BLACK FRIDAY

and  SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!

Sale on ALL display models at Showcase Homes of Malta!

$3,000 OFF!   New double & single wide homes                    ordered by 12/31/2019

   $5,000 OFF!   New modular home with a complete                        turnkey package!

Please visit Showcase Homes of Malta at 2651 Route 9, Malta NY

Or take a moment to browse our website: www.shohomes.com

The Importance of Air Sealing your Modular Home

 

Reducing the amount of air that leaks out of your home is one of the most important steps for a homeowner or a contractor should take. It is the most cost-effective way to cut heating and cooling costs, as well as improve durability and comfort.

 

What Could Happen if you Don’t Seal your Home Properly?

 

Air leakage occurs when outside air enters, and conditioned air leaves your house through the cracks and openings. A leaky house causes higher energy bills and allows in excess moisture and contaminants. This could potentially help allow the air to flow, and heat to escape, in the middle of the colder seasons.

 

How to Properly Air Seal

 

Modular homes that are properly air sealed is more energy efficient than a traditional, site-built home. These are the places contractors check to seal out air:

 

  1. Interior marriage wall
  2. Basement and attic marriage wall
  3. Exterior marriage wall
  4. Exterior still plate
  5. Exterior bands

 

The most common infiltration paths include access to the attic and any air that can enter the modular home’s envelope. Insulation is important, but you still must air seal first, to make sure your home is energy efficient as well as comfortable. Three of the most common, and most high-quality materials are used to air seal a home:

 

  1. High-quality acrylic-latex caulk.
  2. Fire-rated caulk.
  3. Expandable polyurethane foam for the larger gaps.

 

Minimizing air movement in and out of your new modular home is key to building an energy-efficient modular home. We always emphasize air sealing to our contractors, and our manufacturers make sure to always inspect each step while building the modular homes within their factories.

 

 

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Tips and Tricks on Buying Furniture on a Budget

 

Buying your first home or upgrading to more square footage can be exciting, bur furnishing the new space can give you anxiety on an already stretched budget. Furnitures can get crazy expensive, especially when investing in designer or heirloom pieces isn’t always feasible. With SO many shopping options available, it can be easy to be sucked into a spending hole, but you don’t have to! Here are some affordable suggestions for smart, easy ways to save cash and furnish your new home.

 

Figure out which furnitures you need. If you cannot afford the furnish your rooms one at a time, then start with the furnitures you need first and add to them as you can afford more. Once you have purchased your most important items, you can start looking at the next important items to purchase, such as nightstands, side tables, dressers, or mirrors.

 

Buy used furnitures. Craigslist, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace can be excellent for finding used goods. There are other options such as Letgo, an app that locals find used items near them, and Chairish has options design freaks will love! Be sure to keep an eye out for yard sales for pieces as well!

 

Pay attention to the fabric. Natural fibers or fabrics are preferable, but most synthetics mixed in can make it more durable and stain resistant. Buying fabrics mixed in with synthetics can help keep it more affordable but be sure to consider the quality; by checking whether it still has the natural look and feel.

 

Furnitures with multiple functions. A stool can be used both as seating and as a handy end table. A bar stool can be used as extra kitchen storage or makeshift bookshelf. A daybed can be used as a bed and switched into a couch at the same time. These practical furniture pieces will not only fulfill your needs, but you get two pieces of furniture (or more) in the cost of one!

 

Consider your lifestyle. If you have kids or pets, you’re choosing a piece for a high traffic area. Smaller furniture pieces that are out of the way are most recommended. As stated before, half synthetic indoor or outdoor fabrics are durable, versatile, and beautiful.

Shop at the right time. If you have enough stuff to hold you for a short time, consider holding off buying new furniture until you can time it with wonderful sales. Holidays offer great saving opportunities, but new furniture design also debut in spring, so February is also recommended as a good time to go furniture shopping.

 

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To Rebuild or Not to Rebuild: Replacing Your Modular Home

 

Many homeowners choose to renovate because it’s something they are familiar with. However, many homeowners are unaware of the different options; such as replacing the home you own with a new modular build! It’s not always a decision when you’re trying to figure out if you should renovate or rebuild your home. If you like the location of your home but not the layout, rebuilding is most likely the best options; especially if you’re looking to make dramatic changes in your home’s floorplan!

