Summer Maintenance Tips for Manufactured and Modular Homes

Checking the air conditioner. It is IMPERATIVE that you inspect your air condition unit in your home. During the winter, air conditioners are remained inactive for several months, which can cause malfunctioning and a lack of cooling. So, to avoid this, make sure the filters are clean and free of dust. This can also help in maintaining an energy efficient home.

 

Replenish fuel oil supply. Always refill your home’s fuel supply before the cold seasons approach. The last think you’d want to do is come unprepared to the cold seasons!

 

Smoke detector and carbon monoxide. Fires can start during any season, so it’s important to test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms often! The increasing temperatures in the atmosphere can most definitely instigate some fires. Due to this, frequently check if your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are properly installed and working properly.

 

Updates for your furnace. Before the fall season starts, it’s vital to keep your furnace in good condition! Just when summer is about to end, check for frequent inspections and maintenance to make sure those furnaces remain in excellent working conditions.

/by

What You Need to Know About an Eco-Friendly Modular Home

Environmentally friendly modular homes offer homeowners options to reduce their expenses while preserving the environment. They are designed with features that has low negative effects on the environment, and combat carbon dioxide emissions and also reduce energy consumption.

 

Insulation

When climate appropriate insulation is installed within the walls, attics, or floors, it will result in even temperatures and reduced energy consumption! While in the manufacturing state, opt for an insulating material that will friendlier to the environment. Perhaps materials such as wool or cotton. These materials are easily recycled, and they will perform just as well as fiber glass! Cellulose is an option for those who live in a colder area; it is not harmful to the environment and it carries more heat resistance properties.

 

Lighting and Appliances

Products much like lights and appliances that carry the ENERGY STAR label provide a much greener feature with energy savings! The sight of a well-illuminated home at night is amazing but will increase your energy bills! You can minimize this cost by using energy saving bulbs within your home. Talk to us about how to incorporate light sensors in the building, which could automatically switch off lighting in an empty room.

 

Windows

An energy-efficient window is an important feature of an eco-friendly home! They can provide protective coatings and frame that helps to keep in heat during the colder months and keep heat out during the warmer months. Perhaps look into solar windows, which are designed to collect and direct natural light, and will convert it to a useable energy around the home.

 

 

/by

The Creative Uses of Spare Rooms

Let’s say that you have an empty, spare room; but how should you utilize it? Here are some ideas!

 

Art Studio

 

Imagine dedicating a spare room to your artistic talent and expression. An art studio doesn’t require a large space, just full of great natural light. Perhaps you don’t have natural light, no problem. The use of full spectrum lighting to mimic natural sunlight can be put to use. The lighting can also give you a better representation of your color palette. Arrange a comfy chair and an easel close to your window and use neutral or light colors for the walls and floor coverings. Include a space to organize or store your supplies, and a sink if possible for a quick clean-up. Whether your hobby is to crochet, quilt, sew, draw, or paint; an art studio is the PERFECT little space to give you the time and location to express yourself.

 

Reading Nook

 

 

Is your idea of a guilty pleasure to sneak away and read your favorite books? To a serious bookwork, they need a spot to curl up with their favorite novel. Arrange your reading room by genre and include the most comfortable seating as possible. Not only can it double as a guest room but it can fit perfectly in a niche carved out of a hallway. It can provide a private, tiny little space at the heart of the house where your imagination can run wild. Plan for a surface or wall lighting, as well as an overhead lighting so you can read during any time of the day.

 

The “Tiny” Bedroom

 

 

If a bedroom is too small, simply elevate the bed onto another platform. Adding flights of steps can open a whole new space-efficient space below. Not only is the space under the bed a clever storage solution, but it provides a whole new level of comfort to your bed.

 

Writer’s Corner

 

Photo by Coastal Living

 

The tight, corner spaces in your home doesn’t have to feel so closed off and isolated. With the right and comfortable furnitures, as well as the clever use of walls, this room can quickly feel much like a place in which to compose some short fiction, poetry, and more. Posture is precious, so be sure to have the best quality ergonomic chair to avoid “writer’s neck.” You’ll be comfortable writing in it long after your novel finishes.

 

Classroom at Home

 

 

This little learning zone has converted from a home office to a designated study room! Not too cramped nor too dark, this space is the perfect spot to retreat into on those drowsy days. To ease mobility among the spaces, organize school supplies in a portable container.

