A Quick Note on Modular Homes

It has come to my attention that some potential modular home buyers have trouble with getting their financial institution to play nice with their home builder/dealer. When you build a modular home you either pay in cash, or you will need a construction loan and mortgage.<br/><br/>If you are looking for an overview on obtaining a loan, I wrote a post about loans <a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/?p=39">Here</a> ...<br/><br/>But I'd like to make a quick point about your construction loan.<br/><br/>If you need a construction loan and mortgage, it is essential you speak with your modular home dealer, and financial institution before you sign anything.  I suggest you consider using a lender that your dealer/builder works with to avoid surprises.  Otherwise, it's imperative that you check with your choice of lender to be sure they are able to work around your builders draw schedule.  If the bank will not budge, then you need to see if the dealer and/or builder can work the lenders payment requirements.<br/><br/>If neither can reach an agreement, you may have to find a new lending institution, or modular dealer.<br/><br/>If you have any questions, please feel free to comment.<br/><p style="text-align: center;">(We used <a href="http://www.keymodularhomes.com">Key Modular Homes</a> as our modular home dealer.  They are more than helpful in helping their customers secure a loan.)</p>

A Quick Note on Modular Homes

It has come to my attention that some potential modular home buyers have trouble with getting their financial institution to play nice with ...

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Building a Home

When Big A and I decided to move, because we just needed more room for the kids, we had to decide whether to look for a larger older home, or take the plunge and build.  We, obviously, chose to build, because of the following reasons:<br/><br/><strong>1. Everything is new.</strong> I know, duh!  But at risk of sounding obvious:  We lived in an old home, which was built around 1850.  It was beautiful, had original wood floors, high ceilings, secret passageways and storage areas.  There’s no denying it had charm.  It also had uneven floors, antiquated plumbing, dangerous electrical, leaky windows and doors, lead paint, steep stairs, and a long, long list of other problems. The home we built is brand new.  The walls are straight, the floors are even, and the plumbing and electrical are new, and up to code.<br/><br/>AND, with a modular home, our builder took care of all the details, right down to installing the new carpet, the cabinets, and the lighting.<br/><br/><strong>2. New Windows and Doors.</strong> This deserves a mention, because, rather than a steady fresh breeze (that’s a nice way of saying a “constant damp draft”), our new house is air tight.  If I want a breeze, I’ll open the window.<br/><br/>With a modular home, the modular home builder walks you through all of the options they have available and recommends based on your needs.<br/><br/><strong>3. Better energy efficiency.</strong> The furnace is new, the appliances are new, and the windows and doors are new (and don’t leak).  I’m not paying to heat or air-condition the yard.  Just my house.<br/><br/><strong>4. I did it my way.</strong> Yup, now the song is stuck in my head.  But we did it our way.  Every time I walk in the house I think “we chose that counter top”, or “we thought of making that room bigger”.<br/><br/>We had help, because our modular home dealer had suggestions.  But essentially it was Big A and I who brainstormed and made all of the decisions. Nothing feels better than knowing you built your home the way you wanted to.<br/><br/><strong>5. No wondering where things are.</strong> You know when your Mom (very generously) puts your dishes away for you, and you’re very grateful, but the next day you can’t find your cheese grater <em>ANYWHERE</em>?  In an old home, if you want to do any work on a room, you wonder “where is the wiring?”.  You don’t get that with your new home.  You chose where to put your cable wires, your phone jacks, wiring and outlets.<br/><br/>We even put some outlets in our kitchen cabinets so that we could use them to hide the wires for Christmas lights. Our modular home builder let us sit down and outline exactly where we wanted everything to go.<br/><br/><strong>6. It (may be) a once in a lifetime opportunity.</strong> I know <em>we</em> will never have this opportunity again, and building is certainly going to be a happy memory every time I walk in the front door. As I mentioned, there’s an undeniable charm to older homes, and I’ve loved and appreciated their value.  However, there are some big advantages to building, and especially in building a modular home.<br/><br/>(And because we both like the feel of an older home, we didn't choose a modern look - we chose antiqued hardware and cabinets, and doors with a more classic look. It kind of feels like we got the best of both worlds.)

