The Art of Custom Podcast

Learn the difference between custom home building and production or "cookie cutter" home building - find out which one is better for you. Kim Hibbs and Danni Eickenhorst of St. Louis home builder Hibbs Homes talk about the advantages to building a home that's truly customized for your lifestyle - and what you can expect as you begin the process.  Download our guide on Questions to Ask Your Home Builder at www.HibbsHomes.com/episode1 Over 12 initial episodes, Danni and Kim will cover architecture, design, types of new construction homes, construction financing and budgeting, smart home technology, designing for seasons of life, and energy efficient home design.  Listen along for all 12 episodes to find out if building is right for you - and to get prepared for your home build. Questions or comments for a future episode? Call our voicemail line at (314) 266-9709 and leave a voicemail. We'll try to include you in an upcoming episode.

We're back! In Season 2 of The Art of Custom podcast, we will be taking a deeper dive into the custom home building process. Follow along with clients Rick and Meredith while they build their dream home in St. Louis's Historic Dogtown Neighborhood. In this season, we'll talk about each part of the custom home building process. We will be with them every step of the construction process from designing the home through moving day! Follow along on The Art of Custom Podcast Homepage - see pictures and videos of the process. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for custom home building inspiration and updates!

Demolition and excavation are officially underway at the Schaper home. We started with the demolition at the property, removing the home that was in disrepair. The next step was excavating the lot to prepare for construction. The lot in this historic neighborhood held a number of surprises for our crews starting with clay soil that has to be improved before it can withstand building. The build turned newsworthy with the discovery of a mine shaft and a historic cistern. The cistern turned out to be a time capsule holding Prohibition-era bottles and artifacts. The Dogtown neighborhood, known for its rich clay soil, has a long history of brickmaking and industry. Many of the challenges we unearthed on this lot were tied to that history.

Season Three Premiere  Did you outgrow your home in 2020? We did too! So much has changed in the home building industry in the last year, so we knew we needed to start fresh with Season Three! This season we are going to take you through each step of the custom home design & building process. Updated with the latest information about home building and with insights from around the country, season three kicks off with a builder's roundtable discussion with Brenda Gage from JayMarc Homes in Washington, Jason Ledyard of Ledyard Homes in Utah, and your host, Kim Hibbs, president of Hibbs Homes in St Louis, MO and Park City, UT. Sit back and enjoy your insider's look at custom home building in 2021! 

Finding the perfect piece of land to call home can be one of the more challenging steps in building a custom home. But having the right home building team in place can simplify the process and, more importantly, help to ensure you buy the right piece of land for your goals. In this episode, we talk to Jan Hibbs of Coldwell Banker Gundaker in St Louis, MO, and JanaLee Jacobson from Berkshire Hathaway in Park City, UT about the land search and how to find the right land to build on. Jan, JanaLee, and Kim talk about what factors you need to consider when deciding where to look for land, maneuvering the challenges of land scarcity in the current market, and what to consider when designing to get the right resale value.

You've found your land, you have your builder - now it's time to start putting pen to paper to turn your vision into a design. Working with an architect to design your dream home is one of the most exciting parts of the custom home building process. And today we're talking to two of our architect partners about how that process works. Jeff Day, a leading high-performance architect in St Louis, and Jamie Walker, a leading designer and architect in the Northern Utah region, join us on today's show. Get some insights into what's coming in home design, the evolution of post-COVID home design, and tips on how to find the right architect for your project. Listen NOW!

For most of us, our homes are the most significant investment we will make in our lifetime. Building a custom home is one of the best ways to get the most out of your time living there, and we want to make sure you get the most financial value from your home. Today, Kim talks to a few experts who can help you figure out how to make sense out of the dollars and cents in your construction budget. Drew Padgett, our senior estimator at Hibbs Homes will start things off by talking about how to make the most of your allowances and some of the terms you'll run into while building your new home. Later, we're joined by Trisha McConkey, one of our lending partners in St Louis, and Ace Allak from People's Home Equity in Northern Utah. Trisha, Ace, and Kim will demystify the construction lending process and help you get an idea of what to expect when you begin the construction financing process. Listen to previous episodes and download our Construction Lending Guide by visiting www.ArtofCustomPodcast.com

It's time to get down to business and start turning some dirt! Today we're talking all about construction and all of the challenges and opportunities that come along with building a home that has never been built before!  Our Director of Construction, Chris Pedigo, and Marketing Director, Melody Meiners, join Kim in the studio to get into the details, expectations, and some of the unexpected parts of building a custom home.

