Anderson, Indiana (PRWEB) October 27, 2014

Five years ago Indiana custom builder, Hallmark Homes, was selected by the ABC show, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to build a new home for Heather Cowan, now Heather Morgan, and her family in Bunker Hill, Indiana. Their previous mold-infected home was torn down and a new home was built to create a safer environment for her daughter Kori who was suffering from a congenital blood disease.

In a recent interview with the Kokomo Perspective Morgan stated, Theres not much that is the same about our life now. Our family was close before because we were working to save ourselves, and were close in a different way now where were working to help others. Were able to not focus on ourselves as much and turn around and help other families fighting the same fight that we fight. The family has been working to raise money for the iroK foundation to help other families and children suffering from blood diseases like Koris.

Hallmark Homes Owner, Paul Schwinghammer says, "Our relationship with Heather remains strong and we talk frequently. It's fun to watch her kids progress and see how the whole experience has changed their lives for the better. It's a thrill to see the iroK Foundation prosper and benefit so many other families. They truly have paid it forward."

Hallmark Homes is forever thankful for the community wide effort from individuals and businesses to do whatever it took to complete this home for such a deserving family.

In our recent conversation with Morgan she wanted us to share her thanks. "So many people did so much. I know I haven't thanked everyone out there. Our goal is to tell everybody how thankful we are."

About Hallmark Homes: Hallmark Homes is one of the largest, on-your-lot custom home builders in the Midwest. Having built more than 2,000 homes since 1992, Hallmark Homes service, quality control, scheduling and warranty are second to none. Hallmark Homes is a proud recipient of the coveted 2008 Keystone Award, 2008 Residential Warranty National Award of Distinction, and 2013 Indiana Excellence Award. Hallmark is also a member of the Better Business Bureau, the National Association of Home Builders, and a Certified Green Builder. For more information, visit http://www.hallmarkhomes.com.

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Hallmark Homes, Inc. Celebrates the 5 Year Anniversary of the Extreme Makeover Home

MP Richard Bacon

Annabelle Dickson Saturday, October 25, 2014 12:24 PM

Aspiring home builders will be able to turn to their council for help in finding a plot of land, under plans outlined by the government.

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Housing minister and Norfolk MP Brandon Lewis yesterday published a blueprint for a Right to Build, as South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon told the Commons that making it easier for people to get land and build their own home would help ease the housing crisis facing Britain.

Mr Bacon claimed a million people in Britain would be eager to start a project within the next year, adding that seven million would like to do so in the course of their lives.

The South Norfolk MP said changes to the law could make land available telling MPs that only 1.2pc of land currently had housing on it, with all buildings totalling only 10pc.

He said: Im an MP representing a very rural area in south Norfolk which has many people, young people, who find it very difficult to get on to the housing ladder or find any place to live when they grow up and leave home.

The idea of being able to stay in the area where they grew up, let alone the village where they grew up, is sometimes completely outside the range of possibilities for them.

The fact is, we dont have enough housing in our rural area and what has become apparent to me and would become apparent to anyone taking any notice of the debate across the country is the problems of housing are also just as acute in many urban areas.

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Help is at hand for those in Norfolk who want to build their homes

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According to the consultation document (39-page / 826 KB PDF) the government proposes to allow councils to require that custom builders demonstrate a connection to the local area in order to register an interest in acquiring a serviced plot. This connection could be through residency in the area for a specified period of time to be decided by the council, or through the residency of close family members, the document said.

Under the proposals, prospective builders would need to demonstrate access to sufficient funds "to acquire a plot of land and commission or build a home on it", would need to be European Economic Area citizens and be more than 18 years old. Funding would only be available for plots to be used as an applicant's main residential home.

Once registers of prospective custom builders have been set up by local authorities, the government would expect them to be taken into account in the preparation of local plans and in authorities' five year housing land supply figures. Registered builders would be able to indicate their preferences for the location and price of a plot under the proposals, and councils would have to offer "a minimum of three plots" within two and a half years of registration in order to meet the requirements under the Right.

In areas with high demand or constrained supply, the document envisages that councils might work together across boundaries, although it proposes that "the Right remains with the authority where the prospective custom builder has a local connection".

The document said that the government intends to enact the first element of the Right to Build, the establishment of a register of prospective custom builders who are seeking a suitable service plot of land, through a private members bill brought by Richard Bacon. Further legislation would then be proposed for the next Parliament in order to fully introduce the scheme.

The eleven 'Right to Build vanguard' councils chosen to participate in a pilot of the scheme were announced on 30 September. The participating local authorities are Cherwell District Council (DC); Exmoor and Dartmoor National Park Authorities; Oldham City Council (CC); Pendle Borough Council; Sheffield CC; Shropshire Council; South Cambridgeshire DC; South Norfolk Council; Stoke on Trent CC; Teignbridge DC; and West Lindsey DC. The Greater London Authority will also test a register for the whole of London.

The consultation is open until 18 December.

