Bauhaus named one of the Best Builders in Dallas

Dallas, TX - May 16, 2013

We are happy to announce that Bauhaus Custom Homes has been named one of the best builders in Dallas, TX in 2013 - for the second year in a row. We are truly honored to be in such an elite group of custom home builders in our city, especially since we are voted in by our peers - other respected builders in Dallas. As an innovative design firm and custom home builder, Bauhaus Custom Homes focuses on designing and building authentic & timeless architectural styles, from Mid-Century Modern to Classic European. Following the German Bauhaus principles of unifying art, craft and technology, Bauhaus founder and German native home builder Marc Kleinmann is known for his European building sensibility and construction of luxurious, high performance homes. “Stay true and authentic to style and create a comfortable, luxurious living environment” is Kleinmann’s philosophy, which enables him to create truly remarkable residences in a variety of authentic styles, from Tuscan to Mid-Century Modern. “At the same time, we save our clients money by building a high-performance home that lowers their utility bills”. Catering to the specific needs of empty nesters who want to downsize to families that need to upsize, Bauhaus’ team is known for translating their client’s dreams into reality by using an integrated design & build process to build homes suited to the needs of each individual lifestyle. Founded in 2007 as EGC Custom Homes, the company morphed into Bauhaus Custom Homes in 2012 to better communicate its commitment to the architectural integrity, craftsmanship and technological integration of the structures it designs and builds. Marc Kleinmann holds a degree in Real Estate Development & Construction Management from the European Real Estate Academy in Saarbruecken, Germany and is a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Certified Green Professional. He also serves on the board of Directors of the Dallas Builders Association.

New design/build project in Carrollton

Construction on Bauhaus Custom Homes latest project has started a couple of weeks ago and is fully underway. Showing off the diversity of our design/build firm, we are building a beautiful light commercial building which is going to be a dog daycare center. Designed by Lucas Carriere of Bauhaus Custom Homes, this building is designed to be highly energy efficient, constructed with advanced framing techniques and a fully foam encapsulated building envelope. The process of building a project like this is very similar to building a custom home with a few additional requirements on the civil engineering side and we deploy many of the same strategies of our home building process. Please stay tuned for more info and updates on this project.

Tarpley Road Design/Build by Bauhaus Custom Homes

Beautiful Mid-Century Modern Design in DALLAS, TX... coming soon!

It's no secret to those of you who have been following Bauhaus Custom Homes for a while... we LOVE Mid-Century Modern Homes. We are also one of the few custom home builders in Dallas that specializes in modern and mid-century modern architecture. The video above is a teaser to a super cool project we are currently working on. A single story, 3,500 sf Mid-Century Modern Home in Dallas, TX. We are also working on another cool modern design in University Park that will be unveiled in the next few days, so check out the video above and come back soon to check out our other exciting projects.

Bauhaus Custom Homes just got featured on Houzz.com

Most of you reading this are probably pretty familiar with Houzz.com. Houzz is the leading online platform for home builders, architects and design professionals, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish - online or from a mobile device. From decorating a room to building a custom home, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world.

As one a home builder actively involved in the online communities that specialize in the home building industry, we have a long established presence on Houzz.com with many pictures of our custom home project we built and remodeled in Dallas over the years.

So we're happy to announce that we just got featured there, for the third time :-) Check out the article here.

What are the best wall assemblies in Dallas, TX?

With so many different options to build an exterior wall these days it is almost impossible for our clients to figure out themselves what might be best for their specific home. ICF's (Insulating Concrete Forms), SIP's (Structural Insulated Panels), Advanced framing techniques and traditional stick framing are the most common wall assemblies.  Anybody reading the building science blogs and websites such as BuildingGreen and GreenbuildingAdvisor might be overwhelmed with the opinions and options out there.

