St Louis Home Building Blog
Kim Hibbs Lifetime Delegate to NAHB
Kim Hibbs Elected Lifetime Delegate to NAHB We are excited to congratulate Kim Hibbs, Founder and CEO, on his election as a Lifetime Delegate to the Leadership Council of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Kim’s commitment to excellence and leadership in the homebuilding industry have earned him this designation, which allows him to …
9 Ways to Simplify Your Home Design and Save
9 Ways to Simplify Your Custom Home Design & Save As your custom home builder, our job is to partner with you to make sure your project matches your vision and construction budget goals. One of the ways we do this by working closely with your architect to value engineer your design and develop a …
Should I Build a New Home for Retirement?
Why Building a New Home for Retirement Makes Sense Planning for life post-retirement is an opportunity to build a lifestyle that reflects your unique tastes and aspirations. And deciding how to spend your newly found free time opens up a world of possibilities. Another important consideration when transitioning into retirement is where you’re going to …
Do Green Homes Have a Higher Resale Value?
Do Green Homes Have a Higher Resale Value? Green home building is more than just an industry buzz word, it is a body of home construction techniques and practices that are gaining importance for home builders, homeowners, and homebuyers. Beyond benefits to the environment, building a green home is about crafting homes measurably more energy-efficient, …
Tour One of Our Kirkwood Custom Homes
Tour One of Our Kirkwood Custom Home Projects “Building for the Next 100 Years” Home Tour Benefits Kirkwood Historical Society A rare opportunity to tour one of our completed custom homes is just around the corner – and you won’t want to pass this one up! On December 2, 2023 Kirkwood Lifestyle Magazine is hosting …
Hibbs Homes Wins Custom Home of the Year 2022
Crafting Bespoke Homes as Exceptional as Our Clients Hibbs Homes Wins Fourth Consecutive Custom Home of the Year We’re thrilled to announce that Hibbs Homes has again been recognized for our commitment to excellence in the home building industry! On April 13th, we had the honor of receiving the 2022 Custom Home of the Year …
Value Engineering Your Custom Home Design
Bonus Episode: Value Engineering Your home’s Design 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 …
The Four “L’s” That Impact Your Home’s Price
New Home Construction Costs & The “Four L’s” If you’re considering building a custom home, you may be wondering how much it is going to cost. Because you have control over so many aspects – from location to floor plan to finishes – the cost to build your dream home is largely dependent on how …
What Makes a High-Performance Home Different?
What Makes a High-Performance Home Different? If this is your first time building a new home, you may be wondering what exactly is a high-performance home? Put simply, a high-performance home is built with a reliance precision, superior processes, and the high-quality materials. Sometimes called sustainable or green homes, high-performance homes are measured and compared …
Modern Home Architecture Trends
Quick Guide to Modern Custom Home Architecture Styles What is your vision for your dream home? That is the first question we ask homeowners because a custom home always starts with a vision. A well-built home is important to all of our clients, but the decision to build a custom home isn’t always inspired by …
Event: Construction Costs & Lending Live Q&A
What Does it Cost to Build a Custom Home? Join Our Facebook Live Q&A on May 18 @ 11:30am CST/10:30am MDT Untangling new home construction costs and financing in 2021 can be a challenge. But armed with the right information you can make the best decision for your budget and your project. To help you …
Five Luxury Must Haves When Building a Home in 2021
2021 Luxury Home Building Must-Haves Designing and building your new home from scratch is an exciting and rewarding process that give you the opportunity to build the your dream home to your exact vision and specifications. Whether you choose to work with an architect to create a floor plan from scratch or decide to modify …
Home Design Must Haves: Luxury Outdoor Living
Outdoor Living Must Haves When Building a Luxury Home Building a home in a luxury mountain community or overlooking bluffs and rivers lends itself to design a home that beautifully integrates the indoors and out. Over the last year, we have a shift in our client’s priorities and outdoor living has become a central feature …
How to Find the Right Architect for Your Custom Home
It’s safe to say we all have our own ideas of what the perfect home looks like. Choosing to build a custom home means you can bring those ideas to life by having an architect incorporate your vision into your home’s design. The key to reaching your home design goals is finding the right architect. …
Why Contemporary Architecture Costs More – And Some Tips to Help You Save!
