For years, Ray Bongers’ wife had wanted a modern home. In 2005, they build a concrete and glass house in Atlanta’s Buckhead area.
Years later, on an afternoon drive, they found a vacant, one-acre lot behind Phipps Plaza and decided to buy it and build their second modern home.
For Bongers, home building is not a problem. It’s his business. The Emory grad is owner of Atlanta-based Bongers HomeBuilders, a company that specializes in custom home building in Atlanta’s older neighborhoods.
“Building a modern home was an opportunity to design and construct something different,” said Bongers.
» PHOTOS: Tips for customizing a modern home
With their new home, the Bongers wanted more privacy (fewer windows) and more wood finishes, to warm up the indoor space.
To keep energy costs down, Atlanta-based Southface Energy Institute performed an energy audit before construction started. The audit uncovered several areas that reduced construction costs and later lowered the family’s heating and cooling bills. Recommendations included less insulation and better window glazing.
Last September, the family moved in to their 3,000-square-foot house. Made mostly of brick, the house features four bedrooms and three and one-half baths.
“The location and the convenience are fantastic,” said Bongers. “The only thing I would change is the partition that keeps me from seeing the TV when I am in the kitchen.”
The Bongers home is one of 11 homes on the Modern Atlanta home tour, June 8-9. The home tour is an opportunity to see various styles of modern homes in the Atlanta area.
Then, if you decide you want to build a modern home in the Atlanta area, consider these points from Alan Cablik, founder of Cablik Enterprises, and architects Bryan Russell and Steffan Svenson at Dencity.
The budget
- Determine your total budget, including the lot, construction costs and architect fees. Also set aside funds for interior furnishings after the home is built.
- Once you have an overall budget, subtract the construction costs ($150 to $200 square foot) and architect fees (seven to nine percent of construction costs). This will give you a budget for the lot.
The lot
- To begin your search, approximate the square footage of home and the size of the lot you want.
- Work with a Realtor who has experience in the neighborhoods you desire.
- Consider factors that can affect the build price of the lot, such as climate, finding an empty lot, adding utilities, poor soil conditions (flood areas), challenging topography and streams, demolishing or working with an existing house. For example, urban lots are often narrow with neighbors close by, making lighting and privacy issues a challenge.
- Consult with the builder on your final lot selection. It is often a wise investment that could save you thousands later.
The design/build team
- When you find the right lot, involve the architect and contractor if you haven’t already.
- To protect yourself, be sure the architect carries errors and omissions insurance, and maintains an active architectural license.
- It is helpful if the architect already has relationships and a familiarity with the municipality where your lot is located.
- Be sure the architect has had experience in creating modern architectural details, such as waterproofing, overhangs, flashing, flat roofs, and drainage.
- The architect will take your home from conceptual design, to schematic design, and finally, to design documents. Involve your contractor during this process to provide interim budgets and advise on the design’s construction. An architect and contractor working together during the design process can eliminate design revisions that will save time and money, said Cablik.
Materials vs. budget
Now is the time to fine-tune the budget and identify less costly alternatives (materials and processes inside and outside the house), that still meet the intent of the home’s design. Here are some ways to keep costs down.
- Reduce the amount of glass and steel. Glass is expensive on a modern house as the surfaces tend to be greater. Square footage wise, glass runs $40-$75 vs. stone ($15-$20), wood ($8-$10) and stucco ($6-$8).
- Choose indoor flooring carefully. In terms of square footage, stone runs ($15-$25), tile ($10-$15), wood ($5-$10) and carpet ($2).
- In the bathroom. Avoid trendy faucets, particularly in the shower. If you decide to replace them later you will need to tear out the tile – which only adds to the cost.
- In the kitchen. Reduce the number of cabinets and choose less expensive cabinetry and finishes. The size and shape of the island also can impact to cost. “In our experience, a good kitchen designer can more than make up for his (her) fee, in terms of material savings from a smart design,” said Cablik.
Construction
Your home construction schedule will depend significantly upon the season in which you begin.
- Avoid beginning in the winter months of November through February. Holidays and colder weather usually result in fewer working days in those months.
- The best time to begin is early spring through summer, though the rainy weather in the last six months in Atlanta has been tough. Since he first part of the construction process is linear (site work must be completed before concrete, and concrete must be completed before framing) and subject to the weather conditions, you want the best weather to get this process under way.
- Once the home is “dried in” (meaning the structure is complete), many of the interiors can be completed simultaneously, without a concern about the weather.
- Obtaining the permit can take two months — and sometimes more. Plan ahead and have the permit in hand so construction during good weather.
- The construction process can be an emotional roller coaster. Parts of the process will go fast, but others will take longer. At various times during the construction, the space may “feel” bigger or smaller than you imagined, said Cablik.
Move in, but…
Construction is complete, and you are ready to move in. Keep your expectations in check with this advice from Cablik.
- Your custom home has only been built one time, so it does not have the benefit of an assembly line or the experience of previous homes built exactly like it.
- In the first year, materials are likely to shrink and expand with the seasons. This may require some minor adjustments as the house “settles in.” These warranty items are somewhat common in the first year.
2013 MA (Modern-Atlanta) Home Tour
The 2013 MA Home Tour, part of Atlanta’s Design is Human Week, features 11 homes and three commercial spaces.
When: June 8-9, 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $35
Information: modern-atlanta.org.
About the Author
