build a traditional home or a High Performance Passive House. While traditionally-built homes have been the most common approach to home construction for decades, passive houses have gained popularity due to their high standards of energy efficiency and sustainability. Below are 7 areas to consider when deciding whether to build [...]

Considerations When Choosing a Site for Your Home When it comes to planning for your custom home build, there are countless things to consider. If you follow our blog, hopefully, you have a head start on some of the things you’ll be thinking about! However, before you can put any plans in place and start construction, you’ll need to consider the siting of your home. Where and how your home is situated can be the difference between “just okay” and amazing. Here [...]

Is it Time to Build? How to Know if a Custom Home is Right for You. Have you outgrown your current home? Maybe you prefer another style of home. Perhaps there is a neighborhood you have had your eye on. Or, maybe your kids have moved out and you would like to downsize. Whatever the reasons for considering moving, one of the questions could be is it better to build or buy? Building a new home is a significant undertaking. It’s [...]

Loving the Process: Tips for a Stress-Free Project Building a new home is both an exciting project and an enormous undertaking that entails many important steps and decisions. It can be daunting, but there are ways to alleviate some of the stress and prevent problems that can hinder the process. Here are five crucial steps that can ensure your project is as stress-free as possible. 1. Hire a Civil Engineer There’s nothing worse than getting ready to break ground and [...]

Kitchen Countertops 101: Choosing what is right for you… Countertops are an investment in your home. Choosing the right material for your taste, cooking style, and budget is important, as you will likely live with your decision for several years. The key to choosing a countertop material that is right for you is to assess the way you live.  The needs of a family with young children who want to learn to cook would completely differ from an empty nester couple [...]

The Pros of Hiring a Builder Before Buying a Lot If you’ve never built a custom home, it can be difficult to know where to begin. We often hear about people finding the perfect lot for their dream home, and pulling the trigger on purchasing it without a builder in mind. In certain circumstances, like a hot real estate market or an irresistible price, buyers might not have time to consider who will build their home. On occasion, the timing works [...]

One Level or Multiple? Whether a one-story home or a two-story home is better for you depends on you and your family. The merits of a ranch house versus multi-level homes are something we get asked about often. The truth is, one is not inherently better than the other…so much depends on your preferences, your family, and your location. The first and most important thing to consider is your lifestyle. Do you have young children? If so, you might want the [...]

Team Building: Creating a Construction Dream Team Whether you’re building a new home, renovating or putting on an addition, starting off with an effective team of experts helps the project move along smoothly, efficiently and on-budget. First to consider are your needs.  How are you going to live in the space?  Have you thought about landscaping?  Are you going to be incorporating any audiovisual systems? These may seem like post-construction concerns, but these are all issues that should be addressed early [...]

A Fixer-Upper vs. A New Build – Things to Consider You know you need to move. Maybe a new neighborhood has caught your eye, you’re relocating for a job, or your family needs have changed. Whatever the reason, once you’ve determined that your current residence doesn’t work, you will be faced with a few decisions. Depending on several factors, one of these decisions might be whether to invest in an older home that requires some TLC, versus building a custom home [...]

Lay of the Land: Designing a Landscape that Complements Your Home When building your home, landscaping shouldn’t be an afterthought. Great landscaping can add immense value to your property and serves more than just a cosmetic purpose. If you read our previous blog post about putting together a construction dream team, you’ll know that bringing on a landscape architect or designer early in the process can eliminate problems down the road and ensure you get the results you want. Here’s what [...]

Home Upgrades: How to Know Which Ones are Worth the Investment Learn more about Passive Home Construction, The Highest Standard in Energy Efficient Building. Have you been thinking about making some upgrades to your home? Maybe you’re planning on selling in the near-future and want to maximize your home’s re-sale value. Perhaps certain spaces are just outdated and need freshening up. The price tag on many home renovation projects can be daunting, especially major renovations which, on average, happen every [...]

Top Trends in Residential Construction & Renovation Energy Efficient Homes Homeowners in 2017 continue to be aware of rising energy costs and the potential impact on our environment. Materials such as ENERGY STAR appliances, Low-E windows, efficient heating & cooling systems, LED lighting, and effective insulation are showing up all across the country.  Many homeowners are going as far as zero energy homes, which are homes that actually produce more energy than they use. Smart Homes Although many smart devices have [...]

Beating the Chill: How to Draft-Proof Your Home The cold is finally upon us and as you begin preparing your house for the snowy months ahead, don’t forget to check your windows for drafts or you could be paying more for your heating bill this winter. According to Energy.Gov, heat loss through your windows can be responsible for 25%-35% of your heating energy use. Replacing your windows is the most effective way to prevent drafts, but there are plenty of simple [...]

Energy-Efficient Updates you Can Make this Week Winter is still here, bringing with it higher heating bills! It’s easy to get sticker shock once the temperatures drop and the energy required to heat your home increases. We want to share with you a few ideas to reduce your energy and increase your savings. Here are some simple things you can do this week to make your home more energy-efficient. Get a programmable thermostat. Most people have one in their homes, but [...]

The Anatomy of a Passive House 1. Define your needs Building a home is a major investment and should be handled with a clear plan.  Before choosing a builder, it is important to determine your budget.  Compare your wants versus needs and leave room for contingencies. Make the investment to hire a reputable architect and civil engineer if needed and get a thorough set of plans completed. 2. Determine the list of prospective Home Builders An easy place to start searching [...]