Why Modern Architecture Costs More to Build… and Ways To Save! As you begin designing your custom home, there are a lot of questions you’ll want to ask about function – number of bedrooms, bathrooms, cars in the garage, and more. The other big question you’ll need to answer at the beginning of your home …
2021 Luxury Home Design Trends Forecast
Preview 2021 Luxury Home Design Trends & Get Inspired for Your Custom Home Selections Process Building a custom home with Hibbs Homes means you can be as hands-on with your new home’s design and construction process as you choose. Maybe you’ve been planning your dream house for decades, like the clients we built the award-winning …
5 Tips to Create a Healthier Home for Baby
When it comes to baby-proofing your home, safety is often the first thing to come to mind. For most, that means installing safety latches, locks on cabinetry, and baby gates. However, there’s much more to it than that! It’s also essential to ensure your home promotes optimal health for your baby, from improving the air …
The Ultimate List of “Must Haves” When Building a New Home (Updated!)
When working with a custom home builder, you have a chance to create the house of your dreams. There are so many major details you’ve probably already thought of – your ideal kitchen cabinets, the layout of your master bathroom – but what about the finer details? This updated list for 2023 of 14 “must-haves” …
Your Guide to Smart Home Automation
Smart Home & Automation Options to Consider for Your Custom Home. Building a custom home is an excellent opportunity to integrate the latest smart home technology into your home and everyday life. Just a few years ago it was smart thermostats and security that defined a smart home. In 2021, custom homes have become high-tech …
3 Benefits of Working With a Realtor When Building a New Home
While building a custom home is a dream come true for many, navigating the process can be a little tricky. Having the right team by your side can make all the difference. An experienced home builder is obviously a must, but choosing a good realtor is just as important. Not only can they work with …
5 Ways the Pandemic is Changing Home Design
Home has taken on a new meaning and importance for all of us since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As our homes turned into our offices, movie theaters, and Friday night date spots, we started to see where we needed more counter space for food prep or where we needed better lighting to work …
What’s Trending in Outdoor Living & Entertaining
Photo Credit: Frisella Nursery With many families spending more time at home now more than ever, it’s no surprise that many of our clients want to invest in their outdoor living space. And who could blame them? A thoughtfully designed outdoor living space is a great way to add value to your home, both from …
The Latest Developments in Home Design for Aging In Place
Designing Your Dream Home for Aging in Place Our team has had the pleasure of building dream homes of all sizes and styles over the last twenty years. We have seen a lot of design trends comes and go, but some have staying power – like Universal Home Design. We’ve seen a growing number of …
Trends We Love: Multi-Generational & Homestead Living
When designing and building a custom home, it’s essential to plan for the future. Incorporating flexibility into your home design allows it to grow with your family as your needs change. Part of those changes may be caring for aging and elderly family members, which has become more and more common over the years. This …
12 Home Design Trends for 2020
As a custom design-build firm, our team at Hibbs Homes knows that good interior design isn’t just decor and furnishings. A truly magnificent home design starts with the architectural elements. Features like the home’s layout, as well as the materials, shapes, and textures used throughout set the tone for the rest of the design elements. Keep reading for twelve of our favorite home design trends for 2020.
Webster Groves Active House USA
Active House USA IN WEBSTER Groves, MO Hibbs Homes & the Smith Family Build a North American Prototype Home for Energy Efficient Construction Designed by Jeff Day & Associates Architects and built by Hibbs Homes, this special home is the very first Active House built in the United States. Located in the historic suburb of …
Family Builds An Energy-Efficient Forever Home
How One Family Built Their Energy-Efficient Forever Home The Derner family lived in a home that suited almost all of their needs, but the biggest problem they had with the home was the location. The couple no longer worked near the area they were living in anymore, so they knew it was time for a …
Couple Builds An Energy Efficient Home for Aging in Place
With four children, eight grandchildren, and a growing congregation to serve, Mark and Gayle Friz dreamed of a day that they’d have enough space to host them all in their home. The Friz’s serve as a pastoral couple at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church in Creve Coeur, where they’ve been serving since 1994. The couple has …
What is a High-Performance Home? The Difference is Measurable.
Our High-Performance Homes Are Built Above Code & Exceed Energy Efficient Standards by 40-60% As Missouri’s Best Energy Efficient Custom Home Builder, we rely on two of the nation’s most rigorous measures for energy-efficient building: RESNET’s Home Energy Rating System and the EPA’s ENERGY Star home building standards. By using these quality measures as a …
How High Performance Homes Focus on Water Conservation
Using high performance home design practices, Hibbs Homes makes it a point to make efforts to improve water conservation in the homes we build.
How Smart Technology Reduces Your Energy Bills
We’re halfway through April and Earth Day is just around the corner. In honor of the occasion, we wanted to share the benefits of using smart technology in your home. While smart home features are convenient, they also help your home run more efficiently and reduce your energy bills – which is great for the …
Download Our Dream Home Design Worksheet!
