View across a polished dark gray quartz kitchen island with an under-counter built-in microwave, looking into the bright open-concept living room and fireplace area.

7 Questions to Ask as You Choose Interior Lighting for your Design/Build New Home

Posted by Travars Built Homes on

There are many lighting choices for your Travars Built custom home in NC. Here’s what to keep in mind to help ensure the lights you choose can be a good fit.

#1 What lighting styles are your favorite? Matte black modern farmhouse? Contemporary chrome?

It’s common to mix and match lighting styles in design/build new homes. You don’t have to pick just one!

View across a polished dark gray quartz kitchen island with an under-counter built-in microwave, looking into the bright open-concept living room and fireplace area.

#2 How much light do you need?

How much natural light is available through windows, skylights, glass doors? How much foliage is around the home? How often will shades be closed?

Bright morning room featuring a modern black glass-shade chandelier, deep oak flooring, and a clear glass back door that reveals a stacked stone fireplace on the covered porch, crafted by Travars Built Homes.

#3 Where will the light source be placed?

Make sure the wattage and light bulb size are sufficient for the area you need to light up. Some lighting fixtures are really pretty. But they use tiny little lights. Will the lighting source be sufficient?

Elegant en-suite bathroom view focusing on a long dark espresso double vanity with a polished light quartz countertop, contemporary black hardware, and an expansive seamless wall mirror, designed by Travars Built Homes.

#4 What are you lighting up?

Rooms with high ceilings may need more light distribution. Screen porches may block some natural light from entering the rooms behind them.

Split interior perspective of a spectacular vaulted screened porch, showcasing a dramatic, custom curved window wall with bold white grid molding and continuous outdoor flooring, crafted by Travars Built Homes.

#5 What do you need the light for?

Craft rooms, homework areas, informal dining areas or other specific designations may require extra lighting. Do you need a spotlight or more subtle lighting?

Split view of a grand open foyer featuring elegant tray ceiling details, light greige walls, dark iron cage pendant lights, and clear transitions into a formal dining space, designed by Travars Built Homes.

#6 What materials?

Chrome? Wood? Black metal? Copper? Crystal? It’s no longer an imperative for everything in the room to match. Faucets and doorknobs can be a very different material than lighting. The focus is more on personality and functionality than adhering to a single material.

Chatham County NC Custom Homes | Two Story Kitchen

#7 What is the purpose of the lighting?

Does the entire room need to be lit up, with multiple can lights to boost lighting or would sconces (for reading), under cabinet lights (for food prep) or theater lights (along the floor or steps) be something to think about?

Straight-on perspective of a long granite kitchen island with a breakfast bar extension, highlighted by three brushed-metal cone pendant lights over oak hardwood floors, designed by Travars Built Homes.

Have any Questions? Get in Touch Today!

Cozy breakfast nook and casual kitchen dining area highlighting natural wood flooring, a custom L-shaped corner bench with integrated storage seating, and a geometric stained-glass chandelier.

Chatham County New Home Checklist – Built in Storage Ideas For Every Room

Posted by Travars Built Homes on

Built in bookcases, open shelving, cubbies, kitchen pantries

Get ideas for custom home built in bookcases, open shelving, cubbies, kitchen pantries, and storage spaces for every room from Chatham County new home builder Travars Built Homes:

Chatham County New Home Storage Idea #1: Built in Bookcases Alongside a Fireplace

Spacious custom living room with rich hardwood flooring highlighting a central stone-surround fireplace flanked by symmetrical, built-in white bookshelves and lower storage cabinets.

Built in bookshelves next to the fireplace are a popular choice in new homes by custom builders in Chatham County and across central NC. [Get floor plan ideas here.]

Bookcases can be set into the wall with open shelving, cabinets, specialty trim, and other features. Nearly all fireplace surround bookcases are built with a standard height between shelves (similar to when you buy a furniture bookcase). Just give us a picture – we can build it! Travars Built Homes can space shelves at custom heights that you ask for at one of your meetings with the builder on site. It’s part of our standard design/build process!

Chatham County New Home Storage Idea #2: Open Shelves Above a Kitchen Serving Bar

Looking for something more unique in your built-ins? Ask your new home builder how much flexibility you can have for touches like this throughout your home – and what materials they offer for open shelving, such as the Cedar above this kitchen bar and master bedroom beam ceiling.

Custom kitchen beverage station and dry bar area showcasing white shaker cabinets, a speckled stone countertop, an integrated stainless steel wine cooler, clean white subway tile, and a floating natural wood shelf with hanging wine glass storage.

Chatham County New Home Storage Idea #3: Built In Drop Zone by the Garage

Drop zones with shelves, cubbies, cabinets, and drawers are a very popular addition to new Chatham County homes. We can build them anywhere in your home, with the most common choices between the garage and laundry room or kitchen. This drop zone has a built in bench, shoe cubbies, and bead board trim. Send us a link to a look you like – we can build that, too.