In part two of our series focusing on everything between the studs in your custom home, we talk to experts who weigh in on green construction techniques, benefits, and ways you can measure just how well your home is built. Listen now toyour primer on high-performance home building.

Details are at the heart of custom home building, and sometimes the details can be a little intimidating for our clients. Today we're talking about all the the finishing touches that make your custom home one-of-a-kind. Joining us are in-house designer Anna Entringer and one of our design partners from Utah, Kiley Blackwell.  Later, Stephen Landcaster from Pella Windows and Doors talks to us about windows and doors and their impact on your home's efficiency and design.

Almost every home has a smart device of some type, but what makes a home truly “smart”?   Today, we are talking with the smart home technology experts about how to make your home more convenient, accessible. And safe using connected smart home technology! Learn what the industry does to help keep your home from aging out as new technology comes along and how custom home builders work with low-voltage electrical, sound, and AV equipment suppliers to create a high-tech home.

Planning a home that will be comfortable no matter where life takes you doesn't require a crystal ball. In fact, you don't have to drastically alter your design vision to make your home more accessible at all stages of life, it just requires a little bit of design know-how and a building team who can help you finesse your plans. Today, we're speaking with two of those universal design experts and sharing one story about how adaptive home design can make a world of difference.

You've heard about the home building process from experts from around the country. So we wanted to turn the tables a bit, and share with you what it is like to build your dream home. In today's episode, we go through the home building process step-by-step and share with you what some of our past clients had to say about turning their vision into their forever home. We would like to give a final thank you to our sponsors this season, Pella Windows and Doors and Ferguson Bath, Kitchen, and Lighting Show room. We are busy planning for season four, which we will kick off in fall of 2021! See you then! 1CDAcskqU3Ib2j1DB9hm

We are back for season four of The Art of Custom! This season, we are going to take a deep dive into the details and decisions that elevate any home's design. In this season, we are going to go room by room to discuss the elements that make your home functional, comfortable, and beautiful. To get things started, we are going to start with exteriors. We will talk about the architecture, windows, materials, colors, and more that make your home a stand out. Listen along as we discuss the art of exterior home designs, and get inspired by visiting our website at HibbsHomesUSA.com

Your kitchen is one of the most important areas of your home, and sometimes our clients design an entire home around having a spectacular kitchen. Whether you're a professional chef or professional at ordering carry-out, you won't want to miss this episode where we take a deep dive into the fundamentals of kitchen design. You'll hear from the experts on how to make the most of your kitchen and make it work for you. See more inspiring kitchen designs and start planning your dream home at HibbsHomesUSA.com

It is one of the few places some parents can get complete solitude and it is the one room where anyone can unleash their inner Pavarotti. Today we're talking about the art of bathroom design. From powder rooms to en suites, the basic designs of bathrooms have become anything but basic. There are a lot of important elements that come togegther to make an oustanding bathroom that is as functional as it is relaxing and inspiring. To help us deconstruct this important space, we have Hibbs Homes custom home design team members Anna Entringer and Ann Fritz on the show to share their expertise, talk about bathroom design trends, and share stories about specific custom home projects that feature outstanding bathrooms. 

In the quest for a good night's sleep there is one essential element that will predict your success and that is the design of your bedroom! Everything from the materials on the floor to the layout of the space to the windows are important components to creating a cozy space that is as inviting at the end of the day as it is invigorating at the start. And in today's episode we talk to some of the experts in creating the best bedrooms. Joining us in studio again are Ann Fritz and Anna Entringer from the Hibbs Homes design team, and special guest Meg Minicky Lead Interior Designer at Olive + Opal Interiors in St. Louis, MO. Dreaming about your dream home? Get more inspiration at HibbsHomesUSA.com

If the kitchen is the heart of the home, the great room is the brains of the operation. The open great room is here to stay, and it is the true center of a home's design. A thoughtful design for the great room starts with a great designer and a great builder. Two of our Utah building partners, Jason Ledyard and Bill Van Sickle, sat down with Kim Hibbs to talk about all of the pieces and parts that make a great room, well, great! Get Inspired! Check out our floorplans and more at HibbsHomes USA.com LISTEN NOW!

