NS Builders Blog

Nick Schiffer shares his expertise from over 20 years of crafting beautiful homes. Find tips, tricks, and techniques for building custom homes, renovating, and more.

How To Avoid Change Orders on Your Custom Luxury Home

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4 Tips for Narrowing Down Your Home Remodeling Wishlist

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Tips for Building an Energy-Efficient Custom Luxury Home

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4 Important Questions To Ask When Searching for Custom Home Builders

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How To Ensure the Accuracy of Your Custom Home Builder’s Budget

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Helpful Tips for Choosing the Right Exterior Material for Your New Home Construction

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How To Implement Features in Your Custom Home That Will Stand the Test of Time

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Home Renovation vs New Home Construction: Understanding the Differences

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Why Choose NS Builders for Your Next Project

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Expanding Our Horizons: Why NS Builders is the Right Choice for Your Project, Anywhere

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4 Essential Features to Include in Your New Home Construction

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Common Causes for Delays in Your Custom Home Project

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More Than Curb Appeal: How Custom Home Features Maximize Value

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How To Make the Most Out of Your New Home Construction’s Floor Plan

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Answering Your FAQs About Custom Home Building

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How To Make the Most Out of Your Home Rdenovation Wishlist

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Quincy Cottage Renovation—New Windows, Roof and Upgraded Electrical Service

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Grilles and Access Panels in the Back Bay 

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Detailed Roof Prep and Tapered Windows 

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Mitered Glass Corner Window and Cumaru Decking 

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Plaster Details at the Back Bay Brownstone Renovation 

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A Synthetic Slate Roof

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Quincy Cottage Renovation

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Designer and Builder Walk the Needham Project  

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Insulation and Sound Attenuation at the Back Bay Brownstone 

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A Living Room Designed to Impress 

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Site Wall and Custom Downspouts 

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Sheathing the Swooping Roof 

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Not Your Average Swooping Roof Install 

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Intelligent Lighting Controls

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Steep Details and Multiple Swoops 

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Detailed Site Work Complements Our Waterproofing 

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Why We Built a Mock-Up of the Roof

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A Walk-Through Showcasing Design Details 

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The U-Shaped Staircase in the Back Bay

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Creating a Continuous Vapor Retarder 

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A Modern Take on the Classic Cedar Shingle 

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When Swooping Roofs Throw You a Curveball

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Installing a Rainscreen Behind the Cedar Shingles 

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Full Steam Ahead in the Back Bay 

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Building Trusses On-Site in Needham 

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Intentional Plumbing Details That Rock

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Working Off One Control Line

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These Are NOT Your Average Windows 

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A Thickened Slab to Support Load-Bearing Walls 

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Sheathing Exterior Walls and Peering Through Skylights 

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Prepping the Slab in Needham

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What’s Up With the Blue Floor In Our Brownstone Renovation? 

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Using Foam to Create a Brick Shelf in the Concrete Wall

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Waterproofing the Footings in Needham 

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Fixing My Mistake in Moisture Control 

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A Few Changes In Framing the Garage 

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Prepping and Pouring the Footings in Needham 

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Detailed Drawings Leave No Room for Doubt 

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Finding Creative Solutions In the Back Bay 

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Sedge Helps Me Unwrap Gifts from Festool 

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Architectural Details That Elevate This Home 

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Final Prepping for Concrete 

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NS Builders Management Style

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Insulated Concrete Forms—An Innovative Building Technique

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Impressive Kitchen Design Details

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Airtight Homes That Breathe

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Water In the Hole 

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Showing Off Your Work Is Not Bragging

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Julia Designed It and We’ll Build It 

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Big Changes Coming to NS Builders in 2022

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What’s the Best Gift to Give Your Builder for the Holidays?

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What Is a Toothbrush-Ready Home?

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Obtaining Permits: The Necessary Evil of Every Project

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Should a Designer Pick the Finishes for Your Home?

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Who Takes Responsibility When the Wrong Countertop Gets Installed?

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Don't Overlook Value Architecture

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Take a Look at TruExterior and Westlake Royal Building Products

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This Is How to REALLY Waterproof Your Basement  

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Building a New House Around a 100-Year-Old Tree

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48 Hours To Go

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Upscale and Ultramodern Door Hardware

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Beautiful Oak Floors at Our Back Bay Project

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Stellar Staircase Full of Subtle Details

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Almost Invisible Flush Mounted Outlets

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Intentional Finishes

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Final Touches on the Southie Project

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Demolition and Site Prep in East Providence

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Always Have a Backup Plan

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A Tour of the Ultimate Rooftop Deck

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A Luxurious Marble Shower in South Boston

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Sort of Hiding A Door

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Waterproof Plaster Walls and The Floating Fireplace

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Massive Wall of Plaster in Cambridge

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A Staircase With Old World Charm

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Working in Tight Spaces

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Overlooking Beacon Hill on a Custom Daybed

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Plastering—One Coat or Two?

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Boston ROOF DECK

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Dealing with Historic Windows

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Taking Sound Attenuation to another LEVEL

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Set Yourself Up for Success

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Tight-Fitting Countertops and Exposed Rivets

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Steel Stairs in the Cambridge Loft

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Getting Creative with HVAC

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