July 14th, 2010
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Why Building a Green Retirement Home Makes Sense for All Retirees


Green home building
is becoming a fast-growing commodity amongst retirees, although finding a builder certified in green building practices is still a precious feat.

The benefits of green building are substantial, increasing home efficiency standards by up to 40%! It promises to lower utility and home maintenance costs and improve the long-term durability of your home. Imagine the financial benefits for retirees who live on a fixed budget! Recent statistics show San Antonio to be one of the best places to retire, though few San Antonio builders are certified and qualified to complete your green home project.

Gravell and Company, a San Antonio home builder, is a Certified Green Retrofit builder. Skilled in locating and utilizing sustainable and efficient recycled building materials, they are able to successfully “Green Retrofit” one’s existing home or to build a new home according to environmental and budget-friendly standards.

Gravell and Company is an experienced construction consulting management firm- having successfully completed projects on homes in BoerneCordillera RanchAlamo Heights TX, and recently completed major Green Retrofit renovations on a beautiful, historic home in Monte Vista.

So, when searching for a reliable, certified, knowledgeable San Antonio custom builder to Green Retrofit your existing home or design and build your new home according to the best in home-efficiency standards, look no place else than the best- Gravell and Company.

July 5th, 2010
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Retire in San Antonio-Use a CAPS San Antonio Home Builder to Design Your Nest

Welcome to San Antonio, Texas. There’s plenty of room- and they’re waiting for you.

Fortune Magazine has compiled a list of the top 5 places to retire, and sitting comfortably on the list is San Antonio, TX. The magazine points out that, “Hill Country is only about a half-hour drive north,” and, “the Gulf of Mexico is a day trip.” With no state-income tax, Texas boasts the fourth-lowest personal tax burden in the country. And the housing market? While other markets experienced double-digit drops in housing prices, San Antonio lost just 5%, and, according to a local real-estate agent, is nearing its bottom. San Antonio is a safe place to invest in real estate.

Now, you’ve settled on San Antonio as the place for your retirement roots, and now you need to find a home. You can decide to build a house from the ground-up, or you may decide on a cozy, established home. Either way, Gravell and Company, a San Antonio home builder, would like to extend a hand and say, “Welcome.”

Gravell and Company has completed several construction and remodel projects on homes in Boerne, a friendly neighbor to San Antonio, in Alamo Heights TX, and is close to completion on a project in Cordillera Ranch, an exclusive, resort-style home and golf community.

And if you decide on an established home, you’ll need to make some key considerations for your health and physical limitations. You may not have special physical requirements when you first move into the house, but as you age, ever-so-gracefully, you may begin to need more accommodating…accommodations. Wouldn’t it be a dream if you could remain in the home you have purchased, having necessary design modifications built into your home- without you even having to leave during the process? And, if so, you’ll want a reliable, trust-worthy construction consulting management firm who is knowledgeable, competent, certified, and up for the job.

Gravell and Company is a certified San Antonio custom builder, who has received the elite CAPS certification – Certified Aging-In Place Specialist. A Certified Aging-In Place Specialist is one who will work with your occupational and physical therapists and physicians to design specific home modifications for your physical needs. And, again, they can perform this necessary remodel without you having to even leave your home! This way, as your physical abilities change over time, as they so often do, you will never have to leave that little nest you’ve dreamt so long about.

So, no matter if you’re looking for homes in Boerne, San Antonio, Cordillera Ranch, or Alamo Heights TX, Gravell and Company can offer a helping hand in finding, building, or remodeling your retirement home so that you may enjoy what you worked so hard for all those years, your time to do whatever you want.

June 21st, 2010
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Gravell and Company and Kendall County TX Welcome Those Seeking Low Taxes and Fun in the Sun

A thread-bare economy and very pertinent threat of sky-high tax rates have Americans searching for wallet-friendly states, cities, and counties. Forbes has compiled a list of the top 10 counties the wealthy are fleeing in their search for an eased tax burden- and the top American counties that are welcoming them in…in droves.

Florida and Texas counties lay claim to 12 of the top 20 counties receiving the huddled masses seeking lower taxes. And closely topping that list at number 8? Kendall County, TX- neighboring Bexar County TX, in which lies San Antonio.

With no state income tax, and after accounting for property taxes, Texas boasts the fourth-lowest personal tax burden in the country.
And whether it’s an established home or brand-new construction, built from the ground up, all of these migrating Americans will require new houses to call home.

Gravell and Company, a San Antonio builder, remodeler, and construction consulting management firm, would like to welcome you to the area.

Gravell and Company boasts an impressive resume of projects on homes in Boerne, the very county seat of Kendall County, Alamo Heights TX, and the exclusive, resort-style community Cordillera Ranch, located in the heart of Kendall County. Gravell and Company most recently completed a beautiful and elegant Certified Green Retrofit renovation project- where they transformed an energy-sapping home into an energy-efficient home, reducing energy costs and ensuring the durability and the sustainability of the historic home.

So, whether you are looking to build a new home, remodel an existing home, Green Retrofit your home, or just need a proven, certified industry-leading construction consulting management firm, Gravell and Company looks forward to providing you with the product of your dreams in one of the newly popular communities in Central Texas.

June 14th, 2010
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Builder Certifications – A Good Indicator of a Construction Company’s Commitment to Quality

When searching for a construction consulting management firm for your new home build or home remodeling project that stands out amongst the crowd, how can one know where to start?

