| Frequently Asked Questions | |
Who is BlueStone’s typical customer? Second-homes are our market. Our clients are high-income couples with children grown and gone (or on their way out). Nearly half are college graduates. They are 45 to 64 years old and over 90% are married. Most spend 39 days per year at their lake place. About half live approximately 150 miles from their getaway. Many build to generate rental income. About 50 percent are looking to diversify their investments. They are generous people giving over four times more to charity than those who don’t have a second-home. |
|
| What basic things
should we keep in mind planning for use of our new lakehome? Consider having a bathroom for every bedroom. This will provide ample privacy for guests and renters. Indoor and outdoor storage is big as is parking space. Overall design needs to accommodate for excess guests over holidays and busy summer season. |
|
| Will we be provided
a construction schedule during construction? Absolutely. We believe schedules are an effective way to communicate with homeowners and a vital tool for you to keep tabs on progress. |
|
What are some of the latest trends? Kitchens are playing a far larger role in lakehomes today then they have in the past. We are seeing increased footage in pantry spaces. Natural stone counters, high-end appliances and natural wood cabinets are popular. Kitchens have become the family gathering spot. |
|
Is there a way to lower my winter heating bill for my new lakehome? Yes. You can potentially reduce your heating bills 75-90% utilizing high mass radiant heat while maintaining 55-degree temperatures, even in winter. Check out Innovative Power Systems (www.ips-solar.com). For those who prefer a more simple option for relief…try heating with off peak electric. |
|
What can we do to increase the cabin feel or character in living spaces? Use natural woods and stone. Pre-distressed materials give warmth and a "lived-in" sense. We see Douglas fir being used everywhere from wood floors to ceilings. Consider making your lake home smaller. Divide a big seating area into cozy spaces. |
|
|
What is the typical time frame it takes to build the project? This is hard to say exactly. The design phase alone can take 30
days all the way up to a full year. A lot depends on your tastes
and complexity of design. But after the design is completed, there
is a basic rule we use. It takes approximately 6 months for every
$500,000 dollars. If your project is 1 million, then you can expect
it will take at least 12 months. Could take more. But will likely
not take less. |
|
| When is the best time
of year to build?
Summer is obviously the easiest time to build for climate reasons
but it isn't necessarily the best time. We build lakehomes all year
long but most of our projects are constructed through the winter
for the following reasons: |
|
| Can you excavate and
install foundations during winter months?
Yes. And we've become good at doing it. Modern technology has provided ground thaw machines. Basically they are boilers on a trailer with hundreds of feet of hose. Simply start the ground thaw machine spread out the hose and frost is on its way out. We can take out frost, excavate and lay a typical foundation within two weeks during the most frigid weeks of the year. And we maintain the same standards of quality a summer build provides. I am continually amazed to see grass growing in the dead of winter under the insulation blankets when we remove them. |
|
