The Comito Column ~ Custom Building Exposed

There is a lot to think about when you are building your new Colorado Springs Custom Home.  From aesthetic details to ensuring your custom home is secure, the list can go on forever.  One of the most common items people forget about is lightning protection. We recommend that our customers look into lightning protection for their new homes, as it is a great value considering what you are protecting and the amount of strikes we see in this area every year. 

Tornadoes, high winds and snow are the most common weather related news coverage in the state of Colorado.  Lightning strikes are rarely covered but account for several billion dollars annually in structural damage to buildings across the country.  Colorado had on average 5.0 flashes per square mile from 1997 to 2010.  Lightning related damage can be prevented.  Installing a lightning protection system, which meets U.S. Safety Standards, will provide a safe path for lightning to travel to the ground and in turn will save money and possible structural damage to your new custom home.

Lightning protection systems consist of numerous components which are constructed from highly conductive copper or aluminum alloys.  A lightning protection system is intended to last the life of the structure it protects.  When a proper lightning protection system is designed and installed it will create a faraday cage which will protect the home.

There is also a lot of information on the hazards and damage that can be caused by lightning strikes.  We recommend the following websites for more information:

• Lightning Protection Institute (www.lightning.org)
• NOAA Lightning Safety website (www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov)
• There is also an informative video regarding lightning strikes on residential buildings 

Lightning protection systems are the only scientifically proven way to prevent structural damage from lightning strikes.  So when you’re building your new Colorado Springs Custom Home make sure you add lightning protection to the list of things to look into.  Check out Mr. Lightning’s website at www.mrlightning.com. 

As we enter our 4^th year of economic downturn with the resultant stresses in the housing market the temptation is greater than ever to go “cheap.” Cheap lots, cheap architects, cheap builders, cheap subs, cheap materials and components and on and on…..

Unfortunately “cheap” almost never equates to good value. While it’s true that many things involved in building cost less than 4 or 5 years ago, there is still no free lunch.

Do you really want to buy a lot that is cheap but offers no view, challenging conditions and is not in a quality area?

Do you really want to hire a cheap designer or architect or draftsman who can’t really spend the time necessary to sweat the details?

Do you really want to commission a builder that is foregoing a reasonable profit to survive but that will be gone soon – maybe while building your home? Or, one that hires the cheapest subs with little talent?

Do you really want to accept inferior lumber, windows, insulation, cabinetry, floor coverings, etc. etc. to save a few bucks? Only to be disappointed and face the prospect of replacing them too soon?

Common sense tells us that a superior home will cost more than an inferior home. A superior home, built by a quality builder with a proven track record, will be built with quality as its theme from the foundation to the final finish details. It will be built to exacting standards, according to a plan that has been carefully prepared by an accomplished architect and builder.

All of us have to find ways to cut cost and offer high quality homes for less in order to be successful. But we also must focus on perfecting performance and customer care as our reputation is on the line with every home we build. If you only want cheap, it’s easy to find – and it’s everywhere. I submit that value is what you really should be looking for.

“Will you have any masonry on the exterior or interior of your custom home?”

Most likely you architect has indicated on your plans some sort of stone or brick accent.  Often times whatever this material is; it will also be carried onto your interior fireplace surround or maybe an accent wall inside, say over your range in the kitchen.

Using “natural stone” products are both beautiful and functional.  They create a timeless and natural feeling for your home.  The depth and texture that a mason creates as he carefully assembles the puzzle pieces will forever be the cornerstone for your home.  Keep in mind that “natural stone” prices for both material and labor can be approximately 40% more expensive than other faux products that we will mention below.  Also, in order for your foundation to carry the weight of “natural stone” a foundation “brick ledge” has to be created.  The labor costs associated with the style of application (i.e. dry stack application with no grout) can also incur additional cost.

Another option would be “natural thin veneer”.  There are several companies that take natural stone and create a thin veneer product.  This accomplishes several things; The “natural stone” look is still there, the cost is less and the weight is now substantially less and does not require a brick ledge.  The mason will still create his masterpiece stone by stone.  This also applies to “natural thin brick” products.  These are created by cutting off the face of a full size brick  (examples of veneers and thin brick  - www.telluridestone.com)

Finally there are “faux stone and brick” products that are a concrete and pumice mixture; manufactured to look like natural stone/brick.  “The faux brick options are often considered more dynamic as they have more options than natural thin brick.  The manufacturer can create a distressed look, various size options, rounded edges, etc.,” says Brian Johannsen of C & C Sand of Colorado Springs.  The cost of faux stone and brick are substantially less than natural stone.  These products are surprisingly very authentic looking and there are endless options.  (www.edloradostone.com).

