Work from home can be very distracting at times. But, here’s how you can increase productivity while you’re at home:
Tag: commercial workspace
Incorporating Workspaces in Your New or Renovated Home
Since the pandemic, many businesses around the world have shifted to work-from-home or hybrid models where workers can work both at home and in the office. As this trend becomes more common, many homeowners are incorporating larger workspaces and home offices within their homes.
Home offices—formerly known as studies—are not new. New home buyers are also looking for houses that are larger and more planned so that they can work from home more comfortably without being distracted.
This blog post will discuss why you should incorporate a workspace in your floor plan when building your new home or renovating your old home.
Think About the Space
Now is the time to plan. Think about what you want in your workspace in terms of needs, wants, and desires. Sure, it’d be cool to have a full wall projector screen computer monitor, but is that more important than built-in bookshelves or file cabinets? Think about how you work and what kind of amenities you want within arm’s reach. Certainly, you need desk space with enough room for a chair. A coffee bar would be cool and a small guest bathroom close by would make things more convenient. If you like to work out, make room for a small gym or your Peloton. Now is the time to plan for these extras.
Location, Location, Location
Where you put your workspace is as important as what you put into it. Can you put it close to the kitchen so that you can easily get up and grab a snack during your breaks throughout the day? Having it close to the garage means you’re seconds instead of minutes from jumping into your car to drive to a quick meeting. Should it be overlooking the backyard pool so that you can keep an eye on the kids while they swim during weekends and summer breaks? Having your office near the den or media room may cause a problem when family members are watching a movie or playing video games in the next room. So it’s probably best to locate it far from there.
It’s in Demand
Research shows that most home buyers are now looking for homes that have an in-built workspace too. This isn’t because it’s simply a new trend in housing, but also because most professional adults need them.
If you’re not sure how to go about incorporating a workspace in your home’s floor plan and design, consider hiring the professional designers and builders at Freccia Group. They can show you the latest trends and help you build and situate the best possible workspace within your home.
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Different Ways Colors Impact Office Workspaces
Research shows that the colors around us can influence our mood, energy levels, and mental health. That’s why smart companies spend so much time choosing the right colors for their brand identities. Studies show that humans react emotionally to different colors and each color creates a physiological response within our brains, whether it’s one leaning toward anger, empathy, caring, relaxation, or fun.
Continue reading “Different Ways Colors Impact Office Workspaces”
New Trends in Master Bathroom Design
An In-Home Oasis
A bathroom is more than just a place where you shower and “do your business.” Many busy adults consider their bathroom a place to escape rather than just for more traditional purposes. A well-designed bathroom can make you more relaxed and allow you to take some time for yourself. Here are some of the new trends in master bathroom design that can help you brainstorm just what this special place could be:
Reimagining the New Office Space Post Pandemic
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak and social distancing guidelines, the emphasis in workplace design was on helping people thrive and be more productive at work. Post pandemic, the focus of workplace design has shifted somewhat to accommodate creativity and productivity still, but also the evolving way people are working now.
Let’s take a look at some new planning and design principles that are transforming office spaces as we know them.
Easy and Breezy
According to public health officials, ventilation is the key to preventing the spread of infectious particles. Even cracking open a small window can dilute their concentration and bring in fresh air. That said, most American buildings require tight seals to maximize energy efficiency. Already, engineers are looking into window designs that create a mechanical heat-exchange system, allowing outside air to be optimized for temperature and filtered for air quality as it enters the building.
More Handwashing Stations
Frequent handwashing has been cited as the easiest way to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases. Many office buildings will now have hand sanitizer dispensers and contained handwashing stations installed permanently and seamlessly in various areas, especially shared spaces and high-traffic areas. This will allow employees and visitors to ensure that their hands remain germ-free without disrupting regular activities.
Open Office Plans
Open plan facilities with exposed airflow systems are not new, but variations of them may be. Instead of hard-walled rooms where you likely come in contact with more surfaces, large open spaces with desks placed at a safe distance from each other are trending. Open spaces serve a few purposes:
- To create more collaboration among people within a larger area. Opens spaces foster interaction and chance encounters.
- Open concepts allow air to flow better so that HVAC systems work more efficiently.