 

 

/by

Morning Routines with Smart Home Automation

 

The whole purpose of a smart home is to make life at home somewhat less demanding, if not more charming. We regularly speak about smart homes without understanding what a smart home can really do. That’s because there’s such a variety in things we can automate or control using smart home devices. One of the best places to start using your smart home is automating your mornings! Perhaps these examples can enable you to easily through your mornings.

 

Waking up in a cozy room with white lights.

After your blasting alarm awakens you, you’d want to hear your favorite songs to start your day on the right foot! Flic button and smart lights can help activate your smart light’s bright white to wake you up, and you can press start with your Flic button to enjoy your morning playlist. On your Flic button, you can press on the Plus button next to one of the three preset commands. From there, you can add either Apple Music, Spotify, or Sonos action to select the playlist you want.

 

Going for a run.

Getting up to go for a run, especially in the cold, can be terrible. If your day consists of going out for a bit of an exercise, you can take care of business with the push of a button before you take off to go running. With a Flic Smart Button, you can play your workout playlist, starts automatically tracking your runs with an application (with Runkeeper or Strava) can start a stopwatch to track your time, and can even donate some money to a goal. Have fun and reward yourself!

 

Overslept? Alert your friends or coworkers that you’ll be late.

Say you overslept. Don’t worry, it happens! Fortunately, you can tell your collaborators or friends you’re on you way when you leave your home without wasting time. With an app called IFTTT, you can send custom voice commands to your Google Assistant that exists in your Google Home voice assistant. You can also set up your IFTTT to your Slack account, so when you say, “Hey Google, I’m running late!” it turns into a message sent to a contact or contacts. The Flic button can also ensure that all your appliances and lights are turned off for the day before you leave.

 

Turn on your lights slowly.

Getting a good night’s rest is IMPERATIVE. However, no one likes to be awoken by an uproarious, unexpected alarm. Try to pursue awakening smoothly to a delicate, graduating light instead! It is more ambient than bright, white light and will prevent you from being ripped out of a deep sleep. Smart bulbs can be programmed to come on at the same time, and you can often choose how long it takes for the bulbs to reach the desired brightness — whether that’d be a few seconds, minutes, or instantly! Make a schedule for the light bulbs overhead or the bedside light to gradually turn on to full brightness around the time you need to wake up. Best products to use are the Phillips White Ambiance Bulbs, LIFX Bulbs, and the Phillips Wake-up Lights.

 

Slowly raise or lower the temperature.

Nobody needs to take off the comfortable sheets early in the day and wake up to a chilly room. To prevent this, you can set your smart thermostat to slowly raise the temperature before you plan to get out of bed! Much like gradually turning on the room lights, this will help you delicately pull you out of rest and make waking up less jolting. Ecobee4 has a perfect touch screen display and remote temperature features that can help you wake up much more gently in the mornings.

 

A fresh cup of coffee without the hassle!

Who doesn’t love waking up to a fresh cup of coffee early in the morning. I know I sure would love that. With your smart home, you have the ability to wake up with a fresh cup of hot coffee every day. While there ARE smart coffee makers that do this, all you need is any coffee maker and a smart plug. The only requirement needed is that the coffee maker needs a power button that can toggle switch that will remain on, even after brewing finishes. The Kasa Smart Wi-Fi Plug by TP-Link, or D-Link Smart Plug is compatible to both Google Home and Alexa, and you can tell your device to start making coffee as soon as you wake up!

 

Monitoring your kids and pets.

With a webcam in a nearby window, you can keep of your pets, but it doesn’t make sense to have that camera on all the time. Adding a tilt sensor can trigger a webcam to power on. The same tactic can be used for kids going out the backdoor. Using a webcam with a magnetic sensor can help make sure that playtime is safe for you kids. Products best for this would be the Zmodo Wireless IP Security Camera or the Vivint Wireless Door Tilt if you already have a webcam!

 

Morning news without touching the remote.

Most importantly, the news. With smart speakers, staying up to date on the news is easier than before. With Alexa Routines, you can have Alexa play “Flash Briefing” every morning by saying “Alexa, play my Flash Briefing. For Google Home speakers, you can automate your news, traffic, or weather by saying “Ok Google, good morning.” However, they have more features. With these smart home gadgets, the options are limitless. Have fun and be creative on how to use it for the mornings!