Building a Home

When Big A and I decided to move, because we just needed more room for the kids, we had to decide whether to look for a larger older home, o...

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(Pre)Fabulous

I wanted to write about modular homes for a bit this week.  It’s just time.<br/><br/>I always refer to our home as a modular home, but our type of home is also called a prefabricated home.  However, that name has connotations which are not so flattering... Not fair!   Prefab is an abbreviation for prefabricated. The word prefab is often used to describe any type of home that is made from easy-to-assemble building parts that were manufactured off-site.  And, prefabrication isn’t at new concept.  In fact, most everything around us is prefab: the desk you sit at, your printer, even the light on your desk. Prefab simply means an item that is pre-assembled in a factory before the final product gets to you.  It doesn’t mean cheap, it means efficient.  And why not?!  If we pre-assemble most everything, why not pre-assemble homes in a nice, dry environment?<br/><br/>Prefab homes have been around for billions of years, alright, maybe only <em>decades</em>. But, modular housing is incredibly waste-efficient compared to the on-site building processes, which can waste more than 30% of building materials!  I’m not saying, “get out there and hug a tree”, but think about it!<br/><br/>Yesterday I happened to drive by a gigantic landfill.  In the middle of this beautiful countryside, nestled between the fingerlakes, it loomed like a gigantic trash mountain, and quite frankly, it disgusted me.<br/><br/>And rather than overload our landfills even MORE, some architectural firms and design companies are rethinking what prefab means for waste-conscious consumers.  But, before you think you will have to <em>SETTLE </em>if you build a prefab home, modular or prefab home builders combine modular concepts with a customized plan, allowing you, the home builders, to select a basic design and alter it according to your tastes.  As I’ve mentioned in the past, we chose the floor plan of our home and worked on the design room by room. We chose everything from the floor plan, dimensions of the rooms, and ceiling heights, to the flooring, the light fixtures, and the closet inserts. Just like we would have if we built a traditionally built home, BUT, we didn’t add to that huge landfill, and we got exactly what we wanted!<br/><br/>Here’s the only difference from building a traditionally built home:  Once we had a firm idea for the home we wanted, our modular home company outsourced most major construction to the factory, where large portions of our house (walls, beams, flooring, etc.) were assembled. The chunks of house were shipped by truck to our property, where contractors pieced them together quickly - and by quickly, I mean 3 days.<br/><br/>As you can imagine, carefully planned prefab homes make very little waste. Many prefab homes reduce waste to 10% or less, which conserves the environment and saves money for the buyers.<br/><br/>Because homes are factory-made, measurements are precise. Large pieces fit together exactly, and therefore, the house is sealed tightly to conserve energy and potentially save a hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars every year.<br/><br/>(I have to say, the weather is changing rapidly here in CNY, with rain and wind, and we don’t have ANY drafts.) So, that all being said, if you’re thinking of building, please look into modular or prefab homes.  The concept may be new to you, but I think you’ll be love what you see.

(Pre)Fabulous

I wanted to write about modular homes for a bit this week.  It’s just time. I always refer to our home as a modular home, but our type of ho...

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Here's your towel, get out of the dishwasher.