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UK government opens consultation on Right to Build scheme

Gulf Coast Resident Comes Out of Retirement to Help with the 2015 St. Jude Dream Home

80 year old Andy Vitali from Andys Iron works in Long Beach, Mississippi, retired as a true craftsman in the ironworks business. In hopes of helping raise one million dollars for the St. Jude Childrens Hospital, Andy came out of retirement to work on a special project for the 2015 Dream Home.

Upon leaving the military Andy built a thriving business in California as one of the largest importers and distributors for ornamental iron in the country. After selling the business, Andy decided to return to the Mississippi Gulf Coast where he had served at Keesler Air Force Base and here he rekindled his passion for ironworks. He opened Andys Ironworks in Long Beach, Mississippi and after thirty years in business Andy decided to retire and sold the business shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

Seeing the passion Elliott Homes has for developing a high level product and the impact of the St. Jude Dream Home campaign, after eight years Andy came out of retirement for a third time to help reach $1,000,000 for St. Jude on the 2015 Dream Home. Andy says he is, happy to get back at the grinding wheel and lend a hand. It takes a lot of people to accomplish a great cause and if you ask him he will tell you, "If it were easy, everyone would do it." Here Andy is seen grinding a steel gate made for the pond in Malpass West, a subdivision created by Elliott Homes directed toward recovering St. Jude patients.

The pond area is located directly across from the 2015 St. Jude Dream Home. We chose this specific lot for the dream home so that it could overlook the pond and St. Jude gates Andy so graciously created, says Brandon Elliott.

Malpass West is located off of Brasher Road in Biloxi, Mississippi. To visit the Dream Home to see the beautiful gates that Andy has so unselfishly contributed his time to make, take exit 44 south and follow the signs directly to the Dream Home.

The official giveaway drawing for the home will be on Saturday, April 18th.

About Elliott Homes

Established in 2009, Elliott Homes is a custom home builder providing the Mississippi Gulf Coast with unique designs for both affordable and high-end luxury homes.

In addition to receiving many awards for their home plans, including just this week a Best in Mississippi Award for their Essex Plan in Gautier, Mississippi, Elliott Homes has also been awarded the 2013 Talk of the Town Customer Satisfaction Award, 2012 Builder of the Year Award by the Home Builders Association of Mississippi as well as the Home Builders Association of the Mississippi Coast. Brandon Elliott was also honored to have been selected to build the 2012 St. Jude Dream Home. For more information about Elliott Homes, call 1-844-BUY-ELLIOTT or go to http://www.myelliotthome.com.

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Gulf Coast Resident Comes Out of Retirement to Help with the 2015 St. Jude Dream Home

Edgar Montiel, owner of Palo Verde Homes, stood Wednesday in front of a model home on the 13400 block of Halifax in far East El Paso County. Palo Verde will have three homes, including the 148,450 home to the left of Montiel, on the Treasure Tour of Homes, which begins Friday. It's being held by the El Paso Association of Builders to stimulate sagging new home sales. (PHOTO COURTESY OF PALO VERDE HOMES)

Seventeen El Paso home builders will showcase more than 40 of their homes in the next 10 days during the Treasure Tour of Homes in hopes of revving up sagging new home sales.

"This has been a tough year," said Ray Adauto, executive vice president of the El Paso Association of Builders, the local home builders group, which organized the homes' tour.

Tightened loan requirements, rising new-construction costs, and no more economic stimulus from the now-completed Fort Bliss expansion have combined to make new homes a tougher sell than in some past years, he said.

The free, self-guided Treasure Tour of Homes, which begins Friday and runs through Nov. 2, is aimed at stimulating the new home market by giving potential buyers a chance to see a variety of homes throughout the El Paso area and provides chances to win a list of prizes, Adauto said.

Financing a new home can be even more difficult than financing a resale, or used, home because rising permitting and construction costs have new home prices rising, Adauto noted.

The median, or market midpoint price, for a new, El Paso home in the first nine months of the year was $167,275, and $124,000 for a resale home, according to data from the Greater El Paso Association of Realtors.

The number of resale homes sold in El Paso County in the first nine months of the year increased 10.3 percent from a year ago to 3,176, the Realtors' data show.

The Realtors association only gets reports for a fraction of new home sales in El Paso County. Its partial data show new home sales declined 5.8 percent in the first nine months of the year compared to a year ago to 1,362 sales.

The El Paso home builders group does not report new home sales data. But Adauto said the number of building permits issued in El Paso city limits is down 18 to 20 percent so far this year.

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El Paso builders' Treasure Tour aimed to rev up new home sales

Hermosa Beach Custom Home Builders | Susa Residential Construction |
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Houston, Texas (PRWEB) October 22, 2014

Whitestone Builders, a Houston based builder of custom luxury homes today announced that it was the winner of multiple awards from the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA). Founded in 1941, GHBA is reportedly the largest home builders association in Texas and the fourth largest in the nation.

Whitestone Builders was the winner of three categories: Custom Home Design, Custom Home Kitchen, and Custom Home Elevation; and was a finalist for Custom Home Bath and for an additional submission in Custom Home Elevation. Each award was in the category for custom homes priced between $500K and $1.0MM, which is the target sector for Whitestone Builders.

