Author Archive: Ralph Slaske

Arturo Alvarez Demalde Begins Construction On New Home

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Arturo Alvarez Demalde has selected the plot where his new home will be planted. Construction began on Friday on is expected to take 4-6 months including all landscaping, drainage, permits, fire inspection, etc. There are plenty of hoops to jump through!

Why did you choose Ralph Slaske of Slaske Builders to build this new home?

I met with Ralph Slaske and then met with a few other builders in the area. Without a doubt Slaske was better than the rest. He was more knowledgeable and was able to answer all of my questions in a way that I understood and made sense to me. One of the other builders literally told me he didn’t have time to answer any questions. I spent a total of 10 minutes with him and half of that was waiting for him to get off the phone. When I was with Ralph, I really felt that nothing else was going on, anything I asked was his top priority.

What was of paramount concern when choosing a builder?

Obviously price is a big part. When you’re building a custom home, it’s easy to get caught up in price per square foot. Just taking that metric, you can build a very big, but cheap house. I wanted a blend of affordable and upgrades. I told Slaske what was important to me and he understood. His proposal spelled out each aspect I cared about. One thing that is important to me are finishing touches. I wanted to pick out my baseboards, window and door trim as well as the sheen on the cabinets. After saying that I realized that I might be a little picky! At the end of the day, it’s my money and I want to get what I want and Slaske enabled me to do that.

What can Ralph Slaske and Slaske Builders do to improve?

One of the most difficult parts of this process was finding the right piece of property. I want neighbors, but not too close. I wanted an acre or two, but didn’t want a house 25 feet away from my property line. That meant I had to find a lot with existing homes. I talked to Ralph after I had located a few lots I liked and he actually toured them with me and helped me pick out the one that was best for my needs as well as best for construction. My favorite lot sat a little lower in elevation that the homes around it and could have been underwater if we built on my chosen spot! Ralph gave me options to backfill the whole area or pick a new lot. His understanding and experience was invaluable during this process!

Thank you Arturo Alvarez Demalde for taking the time to give us your thoughts!

For more information on Ralph Slaske take a look at this recent interview.

Home Customization By Slaske Builders

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When I first bought the land for my home to be bought on, I went with a building company that was the best of the best. I had decided that this since this house was going to be my dream home and take in all the remaining years of my life, this was going to receive the best possible. Mind you, of course, this was way before I had come into the business myself as my own building company.

When the house was finally finished, I was happy and excited, of course, but something wasn’t quite right. I couldn’t exactly place my finger on what it was until one day I was driving home and I took a look at my house from afar as I drew nearer to it. I looked at the foundation and thought to myself, “This would have been better if it was built with quartz or something other than brick. I wish they had asked me.” That was it! I didn’t get a say in what building materials I wanted to use. That is where Slaske Builders different from what was the best of the best. Today, they aren’t the best anymore.

When you come to Slaske Builders, we give you an ideamensch.com styled interview and ask the important questions about what is going to make a home perfect for you. Choose your building materials, your layout, floor plan and customize every piece of the home right down to the door knobs to your liking. We will work with you on the finer details simply because we want a home to be part of your family.

No one really knows where the concept of home customization comes from, but I have a slight idea that this idea that was incorporated into Slaske Builders is the root and the birthplace of this freedom of unique expression of your home. Nowadays, other building companies offer very similar customize options and details, but none do it like Slake Builders.

 

Ideamensch.com Interviews About Slaske Builders

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It’s always good news for a company when the CEO or the vice president of the corporation gets some face time with the public and represents the company in a professional way. When this happens, it create business by word-of-mouth advertising. Just recently, ideamensch.com called me into their offices for an interview. They said they had heard a bit about my company, Slaske Builders, and they wanted to know what we were all about. I couldn’t help but to grin from ear to ear after hearing them say they wanted to meet up with me. This would be great for both my business and theirs.

The interview was perhaps the easiest interview I have ever done in my life. They asked me questions both about me and my company as they were trying to get a decent understanding of what who I am and what I am about as well as what my company is all about and what we do in this business. I told them my business is a home construction business, but we are more focused on building dreams than building houses. In other words, we make dreams come true with the home you’ve always wanted.

Having the chance to meet up with Ideamensch.com was a wonderful, one time opportunity that I wasn’t about to even think about passing up. A few days after the interview was finished, our phones were ringing off the hook! As I was saying, opportunities like this to get some spotlight is a big benefit to business. Ever since the interview has taken place, our business has gone up by a big 30% and for the first time in a long time, we are booked all through the month of January. I look forward to building a home worthy of becoming part of the family and creating memories in for all our clients both present and future. It’s going to be a highly busy and productive next few months and I welcome it all with open arms.

I’d like to give a special thank you and shout out to ideamensch.com for their time and consideration of me and my company.

5 Building Trends for 2015

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Home design has come a long way in the past 10 years. If you were to look at pictures of home interior design, you’ll notice it lacks that “modern quality” about it. Efficiency is the theme of what modern home design is all about and some homes may come off as clever, compact and easily customized. For your house tomorrow, I will share with you 5 of the latest and greatest building trends of 2015 and what is considered as a modern home.

Walkable communities is growing in popularity and adds with it a growth in property value along with a variety of uses. This is meaning that perhaps one of the most major trends in home design these days doesn’t have anything to do with the house itself at all, but where it’s located. Living in what is called a walkable community with walkable streets and flexible choices of transportation has shown to have a positive impact on not only the finances, but the social and even emotional benefits of living in such a community.

 

We have all heard of Energy Star, right? I remember when I built my first computer back in probably 1997 and on the boot screen I saw the Energy Star logo, which was something completely new at that time. Today, there is something called Zero Energy Ready (ZER) and it appears to be a step above the Energy Star we have grown to be familiar with all these years. What is it? In a nutshell, ZER is the newest standard for new constructions.  ZER handles the operation and use of all things that can be powered in the home such as windows, doors and other such mechanical systems.

Houses today are being designed small, but clever. A project called “Tiny Homes”  creates homes that are made to be so small, but designed with the cleverness packed full of more space than what meets the eye. This is another major trend that is becoming more and more popular and accepted. These homes are small, yet big enough for 2 people and loaded with storage space. For example, open a cabinet door one way and you are presented with your closet, but if you then fold the door down, you now have your kitchen table.

 

 

 

This tiny trend also ties into 4th trend dealing with customization. Everyone wants something that they can call theirs, something different, unique and impressive. Hearing someone say, “What a lovely home!” is what any homeowner would love to hear. Let’s say you dislike the look of your appliances, but replacing it is expensive and foolish just because you don’t like the look. Good news for you! Word has it that FirstBuild Studio is creating 3D-printed accessories for its older model kitchen appliances. The service will enable you to order new knobs, handles, doors, etc. in different colors and styles.

You’ve probably seen the commercials from AT&T that show how you are able to control your entire house right from your smart phone turning it into a smart home. Everything from the lights, TV, garage and alarm system can be activated no matter where you are. While this may be too much convenience for countless people such as Ralph Slaske, a handful of others are thrilled and excited for these new bold futuristic changes. It seems the AT&T service is taken a bit further and being implemented into homes making the entire home automated. The lights will turn off automatically and the stove may even heat up at 7pm to get ready for dinner.

And there you have it! Home trends of the modern day of 2015. With 2016 approaching quickly up on our heels, who knows just where these trends will go and what new trends will come about. Will these trends become the norm and new standard of living?