Hello there!  This morning I was thinking about my appliances.  I know, things aren't very exciting in my life right now!<br/><br/>When you build your modular home, one of the things you are going to pick out is an appliance package, assuming you don't have appliances you want to move with you. We happened to have all stainless steel appliances that we were going to move with us. However, Ritz-Craft, the builder of our home, offered such a good deal on the new appliances, we couldn't pass it up.<br/><br/>Our stainless appliances were beautiful. But quite frankly, although we loved the look of the stainless, it took a lot of work to keep it looking good.  For the majority of the time they looked more like a cloudy mirror with finger prints and dog nose smears all over them.  If anything dried on it (like a lil blob of ketchup), I had to channel the strength of the Incredible Hulk to get it off.  I know some people swear by stainless, and that it's easy to clean.  Maybe, but did they have 5 kids and a dog?<br/><br/>Plus, because we could sell the old house with appliances included, it was better for our asking price.<br/><br/>Anyway, in the end, I'm glad we went with the package offered to us - in black - easier to clean, and doesn't show the grime and slime as much!  Plus the black matches the paint of our distressed black kitchen island.  It's a win-win!<br/><br/>Now, as you may have guessed, I am no expert on kitchen appliances, but I do have a couple of thoughts on picking them out (which probably will not land me a job in the appliance section of Home Depot):<br/><br/><em><strong>Dishwasher:</strong></em>  They have all kinds of upgraded dishwashers now.  I'm pretty sure I saw an expensive model that had a "warm bath" setting for the kids, and a button that said: "steam lobsters to perfection".  However, our dishwasher is the no bells and whistles kind.  It may not have clever settings, but it gets the job done well, and <em>FAST</em>.  I mean like 30 minutes and it's done.  Plus, no pre-rinsing, and it gets pots and pans and casserole dishes clean.  (<em>Disclaimer</em>:  it will not get peanut butter off a knife, no matter what. But I'm pretty sure that's not just me. That makes me think... if the dishwasher can't get rid of PB, then how does your stomach?)<br/><br/><strong><em>Refrigerator/Freezer. </em></strong> We have the side by side frige/freezer.  When we moved in we thought we'd never have enough room in the refrigerator.  After all, we have a house full.  <em>BUT</em>, upon deep reflection, I realize it's not to bad.  The shelves in the doors are wide and hold all of my condiments.  (I'm not talking ketchup and mustard and a bottle of dressing.  I'm talking <em>I have a lil problem with buying every condiment known in the Western World. </em> See:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DSC_0052.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-388" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/DSC_0052-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0052" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>(And that's only 3 of 6 shelves.)<br/><br/>Also, the shelves in the fridge are deep, so you can pack a lot of food and drinks.  A 12 pack of <del>beer</del> soda fits right in there.<br/><br/>The freezer, however, is another story.  I admit, I don't have a lot of extra room.  We buy a lot of meat in bulk, but luckily (is that a word?), we do have an extra upright freezer in the basement where I keep club packs of meat, pizza, etc.  Just something to think about if you tend to need a big freezer, you may want to consider a different style.<br/><br/><strong><em>Oven</em></strong>.  Here's my thought.  Big fancy ovens like this from dreamstoves.com<br/><br/><img alt="" height="581" id="il_fi" src="http://www.hewnandhammered.com/photos/uncategorized/55__1red_.jpg" width="528" /><br/><br/>look super cool!  And I want one!  But I can't afford one.  And, unless you can afford it, why spend extra, cuz in general how much do you need?  I mean, I was a caterer, and I managed just fine with a plain old oven!  I'd set the temp, pre-heat, put the food in, and cook.  Presto!  The best thing about my current oven is that it pre-heats really fast, so that's handy, and makes me happy.<br/><br/><strong><em>Stove top</em></strong>.  I have a large enough stove top.  But for holidays and big parties, I would like 6 burners - maybe some day.<br/><br/><strong><em>Microwave.</em></strong>  Well this is where we ended up with the king tut of microwaves.  It can do almost everything.  It bakes and roasts, has convection (whatever that is), and you can put metal in it.  It also has the following buttons:  steam, simmer, kids meals, baked potato, filet mignon with a red wine sauce (just joking on the filet) ....  <em>Whatever</em>.  I just use it to heat stuff up, mainly my coffee!<br/><br/>So there you have my expert opinion on  kitchen appliances.  Sears and Home Depot, if you're reading this, I'm sorry - I would make a terrible sales person!<br/><br/>Oh, one more thing: you should buy appliances with energy star - for the planet, and for you and your wallet!  For more info, go <a href=" http://blog.epa.gov/energystar/">here</a>.<br/><br/>And, and one last thing (really!), please check out Ritz-Craft and the appliance packages they offer <a href="http://www.ritz-craft.com/options/appliance-guide-literature/page.aspx?id=1426">here</a>.  While you're on their website, check out the rest of their info!  (I love my new home and want to give credit, where credit is due!)<br/><br/> 

Here's your towel, get out of the dishwasher.