 

 

/by

Best Home Security Devices of 2018:

Interested in home security automations but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place.

 

What is a Home Security Device?

 

Thanks to advances in the smart home technology and home security devices, you can now monitor your home from afar, no matter where you are in the world. This includes alarms, cameras, motion sensors and more. There are limitless options when it comes to protecting your loved ones at home.

 

To see the benefits of home security devices or systems, see our previous article, Outsmarting Homes with Home Security.

 

List:

 

  1. Amazon Echo. The Amazon Echo is a Bluetooth speaker powered by Alexa, which is the voice assistant for Amazon. Alexa works with a number of smart home devices directly, and you can use Alexa to control most gadgets in your home by the sound of your voice.

 

  1. Nest Protect 2nd Generation Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm. The Nest Protect Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm is a stylish take on a traditional hockey puck style of a smoke detector. It directs the alerts to your home, has motion activated night light, and many more.

 

  1. Wink Hub 2. Wink Hub 2 works with devices that use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, as well as Z-Wave, Zigbee, Lutron Clear Connect, and Kidde. It is also made for the future; that just about includes everything in the smart home spectrum.

 

  1. Schlage Connect Camelot Touchscreen Deadbolt with Built-In Alarm. This Touchscreen Deadbolt can make your life a little easier. Not only will your home be protected while you are away, but you no longer have to worry about accidentally locking yourself out of your own house.

 

  1. Logitech Harmony Elite. Prefer controlling things by pushing buttons? The Logitech Harmony Elite is the best universal remote for a reason, it controls more than just the TV or the stereo!

 

  1. Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell. You can answer the door remotely with a smartphone, and it includes motion sensor alert. You can not only see who’s at the door before you answer, but talk to them if you can’t answer!

 

/by

Living in Luxury: Regal and Grand Style Tips

 

A beautiful, luxurious home doesn’t have to be on a 100-acre plot of land or carry pristine marble statues. Adjusting various things such as soaring ceiling lights, elegant tile work, beautiful woodwork; these are things that create drama in architecture.

 

Luxurious sheets. One of the easiest ways to jazz up your bedroom is to outfit your bed with crisp white sheets, that are at least 300 thread count.

 

Elegant, flowy drapes. Think of the priceless antiques or sky-high ceilings that scream elegance and opulence. Add that same attention to detail with flowy, regal drapes.

 

Molding and Trim. Molding and trim are two of the most common tactics used to transform a room from a boring room into a more comfortable space. There are some few trims you could consider adding into your home:

  • Baseboards
  • Casing
  • Crown molding
  • Chair rails

 

When you do choose your molding, make sure to get the proper measurements. Once you finished the installation, take care of it by matching paint or stain on all your molding in order to achieve a more cohesive look.

 

Symmetrical home design. One of the most distinguishing features in a luxurious home is the symmetry of windows, furnitures, artwork or flooring. They are often arranged in exact pairs on a straight axis around the room.

A central focal point draws the eyes in a formal styled interior. Perhaps it’s a beautiful picture window looking out to a perfect horizon, or a fireplace in the center of the longest wall, or perhaps it’s one exquisite piece of furniture.

 

Paint, color matters. Perhaps one of the most difficult decisions to make when decorating a room is paint color. Red is a symbolic color for nobility, and it’s bold and scholarly. Reds or maybe a tinge of orange can work well on home accents, some pieces of furniture, or doors. Darker or purple-ish reds can word well as throw blankets, rugs, or accent walls.

 

Comfort and elegance of pillows. The comfort aspects of pillows speak for itself, that is, if you choose pillows that are large enough to rest on and are soft. Large and overstuffed pillows can create a very plush, luxurious appearance.

 

Don’t skimp out on accessories. Decorative accessories are used to add a formal look to a room. Add ruffles and tassels on accessories such as tablecloths and table-runners. Choose shiny metals, plates, vases, or leather-bound books to decorate your shelves. Wooden inlay and marquetry, gold ornamentation, and polished brass hardware are all hallmarks of formal pieces.

 

If you like an elegant and luxurious formal style, find ways to incorporate some of it into your home!

/by

The Process of Buying a Home from Showcase Homes

Thank you for looking at our beautiful array of homes! We strive to make the process of buying a modular or manufactured home more simplified and understandable, while giving you the time you need to complete purchasing at your own pace!

