Archives: Clarum Homes

Building your high-performance home in Silicon Valley means you get the best of both worlds – healthy and sustainable indoor living paired with warm and inviting outdoor spaces. If you’re in the early stages of planning your custom home, it’s a great time to reflect on how to get the most out of these spaces by balancing indoor and outdoor living. At Clarum, we work with our clients to seamlessly blend indoor and outdoor areas to dazzling effect. Whether you want to expand your entertaining space or introduce more natural light and fresh air into your home, we can help you unify these...


Read More

The concept of a main bedroom has expanded broadly since its early beginnings in eastern Europe in the 1600s. At the time, primary bedrooms (sometimes referred to as ‘primary bedrooms’ or ‘master bedrooms’) were mainly used by kings and queens for privacy from the rest of court. Although the modern primary bedroom remains a refuge, it’s also come to symbolize a space of tranquility – one where its inhabitants can relax, sleep, work, or simply connect without distraction. That’s why the design choices you make in your primary bedroom should be intentional. After all, we do spend...


Read More

Spring is officially upon us, making it the perfect time to refresh your landscaping for the coming months. If you’re sustainability-minded, implementing high performance landscaping will be a top priority – this involves preserving water and introducing native plant species as a way to enhance your natural landscape. There are plenty of benefits to high performance landscaping — including less money spent on water bills and pest control, a decreased need for fertilizer and lawn maintenance, and better conservation of native plant species and animal habitats. Ready to get started?...


Read More

One of the first steps you’ll take towards building your high-performance home is deciding on a design. This means hiring an architect to draw up plans for your new home or enlisting a firm that provides design-build services. No matter which option you choose, asking the right questions up front ensures that you and your architect are aligned on goals, timelines, and project management. Here are 10 questions to help you identify the right team to design your custom home. Can you provide an overview of the design process? If you’re new to working with an architect or design-build...


Read More

What does it mean to have a sustainable home? For some homeowners, it means increasing energy efficiency by incorporating low impact, earth-friendly materials into the home’s construction. Others may prioritize a space with efficient design and placement, allowing the entire family to live comfortably for a longer period of time. The good news? You can have it all — a home that’s made to fit your lifestyle and reduce your carbon footprint through use of sustainable materials and smart design. At Clarum Homes, we focus on passive and passive-inspired homes, which take a holistic approach...


Read More

As we close the door on this year and look forward to 2022, we’re keeping an eye on several exciting new custom home trends. Creating a living environment that’s functional, comfortable, and sustainable remains top of mind for many homeowners, and we’re seeing these must-haves come to life through unique living concepts and savvy home design. Seeking out inspiration for your new custom home? Look no further — we’ve compiled a list of emerging home trends you’ll see in 2022. Here’s what to watch out for:  Living green wall features There’s a chance you’ve seen...


Read More

One of the hallmarks of modern home design is the open floor plan. Open concept homes feature large, interconnected space minus structural details like hallways, doors, and walls. These floor plans have become more popular in recent decades, giving homeowners greater flexibility to design a space that’s both comfortable and highly accessible. Another benefit of an open floor plan is the ability to design rooms that are multi-functional. This is usually achieved by incorporating elements like built-ins, room dividers, or furniture that does double duty. With some intention (and a great design-build...


Read More

Creating a budget is one of the most important aspects of any high-performance home build. It’s where all custom homebuilding projects start to take shape, informing everything from property costs, to construction timeline, to design and material choices. And the more intentional your budget is, the more financial value and satisfaction you’ll receive as a result. At the start of the home building process, you may have several questions related to setting your budget. What are the most important considerations? Which project costs should you prioritize to get the most bang for your buck? Luckily,...


Read More

There are plenty of decisions to make when planning your dream home - chief among those is where to start. As the old adage goes, there are three things that matter in property: location, location, location. So, one of your first tasks will be to acquire the land for your new home. Purchasing a vacant lot means investing in a blank slate with countless possibilities. It’s a great way to secure your future with all the bells and whistles attached, so it’s important to understand what the process entails. Here are some details to consider when acquiring a lot to build your high-performance...


Read More

At Clarum Homes, we get a lot of questions from clients about custom home building. And it makes sense – building a custom home is a nuanced process that not only requires a phenomenal team, but also a fair amount of planning to get just right. When clients engage us for a custom home building project, we try to impart as much information as we can from the outset. It’s important to our team that you have all the knowledge and resources you need to get your dream home completed on time, within budget, and exactly the way you envisioned it. That’s why we’re sharing some insight on custom...


Read More