August 26th, 2009
When Paul and Cathy Bickford bought a new Schiavi home they knew it came with guaranteed workmanship, but they never thought they would have to live through a tornado to find out how well their home was built. Touching down in their back yard the tornado, so rare in Maine, caused about 20 trees to be blown over. Luckily for the Bickfords their new home was fine. We at Schiavi Home Builders are thrilled that the Bickfords are safe and pleased that their home escaped damage. There was never a doubt in our mind that they purchased a quality home and we are glad that it stood up to the unusual winds in this crazy storm system that passed through Oxford County. You can read more about the storm at the Sun Journal.
August 21st, 2009
Do you like to enter sweepstakes and contests? I found these on the Natural Home Magazine website. You enter with a chance to win sustainable home products or garden tools or even a community chicken coop valued at over $2000. At the same time you can sign up to be on their e-mail list and get the latest information on green products and sustainable living. Even if you don’t win the sweepstake prize, you will benefit from all the timely tips the e-mail newsletters will provide for your home. Who knows – you might win the prize too, someone has to win!
August 18th, 2009
Mother Nature Network has a great blog article about manufactured housing: A to Zeta. It shows just how far sytems built technology has come with efficient green building. Pay attention to the list of green features. What it shows is that it is available – if not the norm – yet. Modular building is all about making your home what you want it to be. If you are looking for an energy efficient green building, ask for that and voila, it’s in there. If you want more closet space – ask for that and like magic, it’s in there. Your new home should be everything you want it to be. The energy conscience townhouse seen in this blog may be just what you have in mind. A country ranch might be more to your liking – we can do that, too. If you’ve never watched a modular home craned onto a foundation be sure to watch the short You Tube video of the townhouse being set into place at the bottom of the blog post on Mother Nature Network. It’s fun to see it done in a mere 4 minutes with the men scurrying around so quickly. Of course it takes longer than that in the real world, but it is still a much faster process than stick building on site. If you’ve never considered a modular home before I encourage you to consider it now. Call us to find out how it would work out for you!
August 13th, 2009
You’ve moved into your new home and love it…but have you taken an inventory for insurance purposes? It is an important step in getting settled to take a home inventory in the event something happens to your new home. Unfortunately we do have to be prepared for the unthinkable; the only thing worse than losing your brand new home to a disaster would be to lose your home and not have an inventory of the contents. If this seems like an overwhelming task read this brochure I found on www.housing-information.org. It is a guide to help you know what you need to keep a record of in case of loss. You will rest easier knowing you have taken this practical step.
August 11th, 2009
In this economy where we are all looking to save money and energy, these products found at ThisOldHouse.com make a lot of sense. Some of them might seem a little pricey, but if you factor in the energy savings, the net cost can be zero in just a matter of months. My favorite item is the washer and dryer that can complete a clothes cycle in 30 minutes. The energy saved in two years pays for them, but if I included in my time value – conservatively saying $30 per hour – with the amount of laundry to do in my house, I figure they could pay for themselves in six months. Now, if This Old House would find a way that every item is folded and pressed when I open the dryer door, that would be priceless.
