Finding The Perfect Lot to Build On In Sedona

OK, so you made a visit to Sedona, Arizona, you fell in love with the beauty of the land and community, and now you want to live in Sedona.  You may have looked at homes for sale, but nothing was quite right, so you are hunting for the perfect lot to build the custom home you’ve always wanted.  Congratulation, you’ve made a wise decision.  There is nothing like the perfect custom home, designed and built around the way you live.  But first things first, you will need to find a great lot.  To do this right, you will need to surround yourself with a great team of professionals.  Here are some important points.  For  full details on Finding the perfect lot  to build on in Sedona...

Sedona Outdoor Living Rooms and Courtyards

Outdoor living spaces are common wishes for many people who are designing the ideal custom home.  They come in may labels, like "Southwestern Living Rooms", "Arizona Room" or "Arizona Court Yards".  Most often they have walls on at least three sides and provide seclusion and privacy.  They are often positioned in the center of the house for central access.

A great court yard design also connects creatively to the interior spaces.  Of course, most people want to connect to the "public" spaces like the kitchen, living and dining areas.  It is great when the chef of the house can have instant access to the BBQ and the indoor oven in minutes.  Of course, guests love to be able to come and go from inside to out on the fly, so chefs appreciates when traffic flow is designed to keep guests are out of their way.  Access to a bathroom from the courtyard is also a convenient amenity for guests and home owners, too.

Early risers like the idea of coffee in the court yard, so a quick jaunt to the coffee maker, then to private outdoor space is appealing.  Good space planning makes a court yards accessible to bedrooms, guest suites, master suites and bathrooms.

Care must be taken to make outdoor living spaces fit the region.  For example, a Sedona, AZ out door courtyard would be very different from one designed for  Portland, OR.  Most people want to be able to use the outdoor spaces as often as possible, so a good design will incorporate ways to extend the seasons of use.  Court yards can often be located to buffer the summer heat or temper the cold winters.  Roof covers and enclosures can be designed to mitigate rain, sun, wind, and pests.  There are a variety of screens, solid roofs, open pergolas, folding and cascading doors on the market today to make court yards a pleasurable experience.

Be sure to add good task and ambient lighting to the space, and don't forget a hose bib, and electrical outlet.  Make sure there is adequate drainage.  Also, please make court yard doors and windows work in the favor of natural light flowing to the interior and work to frame views to the exterior.  Of course hire an experienced professional to pull it all together for you!

Finding The Perfect Lot For Your Sedona Custom Home

OK, so you made a visit to Sedona, Arizona, you fell in love with the beauty of the land and community, and now you want to live in Sedona.  You may have looked at homes for sale, but nothing was quite right, so you are hunting for the perfect lot to build the custom home you've always wanted.  Congratulation, you've made a wise decision.  There is nothing like the perfect custom home, designed and built around the way you live.  But first things first, you will need to find a great lot.  To do this right, you will need to surround yourself with a great team of professionals.  Here are some important points.

Hire a seasoned Real Estate Agent:  It is important to find a Realtor who has a good supply of listings for vacant land, and who enjoys new home design.  Your Realtor will need to know the Sedona Neighborhoods inside and out to guide you to the best locations.  Great Realtors also know the Subdivision requirements and are familiar with the CC&Rs or HOA requirements.  Be prepared with a list of the things most important to you and your family, like the size of home and proximity to schools, shopping, work and recreation.

Hire an experienced Design Professional:  It is equally as important to find a House Designer or Residential Architect to help you get the house in your head, detailed onto paper for a Builder to use with his team of contractors.  Start by having your designer walk the lot with you and your Realtor.  Your designer can help you determine if the lot is buildable, if it has a good Solar orientation, and if there are high cost centers associated with the lot.  A great designer will also help you capture views, plan for privacy, and plan for out door living in Sedona.  Sedona is a unique high-desert environment, so your designer should be equipped with green building credentials to guide you properly.  If you are looking for an integrated design, then your designer should also have a background in interior design and landscape design, or help you build a full team of design pros.  Make a list of all features that you will want in your home and share the list with your designer.

A side note about views!  Not all views are worth fighting for, especially if the view is to the west into the setting sun!  So bring your designer with you and make sure he understands passive solar design in the Southwest!

Plan to hire a reputable Home Builder:  It you want the house that you've designed to be built exactly as you envisioned, you will need an experienced Builder.  You will have spent countless hours your designers to get the house in your head just as you imagined.  Your Builder and subcontractors will be the team that gets your house onto your Sedona lot.  The builder and Designer will work together for you right to the finish line.  Builders are the experts when it comes to building a realistic budget and construction schedule for your project.  A good builder will have a team of subcontractors that have worked together, and who can interpret drawings and specification that have been prepared by your house designer, interior designer and so on.

Once you find the right lot, then get started with design right away.  A custom home project can take up to two years on average once you start design to the time you move in.  Be patient, take all the steps to do it right!  Here is more on the PROCESS.  Enjoy your new home in Sedona!