- Open concepts allow natural light to reach more area, cutting down on electricity usage. These spaces also allow for more greenery inside offices that can both clean the air and foster a friendlier atmosphere.
Less Surface Contact
Along with fewer doors, you can also expect doors to be equipped with sensors that slide open when someone approaches them. This can help minimize contact with door handles. To further reduce surface contact, workplaces will likely adopt a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) model, where employees bring their own laptops instead of working on office PCs.
Improve your office space with a commercial building contractor in Round Rock, Texas. If you own a commercial office property that needs post-pandemic upgrades, reach out to the design, construction, and development experts at Freccia Group.
Whether you’re looking to develop a new property or improve an existing office facility with repairs and upgrades, our team has deep experience in every aspect of commercial construction.
Call (512) 982-9553 to discuss your commercial construction management needs or browse our portfolio to view prior and ongoing projects.
Home Renovation Projects That Give You the Best ROI
Whether you’re a homeowner or real estate investor, it makes sense to understand which home renovation projects will give you the best financial return on investment. After all, every home remodeling project comes with an opportunity cost.
Spending $20,000 on turning your bathroom into a spa-like space means you’re not using that $20,000 elsewhere. If you’re working within a tight budget, you have to be more discerning to get the best value for the money you’re spending. Let’s take a look at the top projects that offer the highest average returns.
1. Minor Bathroom Remodel
Unless your bathroom is completely out of order, a minor makeover can do wonders to boost home value. Consider adding modern, minimal features that take up less space and make the bathroom look more spacious. Upgrades usually entail replacing the vanity, installing new fixtures, adding a window, adding new tiles, or even replacing the shower curtain with a glass door.
2. Mid-Range Kitchen Remodel
Just like the bathroom, you don’t have to go all out in the kitchen to see a bump in resale value. A mid-range kitchen remodel will cost you about $20,000 on average and usually entails swapping out countertops, replacing cabinets, and adding new hardware and fixtures.
3. Improve Curb Appeal
Believe it or not, curb appeal does play a huge role in how people view your home. First appearances do matter, and a little sprucing up is the key to attracting buyers. Smaller changes include a fresh coat of paint and minor landscaping. If you have the budget, consider adding HardiPlank® siding, new windows in the front, or replacing the garage door.
4. Door and Window Replacement
New doors and windows don’t just add to the aesthetic value of your home; they can also help improve energy efficiency. Most young homebuyers want energy-efficient home upgrades that can offer returns for years to come. NFRC-rated doors and windows are an excellent way to reduce cooling and heating costs without making any major changes in the home’s structure.
Looking for an expert residential remodeling contractor in Round Rock, Texas? Reach out to the real estate investment and development professionals at Freccia Group for comprehensive construction and home renovation services.
Whether it’s a bathroom upgrade, kitchen makeover, or a fresh coat of paint, our home remodeling experts can guide you toward home improvements that offer the best return on investment.
Call (512) 982-9553 to discuss your vision and browse our top projects in the area.
What You Should Know Before Adding a Room to Your Home
Home additions can’t be done on a whim; you need to understand fully why you’re adding a room, plan for it, arrange the finances, and make sure you have permits in place. The most common reason for homeowners to want to add another room, typically a guest room, library, or home office, is lack of space. You need more space, and sometimes that’s hard to achieve with open floor plans. Or you might have to add a guesthouse or mother-in-law suite. Whatever it may be, it’s an extensive and expensive process that requires serious planning.
Here’s what you should know before you get on with it.
Clear the Red Tape
There’s a lot of red tape involved with residential construction. The rules vary from state to state and city to city. If you’re in Round Rock, Texas, you’ll have to run your plans by the relevant government entities and your homeowners association (HOA) to get your permits before you break ground. That can be quite a drill because red tape is lengthy and tiring and may delay your timeline by a month or more. Just plan for it.
Once you go through the process, you might be asked to make changes to your plan to comply with local, environmental, and HOA rules and codes. Austin’s laws are especially complex and strict, so just be patient. If the zone you live in controls construction tightly, it might be hard to get the permit. Allow at least six months to get through this process. A professional home renovation contractor in Round Rock can handle all of this for you as part of their services.
