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Guides & Tips
Straight answers on costs, timelines, and permits from the people who draw and build the homes.
- Why Tile Walls Raise A Shower BudgetSwitching from a shower insert to tile changes the materials, installation and prep work. Here’s how to account for that choice in a custom home budget.Read more
- A Vaulted Ceiling And A Higher PurposeI don’t want to design boxes that people just live in. I grew up going to more traditional, beautiful buildings, and that has stuck with me. Those places shape what I value in design: a connection to the classic tradition and the possibility of lifting the mind toward a higher…Read more
- Our Goal: A Customer Who’d Refer Us To AnyoneAt Den & Burrow, our goal is to finish a home project with a happy customer who’d refer us to anyone. Here’s how that goal connects to our design-build process in Lincoln.Read more
- Toilet Visible From The Kitchen? Catch It In 3DCheck the view from inside the kitchen before approving a custom home layout. Live 3D design lets you compare bathroom locations and see what each change actually does.Read more
- How To Choose A Custom Home Builder In Lincoln, NESix things to check before you hire a custom home builder in Lincoln: registration, who designs the house, how the price is built, permits, past work, and who you will talk to.Read more
- Cost-Plus Or Fixed Price For A Custom HomeThe two ways a custom home builder gets paid, who carries the risk in each, and why we build cost-plus with every invoice open to you.Read more
- How To Find A Lot To Build On In Lincoln, NEWhat to check on a lot or a piece of land in Lincoln before you buy it: who zones it, what the setbacks leave, utilities, floodplain, and the site work a listing never shows.Read more
- What A Second Story Addition CostsWhy a second story is priced by the house under it, what drives the number up or down, and how to tell early whether building up or building out costs less on your home.Read more
- Renovating A Home In A Lincoln Landmark DistrictLincoln has 13 local landmark districts. If your house is in one, exterior changes need a Certificate of Appropriateness. Here is how to check and what the review means.Read more
- Planning A Walk-In Pantry That Works With The KitchenA walk-in pantry behind a frosted glass door, from our project photos, and what to think through when you plan one: location, door, shelving and the cabinets around it.Read more
- Building A Custom Home As A Couple? Agree How You'll DecideBefore choosing a floor plan, agree on your shared priorities, which decisions need both of you, and how you'll handle a disagreement.Read more
- From Bare Field To Dried In: The Milestones Of A New Custom HomeTopsoil off, footings poured, framing up, dried in, shingles and siding. Here are the big milestones of a new home, what each one means, and how involved you might want to be along the way.Read more
- Should I Draw My Own House Plans Before Talking To A Designer?You don’t need a finished floor plan before talking to a home designer. Use online tools to explore ideas, but don’t let learning the software hold up the conversation.Read more
- Pleasant Dale Addition: A Larger Home That Feels Like OneThe Pleasant Dale Addition brought the original house and new space together as one cohesive home. Here’s what to consider when planning an addition of your own.Read more
- We Work Out The House Together Before We Detail How To Build ItBefore we work out the stair details or where the light switches go, we need to solidify the what: what the house is going to be. At Den & Burrow, we bring the client into that part of the work through live design. You help us shape the design before we move into permit drawings.Read more
- There Is No Mr. Den Or Mr. BurrowI started Den & Burrow with a name that sounds like two last names. But there is no Mr. Den or Mr. Burrow. It’s a fox’s den and a rabbit’s burrow. Dens and burrows are literally caves or holes in the ground.Read more
- How Your Pinterest Board Becomes A Project BriefWe love Pinterest boards. Give us the images you’ve been saving, and we’ll use them to develop a project brief: a detailed write-up that describes your house in words before I start designing it.Read more
- When A Bigger House Makes It Easier To DisappearMom and dad come home mentally and emotionally drained from making decisions all day. Then their teenage son or daughter has a problem. Grades are slipping. There’s parenting to do, and that means more decisions when they’re already exhausted.Read more
- The Closeness I Want My Children To Feel At HomeI want my children to know I’m there for them, physically and emotionally. When I think about the family life a home should make room for, I think about being “huggy.” Giving a child a hug matters. So does being available to hear them and tell them what they mean to you.Read more
- Where The TV Belongs, And How A Family Crosses PathsSome of our best-fit customers are already asking if they need a TV spot in the main living space. Could it go somewhere less open, less public? I like starting with that question because it puts the placement of the television up for discussion instead of treating it as a given.Read more
- How To Keep An Attached Garage From Taking Over Your Home’s DesignA home with an attached garage should still look like a home first. Here’s how to judge the main house, garage, front entrance and connecting details before settling on a custom-home design.Read more