Get Your Dream Home Design Worksheet Building your custom home is a fun and exciting process! After all – you are building a home personalized for your lifestyle and goals. Our number one focus is making sure you have the best experience bringing your dreams and design ideas to life. You may have an exact …
Building a Better Thermal Envelope
Green construction experts at Hibbs Homes share how they’re making Proud Green Home St. Louis even more energy efficient. Just like the computer you are reading this on, the technology that keeps your home humming is always evolving. With the introduction of design innovations and due to basic wear and tear, a home’s HVAC system …
Custom Home Construction Loans: 4 things you should know
By Trisha McConkey, Associated Bank Associated Bank is here to help you when you’re ready to break ground on your custom with Hibbs Homes. With our interest-only construction loan options, your dream home will quickly become reality at an affordable rate. How much out-of-pocket money is required to qualify for construction financing? Our interest-only construction …
Your Complete Guide to Designing and Building Your Dream Home from Home
With so many people working from home due to COVID-19 restrictions, many of our day-to-day interactions with clients has shifted online, but we continue to work closely with clients to move their projects forward – through design, budgeting, and even construction while leveraging online tools. Curious about what that process might look like? We’ve pulled …
3 Questions to Ask About Your Builder’s Home Warranty
Building a new home is one of the biggest investments you’ll make. In addition to getting the most out of your investment, you also want to protect it. That’s why it’s important to ask about a potential home builder about their home warranty before signing with them. A clear understanding of what is covered under the warranty will ensure there …
Designing a Home Office for Productivity
With so many of us working from home these days, good home office design has become critical to productivity and sanity! As a custom home builder, one of the first things we do when we meet with a client is to sit down and talk to them about their priorities for their home’s design. Increasingly, …
Tips for Hiring a General Contractor to Build Your Custom Home
When hiring a general contractor to build your custom home, it’s vital to do your homework. Ending up with the wrong general contractor or home builder can be a costly headache, but taking the time to research professionals in your area will help you in the long run. Not sure what to look for during …
Tips to Avoid a Double Move When Building Your New Home
Closing is one of the most exciting days of the custom home building process! You’re finally able to call the house you watched grow from dream to reality home. Prospective clients often ask us how they can avoid a double move when selling their house and building a custom home. The first thing we tell …
Top 7 Luxury Home Features of 2020
Today’s custom homes have more luxury features than ever before, and it’s no surprise these features have become must-haves when it comes to building a new home. As a custom design-build firm in St. Louis, Hibbs Homes makes it a point to listen to our homeowners, and the top luxury home features they request most …
5 Easy Ways to Upgrade Your Home's Landscaping
When designing a new home, landscaping may not be at the forefront of your mind. Most people tend to think more about selecting the interior finishes like countertops, tile, and floor coverings. While landscaping may not be as exciting, ensuring your home’s exterior is just as beautiful as the interior is important. After all, the …
Best Energy Efficient Home Builder in Missouri
We are proud to share that we have been named the Best Energy Efficient Home Builder in Missouri by BUILD Magazine for the second year in a row! This award is given to home builders who work tirelessly to ensure the global community decreases its collective carbon footprint by employing high-performance building techniques that both …
Measuring the Energy Efficiency of Your Custom Home
Hibbs Homes Meet Multiple Standards for Energy Efficiency and Quality Craftsmanship As Missouri’s Best Energy Efficient Custom Home Builder, we approach every home that we build with energy savings in mind. We strive to provide our clients with a truly better-built custom home – and this starts from the bottom up. Small details such as …
5 Tips for Baby-Proofing Your Home
Have a new arrival on the way? Before you know it, your baby is going to be crawling throughout your home, so it’s important that your home is ready for a baby on the move. Aside from the basics such as checking smoke alarm batteries and compiling a list of emergency phone numbers, there are …
Building a Home in 2020? Here are 4 Things You Need to Know.