Interesting Interiors: What’s Trending This Year Staying on trend can be difficult, especially when it comes to designing a space to live in for years to come. 2018 saw many exciting new trends like the revival of wallpaper, blue kitchens and curved couches. This year, these trends and more are being taken to the next level. If your New Year’s resolution is to create a trendy living space, here is what Joan Valle, Director of Design predicts for 2019: Deep [...]

Not Your Grandfather’s Deck… Have you noticed? Gone are the old standard 8’ x 10’ decks – with cast off furniture and your grandfather’s rusty grill in the corner. The new 3-season decks that have replaced them are versatile, offering additional multi-purpose, living space, perfect for entertaining or perhaps enjoying the quiet solitude of the outdoors. They greatly expand the footprint of the house and add a feeling of spaciousness to the indoor rooms.   When thinking about building your deck, consider what [...]

So you think you can’t build on a sloping lot? Read this first. Many of our clients have a dream home in mind, but feel like certain circumstances will prevent them from being able to see that dream come true. Due to a variety of land and environmental challenges, many people believe that it would be impossible to build the home they’re looking for in the place they want to. Does that sound like you? Before you give up, consider some [...]

Ready to Build? Why a Budget is your Best Friend. When it comes to home building, it is a lot of fun to think about the excitement of a new house. Picture gleaming floors, new finishes, and all the custom touches that will make it the home of your dreams. At the same time, it may not be as enjoyable to think about all the different design elements and the costs.  But having an idea of both the budget and design [...]

What Square Footage is Right for You? When you dream of building a home, you likely have a vision in your head about the type. But maybe you are not sure which size home is right for your family. If you’re having trouble determining how much space is the best for your custom build, we have some considerations that can help. Family Size Depending on how long you plan to live in the home, think about how many family members will [...]

How Much Plan-Ahead Time Should You Expect Before Building Your New Home? The short answer: more than you think! This is a question we are often asked, and people are typically surprised at the answer! In a very simplistic way of looking at things, we like to tell people that they can usually start building 6-9 months from now (now being the day we sit down to begin planning). For example, if you want to build a house starting in October, you need [...]

Redbrook Community Wins 5 PRISM Awards We are pleased to announce that The Valle Group, along with developer A.D. Makepeace of Wareham and The Collaborative Companies of Boston won five prestigious PRISM Awards for Redbrook, our new community in Plymouth, MA. Awards Won ​Best detached home under 2,500 square feet ​Best attached home under 1,800 square feet ​Best land planning ​Best showroom or sales center: builder ​Best website: community About Redbrook Tucked among trees, ponds, and cranberry bogs in South Plymouth, the [...]

Winters on the Cape: Five Fun Things to Try this Year Cape Cod may be the place to be in the summer, but that doesn’t mean that once the vacationers are gone, there aren’t still fun things to do with the family. The Cape is a vibrant community year-round, so whether you’re looking to keep the kids occupied over break or just want to get out of the house, here are five great activities to do on the Cape this winter. See a [...]

Getting the Right Temperature: Choices for Heating and Cooling Your Home To enjoy your home, you need to be comfortable. The most beautiful home in the world is not going to have happy residents if it is freezing cold in the dead of winter. There are many ways to heat and cool your home, and while it’s one of the less appealing topics that come up when designing a home, it’s one of the most important. Here’s what you need to [...]

Exterior Materials to Consider When Building Your Home You’ll make hundreds of decisions – both big and small – when it comes to creating your dream home. One of the most significant is the home’s exterior siding. The fact is, your home’s exterior can make or break its curb appeal. That means choosing the best option for your home and then maintaining it over time. What are the options you are likely to be considering? Natural wood siding – With several choices such [...]

It’s Basic, But a Big Deal: Flooring Options for Your New Home Flooring is one of the most important choices you will make when designing a custom home. Not only does flooring contribute so much to the overall aesthetic of the building, but it’s also important that you choose an option that works with your lifestyle, family, and how you use the home. You also want to consider a balance between what you like, and what will lend toward resale in [...]

What You Need to Know When Choosing Kitchen Cabinets Beautiful. Functional. Practical. Durable. Ideally, these are words you would use to describe the cabinets in your home. However, with so many options out there, how can you be sure that what you’re choosing will be useful and aesthetically pleasing for years to come? Here are the basics on cabinets to help you in the process! Cabinets are an incredibly diverse home component and there are a multitude of price points, colors, [...]

Tis the Season – It’s Not too Late to Winterize Your Home As we finish the holidays and temperatures drop, there are a few things you need to focus on to prepare for the long winter! Doing a few small chores now will ensure that your home is safe from problems that can occur due to snow and ice. Winterizing can also help you experience energy efficiencies through the colder months. It doesn’t take much time to prepare your home for [...]

7 Design Ideas for Your New Custom Home Is 2020 the year you’ll build the home of your dreams? Maybe you’re just toying with ideas, or adding to your “someday” board on Pinterest. No matter which stage of the custom home buying process you’re in (or even if you’re thinking of renovations or changes to your current home), we can help you understand which ideas are worth exploring and which trends are on a downward trajectory. There are certain ideas that [...]