This page is devoted to the little luxuries of life. There are a lot of popular ideas in custom homebuilding today, and our goal is to provide these "bells and whistles" at an affordable price! 

ENERGY EFFICIENCY!

With rates going up, it's on everyone's mind. In the future it will be even worse. Some experts believe that legislation like CAPP and Trade will cause energy prices to double in the near future. But even without government influence, we know rates will continue to rise in the future. So what can we do? In new home construction, there are many things that can be done to cut energy cost. Some are very expensive and take a long time to yield a return on your investment (ex: solar panels). However, there are others that can be done with reasonable cost that can actually yield a return in the near future. Southern Home Builders has completed Federal Weatherization Certification and is highly qualified to help customers with their energy concerns. Below is a list of things that can  save you money with  a reasonable cost.

-Energy efficient framing techniques
-Low E, solar shield, vinyl windows
-Titanium roof overlay
-Radiant barrier roof sheathing
-Increased S.E.E.R. ratings for conditioning systems
-Mini Split Systems
-Foam Insulation (see pictures below)
-Insulated vinyl siding
-Tank less gas water heater
-Energy efficient  appliances
-Dimmer switches on lights
-Light colored veneer. 
-CFL and LED bulbs
-Programmable  thermostats
-Ventilated AC Walls
** We have a few other techniques that we keep as "trade secret"
We have to build your home to share them!**

SHOPS / BARNS

Call them shops, dethatched garages, barns, or storage buildings. We've done a bunch of them. Some are built to match the house, and others are built from a metal shell, allowing for increased area at decreased cost. They're usually pretty simple and we don't try to make a lot of money off them. They are most affordable when built at the same time as the house. However, they don't involve too much difficulty to build as an addition to an existing home either. In fact, we have built them at cost for some of our past customers that purchased their home from us. 

OUTDOOR FIREPLACES

Both of the pictures below were taken during the construction of two recent homes. Seems like the outdoor fireplaces are increasing in popularity. They sure are nice to enjoy from the porch, and the pool! And when it comes to entertaining friends and family, the outdoor fireplace becomes the centerpiece. They can be added to almost any house, or they can be detached from the home and placed in the location of choice. We would be glad to assist any of your outdoor design ideas.

SHOWERS

It's been a LONG time since we've put a pre-fab fiberglass shower in a master bedroom. Tile showers (and sometimes marble) have become standard choice for the custom homes we build. Our showers are totally custom, meaning we don't limit your material choices. Every one has been a unique work of art and a showpiece of our customer's new home.

KITCHENS

Wow! We have done a lot of beautiful kitchens through the years. Oak, Cherry, Maple, Glazed, and a lot of granite. There are a lot of pictures that we wish we had now. Unfortunately, we weren't in a habit of taking a lot of inside pictures in the past, because we didn't have a web site until this year (late 2009). We will be taking a lot of pictures in the future and including them on our site here. Below are the kitchens of two homes that we recently completed.

STONE

Brick is still King, but you can't help but notice the current trend of adding stone accents to a new home. As you travel around our area, there are a lot of beautiful examples. Stone can add to the curb appeal of your new home and further set it apart from the others. It is a great custom feature, because there are so many unique styles and designs. Matching your stone and brick can be trying, but we can help you pull it all together.

Safe Rooms

For storm safety or privacy, these rooms can be great upgrade. They can open up to a garage or to the inside of the house. In the house, many of them double as a pantry or closet. They can give peace of mind that doesn't exist in the average house.

Basement and Crawl Space
Water Proofing

If you are building, or have built on a crawl space in South Alabama, there is a good chance that high humidity levels are causing issues under your floor. Often this will result in mold issues, rot, or wood floor buckling. These are very expensive and dangerous problems. There is an answer. Clean Space floor systems will take away the worry and give you a much more user friendly area under your home.  

Concrete Overlay

Any concrete porch can be transformed with as many colors, textures, and styles as can be imagined. Everyone spends time on their porch and a concrete overlay can enhance the atmosphere of the outdoor space. What a difference it makes!

Plumbing Panels

We are including central plumbing panels in all of our homes. With no extra charge! Plumbing panels allow the homeowner to shut off the hot and cold water to any fixture inside and outside the house. No more running out to the road to shut the main water line off, when there is a leak. What a great convenience.  

Brick Joints

Such a small decision to most homeowners, but we think even the simple details can make a huge difference on a new home. This beaded mortar joint gives a very clean and upgraded look to a brick home. You rarely see it on homes in our area, but we believe it is one of the little things we can do to help your home stand out from the crowd.

We will continue to update!