Why YOU should use Seay Builders to remodel your lake home...

1. Reputation ~ Check around - we have a great reputation with past clients, suppliers, subcontractors, and financial institutions.
2. In House Design ~ Doug listens to his clients' needs and desires and puts their dreams on paper using CAD. Whether it's a new home or a remodel, we can do it! Changes are easily made and adjustments are a breeze. Design work is free if we do the work!
3. Fully Licensed & Insured ~ Seay Builders holds a Intermediate License in North Carolina and a Class A License in Virginia. We carry General Liability and Workers Compensation Insurance.
4. Quality ~ Doug knows how to build a quality home and does! On the jobsite with hammer in hand, he is a hands on builder.
5. Eliminate The Unknowns ~ We try to estimate a "true cost" of your home or remodel. No low ball prices here. Some items may have allowances but we strive to have budgets that are realistic.
6. Exceed Expectations ~ All the bad things you hear about contractors will not be found with us! Read some of our letters from past customers...we exceed your expectations.

A common question from clients is "what is your price per square-foot?" For Seay Builders' construction and remodeling business it doesn't work that way. For us, it's an impossible question to answer without a lot more information and detail about your ideas for your new home. It's like asking, "How much does a vacation cost?" without first knowing where and for how long you plan to go and how you plan to get to your location. We are like a travel agent working with you to plan a trip.

The details and therefore the cost of every home is different. It is our job to finely detail your wants and needs and then build a home that meets those expectations while remaining within your budget.

Still, the price per square-foot cost question comes up. It might be a helpful exercise to understand what goes into or affects the cost of a new home to gain a better perspective on this question.

The costs of similarly sized homes can vary due to their location, the footprint of the building, the complexity of the rooflines, the presence of a basement, the number of levels in the home, and the size of the garage. Fireplaces, decks, porches, patios, and many other items not directly related to the actual square footage directly affect the costs. This can include the design characteristics of the home and the interior finishes that may be selected.

Even the shape of the home affects the cost... think about geometry. If we were to draw a 10′ x 10′ square on a chalk board we would create an imaginary room with 100 sq ft. If we drew a 2′ x 50′ rectangle on the same chalk board we would again create a 100 sq. ft. room (even though that would be weird...). To build the first room the building would require 40 linear feet of wall space. That is, framing, drywall, insulation, masonry, etc. To build the second 100 sq. ft. room the building would require 104 linear feet of wall space. While no one would want a 2 x 50 room, the example demonstrates that while the square footage remains the same, the cost to produce that footage increases the more you deviate from the original box. It's not by accident that production or even spec builders that offer the most affordable homes stay close to the box to reduce their costs, and are thus able to quote square foot costs.

Getting a custom builder into the design process can save you thousands of dollars and lots of aggravation. As it is extremely easy to be reigned in by a "low ball" price that does not include even necessary utilities like well and septic.

The best way to determine the cost of a new home is to have a set of home plans and specifications made by an architect or home designer - or, better yet, a builder/designer with your budget in mind. Then bring both of these to the builders of your choice. Every builder will have to determine the cost based on all the facts (apples for apples). This approach will save you time and money and eliminate a lot of anxiety. We not only recommend this approach, but will draw the plans and supply the specifications and only charge for them if the home is not built by Seay Builders.

Call us... We would love to help you with your dream home!

In most of the homes Seay Builders has built in the last 7 years, we have used a product called Logix. You can get a link to "Logix" on our home page by clicking the icon. Logix is a brand of I. C. F. or Insulated Concrete Form. In most of our homes built with Logix, we have used the product to construct the basement walls. (Although, in a lot of home designs, all the walls can be built using I. C. F.!) The Logix blocks are stacked up on top of the poured footing and secured and braced. Once this process is complete, plumbing and other utilities holes are cut, formed, and checked, and concrete is pumped into the hollow cavities of the block. The result is a strong and super insulated basement.

The exterior walls underground still must be waterproofed, but any exterior treatment can be applied to the above ground walls from brick to stone to cedar or cement siding. Since the Logix blocks come reinforced, the interior walls are ready for electrical rough-in and sheetrock.

Check out the Logix website for more information! http://www.logixicf.com/

We get asked this question alot... and why does a homeowner need to know?

What is seer?

An air conditioner seer rating is a Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating for central air conditioner unit. Seers rating only apply to cooling power for central air conditioner unit and Heat Pump (cooling mode).

Air conditioner seer describes how well central air conditioner converts electricity to cool power on specific cost of electricity. A seer rating doesn't tell how well central air conditioner units cool. Most people believe that higher seer rating will cool better. That is not true.

Who came up with air conditioning efficiency?

Air conditioner seer was developed by the Department of Energy in 1979 as measurement to rate air conditioner equipment.

Seer ratings explain how efficient central Ac units/Heat Pumps convert electricity to cooling power.

Seer rating is a universal standard of measurement to determine the energy efficiency of central air conditioner unit and Heat Pump.

It was designed to improve AC unit energy efficiency. The Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) also adapted this measurement to their standard.

Thanks for reading!