New and Really Cool Stuff
The David Smith Group has played a key role in the design and construction of many fine residences and has been exposed to thousands of clever, very creative ideas. The ideas and products listed below did not originate with us, but we thought you might enjoy learning about them, and possibly even including some of them in your own home design. This list is certainly not a complete one, and we're always adding to it. If you have a novel idea and you're willing to share, please call us at 252-443-0277 and tell us about your idea. Please note that many of the ideas add no extra cost!
- Hot Water
- One of the latest trends is on-demand water heaters. Instead of keeping a large tank of water hot at all times, these units heat water only as it is needed. When you turn your hot water tap on, the flowing water activates the heater. When you shut the water off, the hot water heater also turns off. No wasted energy and yet hot water is always available.
- Recirculating Hot Water
- So you're the impatient type. You're in the bathroom, which happens to be some distance from your water heater. You turn the hot water tap on, and you wait, and wait, and wait for the hot water to get to you. Hot water recirculators keep hot water in the line all the time by continuously pumping the water back through the water heater. As soon as you turn on your hot water tap you've got piping hot water available. Not a great way to save energy, but can sure save a lot of time when you're in a hurry.
- Stovetop Pot Fillers
- A faucet over your stove keeps you from having to fill a large pot in the kitchen sink, then taking it to the stove. Adding water while cooking is a cinch.
- Outside Hot Water Spigots
- Like to wash your own car? Bathe that big dog outside? What could be more convenient than having cold AND hot water available outside. Just a little extra plumbing and it's done.
- Landscape Lighting
- Low voltage, landscape lighting has become very popular in recent years and it's relatively inexpensive. Carefully chosen lighting fixtures not only add safety and security, they can greatly enhance the beauty of your home. It's often simpler to build in the lighting as a home is being built than to go back and add later.
- Sealed Crawl Spaces
- Nobody likes to crawl under the house, but crawl space is very important in the construction of a home. It allows for heating and air conditioning ducts, plumbing, and easy routing of electrical wires. It also gets the house off the ground, leaving a barrier between the cold, damp ground and the bottom of the living quarters.
- Crawl spaces in most homes have vents on exterior walls that need to be closed and opened depending on outside temperatures. This can become a tedious task and often is ignored by the homeowner. Because of the temperature difference between the air in the house and the air under the house, condensation can easily form on floor joists, leading to serious problems with mold and even wood rot.
- A sealed crawl space helps counteract the buildup of condensation and moisture. To seal this space, plastic sheeting is placed on the ground and runs up the inside of all exterior walls, stopping a few inches short of the framing. This helps create a moisture barrier. A dehumidifier located in the crawl space takes out even more of the moisture.
- Lighted Crawl Spaces
- As a home is being built, it's very easy to add some utility lighting in the crawl space. The correct fixtures are safe and are incredibly helpful to anyone - you or service personnel - that must crawl under the house. It's very inexpensive and the service people will thank you every time they have to crawl under the house.
- Christmas Candles
- This little trick has been around for a long time, but it's easy to forget when you're building. If you like to place candles, with bulbs, in your windows during the holiday season, this is one convenience you will really appreciate. By having electrical sockets on the front of your home wired in a special way you can control all your Christmas candles with only one or two switches. It's a difficult wiring job once a house is built, but fairly easy as it's being built. Only one of the two sockets at each wall plate is wired with the on/off switch and during the rest of the year, the switch remains in the on position, allowing you to use both sockets as normal.
- Pantry Lighting
- This idea can be used on any closet but is particularly useful on pantries. A momentary switch is activated when the pantry door is opened, leaving the pantry light on until the door is closed. Never again will you forget to close the door and leave the light on.
- Home Theaters
- Who needs to go to the movies? Or the big game? Or even a concert? With today's high definition televisions and incredible sound systems, you can enjoy great entertainment from the comfort of your own home. While builders don't typically handle the electronics, a good builder will always work with you to make sure your home is built to accommodate your equipment and make your viewing/listening experience a true pleasure.
- Outdoor Living Areas
- Thankfully, eastern North Carolina boasts a fairly mild climate. This makes our area perfect for outdoor living areas - patios, decks, sunrooms, gazebos, cabanas, verandas and ramadas. Surely you've seen the full outdoor kitchens on television. Pizza ovens, outdoor refrigerators, weather resistant everything. You don't have to go that far, but many people want a nice area for grilling, relaxing, and enjoying time with family and friends.
- Energy Star Appliances
- Many of today's new appliances are incredible in their capacity to save energy, time and money. How about a washing machine and dryer that can finish a load completely in less than 30 minutes? And save energy and money at the same time. Talk with David and his staff about the home appliances that make the most sense for you.
- Some homeowners today elect to go with commercial quality kitchen equipment. If you're a gourmet chef, like to entertain a lot, or simply appreciate how good kitchen appliances have gotten, you'll want to plan carefully in your kitchen. David Smith's team is very skilled at blending the right appliances in the right kitchen layout with the appropriate lighting and cabinetry.
- Great Garages
- In the past, unfortunately, garages and driveways didn't have a lot of thought going into them. Not today. Let David's design team make sure the garage is easy to enter and exit. They'll also make sure it doesn't look like it's been tacked onto the end of the house.
- Backup Generators
- With the flood and numerous storms in our not-so-distant past, eastern North Carolinians know how likely it is to lose electrical power. And how inconvenient it is. After the flood, many homeowners rushed out to buy emergency generators.
- Today, new homes can be safely equipped to provide power for the refrigerator and lights, maybe even a small heating device without running extension cords throughout the house. We hope you never have to use it, but a built-in emergency generator is the epitome of being prepared for whatever nature deals us.
- Smart Houses
- It's difficult to think of houses as being smart, but new technology make them seem as if they're thinking on their own. Home entertainment systems, appliances, security systems, heating & cooling, lighting, computers and phones can be accessed, programmed and often controlled remotely. There's no end to the amount of electronic “smarts” that can be incorporated into a new home.