- Why I Don’t Make The TV The Focus Of A HomeI deliberately question the place we give the TV in a home because I don’t want to give it a pedestal in the home. My Christian version of iconoclasm is removing that pedestal. I see the television as an idol when it draws our attention away from a greater and higher purpose…Read more
- A Good Builder’s Cost Includes The Decisions You Don’t Have To ManageI think people underestimate the cost of design-build because they underestimate how much there is to figure out. They see the materials and the construction. They don’t always see the decisions and conversations it takes to get there.Read more
- Why I’d Take The TV Out Of The Floor PlanI’ve been trained to love my comfort. I can be enjoying something and react to being asked to take out the trash as though giving up that comfort is going to kill me. I get mad. I don’t want to do it. That attachment to what I call a particular good is part of why a floor plan…Read more
- Why I Love Restaurants Without A TelevisionI love restaurants without a television because I want to have a conversation without telling myself, over and over, “Do not look at the TV.” I’ve had this problem since childhood. If a television is on, it’s constantly calling to me.Read more
- When A Child’s Bedroom Becomes An ApartmentI think we can give children so much space of their own that we practically give them an apartment inside the house. A bedroom, their own bathroom, their own closet. Everything tucked away together, with fewer reasons to come out.Read more
- How Porch Column Proportions Shape The Feel Of A HouseThe thickness of a column in proportion to the height of a porch is a little thing, but I think it can make a huge difference in how a house feels. It’s one of the relationships we’re learning to pay closer attention to at Den & Burrow.Read more
- Open-Book Construction Means You See The InvoicesWhen we get an invoice for construction work, you get to see it. You can see what the framing cost and how much you’re paying us on top of that. That’s what we mean by open-book, cost-plus construction at Den & Burrow.Read more
- We Design Nationally And Build Locally In LincolnWe can design a home anywhere in the country, research the code where you’re building, and consult on construction. But the homes we build ourselves are local, here in Lincoln, Nebraska. That distinction matters when you’re figuring out how we can work together.Read more
- What A Design-Build Firm Does For Your HomeHow design-build works, how it differs from hiring a designer and a builder separately, and what to ask before you sign with a design-build firm.Read more
- Why Faith Comes First At Den & BurrowFaith is the first of our five business values at Den & Burrow. That doesn't mean you have to be Catholic or Christian to work with us. It means we're public and open about our belief in God and what that belief means for how we treat people.Read more
- Becoming A Contractor’s In-House Design TeamA contractor can hire us for design and include a markup on our work, as they would with another trade. We’re treated as a subcontractor, but over time we can become something that feels like their in-house design team. I see that as a huge plus for the contractor.Read more
- Why We Build The Homes We DesignBy the time we build a house, we’ve already worked through it in our heads and on paper. We know the choices that shaped it, because we made those choices with the client.Read more
- I Could Hear The TV From OutsideI could hear our old tube TV turn on from across the house, even when I was outside. It made this very high-pitched whine, almost like a mosquito. I grew up in the ’90s, and that sound was enough to send me running to see what was on.Read more
- Classical Proportions Belong Alongside Modern Building ScienceI don’t believe being classical builders means we should only build the way people used to build. I want the beauty, the orders and the divine proportions that have guided design to come through new materials. That conviction leaves plenty of room to learn.Read more
- Why Project Fit Includes ValuesI won’t do work for smoke shops or vape shops. You can’t pay me to do something that goes against my morals and values, even if the money is good.Read more
- What I Notice When I Turn Off The TVI’ve noticed that turning off the TV can be a difficult transition in my household. A movie may have only been on for an hour, but stopping it can bring a strong reaction. That experience has made me question how central I want a screen to be at home.Read more
- Why Construction Costs Start Before We Build AnythingWe have a lot to do and check off before we do an actual thing on a construction project. I think that’s a big part of what people miss when they look at the cost. They see the bathroom they want built. They don’t necessarily see the work required before we can build it.Read more
- A Neighborhood Should Offer More Than Rows Of Garage DoorsRows of garage doors facing each other make me wonder how much thought we’ve given to the life between our homes.Read more
- Designing For People Before PossessionsThe bigger the house, the bigger the rooms, the more we feel the need to fill them with possessions that own us more than we own them. That’s one reason I want to design smaller homes. I don’t want to create more space just so there’s somewhere to put more stuff.Read more
- Exodus Homes Begin With A Chapel And Room For A Large FamilyWe’re designing the Exodus series with a chapel in every floor plan, room for at least six children and library spaces. There’s no place for the TV. Those are deliberate choices about the kind of family life I want these homes to support.Read more
