Is A Net Zero ICF Home Really Worth It In West Michigan?
You’ve probably heard that an ICF home is more efficient than others. Here’s a quick crash-course about ICF homes. Maybe you’ve even come across figures like 32% to 44% energy savings. But how accurate are those claims? And is a net-zero home really...
The WORST Wall System For Your Lake Michigan Custom Home (it’s not what you think!)
You can’t unknow something. If you are happy with the status quo, maybe it’s best to skip this post and move on. If you read this, you may end up like me: convinced it is unethical to build a home you know will have hidden problems. You’re...
Should I Wait For Home Prices To Drop In Grand Rapids?
Interest rates are high, and both material and labor costs are high. It’s an election year and the political climate and stock markets are unstable. Is now a horrible time to build a custom home in Michigan? Should I wait for a better market, for...
The BEST Way To Be Hands-On In Your Net Zero Home Build
Some people would like to be involved in the construction of their new home beyond just writing a check and picking out colors. If that's you, this is the blog for you. Maybe you have that can-do attitude that built America that we see all over...
The Story of Burken Punt
R-Value Homes is pleased to show off one of our 2023 Homes. The home dubbed "Burken Punt" features stunning detailed craftsmanship and unique custom features. You cannot help but feel the difference when standing inside an R-Value home. This West...
Can I Price My Custom Home by the Square Foot?
I need to start by qualifying these comments. The problems below are mostly unique to custom home building. Semi-custom and Production Home Builders, or “spec” builders are structured differently, and can often achieve higher accuracy with square...
How Hidden Site Costs Increase the Cost of your Home
An unfortunate reality is that many folks get blindsided with the actual cost of their home. We seem to think the only things that make a home costly to build are the flooring and countertop choices. In part 1 we looked at design, in this blog we’ll...
Is It Cheaper to Build a Custom Home or Remodel?
Recently I encountered an interesting study on the real cost of home ownership. I’ll look at the data below, but suffice to say I found it quite interesting, because it reminded me of the main reasons my wife Missy and I purchased our 1893 Victorian...
6 Surprising Factors That Blow the Budget, Plus 1 You Already Know
We all want to know how much to budget for our new home cost in West Michigan. We do our research on square foot costs, look at new homes for sale in our ideal neighborhood, and consider the additional cost of major items, like ICF walls. Yet an...