Hello there!  This morning I was thinking about my appliances.  I know, things aren't very exciting in my life right now! When you build...

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Flower Power!

Planting around the exposed foundation of our new modular home is on my big "to do" list, so I'm very excited to have to opportunity to get started.  My birthday present from my parents was a whole bunch of plants from the local garden center, which with my Mom's guidence I got to pick out!  What an awesome birthday present!<br/><br/>The house has two areas in the front that I'm really excited to adorn with some plants. Let's face it, that exposed foundation looks like H. E. double toothpicks.<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_320" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0056.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-320" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0056-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0056" width="300" /></a> The front to the right of the porch[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_321" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0050.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-321" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0050-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0050" width="300" /></a> The side of the house[/caption]<br/><br/>I didn't really want to plant any high maintenance gardens, because although I adore gardens, gardening is not exactly one of my strong points.  Ideally I wanted some pretty substantial shrubs and plantings, perhaps that will fill in and spread on their own, with little effort on my part.<br/><br/>So yesterday, my mother and I headed to <a href="http://www.dickmanfarms.com">Dickman Farms</a>, where we spent a couple of hours in flower and plant heaven!  It was not only a bright sunny day, but only about 70 degress - beautiful!<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_322" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00191.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-322" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00191-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0019" width="300" /></a> Butterfly on a butterfly bush[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_323" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0046.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-323" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0046-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0046" width="300" /></a> Flowers everywhere[/caption]<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_324" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0023.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-324" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0023-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0023" width="300" /></a> Love the yellow![/caption]<br/><br/>Eventually we stopped drooling over plants that wouldn't work for the "gardening disadvantaged", and got down to business.  We found 6 shrubs that fit the bill, and various other perenials, like hostas, day lilies and astilbies.  (Pat on the back to me for remembering those plant names!).<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_325" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0045.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-325" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0045-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0045" width="300" /></a> We had 2 wagons full[/caption]<br/><br/>Thank you Mom and Dad, so much!  We have our work cut out for us, getting all of this planted.  However, I can't wait to plant, and see what these guys look like in a couple of years (if I manage to keep them alive!).  Big A is happy too!  I think his exact comment was "<em>Thank you for all the work you're creating for ME</em>!"  I'm sure he meant it sincerely, so that's why, as a special thanks for all of his hard work, Mom and I bought him his "<em>dream tractor"</em> !<br/><br/>[caption id="attachment_326" align="aligncenter" width="300"]<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00223.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-medium wp-image-326" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00223-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0022" width="300" /></a> NOT![/caption]

Flower Power!

Planting around the exposed foundation of our new modular home is on my big "to do" list, so I'm very excited to have to oppor...

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Painting pictures

Yesterday was a complete deluge, so I wasn't able to take any pictures of our handiwork!  The Master Painter and I wanted you to see what we had accomplished, so here are a few pictures.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00032.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-240" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00032-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="300" /></a>This is the unpainted lattice.  We chose a black stain, in hopes that it would look good with our black shutters.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00071.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-241" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00071-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0007" width="199" /></a>Here it is stained.   I think it looks pretty good, and when I finish the whole porch (rather than the 1/2 that is done), I will post a picture of the front of the house.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>We also managed to paint our second-hand steps to the back of the house.  Yesterday I posted a picture of the stair treads I'd like to buy too.  However, my lab decided she would decorate the steps for me.  Wasn't that thoughtful?<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00044.jpg"><img alt="" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00044-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a>

Painting pictures

Yesterday was a complete deluge, so I wasn't able to take any pictures of our handiwork!  The Master Painter and I wanted you to see wha...