First of, let me start by saying that we build in climate zone 3 and the statements made in this post are my personal opinion based on years of studying building science and studying our own homes we built. Most information out there are strategies for cold climate zones up north, so whenever you read any articles about building envelope performance, make sure you understand which climate zone they are talking about. Why is this important? Delta-T! Delta-T is the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor temperature. While the Delta-T in Texas is between 30-40F, it is more like 70-80F in Maine. One consequence of this fact: Thinner thermal mass and insulation can be used.

So let's examine the different wall assembly options out there and let me tell you why I think certain ones are better than others for our climate zone - all of that with a cost/performance benefit in mind. After all, if I spend 20% more on a wall assembly, I should get at least "some" performance benefit out that, maybe not 20%, but "some"... right? So let's take a look:

ICF's (Insulating Concrete Forms)

Most brands of insulated concrete forms (ICFs) consist of two parallel panels of foam held apart by rigid plastic spacers. Builders stack ICFs like Lego blocks, brace the forms, and fill the forms with concrete delivered by a pumper truck. The ICFs are left in place as a permanent part of the building. ICFs are becoming increasingly common. Among their advantages over conventional wood-frame construction are low air infiltration, high thermal mass, high strength and fire resistance and good sound-deadening qualities. They can be used to form basement walls alone or for an entire wall system, including above-grade walls. According to two articles in Environmental Building News ("Thermal Mass and R-value" and "Thermal Mass"), high mass can enhance energy performance, but only when outdoor temperatures cycle above and below the indoor temperature in a 24-hour period. ICF's are considerably higher in cost to install vs a traditional wall assembly so the cost/performance benefit should be considered when choosing this assembly.

SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels)

Structural insulated panels (SIPs) consist of an insulating foam core sandwiched between an inner and outer face, typically made of oriented strand board (OSB). SIPs combine structural framing, insulation, and sheathing in a single product, to be used for roofs, walls, or floors. Panels are typically precut and delivered to the site ready for assembly with a crane. Standard thicknesses range from 4 ½ inches to 6 ½ inches, lengths up to 28 feet, and widths up to 9 feet. Some manufacturers also make custom sizes, although these cost more. Interior faces can be made from drywall, sheet metal, or finish lumber. The foam core and exterior facings are typically glued together. SIP construction is more expensive than standard frame construction, even compared to Advanced framing with spray foam insulation and a layer of outsulation.

Standard Stick Framing

Standard stick framing is still today the most common used technique, mostly because of easy accessibility to a labor force that can install this system easily. Traditional stick framing uses 2x4 lumber, installed 16" O.C (on center) with traditional headers, corners and sheathing material that is most commonly OSB board. It is most definitely the least expensive of the four options listed here, but also the least advanced and efficient solution.

Advanced Framing Techniques with advanced sheathing materials

Our preferred method of constructing our building envelope is to build the structure with 2x6 exterior framing through advanced framing techniques. With this method we are framing the exterior walls 24" O.C. and therefore, this allows us to install more insulation in our walls than in the standard 16" O.C installation. In addition we use advanced sheathing products such as DOW's SIS panels and Huber's ZIP-R panels which are superior to standard OSB or plywood sheathing. Other details of advanced framing are the use of insulated headers, stack framing and california corners. I am going to spare you the details, but if you're interested, here's probably the best source to explain how it all works in detail. This wall assembly then gets insulated with 4.5" of open spray foam insulation. We have been able to achieve extremely tight houses through this technique and the construction costs are lower than comparabile performing systems such as ICF's and SIP's.

So if cost is not an issue, our clients have 3 very good wall assemblies to choose from: Advanced Framing, SIP's and ICF's, but if budget considerations come into play, I would certainly argue that an advanced framing assembly gives you the best "bang for your buck". Of course we will happily build an ICF or SIP home for you if that's what you desire.