With the holiday season quickly approaching, many of us are thinking about those spaces where we will gather with friends and family to connect and celebrate. Many of our clients who are in design right now are planning intentional spaces in their homes where they can spend time with their guests, so we wanted to bring in some experts on creating gathering spaces. We are welcoming Amie and Kory Hannah to the show to talk about their experience in designing Air BnB spaces and to share their interesting story about flipping and preserving historic homes in the greater St Louis area. LISTEN NOW!

Whether it is indexing by the colors or the rainbow or defining your organization style using a bug, home organization is a huge trend right now. An “Instagrammable” pantry doesn't happen in a day, and many of our custom home clients are planning ahead and building their organization strategy right into their homes.  To help prepare you to build an organized home we are talking to Lindsey Wolski, a recent client of ours who has taken her custom home organization to social media and is making quite an impact. We also have one of St Louis's leading experts in closet design and organization, Jennifer Williams the founder and president of St Louis Closet Company. See pictures of the Wolski home and more at our website HibbsHomesUSA.com

From work to play, many of the rooms in our homes have started to pull double duty. Creative and productive spaces are taking center-stage in today's episode. We're bringing back one of our premiere Utah home building partners, Lydia Huffman of LH Designs, to discuss home offices and flex spaces. We will go through a variety of unique and practical design considerations and help you get the most of the those productive spaces in your home. Get inspired! Check out our floor plan library at https://hibbshomesusa.com/

Media rooms, playrooms, and other recreational spaces usually find their home in the lower level. Our basements are where many of us feel free to let our imaginations soar when it comes to design and usage. If you're in the process of building or renovating a home, you've likely been thinking about what to do with this space. We have Paul Hamtil of Hamtil Construction and Tony Pratte from The Sound Room joining up to talk about all of the different ways we can use the lower level and how to approach building and designing to make it feel like a natural extension of those above grade living areas that get most of the design love. For show notes and more information, visit us at HibbsHomesUSA.com

More than 2/3rds of homeowners say their outdoor living spaces have taken on a new importance over the last year, according to an October 2021 survey by the New Home Trends Institute. With outdoor living becoming such an essential part of every home's design we wanted to wrap up this season's deep dive into everything design by talking about the new essential living spaces. This week we have a current custom home client joining us in studio, Lisa Valenti. Lisa's design background and her amazing home design made her a perfect fit for this discussion. We're also bringing back friend of the show Brenda Gage from Seattle-area builder JayMarc Homes with some very cutting edge custom spaces that integrate the outdoors and in. For more design inspiration and custom home building resources, check out our website www.HibbsHomesUSA.com

We've hit a milestone - 20,000 downloads! Since a number of our listeners are new to the podcast, we are releasing a bonus episode to introduce ourselves!   In this episode, we hear from president Kim Hibbs about the journey he and wife/vice president Jan Hibbs have been on since founding the company is 2004. Hear about why we build the way we do and why we love this industry!   Learn more about who we are and how we build at HibbsHomesUSA.com

We're back with more insights & inspiration for your home building projects! In season five, host Kim Hibbs & producer Melody Meiners focus on the personalized, unique aspects of home building and design that make a living space truly unique.  To kick off the season, we're talking with Dale & Scott Hendrickson from Sport Court West about the growing demand for at home sport courts. From who is building them to how to design them, The Art of Custom gives you a floor seat to some one of the most interesting new trends in luxury and custom home design. For more information & resources mentioned on the show, check out our show notes: The Art of Custom Podcast

What makes a healthier home and why does it matter? Since the early 2000's, sustainablity has pushed the fundamental way we build and live in our homes. LEED cerification, passive homes, EnergySTAR, and the list goes on. With so many different approaches and terms, though, many homeowners aren't sure what they should focus on. Today, we are talking to one of the country's leading green building experts and an architecture professor about the different approaches, projects, and benefits of building green. Join your hosts, Kim Hibbs and Melody Meiners as they take you through the world of healthy homes with guests Matt Belcher and Ryan Abendroth. Learn More at HibbsHomesUSA.com

