custom homes

Make Self-Improvement the Foundation of Your Home Design

Highlight Homes Atlanta Custom Homes, Luxury Renovations
Make Self-Improvement the Foundation of Your Home Design

September marks Self-Improvement Month, but that doesn’t mean you only have one month to evolve into a better version of the person you are today. Instead, take the time remaining in this month to make a list of the areas of your life where you would like to improve and start taking those first all-important steps towards the new you. At Highlight Homes, we specialize in custom homes and luxury renovations that are designed around our clients’ personal tastes, interests, wants and needs. If self-improvement is a personal goal for you, here are a number of ways that you can build or renovate your home to fit that goal…

Work Towards Wellness

According to CooleFitness.com, 15% of Americans hold gym memberships – that’s about $2.6 billion spent on fitness at the gym each year! And let’s not forget the hassle of getting dressed for the gym, driving there, leaving your valuables in a locker, waiting for your favorite equipment, driving home and showering before the rest of your day can begin. For adults aged 18-64, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (i.e., brisk walking) OR an hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (i.e., jogging) every week and muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms). If you have a dedicated gym in your home – complete with inspiring views of the outdoors and energizing natural lights through a wall of windows, staying fit becomes a great deal easier… and more cost-effective!  Highlight Homes can incorporate a fitness space into a renovation of your existing home (by reimagining an existing room, creating a room addition or finishing your basement) or can make it an important element of your custom home design.

Find Time for Me-Time

Ask any mother of small children and she’ll tell you, the bathroom is often her place of solitude… but it’s never guaranteed. Still, it’s important for each member of the household to have a space that is dedicated to their own “me-time.” For kids, that’s often their bedrooms, but for adults who share a bedroom – you may want to have another space that’s ALL (mostly) yours. If you have that, you’re more likely to FIND TIME for that all-important me-time. If you’re an avid reader, a library with French doors or even a book nook with cozy seating may be all you need. There’s also the possibility of including a man cave inside and a “she shed” outside for the privacy we all crave to help us clear our heads and improve our moods.

Spend More Time with Family

Parents who travel for visit may crave more time with their family. The creation of spaces intended for family gatherings are essential to inspiring that together time that helps us stay connected. A home theater for the family who loves to watch movies together, a game room for board game buffs or an outdoor living space centered around a swimming pool and open-air kitchen for the family who loves the Great Outdoors are just a few ways you can go. The possibilities are truly endless and can be customized to fit your family’s collective interests.

Set Your Sights on Being the Host and Hostess with the Mostest

If it’s always been your dream to host dinner parties to die for or tailgate-themed gatherings for football season, your home design should reflect that fact. From an expansive island in the kitchen where you can set out the appetizers and a dining room where the real magic happens to a sprawling outdoor living space with bar, comfy seating, hearth and HUGE flat screen TV, if you hope to become a better host/hostess, there are any number of ways you can make your home work to your advantage. An open concept layout in the main living areas is a MUST so your home never feels cramped, even with 20 guests at any one gathering. For overnight guests, you want to make sure your guest rooms and guest bathrooms are luxurious and welcoming. Highlight Homes can help you have the home your friends, family, co-workers and neighbors would LOVE to visit – no matter the occasion!

Get in Touch with Nature

If you love the Great Outdoors and hope to work towards self-improvement through that passion, there are a number of ways that Highlight Homes can help you do just that. A sunroom or screened in porch can serve as an extension of your home, offering exquisite views even when the weather is anything but warm and sunny. Some imaginative landscape planning and a gardening shed are other wonderful ways to pursue your love of the outdoors. And – of course – dedicated outdoor living spaces are a must, whether dining al fresco, enjoying a cocktail under the stars or telling stories in the glow of your outdoor fire pit.

If you are seeking ways to pursue self-improvement through your home design, Highlight Homes would love to help you! To learn more about Highlight Homes and our process of building a custom home or pursuing a luxury renovation, please visit www.highlighthomesga.com. Once you’re ready to get started, contact us at 678-874-9234 or info@highlighthomesga.com.

The Top Five Emerging Neighborhoods in Atlanta

Highlight Homes Atlanta Custom Homes, Luxury Renovations
The Top Five Emerging Neighborhoods in Atlanta

The City of Atlanta is filled to overflowing with charming old neighborhoods, localities that are enjoying a sudden resurgence of popularity and exciting developing communities that are gaining attention for the first time. Highlight Homes breaks down the Top Five Emerging Neighborhoods located in and around the city or tucked away within the outskirts. As one of Atlanta’s premier custom homebuilders, we welcome the chance to help you realize the home of your dreams in one of the following neighborhoods or the community of your choosing…

West Midtown – Atlanta Agent Magazine points to West Midtown as one of the best neighborhoods in which to buy. This area is particularly hot among Millennials and active couples/families drawn to its connectivity/walkability factor and awesome venues like Atlantic Station with a wealth of alluring shops, restaurants and events. Highlight Homes is proud to have our newest project poised within a mile of Atlantic Station – a luxury duplex that’s worth watching!

Sherwood Forest – of course, don’t rule out East Midtown altogether! Sherwood Forest made the top slot at #1 on Niche’s Best Neighborhoods to Live in the Atlanta Area – scoring an overall A+ Niche grade, and #2 on Niche’s Best Neighborhoods to Raise a Family in the Atlanta Area. Homebuyers are likely to love the low crime rates, the great nightlife and access to highly regarded schools.

