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Keep up-to-date with the latest news about Living Stone Design + Build and browse some of our How-To videos for helpful Design + Build tips and tricks.

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Craftsman-Style Home Nestled In The Black Mountain Woods

master bedroom
Featured in NC Design, April 2015

Every home design has its unique challenges, along with its own unique beauty. In our featured home today, Asheville interior designer Talli Roberts, ASID, president of Allard & Roberts Interior Design, was tasked with creating a simple, clean and beautiful design, amid a wealth of complex challenges. The home was a cozy Craftsman-style new build nestled in the Black Mountain woods. The homeowners were a couple looking to create a retirement oasis that would meet some very specific demands. Talli pulled the project off seamlessly, providing the clients with a truly gorgeous, timeless and functional living space. North Carolina Design spoke with her to find out more about how she helped bring this home to life.

Living Stone and Houzz

We love the Houzz website which is geared for people looking to build a new construction home, remodel an existing home, or for decorating inspiration for their current home. We introduce all of our clients to Houzz so they can begin building an “ideabook” for their project. “Ideabooks” help us as we work in design and throughout the project to get a feel of the clients’ tastes and preferences.

Living Stone has been awarded “Best in Houzz for design AND service for the last 3 years.
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The Skylar Grande for the Strittmatters!

“He does things right for the sake of doing them right and that was the impression we got with every facet of our experience with Living Stone. That made us just be able to trust them and trust their system.” Carol Strittmatter

Support for Army Green Beret, Jerry Gass

Army Green Beret On August 3rd 2014, the men of ODA 3131 lost a brother, and the Gass family lost a father, husband, brother, and son when Girard “Jerry” Gass died of a massive heart attack while on a combat operation in Afghanistan. Jerry suffered a heart attack after conducting a helicopter infiltration to secure a highly contested governmental district center in remote Afghanistan. The last thing Jerry did before he died was evacuate a fellow soldier off of the battlefield.

Why install Geothermal Heat Pumps?

Geothermal heat pumps (GHPs), sometimes referred to as GeoExchange, earth-coupled, ground-source, or water-source heat pumps, have been in use since the late 1940s. They use the constant temperature of the earth as the exchange medium instead of the outside air temperature. This allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300% to 600%) on the coldest winter nights, compared to 175% to 250% for air-source heat pumps on cool days.

Although many parts of the country experience seasonal temperature extremes — from scorching heat in the summer to sub-zero cold in the winter—a few feet below the earth’s surface the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Depending on latitude, ground temperatures range from 45°F (7°C) to 75°F (21°C). Like a cave, this ground temperature is warmer than the air above it during the winter and cooler than the air in the summer. The GHP takes advantage of this by exchanging heat with the earth through a ground heat exchanger.

Add Green to Your Home — and Your Pocketbook — by Remodeling

Green buildingThe rapid growth of green building means that new home owners can take advantage of the lower operating and maintenance costs that come with these energy- and resource-efficient homes.

But for the 120 million existing homes in the United States, remodeling is the only way for home owners to incorporate green practices. NAHB Remodelers offers the following suggestions to home owners who want to increase their home’s efficiency, decrease costs and take advantage of the other benefits that green offers.

Strong Foundations First

Preventative Maintenance

Whether you seek the assurance of a comprehensive maintenance program or prefer personalized assistance for individual projects, Living Stone Design + Build is here to support you.

2023 National Custom Home Builder of the Year

30+ Years of Design-Build Experience

Green Building Leadership

Protecting your investment

We prioritize designing and building homes that are as low-maintenance as possible—but no home is maintenance-free. Much like a high-performance vehicle, a high-performance home is designed to perform at a higher level, but it still requires thoughtful, routine care to keep it operating at its best. Living Stone Concierge helps protect that performance—and your investment—by giving you a trusted team to manage the ongoing care your home needs for years to come.

Single Point of Contact
Vetted Trade Partners
Seasonal Inspections
Warranty Support

Two Premier Services

One Team, Long After Move-In

Membership

Preventative Maintenance Program

A membership-based luxury home management program designed to proactively care for your home.

By Project

Custom Care Plan

Personalized services tailored to individual projects, offering flexibility without the commitment of a subscription.

1

Point of Contact

4

Pillars of care

30+

Years Building Homes

How the program Works

Four Pillars of Concierge Care

Through the Preventative Maintenance Program, your Living Stone Concierge delivers single point of contact service, so you no longer need to worry about finding trusted service contractors or waiting countless hours for them to show up. When there are third party workers in your home you can rest easy that your Living Stone Concierge will be there monitoring and ensuring a quality job is done.