The one question on everyone's mind lately is what does it cost to build a new home? For the most part, that cost is up to you! Finishes, complexity, land, and timing have a major impact on what you ultimately pay for your dream home. However, having the right builder/architect team in place before you go into the design process is one of the most important ways you can manage the construction costs of your new home. By including your builder in the process, you can manage your costs and even mitigate some of the cost and timeline risks inherent in building a home that has never been built before.  Getting your builder and your architect involved up front is one of the key ways you can Value Engineer your new home. And if this is your first time building a custom home, you might be curious what that means and how it can help you. To discuss this approach to building, we visited Jeff Day from Jeff Day Architects in St Louis, MO to host a live discussion and take questions. And today we're sharing that conversation on our podcast so you can hear it, too! Learn more at HibbsHomesUSA.com

Building your dream home is a major step, and one that can help you achieve so many other goals! Jamie Walker from Walker Home Design in Holliday, Utah joins us to talk about the changing trends and what it means to build a happy home. 

Joe Schiermann, Vice President of Groundwork Mortgage, joins the podcast and explains how the current economy is impacting construction lending and helps you figure out the best way to borrow for your new home build.   Show notes and Resources: https://www.hibbshomesusa.com/art-of-custom-podcast/

Realtor Alicia Cop joins the show to talk about the advantages of using a Realtor for your new home build and answer questions about the current housing market.   For show notes and resources, visit HibbsHomesUSA.com

We have had the absolute pleasure of working with the Bell Family to build an adaptive, sensory-processing friendly home in Northern Utah. Today, we wanted to share their home story and some information about designing a home with neurodivergence in mind!   For more information, show notes and resources visit HibbsHomeUSA.com/Podcast

There's no place like home, and what a different story it would have been had Dorothy made it to the storm cellar in time. As more extreme weather events pop up around the country and world, builders are finding systems and techniques to protect their clients' investments - and homeowners are starting to take an interest in them. We spoke with Chief Meteorologist Scott Connell from St Louis's NBC affiliate and Matt Belcher, friend of the show and building code developer and educator about how builders and homeowners can build more durable, healthy, and sustainable homes that will last a lifetime.

We are taking a couple weeks off for the holiday, but the latest news about the home building market was too good to keep to ourselves. So, here's a quick bonus episode to keep you posted on what's happening in custom home building right now!

Energy Efficiency Day 2022 is October 5, so we've put together a special episode that focuses on the benefits of building a green home! Your host, Kim Hibbs, will take you through the latest developments in energy-efficient building practices and walk through the practical results you will see while living in your green home! Learn about the practical ways healthier indoor air and efficient resource usage make your daily life more comfortable, and find out how green building can also help create a healthier economy.

Building your dream home is an exciting prospect, but there are so many parts and pieces it can feel overwhelming. So, what does your home builder manage for you, and what should you expect from design through warranty? The Hibbs Homes team comes together to share what the members of your custom home building team does and how they help you manage the home building process. Listen now to see behind the curtain & find out what happens when you're bringing a dream home to life!

With the start of the school year just behind us and the holidays on the horizon, many of us are in organization mode. Since we know our listeners love organization episodes, we thought we'd bring in an expert to discuss how to plan your floor plan for better organization. Susan Stewart, owner of Perfectly Placed Organization, joins us to talk about those trouble areas and some floor plan tips so you can maximize your organization capabilities in your next home.

Warning: This episode mentions suicide. If you're struggling, help is out there. Listener discretion is advised.

Artist Zack Smithey has been featured on several national outlets because his container home pushes the idea of making your home a work of art to a whole new level. Smithey joins the podcast to talk about his journey through home building and how he repurposed materials to make his one-of-a-kind home such a standout. View Zack's Home

SEASON SIX PREMIERE: Finding the right home builder for your new home construction project starts with deciding if you want to build a custom, semi-custom, or production home. Since we exclusively build custom homes, we love the one-of-a-kind route but know that isn't the best choice for every one. So how do you decide? To start our sixth season off with a bang, we're breaking down the different approaches to new home building, as well as the pros and cons of each. Joining us to discuss the details of each approach is Mark Rasch from Benchmark Homes in St Louis, MO. Want more? Visit our podcast show notes for a guide to hiring a general contractor and more.

