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53 articles

All Custom Homes (36) Custom Home Building Tips (17) Charlotte Neighborhoods (15) Building Your Dream Home (13) Building Science (12) Construction (11) Local Charlotte, NC (10) Choosing a Home Builder (8) Custom Home Construction (6) Home Building (6) Luxury Home Features (4) Exterior Construction (3) Healthy Home Builds (2) Waterproofing (1) Barndominium (1)
How to Compare Custom Home Builder Proposals | Charlotte
Custom Homes

How to Compare Custom Home Builder Proposals | Charlotte

Two builders can price the same plans and come back hundreds of thousands of dollars apart, usually because they aren’t estimating the same house. Eric Brown explains how to compare custom home builder proposals in Charlotte: what the drawings leave out, how allowances and specifications differ, how site and foundation risk is handled, and what changes when you compare cost-plus with fixed-price bids.

By Eric Brown
What an Electrical Service Upgrade Involves in a Charlotte Home Renovation
Local Charlotte, NC

What an Electrical Service Upgrade Involves in a Charlotte Home Renovation

An electrical service upgrade in a Charlotte home renovation sizes the service to the finished house load and changes the customer-owned equipment so Duke Energy can reconnect after inspection. Meter location, the disconnect, and a separate electrical permit are part of that work.

By Eric Brown
What a Foundation Evaluation Covers Before a Charlotte Renovation or Addition
Building Science

What a Foundation Evaluation Covers Before a Charlotte Renovation or Addition

A foundation evaluation before a Charlotte renovation or addition reads settlement, moisture, the piers and the crawl space, and whether the new load can land on the foundation already there. It is not a home inspection, and it is not a reason to seal the crawl space before the wood and piers have been seen.

By Eric Brown
Custom Home Building Tips

What to Lock In Early for Custom Millwork on a Charlotte Home

Custom millwork for a Charlotte home has to be locked on shop drawings before fabrication: species, profiles, hardware, stairs, built-ins, and finish. Final lengths and undercuts are measured only after the new house or renovated room is closed in.

By Eric Brown
Custom Home, Addition & Renovation Costs in Charlotte, NC
Custom Homes

Custom Home, Addition & Renovation Costs in Charlotte, NC

What does it really cost to build a custom home, add an addition, or undertake a major renovation in Charlotte? Everett Custom Homes shares four real-world construction pricing examples, ranging from $400,000 to over $2 million, and explains why square footage alone doesn't determine the cost of building.

By Eric Brown
Construction

What Removing a Wall Involves in a Charlotte Home Renovation

Removing a wall in a Charlotte renovation means finding whether the wall carries load, shoring it before the studs come out, and setting a beam the ceiling can accept. Floor, ceiling, and trim are part of the same job and wait until after the framing inspection.

By Eric Brown
How Much Does a Home Addition Cost in Charlotte, NC?
Construction

How Much Does a Home Addition Cost in Charlotte, NC?

How much does it really cost to add onto a house in Charlotte? Eric Brown of Everett Custom Homes explains why square-foot pricing can be misleading, how engineered drawings and subcontractor proposals produce more accurate budgets, and what homeowners should know about structural modifications, unforeseen conditions, and construction costs.

By Eric Brown
What to Plan for Radon Control in a Charlotte Custom Home
Building Science

What to Plan for Radon Control in a Charlotte Custom Home

Radon control for a Charlotte custom home is a passive soil-gas stack drawn before the slab or crawl space closes, then a test of that house. A fan is added only if the test calls for one, and a Zone 3 label on the 1993 EPA map is not a reason to skip either step.

By Eric Brown