Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

"...I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

 

Project Updates

Happy Thursday!! Below are some pictures of our current projects. They are really taking shape as we get closer to completion.

Whites Creek

  Fire pit in the backyard.

                                                                     
                                                              

The exterior is really coming together.

They are now ready to start receiving mail with this completely secure mailbox.

 The house looks great from the street.

Prairie Dawn

They started the floors which have turned out nicely.

Started work on the shower as well which will be made with the same tile.

This mudroom is really great, the bench on the bottom even opens up for extra storage space.

 They started to install granite today. Things are really starting to take shape.

Hope you are having a great week!!

These are a Few of My Favorite Things….

With Christmas music playing everywhere we go this time of year I was reminded of the song from The Sound of Music “My Favorite Things”.  I started to think about some of my favorite things in the houses we have built or what I like to see in a house floor plan when we are designing a new home. Here are some of my favorites.

Jack and Jill bathroom- Like below. They are a great use of space and great for guests and kids to share with their siblings.

Mudroom- These little additions have become very popular the past couple of years.  They are very practical and dress up transitional spaces inside your home that might have been dead spaces before. It is a great place to hang backpacks, coats or purses when you walk into your house.

 

Closet Space- Whether it is separate his and hers closets, a large closet under the stairs or a large hall closet. It is nice to have space in your home to put things away out of sight, like Christmas decorations. 

 A Living room that is functional. The living room is where you, your family and your guests spend a lot of time. It is important for the room to flow nicely into the other areas of your house and also provide a good arrangement for your furniture and a set up that you feel best suits the space.

 Knee space in the Master Bathroom- Most ladies spend time each day getting ready and it is nice to be able to sit and do your hair and makeup.  

These are just a couple of my favorite things in houses. Now let me know what yours are. Please post some of your favorite things in your house or that you would like in your dream home someday.

Getting your home ready for winter

Here are some helpful tips on how to get your home ready for cooler weather.

Heating System

-          Make sure all heating vents are opened and unblocked by furniture or Christmas trees/decorations. This will ensure that the air flows properly throughout your house.

-          Remember to check your air filter; this will keep your heating unit from working too hard.

-          When you first turn on your heater if you feel like the unit is struggling or the level of noise is excessive you might want to call a qualified technician for a tune up on your heating system.

-          Make sure to check your propane level, for those of you who live outside the city limits. 

Prevent Plumbing Freezes

-          Drain all garden hoses

-          Insulate exposed plumbing pipes

-          If you go on vacation, leave the heat on, set to a reasonable temperature.

-          Winterize your irrigation system to prevent freezing. 

Exterior Doors & Windows

-          Check the weather-stripping around all exterior doors to prevent cold air from entering your house.             

-          Make sure to caulk all windows

-          Inspect the exterior of you home for cracks and exposed entry points around pipes, if you discover one, seal it!!

Inspect Roof

-          Replace any worn shingles or tiles

-          Make sure ridge vents are unobstructed

Check Insulation

-          Make sure your attic is insulated. Often time’s older homes have little to no attic insulation. If this is the case large amounts of heat will escape though the ceiling.

-          Make sure there is weathering stripping or insulation around attic hatch or door to prevent warm air from escaping.

Landscaping

-          Trim trees or branches that are close to your roof or electrical lines. The best time to prune your trees is the fall, which has already pasted us by but if your house is in danger of getting a broken tree limb on its roof it might be best to still take the precaution now

-          Move sensitive potted plants indoors or to shelter when outside temperatures are below freezing temperatures. For some people that might mean moving all 41 of their orchids into the house, yes dad I’m talking to you. If you are unable to move the plant, cover with a sheet or blanket to protect it from the freezing temperatures.

With the colder weather there are a few more things to think about around the house. Hopefully thinking about them before hand will prevent any major problems once the real winter chill is here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Yours, O Lord,  is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we THANK YOU, Our God, and praise your Glorious name."- 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

We hope you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Home Safety Tips

With the holiday season upon us many of us leave our homes to visit family and friends. Often times this means we leave our houses unattended and susceptible to home invasion.  Even if you are blessed to live in a safe area it is always a good idea to take precautions because thieves know they have increased odds of finding homes unattended this time of year. Here are some tips for making your home a little safer.

Tell a good neighbor- If you aren’t blessed to live on a street with my grandmother, who is the neighborhood watch guard, there is probably someone on your street that keeps an eye on things. If someone knows you will be out of town, they are more likely to keep an eye on things for you and pick up on an usual activity at your house.

Rack those leaves- Make sure to keep your lawn maintained while you are away. 

Alarm system-Most houses today have an alarm system, even if you can’t afford to get it monitored you can still set it to make a noise if an intruder were to come it. They will have no way of knowing that the police are not on their way. If you do not have an alarm system there are cheap noise only types that you can buy and install in your house as well. Another cost effective idea is to place alarm system signs in your front lawn, no one will ever know you don't really have one.

Virtual world- It is probably not a good idea to tell everyone on Facebook and Twitter that you are leaving for a week to visit your family.

Eliminate the buildup of newspapers- Nothing sets a red flag like newspapers piled up on a driveway.

Lights, Lights, Lights- An automatic timer set to come on every night can make it look like someone is home.  Motion activated flood lights are another good tool to help keep your house well lite and more visible to your neighbors or someone passing by to notice something is wrong. 

Hope these tips help you to have a restful holiday season!

Before We Tackle The Turkey...

Before we tackle the turkey next week we decided to tackle starting a blog. The hope is that this blog would provide you with more insight into what we have going on in the Bryan/College Station area and also allow you to get to know us, as a company a little bit better. 

Well the end of the year is quickly approaching and with that comes the push to complete several projects and preparation to start a couple new project come January 1, 2011.

We are currently working on two custom homes. One located in Whites Creek Estates and another in the Saddle Creek subdivision on Prairie Dawn.  We are really excited about these two houses. Both have wonderful floor plans and are coming along nicely. 

 Whites  Creek

 Prairie Dawn

We are getting ready to start some student houses close to the Figthin’ Texas Aggie Campus. Whoop! We have been working really hard with our designer to come up with some unique floor plans and elevations. These are going to be some great houses!

We hope to bring you more updates on current projects along with tips on home maintenance and other helpful information.