Visit the C & C Sand showroom at the Coutura Design Inspirations building – www.ccsand.com and take a look at all these options, you’ll be amazed at the look you can create for your new custom home.

As a third generation Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, Comito Building and Design has been designing and crafting award winning Colorado Springs custom homes since 1983.  Our luxury homes in Colorado Springs are synonymous with extraordinary design, quality, and innovation.  Our team creates homes that are a solid investment for our families who live in them and a testimony to our creativity and craftsmanship.  We hope you will consider us as your resource to help you make your Dream home a Reality.

If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the custom home building process or any of our Colorado Springs luxury home sites call us at 719.219.5421 or visit us online at Comito Building and Design.

Debbie Comito – Client Coordinator

Comito Building and Design, LLC

Another important selection for your new Colorado Springs custom home will be your appliances. 

For some of you this may be a very basic and purely functional decision.  But never loose sight of the fact that you may someday want to resell your home.  The kitchen and its’ appliances are probably one of the most important selling features for a new homebuyer.  

If you’re like our family and friends, think about how much time you spend in the kitchen.  Long ago I gave up trying to guide guests to another area of the house while preparing dinner, they always seem to want to congregate in the kitchen.  It’s where the action is for the most part.  In this comfortable atmosphere your appliances have a starring role.  i.e. food and storage, wine cooler, ice maker, dishwasher, etc.

The quality, efficiency, sustainability and affordability are all key decision makers here. The performance of your appliances, especially at high altitude here in Colorado Springs, and how it affects cooking on a gas cook top for example, are all things to consider.  We work with all brands including;  Kitchen Aid, Thermador, SubZero/Wolf  and many more.

Another factor in today’s market is green manufacturing technologies and environmental codes. Many of today’s appliances are ENERGY STAR rated, which saves money with greater energy efficiency. 

Along with function goes form.  Think about whether you want to highlight your appliances and their sleek stainless exteriors or other fun colors or make them disappear? We can cover most appliances with wood panels that will create a beautiful blend with the rest of your cabinetry.

Comito Building and Design, along with our trade partners, is very familiar with all of the above and how it will fit into your lifestyle and your new custom home.

As your client coordinator I will guide you through the entire selections & building process, helping you make decisions on your appliances, this includes visiting the showrooms, trying out that cook top you’ve been thinking about, bring in something you’d like to cook to see if it works for you.  Really, these showrooms have live appliances for you to try.  And ask questions – we have the answers.

As a third generation Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, Comito Building and Design has been designing and crafting award winning Colorado Springs custom homes since 1983.  Our luxury homes in Colorado Springs are synonymous with extraordinary design, quality, and innovation.  Our team creates homes that are a solid investment for our families who live in them and a testimony to our creativity and craftsmanship.  We hope you will consider us as your resource to help you make your Dream home a Reality.

 If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the custom home building process or any of our Colorado Springs luxury home sites call us at 719.219.5421 or visit us online at Comito Building and Design.

When it comes to choosing a builder for your new Colorado Springs Luxury Home, there are so many important things to look at. The homebuilder you choose will be the one orchestrating everything that goes into building your new custom home, from early design of the home plans to final walkthrough. The relationship and trust you have in the homebuilder needs to be strong, as the process can last up to a year and sometimes longer, plus you will want that strong relationship and trust when it comes to warranty items after your home is complete. When evaluating your options it is important to look at all aspects of each company; Who is on their team? Who will be guiding you through all the selections decisions? Who will be running the jobsite? What is their experience level? How long have they been in business? What do their past clients have to say? Have you seen their product, both under construction and complete?

The National Association of Homebuilders has released a great guide to use when interviewing potential builders click here.

Remember it is always best to do your interviewing early (even before any home plans are drawn) as the homebuilder you choose can be a valuable resource when it comes to designing a home that will fit your home budget.

