Blog
How to Choose the Right Lot to Build a Custom Home
Building a custom house is a very exciting opportunity, and allows you to choose all the details in order to get the home of your dreams. You will be able to specify exactly what you want and have it built to your own preferences and specifications. The first step in the process is to choose where you want to build. This is no simple choice and can be intimidating for many. Location is extremely important because this is the one thing you can never change. This small guide will look at how to choose the right lot to build a … Read more
Blog
The Pros and Cons of a Septic System for Your Custom Luxury Home
Sometimes homeowners are faced with the decision to acquire a property that has municipal water and sewer service, or manage their own system and enjoy the convenience of not having to pay a monthly water or sewer bill. This leads many to wonder what some of the pros and cons of a having a septic system are. What is a Septic System? A septic system is a waste treatment system that remains underground that treats and disposes of household waste. The main components of a septic system are the septic tank and the drain field. The septic tank is a … Read more
Blog
Selling tips to make your home more attractive to buyers
Are you ready to sell your home? Get ready for a lot of scrutiny. Whether you host an open house or guide potential buyers on private tours, your home and its amenities will be evaluated and even criticized. Here are a few tips to help you spruce up your property and improve the perceived value it makes on potential purchasers: According to Remodeling Magazine, these items appeal to the widest range of buyers and return the most value to sellers. Kitchens. Adding new counters and cabinet tops, along with new appliances in the kitchen, is one of the best investments … Read more
Blog
The “life expectancy” of different parts of your home
You can redecorate, repair, and refurbish your house to your heart’s content. When you’re done though, you might wonder how long it will take until you have to do it again. Relax! Most household materials and furnishings will probably last for years. Here’s an overview on the lifespan of the most common household items: Roofing Tiles Most roofing tiles are made for long life. The most common asphalt slates will survive 15 to 20 years. High-end concrete and ceramic tiles can go as long as 50 years without replacement. Insulation The familiar pink fiberglass insulation can last for decades, … Read more
Blog
Tips for Choosing the Right Neighborhood
Buying or building a home can be one of the most exciting times of your adult life. Some people go into the process prepared and ready for the challenges ahead, still others aren’t quite sure what to expect. And while most people know what they want in a house, like how many bathrooms, bedrooms and how much square feet they need, sometimes one of most important factors—the neighborhood—is left out of the equation. With that in mind, let’s talk neighborhood features that every home buyer should have on their radar: School district Tax rates Proximity to public transportation, including pedestrian … Read more
Blog
The Final Walk Through: What You Should Know
Congratulations! You’re about to close on your newly-constructed home. You’re finally at the end of what seemed like a very long, tiring, maybe even frustrating journey of building a custom home. The only thing left is the final walk through and you’ll be home free. While this last step may seem small compared to all the steps it took to get to this point, the final walk through is nonetheless an important, crucial phase when building a home. Typically during a final walk though, I will walk with the home buyer through the house and create a punch list of … Read more
Blog
Louisville Named a Top 10 Affordable City
Home to The Kentucky Derby, a mile-long bridge across the Ohio River, the Louisville Slugger, and numerous stadiums including Slugger Field, KFC Yum! Center, and Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, the city of Louisville, Kentucky has once again been labeled as one of the top ten most affordable big cities in the U.S. by popular news-sources. Largely influenced by recent ratings by Forbes on affordability, Entrepreneur.com on enterprise, and CNNMoney/Fortune on high chances of advancement, The Simple Dollar rated Louisville as fifth on their list of Top 10 Most Affordable Big Cities In The U.S. The Simple Dollar appraises Louisville for … Read more
Blog
Contract Custom Homes in Louisville and Surrounding Counties
It’s fall. The summer rush is over. We’ve had some time to rest after Homearama, and now we’re ready to start cranking out some new custom contract homes before old man winter hits us. When you work with Architectural Builders, a P.L. Lyons company, you get a home that goes from concept to completion. That simply means our clients often bring us a dream set of plans, or sometimes just a sketch on a cocktail napkin. We take that concept of a home, and take it through to completion. That sounds simple enough, but a lot goes into designing a … Read more
Blog
Site for Homearama Louisville 2015 Announced
Although Homearama Louisville 2014 just wrapped up, we’re already hearing talk about next year’s event. In fact, the site—and dates—for Homearama 2015 have already been announced! I guess it’s never too early to plan ahead, so if you have your 2015 calendar open, save some time between July 11-26 for Homearama Spring Farm Lake. Located off Wolf Pen Branch Road, Spring Farm Lake is a new, upscale development located in Prospect. It is situated on 45 acres and features 42 estate size lots, averaging one acre each. The development also features a two-acre lake nestled in an open area. Home … Read more
Blog
Video Tour Inside PL Lyons’ Homearama Homes
Yes, Homearama is behind us (P.S. Did you hear that the site for Homearama 2015 has been announced? More on that next week.), but we wanted to show you two well produced videos that give you a virtual tour of our Homearama homes. Produced by Aerial State, these videos walk you through the homes and show some of the great details they have to offer. Here at PL Lyons we’re always happy to answer any questions you have about our custom home building process. If you’re thinking about building, don’t hesitate to contact me, even if you’re just starting to … Read more
Blog
Two Free Downloads from PL Lyons
When I first start working with potential customers, a big part of the process in the beginning, and really throughout different stages of home construction, is education. One of the biggest investments most people will ever make is the purchase (or build) of a home. That’s why it’s important to choose a builder you trust and one who takes the time to answer all your questions, even the hard ones. PL Lyons Inc. has been building custom homes in the Louisville area for more than 40 years. Over the years we have worked hard to develop a process for clients that is … Read more
Blog
Looking at Different Types of Hardwood Flooring
If you’re building a custom home or remodeling your existing home, flooring is probably on your mind. There are so many different choices out there… from stones, to laminates, to hardwoods and more. Because hardwood flooring is one of the most popular options today, I’m going to give you a brief comparison of three different hardwood floors that are worth considering: engineered hardwood, solid wood, and unfinished hardwood. Engineered Hardwood Engineered hardwood flooring is a great choice if you live in the Louisville area or another region that is known for sticky, humid climates because it resists shrinking and expanding … Read more
