Resources

As you contemplate the possibilities for personalizing your new Doering home, here are a few tips to help you. We can build to suit your lifestyle. Elements of architectural style are easily borrowed and it will be easier to identify your personal design style if you see certain elements repeated in your selection. Therefore, we suggest you keep a design file.

• Collect pictures you like from home décor magazines.
• Collect fabric, tile and colour samples that appeal to you.
• Download our new home checklist – click here

Tips:

• Your home tells a story about you, so fill it with objects that you enjoy.  Decorate for you.
• Trends are great, but not always practical for you or your lifestyle.  Ask yourself if your design is one that you’ll be happy with from years from now.  For example, white marble counter-tops look fabulous, but… if you have small children and or you use your kitchen to cook a lot, they are very challenging to keep looking pristine.
• Focus on what’s comfortable and functional for you, your family and your guests.
• Lighting can make all the difference in the look and feel of your home.  Choose good lighting to maximize your surroundings
• Look ahead.  Kitchen and bathroom upgrades tend to offer the most return on investment when it comes time to sell your home, so don’t overlook upgrades like tile and cabinetry.

Trends:

• More intelligent use of space.  Today we’re seeing homes getting smaller while maintaining a high level of comfort.  Look at how that square footage is used and maximize it to fit its function.
• Think about you and your family needs for the time you plan to live in the home, rather than what the market is doing.
• Energy efficiency can save you money and add value to your home.  Energy efficient heating, cooling and ventilation play a role in your families comfort and health especially when it comes to indoor air quality.  Orienting windows in the right direction can help maximize the comfort of your home.
• Building Green makes sense.  Using sustainable building material and Eco-friendly building techniques are better for our environment and better for everyone.
• Flow from the indoor out.  Make sure your floor plan flows from the inside to the exterior to maximize your ability to enjoy the views and the outdoors.

New Home Wish List
Create a list of your needs and use it as a guide to selecting the right home.

To start, some items to consider are:

• Current and future needs of your family
• Square footage and number of bedrooms and bathrooms
• Storage and cabinets space
• Entertainment space (kitchen, great room, patio)
• Neighborhood Amenities
• Proximity to schools, transportation, work, shopping and recreation
• Download our Chart For Wish List – click here

Make a list of rooms to make sure the house plans contain all the areas you want.  Check and measure the rooms in your existing house, then ask if you need more or less space, or just a different configuration.

Don’t forget to ask yourself these questions when filling out your checklists:

• Do you need room for future family growth?
• What is your entertainment style?
• Relaxed or formal?
• Do you entertain a lot?
• Do you need guest rooms?
• Do you need handicap accessibility?
• Does anyone in your family have allergies?

Design Checklist
Get Organized:

Allow enough time for your appointment.  Your design consultant will schedule a generous block of time to understand your style and explore your ideas. To prepare for this, do your research:

• Start with a dream book to hold important ideas, notes, and pictures.
• Explore and make notes of your favorite cabinets, counter-tops, flooring, lighting, bath fixtures, etc.
• Collect pictures of rooms and styles you like.
• Look at magazines, decorating books, and the Internet.
• Look for colours and finishes that appeal to you.

Print out your floor plan and think about how you will arrange your furniture and how you will use your space.  Start thinking about where you want your lighting and outlets for electrical, cable, and phone.

Think about traffic patterns and activities.  This will help guide you in deciding about flooring options.

Our Trusted Suppliers

Every DBG home is built to exacting standards, from structure to systems to finishes. To ensure the highest quality in every phase, we have partnered with select companies that meet our rigorous expectations. The result is an impressive line-up filled with respected names you know and trust,  plus some of the most well-known names in the building industry, companies and people who provide products and materials that we know we can count on day after day so we can build to suit your lifestyle.

• Kohler plumbing fixtures
• Carrier Hi Efficiency Furnaces
• Certainteed Cement board siding
• Owens Corning Roofing product – 30 year duration shingle
• SmartTrim – exterior trim board
• Owens Corning – European Castlestone Cultured Stone Veneers
•  Benjamin Moore Paint