This process called Design-Build is what we at Comito Building and Design strongly believe in. The team at Comito Building and Design is known for our relationships with our clients, working as a team from the beginning creates greater continuity of service and ultimately a better home at better value for our clients.

As a third generation Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, Comito Building and Design has been designing and crafting award winning Colorado Springs custom homes since 1983.  Our luxury homes in Colorado Springs are synonymous with extraordinary design, quality, and innovation.  Our team creates homes that are a solid investment for our families who live in them and a testimony to our creativity and craftsmanship.  We hope you will consider us as your resource to help you make your Dream home a Reality.

If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the custom home building process or any of our Colorado Springs luxury home sites call us at 719.219.5421 or visit us online at Comito Building and Design.

Ready to build the Colorado Springs Custom Home of your dreams, but need to sell your current home first. If you're ready to sell or already have your home on the market, you know all too well about today's selling challenges.  When buyers have so many choices, your home MUST make a positive first impression and appeal to the greatest number of buyers. 

Professional staging services are designed to do just that - and to give you a faster sale at a top dollar price.  You choose whether to do-it-yourself, follow their consultation report, or have them stage the property for you. 

The investment you make in staging is MUCH lower than the cost of a possible sales price reduction.  For more information about this proven marketing tool for your Colorado Springs Home, call me for a fantastic resource. We are happy to be your resource for anything you need when looking to start the custom building process.

 The Results Are In!
2008 ~ 18 sold ~ 94% of asking price ~ 28 DOM
2009 ~ 58 sold ~ 97% of asking ~ 34 DOM
Q1 2010 ~ 11 sold ~ 99% of asking ~ 26 DOM

Staging Statistics
Staging reduces time on the market by as much as 40% 
Staged properties average 17% higher sales prices than non-staged houses
Sellers recover nearly 200% return on their staging investment on the sale of their house

At Comito Building and Design, we believe a great home at a fair price and a wonderful experience should be the desired outcome of your custom home building process. As a third generation Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, Comito Building and Design has been designing and crafting award winning Colorado Springs custom homes since 1983.  Our luxury homes in Colorado Springs are synonymous with extraordinary design, quality, and innovation.  Our team creates homes that are a solid investment for our families who live in them and a testimony to our creativity and craftsmanship.  We hope you will consider us as your resource to help you make your Dream home a Reality.

If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the custom home building process or any of our Colorado Springs luxury home sites call us at 719.219.5421 or visit us online at Comito Building and Design.

As a Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, we often get asked to competitively bid out a finished set of plans for potential customers.  Homebuyers use this process as a way to get a handle on what the home will cost and to obtain the best price. At Comito Building and Design, we prefer to take a different approach, called Design-Build. In this approach we formulate a team consisting of an architect/designer, the client, the builder and sometimes an interior designer. As a team, we will work together from the beginning to design a home that will fit your budget, your home site and your overall design goals.

For nearly 30 years,  this approach has proven to be the best, most efficient and ultimately the least costly in time and money.

Most professional residential architects have embraced this approach because they have seen the true benefits for all involved. The ones that don’t support this approach and instead advocate the “bidding approach” should be asked this question: How many of the homes you have custom designed for your owner clients have never been built? I believe you’ll find the percentage to be quite high! The reason is that even experienced and otherwise very professional architects typically lack the knowledge of where construction costs really are, resulting in a plan that is more costly to build than what the client expects. With a builder involved from the outset, we can advise our clients as to the cost of what they are designing along the way, helping you make design decisions more informed and budget focused.

In the bidding approach; when the costs from a qualified high quality builder come in too high, the first response is to bid the project to inexperienced mediocre contractors to obtain a lower cost – at least initially. Most often the completed project ends up costing as much or more than what the more experience Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder originally quoted.  Additionally, our experience has also shown that the ultimate quality of the finished product and the customers’ experience are sub-standard as well.

In my 30+ years of experience in building high quality homes, I have never seen plans and specifications for high-end custom homes be of adequate detail, quality and clarity for clients to obtain truly comparable pricing. The bidding process encourages the contractor to use inferior products, materials and workmanship to be successfully chosen.

When we manage or participate in the design-build process we are responsible for identifying early on where the budget is going. We help gather all the utility, soils, engineering, geological and other information for the best, most predictable result. Most architects are ill equipped to provide these services and if asked to do so have to charge accordingly. We also provide useful material, product, and contractor recommendations for the architect and client to ensure the best-finished product.