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The Master Painter gets it DONE!

This past weekend I swore I would accomplish two projects: paint the lattice on the front porch, and paint the second-hand steps for our back door.  Weeeellll, things don't always go as planned.  I've been pretty darn sick, plus had a teenager who had to get ready for her 8th grade school trip to DC, and another teen with a bad foot and two doctor appointments.  Still, I tried.<br/><br/>So, here it is <em>TUESDAY</em> morning.  All was not totally lost because I did manage to paint 1/2 of the lattice and, with the help of my 4 year old Master Painter, the second-hand back steps are done, even though it was 90 degrees in the shade.  Not too shabby, as the Master Painter mused.<br/><br/>Today, however, the heavens have decided to open, so I'm not going to be able to show you any pictures of our handiwork.  However, I am going to give you a few words of advice on painting lattice and second hand steps.  Notice that I didn't say whether this was going be good advice or bad advice...<br/><br/>I googled "painting over weather beaten wooden steps".  The results were overwhelmingly ambitious. Quite frankly, I wasn't feeling too ambitions.  Our back door to nowhere (eventually it will be to the patio) is hardly worth ambitions.  We were given a set of steps that happen to fit the space pretty well, but they had been sitting in a hedge row, and needed some attention.  On Saturday, I spoke to the paint guy at Home Depot and explained that my steps are old and are only going to be used in the interim until we put in the patio.  Therefore, I wasn't inclined to put in too much work.  Even the Home Depot guy wanted me to put in a little more effort than I was really prepared to do.  So I smiled politely and pretended to head in the direction he sent me.<br/><br/>The four year old Master Painter and I considered our options.  This is what we decided to do:  We bought two 3"  <em>"economy"</em> brushes (read: $1.30 each).  We bought 2 quarts of outdoor ultra pure white paint and left Home Depot before the Home Depot guy could spot me not following his advice.<br/><br/>First things first - my handy hubby did power wash the steps and that did clean off a lot of loose paint chips, which are now firmly planted in the grass. After the steps dried, I took a paint scraper and went over any rough spots. I then took out my broom and just gave them a good sweep, to get rid of any dust and/or bugs.  Prep work done!<br/><br/>The Master Painter and I each grabbed a brush and got to work.  I put the paint on pretty thick, but tried to make it fairly even.  The Master Painter had his own unique way of putting on paint - which was to press the paint brush bristles flat onto the wood, and push the paint around.  This is more of a "brush mashing" movement than a "brush stoke", and is surprisingly effective.  (A tutorial may follow.)  Once our first coat was done, we waited a couple of hours and put on a second coat.<br/><br/>To jazz things up, I think I'm going to order rubber stair treads something like this.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/stair-treads.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-233" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/stair-treads.jpg" title="stair treads" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Now, similar to the stairs, I googled "painting lattice".  Holy Moly!  Here's what most experts wanted me to do...<br/><br/>1. Take the lattice off the porch<br/><br/>2. Power wash it or wash it with soap and water with the hose<br/><br/>3. Dry<br/><br/>4. Primer both sides<br/><br/>5. Buy a paint sprayer<br/><br/>6. Spray one side<br/><br/>7. Dry<br/><br/>8. Flip over and spray other side<br/><br/>9. Repeat 6-8<br/><br/>10. Re-attach lattice<br/><br/>Well, I probably don't have to say this, but <em>really</em>?  That's a lot of work, or at least too much work for something that is going to be covered up  by foundation plants!  Sometimes in life you just have to either A.) fake it or B.) get it done.  I'm not even remotely suggesting that you should follow my advice or that my way is the right way to do things.  Cuz I'm pretty sure I'd get in trouble.  But here's what I did:<br/><br/>On Sunday, I bought 2 more 3" economy brushes, and a gallon of stain, we happened to want to try the black.  I waited til the Master Painter's nap time, and I took my trusty broom and brushed the lattice to remove any unwanted bugs, dead leaves, and dirt particles.  Whatever refused to move, got painted over. I took my cheap paint brush and slapped the stain on as fast as I could.  It was 90 degrees out and not only were my shoulders burning, I could barely see cuz the sweat was dripping in my eyes. Well, I got it half done, and I have to say it looks pretty darn good!<br/><br/>This week am going to finish the other half of the lattice when the rain subsides, and then I can cross off another task on my to-do list.  Which, I have to say, is a pretty satisfying feeling!  I just hope that my "cheating" to get these projects done doesn't come back to bite me!<br/><br/>What projects do you feel you "cheated" on?   Did it backfire?