Entryway mudroom or hallway drop zone showcasing a white custom built-in storage bench with lower shoe cubbies, a decorative white beadboard back panel, and upper open display shelving over rich hardwood floors.

Chatham County New Home Storage Idea #4: Large Pantry with Custom Shelving

A U-shaped pantry is great for “at a glance” storage. A U-shaped pantry requires more depth (and less width) than an L-shaped pantry – so ask your builder what can fit into your floor plan. Adding more pantry shelving at different widths and heights is a popular request.

In this example, one wall of shelving is designed with thin shelves for spices and specialty items, while the other two walls are deeper for cans, boxes, and paper goods:

Walk-in kitchen pantry featuring custom L-shaped white open wooden shelving for maximized food storage, pantry organization, and utility built by a Central NC custom home builder.

Chatham County New Home Storage Idea #5: Built in Benches

Add hidden storage to your breakfast room, mudroom, hallway, or nook with built in benches.

Cozy breakfast nook and casual kitchen dining area highlighting natural wood flooring, a custom L-shaped corner bench with integrated storage seating, and a geometric stained-glass chandelier.

Chatham County New Home Builders

At Travars Built Homes, our design build capabilities offer you the opportunity to modify your floor plan to fit your lifestyle. Let us know if you want to plan for extra storage spaces after building your home.

We can modify your floor plan with things like a prepared alcove with the dimensions you’ll need later on.

In this Chatham County custom home, the upstairs loft includes a stretch of half wall (instead of more open railing) designed to accommodate future storage built-ins:

Bright upstairs loft hallway and open landing area featuring neutral carpeting, a custom staircase railing with dark wood and wrought iron spindles, and a massive wall of windows filling the space with natural light.

Have any Questions? Get in Touch Today!

Close-up of a detailed 3D scale model house resting on top of architectural blueprints, accompanied by drafting pencils, a protractor, and planning tools.

Can a custom builder make my floor plan bigger? 5 Ways to add square footage.

Posted by Travars Built Homes on

Yes, a design build custom home builder can add square footage to your floor plan. Below are 5 of the most cost effective ways that Travars Built Homes can add space to your floor plan.

How to make a floor plan bigger: Guest living and multi-gen suites

Adding a small apartment such as a multigenerational, mother-in-law or other extended guest living arrangement to your home usually means adding semi-separated living space. Special adaptations such as adding a private entrance to the exterior are also common. Additional square footage is often necessary to be able to fit in all of the extra requirements.

Blueprint layout for the upper level of Architectural Designs Plan 500037VV, emphasizing an upscale multi-bedroom layout with private en-suite bathrooms for every bedroom, a library loft, and a large optional bonus room.

This kind of modification to a floor plan typically involves rearranging the existing layout, such as changing two bedrooms and a bath on the main floor into one bedroom, bath, and living room – possibly with a kitchenette.

How to make a floor plan bigger: Expanding the kitchen or master bath

This is one of the areas where it’s important to work with the custom builder to create the space you need, as you will be looking at pushing out specific walls to increase a small portion of the home. Sometimes the result you’re looking for can be accomplished within existing square footage. We will show you some options as we talk through your needs.

Detailed close-up section of a home builder's floor plan drawing highlighting red-marked layout adjustments to create an expanded custom kitchen layout next to the dining area.

How to make a floor plan bigger: Basements and bonus rooms

Basements and bonus rooms are common areas to start with when factoring in the need for additional living space. Most one story floor plans – and plans with a two story great room – are good candidates for adding square footage to the second floor.

Pittsboro New Custom House Plans

How to make a floor plan bigger: Adding a sun room, screen porch or covered porches

Indoor/outdoor space is often expanded to increase the ability to utilize more of the property as living area, both in heated square footage as well as exposed areas.

Detailed first-floor architectural blueprint for Plan 500037VV by Architectural Designs, showcasing a spacious open great room, large kitchen island, private main-level guest suite, and a screened porch.

How to make a floor plan bigger: Expanding the garage

Adding a third car garage, carriage garage, or turning a front facing garage to a side load are popular requests for custom homes. Aside from the ability to park more vehicles inside, this is also a great way to have space for hobbies or storage.

Custom residential floor plan blueprint by Frank Betz Associates showing redline draft modifications to significantly expand the kitchen perimeter and alter the garage wall line.

As with all modifications to custom floor plans, it’s important to know what can be changed, and how it can impact your curb appeal, roof line, and the build of your new home. When recommending changes to your floor plan, Travars Built Homes will take into consideration the details of your floor plan, homesite, and potential restrictions such as local regulations and community covenants.

Have any Questions? Get in Touch Today!