The key to decorating a lake home is to accentuate the beauty of the outdoors without distracting from it. Lake Keowee real estate is booming as more home sites and lake homes become available. Whether you’re building a new home on the lake or redecorating the one you have, here are some ideas to make your home stylish and unique while accenting the incredible view of the water.

White isn’t just for beach houses. In general, white tends to be associated with coastal homes, but current trends are bringing the bright, airy feel of white to lake homes, as well. White will make your home feel bright, clean, and roomy. Add your favorite accent colors to trim, furniture, wall hanging, and accessories.

Focus on the view. The layout of the room should pull you toward the view of the lake. Arrange furniture, wall art, rugs, etc. so that the focus directs your gaze out the window. The view of the lake is one of your Lake Keowee real estate’s best features, so be sure to show it off as much as possible.

Windows are everything. Whether you’re designing a brand new lake home or renovating an existing one, be sure to incorporate a window design that showcases the full extent of the beauty that is your lake view. Think floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, dining room, and any other room that faces the water.

Keep window treatments minimal. When it comes to window treatments for your waterfront windows, less is more. Don’t block the natural light and view with heavy or dark curtains. If you require a bit of privacy, use light filtering curtains in neutral colors that won’t distract from the natural view of your Lake Keowee real estate.

Bring the outdoors inside color-wise. For a more seamless transition from the inside out, use natural colors like greens, browns, and beiges.

Think practical. Lake living can sometimes be messy. Keep durability in mind when choosing flooring, rugs, and upholstery. A little dirt or moisture shouldn’t be able to ruin your décor.

Bring in natural light. Skylights, large windows, and high ceilings all allow plenty of natural light into your home. Not only will your home look brighter, but you’ll also save energy.

Embrace the rustic feel. It can be fun to go with a rustic theme in your lake house, especially when it’s a vacation home and not your primary residence. Woodsy tones and simplistic furniture pieces and décor help a lake house to feel authentic.

Include a room with a 3-wall view. Consider a sunroom, den, or breakfast nook that has three walls of windows overlooking the lake. You can’t beat a 180-degree view of your Lake Keowee real estate.

Elaborate on outdoor living spaces. Focus on the outdoor areas as much as the indoors when you have such beautiful scenery. A deck, patio, or gazebo that is large enough for lounging and dining will likely be one of your most lived-in areas.

Lake Keowee Real Estate is Highly Desired

At this time there are existing homes and ready-to-build homesites available on Lake Keowee. Total Quality Home Builders and Waterfront Properties specializes in Lake Keowee real estate and building custom lake homes. When you have a vision for your dream lake home, Total Quality can design a home that includes all of your ideas and reflects your own personal style. Call (864) 868-5253 to schedule a free consultation.

One of the first things people notice when looking at any home is its exterior curb appeal. A perfectly manicured lawn with vibrant plants, stone walkways, and big trees bring a distinct beauty to any home. Yet beyond the pleasantness, you feel when you see a home with great curb appeal are the benefits that come along with it: great landscaping can actually add value to your home.

In fact, the right landscaping can enhance the value of your home by thousands of dollars, and sometimes more if you’ve invested heavily in it. It’s value you’ll enjoy while you own your custom home. But it’s also value that will pay for itself if you choose to sell.

At the same time, some landscaping—if it’s badly designed or executed, poorly maintained, or if it doesn’t fit the aesthetic of your home—can actually devalue the property. As you look for a home builder in the Cliffs Communities, we suggest you consider the following to keep your curb appeal at its best.

1. Touch up the Edging

Edging is well worth the effort. While this simple step can often be overlooked in favor of bigger projects, simply adding a clear trim to the edges of your lawn, including the slim spaces between your beds and lawn, is one of the easiest ways to boost your home’s curb appeal. A neatly trimmed edge makes a lawn look beautifully maintained with minimal effort.

2. Freshen up your Mulching

Mulch is a great addition to your landscape on many levels. Not only is it an inexpensive way to create contrast between your flower beds and lawn, but it’s also a great way to keep weeds at bay. Plus, mulch helps protect your plants in extreme weather—both drought and frost—to keep them healthy.

3. Use Intentional Design

There’s nothing more appealing than a landscaping plan that highlights the beauty of your home. This intentional design is created to make your property look unified throughout. Too often, homeowners add affordable plants without considering an overall concept for their property. Rather than take your chances, which often results in your home and grounds having two disparate looks, it’s smart to plan one unified design that makes your home look incredible. Any credible home builder in the Cliffs Communities will either create an intentional design for your home or suggest you consult with a landscaping company to create your dream look.