To support our own findings I have come across a study conducted comparing several different wall assemblies, "Building America Special Research Project: High-R Walls - Case Study Analysis" Research Report - 0903 March 11, 2009 (rev. 8/7/09) John Straube and Jonathan Smegal

For the geeks of you - here's the link to the full report: http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-0903-building-america-special-research-project-high-r-walls

In this study the follwoing different wall construction options were tested. 1a 2x6 AF, 24"oc, R19FG + OSB 1aii 2x6, 16"oc, R19FG + OSB 1b 2x4 AF, 24"oc, R13FG + OSB 1bii 2x4, 16"oc, R13FG + OSB 2a 2x6 AF, 24"oc R19FG + 1" R5 XPS 2b 2x6 AF, 24"oc R19FG + 4" R20 XPS 3 2x6 AF, 24"oc, 2x3 R19+R8 FG 4 Double stud wall 9.5" R34 cellulose 5 Truss wall 12" R43 cellulose 6a SIPs (3.5" EPS) 6b SIPs (11.25" EPS) 7a ICF - 8" foam ICF (4" EPS) 7b ICF - 15" foam ICF (5" EPS) 7c ICF - 14" cement woodfiber ICF with Rockwool 8a 2x6 AF, 24" o.c., 5" 2 pcf R29 SPF, OSB 8b 2x6 AF, 24" o.c., 5.5" R21 0.5 pcf SPF, OSB 9 2x6 AF, 24"oc, 2" SPF and 3.5" cellulose 10 Double stud with 2" 2.0 pcf foam, 7.5" cell. 11 Offset frame wall with ext. spray foam 12 2x6 AF, 24"oc, EIFS - 4" EPS *AF - Advanced Framing

They were evaluated in 5 categories; Thermal Control, Durability (wetting/drying), Buildability, Cost and Material Use and then given a Total score. The study gave the highest marks to 2x6 Advanced Framing assemblies and SIP's and ICF's scored somewhere in the middle. So in addition to our own findings on the best wall assemblies, this study clearly supports our assessment and strategy - That is why we build the best wall assemblies for your money in Dallas, TX.

If you would like more information on how we build our homes, please contact us today.

Bauhaus | EGC Custom Homes wins two ARC awards

The good news keep coming... In addition to our recent award of a LEED-H Gold certification for our project at 5733 Greenbrier, we just attended the Dallas Builders Association's annual ARC awards. The annual ARC awards, created for Associates, Remodelers and Custom Builders, recognizes areas of unique achievement in both custom home building and renovation. We were entered with 2 projects in 4 categories and won an ARC award for two. Our project at 6622 Norway Road in Dallas received the ARC award for "Best Interior Design" and our Greenbrier project received the ARC award for "Best Green Home".

We would like to thank first and most importantly, our clients for trusting us with the design and construction of their beautiful homes and just as important, we would like to thank our entire team of trade contractors and suppliers for contributing to the success of these projects. As I always say, designing and building a custom home is a team sport, and it takes a great team to successfully built these homes on time and on budget and it definitely takes "the best" team to win awards and certifications like these - so our sincere "Thank you" to all of you.

One of our custom homes just got LEED-H Gold certified - in Dallas!

Great news at the beginning of the week. We finally got news that our custom home at 5733 Greenbrier in Dallas, TX received the LEED for Homes Gold certification from the US Green Building Council. We are very excited for our clients and are - of course - happy to have achieved this certification, especially since this is a home that did not include any expensive renewable energy sources such as solar panels or geothermal heating and air conditioning. The LEED Gold certification as well as the Energy Star certification with an incredible HERS index of 51 was achieved through design strategies and the construction of a very air-tight building envelope and  duct system. The use of advanced framing techniques, structural insulated panels and a full spray-foam encapsulation, along with advanced mechanical systems and variable speed air 16SEER conditioning systems allowed us to build a super high performance home - all on schedule and on budget. Read our client's testimonial here.

We always like to give credit where credit is due, and pulling of a project like this is impossible without our talented team of suppliers and trade contractors - so here are some of the companies that played a significant role in achieving these certifications: Lone Star Framing was able to execute a difficult framing plan based on advanced framing techniques, BMC Select supplied the Dow SIS panels for sheathing, Stazon Roofing supplied and installed the reflective TPO roofing, Pella supplied all windows and sliding doors, Comfort Saver Foam installed the Demilec Sealection foam insulation, Cohen Electric was responsible for executing the energy efficient lighting plan, Southwestern Flooring supplied and installed all flooring surfaces and Tempo Mechanical engineered, designed and installed the mechanical system - and of course all of this was tested by our friends at Tex Energy Solutions. An official thank you to our entire team for this achievement.