Comprehensive Assessment
01

Prevent

The best defense is a good offense. Our comprehensive assessment is designed to detect and prevent unforeseen issues in your home and deliver you a unique home care program. Our service program will maintain your property, ensuring its optimal performance. Using the results of your comprehensive assessment, a custom maintenance program will be developed to meet the needs of your property, ensuring the long-term value and reliability of your home.
White Glove Approach
02

Repair 

As repairs and upgrades are requested, we will coordinate and supervise every phase of the process. We will commit to ensuring all work meets the highest quality standards. Of course, this commitment applies whether you're part of our membership program or utilizing our Custom Care Plan for individual projects.
03
Personal Experience

Improve

Your home should evolve with the way you live. Our Custom Care team handles personalized improvements—from hanging artwork and installing shelving to building fences and completing those finishing touches that make your home work better for you.

04
Personal Partnership

Trust

We believe your time is better spent enjoying your home than managing it. Our team takes care of the details, giving you one trusted resource and access to our network of proven professionals—so your home is cared for and your time stays yours.

Michael Blackstone

Michael Blackstone

Warranty Specialist

As the overseer of our Preventative Maintenance Plan, he meticulously examines every detail of your home to ensure it is perfectly finished and maintained. With a wealth of experience in home construction and renovation from his years with various trade-related companies, Michael is the ultimate guardian of Living Stone standards. Beyond his professional expertise, Michael is a family man with a son, residing in the charming community of Old Fort. Entrust your project to Michael, where craftsmanship meets care.

mblackstone@livingstoneconstruction.com

Strong Foundations First

Preventative Maintenance

Whether you seek the assurance of a comprehensive maintenance program or prefer personalized assistance for individual projects, Living Stone Design + Build is here to support you.

2023 National Custom Home Builder of the Year

30+ Years of Design-Build Experience

Green Building Leadership

Protecting your investment

We prioritize designing and building homes that are as low-maintenance as possible—but no home is maintenance-free. Much like a high-performance vehicle, a high-performance home is designed to perform at a higher level, but it still requires thoughtful, routine care to keep it operating at its best. Living Stone Concierge helps protect that performance—and your investment—by giving you a trusted team to manage the ongoing care your home needs for years to come.

Single Point of Contact
Vetted Trade Partners
Seasonal Inspections
Warranty Support

Two Premier Services

One Team, Long After Move-In

Membership

Preventative Maintenance Program

A membership-based luxury home management program designed to proactively care for your home.

By Project

Custom Care Plan

Personalized services tailored to individual projects, offering flexibility without the commitment of a subscription.

1

Point of Contact

4

Pillars of care

30+

Years Building Homes

How the program Works

Four Pillars of Concierge Care

Through the Preventative Maintenance Program, your Living Stone Concierge delivers single point of contact service, so you no longer need to worry about finding trusted service contractors or waiting countless hours for them to show up. When there are third party workers in your home you can rest easy that your Living Stone Concierge will be there monitoring and ensuring a quality job is done.

Comprehensive Assessment
01

Prevent

The best defense is a good offense. Our comprehensive assessment is designed to detect and prevent unforeseen issues in your home and deliver you a unique home care program. Our service program will maintain your property, ensuring its optimal performance. Using the results of your comprehensive assessment, a custom maintenance program will be developed to meet the needs of your property, ensuring the long-term value and reliability of your home.
White Glove Approach
02

Repair 

As repairs and upgrades are requested, we will coordinate and supervise every phase of the process. We will commit to ensuring all work meets the highest quality standards. Of course, this commitment applies whether you're part of our membership program or utilizing our Custom Care Plan for individual projects.
03
Personal Experience

Improve

Your home should evolve with the way you live. Our Custom Care team handles personalized improvements—from hanging artwork and installing shelving to building fences and completing those finishing touches that make your home work better for you.

04
Personal Partnership

Trust

We believe your time is better spent enjoying your home than managing it. Our team takes care of the details, giving you one trusted resource and access to our network of proven professionals—so your home is cared for and your time stays yours.

Michael Blackstone

Michael Blackstone

Warranty Specialist

As the overseer of our Preventative Maintenance Plan, he meticulously examines every detail of your home to ensure it is perfectly finished and maintained. With a wealth of experience in home construction and renovation from his years with various trade-related companies, Michael is the ultimate guardian of Living Stone standards. Beyond his professional expertise, Michael is a family man with a son, residing in the charming community of Old Fort. Entrust your project to Michael, where craftsmanship meets care.

mblackstone@livingstoneconstruction.com