Home upgrades that really pay off

Building a home is a fun process. You get to pick each and every facet of your home from window placement to cabinet height to hardware colors. You’ll likely opt to upgrade some items in your home, such as vaulted ceilings or stone facings on the exterior of your home. There’s a lot of options, and with Faber Homes, the possibilities are endless, so what will you upgrade while you build, and what will you work on years down the road?

It’s important to understand this distinction when you go to your preconstruction meeting, as there are certain upgrades that are easier done prior to the home being built and other upgrades that will immediately increase the value of your home. If you plan on moving in the next five to ten years, you’ll want to take your home’s resale value into consideration, so we’ve compiled a list of upgrades that will pay off at resale.

Before you build

Modern or updated bathrooms. Glass shower doors that reveal stone tile walls can really help amp up your home value. Also think about the small things like hardware and faucets. The more elaborate and elegant, the nicer your space looks to you and everyone else. Make a single sink a double right away to make your life (and the future homeowner’s) easier.

Modern or updated kitchens. Recessed lights leave room for families to imagine their own taste in the space, as opposed to large light fixtures that are uniquely your style. Stone or trendy glass countertops add value immediately, and are very simple to design around. You cannot put two layers of vinyl over each other, so if you go for vinyl, make sure it’s a neutral color. Otherwise, we recommend laminate, wood, or tile. A complete kitchen remodel later on will run around $30,000 - $40,000 but might only return $25,000 - $35,000 at resale.

Finished basement. Our Superior Walls make it easy to quickly finish a basement, and our overall familiarity with them makes it a very easy process for us. Don’t feel like messing with private contractors who charge an arm and a leg for upgraded spaces? Talk to a Faber representative about the opportunity to have your basement finished while you build.

Natural lighting. It’s hard to estimate how much natural light will come in through our windows before we are in the house. It all depends on where the sun rises and sets. If a room seems to closed-off to you, more windows can open up the room and bring more light in. This upgrade is much less expensive to implement before you move in.

After you build

Landscaping. We’ve all heard of curb appeal. It’s a real thing! Keep it simple with small shrubbery and flowering plants, and opt for a finished paver or poured polished concrete walkway. Don’t be afraid to spend money on perennials, because they come back year after year bigger and healthier (if you take care of them).

Patios, porches, or decks. At Faber Homes, we aim to not only provide you with a beautifully built home, but also a home that’s in an attractive neighborhood on plenty of land. After you move in, think about spaces for entertaining and where you’d like people to gather. That might mean a deck or patio. According to FrontDoor.com, a 16x20 ft. wood deck will run about $10,000 and you should be able to recoup about 90 percent of that cost at resale. Add eye appeal by including spaces for decorative planters.

Allergens in your home

You’ve been cooped up all winter, but with spring on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about a deep clean of your home. Even in the winter months, allergens can build up, and you might even notice dust flying around if you have pets. Here’s a condensed list from WebMD to keep dust mites and other allergens at bay:

Air

·      Do not use window or attic fans, which bring air containing pollen, mold spores, and other allergens into your home.

·      Use air conditioning so you do not have to open windows. This will help reduce the amount of pollen and mold spores that enter your home.

·      Use an air cleaner with a special high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. This can help remove some allergens (such as pollen or animal dander) and tobacco smoke from the air in your home.

 Furniture, carpets, drapes, and bedding

·      Avoid carpet, upholstered furniture, and heavy drapes that collect dust. Avoid furniture covered with fabrics. Use pillow and mattress covers made from a tight-weave fabric that keeps out dust and mites.

·      Use furniture made of wood, plastic, leather, or vinyl (including vinyl mattress covers) that you can wipe clean. Note: Vinyl mattress covers can be uncomfortable to sleep on.

·      Remove rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting. Talk with your family about this and about how this will affect family life. If you cannot or do not want to remove carpeting throughout the home, consider removing it only in the bedroom.

·      Use smaller rugs (throw rugs, area rugs) that you can wash.

·      Replace drapes and blinds with roll-down shades or washable curtains.

·      Remove "dust collectors" from bedrooms, such as stuffed toys, wall hangings, books, knickknacks, and artificial flowers.

Cleaning

• Damp-mop hard floors (tile or hardwood, for example) once a day.
• Dust and vacuum once or twice a week to remove the buildup of allergens. Use a dry cloth to wipe hard surfaces such as countertops, tables, and other furniture.
• Vacuum the carpets and cloth-covered furniture to get rid of as much dust as you can.
• Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter or a special double-thickness bag, which collects dust-mite particles and pollen. Standard paper bag filters may allow the stirred-up allergens to escape back into the room.
• Dusting and vacuuming stir up dust, making the air worse until the dust settles. Wear a mask if you do the cleaning yourself. If possible, try to have someone without allergies do the cleaning.
• Consider wet-vacuum cleaning when possible. This can help remove allergens from carpeting because it actually washes the carpet. Also, consider steam cleaning carpets when possible. In addition to cleaning the carpet, the heat of the steam kills dust mites.