Plan Your Finances
The first thing to note about home additions is why you need them. If it’s for the comfort or luxury of you and your family, then it’s reasonable to splurge as long as you can afford it. If it’s so that you can upsell your property in the market, make sure you do a cost-benefit analysis before you begin. Not all renovations will give you an equal return on investment, even in the crazy Austin real estate market. The expected returns on investment must exceed the costs incurred in the home renovation project. Make sure you account for your time and effort to bring the plan to action when you’re estimating the costs.
Living Arrangements
This is one aspect of the entire project that homeowners often miss or ignore. If you’re living in the house where you’re adding a room, you may need alternate accommodations while the project is underway. Depending on the size of your project, you may need to move out during just part of the project. If you can stand a few weeks of the constant noise and dust that come with living on a construction site, stick around. But some people—especially those who work from home—can’t do this.
Some larger room additions like a living room or kitchen expansion may require that you move out because there’s just too much noise and debris and the HVAC needs to be turned off. Make sure you sort this out before the construction starts because moving out midway can be difficult.
Reach out to the home remodeling experts at Freccia Group in Round Rock, Texas, to put your room addition plans into action. We have in place a design and construction team that has done residential renovation projects in Round Rock as well as across the Central Texas area. Call us at (512) 410-1342 to talk about your home remodeling project and how we can make it come true.
How To Make Your Good Residential Development Great
Residential development is a significant investment for any community and for institutional as well as individual investors. For many planners and developers, residential projects require a detailed approach to establish goals and a strategy to achieve them.
Modern developers look beyond traditional neighborhood and commercial patterns and rethink existing land to create modern-day lifestyle developments that support current sociological trends like working from home or close to home, proximity to restaurants and other retail amenities, and access to entertainment venues like restaurants and theaters.
Here are some of the ingredients of a great residential development:
Subdivision Design
The subdivision layout is one of the most important factors to consider when designing a residential community. The idea is to maximize the number of lots without making residents feel confined and restricted. It’s essential to incorporate the latest design techniques to strike a fine balance between land density and infrastructure.
A great residential development plan has a detailed assessment of spaces. Architects and designers can eliminate corner lots and create lots on both sides of every street to minimize costs and eliminate unnecessary intersections. It takes a comprehensive approach and expertise to cut down waste and maximize efficiency.
Create a Sense of Place
Successful residential development projects are designed around people and how they want to live. They focus on creating an inclusive community that instills a sense of place for its residents. It’s impossible to develop a neighborhood for “everyone” but defining potential residents based upon demographic, psychographic, geographic, and lifestyle factors, and formulating a residential plan, will make the area more attractive to them.
Efficient Design
Many residential development projects are evaluated based on their design efficiency and how they meet infrastructure requirements. The tax assessment stream also plays a crucial role. Lower life cycle maintenance costs and higher lot numbers and valuation can result in a greater tax base and vice versa.
Final Word
A great residential development plan requires careful planning and consideration. Partner with a reputable developer and building contractor to ensure the best results. Choose one with relevant experience and expertise so you can feel comfortable creating a great residential development project.
At Freccia Group, we offer specialized residential development planning services in Central Texas. We’re one of the leading home builders in Round Rock. Our professionals can help design a great residential development project that attracts homeowners and returns value to investors. Visit our website to check out our portfolio or call (512) 410-1342 to get started.
Remodeling Commercial Workspaces to Maximize Productivity
Studies have shown that workspaces can either aid or hinder productivity. Now that the country is emerging from COVID-19 restrictions and anticipating getting back to the office, business owners are focusing on their company’s workspaces. They know that an outdated office can stifle creativity, comfort, and productivity. Continue reading “Remodeling Commercial Workspaces to Maximize Productivity”
3 Modern Must-Haves for Your Older Home
Not all old residential properties are outdated. Some homes age like wine with a design that only gets better with time. That’s precisely why modern homeowners prefer a vintage home as a fresh change from the modern, urban architecture that they see every day at work.
Vintage homes have a promising appeal of grandeur and class, and only an old home can afford to exude that look. That said, older constructions and designs do have flaws that set in with time like fine lines on a pretty face. It mars the beauty of an otherwise gorgeous house and that’s why you need home remodeling experts in Round Rock, TX to renovate the design to accommodate modern needs without ruining the style. Here are some must-haves for older homes.
