One of the hardest parts about building a new house or doing a major remodel is making sure that you do it without any regrets. Who wants to spend THAT much time and money on something and then wish that you would’ve done it differently? Absolutely no one. But, on the other hand, is it even possible to build a new house and make all of the right decisions the first time around? Probably not. The reason being, how will you know how your family will live in your new space befor

With the summer months on the horizon, many of our clients are thinking about ways that they can enjoy the exterior of their home during the warmer months. What’s better than sitting out on your deck and enjoying a cocktail, right? Maybe you love relaxing on the deck with your morning coffee while the kids play in the yard? Whatever it is, there’s no doubt that adding a deck to your home will be one of those decisions you’ll be so glad you made. If a deck project might be in

It’s no secret that the thought of a home construction project can bring on anxiety for just about anyone. Building or remodeling the most expensive thing that you own can be stressful, and paying for it is typically the root of the anxiety. So, why can’t there be a way to make homeowners feel more at ease so that this process can be a more enjoyable one? Well, I feel like there is. Educating clients (and potential clients) about the home building or remodeling process is so

1. How Long Does It Really Take to Build a New House? So often we get calls from potential clients who are considering building a new home, but aren’t quite ready to dive right in. There are so many factors to consider if building a new home might be in your future. The obvious one is what the cost will be. But beyond the cost, building has to fit into your lifestyle too. It’s an undertaking that requires some coordination. Maybe you’re renting and need to figure out how many

Did you hear the news? Today is the first official day of spring! It’s about darn time if you ask me. It makes me so happy to know that warmer sun, longer days, and the world turning green are just around the corner for us. This is the time of year when homeowners start thinking about getting their yard ready for the summer, and it’s the perfect time to do some pre-planning. Make a plan now for turning your yard green this year so that you can be enjoying a drink on your pati

When it comes to designing your new house or your remodel project, let’s face it – the laundry room probably doesn’t get the attention that it deserves. It doesn’t deserve design attention because you’ll be having so much fun when you’re in there (at least I don’t think so) but considering that it’s a space that you’ll spend time in pretty much every day, I think it justifies a second look. There are lots of great ways to make this room of your home functional, efficient, and

Just like the world of fashion, the building industry has its own fads and trends. In recent years, the open concept floor plan has become increasingly popular. It’s a far stretch from the compartmentalized homes of the past, and the overall idea is that there are no walls separating your kitchen, dining area, and living space. Personally, I love this concept and decided to plan our entire home around the fact that I wanted the open concept living space. There were a few main

Us Wisconsinites, along with so many others living in the upper Midwest, are bracing ourselves for some record-breaking cold coming our way this week. I’m not just talking the type of winter temps that we should all be accustomed to from living in our state… I’m talking REAL cold, like the kind that I thought only existed in the North Pole. My weather app right now is showing a low of -29 degrees on Wednesday night after a balmy high of -13 degrees during the day. And these a

If you ask me, choosing a kitchen countertop for your new home or your remodel project is exciting. A countertop can totally set the tone for the style you are going for in the kitchen. It’s also a part of your house that you will literally use and look at multiple times a day. Unless you’ve really spent the time doing research, it’s hard to know what kind of kitchen top will be the best for you. It’s super common for our clients to ask for a little help with this category an

Designing your new home can be fun for everyone in your family – even the kids! A goal that I had in mind as we were building was to purposefully create areas throughout the house that were kid-friendly. When you have little kids, of course your WHOLE home has to be kid-friendly… but I loved the idea of making a few areas special to them while still having these spots blend into our home’s overall look and décor. After living in our house for about a year now, I am so glad th

When it comes to home building, nobody likes feeling any regret. I think part of the anxiety that comes along with building a new house is wanting to make sure that you get every single thing right, right from the beginning. There are so many decisions to make, so many options that you could choose from, and so many things you could splurge on! In our tech-savvy world, we’re surrounded by all of these amazing home ideas and it’s tough to figure out which are the best for you.

It may sound cliché, but starting your home on a good foundation is a crucial first step in building. This means making sure that your house gets placed according to plan on the lot, that it’s set at the correct elevation, and that all of the walls are square. It sounds easier than it really is. Before building my own home, I had no clue what all went into building a foundation. This may be a step of the building process where you rely heavily on your builder to make sure tha

Happy Halloween everyone! With the thought of getting lots of visitors to your front porches tonight, I figured that this was the perfect time to talk more about what people see when they first walk up to your home – your front porch! It’s really your chance to make a first impression for anyone coming to your home, or in some cases for people driving by. For me, it was always an exciting part of the house to think about decorating! Especially for seasons like fall. How fun i

If words like “backfill,” “zero-step entry,” and “granular fill” aren’t in your vocabulary yet, they will be once you build a home! Looking back, this is an area of the home building process that I knew very little about when we started… but it truly is some important stuff. So, if you’re like me and digging basements isn’t really your thing, then keep reading and you’ll be able to talk with your builder about excavating like a pro. The plan for excavating really starts befor

My favorite space in our home is, without a doubt, the 3-season room. It’s the type of space that you might not even know that you need, until you have it… and then you realize that you can’t live without it. It’s the kind of room that can be so many things. For us, it’s the place where we eat dinner on summer nights, a playroom for the kids when the weather is too chilly to be outside but the fresh air still feels so good, and it’s our favorite place to sit and have a cup of

One thing that I decided right away for this blog is that I want to be sure that I do NOT write boring content. So here I am getting ready to type week two’s topic – “the bidding process,” and all I can think about is how it’s likely one of the most boring parts of the building process for the customer. So boring. As the one ready to build a new house, here you are all excited because you finally landed on a house plan that you really love, all of your momentum is moving forw

One of the most common phone calls to the Sockness Builders office is someone calling to say “I’m not really sure what to do here, but I’m thinking about building a new house.” If you’ve never done it before, this is so true. Where do you start anyway? Well, a couple of questions come into play. When you know you’re ready to build, you need: 1. A lot to build on. 2. A builder. and 3. A plan of what you want to build. You don’t always have to get these three things in that exa

First things first, I want to introduce myself. My name is Erin Weberpal. I’ve been working at Sockness Builders part-time since 2011 when I left my full-time marketing job to split my working hours between helping out at the Sockness Builders office and also pursuing my photography career. My parents started Sockness Builders all the way back in 1986, which also happens to be the year I was born. My childhood memories are sprinkled with those of the business… from my parents