Let us provide you with best experience throughout your Colorado Springs custom home experience! From site selection to move-in, we will seamlessly handle all the details to ensure that you are getting the finished product  and the finished price you desire.

At Comito Building and Design, we believe a great home at a fair price and a wonderful experience should be the desired outcome of your custom home building process. As a third generation Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, Comito Building and Design has been designing and crafting award winning Colorado Springs custom homes since 1983.  Our luxury homes in Colorado Springs are synonymous with extraordinary design, quality, and innovation.  Our team creates homes that are a solid investment for our families who live in them and a testimony to our creativity and craftsmanship.  We work with many of the top Realtors in the county.  We hope you will consider us as your resource to help you make your Dream home a Reality.

If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the custom home building process or any of our Colorado Springs luxury home sites call us at 719.219.5421 or visit us online at Comito Building and Design.

Many interior selection decisions have to be made throughout the custom home building process –tile, paint, countertops, flooring, cabinets, light fixtures and more. At times these decisions may seem overwhelming and stressful. But, with the help of a qualified lighting professional, the lighting decisions can be made with a certain degree of ease for the homebuyer, the homebuilder, and the electrician.

At Comito Building and Design, we use Austin Bluffs Lighting, a member of the American Lighting Association.   The trained lighting specialists at Austin Bluffs Lighting recommend the following list to ensure that you properly light up your new custom home:

• Think back to the homes you lived in previously and make a list of the lighting you liked and disliked. Be sure to consider closets that where too dark or a laundry room in which it was difficult to sort colors and so on. Have this list with you as lighting is planned for each room.
• Make a list of special places art work will be placed in your home as these areas may require the appropriate bulbs for maximum presentation.
• Walk the exterior of your home and consider home lighting mounted on your home and dramatic lighting for landscaping as well.
• Tour model homes for ideas.
• Collect photos for lighting styles and techniques that appeal to you.
• Identify the location of electrical boxes or recessed cans. Changes to the electrical plan can be costly.  And, properly placed boxes and can lighting (in the right places and the right quantities) ensure that your new home will not have the same pitfalls as your old one.

As a client of Comito Building and Design, you and your client coordinator will personally meet at the Austin Bluffs Lighting showroom for a personal lighting consultation to effectively plan the lighting for your new Colorado Springs Custom Home.

• Prior to your lighting appointment, plan to spend an hour or so (the day before) wandering through the showroom to narrow down the list of items that reflect your style and taste.
• While the entire showroom may seem a little overwhelming, the truth is you need only to decide between those items that suite your style and décor so you can review appropriate options with your lighting consultant.
• Make sure to bring your floor plans with you to your lighting consultation. Your salesperson will be much more helpful knowing the general layout of the home in terms of spaces, dimensions and out of the way areas like closets and storage.
• Bring color samples, swatches of material, paint chips, wallpaper, tile, stain samples, etc. This will help you select lighting finishes that coordinate with the rest of your home’s finishes.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to schedule your lighting appointment.  While the lighting store will have hundreds of options in the showroom, they will have to be ordered which may take 6 – 8 weeks.
• If  you do not complete your selections in that one visit, don’t be alarmed. Due to time constraints with other decisions about your house, several trips may be necessary to complete your lighting selections!           

By following these common sense steps and utilizing the expertise of your Comito Building and Design Client Coordinator, the lighting process can be nearly painless. Remember, lighting is the most illuminating part of your new custom home so light up your life and enjoy the process!           

At Comito Building and Design, we believe a great home at a fair price and a wonderful experience should be the desired outcome of your custom home building process. As a third generation Colorado Springs Custom Home Builder, Comito Building and Design has been designing and crafting award winning Colorado Springs custom homes since 1983.  Our luxury homes in Colorado Springs are synonymous with extraordinary design, quality, and innovation.  Our team creates homes that are a solid investment for our families who live in them and a testimony to our creativity and craftsmanship.  We hope you will consider us as your resource to help you make your Dream home a Reality.

If you are interested in obtaining additional information on the custom home building process or any of our Colorado Springs luxury home sites call us at 719.219.5421 or visit us online at Comito Building and Design.