Why Built-Ins Are a Must-Have in New Florida Homes

Modern Homes

There are a lot of new homes in the central Florida area. From DeLand to Winter Garden, Lake Nona to Mount Dora, the new home construction is booming in central Florida. I’ve been in a lot of new homes and one thing that most of them have in common is that most of them go for the open concept look in the main living areas. What this leads to is long empty walls and a lack of storage. It seems as though Americans have more stuff than ever before and less space to put it all in. Whenever there is a problem, Americans will find a solution, enter the built in. These built ins are not a new concept by any means, but it seems as though their popularity has been growing over the last several years. 

What is a built in?

Let’s begin with what is a built in, a built in is essentially some cabinets usually topped with open shelving, some sort of center piece, whether a fireplace or just a place for the tv. These help significantly with storage, give the space character, and help fill out the large empty walls. Built ins are highly customizable, whether its the color of the cabinets, the center piece, the shelving units, the backdrop behind the tv, a fireplace surround, and much more. This is one of the reasons I think there is also more interest in the built in’s, the idea of getting something custom seems to be more within reach for people. 

Why Custom?

The store bought pieces are not sufficient in size most of the time and they’re very generic. Even though 75-85% of my clients choose white for their cabinets, there are still other things that they can and often do customize. Even something as simple as adding shiplap or putting that shiplap in a chevron pattern can really make the piece feel custom. Another feature that the store bought pieces just can’t accommodate is height. Most pieces you would bring home from Ikea or similar store top out at 8’. This is perfectly reasonable because most plywood comes in 4×8’ sheets, 8’ typically leaves plenty of room between the top of the piece and the ceiling in most homes, and it’s cost effective. The problem is some of my clients ceilings are 12-20’ tall. The 8’ entertainment center looks dwarfed on walls of that size. 

How Do You Get One?

So I hopefully have given you plenty of reasons why you should get that custom statement piece for your living room, but I’m sure you next logical question is “How Much”? Well with the nature of custom pieces there are many possible different price points based on the decisions you make. There is the question of custom cabinets vs store bought. How wide, how tall, additional cabinets in the middle or an electric fireplace, custom mantle, what about shiplap, or maybe stone, open shelving or floating shelves, the list of decisions is not short. This is the fun part though, you get to pick what you want, fully customized, not what the builders told you when they said a custom home; “Pick from these 3 types of tile”. The choices are near endless, and if you’re one to get a case of paralysis by analysis I suggest you look at a few picture and pick the one that your eye keeps gong back to. Remember you’re building this for you, not your neighbor. If you are interested in a custom built in the process to inquire about it is easy. Click the button below, fill out the contact form providing some basic information on what you like. From there I will respond with any more questions to gather enough info to get you an estimate. If our budgets are in the same ballpark we will set up a meeting to go over details and talk next steps.

Custom pieces don’t stop at the entertainment centers, we can do a pantry, office, closet, and just about any other spot in your home that you want to make more functional and stylish. 

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