Lifestyle Builders Blog

As the final aesthetic preferences are made to your new home, you may find yourself making the hardest decisions in the kitchen. As a popular gathering area, the kitchen takes center stage for the new home, with the countertops often snagging the role of lead star. But while the glamour and beauty of a countertop may grab our attention, it isn’t just about looks alone. The material’s durability, maintenance and overall fit into your lifestyle are also key factors to consider when making your final selection for your new home. Here is a list of the top five best solid surface counters with both their advantages and disadvantages listed to help you decide.

Marble—A natural stone made from a form of hard crystallized metamorphic limestone. Viewed as the luxury class of countertops, this expensive stone is known for its beautiful appearance and light reflecting finish. You’ll often see it featured on cooking shows, as it is coveted by pastry chefs as a great surface for baking or working with chocolate. While it is heat resistant and won’t chip or dent, it can be susceptible to scratches and stains, even if sealed. It’s a little on the expensive side, but will bring beauty to your new home and last a long time with the right care.

Granite—A very hard, crystallized igneous rock consisting mostly of quartz and mica, it is often used as a building stone. One of the most popular countertops in new homes today, granite adds value to your home, making it great for future resale. It is more durable than marble and still gives off that natural glow of the stone. When cooking it won’t scratch and is heat and water resistant, but it must be sealed once a year.

Corian®—A brand name for solid surface material made by DuPont™, the counter is made of natural materials combined with acrylic polymer and has become popular in new homes. It comes in a range of thickness, colors, patterns, designs and finishes. Customize it to your exact preference. The non-porous material and one piece construction avoids dirt and bacteria traps, and keeps stains from setting in. While it is heat resistant, it is always a good idea to use hot pads to avoid direct contact. Best of all, DuPont™ offers a 10 year warranty.

Silestone or Caesarstone—An engineered surface made from natural quartz. It is available in over 60 colors and patterns, providing great flexibility when building a new home. Its non-porous quality makes it resistant to bacteria. It is also highly resistant to scratches, heat and stains. Plus, it’s maintenance free!

While there are a variety of countertops to choose from outside of this list, solid surface countertops remain the most popular—and it’s easy to see why. They are non-porous, heat resistant, scratch-resistant, easy to clean and maintain, long-lasting and will add not only beauty, but value to your new home. Richmond area home builders, Lifestyle Builders & Developers have put together a team of highly trained professionals who have been actively building homes for over 25 years in Midlothian, Henrico, Chesterfield, New Kent, Powhatan and the West End to insure you get the best options and quality you deserve. And don’t forget to check out their nationally award winning design studio to help you add all the personal touches you’ll love.

Welcome the newest addition to our family of floor plans, “The Elliot.”  This plan gives new meaning to the idea of flexibility:

• Build this house with a covered stoop, a front porch, or even a “double-decker” front porch.
• Do you prefer a 3-car garage, or an additional guest bedroom suite on the first floor? Maybe you would prefer a study where the third car bay is drawn? Maybe you have a woodworker in your home and need part of the garage to function as a Work Shop? No problem, this plan can handle each one of these needs.
• The Family Room can be built with the high drama of an open two-story ceiling, or floored in to create an additional bedroom, or a game room Loft for the kids.
• The Foyer, likewise, can be left open for a dramatic entry, or floored in for an additional bathroom upstairs.
• The flexibility to build up to 6 Bedrooms with 4 Full Baths
• 2871 sf – 3311 sf

This new home can be built in Midlothian, VA, or in any other neighborhood where we are building new homes in the Richmond, VA area. We offer new homes for sale in Chesterfield County, Henrico County, Hanover County, New Kent County, Powhatan County and the City of Hopewell.

Kevin McNulty takes you on a virtual tour of The Wrenwood in The Sanctuary at Watermill.

For reference, here is the floorplan:

LifeStyle Builders & Developers has won 2 awards at the national level from NAHB’s Sales & Marketing Council.  Theses awards recognize the year’s “Best in Sales & Marketing – Honoring Ingenuity, Foresight and Commitment.”

Our company has won these awards at the regional level, designated as “silver” award winners.  The gold awards will be announced at the International Builders Show on January 12, 2011 in Orlando, Florida.  The gold award winners will come from the current group of silver regional winners.

We won these awards in two very different categories.  For the category “Building Industry Community Spirit Award for Humanity”, we were honored for our efforts during the 2010 Homearama, when we were able to raise and donate over $70,000 to the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Richmond.

Our Design Studio (http://www.lifestylebuilders.com/designstudio.htm) won for “Best Design Center”.  In our 2600 square foot showroom, our customers can create the home of their dreams by personalizing all of their selections.  State-of-the-art displays and vignettes feature the latest design trends in cabinetry, flooring, lighting, faucets and finishes. And, since every LifeStyle home is built using national brand name products, you will recognize the many industry leaders showcased throughout the Design Studio, including Kenmore^®, Kohler^®, Delta^®, Mohawk^®, Schlage^®, Duron^®, Quality Cabinets^® and much more.

As a leading homebuilder and developer in the greater Richmond area, our new homes are built in such neighborhoods and communities as Sanctuary at Watermill and Harpers Mill in Chesterfield County’s Southside, Brickshire in New Kent County, Stone Mill in Henrico County’s West End, Westlake at Millmount in historical Powhatan County, and many more admired regions throughout the Richmond area..

Hot off the presses, our newest plan, “The Kipling.”  This plan has so many great features and options, including:

• First Floor Master Bedroom Suite with Luxurious Master Bathroom
• Master Bedroom includes 2 Walk-In Closets
• 2 Formal Rooms – a Dining Room and a Study / Living Room
• 2-Story Foyer
• Flexible Great Room that can be 2-Story (open), or floored in to create a Game Room
• Loft Area at the top of the stairs
• The flexibility to build up to 5 Bedrooms with 4.5 Baths
• 2776sf – 3311sf

This new home can be built in Midlothian, VA, or in any other neighborhood where we are building new homes in the Richmond, VA area.  We offer new homes for sale in Chesterfield County, Henrico County, New Kent County, Powhatan County and the City of Hopewell.