If you’re planning to build a custom home in 2020, you have an exciting year ahead of you. One year from today, you could be in the home of your dreams – and we hope that we’re the builder that helped you get there. As you start your planning, here are 4 things that you …
10 New Home Features Every Pet Owner Needs
Pet owners everywhere can agree that our furry friends are more than just a pet-they’re a part of the family. So, ensuring they’re comfortable in your home is very important. With that in mind, we’re sharing 10 new home features to make your home a pet friendly custom home. Check them out below! 3. Pet …
10 Ways a New Home Provides More Value
Considering purchasing a new home in the future but can’t decide between building a new home or buying an existing one? While both are great options, building a new home provides more value than purchase a previously lived-in home. Don’t believe us? Keep reading for ten ways a custom-built home gives homeowners more bang for their …
What Sets Hibbs Homes Apart From Other Home Builders
At Hibbs Homes, we recognize there are many St. Louis home builders to choose from when building a new home. While the home building market is chock full of worthy competition, we firmly believe working with our team is a one-of-a-kind experience. So, what sets up apart from other home builders? We’re glad you asked! …
Local Veteran Receives Mortgage-Free Custom Home
On June 27th, we had the privilege and honor of presenting US Army Spc Heath Howes and his family with their mortgage-free custom home in Wildwood. We were joined by many of our vendors and community partners who generously donated their time and materials to give the Howes family their dream home. US Army …
Hibbs Gives: Our Day of Service with Home Sweet Home
Each quarter, we ask our team to take a break from the office and our construction sites to focus on giving back to the community. Today, our team volunteered in the warehouse of one of our favorite organizations: Home Sweet Home in Brentwood. At Hibbs Homes, we believe that everyone deserves their dream home. We …
Mastering the Perfect En Suite Bathroom
Things to Consider When Designing the Master Bathroom in Your Custom Home When it comes to the loo there are only a few things that are appropriate to bring up in polite conversation, and a well designed bathroom falls squarely into that category. When buying and selling a house, behind the basic structure and kitchen, …
DIY Design: Bringing it all together with custom home design details
Interior Design Details in Your Custom Home Design Deliberate home design is not just about custom floor plans, it is also about what you do inside your space and how that compliments your lifestyle and family. What suits one family may not be ideal for another – but there are a few easy design elements …
Is Your Contractor Qualified to Work on Your Home?
If you’re planning on remodeling your home, only qualified contractors should do the work. As of April 2010, if your home was build before the lead paint ban in 1978, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) now requires your contractor to be certified before working in your home. The program is called: Renovation, Repair and Painting …
St. Louis Architect Fuses Universal Design & Green Home Building Practices
Architect Curtiss Byrne Designs High Performance Homes That Allow Owners To Age in Place St. Louis architect Curtiss Byrne graduated from Washington University with a Master’s degree in Architecture in 1992, and has been hard at work designing projects from small remodels to large custom homes since that time. Through his many years of hands-on …
How We Minimize Waste During a Construction Project
Have you ever stopped to wonder how much waste is produced during the construction of a new home? According to a study performed by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), “an estimated 8,000 lbs on waste is created from the construction of a 2,000 square foot home.” Crazy, right? With that in mind, Hibbs …
5 Landscaping Tips for Your New Home
When it comes to designing your brand-new custom home, there’s one detail that may slip by the wayside; landscaping. We get it, picking your home’s design and selecting finishes like floor coverings, tile, and countertops often take center stage. Still, landscaping your home is just as important as designing its interior. At Hibbs Homes, we …
Tips for Selecting the Perfect Paint Palette for Your Home
You hear it all the time; the most important rooms of the house are kitchens and baths. That is true and backed up by survey after survey, but if you don’t have the money for a full kitchen or bath remodel but still want to improve the look and feel of your home we recommend …
8 Luxury Backyard Ideas to Elevate Your Home's Design
When it comes to building a brand-new custom home, the luxury design details aren’t limited to the interior of the home. Incorporating those elements into the home’s exterior design and backyard are just as important. Here are eight of our favorite luxury backyard ideas to elevate your custom home’s design and create a space your …
The Best Luxury Home Features in 2019
Over the years, Hibbs Homes has built our fair share of luxury homes. While each home is customized to suit our client’s needs, there are some features that continue to make an appearance time and time again. Though 2019 will see changes in the top luxury home features, we’re confident some features will continue to …
Hibbs Homes Named Best Energy Efficient Home Builder in Missouri
We are proud to share that we have been named the Best Energy Efficient Home Builder in Missouri by BUILD Magazine. This award is given to home builders who work tirelessly to ensure the global community decreases its collective carbon footprint by employing high performance building techniques that both reduce energy usage and material waste. …