4. Create a Seasonal Balance

We’re big believers that your home should look beautiful no matter what the season. That’s why it’s so important to plan your landscaping to shift with the seasonal life cycles. After all, there’s beauty to enjoy throughout the year, not just in a three-week timeframe where spring flowers bloom. An exceptional landscape design will bring in a beautiful seasonal balance, regardless of the time of year. Your home builder in the Cliffs Communities or landscaping company will have recommendations for every season you’re in your home.

5. Bring in Flowering Perennials

Looking for a pop of dramatic beauty? An affordable, but bold statement can be made with flowering perennials. Choose the plants that best fit the architecture of your home and hang them or drop them into pots around both the interior and exterior to keep your home looking fresh and appealing. This is especially helpful if you’re looking to sell and need a quick, easy way to stage your home.

6. Plant Some Trees

Trees can add value to your home by increasing the aesthetic value of your property and blocking wind and sun to keep energy costs at bay. If you’re looking to add the right trees to your property, just keep in mind that some trees will be higher maintenance than others. Do your homework to choose the best trees for your location.

7. Add a Retaining Wall or other Built Features

Features like retaining walls, patios, terraces, and sculptural focal points often have a great return on investment for your home. However, keep in mind that they’ll also be costly to install, replace, or upgrade. But because they’re so aesthetically pleasing, if you have any of these elements in your budget, it’s typically worth the expense for years of enjoyment. If you’re looking for that perfect home builder in the Cliffs Communities, don’t forget to plan for these investments before your home is complete.

When Landscaping Could become a Problem

Are you thinking of selling your home? You might want to think about the work you’ve put into your landscaping. Keep in mind that some prospective buyers may be intimidated by immaculate gardens that require major upkeep. While it may be your passion, others may consider it a chore. In other words, if you’re landscaping simply to add value to your property, you might want to reconsider and invest in other areas of your home.

Custom Home Builder in the Cliffs Communities

Make your dream home a reality with Total Quality Home Builders. We can assist you with finding the perfect lake view lot for custom home building. Start your journey to living on the beautiful shores of Lake Keowee. Contact us today (864) 868-5253.

Now that you’ve made the decision to build your dream home, it’s time to decide what features are important to you and your family. What special details would you include in your design? Your vision is unique, and it’s something you probably won’t find listed on the market. To truly see your dream home become a reality, nothing compares to building a custom home.

We’ve put together some ideas that you may want to consider when you start the design phase of your new home. By taking advantage of our design-build process, our design experts will help guide you, ensuring that your vision for your new home comes to life.

Windows with a view of the lake

Living lakeside, large windows are a must for taking advantage of those stunning lake views. One of the benefits of buying a waterfront property is the gorgeous year-round views that you’ll be able to enjoy. An open concept layout with walls of windows means the interior gets treated to lake views and ample light from every corner. However, without enough windows or if they’re too small, you won’t be able to enjoy the view. When you build your dream home, consider lining the side of your home facing the water with large windows so you can truly take advantage of your scenic view.

A lakeside deck in your backyard

There’s nothing quite like sitting outside with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, enjoying the rising or setting sun, especially if it’s over a lake. A well-planned waterfront backyard might have a paver pathway leading to a boat dock and a serene seating area with charming Adirondack chairs. Consider a stone fire pit placed lakeside with a flagstone patio as an extension of the deck. You may even want an outdoor covered dining area, complete with LED “candle” lanterns perfect for summer evening entertainment.

A private dock

One of the reasons for buying waterfront property is having boat access to the water whenever you want. You’ll want to build the appropriate dock to accommodate your boat right outside your home, having convenient access all summer long. Another benefit of having a private dock right outside your home is you’ll be able to relax on the pier and even fish provided it’s built out far enough. Depending on your land and community, you can install a small dock for a small boat or a larger dock that will fit a bigger boat plus other water equipment like life vests and fishing poles.

Hanging beds

If you enjoy hammocking, you’ll absolutely love lounging in a comfortable hanging bed. A hanging bed is a great accessory to any lake house’s screened-in porch and will provide you with a comfortable spot to relax, nap, read, or simply enjoy the view. When you build your dream home, think about all the ways the design will benefit you and your family, including those times when you just want to be lazy on a warm summer afternoon.

A screened-in porch overlooking the lake

Picture a big wrap-around porch to make it easy to live outdoors with the comfort of plush wicker sofas and armchairs surrounded by expansive lake views. Adding a screened-in element to your porch will help keep the mosquitoes away during the day and light-loving bugs away during the evening hours.

A mudroom is a must on the lake

Mudrooms continue to be a popular feature in homes, especially in lake homes and should be a definite consideration when you build your dream home. This secondary entrance is perfect to drop dirty shoes and clothing before entering the home after a day out on the lake. You can design a mudroom that’s adjacent to your private lake entrance that’s both a functional and stylish addition to your home. Learn more in our article Mudrooms: What to Consider for Your Custom-Built House.