Choose a floor plan, make your own, or choose a move-in ready home on our lot. One option is to select a floor plan! There are hundreds available out on the internet, or we can even help you make your own! Once you know what kind of home you’d like, you can easily find out the final price for your home, including customizable options, by consulting us here at Showcase Homes. We’ll help you find the perfect home that fits all your needs.

Developing a budget. More than likely, the base price of your home will be the biggest cost. The next will be the options you have selected for your home. Following that, there will be the delivery to your home destination and the foundation. There also may be unexpected costs, such as the tap fee. Give yourself some elbow room in your budgeting! Our staff can help you get a close estimate on the home including the options as well as the site-built costs! Additionally, once you qualify for a loan, it can help us come up with a more accurate budget.

Receive the financing. Now you have a general sense of what you need to borrow, we can help you find a loan you can afford from a bank you can trust.

Construction budget. Once you are qualified to a loan, you will be able to finalize your budget by obtaining the bids from the contractors.

Start building your home! This is the best part about our home buying process! You’re finally ready to order your home and begin building it on your desired homesite. We will double check the options, or any documents for changes, and then send the final order to the factory. We carry many different manufacturers, so the duration of when your home will be finished can vary; however, building our homes are significantly faster than any site-built homes. Ask one of our sales representatives as well, as the build-time can also depend on the season.

/by

Small Space Solutions for Every Room

 

Organization. An analysis of all the items you own or bough throughout the years can be helpful when you’d like to get rid of things that don’t really have a function or sentimental value. With all the items you’ve bought, some of them may not be ever used. Be confident and remove anything that carries no value or function. Organizing the stuff you have left will be easier now that clutter is no longer accumulating.

Image via Unsplash

 

Scale. Visualize the size of the objects in relation to on another – is key to a decorating and organizing a small room successfully. Avoiding objects such as oversize furniture can help you not eat up a large amount of floor space. However, don’t think that you need everything to be small-sized. Including a mix of small to medium sized furniture can really help spice up your room! Remember that scale is always relative, so be sure to always take room measurements when buying furniture.

Image via Unsplash

 

Use of lighting. Dark lighting can make a room look much more small and enclosed; but adding an effective light can give the illusion of additional space. Overhead lighting is lovely; however, it only illuminates the center of the room and leaves the corners dark. Incorporating a table or floor lamps can illuminate corners and can make the rooms look much larger.

Image via Unsplash

 

Create counter space. Perhaps you don’t have enough counter space in your bathroom your kitchen. That’s no problem! For a temporary solution, using a store-bought island countertop can make up for the lack of storage. Bar carts on wheels or a small foldable table can give you that extra space-saving capabilities!

Image via www.theeverygirl.com

 

Colors. Much like lighting, adding lighter colors can give the illusion of spaciousness to a room. Having your decorating scheme be full of light colors and then using one piece or accent wall in a dark color can give visual interest. Adding a darker accent wall well bring in some boldness and excitement to a room, giving a room so much uniqueness that the size of the room may become irrelevant!

Image via Unsplash

 

Utilize shelving. If you find yourself running out of space, don’t be shy to try out open shelving! Add a bookshelf to your kitchen, pantry, bedroom, or even bathroom for your most used items! The display doubles as a décor, and you won’t have to dig through your cabinets looking for your favorite coffee mug or skincare product.

Image via www.lizmarieblog.com

 

Avoid patterns. Much like clutter, too frequent of patterns may emphasize the small space. Very tiny patterns can be acceptable as they blend the rooms together and make it appear quirkier. However, avoid large or bold patterns as they can be too distracting in a small space. Using a monochromatic color scheme is best for a simpler and less distracting space.

Image via Unsplash

 

Add function to your belongings. Add and functionality AND style to your space! Investing in a murphy table can also work perfectly as a small kitchen corner and a small storage space! This is a great, quick set up for any down-sized nesters.

Image via Osborne Architects

 

Make use of corners. Nooks and crannies are deemed as adorable in small spaces, but how could you utilize them? Introduce a very quirky style of eat-in kitchen with a built- in booth, or perhaps a little window seating. Use a moveable bench and chair to allow for easy clean up and mobility.

Image via Unsplash

 

Opening spaces. Of course, keeping your home clutter free and adding storage to your home can most certainly make your rooms look spacious, but you also should also open up space for an easy to manage traffic that encourages movement throughout your house. If your guests have enough places to sit and enough room to freely move their feet and arms, it doesn’t matter if the room is small or not. A smaller room can seem much more inviting and cozy in this situation.