 

Why Rebuild?

 

Let’s say that you love your current neighborhood, and your family has adapted and began to feel more comfortable in their schools; and you want to stay close to your family and friends. Your two options would either be:

 

  1. Renovate your current home.
  2. Replace and rebuild your home.

 

Although renovating is perfect for changing specific parts of your home layout, if you wish to remodel your whole home, rebuilding is the safest bet. Tearing your home down and replacing it with a new one can be more economical. Not only will you be able to save your money in the long run but building your new home can fit specific customization options your family wants and needs. Tearing down the home and replacing it with a new home can allow you to save money you’d spend on labor during renovation.

 

 

Can You Tear It Down?

 

Before contacting us to help you build your new modular home, you should learn what your town’s zoning, planning, and building departments will allow; which we can help you with too! Those rules are there to protect the existing town or neighborhood, and they can dictate whether you can tear down your existing home. These rules can also share you what type of limits you must follow when building your new home, such as size, square footage, height, or style. Be sure to check with all your utilities (which includes gas, electric, and water) to learn how to disconnect these from your home.

 

Although there are many lovely benefits to replacing your existing house with a new modular home, it’s important to evaluate your circumstances to find the best option for you! Take necessary precautions and contact your city to find out whether your property is zoned for a modular home, or have your home be appraised by a deconstruction expert.

 

 

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Changing the Way You Look at Modular Homes, Literally!

 

Ready to Make Serious Upgrades? Modular Renovation Just Might be the Answer

 

Homeowner’s have so many choices when it comes to rebuilding or renovating a home, especially older homes. However, many older homes are usually torn and replaced with newer homes. Suppose you have a property you love and don’t want to move, and you want to update the house without the trial of an endless renovation. If that’s the case, you should consider buying a modular home!

 

Can It Improve Property Value

 

Many homeowners consider renovating because they want to improve the value of their home. In fact, adding bathrooms, bedrooms, patios, and more can add increase of value to a home! It can also provide some sense of accomplishment because renovation can improve the home’s size, floorplan, purpose, or design so that your home space can be comfortable and functional. This is a sure way to increase the value of your home, and renovating will cotribute to your overall return on investment!

 

Energy Efficiency

 

Installing energy-efficient upgrades can not only add value to your modular home, but you can also save on utility costs in the long run. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, improvements like energy-efficient windows, doubling the insulation, and so on can curb energy costs. Renovating is the perfect way for homeowners to add functionality and aesthetics to their property while increasing the value. If you choose the right projects to enhance within your home, such as replacing the doors, windows, or siding will reduce maintenance and utility costs drastically.

 

Custom Lifestyle

 

Perhaps you need extra space to accomadate your growing family; renovating can increase your home value but it can also help you upgrade your home to your preferred lifestyle. Maybe you would like to remodel the kitchen to get a gourmet kitchen look, or maybe spruce up the bathroom to look elegant! Whatever it may be, altering your home to suit your needs and tastes are aloteasier than moving to a new home!

 

 

 

 

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How to Avoid Tragedies: All About Fire Protection

 

A national fire safety study conducted by the Foremost Insurance Company showed that traditional, site-built homes are more than twice as likely experience a fire than manufactured or modular homes. In this study, the number of homes is 17 per 1,000 site-built homes, while only 8 per 1,000 manufactured or modular homes.

 

So How Are Manufactured and Modular Homes Constructed While Prioritizing Fire Safety?

 

Manufactured and modular homes are required to follow construction and safety codes from HUD, including items to help prevent fires in your homes. The HUD standard has been enhanced over the years. Modular construction now requires containing factory installed hard wired (or 10-year battery source), interconnected smoke alarms inside all rooms, as well as devices for hearing and visually impaired people. As a result, according to the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), manufactured and modular homes built to the HUD standards have lower risks of death if fire occurs.

 

Some Safety Tips

 

Plan, plan, and plan. Prepare a plan with your family, especially the children and the elderly, to get out of your home in case of a fire. Practice the escape plan to ensure your family is aware of what to do.