GHBA has long held the annual PRISM (Professional Results in Sales & Marketing) competition which uses an independent panel of industry specialists who are chosen from across the nation to conduct the judging. Each year, GHBA members can submit their entries to selected categories and the panel judges the entries. This years winners were revealed during a black tie ceremony held on October 4th at Houstons Royal Sonesta Hotel.

Managing his own construction crew as a teenager and then earning a degree in Construction Management, Whitestone Builders President, David Gordon, has always had a deep passion for the building industry. Regarding the panels selection of Whitestone Builders as an award recipient, Gordon said I am thrilled to have won awards in multiple categories. Whitestone Builders was founded on the premise that we would be able to set a new standard for quality workmanship in luxury custom home building. The competition this year was extremely tough and we are humbled to have excelled in such a strong field.

As a veteran builder of custom luxury homes in Houstons premier neighborhoods, Whitestone Builders partners with some of the best architects and interior designers in the region. The company has established a reputation among those in the industry, including realtors, for exceptionally high quality craftsmanship, exquisite carpentry and the meticulous processes that are essential during a building project.

Mickey Bufalini of Collaborative Design Group says Weve worked with Whitestone Builders for over 7 years and they are one of the most reputable builders we work with. They do amazing work and have an exemplary record with our clients; we cannot recommend them highly enough.

**** About Whitestone Builders With a reputation for fine carpentry, period accuracy, and distinctive quality, Whitestone builds customized luxury homes for those with the most discriminating style. Customer focused, Whitestone employs proven, well-defined processes that exceed expectations and create an experience thats second to none. To learn more and view a gallery of custom homes, visit us at WhitestoneBuilders.com and Houzz.

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Houston Luxury Custom Home Builder Whitestone Builders Wins 5 GHBA 2014 PRISM Awards

Stone Acorn Builders LP, a member of the prestigious Southern Living Custom Builder Program, will debut Houstons Southern Living Home for the Holidays Showcase in West University Place at 2718 Talbott, 77005.

The home will be open for tours on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 1-2 and Veterans Day Weekend, Nov. 8-9. Proceeds from the $10 admission benefit Operation FINALLY HOME, a non-profit that provides mortgage-free homes for wounded and disabled veterans.

The showcase home was designed by Stone Acorn Builders in-house architect Jennifer McGeoch. The 4,341-square-foot open floor plan includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms, an eat-in chefs kitchen, a game room, a study/library, a butlers pantry, an outdoor fireplace, a summer kitchen and screened in porch. Interior design will be managed by Edwina Alexis Interiors.

Southern style adorns the homes interior and exterior with details such as intricate trim work, limestone skirting, indoor and outdoor fireplaces, front and rear porches, and barn doors between the kitchen and pantry and in the upstairs game room. Natural light is one of the homes best features, illuminating cozy reading nooks and window benches throughout the home.

The open floor plan is generous and inviting with classic nuances that make this house a Southern beauty from the minute you step inside the door. White oak floors and knotty alder doors, beams, and built-in bookcases add warmth to the shiplap wainscot and paneling, with regal 9-foot to 12-foot ceilings throughout.

The kitchen is a family haven with Thermador appliances, farmhouse sink, pot filler and expansive marble counter work spaces. The full working pantry warms the heart with a picket-shaped white Mexican tile floor, marble counters and barn door to the kitchen. The adjoining mudroom adds a touch of authenticity with its Dutch door kitchen entry and exit. Morning light streams into the kitchen area, and the tongue and groove with knotty alder beams ceiling caps the rooms comfortable ambience.

The downstairs flows spaciously from study/library, to family room, and eat-in kitchen. The rooms make stunning use of tall ceilings with knotty alder beams and elegant built-in shelving. The study/library is a tranquil escape for both serious review and relaxation with its paneled walls and rolling ladder, hosting French doors encased with custom art glass panels.

A wall of bi-fold doors off the family room transition living to the outdoors and onto a deep back porch floored in grey travertine. The Southern-style porch is fashioned with a limestone wood-burning fireplace, benches and grillers summer kitchen with automated phantom screens that beckon you to bask in an evening breeze.

The homes privacy and personality continue upstairs with a master suite plus three more spacious bedrooms, a game room, and a comfortable laundry room with ample storage and a large linen closet. Built-ins are incorporated into every room with special features such as window reading benches, bookshelves and display cabinets to show off prized collectibles.

The master suite offers a palatial bathroom in neutral tones with his and her sinks, tub alcove featuring embossed tile and a large Carrera tile spa shower. The sweeping walk-in closet surrounds an island counter and convenient bench seating. The dressing area has a window seat with amble lighting, multi-storage, and lighted glass cabinets. Glistening marble is repeated on bath counters, wainscot and spa shower as a cool counterpoint to the tongue and groove paneled ceilings in the suite, where time and tension disappear.

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Southern Living Showcase Home for the Holidays to open in West U

CREATIVE and UNUSUAL FURNITURE Unique Design Concepts YouTube 240p
In this roundup you will find some stunning, creative and unique furniture design ideas. Some of them really look awesome. So, re-think before you scrap anything because it could be a good...

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CREATIVE and UNUSUAL FURNITURE Unique Design Concepts YouTube 240p - Video