Controlling dust mites

Dust mites are visible only through a microscope. People are allergic to dust mite droppings, not the dust mites themselves. Allergy to dust mites is a year-round problem.

• Keep the house aired out and dry. Dust mites do well where humidity is greater than 50% but do not do well in dry conditions. Try to keep the moisture level (humidity) below 50%. This may be difficult in some seasons and some climates. Plants and fish tanks add to humidity, so keep these out of the bedroom.
• Dry vacuuming doesn't pick up dust mites. Consider steam cleaning carpets when possible. In addition to cleaning the carpet, the heat of the steam kills dust mites.
• You can buy chemicals (ascaricides) that kill dust mites and that you can use on carpeting and furniture. But many experts do not consider them effective enough to be worth the trouble and expense of using them.
• Wash bedding, including pillowcases and mattress covers, in hot water [130 °F (54.4 °C)] every 1 to 2 weeks. You can also dry bedding at high temperatures.
• You can limit your contact with dust mites by using allergen-proof covers on your mattress, box spring, and pillows, and washing them regularly. This works well as part of an overall plan to reduce allergens in your home. It is not enough to use mattress and pillow covers without some of the other methods mentioned above.

Top 10 things to do when you move in

No one said moving to a new home was a fun process. What with packing boxes, unpacking boxes, living out of boxes… you get the idea. Not only are you busy settling in, there is what seems like a laundry list of tasks that need done as well. What needs done immediately and what can wait? Here’s a list of the top ten things to do when you move in to a new home.

1. Get your address changed. Or, if you don’t have the time after you move in, stop by your old post office a few days before you move and ask them for the paperwork to get things moving. Don’t forget to contact banks, the BMV, any mailed subscriptions you have to change your address.

2. Contact your local utility companies. We’ll give you a list of phone numbers to call, but in case you misplace it, here’s the nitty gritty: electric, gas, cable, telephone, internet, garbage, water, and sewer.

3. Find your main circuit breaker. Make sure you understand the labeling, and if you don’t, contact your sales representative at Faber and he or she will help explain it.

4. Identify a good place for your emergency kit. It might be the last thing on your mind, but as you move in and hang photos and other things, there are countless opportunities for a minor first aid situation.

5. Identify emergency exits. This seems like a simple one, since you designed your home, but it’s always crucial to understand how you will evacuate should something happen.

6. Check smoke detectors. We will set you up with new batteries, but always be sure to have replacement batteries handy and know how to replace them.

7. Know where your water valve shut-offs are. This will come in particularly handy if you are having a new appliance installed, such as a fridge or washer.

8. From the curb, check your street number. Make sure it’s place visibly on your home so friends, family, and delivery services are able to find you.

9. Update your car registration, voter registration and car registration. Most counties will automatically update your voter registration when you move into a new home, but it’s always good to double check.

10. Make sure people know where to find you! Send out a postcard or email to friends, family and coworkers to let them know where you’ve moved.

Not just walls: Superior Walls

There are many things that attract buyers to a Faber Home: our attention to detail, ease of project coordination, and even our stylish models. But even before the appliances go in, walls are painted and windows are hung, we are proud to start the whole building process on a strong, sturdy, dare we say, Superior note.

We’re talking of course, about Superior Walls. 

Photo Cred: Superiorwalls.com

Oftentimes, builders will opt for foundation materials based on how remote a job site is or the expense of local foundation contractors and supplies. Faber Homes is not bogged down by these factors because we install precast concrete panels made by Superior Walls.

Superior Walls are patented precast insulated panels that are delivered to each and every home site on a truck flatbed. Walls are dropped into place and are locked together and permanently sealed. Each wall is custom built to your individual floor plan and can be built to accommodate nearly any architectural style. 

What makes Superior Walls, superior, are that they are dry and use a special low water/cement ratio of concrete. If or when you do decide to finish your basement, you will not need added insulation, as the walls are warm with a full-length insulation built in to increase energy efficiency. The walls are also “smart” in that they have built-in access for wiring and galvanized stud facing for drywall.

Many families are surprised with our estimated build times. From foundation to closing day, we usually estimate around three months (sometimes less, weather dependent, sometimes more, weather dependent and third party factor-dependent). This quick building process begins with Superior Walls, as it takes just five hours to install the foundation of your home. This knocks one to two weeks off our work schedule, letting us get to work fast, and finish faster.

Interested in learning more? Visit the Superior Walls FAQ page, or contact a Faber Homes representative today.