American Dream Home
Home ownership is not only the crown atop The American Dream, private property ownership is the very cornerstone of American liberty, upon which our free enterprise system and indeed our republican form of government have stood for almost 250 years.
Protection of private property is essential for the preservation of individual freedom. When individuals do not possess secure property rights, dependency on government for the essentials of life become inevitable.
America’s Founding Fathers believed that private property ownership existed long before government in ancient common law.
“Home ownership has long been accepted as a core component of the American dream, as it confers several economic benefits on homeowners, including the ability to accumulate wealth by accessing credit and building equity,” according to Forbes magazine.
“Home ownership is proving to be a cornerstone of financial security,” says the Mullin Group of Berkshire Hathaway. “Two major personal wealth goals, home ownership and net worth, work hand-in-hand. If you’re looking for financial security, home ownership should be a top priority."
Mark Fleming, Chief Economist for First American says, “Buying a home is not just a financial decision. It’s also a lifestyle decision.”
In fact, Gregory Schmidt with the New York Times reports that “Nearly three-quarters of Americans say owning a home is a higher measure of achievement than having a successful career, raising a family or earning a college degree,” according to a new Bankrate survey.
TLK Luxury Custom Homes believe in America greatness and they believe in the American Dream. Let the Kneedlers help you take a step into the American Dream by building your Dream Home on a little piece of America.
Introducing The Butler’s Pantry
Open concept living has become all the rage over the past few years, but as wonderful as these modern innovations are, did we really think this through?
When the whole family is over and the den is filled with cousins, kids, toys and football, it’s wonderful to remain a part of the fun from inside your busy kitchen. Bravo! Excellent idea.
What happens when more formal entertaining is required? Do you really want your pots and pans shoved in the face of your company’s CEO all during dinner? Will the committee chairman be impressed with your exotic display of dirty dishes?.
What if we created a custom Butler’s Pantry between your fabulous, open-plan kitchen and your elegantly laid, formal dining room. We can’t claim to have invented the Butler’s Pantry, but we do believe it could support your informal daily lifestyle, while preserving the elegance of special occasions.
Butler’s Pantries were popular in the magnificent houses at the turn of the19th century when the likes of “Lord and Lady Grantham” entertained with lavish dinners and soirées. Kitchens back then were steamy, noisy places filled with cooks, cleaners and servers that no guest was ever allowed to see. The Butler was the ring master of this circus and kept things flowing beautifully from oven to table. Everything he needed to make this magic happen was kept in the Butler’s Pantry. The crystal, the silver cutlery, fine china and exquisite table linens were kept there, under the watchful eye of the family’s butler. Some very expensive, opened bottles of wine were also kept in the Butler’s Pantry.
Today’s Butler’s Pantries re-imagine these transitional spaces. Modern homeowners demand designs that have it all. Think functionality meets trendy style, with timeless beauty.
This clutter-free and organized Butler’s Pantry will save you time and alleviate “pre-event” stress because everything you need is in one place and is instantly available at your fingertips. If you’re handing over the cooking to a caterer, the chef may actually kiss you for providing him with a Butler’s Pantry!
Your custom, luxury Butler’s Pantry can serve as a staging area for meal preparation that gobbles up copious amounts of counter space and cabinetry. It can serve as your drinks station with room for wine bottles and tea pitchers.
Did we mention all of the additional storage that a well-designed Butler’s Pantry has to offer? There are some kitchen appliances that are never used except for formal-ish dinners, so just stick them in the Butler’s Pantry cabinets.
Why not add an additional micro-wave oven, or small refrigerator to your Butler’s Pantry? You could even add warming drawers and ice makers to your Butler's Pantry, and the addition of a second sink is practically a “must have” in your luxury custom Butler’s Pantry.
TLK Custom Luxury Homes can help you design a dream Butler’s Pantry. We will help you coordinate cabinetry and counter tops to compliment the style of the rest of your house. We can add elements that echo the character of your home and help you choose lighting and fixtures that make your Butler’s Pantry look stylishly modern or lavishly extravagant, and all points in between.
When your neighbor brags about their recent trip to Europe, just say, “that’s nice dear, but have you seen my Butler’s Pantry!”
Custom Made in the Shade
Taking their rightful place in the top luxury home trends of 2022 are extravagant covered exterior living spaces.
Since "enjoying the great outdoors" here in Texas demands shading your spaces from the relentless sunshine, luxury home designers have outdone themselves with new shade options for 2022.
After two years of staying inside due to COVID-19, people are craving connection with nature more than ever. Gazing out your window in the morning with that first cup of coffee in the morning, you imagine an outdoor oasis. Julius Caesar felt the same way, so he copied his "front porch" from the Greek portico. Precursor of all porches, the portico originated in ancient Greece as a formal framing device that defined an entryway and created an appearance of authority.
We, much like powerful Middle Kingdom Egyptians, have a longing to domesticate the natural world. Although, gardens were expensive to build and required a high level of maintenance, gardens were very popular in the Pharaonic period and were built within wealthy households and royal palaces.
Typical gardens in ancient Egypt shared these essential components: an enclosure wall, a water pond, ornate water well or canal, trees, flowers, vegetables and large shaded areas.