But not only is this home super energy efficient, water efficient and very healthy and comfortable to live in, it is also a looker. Check out the gallery here.

Did this catch your interest in building energy efficient? If so, feel free to contact us, we would be happy to help you design and build your dream home - and one that is highly efficient at the same time.

Dallas Custom Home - 6622 Norway Rd - Project Update

Project update on 6622 Norway Rd. Painting is completed and plumbing & light fixtures will be installed by the end of this week. Check out the pictures below. Home will be completed in 3 weeks.

The best home builders in Dallas 2012 by D Magazine

Well... it's official... Bauhaus | EGC Custom Homes has just been named one of the best custom home builders in Dallas by D Magazine.  An innovative design firm and custom home builders, we focus on designing and building authentic & timeless European architectural styles. Following the German Bauhaus principles of combining crafts and the fine arts, Bauhaus | EGC founder and German native home builder Marc Kleinmann is known for his European building sensibility and construction of high performance homes.

“Stay true and authentic to style and create a comfortable, luxurious living environment” is Kleinmann’s philosophy, which enables him to create truly remarkable custom homes in a variety of authentic styles, from Tuscan to Mid-Century Modern. “At the same time, we save our clients money by building a high-performance home that lowers their utility bills”. Dallas ' premier custom home builders are known for translating their client’s dreams into reality by using an integrated design & build process and with floor plans that feature unique details suited to the needs of each individual lifestyle.

Kleinmann holds a degree in Real Estate Development & Construction Management from the European Real Estate Academy in Saarbruecken, Germany and is a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Certified Green Professional. He also serves on the board of Green Built Texas and is the founder of the Dallas Green Building Alliance. Here’s a link to Marc’s profile.

If you are currently looking for custom home builders in Dallas, you should definitely give us a try. We offer full design/build services and build new homes on your lot or ours, and also work on major remodeling projects and additions. Check out the rest of our website or contact us for more information. If you're looking for more pictures, make sure and check our our profiles on Houzz and Pinterest, Google+ and Flickr.

Custom Home For Sale | 6622 Norway Rd | Dallas TX

Our newest custom home at 6622 Norway Rd in Dallas, TX is now for sale. Built by one of Dallas' premier custom home builders, this home is a one of a kind. True to the architecture of Tuscany, "Villa Toscana" sits on a 16,000 sqft lot with many mature trees - in the heart of Preston Hollow in Dallas, TX.

At 6,067 sqft, this 5 bedroom, 6 1/2 bath 2-story custom home includes a media room and a traditional 2-story library with beautifully crafted stained woodwork. A chef's kitchen with top-of-the-line Wolf and Subzero brand appliances and Giallo Ornamental brushed granite counter tops is part of an open and inviting living area. The romantic master suite features custom crafted natural wood his and hers closets and a large walk-in shower with rain heads. The grand entry leads up to 5 spacious bedrooms that each have their own bathroom and walk-in closet along with a 2nd upstairs laundry room. The home is "elevator ready" meaning an elevator shaft is installed and pre-wired for future installation. Entering the home from the 4 car garage, one enters a spacious laundry room with sink and an adjacent dropzone and locker room where the kids can drop and store their school and sports gear. A counter with gadget loading stations for cellphone, ipads etc is built in. A large outdoor living area with TV and sound wiring extends into the backyard, landscaped with drought-tolerant plants and enough room for the kids to play. One of the best features of the home is the fact that it is built for energy efficiency and air quality. 3 super efficient 16seer HVAC systems and a fully spray foam encapsulated building shell will make this home very efficient to operate and will save you money on your utility bills. Come see this beautiful custom home and see for yourself. Contact Marc Kleinmann at 214.838.3678 x211 or see the sales page for more info and floor plans.

