GHBA Continuing Education

As home builders in Houston, we have the fortunate opportunity to belong to the largest builders association in Texas and the fourth largest in the U.S.

For over 75 years, the Greater Houston Builders Association has been the voice of our residential construction industry, and provided members like us with valuable continuing education, meaningful ways to connect with each other, avenues to be recognized for outstanding work, and community outreach opportunities.

We have long encouraged our team members to participate in the GHBA’s continuing education offerings and gladly accept the cost when they take advantage of the opportunity. So far one of our team members has earned the designation of Certified Graduate Builder through GHBA, and several others have attended the ABC’s of Home Building series, where they have learned the latest best practices in building science, covering topics from concrete and framing to plumbing and electrical systems.

Thank you to GHBA for your hard work through the decades!

The Making of a Wine Room Addition

What a ride! 15 years ago, we built a beautiful custom home for a family in Sugar Land. When a new family purchased this home last year, they signed us on to complete a whole-house renovation, complete with three new additions: an expanded garage, a second floor outdoor living area, and a wine room. Stay tuned in the coming months for a Before and After post on the entire home. For now, we’d like to show you the making of this beautiful wine room addition.

From the outside you can appreciate the work that went into demo, framing, insulating, sheetrock, weatherproofing, stucco, exterior paint, roofing, as well as a new window and gutters.

From the inside, you can see the transformation from a simple shelving niche in the formal living room to a beautiful and unique wine room.

 

Sims Luxury Builders Featured in Houzz Homepage Article

We’ve been featured in an editorial ideabook on the homepage of Houzz! The photo that was cited in the article is a home we built many years ago, but has struck a chord with the Houzz community. It has significantly more views on Houzz than any of our other photos. To read “Roots of Style: The 3 Waves of Italian Renaissance” click the image below. To simply view our photo that was included in the article, scroll to the fourth photo in the rotator below.

Roots of Style: The 3 Waves of Italian Renaissance

Trends in Outdoor Living

Each month we enjoy sifting through the various industry publications we receive in hopes of gaining new tidbits of knowledge or sources of inspiration.  We particularly enjoy perusing a standard piece in Professional Builder magazine that shares results from industry-wide surveys regarding a specific homebuilding topic.  It’s incredibly interesting to see how we relate to thousands of other homebuilders across the country.

Last month, the survey was about trends in outdoor living.  The results show that 52.6% of homebuilders say that outdoor living features are more important in new homes today then they were two years ago.  We agree.  Here in Houston, we have definitely experienced an uptick in demand for high-quality and comfortable options for entertaining and relaxing outdoors.

Survey results also highlighted the best-selling outdoor living features, with a traditional outdoor deck coming in first place and outdoor fireplaces or fire pits in second.  Among the other top 10 were several features that we find all of our clients requesting, such as landscaping, a stone or brick patio, exterior lighting, and an outdoor kitchen (with appliances).  Overall, we thoroughly enjoy helping our homeowners to design and create functional and beautiful outdoor living spaces with their homes.  Below is a portfolio of some of our favorites.

If you would like to see more photos of these homes, you can return to our main website’s Portfolio Page.  To find details of features included in some of these outdoor living spaces, visit are archived blog post here.

Click here if you’d like to visit the online version of the Professional Builder article.

Tankless Water Heaters

In recent years, Tankless (also called Demand or Instantaneous) water heaters have become a larger player in today’s green building movement.  In this article, we try to highlight the advantages and possible disadvantages of using tankless water heaters in your home.

Green Building: Spray Foam Insulation

The “green building” movement taking place in the housing industry has given rise to countless new products and techniques that benefit homeowners as well as our environment. One energy-efficient product that many of our clients are choosing for their homes is Spray Foam Insulation.

Spray foam is liquid polyurethane that forms into a solid, foam-like substance once it hits a solid surface. The liquid state when it’s applied allows the spray foam to fill fine cracks and holes that traditional fiberglass alternatives can’t penetrate. The sealed stud and wall cavities prevent air infiltration, thus reducing the home’s overall energy loss and lowering utility bills for homeowners. While spray foam insulation is more expensive to install than its fiberglass counterpart, our homeowners have found that the benefits of SPF outweigh the greater initial cost.