 

Double up storages. Use that wasted space in your home as storage! Utilize those drawers that are built beneath daybeds, couches, and other various furniture. Put away those extra linens, files, miscellaneous items, and so on within these efficient storage spaces.

Image via Malcolm Davis Architecture

Don’t think “small.” If you scale down all your furniture, this only draws attention to how small your living space is. Rather focusing on the smaller aspects, incorporate some huge and bold elements in your home! Look for oversized couches, or a large entertainment system, a large piece of artwork; but only pick one element., not all of it. By adding something with a big size, make that piece the focal point in your room to distract them from how small the room is.

Image via Unsplash

 

These small space decorating ideas, storage solutions, and finds will help you maximize your living space regardless of the size of your humble domain!

/by

It Doesn’t Get Any Easier Than This! Buying and Customizing a Move-in Ready Home

Many of our customers come to us to help build and customize modular homes for their new plot of our land. However, another way to get a newly built modular home is to view our pre-existing models! The move-in ready homes are new construction homes that are complete or near completion, which makes them ready to be bought and moved in. This is a very beneficial sale; all the utilities are in place, all that needs are for a home site to be selected and our model to be bought!

 

Benefits of a Move-in Ready Home:

 

Construction Time. The framework of our lives often guides the homebuying process. Are you planning to relocate for a job? Do you plan on moving before your kids start school? Is there a deadline you need to meet for the move in? These questions can be quickly answered: If you don’t have the time to wait, then building a new home may not be the right option for you. However, if time is of the essence, buying a move-in ready home is the perfect option!

 

Complexity. The process of building a new home can be a little bit more of a complex process. As a homeowner, you are responsible for choosing each in-home customization, which can be fun but also time consuming. So, if you’re busy raising a family or perhaps focusing on your career, buying a move-in ready model from us will give you the benefits you need with less stress!

 

Cost-effectiveness. Customizing everything in your home, although it is fun, can cost more than purchasing a move-in ready home. Not too much of a difference, since our models are relatively affordable, but every penny counts!

 

How to Customize a Move-in Ready Home:

 

Despite not being able to customize your whole house, you still have some options that are available:

 

Cabinetry and fixtures. Showcase Homes’ manufacturers offers high quality options for an affordable price, and we can help you get it! These options include tile countertops, laminate countertops, or perhaps even a surface countertop. Pick and choose the looks that best fit your style, and we’ll be able to help you pull off the perfect décor for your home.

Flooring. Carpets are available with many different colors and varieties. Or perhaps you’re more interested in laminate or ceramic tile, which is also an option as well.

Colors. You may also have the option to choose colors that complement the style of your home! The color options are from a wide spectrum, including the most popular hues you could want to make your home more unique.

Our Showcase Homes move-in ready homes are spacious, beautiful, and economical and built the best to stand through the test of time. The customization options can help you to make you buy the perfect home for you and your family!

For more information about our modular and manufactured homes, contact us at 518-580-1305 or join us on Facebook!

/by

The Rise of Modular Homes

 

Modular homes are experiencing a new surge of popularity, due to some of the latest developments in the industry. For those who don’t know what a modular home is, it’s a home constructed almost entirely within a controlled factor, that is later shipped to the plot of land.

 

Communities all around the world are catching on to the idea that modular homes are the real solution to rising property values. They carry many benefits: faster construction, eco-friendly benefits, and usually costs lower than traditional homes.

 

So why are they rising to popularity?

 

Anyone knows that building or renovating a home can be a process that is always unpredictable, with huge amounts of costs and errors through construction causing the most problems. The modular homes we carry are both affordable and carries high-end appliances. However, the benefits go beyond just saving money. As concerns for our environment grows, our modular home manufacturers seek new techniques to offer an eco-friendlier construction. Additionally, there’s less traffic and noise pollution, due to fewer deliveries being made to the site.

There’s also cost savings. Due to fewer wasted materials from being exposed to weather, and with that comes lower labor costs; there are huge amounts money saved when choosing a modular home over traditional stick-built home.

What’s the future of modular construction?

With the large and rapid increase of popularity with modular homes, the sky’s the limit! As more and more of the population recognize the benefits of modular construction, the only way for the industry is up.

/by