The Master Painter gets it DONE!

This past weekend I swore I would accomplish two projects: paint the lattice on the front porch, and paint the second-hand steps for our bac...

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DIY tips

Building a modular home or any home often leads to a loooooong to-do list.  Try to make your life a little easier with these DIY and home improvement tips from me.  Actually, some are more of a "warning" than a "tip", but you'll get  my drift.<br/><br/>Make a plan.  Your plan should of course reflect the order in which things should be done, time it will take, cost, etc.  I think you can see the value in this, so I won't pontificate on it, but I will tell you a true story.  And I will give you the moral of this story right now: Don't be me.  I didn't make a plan once (alright I try to go plan-less all the time, but I don' recommend it).  Anyway, I decided to repaint a bedroom.  I gathered all of my painting supplies, and set to work sanding and cleaning the walls.  Next, I primed the walls and let that dry.  I set to work painting for painting for the next two days, a really beautiful chocolate color.  It looked pretty darn awesome!  And <em><strong>then</strong></em> I painted the ceiling white. (In case you don't get it, a plan would have come in handy here. Take my word for it.)  Moving on...<br/><br/>Do what's necessary!  (Or, to be clear, don't do unnecessary things!)  For example, unless you can afford a landscaper (I wish!), use your natural surroundings.  Instead of removing trees, consider giving them a little trim, and leave them there.  Instead of moving a boulder, plan around it.  Our yard is full of trees, and yes, they're a pain to mow around.  But they're beautiful.  And frankly, it's easier to mow around them than to cut them down, drag away the branches, and cut up the wood.  Also, several boulders turned up when we dug our foundation.  Rather than haul them away, we kept the nice ones and plan to plant around them.  (In 2023.)<br/><br/>Budget your projects. The harsh reality is that your project, no matter how big or small will cost up <em>at least</em> 35% more than you anticipate.  This is something that bites me in the butt all the time!   I guess a good rule of thumb is to add 50% on top of what you think your project will cost, and if you can afford that, yay! Just painting buys me at least three extra trips to Home Depot!   Halfway through painting I need more paint, or the dog runs off with my paint brush (happened!), and I need to buy a new one.  And I never budget for those extra trips! Then end up eating only stale bread for two days to save money.  Again, don't be me!<br/><br/>Be realistic about your skills.  Some things you just have to be brutally honest about.  If your toilet is backing up into your tub and that "water" is flowing out of the tub and onto the floor, I don't have to tell you that if you're not a plumber you should probably call one, do I?  Similarly, if you think you can fix a faulty electrical outlet with a knife, well, you probably <em>really</em> need an electrician.  Whatever your project, think carefully.  Not only is your budget important, but so is your skill level.  If you get half-though a project and you find you can't finish it yourself, you're going to call a professional anyway, thus messing with your budget big time!  I'm really struggling with whether or not I am able to do my patio installation project myself.  But, it could be an interesting future post if I tackle this myself, and can't finish the project.  The title might be something like "Who needs a patio, when you could have a Shallow Hole?" or "How to find a good Chiropractor"...  We'll see.<br/><br/>Phew, all this talk of DIY and projects, and it's the weekend!  Home Depot in the morning <em>and</em> I think I have two things I'm gonna cross off my to-do list.  But it's not a promise.  More of a threat than a promise.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

DIY tips

Building a modular home or any home often leads to a loooooong to-do list.  Try to make your life a little easier with these DIY and home im...