Financial Incentives & Tax Credits for Net Zero Homes
These days, many homeowners are looking for ways to make their homes more energy efficient not only to reduce their energy bills but to also reduce negative impacts on the environment. To do this, many have opted to upgrade their existing homes or build a new energy efficient home from scratch. These green homes are …
Architect Highlight: Sustainable Design Expert Jeff Day
Jeff Day is the founder of Jeff Day & Associates, a Manchester-based architecture firm specialized in beautiful, sustainable design. Jeff and his team have been our partners in many of our residential construction projects, including our Active House USA project – the first Active House in North America. We sat down with Jeff to learn …
5 Important Safety Items For Your Home
When it comes to home safety, we all want to believe we have nothing to worry about. The truth is, an emergency can happen to anyone, at any time, which is why it is important to be prepared. Having the right safety items on hand will go a long way in preventing or minimizing an …
Energy Saving Tips for Your Home
Utility bills getting you down? You’re not the only one! Luckily, there are some relatively easy ways homeowners can make their home more sustainable and energy efficient. Whether you recently moved into a new home or are looking for simple ways to make an older home more sustainable and reduce your energy bills, we’ve got …
From Cookie Cutter to Custom Home: A Client’s Home Building Journey
Wildwood Home Building Clients Justin & Kristen Share Their Experience Building a Truly Custom Home “Two years ago, my wife Kristen and I found out we were going to have our second child. We were living in a nice startup home, a small 1400 ft ranch home in Fairview Heights, IL., and we knew we …
Hibbs Homes Partners with Make-A-Wish Missouri to Reveal Little Girl's Wheelchair-Accessible Playhouse
On Tuesday, our team had the honor of giving 8 year-old Tilly her wish. Tilly is a Make-A-Wish Missouri recipient battling a neuromuscular disorder and her one true wish was to have a wheelchair accessible playhouse. Our team worked to develop a playhouse that would would be fully wheelchair accessible. To achieve this, we …
Custom Home Breaks Ground For Veteran & Family
On Thursday March 22, we had the great pleasure of breaking ground on a new mortgage-free custom home in Wildwood’s Hawk’s Rest community for US Army SPC Heath Howes and his family. Construction for the Operation FINALLY HOME custom home will be underway later this spring. We look forward to inviting the public to join …
KMOV: Groundbreaking on new home for local vet held in Wildwood
Original story can be found here. A local veteran and his family will soon have a brand new home of their own to call their own. Thursday, officials broke ground on a custom home for U.S. Army Specialist Heath Howes. The home will be built in Wildwood. Howes’ wife and their two boys are grateful …
Building Healthier Homes: Indoor Air Quality
Building Healthier Homes by Design How the Indoor Air Quality in Your Home Impacts Your Health New parents know all too well the weight of responsibility and overwhelming love that leads to middle-of-the-night checks on little ones – just to be sure that their little chests are rising and falling as they sleep. It is …
Easy Living: Key Features for a Low Maintenance Home
You commute to work. You struggle to fit in workouts where you can. Your teenager is 30 hours into the science fair project that would never end. Our lives seem fuller than ever – and our hours more scarce. For that reason, we work with our clients to build low maintenance homes – ones that will …
The Power of Zero: Inside Net Zero Home Building
What is net zero home home building? Net-Zero , or as we call them at Hibbs Homes, “Hibbs Zero” is a type of home that is grid-tied, meaning they produce as much of the renewable energy as they consume on a yearly basis. The result is a dramatic reduction in energy bills, in some cases – …
Hibbs Zero: Net Zero Energy Efficient Homes now available
Net Zero Homes generate more energy than they use, providing value, payback We have long been pioneers in building energy efficient homes in Missouri. Now, we are looking to increase the number of energy-efficient homes in the St Louis region in a big way. Just in time for Earth Day, we are presenting our home …
St. Louis’ Best Trick-or-Treating Neighborhoods
If you live in a neighborhood with little to no trick-or-treating, you may want to seek a new destination for your family to join in the festivities. But where do you go? While there are many pieces of criterion that help to determine which neighborhoods make for the best trick-or-treating, one in particular stands out …
Expert Tip: Consider BIBS Insulation
As a green home builder, we often rely on something called BIBS insulation to help us build better high-performance homes. On our YouTube channel, you can find a video of our crews insulating BIBS insulation a custom home being built in Chesterfield, Missouri. It’s been one of our most popular videos, so we wanted to share …
Comparing Production, Semi-Custom & Custom Homes
By: Kim Hibbs, Owner If thinking about building a new home, you have a few options. Knowing the differences between a tract (production), semi-custom and custom home will help you make the decision that is right for you and your family. Tract/production housing is a development in which multiple similar homes are built on a …
Best Neighborhood Holiday Lights in St. Louis
If you’re lucky enough to spend your holidays in St. Louis, you have many incredible options for holiday lights in St. Louis and around the region – from the Missouri Botanical Gardens to Wild Lights at the St. Louis Zoo, but the unsung heroes of this festive season are the homeowners who spend days stringing …