Interesting building products - Low-VOC lightweight drywall!

I recently read an interesting article on one of my favorite building blogs, Jetson Green. Since we're always on the hunt for newer, better and healthier building materials, this one caught my eye. One would never think about drywall as an area of innovation, but we stand corrected. USG Corporation started to test the market for Sheetrock UltraLight panels, which are anywhere from 15-24 pounds lighter per panel depending on the size.

Well, it turns out they sell well! They outsold heavier product, according to NYSE Magazine.  Since then, the panels have rolled out to several Home Depot stores and a 40% lighter joint compound was introduced in January this year.

But what we're interested in is ease of installation and the green attributes of the product. The non-combustible core is made with recycled content and the face and back paper is 100% recycled.  In addition, the panels qualify as a low-VOC emitting material (i.e., compliant with CA 01350). As far as installation goes - the panels are harder and 30% lighter and are also easier to score and snap according to USG. For more information about the product, check out USG's website.

Polish fall protection! Meets the polish OSHA requirements.

Think this is OSHA safe? According to our research, this scaffolding does satisfy the OSHA requirements in Poland. NOT! :-)

Looking for a home builder in Dallas? You have to read this...

Looking for a home builder in Dallas? Our houses sell for more money in less time! I always knew this was going to be the case one day - but now several studies confirm it - Home Builders that build Energy Star (ES) certified homes sell them for more money in a shorter period of time - and more importantly - if you own an ES home - you will sell it for more in less time. As one of the few home builders in Dallas that are committed to building 100% ES certified - this is confirmation that we are doing the right thing. As reported by the Green Resource Council - a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS®, indications are that home builders that build ES homes have a leg up in the market. Based on a study by the North Carolina Energy Efficiency Alliance, these houses sold in less time for more money.

Quantifiable data supporting the notion that it pays off for home builders to build more energy efficient homes has been scarce since most of the programs are fairly new in the residential market. But doesn't it make sense? Of course people are willing to pay more for a home that costs less to operate! Think about this... you are looking to buy a house in Dallas, you found two home builders you like, two homes on the same block, same size, same finish-out - but built by two different home builders - one of these homes is energy star certified, the other one is built "only" to code (did you know that the building code requirements are laughable?) - After you do your due-diligence, you find out that the ES house costs 50% less to operate a month! Of course you buy that home, right?

That's why we at EGC Custom Homes have committed to building 100% Energy Star - meaning we build all our homes in Dallas to the ES standard. But it's not only about the money. Better built homes are more comfortable and healthy to live in, have less maintenance issues and in general cost less to maintain over the years - to read more about these specific facts, check out our blog post next week.

To read about the details of this study, click here.

EGC Custom Homes - Dallas' Premier Home Builder

Custom Homes by Bauhaus | EGC - One more reason to build with us: Water Savings

Custom homes use a lot of water! Why does this fact matter? By now almost everybody in Dallas is aware that we have a severe drought issue. Water restrictions are in place and might get even more severe as the drought progresses. It might even impact our power grid, because power plants don't have enough cooling water to run as mentioned in a recent article in the Dallas Business Journal. All the more a reason to build your next custom home in Dallas with EGC Custom Homes.

One of the standard features in all of our homes is "water efficiency". That means that all appliances and plumbing fixtures are designed to use minimal mater, but most importantly, you won't know the difference. In the past low-flow plumbing fixtures got a bad wrap, people complained about toilets not flushing properly and shower heads not putting out enough water to feel comfortable in the shower. That's not the case anymore in todays' market. At EGC, we have used watersense certified plumbing fixtures for over three years, and we have not had one client complaint so far.

But where water efficiency is most important is in landscaping and irrigation, where most of the water is used. The EPA estimates that more than 50% of the outdoor water used goes to waste, either by runoff or evaporation - this should tell you how important a well designed and installed irrigation system is. Most importantly, we install landscapes that are designed for our climate zone and can survive the hot Texas summers without a lot of water. At Bauhaus | EGC - we consider all these issues when designing and building your custom home, but whoever you choose as your home builder, make sure they know how to design and build for water efficiency.

