Families change. Lifestyles change. And so do your needs.

Don’t you want a Peoria custom home that can change with you?

The concept of ‘flex spaces’ – areas in the home that are specifically designed to be flexible and accommodate multiple uses – is relatively new. Homes built just a few years ago weren’t designed this way. So, turning a bedroom into a home office, for example, required compromise… and lots of extension cords!

O’Neal Builder’s chief designer, Amy O’Neal, is an expert on interior spaces for Peoria, IL custom homes and how to design it to serve multiple purposes. That means giving thought and attention, not just to your current needs, but to what your needs might be in 5 years, ten years and beyond – and creating a design that will work just as well then as it does now.

We know, it gives a new meaning to the term ‘space age design’, but we’re confident that you’ll appreciate what it means for you when you see it.

View some of our current designs here, or come by our model home and sales center to see how we go about creating flexible floor plans in the Peoria, IL area that perfectly meet the present – and future – needs of our customers. Call 309-454-6700 to schedule your visit today.

A question that we get from Bloomington-Normal, Peoria and Champaign-Urbana home owners a lot is “Should I remodel my existing home, or have a new home built?”

In the end, only you can answer that question, but here are some things to consider:

1.      Do you like living in the Bloomington-Normal, Peoria and Champaign-Urbana area?

2.      Is your current home in good shape structurally?

3.      Are you looking for comfort and convenience or is resale value important?

4.      Are you there ‘long term’?

5.      Will improving your home over-value it for the area?

6.      What does your ‘gut’ tell you?

The first question carries a lot of weight: Do you like living where you are now? Are you comfortable with your current neighbors? Is the neighborhood stable, or is it in decline? Are you conveniently located to the places you regularly visit – schools, shopping, restaurants, medical facilities, etc.?

The bottom line is that if you like where you are and enjoy your neighbors, then remodeling your current home might be the way to go.

Remodeling your home can give your the best of both worlds – the comfort, convenience and reliability of ‘new’ without the expense and ‘adventure’ of starting over.

View a gallery of Bloomington-Normal, Peoria and Champaign-Urbana Remodel projects.

O’Neal Builders can help you with either remodeling your existing space or building a brand new home anywhere in the Bloomington-Normal area. Give us a call at 309-454-6700 to have us come by and look at your existing home and what you have in mind as to changes. We’ll help you evaluate your options so that you can make the decision that’s right for you.

Contact us. We look forward to meeting you, hearing your ideas and helping you make the right remodeling decision for your Bloomington-Normal, Peoria and Champaign-Urbana home.

When you’re shopping for a new Bloomington-Normal, Illinois home, you want to be sure that home has all of ‘the right stuff’.

When you’re looking for your new home, keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for inferior materials or workmanship to be covered up by beautiful bricks or paint – like putting lipstick on a pig.

To help you evaluate the different Bloomington-Normal home builders and Bloomington-Normal homes for sale, you’ll need to separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’, and to get a home with all ‘the right stuff’ there are many different things you’ll need to consider.

One of them?

The right Bloomington-Normal home building team.

Homes are built by people. The integrity of the home builder’s team will have a direct bearing on the integrity on your Bloomington-Normal home. In fact, we feel this is the most important factor, because the right people will never use or accept ‘wrong’ materials, workmanship, or excuses – from themselves or others.

At O’Neal Builders, we’re extremely proud of our team. Most of us have been building homes in the Bloomington-Normal area together for years, and each team member brings a specific level of expertise and experience to every home we build. It’s our people that are responsible for the many accolades, awards and achievements for which O’Neal Builders has been honored and recognized.

Why not see for yourself? Call 309-454-7600 or email any one of our team members. Interview them; get to know them. You’ll see what we mean, and why O’Neal Builders is the right choice to build your new home in Bloomington-Normal, IL.

You can greatly spice up the look and feel of a house by installing trim. Crown, chair rail, decorative base boards and casing, and wainscoting are but a few examples of where you can emphasize the details of your home.

Proper installation of trim is crucial though. Your efforts will be futile if your crown has large gaps between boards. Selecting an experienced trim carpenter to install your trim can make all the difference in the overall level of detail in your new home. Here are 3 examples showing trim after installation.

Imagine this; you just finished building your dream house, and realize after living in it that there are light switches behind doors, outlets that are in the wrong location, or simply no outlets where you need them at all. Frustrating would be one word to describe this situation.

During the construction process, it is important to keep an open line of communication with the builder, and the electrician. Further, an “Electrical Walkthrough” is in order prior to installing the electrical system. During a walkthrough, items can be addressed such as door swing(s), furniture placement, wall-mounted TV’s, or light fixture placement to name a few. Typically a walkthrough with the electrician will take about an hour or two, but will pay off in dividends by allowing you to enjoy your new house to the fullest.
Just another way O’Neal Builders builds homes One Detail at a Time…

3535 Tahoe Blvd.

We are hosting an Open House at 3535 Tahoe Blvd in the Trails on Sunset Lake development this weekend.  Hours are Saturday 9/24 from 10-4, and on Sunday 9/25 from 12-3.  Stop by and visit with the builder to learn more about how we build homes One Detail At a Time.

When shopping for a new house, you will immediately encounter a fork in the road; new construction versus resale. There are pro’s and con’s to both and we will address them over the course of several blog entries.

In this blog entry, I would like to address that of the home warranty, and how it plays into your decision between new construction versus and existing inventory. Your home is one of the biggest (if not the biggest) financial investment of your life. It only makes sense to protect your investment and indemnify you against defect or material failure.

Illinois law governs this on new construction, stating that all new construction homes are required to come with a warranty. Typically it will be one year, sometimes longer, but it is INCLUDED in the purchase of your house. Can you get a warranty on a resale (existing inventory) house? Yes, but it will cost you. And the coverage is usually much smaller, and riddled with deductibles, exclusions, and fine print.

Additionally, the older the house, the more “issues” you are likely to encounter. When you buy a new-construction home, remember that your materials, equipment, and mechanical systems are also new. Further, you get the peace-of-mind that your investment is protected by the warranty that came with the house, which is a value added benefit that is priceless!

Welcome to the O’Neal Builders Blog. We encourage you check back often as we will be posting updates on current jobs, open house dates, as well as posting informative information on home maintenance and housing trends. Support the home team!

Our new spec home located in the Trails On Sunset Lake development is progressing nicely. Framers are working on the second floor, and will soon be setting trusses. Make sure to check back often for more updates.

Oneal-Builders Open House

3535 Tahoe Blvd
Trails On Sunset Lake Development Normal, IL

Saturday 8/27 – 10:00am to 4:00pm
Sunday 8/28 – 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Come visit us this weekend!

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