- What Happens When Your Smart Home Software Is Discontinued?You put in a smart thermostat, automate the temperature control, and stop walking over to check the thermostat all the time. You could make an argument that it gives you some of your time back. Okay, fair. I can see the benefit.Read more
- Who Is Paying For The House, And Who Will Live There?I’ve seen a house project become difficult when the person paying for it and the people planning to live there picture different lives under the same roof.Read more
- How Much House Can You Afford To Build In Lincoln, NE?Den & Burrow’s house size estimator uses your income and expenses to give you a rough starting point before custom-home design. Property preparation and project-specific costs still need a closer look.Read more
- A Place Above The Door For An Epiphany BlessingIn the Exodus home, I’m deliberately designing a white, flat lintel above every exterior door so there’s a place for an Epiphany blessing inscription. It’s a small detail, but it makes room for a Catholic tradition that matters to me.Read more
- I Am Not The Single Source Of TruthI don’t always know how a tool works or what something is doing. When that happens, I ask my team. Being the person taking the lead at Den & Burrow doesn’t make me the single source of truth.Read more
- What It Costs To Build A House In Lincoln, NEThe per square foot rates we plan with, what common home sizes cost, what the rates leave out, and how to turn them into a number for your own home.Read more
- Custom Home Builder Or General ContractorWhat a general contractor does, what a custom home builder adds, and where design fits when you’re planning a new home.Read more
- How Building Permits Work In Lincoln, NEWhat Lincoln’s Building and Safety office asks for on a new home, how plan review and inspections work, and the parts we handle for you.Read more
- Reading Lincoln’s Zoning Before You Buy A LotHow to look up a Lincoln lot’s zoning district, read the rules in Title 27, and catch problems before you buy the land.Read more
- Can You Build A Backyard Home In Lincoln?Lincoln changed its accessory dwelling rules in 2026. Here’s who can build a backyard home now and the conditions that shape the design.Read more
- Can A Tiny House Be A Backyard Home?What separates a tiny house from a backyard home in Lincoln, how Nebraska labels factory-built units, and what to check before you buy one.Read more
- How Construction Loans Work In NebraskaHow a construction loan pays for a build in stages, what you’ll likely put down, and where FHA, VA, and USDA programs fit in Nebraska.Read more
- What A 1,200 Square Foot Home Costs To BuildThe construction cost of a 1,200 square foot home at our three finish levels, what those numbers leave out, and how a basement changes the math.Read more
- Finishing A Basement In LincolnWhat it takes to finish a basement in Lincoln, from the permit and egress windows to moisture and planning, and how to get a number for yours.Read more
- What Drives The Cost Of A Bathroom RemodelWhere the money goes in a bathroom remodel, from moving plumbing and building the shower to finishes, ventilation, and permits.Read more
- Planning A Kitchen Remodel In LincolnHow we plan a kitchen remodel: layout first, then walls, cabinets, power, permits, and the selections that keep the work on schedule.Read more
- Buying A Historic Home In LincolnWhat to check before you buy an older or historic home in Lincoln, from landmark designation to the systems behind the walls.Read more
- Adding On: Bump Out Or Second StoryHow we decide between building out and building up on a Lincoln home, from the lot and the structure to the permit.Read more
- Building A Home In Seward, NEWhich rules cover your land, how permits work in town and in the county, and what a custom home in Seward costs to build.Read more
- Do You Need An Architect To Build A Home In Nebraska?What Nebraska law says about who can design a house, where the size line falls, and what the city still needs to see.Read more
- The Client Who Teared Up Seeing Her Future HomeOne of my clients gave me a hug and started to tear up when she saw the design of her home. “It's so beautiful, and I can't wait to see it in real life.” She was really happy, and that was a very fulfilling moment for me.Read more
- A Room’s Purpose Shapes The People InsideI think a designer’s responsibility goes a step beyond making a building fit what happens inside it. The shape should match the use. There’s truth in form following function. But that function will also help form the people who live there.Read more
- Why Moving The Stairs Can Mean Pausing Live DesignIf you want to add a second story or move the stairs completely over to the other side, I may need to stop a live design session and work through that change. Moving the stairs can change the whole floor plan. That can take more than an hour to sort out.Read more
- Designing A Home So Family Members Cross PathsI want to design a home where mom, dad and the kids cross paths in the hallway. I call those encounters “collisions,” and I think they deserve attention when we’re figuring out how the rooms connect.Read more
- Leave A Place To Mark Your Child’s HeightI want door trim wide enough to write a child’s name beside a height mark. When I’m thinking about the proportions of a doorway, that old family tradition is part of what I’m thinking about, too.Read more
- Why I’m Keeping Our Family Home SmallI’m a dad with five children. We live in a small house, we share one bathroom as a family, and I’m not planning on growing the size of the house. I like living in a small home.Read more