 

Keep smoke alarms working. Important note: DO NOT REMOVE OR DISABLE A SMOKE ALARM. This is emphasized because we, Showcase Homes, want to ensure you the best protection. If you do not have smoke alarms near or in every sleeping room, be sure to install new ones with fresh batteries.

 

Heating and cooking. Keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn. Perhaps try finding space heaters that turn off automatically. Also, supervise your children when they cook or stay in the kitchen when they are using the stove. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires in homes in the U.S.

 

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Tips to Get your House Ready for the Fall

 

We still have a few weeks left of warm weather, but those chilly months are just around the corner. I mean, it’s already mid-August! Cooler temperatures are on their way, and pretty soon falling leaves will serve as a reminder that autumn is approaching. A bit of attention now will save costly repairs and aggravation later, so here are some tips to start prepping now!

 

Cozy Bedding. The holidays are around the corner, now it’s time to take down those comforters, cotton sheets, and knits out of wherever you store them! When those icy nights come, you’ll have your blankets ready to go. There’s nothing worse than twisting and turning in the freezing cold night, wishing you had your warmest blanket.

 

Clean Out Your Gutter. This isn’t an enjoyable job, but everyone should do this annually. Inspect your roof for damaged shingles, flashing, or vents. You can also inspect the chimney for missing mortar.

 

Inspect Doors and Windows. Check weather stripping by opening the door and placing a piece of paper in the entryway; then closing the door. The paper should not be able to slide back and forth so easily; but if it does, you may need to recheck the windows and doors casings.

 

Stock Up on Firewood. Now is the best time to start your firewood pile! When the winter months roll in, you’ll be glad you stocked up. Perhaps you should invest in a firewood rack, and a carrier to transfer the wood from the outside to the inside.

 

Inspect the Boiler or Furnace. It’s good to make sure things run smoothly when the weather begins to drop! Change the filters on the furnace regularly, throughout the seasons. It can keep energy costs low and keep things less costly.

 

Regular Home Safety. For extra measure, replace the batteries in your smoke alarms or carbon monoxide monitors. Review your family escape plan and put together an emergency kit so that you are ready for outages during the cold, winter seasons.

 

 

 

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How to Decorate Around the Big Screens

 

1.      Pallet Accent Wall

 

Create a pallet accent wall to mount your TV on! With the whole wall covered in wood, it can give you the rustic feel you are looking for!

 

 

2.      Use a Wall Unit

 

Specifically, a wall unit that matches your bookcases or hutches. This is a cohesive look that helps you add that extra storage you might need, as well as places to display your favorite decors or accessories.

3.      Sconce Effect

 

Going for a stunning wall light that illuminates with accent lighting can be the course of the action! This uses the beautiful light fixtures to frame your TV.

 

4.      Out of Sight

 

Having a new sliding barn door entertainment unit incorporates can be a great option that allows you to leave the sliding barn doors open for TV viewing or closing them to have the TV out of sight.

 

 

5.      Shelving

 

If you’re looking on getting into a more minimal approach to decorating the space around your TV, try hanging a shelf above and below the TV. The bottom can act as a cupboard and the top can be used to provide space for little decors such as plants or knick knacks.

 

 

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To the Millennials Leaving Their Parent’s Homes, Modular Homes Should Be in Your Radar!

 

Being on Your Own

 

Today, more young adults are living at home with their parents than any other time in history, according to the Pew Research Center. Since millennials now have a huge consumer influence in various industries, they begin to make up some of the prime consumers of products now that they’re all entering the workforce. However, millennials have notices that rent rates are high. Millennials also share different obstacles in obtaining a home ownership than those who came before them. Many first-time home buyers possess the household income to qualify the home ownership but struggle to save money for a down payment due to lingering debts. There are lower supplies available, affordable houses and a large pool of active buyers is driving up not only the competition, but prices as well. This just isn’t the most practical way of living in their eyes. They are the largest group of home buyers, which mean they consume quite a bit of power in the commercial world; so why not put hard earned into something comforting, and affordable that meets both their wants AND needs in a home?

 

 

Small Modular Homes

 

2,200 sq. ft homes are the size of the average new site-built home. Yet, there is a small but rapidly growing new home buyer demographic that is looking to go smaller. This group is not looking for big homes, they are scouring Google for smaller homes that under 1,000 sq. ft with unique features. Now they are turning to modular homes in increasing numbers.

