Month: October 2017

Celebrate National Home Security Month with a Smart Home Renovation

Highlight Homes Atlanta Custom Homes, Luxury Renovations
Celebrate National Home Security Month with a Smart Home Renovation

In the early 17th century, British politician Sir Edward Coke coined the phrase, “A man’s home is his castle.” It’s a sentiment that has resonated in all the centuries since. While most home owner associations would no doubt frown upon the construction of a moat around your own “castle,” there are a number of measures you can take to keep barbarians from storming the castle gates. In 2015, U.S. residents age 12 or older experienced an estimated 5.0 million violent victimizations – which includes rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault, according to the most recent Bureau of Justice Statistics’ (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). 7.60% of U.S. households (which may not seem like a lot until you consider that it represents 10.0 million homes) experienced one or more property victimizations that year. Although Highlight Homes is not a security company, we can build the base for a secure home through a smart home renovation or custom construction.

What is a Smart Home?

A smart home features special structured wiring designed to give home owners control of things like air conditioning and heating, lighting, sound system, blinds and – yes – even home security system through a mobile device or computer. Depending on which Smart Home Security System you elect to incorporate, you could operate an interior and exterior camera system, open or close the garage door, set off an alarm, turn on or off your lights, and even lock or unlock the doors – all with the tap of a button on your smartphone. The future is here!

Need a little more convincing to convert your current home a Smart Home or build your new Smart Home from the ground up? According to Coldwell Banker Real Estate, “whether you’re shopping for a first home, looking to sell your home, or planning home renovations to add value to your house, smart home technology should be at the top of your must-haves list. 54% of homeowners said they would install smart home products if they were selling their home and knew that doing so would make it sell faster. In fact, about 33% of agents said homes with smart features sell faster.”

Additional Security Measures Highlight Homes can integrate to your home renovation or custom home design:

  • The incorporation of landscaping designed for security, such as strategically placed thorny bushes and landscape lighting, to deter burglars from entering your home
  • The placement of motion activated lighting around potential points of entry, like the garage and front/rear porches
  • The use of heavy duty doors, windows, screens and locks throughout the house
  • The construction of a safe room – aka panic room – to keep your family secure in the event of a home invasion

Highlight Homes welcomes the chance to help you transform your “home sweet home” into a “home safe home!” To get started, simply call us at 678-873-9234, email us at info@highlighthomesga.com or fill out our convenient online contact form and someone will be in touch with you shortly!  To learn more about Highlight Homes and view our online gallery of work, please visit www.highlighthomesga.com.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics – https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv15_sum.pdf

Coldwell Banker – https://blog.coldwellbanker.com/blog/home-renovations-and-features-for-2017-smart-home/

4 Treatments That Will Take Your Walls From Drab to Fab

Highlight Homes Atlanta Custom Homes, Luxury Renovations
4 Treatments That Will Take Your Walls From Drab to Fab

When we were kids, we all basically drew a house the same way… a square with a triangle roof, a rectangular chimney with a wisp of smoke coming out of it, a few windows and a door with a circle for a door knob. While our artistic skills may have been a bit limited at 5, just think what our imaginations could have done with the interior of that little square house. Now that we’re adults with more refined tastes, it’s still important to use our imaginations when designing a home. A room is basically four walls with a couple of windows thrown in to let in the light. In order to take that living space from drab to FAB, let your imagination run wild!

The greatest thing about interior design today is that there are no rules. There may be trends and style dictates, but the growth of the eclectic movement means that virtually anything goes. Let’s take a blank wall to treat as our canvas. Where – in the past – you may have a variety of colors for your wall, offset by a different color for the trim OR you may elect to hang some old school wallpaper for a little added excitement. If you were feeling particularly daring, you may have elected to paint ONE accent wall in a different shade than the other three walls in the room. For an air of luxury, you might have added some special woodworking, such as a chair rail, crown moulding or wainscoting. While all of those options are still not only perfectly acceptable, but downright delightful when done properly – there are a wealth of other possibilities open to you to make a room feel exciting and inviting at the same time…

Shiplap and other Wood Wall Treatments

Wood walls – like the wildly popular shiplap treatment – add texture to a space. Depending on the color of the wood you choose, whether stained or painted, you can also add warmth. Shiplap, often seen on the exterior of homes and barns, has become increasingly trendy for use INSIDE the home. The wood could be sanded smooth and painted for a more sophisticated feel or rough-hewn and weathered for a more rustic sense. Consider the bedroom for this wall treatment – if you have an eye-catching wood wall against which you can set your bed, there’s not really a need for a headboard. The entire wall – with a pair of equally stunning mounted wall lamps – may give the appearance of one massive headboard.

Tile

Initially introduced to protect walls in the kitchen and bathroom from water damage, tile is now used to enhance these spaces beautifully. From sleek and shiny subway tile in the master bath to an eye-catching and elegant mosaic tile in the kitchen, tile can really help you DEFINE the look and feel of the space. No longer limited to the bathroom and kitchen, it’s not uncommon to find tile – now available in a variety of materials and textures – in the living room and dining room.

Brick

With the ever-increasing popularity of the industrial look in interior design, the use of brick walls – whether real or faux – have really taken off. There’s something lasting, solid and somewhat masculine about brick that lends those same qualities to a space, making it a great fit for a man cave or accent wall in an intown home. Still, it’s a classic that can be used virtually anywhere. Imagine it in a KITCHEN – wouldn’t that be gorgeous!?

Stone

Not just for exteriors and fireplaces anymore, stacked stone is becoming all the rage on interior walls. A cool blend of rusticity and refinement, a stacked stone wall can add texture and warmth to a space. Because stone is so heavy, many designers elect to incorporate faux stacked stone veneer panels. You can still achieve the same look at a fraction of the cost. Imagine a stone wall in a room that leads to the outdoors, suggesting a fusion of the interior and outdoor living spaces for gorgeous results.

Highlight Homes is an award-winning Atlanta-based custom home builder and master renovator. To learn more about how Highlight Homes can help you infuse any of the suggested looks above into your own home, visit www.highlighthomesga.com or call 678-873-9234.