- Why The Fixture Price Isn’t The Installation PriceTake a $150 toilet as an example. The price of the fixture can make replacement look inexpensive, but it tells you very little about the work around it. I think that gap between the price of the fixture and the work it takes to put it in explains a lot of the shock people feel…Read more
- How To Vet New Technology Without Overloading Your Design Or Construction BusinessBefore adding another tool, name the problem it needs to solve. A small trial and a clear stopping point can help design and construction business owners make a more deliberate decision.Read more
- We Designed The Second Story, Then Took It Back OffWe had designed an entire second story and had it engineered when the contractor got his bids back. His response was clear: “I can't afford this. This breaks my budget. Take it off.”Read more
- A Countryside Home For A Growing FamilyI think our ideal customers are couples with young children who want to get out of the city, find a small piece of land and build a beautiful home in the countryside. They have a couple of kids, their family is growing, and they’re looking for a place to retreat.Read more
- What Job Is The TV Doing In Your Home?If someone tells me, “I need a TV, and I love modern contemporary designs,” I have to be humble before I argue with their preference. Maybe there’s something in what they’re saying that I need to hear. I want to understand why those things matter to them.Read more
- Let My IPhone Be The IPhone. Keep The Food Cold.I don’t need my refrigerator to turn into an iPhone. Refrigerators can come with AI, touchscreens and connected features. It’s for food. It sits there. Just keep the food cold.Read more
- Bringing The Design Brief Onto The Building SiteWhen we get to construction, we have a written project brief describing what the client wants in the finished house. We also have all the conversations that went into it. To me, carrying that understanding onto the building site is one of the biggest advantages of how we work…Read more
- What Does A Five-By-Nine Bathroom Actually Look Like?You can read “five by nine” on a floor plan and still have no idea what that bathroom will look like from inside. The dimensions are there, but you need a frame of reference to make sense of them.Read more
- Why A Contractor Hiring Us Again Means So Much To MeWhen a contractor hires us again and again, project after project, that’s the strongest feedback I get on our design work at Den & Burrow. They’ve worked with us before, and they’re choosing to bring us another job.Read more
- I Want A Whole-Foods Home, Not A Fast-Food HomeI want a house with unlacquered brass knobs, stone and bare wood timber. Those are the details I have in mind when I talk about a beautiful home. Something substantial. Something nice. I think of it as a whole-foods home.Read more
- Try The L-Shaped Kitchen While We’re Looking At The ModelIf we’re looking at a kitchen together and you ask what it would look like in an L shape, I want to try it right then. Let me change the model while you watch, so we can look at that arrangement together.Read more
- The Value Of A Home You Help DesignI'm not going to pretend a custom home is inexpensive. It's very expensive to build one. The people who are a good fit for us understand that cost, and they have a clear reason for wanting to spend the money: they want a home shaped around their family.Read more
- Hard Work Means Taking Ownership And Developing A CraftI want hard work to mean owning the work we do and developing a craft. A paycheck matters, but I don’t see the work itself as something to get through just to get paid. At Den & Burrow, we’re trying to become masters at what we do. That takes deliberate study as well as work.Read more
- Designing A House Around The Family, Not The GuestsI want to design a house with the formation of a human in mind. The people who live there are being shaped by that place. That’s what makes home design matter to me personally, and it’s the concern I bring to my work at Den & Burrow.Read more
- From The First Concept To The Plans We Build FromAt Den & Burrow, we handle both pre-construction design and the physical construction. Our design work runs from the first concept all the way to the permit drawings.Read more
- How A Week In The Revision Queue Turns Into Months Of DesignWhen I worked as an architect’s apprentice, a client could mark up a drawing with us, but we weren’t going to make those changes right then. The notes went into our production queue. We’d get to them when we could, usually about a week later, and send back an updated version.Read more
- What Traditional Catholic Churches Taught Me About BeautyIn older Catholic churches, the columns can look like giants bending and bowing in reverence toward the center. Everything draws your attention to the altar. To me, that’s a beautiful example of design giving a building’s purpose a visible form.Read more
- What A Backyard Home Costs In LincolnWhere the money goes on a detached unit, from the slab to the last fixture, and the choices that move the number most.Read more
- How Long A Custom Home Takes From Sketch To KeysA realistic calendar for design, permits, and the build itself, and what tends to add weeks.Read more
- Restoring A Historic House Without Losing Its CharacterHow we decide what to keep, what to rebuild, and how modern systems fit inside an old envelope.Read more
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Your Next Home
One team designs it and builds it, from the first sketch to move‑in day. It all starts with a 30‑minute call.
Alec CalzadaCo-Founder, Architectural Design