South Buckhead – Another excellent pick from Atlanta Agent Magazine, South Buckhead is enjoying a sudden resurgence of interest from buyers for many of the same reasons as West Midtown. Affectionately dubbed SOBU, the area begins where Peachtree Road crosses I-85 at the Brookwood interchange and runs north along Peachtree to Peachtree Creek. It’s considered a Mecca for affluent homebuyers seeking access to critically acclaimed dining, upscale shops and an active art scene.

Neighborhoods of Atlanta’s Westside – including West End, Hunter Hills, Princeton Lakes,  Washington Park and Peachtree Heights – According to Redfin and its 2018 list of Hottest Neighborhoods, all eyes are turning west! Pay particular attention to neighborhoods along the West Beltline – including historic West End. Hunter Hills is another one to watch, as is Washington Park – not far from the eateries, cool bars and fun nightlife at Five Points. Peachtree Heights in Southwest Atlanta received a nod from Curbed Atlanta as Atlanta’s hottest neighborhood for 2018. Princeton Lakes is a little further out from center – just west of the Perimeter.

Decatur – Making the cut as one of Redfin’s Most Competitive Neighborhoods in Atlanta at #2 for 2018 and at #1 on Niche’s List of Best Suburbs to Live in Georgia, the City of Decatur continues to reign supreme. An incredible town square that plays host to a jam-packed, year-round calendar of events and is home to an eclectic blend of shops, restaurants and pubs serves as the heart of this city. An incredible school system, excellent parks, fun attractions like the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and high walkability factor make it a great destination for families. It’s proximity to the City of Atlanta simply adds to the allure.

Other neighborhoods to watch include Powder Springs, Smyrna, Chamblee, Tucker and one of Highlight Homes’ personal favorites… Brookhaven! If you are seeking land on which to build a custom home in any of the neighborhoods listed above or in another neighborhood of your own choosing, the team at Highlight Homes excels at land acquisition. We can also design and build the home of your dreams on land you already own. To get started, simply give us a call at 678-873-9234, send us a note at info@highlighthomesga.com or fill out our convenient online contact form. We look forward to hearing from you soon. If you’d like to learn more about Highlight Homes and view our online gallery, please visit www.highlighthomesga.com.

 

Photo creds: By Brooke Novak from Atlanta, Georgia (midtown/westside) – ATL [light ], CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2514492

Tis the Season to Take Note

Highlight Homes Atlanta Custom Homes
Tis the Season to Take Note

Notes-leave-839225_1920Talk about the ultimate holiday wish list! When considering a whole home renovation or custom home construction, the holidays are an excellent time to take note of the functions your current home performs and the styles that suit you best. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or a houseful of overnight guests this holiday season, pay close attention to see if the flow of your present layout is working for you or if you feel you could benefit from more space in everything from bathrooms and bedrooms to dining room and living spaces. Are you lacking room to comfortably entertain your guests once everyone has left the dinner table? You and your visitors might be better served with an expanded exterior living space featuring a stunning native stone outdoor hearth and flat screen TV over the mantle or a finished basement with full bar, home theater and game room. Are both sets of visiting in-laws sharing a guest bathroom? Separate private baths might promote holiday harmony a bit better. Long story short – from roof to cellar, take notice of what works and what doesn’t.

And don’t merely use your own home to take note this holiday season. When you visit other peoples’ homes for parties or overnight stays, pay attention to the things you like or dislike about their individual rooms and the way they function. Think beyond the way the specific spaces might serve your family, and consider the way you would like for them to serve your guests – even if they only come to visit once or twice a year. Pore over magazines and websites for the latest interior design styles that really ring your jingle bells – from the hardwood floors to the coffered ceilings – and add them to your “Dream Book”.

To help you get started, you may want to go room-by-room and make note of the things that work for your family and those that don’t. Also, begin to compile a wish list of enhancements that might make the room better – including function AND form. For instance, let’s say you’re focusing on the living room. Is it formal enough to fit your sense of style or are you a more informal host/hostess? Is it large enough to serve all your favorite people in one room? Would shiplap walls up the ante for you on the warmth and beauty of the room? Would a butler’s pantry enhance the function of this space? Consider also the rooms you DON’T currently have that you believe would prove an ideal addition – such as a screened porch for enjoying your morning coffee or three more bedrooms to house your growing family.

Once you have a fairly good notion of what your dream home might look like, it’s time to contact a master renovator or custom construction builder like Atlanta-based Highlight Homes. They may have ideas you’ve never even considered to increase the space and function of your current home or to create the ideal custom home to fit your family’s collective personality, needs and wishes. So instead of having visions of sugar plums dance through your head this holiday season, you could instead have visions of smart home systems, glass paned cabinets, industrial-inspired lighting and burnished brass faucets.

Highlight Homes welcomes the opportunity to help you achieve the home of your dreams. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation to discuss your upcoming luxury whole home renovation or custom home construction. Our team of dedicated professionals can be reached by calling 678-873-9234, e-mailing info@highlighthomesga.com, or filling out our convenient online contact form. To learn more about Highlight Homes and view our portfolio, we invite you to visit our website at www.highlighthomesga.com.

From all of us here at Highlight Homes, we wish you and yours a very Happy Holiday Season!