Homes by Brill has built almost 400 custom homes in the greater Des Moines area over the last 36 years of all sizes and styles. Here are just a few of the specialties that make us one of the area’s favorite custom home builders.

Most of all, your family home needs to be functional for your lifestyle and needs. Whether your family includes young kids or older adults, considering the current and future needs of your household is a vital step in designing your home. For example:

• Consider the placement of your laundry room: near the master bedroom, on the same level with kids’ rooms, or in a mudroom area between the garage and the main home? The makeup of your family may help determine which would be the most functional.
• Universal design principles like reducing the number of stairs to get from the bedrooms to the main living spaces of the home and the garage to the kitchen can help protect children from fall hazards, improve your quality of life, and benefit older adults who hope to age in place.
• Designing with intention can allow you to have the flexibility to make changes to your home as your family’s needs change and you can use your space to the fullest. (Like designing a nursery that’s large enough to convert to a full-size bedroom as your child ages.)

Having a builder who will design and build your home with your family’s actual intentions in mind prevents “oops” moments like realizing that your patio slab is too small for a table big enough for you and your four kids or that a staircase modification from a main-level deck to the yard blocks light and access to the lower level walkout.

Whether your tastes lean towards sleek, contemporary designs or traditional, rustic styles, quality craftsmanship shows through. Our designers can incorporate unique artistic touches in your custom home, including inlaid wood accents and tray ceilings, soaring ceilings and picture window designs, and master suites with luxurious touches. Incorporate historical interest into your family’s new home by repurposing antique chests of drawers into modern built-ins; add sentimental touches with reclaimed elements like farmhouse doors and barnwood from a family homestead. Mixing distressed wood surfaces with modern finishes and industrial elements like metal gives your home an up-to-the-minute feeling with a rich depth of character.

Iowa has one of the highest levels in the country of indoor radon exposure. Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that is extremely dangerous—it’s the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It is a naturally occurring gas, resulting from the radioactive decay of uranium, which is found in soil, rocks, and some ground water. Radon enters through your home’s walls, floors or pipes, and dangerous exposure can occur regardless of your home’s age or location.

“Radon mitigation” is any process used to reduce radon gas concentration in buildings. Building new homes with radon venting pipes, which draw the gas away from your home and family, is the best way to keep your family safe. It not only prevents the need to spend money on remediation in the future but ensures that your home is most efficiently and effectively equipped to remove this hazard. We specialize in installing radon mitigation systems in new construction homes and recommend you include this lifesaving feature in your new Iowa custom home.