So many folks just love Asheville North Carolina, and not only to visit, but to live. Brad takes you on a tour of the downtown area, showing you some delicious places to eat such at Curate, Limones, Buxton Hall BBQ, Salsa’s and more. Then Asheville beer at Burial Beer, One World Brewing, and Green Man Brewery. And let’s not forget about the great music scene here with venues such at The Orange Peel, Asheville Music Hall, and Grey Eagle!
Asheville
Asheville Home Builders Playhouse Showdown 2017
Brad Rice, owner and general contractor at Bellwether Design-Build is mentoring Enka High School students again this next year through the Playhouse Showdown program put on by the Asheville Home Builders Association (AHBA). Brad is working Enka High, which is one of several local high schools involved. Brad is working with the students in the Buncombe County Careers and Technical Education (CTE) program to help mentor them while they’re designing and building a children’s playhouse.
The playhouses have a theme each year and are built to certain guidelines determined by the AHBA. Asheville Home Builders Association member companies donate the materials to build these playhouses. Each school’s CTE students are matched up with a home builder like Brad to help mentor them during the construction process. Brad works hands-on with the students and teachers to help them design the playhouse and construct it.
The finished playhouses will be on display at the 2017 Asheville Home Builders Association’s Build and Remodel Expo. They’ll be raffled off there as well as a fundraiser for the schools. Part of the proceeds will be donated to each the Buncombe County Careers and Technical Education Programs. The rest of the proceeds go back to each of the schools in the form of scholarship money.
If you want a chance to win Enka High’s playhouse or one of the others, raffle tickets are on sale for $5 each and include admission to the Asheville Home Builders Association’s Build and Remodel Show. The Show will be held on February 25th and 26th of 2017 at the Western North Carolina Ag. Center.
Asheville Builder of the Year 2016
While we might be partial, we are very proud and certain that Brad Rice is the deserving recipient of the Asheville Home Builders Association’s Builder of the Year award for 2016. Brad was graced with the honor at the recent Parade of Homes Gala and Award Ceremony. Brad has served on the Asheville HBA’s Parade of Homes Committee for a number of years and consistently has homes entered in the Parade. Brad also volunteered with the Asheville HBA’s Playhouse Showdown Challenge. Brad was a mentor to local Enka High School students in the technical program. With the help of Brad and their teachers, these students built a children’s playhouse that was then auctioned off among others in order to raise money for their school program. Brad is volunteering as a mentor again for the next Playhouse Showdown
At the recent AHBA Gala, one of Bellwether Design-Build’s projects, Ciel Lot 10 also won a PACE Design Award thanks to the unique home design of Jason Weil of Retro+Fit Design.
Check out the Asheville Home Builders Association’s footage of the Fall Gala and Awards Ceremony!
Grand American Residential Design Award Winner
We couldn’t be happier to announce that the Prive’ aka Ciel 10 won yet another design award last week. This home won a Grand ARDA (American Residential Design Award) in the Custom Home category. The American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) presents this award each year. Congrats to Jason Weil of Retro+Fit Design and to all of our top-notch team who helped make it possible for one custom home to win so many awards.
The winning entries for this award were chosen from about 132 finished and proposed projects submitted by 39 designers from 16 states. The ARDA highlights excellence in design in the home building field in multiple categories. ARDA is a progression of the AIBD Annual Design Competition, which has been in existence for over 65 years. This year’s jury included Jaclyn S. Toole, Senior Program Manager, Green Building at National Association of Home Builders, Washington, DC; Yu-Ngok Lo, owner at YNL Architects, Los Angeles, CA; Chip Hudson, owner at Hudson Home Design, Montgomery, AL, and the ARDA Committee Chairperson Michael Battaglia, Dayton, OH.
The American Institute of Building Design is a nationally recognized organization dedicated to supporting and promoting residential design professionals. Its professional members have specialized knowledge and expertise in residential design and are held to a high level of professionalism and ethics in their business practices.
The winning ARDA entries of this year and past years are published here at www.ResidentialDesignAwards.com.
Bellwether Spec Home Asheville
Bellwether Design-Build recently built a new spec home that we had for sale in Asheville, North Carolina. We not only build custom homes, but we also build spec homes that we put on the Asheville real estate market. Many of our spec homes are perfect for a single person, a small family, or as a starter home. We’re currently building other spec homes in the Asheville area and we’ll share the details soon!
We are featuring this past home building project as an example of the quality spec homes we build! This particular house was affordably priced for a 1,272 square foot 2-story home with 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ bathrooms, and a laundry room on the main level. It has an open living room, dining room, and kitchen plan with hardwood floors throughout. There are new stainless steel appliances along with granite countertops in the kitchen. The kitchen has plenty of cabinetry for storage. The spacious master bedroom has vaulted ceilings and carpet. The other 2 bedrooms are also carpeted. The home features a large covered front porch and a deck in the backyard. It is situated on .35 acres of land.
Check back often for new Bellwether homes that are for sale. We’ll share photos, design details, and our listings once the homes are finished. Keep us in mind if you’re looking for a new home in Asheville!
Bellwether Design-Build Wins Innovative Home Award
Bellwether Design-Build’s latest custom home is now officially an award-winning home! Our home in the CIEL development in North Asheville, North Carolina won the Innovative Award from the Asheville Home Builders Association for the 2015 Parade of Homes. This is truly a one-of-a-kind ultra modern green home!
There are quite a few features that contributed to our home winning the Innovative award. One of the most innovative features of this home is the design and construction itself. This home is placed and built to enjoy private views of downtown Asheville and Mount Pisgah. The home is built with cantilever construction at three levels that defy gravity as it reaches towards the mountains. The way the home is built and designed provides not just a unique modern style, but also three walkout roofs to enjoy the stunning views. The roofs have contemporary metal railings and Iron Wood Ipe decking.
The top floor is an entire private master suite, complete with a breakfast bar and the most dramatic views. The Kolbe VistaLuxe windows that are used throughout allow the homeowner to experience unobstructed views from multiple angles within a room, while remaining energy-efficient. There are even strategically placed windows within hallways and bathrooms so that you can enjoy the view and closeness of nature from nearly every space in the home!
The home’s design and construction is rarely seen yet well-thought out. The attention to detail from the vertical cypress tongue and groove siding to the detail of the drywall reveal around windows, doors and baseboard is superb. The luxurious finishes within this home certainly are a bonus as well!
Congrats and many thanks to Retro+Fit Design, who’s responsible for the thoughtful design of the house, as well as Allard and Roberts Interior Design for the interior design and decor.
3 Types of Home Building in Asheville
There are a variety of ways to have a home built in Asheville, North Carolina. At Bellwether Design-Build, we work with each and every client on an individual basis. We find out the exact type of home that want to build and move into. We offer:
- Custom Homes – Work with us to design and build a custom floor plan for your dream home. Bellwether Design-Build can take it from a dream to a concept and then and make it a reality.
- Unique Homes – There are so many available upgrades to choose from, starting with your foundation, the types of walls, specialized materials, and more. We are educated and experienced on using a wide variety of efficient and eco-friendly construction initiatives.
- Spec Homes – If you do not want to go through the home building process and you simply want a new home that’s completed, you can also have a quality Bellwether home. Check back and take a look at the inventory of spec homes we have available at any time. Bellwether Design-Build builds affordable spec homes on property in the Asheville area often. They range from about 1,500 square feet and up and normally about 3 bedrooms. These homes are great for starter homes or for a small family!