If an architect or home designer can draw it, Advanced Architectural Stone can make it, and Troy Schafer says that's what sets his company apart. "We have artisan producers as well as computer-driven equipment to make what professionals design," he said.
Schafer's company is supplying the cast stone elements at the entranceways, windows and other accent areas for the 2014 Fort Worth, Texas Dream Home. It also is providing the fireplace area on the interior. The company recently changed its name from Advanced Cast Stone to reflect an expanded product line that includes light-weight cast stone, architectural moldings and trim.
The 2014 Dream Home sits on a 16,000-square-foot lot at 4800 Estonia Court in Montserrat, off Team Ranch Road in southwest Fort Worth. The architect, interior designer and builder is HGC Real Estate Services. Tickets for the tour benefit a Wish with Wings, which makes wishes come true for children with life-threatening illnesses. It is the second Dream Home benefitting the charity.
Inside the home, visitors will find White Carrara and Madera White marbles, Travertino Caramel from Mexico, natural stones from Turkey and porcelains provided by Interceramic Tile and Stone, said Dimensional Stone Manager Chris Byrd.
"It is important to showcase products that are innovative and trendy, yet timelessly beautiful and relatively easy to maintain in a home environment," Byrd said. The company has recently announced its largest launch of innovative new natural stone products and wanted the opportunity to display the best of them, he said. That there is a benefit to a charity is a plus.
Visitors to the home may not see the product that New Leaf Foam Insulation provided, but they will feel it in the interior temperature. New Leaf is a family business started in 2001 when Laura and Hector Huerta stepped out on faith and gambled their life savings to buy the company for which he worked. It is their first Dream Home.
"For us, each job requires the same amount of effort, no matter if is a custom home or a simple remodel," Laura Huerta said. "We keep in mind to give the best to future owners, but this one is our opportunity to advertise and prove our quality." And, she said, with a Wish with Wings involved, "it is very special to give back, to be able to bless someone else in need."
You certainly will see what Texas Tile Roofing contributed to the Dream Home. The company supplied and installed the home's tile roof. Owner Larry Cremean says it is a family-owned company with three generations all working together. It is the company's second Dream Home. He's been in the tile roofing industry for more than 40 years and started his company in the 1990s.
"We approached this project with the mindset of it being high profile, but we treat all our projects this way. Every one of them is important to us," Cremean said. "Helping a Wish with Wings is rewarding all on its own, but being part of the process to build this beautiful home is rewarding also. We participate in Dream Homes because we believe in paying it forward. We have been blessed with a lot of business to come our way."
Overhead Garage Door's part of the Dream Home also is highly visible. "Overhead Garage Door enjoys the challenge of creating custom handmade cedar doors for new homes," said owner Bret Westbrook, a U.S. Army combat veteran and TCU graduate. "We can customize any style that the homeowner and builder wish. HGC has been a pleasure to work with."
This job is different from usual jobs because "it is rare that you get to work with a builder and input your opinion on what designs would accentuate the home. It has been an enjoyable experience," he said.
He enjoys being involved in the community, and the Dream Home is a prestigious project to be associated with, he said. "We get the opportunity to work with a Wish with Wings and, hopefully, help some children with life-threatening conditions," Westbrook said. "Also, working with local companies in the community and creating new relationships will benefit us in the future."
Advanced Architectural Stone's Schafer raises another benefit to companies such as his. "It is good for our employees to tour a finished home and see how our products relate to a tasteful new home in their hometown," he said. The charity part is important also. "We're supplying a product to help the community focus on homeownership, good ideas and helping others. What could be better?"
2014 Fort Worth, Texas Dream Home
4800 Estonia Court, Montserrat, Fort Worth
Benefiting a Wish with Wings
Tour Dates: Sept. 20 - Oct. 19 •Wed.-Sat.: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. •Sun.: noon-5 p.m.
Admission: $10; Free with a $20 subscription ($10 goes to the charity)
2014 DREAMHOME PARTNERS
Aaron Ornamental Iron Works
Advanced Architectural Stone
Ajax Glass & Mirror
Bloom Landcare
DWR Contractors Inc.
Durango Doors of Fort Worth
Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery
HGC Residential Development
Interceramic Marble Collection
Interceramic Tile & Stone
J & S Air Inc.
Loveless Gutters
New Leaf Foam
Overhead Garage Door
Pierce Decorative Hardware and Plumbing
Prewitt Electrical
ProServe Plumbing
Sweeney Lumber Co.
Texas Custom Windows and Doors
Texas Designer Flooring of Fort Worth
Texas Tile Roofing
The Kitchen Source
The Sherwin Williams Co.
Universal Systems
Vintage Floors