When you're building a new home you may not realize it, but there are many different choices when it comes to insulation types and how they function in your home's overall thermal envelope. And those choices make a big difference when it comes to your home's comfort and performance. To help set the record straight and help you figure out what is best for your home, we break down the different insulation options and help you become an insulation connoisseur. Joining us is Mike Pruett from Goley Insulation in St Louis, who helps us answer common questions and discuss the pros and cons of different insulation types. Visit our show notes for more information about high-performance building and to find other episodes: The Art of Custom Podcast

Figuring out how you will fund your construction project and securing the right piece of land to build on are critical first steps in the process of building your dream home. However, the steps can feel a little murky, especially if this is your first time building a home. Add to the confusion the recent headlines about interest rate increases, and you may be thinking your dream home vision is further away than you thought. Before you put your construction plans on hold, Trisha McConkey from Associated Bank (four time guest and friend of the show) is here to help you figure out how to start building your home today and spend less than you would if you waited.

In this episode, we discuss the Lahaina Miracle House and how the choice of building materials made it resilient in the devastating August 2023 Maui Wildfire. We bring back an episode about weather-resistant materials with Chief Meteorologist Scott Connell to discuss guarding your home against severe weather events. If you would like to help the victims of the wildfires, text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation from your phone.

A dream home starts with a vision, and the journey between vision and reality starts with a roadmap. In this episode, we discuss the important steps every homeowner must take when they are planning and preparing - the homework, if you will, that will make talking to builders and architects easier. So hold onto your hard hats as we take you through those crucial steps of planning and preparing for your custom home construction project.   Learn more at find resources for your project HibbsHomeUSA.com

While it might seem like something out of a movie, 3D printed homes are popping up around the world and here in the US. One company who is moving these incredibly efficient, sustainable building out in the residential, commercial, and defense sectors is Texas-based ICON Technologies. Spender Padgett, Vice President of Construction Operations at ICON, joins us on this episode to discuss this incredible technology that is being used to take us to the stars and to improve living conditions right here on earth.

How many times have you thought about building your dream home and noticed it is in a spot far-far way from home? Distance doesn't have to make that dream seem unreachable - you just need the right tools to manage a long-distance relationship with your dream home building team! In this episode, we talk with Kelly Day who is building her home in Park City, UT with our Hibbs Luxury Homes team - all while living across the country and traveling even further away for work. Kelly and her project designer, Lydia Huffman from LH Designs, join Kim to talk about what they've learned about the process and to share tips about making that dream home far-far away feel closer than you imagined. Find show notes and more on our website - Art of Custom Podcast Happy Building!

Excavation and pouring foundation might seem like the most straightforward step of the home building process, but there are different approaches. And the way your builder handles your foundation and excavation can impact the comfort, durability, performance - and pricing! In this episode we discuss the process and how you can make your foundation as high-performing as the rest of your home. For show notes and more visit HibbsHomesUSA.com

In this episode, we sit down with a seasoned expert who has made it his mission to make the custom building process better for clients and builders. Duayne Pearce of D Pearce Constructions in Brisbane, Australia joins the show to talk about the best practices for custom home building and how he is making dream homes a reality in the land down under!

Too hot, too cold, or just right? Your comfort at home relies on having the right HVAC and air handling systems in place. And when you're building your home, knowing that options are available and what to consider goes a long way in making sure your home is comfortable and high performing. In this episode, we're talking all things HVAC with Brad Hill from Hill & Mehr Heating & Air Conditioning in Northern Utah.

Curious about the ever-changing world of construction financing? In this special bonus episode, we sit down with friend of the show Trisha McConkey to talk about the latest in lending. From insights on recent announcements from the Fed to predictions on what may be coming - Trisha and Kim dig in and give you the dirt on how to decide when is the right time to start your build. Your dream home awaits - so let's talk construction lending in 2024! Find show notes and more on our website: Art of Custom Podcast