A prime place? Seek out the company’s affiliations and certifications that prove their dedication and commitment to being a leader in the field.

Gravell and Company, a San Antonio builder and remodeler, has maintained a proven track-record of commitment to cutting-edge technologies, resources, and advanced education.  Because of this, they have earned three prestigious certifications by the National Association of Home Builders.

Having designed and completed successful building projects on homes in BoerneCordilliera Ranch, and Alamo Heights TX, amongst others, this San Antonio custom builder wants to introduce you to just a few of these certifications. Important to note: all certification training programs are rigorous, yet voluntary- exemplifying the commitment and integrity of its adherents to their clients ultimate satisfaction. Further, one must apply as a candidate to begin the training program and commit to ongoing training and a certified professional must incur continued education in order to maintain certification and its requirements. Lastly, each certification is marked by a strict Code of Ethics the builder must commit and adhere to in order to receive their certification.

Gravell and Company is a Certified Green Professional company. Only an exclusive group of about 4,000 nation-wide have gone through necessary training protocols to achieve this elite certification, and fewer than 20 San Antonio home builders have completed the education and training program. The Certified Green Professional is the first and only program to have undergone a full consensus process including government agencies, building officials, manufacturers, builders, and environmental advocates. In order to obtain one’s certification, one must demonstrate proficiency and commitment to green home building practices: the use of recycled building materials, natural or renewable resources and sustainability and efficiency of the final product. This all having been donewithout raising costs for the consumer.

Again, after a strict candidate application process, one can be certified as a Certified Graduate Builder. Gravell and Company has done just that. The Certified Graduate Builder program is a comprehensive, ongoing, and advanced education curriculum. One must demonstrate proficiency in the curriculum emphasis of: Building technology- exterior and interior structures and systems, Business finance- management, contracts and law, Project management- scheduling, design/building, estimating skills, Sales/Marketing- land development, site planning and zoning, and Safety- how to avoid the 4 big safety hazards of the home building industry. The successful applicant will be subject to the required BAR- the Builder Assessment Review and must commit to the Certified Graduate Builder Code of Ethics. Again, this certification is voluntary, yet it serves as a reassuring seal of approval for customers of Gravell and Company that they are a committed industry leader.

Gravell and Company has joined the fastest growing segment of the residential remodeling industry by becoming a Certified Aging-In Specialist- the only national designation program of it’s kind. Due to the burgeoning older adult population, more and more are interested in remodeling their home to fit their new lifestyles and abilities- also known as aging-in–place. Aging-in-place means remaining in one’s home safely, independently, and comfortably, regardless of age, income, or ability level. It means the pleasure of living in a familiar environment throughout one’s maturing years, and the ability to enjoy the familiar daily rituals and special events that enrich all our lives. It means the reassurance of being able to call a house “home” for a lifetime. A Certified Aging-In Place Specialist understands the guidelines and requirements of accessibility and can recommend specific design solutions for the client.  A Certified Aging-In Place Specialist is one who performs an assessment with invaluable and necessary input from occupational and physical therapists as well as qualified health care professionals in the design and necessary modifications that can transform a house into a safe, attractive, and comfortable home for life. And a qualified Aging-In Specialist can execute the job all the while the client remains in residence.

More proof Gravell and Company remains an industry leader in designing and building the home of your dreams.

June 7th, 2010
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San Antonio Home Builders Join the Green Home Building Revolution

Gravell and Company recently completed major renovations on a home in the historic Monte Vista neighborhood of San Antonio.

What marked this renovation as unique was not just the aesthetic virtues, but the very project itself: A Build San Antonio Green Retrofit Project.

There’s a new certified building program in town and it promises major energy and cost benefits. How about a proven increase in a home’s efficiency by up to 50% over structures built to standard code! How about an energy savings of 3.3 million kilowatt-hours per year– enough to run 98 code-built homes for one year! How about an emissions reduction of over 1.9 million pounds of CO2 per year– equal to taking 163 cars off the road for one year!

Build San Antonio Green offers on-going training to San Antonio home builders resource-efficient building methods, materials, and technologies.

Why green home building? Because builders must use only elements that meet specific criteria: recycled building materials, natural or renewable sources, have non-toxic finishes, and long-term durability, CPS Energy’s figures show the entry-level BSAG Home is 40% more efficient than the average San Antonio home! Green homes use less water and energy resulting in lower utility bills for the homeowner. Additionally, the more durable materials promise lower operation and maintenance costs throughout the lifetime of the home. And quite importantly, improved indoor air quality makes Build San Antonio Green Homes more healthful to live in.

Few San Antonio builders have undergone the rigorous and on-going quality-control training required to be a certified green home builder under this new program, but Gravell and Company, an ever-committed construction consulting management firm, lives on the cutting edge of new and relevant technologies to build and/or improve your home according to top-quality and budget friendly methods. Gravell and Company is now certified as a San Antonio Custom Builder to build your new home or Green Retrofit your existing home according to the top-quality Build San Antonio Green standards!

Gravell and Company has successfully completed building projects on homes in Boerne, Garden Ridge, soon-to-be completed Cordilliera Ranch, and Alamo Heights TX and now adds to the already impressive list the beautiful, certified Green Retrofit Home in Monte Vista. And as always, you have Gravell and Company’s unending promise to not only the best home-efficiency standards, but to go above and beyond to give you that beautiful home you dream of.

Contact them today and join the home-efficiency revolution!

For more about the Monte Vista project, see the project details page at http://gravellco.com/montevista.php.