Winter 2020 Update
Winter 2020 Update
2020 has certainly been a wild ride but not a fun one for most.
Covid has affected availability for just about every product we need for a home. Planning in advance is more important than ever.
Someone asked me not long ago what will the results of the fires in Oregon have on pricing? This is what my lumber rep said. “to the best of my knowledge, there was only one mill, in Molalla, damaged in our fires. Several more were forced to close because of the evacuations and/ or lack of logs but are back online now. There is significant salvage logging happening right now, for most timber companies these fires will have a bigger impact several years down the road when these stands were planned to be
harvested.”
I am also told that we will enter 2021 with lumber prices much higher than early 2020. No one is certain if we will ever get back to those prices.
Cheers to a better 2021!
July 2019 Update
July 2019 Update
The Fourth of July has come and gone and building and renovations are going strong.
Now it is the rush to get our permits in hand and get foundations in before winter hits. This leads me to todays topic.
One of the most common questions I hear is "do you shut down for winter?" or "how important is it that we get the house dried in before winter hits?"
These are great questions and the answer always seems to surprise the people asking them. No, we don't shut down for the winter and no, it really isn't that critical to get the house dried in before winter.
Now that said, what are the downsides to not having a roof on the house before winter hits? It can cause delays, we can't roof a house with snow on it. So when thinking of a start date, we have to consider the location of the build and how likely is it to get snow storms that may cause delays. As we all know, there is not one place in Central Oregon that is exempt from snowfall but there are typical weather trends we can usually rely on that we can use to go by. Sunriver and Black Butte Ranch are obviously more likely to get snow and more of it than Bend and areas east and north.
Most think that winter weather will damage their projects and they feel it is important to get the roof on the house before it snows. It is always good to get the roof on early but not as big of a concern as you might think. I've built many a home in the middle of winter and all of them had no lasting winter damage.
So when you think about your timing of starting a new build or home addition, try to get an early start and obviously it is best to get a home dried in to minimize the impact to the schedule. But know that there are options and you don't necessarily need to wait for spring.
Being a Central Oregon Home Builder in winter
We just received record snowfall for Bend and yet we only experienced 3 days where we couldn’t get deliveries to our jobs. My biggest concern was waiting on the city and county to plow the roads so the delivery trucks could get to us without getting stuck. All the crews are working again and our schedules seemed to suffer very little. Spring is right around the corner, thank goodness!
2018 was a surprisingly busy year for us and 2019 looks to be shaping up to be another busy one.
Working with a couple and their architect for designing their forever home in Bend Oregon on the Lower Deschutes River. They have never built new and it is exciting to help them realize their dream.
Working with another couple on a whole house renovation. We have just started the finish carpentry and cabinet installation phase of the job. We got into the master suite remodel portion and realized that the bathroom could be so much better with some adjusting of the floor plan. Sometimes you just don’t see that something could be better until you are standing in the space.
Best to you all and thanks for stopping by,
Danny Dark
Being a Central Oregon Home Builder in Spring
Being a Central Oregon Home Builder in Spring
Thanks to Steve and Sue Kenney, past Caldera Springs new home customers, we are now working with Steve’s brother and his wife to design their new home. It is fun to watch people start to realize their dream of building their home. They are from the east coast but the planning process is still going very smoothly. We often build homes for people that don’t live in Central Oregon quite yet. In fact, building homes for people that live out of the area makes up about 80% of our new home business.
We have a few remodels going on right now. A whole house remodel in the Tumalo area. A main level remodel between Sisters and Tumalo with amazing views of the Cascades. We were able to install extremely large picture windows opening up their views, boy what a difference!
Just finishing up a master bedroom, bathroom remodel in Bend and bidding on several more.
Being a Central Oregon home builder in spring is a fun and busy experience.
We all love Bend Oregon in the spring! Warm weather is on its way!
February 2018 Update
February 2018 Update
Two new homes are wrapping up this winter, if you want to call it winter. A couple remodels underway now and looking good for a May new home start.
I just finished a homeowners guide to maintenance. A very short read on how to avoid winter problems, extending the life of your furnace and more. I thought it would be a good idea to give a copy to all my customers upon completing their projects.
April 2017 Update
The boom continues here in Central Oregon!
We are working with a really fun family and their designer and we are in the third round of drawing submittals to the design review board for a home in Crosswater. This home will have a bit of the rustic lodge look on the outside but inside we plan on having a more modern approach.
The Andrews/Crosby home on Sheilds in NWX now has a floor and we starting in on framing walls.
We just started a home in Bend for a wonderful couple that just moved here from Iowa in March. The home will be somewhat like the homes you see in Brasada Ranch. A mix of metal roofing and composition roofing. Shed roofs and gables with exposed posts and beams.
If you are considering designing and building a new home in 2018 then you need to start your process as soon as possible. Architects and Designers are very busy and you will need this time to secure a spot with them and us.