The experts are saying it’s a sellers market for homeowners thus far in 2018, the time is right for you to put your house up for sale and aim for the sky with your price.

But is it really the best time to sell?

We here at Lemel Homes believe it’s better to stay put and fix up your current home instead. Our vast experience with renovations and additions makes us the best choice to breathe new life into your current home. Don’t just take our word for it. Check out the “additions” and “renovations” pages of our website to see for yourself.

We understand how tempting it may be to jump into the real estate market with the robust numbers the Wisconsin Realtors Association produced in March. During the three-month period ending in February, home sales in Wisconsin were up 7.1 percent. In Washington County alone, 117 homes were sold through February, a 48 percent increase. Sheboygan County also jumped 32.8 percent with 81 homes sold.

Homes are selling at a higher price, too. Across the region, median home prices were up 6.1 percent over the winter, according to the association, which includes a 25 percent increase in Ozaukee County alone to $270,000.

If you still think it’s the right time to sell your home, consider the intangibles that arise from a sellers market. You’ll wind up competing with every other seller in your area hoping to make a quick buck, nonstop bidding wars when it’s time to find your next home, and the roller coaster of emotions that come with looking for your dream home just to have it purchased out from under you.

Instead, let Lemel Homes use your current home as a blank canvas for a renovation or addition project that comes straight from your imagination. No request is too grand for Lemel Homes, where we aim to deliver everything you desire where you want to live.

And if that 6.1 percent jump in sales prices is too good to ignore, Lemel Homes can build the custom home of your dreams wherever you want to be. Just pick the neighborhood and leave the rest to us.

Fresh herbs and vegetables in the backyard are a welcome sign that springtime is finally returning to Wisconsin.

However, countless locavores are taking their passion for farm-to-table produce out of the hands of local restaurants and grocery stores by setting up their own gardens. And many of them aren’t waiting for warm weather, opting instead to bring their gardens indoors by using hydroponic growing methods.

This exciting new trend is taking over the United States as homeowners opt to pick ripe herbs and vegetables from the comfort of their own homes. Like any new hobby, these new-wave gardeners want to retrofit their home to fully enjoy their new passion. Lemel Homes is adept at designing your passion into your home whether it is a custom build or a remodeling job. Hydroponic gardening is no different.

Hydroponics – or “vertical farming” – takes the dirt and outdoors out of gardening by relying on sand, gravel or liquid with added nutrients. Hydroponic gardeners also set up LED lighting to replicate the sun’s rays, often giving the plants access to the vital daylight they need 24/7.

For those interested in building a custom home, Joe Lemel and his team can easily incorporate space for a home garden into the design specs of a ground-up structure. Built-in storage, appropriate lighting and temperature controls for such endeavors are nothing new for Lemel Homes, a company that prides itself on catering to the wishes of the home hobbyist.

If you’re already in your dream home, Lemel Homes can remodel a room or add a full-blown addition, based on how big your hobby is. We can retrofit space in your existing home to help you grow your kale, tomatoes or herbs inside while the winter weather takes its toll on Wisconsin. Whether you need electrical rewiring, more storage or an entire addition for your new passion, Lemel Homes works with you to bring your hobby to life.

Hobbies come and go, but the desire for your own space to fuel your passions never fades away. Visit the “Custom Functionality” of the Lemel Homes website to see how we’ve catered to some of our clients’ unique hobbies and interests.

Whatever your passion or hobby, Lemel Homes tailors your custom home or remodeling project to ergonomically suit or enhance your lifestyle. Contact us today to help you design the space you need to grow your interests, whatever they may be.

Although interior painting typically represents just 3 to 3 ½ percent of custom home’s construction budget, it is an important aspect of the homebuilding process that requires careful consideration from homebuyers. Selecting the interior paint colors is part of the homeowners’ overall design concept, ensuring the ceilings and walls match other finishes in the home like cabinetry, countertops and flooring.

“This gives the homeowner the opportunity to match their wall colors to the design pallet they have envisioned,” says Todd DeLonge, construction manager for Lemel Homes. “There is a plethora of paint colors to choose from, so once they have other stuff hammered out, it is easier to choose paint.”

Among Lemel Homes’ clients, grays are most popular right now, and homeowners often adding a random accent color that “pops” on its own. Lemel Homes offers their clients the services of a color specialist, who can suggest accent wall and field colors to help homeowners achieve the feel and look they desire.

How it’s Done

From the builder’s standpoint, interior painting typically takes place once the drywall has been erected and has been sprayed for texture, such as a sand or orange peel finish. The painting subcontractor takes over from here, applying one coat of primer on all the walls and ceilings throughout the home.

Once the ceilings and walls have been primed, the finishing carpenters and other trades return to complete their work before the painting begins. According to DeLonge, this may seem out of order, but working in this manner eliminate the need for too many touchups later.

“If you prime everything, let it be and come back to paint it, it makes for a much nicer job,” DeLonge says. “It would be easier to paint right away, but it’s not worth it in the long run for the quality that you get.”

Prepping to Paint

Interior painting subcontractors do not have to deal with the elements like their outdoor colleagues, but special conditions must be put in place before painting begins. For example, DeLonge says the house must maintain a temperature of at least 45 degrees for interior painting. Also, the humidity level must be at a moderate level, and care must be taken to control humidity.”When it’s really hot in the summertime, humidity could be a problem, so you need to get the right amount of ventilation to get the humid air out,” DeLonge says. “But if humid air is getting in, you need to get the air conditioning up and running, and sometimes that isn’t installed in a home until the end of a project.”

The interior painting process typically takes two weeks to turn around. Painting subs also return to a home a few days before closing for any touchups that might be necessary.