Benefits of Spray Foam Insulation:

* Lowers energy costs

* Stops air and moisture infiltration

* Prevents dust, pollen, and other allergens from entering the home

* Holds its form permanently, never sags

* Reduces capacity requirements, maintenance, and wear of HVAC equipment

* Reinforces exterior sheathing and studs, adding to overall strength of the home’s structure

* Reduces airborne sound, making the home acoustically tighter

Protecting your home with a Concealed Lightning Protection System

Well fellow Houstonians, it seems that our great city is now known as the “Lightning Capital of Texas,” according to a team of atmospheric scientists at Texas A&M University.  Their 12-year lightning research study (published in the Journal of Geophysical Research – Atmospheres and the science magazine Nature) revealed that Houston experiences more lightning than any other area in Texas.  During the period from 1989 to 2000, the Houston area encountered 1.6 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes, with 75% of them occurring in summer months.

In recent years, a few of our homeowners have chosen to protect their custom homes from lightning damage by installing a “concealed lightning protection system.”  This type of system allows for complete protection from lightning damage while simultaneously preserving the exterior beauty of their home.  Upon completion of a home, the only evidence of this protection feature appears in the air terminals, or “lightning rods,” that extend from the roofline.  As in the following photos, some homeowners even choose lightning rods that are decorative finials to enhance the design and architecture of their home.

Usually, our clients consider a lightning protection system if their home:

• is located in an isolated, open area
• is situated on a hill or near a large body of water
• is located in an area or neighborhood that has a high number of thunderstorms or previous instances of lightning damage
• has tall trees overhanging the roof
• has a metal, brick or stone chimney
• has a standing seam metal roof

Unlike other lightning protection systems, a concealed system must be installed while the home is under construction.  The copper cables used within the system are connected to “lightning rods” which extend 10+ inches beyond the rooftop, then run along the inside of the attic space, down the bare-stud-walls, and exit outside the home just above the foundation line.  These cables are connected to ground rounds, which are placed around the home’s perimeter and are designed to successfully direct any electrical charge of a potential lightning strike away from the home.

Below are photos of one of our recent homes-in-progress following installation of a concealed lightning protection system.  As you’ll notice, the air terminals or “lightning rods” extending from the roofline are the only visible components of this type of protection system.

Outdoor Living Spaces

Over the last several years, homeowners and homebuilders alike have welcomed a new trend in custom home design: incorporating comfortable and creative outdoor living spaces. In fact, more than 75% of respondents in the 2007-2008 National Association of Home Builders’ Consumer Preferences Survey stated that having a patio, front porch, or deck on their home was “desirable” or “essential.” This article highlights some of the Outdoor Living Spaces we’ve created in recent years.

Features of this outdoor living space:
* Expansive L-shaped loggia with two seating areas
* Milford green slate flooring with Italian mosaic inlays
* Antique pine beams supporting V-groove pine ceiling
* Several arch openings for cross ventiliation with doors for closure during winter and inclement weather
* Masonry fireplace with antique Spanish tile surround and antique timber mantle
* Summer kitchen with Al Forno pizza oven, barbecue grill, ice maker, kegerator, warming drawers, fridge, sink, and blue tile countertops

To view additional photos of this home, visit the Spanish Colonial portfolio on our website.

Features of this outdoor living space:
* Spacious loggia with views framed by seven stone columns atop rock and back pedestal bases
* Antique pine beams supporting 1×6 tongue-and-groove clear cedar plank ceiling
* Summer kitchen featuring 48 inch grill with custom designed and fabricated copper hood, concrete countertops and sink
* Masonry fireplace with rock cladding; Limestone flooring set in Ashlar pattern; Custom iron chandeliers
* Two interior courtyards with Tuscan-style water features and landscaping

To view additional photos of this home, visit the Tuscan Villa portfolio on our website.

Features of this outdoor living space:
* Loggia and Veranda overlooking infinity edge pool and 75 acre lake
* Cedar planked vaulted ceiling with timbers and beams supported by Doric columns
* Summer kitchen featuring pizza oven, custom cabinet system, concrete countertops and integral sink
* Reclaimed Old Chicago brick walls and masonry fireplace; Pennsylvania Blue slate flooring
* Large elk antler chandelier and stained glass window details

To view additional photos of this home, visit the Louisiana Acadian portfolio on our website.

Choosing an Architectural Style for Your Custom Home

While some stages of building your own custom home may be a bit stressful at times, there is one phase of the process that is sure to excite and inspire you.  Choosing an architectural style for your home is one of the most captivating and enjoyable steps in the custom homebuilding journey.  It’s your chance to flex your creative muscles and explore what you truly want in your own dream home.  Keep in mind, you don’t need an architecture degree to find the style that best suits your taste and personality; you simply need the ability to recognize what you like when you see it.  Consider the following tips to make the most of choosing an architectural style that’s right for you.