Insulated Windows
Climate change is a real issue and homeowners need to include weather-proofing solutions in their home designs to keep their living space comfortable. Rough winds during cold weather can find a way to enter the house and make the home uncomfortably chilly despite central heating. This not only makes you shiver but also drives up the energy bills because your HVAC systems go in overdrive to maintain the indoor climate. This happens because older wooden window frames may have warped over time and created gaps. You can avoid all that with perfectly insulated windows and doors to prevent heat loss. Thermal breaks allow air leaks but modern window frames eliminate such inefficiencies.
Upgraded Glass Panes
Dual-paneled glass is becoming the most-demanded feature in modern homes. The double layering of glass in windows allows the vacuum in between to prevent conduction. This serves well during harsh weather conditions, be it hot summers or cold winters. The air-conditioning won’t lose its effect through the windows and neither would the solar heat find a way in through the clear glass. Similarly, it works equally well during winters to prevent heat loss through conduction. If you prefer older home designs, don’t compromise on the windows; get new ones to maintain your comfort level at home.
Natural Light Solutions
It’s only now that architects have devised a solution for utilizing natural light to the homeowner’s benefit. Yes, we’re talking about skylights! This is an innovative window design that allows you to channel the sunlight indoors through the roof and brighten up the place. In cities like Round Rock where the sun shines on 204/365 days, you could really use this feature to highlight every corner in your new vintage home.
We evaluate older residential properties and put our home remodeling experts on the job to bring modern additions in the design for maximum comfort and convenience.
At Freccia Group, we have a design and construction team in place that deals with residential renovation projects in Round Rock, TX.
Call us at (512) 410-1342 if you have a property sell or want to invest in one.
Why It’s Important to Follow a Design-and-Build Process When Building a Home
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. In most projects, a well-laid plan will help you avoid mistakes in both the short and long terms. Our home builders in Round Rock, Texas, have been building homes in the Austin area for years. Whether it’s in a neighborhood or on a country lot, we bring together architects, builders, and craftsmen to make great homes come to life.
Let us share with you some of our process:
Consultation with the Architect
Home projects are extensive and detailed and require site inspection, approvals of design plans, and the actual groundwork. An architect’s drawings are a fundamental part of the process and are referred to every step of the way. It’s the architect’s job to ensure that the design fulfills the homeowners’ needs, wants, and desires and reflects their aesthetic taste.
However, finding the perfect design match within a set budget can be a challenge because what may seem to be within financial reach may be more expensive than you think—and vice versa. This is why we carry out all projects under the constant guidance of seasoned architects who know what Central Texas residents want in a home and can figure out creative ways to make it happen.
Local Codes and Restrictions
Building within the Austin city limits holds its own challenges when it comes to permitting. It’s important to hire a home builder who knows the local codes or city restrictions. Issues like easements and environmental restrictions are often overlooked and could jeopardize an entire project if they aren’t addressed. It’s not uncommon for a builder to get to the framing stage only to discover that it has violated a restriction on the lot and now has to tear everything down and start all over. We are meticulous in our due diligence with regard to city permits in Austin, and we make sure our designs and plans are fully approved before beginning work.
Construction Schedule
We understand the importance of deadlines and of building you the home you want within our mutually agreed-upon timeline. Our builders, architects, carpenters, and other craftsmen work diligently to deliver our projects on time and with the utmost care. We care about the work we do and getting it done right. Our process is transparent, so you know what we’re doing and when we’re doing it. From the moment we break ground to the time the final touches are done, we’ll adhere to a construction schedule and inform you if something beyond our control happens that may cause a delay.
Professional Finish
Delivering the home you want on the timeline you require is our goal. In the end, we’ll conduct a thorough walk-through to address any minor issues that may stand in the way of your enjoyment of your new home. As both home-building experts and craftsmen, we take great pride in our work and want you to find joy around every corner for years to come.
At Freccia Group, we have in place a design and construction team that deals with residential home construction projects in Round Rock, Texas. Call us at (512) 410-1342 to get started.