Aside from the mere beauty of modern porches and covered patio / deck areas, they are designed specifically to provide the shade we need to survive the solar onslaught.
Not only do shaded areas protect you from the sun, they also help insulate you from exorbitant summertime electric bills. Porches and covered patios block the sun from shining directly through your windows and heating up your home’s interior.
Let's face it, while shading your home and your guests is definitely the smart move, what we're really after is THE WOW FACTOR.
The luxury, covered outdoor living space designs that TLK has on offer are not your grandmother's back porch or your dad's plastic sheet over a few metal poles, but gorgeous, modern miracles that will fulfill your wildest dreams.
TK and Lisa Kneedler know how to surround your new custom luxury home with all the "wow" you can handle!
Property Frenzy 2021
Magical, Mystery Mudroom
Why magical? Not only is a mudroom like a mote that protects your beautiful castle from muddy shoes, wet coats and stinky socks, it magically puts you in a more philosophical mood about all those things.
Mystical because it’s a mystery to us that every custom home doesn’t have a mudroom built into its design!
Well designed mudrooms make economical use of vertical space, providing plenty of hooks or pegs for hanging up coats, scarves, hats and backpacks. We can also design our mudrooms with actual lockers for children’s school books, backpacks, coats and shoes. Ample shelves and cabinets are a must in the mudroom for additional storage as is at least one bench to sit on while removing messy footwear.
A mudroom provides the perfect place to handle the clutter of shoes, outerwear, book bags, briefcases and is an alternative to the coat closet. The mudroom has user friendly storage for the family, bestowing a sense of livability and tidiness to a home.
Our most popular designs are Combo Mud Rooms. One option combines all the features of a great drop-off zone with an easily accessible laundry room. Another option is combining your Mud room with a pet-friendly zone. Imagine an area where Fido can eat his meals, access his water bowl 24-7 and even has a custom cubby hole with his favorite pillow where he can take a nap. Easy-to-clean floors and stylish utility sinks are standard in all of our Mud room designs, but if you really want the best in pet luxury, we can build in a custom, tiled facility for Fido and Fifi’s baths!
Heaven right here on Earth just might be the sense of peace and calm you get from having a mudroom dedicated entirely to handling the accumulated “stuff” of our daily lives, far away from our public living spaces.
Multi-Generational Luxury Custom Homes
Pew Research reports that in 2014, a record 60.6 million Americans lived in homes having two or more adult generations or grandparents and grandchildren. That’s a 30% increase from the prior seven years, however multi-generational living is simply returning to the norm.
Back in the early 1900s, more than half of all senior citizens lived with their children or with their children and grandchildren. Between 1950 and 1980, there was actually an abnormal drop in multi-generational living as television promoted the go-it-alone, “John Wayne.” lifestyle.
Down through history, wealthier families always lived together in large, multi-generational dwellings. With Millennials staying or moving home and seniors living decades longer than any other time since Biblical Genesis, we home builders are taking notice. If living with extended family is good enough for Southfork Ranch and Downton Abbey, why now give it some thought.
One builder advertises his multi-generational home plans as “two homes for the price of one.” We like to think of it as a completely autonomous apartment inside of the main house or a home within a home.
Financial savings aren’t the only benefits of multi-generational living. Caregiving becomes easier, child care becomes automatic, and children form tighter bonds with older family members. In fact, recent studies also suggest that children growing up in multi-generational households have higher performance in school than those who do not. Other research reveals that seniors who spend more time with grandchildren live longer.
We’d love to show you the many, many options of multi-generational home design. Call TK Kneedler at 972-345-3368 for the details.
Before you Move to Your New House
Since January is National Get Organized Month, it’s the perfect time for some tough talk about exactly what you’ll be moving to your new house. These words may be a little frightening, but not everything you have stuffed in your garage, attic or closets should go with you to your brand new home.
The best time to begin preparing to move is the moment you finally decide you want to build a new house. Because good change can also be stressful, getting mentally prepared should be at the very top of your to do list.
When you move into your dream home, you’ll actually be starting a whole new life even if you’re just moving from Fort Worth to Rockwall County. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to start your new adventure with a clean slate?
Organizing and de-cluttering is a daunting prospect, so just try getting your mind around a 15 to 25% "reduction-of-things" figure. All of us have sentimental attachments to our “stuff” or we wouldn’t still have it. The sooner you can internalize the concept that everything isn’t making the move, the easier it will be for you to begin the sorting prospect.
Here are a few tips that might help ease the pain of separation anxiety:
1. Get the entire family involved. If everyone is tossing a quarter of their possessions, it will be easier on everybody.
2. Divide your stuff into four categories: Trash, Donate, Sell, Take to the New House.
3. Let everyone make their own decisions on what 15% of their stuff has to go. Don’t just throw away their treasures.
4. As soon as you’ve all decided what needs to go, get rid of it quickly, much like ripping off a band aid.
5. If you’re having trouble with the process, don’t be embarrassed to call in a professional organizer. Their services are very reasonable, but the value of their help is priceless.
If you need a recommendation of a great organizer near you, call us. We’re only too happy to make the introductions.