A convenient outdoor shower

One of the benefits of living on Lake Keowee is that you can go swimming anytime you want. Many waterfront property homeowners take full advantage of the nearby water to go swimming every morning or take the family out for some lake fun on the weekend. If this is something that you envision doing after you build your dream home, you may want to add an outdoor shower that can be used to rinse off after you get out of the lake. This ensures that you enter your home without tracking in lake water, mud, or other undesirable items. Conveniently placed just outside of your mudroom, you’ll be sure to keep unwanted messes at bay.

Outdoor lighting

If sitting on your deck or on your pier to enjoy the water at night is something you envision when you build your dream home, consider installing outdoor lighting. Installing LED lights can be used to highlight some of your favorite features such as the exterior of your home, on your deck, and along the pier. You can even place lights near the foot of your favorite trees to create a relaxing ambiance for nighttime enjoyment.

Home automation

Most new luxury homes are designed with home automation and there’s no reason not to integrate it into your waterfront property, too. The levels of automation available can range in cost, time to install, and ease of use. That’s why, if you’re interested in home automation, you’ll want to start thinking about your plans in the design phase. Home automation allows ease of control of your home’s systems, including lights, your HVAC system, door locks, and even your entertainment systems from a single remote source, such as your smartphone. We’ve got a whole article dedicated to this subject: 9 of Today’s Coolest Home Automation Products.

Now that you’ve made the decision to build your dream home, it’s time to evaluate what you want in a custom home floor plan. Working with experts can significantly reduce the effort needed to understand all the details that go into the plan. Picturing your new home from a set of line drawings is difficult for most which is why having an experienced team like Total Quality Home Builders is a must. There are many steps to evaluating and customizing a home floor plan, so we’ve defined six important steps to help you envision your new home.

Focus on the Basics

As you start the process of developing your custom home floor plan, think about the features of a new home that are important to you, your family, and your lifestyle. A good floor plan will not only enhance your quality of life but will also lengthen the life of your house. By creating a list of features that are important to you and your family, you can prioritize the features that you want in your new home.

Zero in on the Flow

Custom home floor plans that have a poor flow will affect your long-term comfort and use of the house.  Ensure that frequently used rooms are grouped in proximity for ideal functionality. Pay attention to whether it’s easy to move from one part of your home to another and look for barriers that may prevent easy access to different parts of the home. Is the layout confusing or odd? Does the traffic pattern make sense? For example, placing the dining room on the other side of the living room isn’t very functional. The same is true about the proximity of bathrooms to bedrooms. It’s important to compare where you currently live to your new custom home floor plan and think about your likes and dislikes.

Get Creative & Show off Your Style

Have you always wanted a spiral staircase? A decked-out gourmet kitchen? Or how about an above-garage apartment for visiting relatives? Most people who decide to build a custom home have ideas about what their dream home would include. Now is the time to put your imagination to work. Turn your daydreams into a list of features that you want to incorporate into your custom home floor plan. When building a new home, you have the flexibility to peruse styles that are of interest to you but keep in mind that your style choices will also have an impact on the house plan. You want to be prepared for any freedoms or limitations that may come with the style you choose.

Measurements Matter

Square footage may not be the most captivating aspect of developing a custom home floor plan, but it’s certainly one of the most important. Think about the rooms you need – and want – to consider your ideal layout, to get a sense of how much space you need, and where you need it most. You may want an open floor plan, with your kitchen open to the living area. Do you want a large walk-in pantry or an island with seating in the kitchen? When considering the master bedroom’s attached bath, you may want a double vanity, or a separate shower and tub. Speaking of bedrooms, how many is ideal for your family? Creating the right floor plan is essential to enjoying your new home, so it’s best to make sure you have a clear vision of what you want prior to finalizing your plans.

Factoring in Future Needs

Aging in place is a decision many people make, but even if you’re not planning to stay in your new home forever, it might make your house easier to sell if you add aspects of universal design, meaning that it meets the needs of virtually anyone, and it creates flexibility, even as needs and abilities change. Those features may include extra lighting, lever-style door handles, single-handle faucets, no-threshold showers with seating inside, wider doorways and halls, and many more options that can be incorporated in a custom home floor plan.

The best floor plans fit present and future needs. When you’re planning to age-in-place in your home, having the option of adding a master bedroom suite on the first floor of your home makes sense. You may not need that extra space for several years but having that option will be very convenient when the time comes.

Choosing an Experienced Builder

Developing the best floor plan can be a big challenge when building your first custom home. And since your home represents one of the largest investments you will ever make, the selection of a builder is extremely important. Choose the right builder who’s experienced in designing custom homes; they’ll be able to answer your questions and provide you with the expert advice you need to design the home of your dreams.

Are you ready to build your dream home? Contact us today and let’s get started.