If you would like to find out more about EGC's water efficiency program, contact us today.

And the Solar Decathlon winners is.... a super cool single family home design! Could we build this in Dallas?

Team Maryland won the 2011 Solar Decathlon with a super cool single family home design called the "Watershed". This project is a perfect example what can be accomplished with great and thoughtful design and cutting edge construction methods - to achieve a highly efficient and sustainable single family home. Solar Decathlon Director Richard King said, “Maryland’s Watershed is a beautiful house, judged first place in Architecture, which also performed impeccably in measured contests. This team mastered their strategies to ensure they excelled in all 10 contests,” according to the DOE.

Some of the homes' features include a solar thermal wall, a garden, and edible wall system, green roof system and a modular constructed wetland that helps filter and recycle greywater from the shower, clothes washer, and dishwasher.  The interior has two liquid desiccant waterfall systems for humidity control and a home automation system. To check it out in detail, check out their website (link above) or go to http://www.solardecathlon.gov/

You can find more pictures and videos on team Maryland's website here.

End of summer - finally - and we're building one of the coolest (literally) custom homes in Dallas!

Well... it's that time of the year. Kids are back in school and life is getting back into a "normal" rhythm. I know our website has been quite for a while, but we at EGC Custom Homes have been hard at work, building, designing and planning for upcoming projects. We currently have one of the coolest houses - and I mean that literally - under construction at 5733 Greenbrier in the Dallas neighborhood of Devonshire.

This custom home is approx 3,300 sqft and will be Energy Star and LEED certified with a projected HERS index of 51 and a projected LEED Gold certification. EGC is working hard to stay ahead of the curve and being a leader and innovator of custom home builders in Dallas. In the next couple of weeks, we will be updating all the construction blog entries, so if you are interested in how this house is being built, from beginning to end, make sure and subscribe to our RSS feed or visit our website regularly. Also on the schedule is a beautiful modern Tuscan style home in Preston Hollow with a projected groundbreaking the end of September. We will also post pictures and updates of that project soon. Lastly, we just updated our Flickr page with all recent construction photos of the energy efficient home on Greenbrier - so if you're interested - follow this link. A few snapshots below...

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Dallas Home Builders Association Endorses Mike Rawlings for Mayor of Dallas

Fresh from the HBA Dallas Newswire.....NEWS RELEASE 5816 W. Plano Pkwy. • Plano, TX 75093 • (972) 931-4840 • FAX (972) 267-0426 • www.DallasBuilders.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Phil Crone, Director of Government Affairs, 972-244-3217 or phil.crone@dallasbuilders.com June 7, 2011

Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas Endorses Mike Rawlings for Mayor of Dallas

Dallas, TX, June 6, 2011 – The Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas (HBA), a 1,200-member organization representing residential home builders, announced its endorsement of Mike Rawlings for City of Dallas Mayor. Prior to making this decision, the HBA conducted in-person candidate interviews.

“Each candidate in the mayoral race brings a unique skill set and experiences that they can draw on to serve them while in office,” said Keller Webster, chairman of the HBA’s Government Relations Committee. “Our industry supports Mike Rawlings because his business background will bring an entrepreneurial culture to City Hall. That, combined with his proven track record on issues such as economic development and homelessness, will help residential home builders facilitate the continued growth of our city.”

Early voting for the runoff elections for mayor and City Council District 12 begins today and Election Day is Saturday, June 18.

About the Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas: The Home Builders Association of Greater Dallas is a non-profit trade association dedicated to enhancing its members’ ability to provide safe, affordable, and quality housing to citizens of local communities. The association does this by participating in the legislative process and by promoting new home ownership, industry advancements, and community good works.  The HBA covers a seven-county area of some 5,500 square miles with a population of more than 3 million and is the local affiliate of the Texas Association of Builders and the National Association of Home Builders.  The HBA’s membership includes more than 1,200 builders, developers, and remodelers, suppliers, vendors, and associated businesses and services.

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