 

Benefits of Modular Homes for Millennials

 

  • Affordable: One of the biggest struggles of being a millennial is being a first-time home buyer. They have had less time to save for major purchases, or even build good credit. With modular homes, millennials will often find them more affordable and cost efficient.
  • Freedom: Whether it was a landlord, residence hall, or living with parents, millennials have been living under someone else’s roof. Being a homeowner means privacy, comfortability, and freedom. Perhaps it’s time for millennials to break free and make the rules in their own homes, instead of following someone else’s!
  • Greener Homes: If you’re a millennial who cares about the environment, modular homes are the right option for you. We can assure that most of our manufactures create less waste, better use of resources, and better use of cost savings when building your modular home; millennial buyers, we are happy to let you know that every home was built by people who care about the planet as much as you do.
  • No Competition: When you are looking for a traditional, site-built home, you must compete with other buyers. Why not skip over the stress by choosing a new modular home? Home buyers can just choose a home suited uniquely for them, free of anyone else buying it before they can!
  • Custom Design: Depending on the model or manufacturer, millennial home buyers can potentially access variety of customization options. Their new home can fit their personal needs, wants, and style if they’d like!
  • Lifetime Investment (It’s A Good Thing!): Mortgage can be anxiety inducing, but it is also be an investment for the future that’s paid every month! Perhaps you don’t have a family yet, you can start planning early by already having a quality home ready for when it’s your time to parent!

 

Showcase Homes Can Help You

 

Simply put, Showcase Homes can meet all the items on millennials’ wish lists, while helping them save more money.

 

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Resilient Homes

 

One of the biggest misconceptions about modular homes is that they fall apart easily. Newer modular homes are built as strong as or even stronger than traditional site-built homes. The house design for modular homes are individually made to meet the local code requirements to adapt to the natural terrain and utilizing foundation options that are available.

 

 

With occasional severe weather events or unexpected accidents, it makes sense to make sure your home is prepared for the worst. Resilient modular homes possess several qualities that make them resilient to disasters or harsh weather. They’re built structurally symmetrical, made with durable materials, lightweight, and able to withstand strong winds or vibrations of Earth.

 

 

Depending on the location as well as the condition of the soil, various approaches are employed to stabilize the home foundations.

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Rain Gutters for Your Modular Home

 

What Do They Do?

 

Most people would think that the purpose of rain gutters it to protect the side of their home, but actually it’s to protect the home’s foundation by channeling the water away from the foundation. If it was otherwise, the water that’s running off the roof will dig a ditch within the sides of the foundation, and as more water soaks through the ground, water could potentially work through the foundation. If you choose not to install rain gutters, excavators will take extra care, so all sides slope away from your home; however, this isn’t as effective as installing rain gutters.

 

The gutters are also helpful for protecting the exterior of your modular home, especially from back splash stain and rot. They also help shield your landscaping as well as reduce erosion. Gutters can protect windows and doors from water infiltration. Gutters are especially helpful for preventing leaks around thresholds of exterior doors. Without the gutters, the doors on the exterior will be pounded with the pouring rain during heavy storms.

 

 

Homes without gutters are much more likely to have a leaky exterior door or a damp (or flooded) basement. Perhaps even both!

 

Material

 

Gutters can come in 4 materials.

 

  • Vinyl: Vinyl gutters are lightweight and easiest to install; you can even do it by yourself! They’re also the least expensive. They won’t chip, dent, or corrode; but they can potentially become very brittle in extreme cold.

 

  • Steel: Steel gutters are the sturdiest, which means they can support ladders and falling branches without damage. However, they require the most maintenance and can rust if the water does not drain properly.

 

  • Aluminum: Aluminum gutters are the most popular because they don’t rust. They can dent and bend from too much weight, very powerful winds, or falling debris.

 

  • Copper: Copper gutters are very attractive, durable, never rust, and never needs painting. They have a 75+ year life-time and will oxidize to a pretty green color. However, they are the most expensive, and are a target among thieves.

 

You should regularly examine whether the gutters are fully attached to your house, as they can pull away from the roof due to the weight of snow, ice, branches, and small animals.

 

 

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