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Pansy Telepathy

I'm feeling under the weather with a bad cold, and can't quite summon the energy to do much of anything but sit around like a bump on a log.  I figured some fresh air might help, and folded myself into rocking chair on my front porch.  Feeling comfortable and warm in the sun, I looked around my yard and happened to glance to my right.  This is what I saw:<br/><br/><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-219" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00031-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="199" /><br/><br/>Doesn't it look like my pansies are looking at me quizzically!?  As if they're saying "What's she doing?"   "Why is she just sitting there?"<br/><br/>I couldn't shake the feeling that they were chiding me, and eventually they guilted me into trying to get something done.  As a new home owner, all kinds of things need to be done, including constant decoration, picture hanging, moving furniture... it takes a long time to get it right and get a feel for your home. So I guess I may be a little paranoid thinking my pansies are actually bullying me.<br/><br/>Anyway, I've been looking at decals on the web.  I love the way they look and the way you can transform an entire wall (should you wish to), in a couple of hours.  They're ideal for decorating when you don't want to, or can't, commit to paint or wall paper (ie. dorms, apartments).  They're fun, and they're inexpensive, and you can move vinyl decals with ease.<br/><br/>So one rainy day, I was on Amazon just looking around, innocently, when I came across the decal section and accidentally hit the "add to cart" button.  I got one wall quote and one large decal.  Just a note:  when I say inexpensive, I mean under $20 for a 6' wall decal, and .90 for the wall quote.  Now, they're a steal, but it's not the kind of thing you want to overdo in your home, obviously, less is definitely more in this instance.<br/><br/>I bought a large tree decal which I put up in about 2 hours.  The vinyl pre-cut branches and leaves came on a separate backing, and you had to place them one at a time.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  And fun!  If you put a leaf on and it doesn't look good, just peel it off and try again.  Now, this is a good thing, because now I have the entire tree up (by my front door), I want to move it.  I'm not sure I like it there, but I do like it.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00021.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-220" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00021-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0002" width="199" /></a>The picture is taken from my dining room at an elevated vantage point, but you can see the tree reaches to the top of the door, so it's a good size.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00011.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-221" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00011-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0001" width="199" /></a> The other decal I bought was a wall quote for the laundry room.  The wall quotes look like stencils, but their a little bit easier to transfer than painting an actual stencil. The wall quote didn't come with instructions, but I had bought one of these before and knew what to do, luckily.  The letters come on a sticky transparent transfer sheet.  Basically, you peel off the non-transparent backing and stick your quote on the wall, making sure it's level.  You use the palm of your hand or the edge of a credit card to rub the letters onto the wall.  Presto!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00091.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-225" height="92" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_00091-300x92.jpg" title="DSC_0009" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

Pansy Telepathy

I'm feeling under the weather with a bad cold, and can't quite summon the energy to do much of anything but sit around like a bump o...

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Laminate Floors

I love laminate flooring.  I’m not even going to try to give you any “cons” in the pros and cons department, cuz i just <em>looove</em> it!  Laminate flooring is a hybrid. It looks uncannily like wood or stone but it's not. Yet it's not vinyl tiling and it's not engineered flooring. It's a little bit of all of those things!  It’s easy to clean, and wont damage like real wood, even with dog nails, high heels and scooters!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0004.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-186" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0004-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Laminate flooring is  often referred to as Pergo, which is a brand name.  But there are plenty of other manufacturers: Dupont, Mannington, Armstrong.  And they all have lots of delicious looking samples!<br/><br/>Now, look very closely at laminate (or click on my pictures to enlarge), and get right up close to laminate flooring--looks exactly like real wood, doesn't it?  <em>WOW!</em> That's because the surface layer is a <em><strong>photograph</strong></em> of wood grain, and is covered by a hard transparent layer.  It's the same with the laminates of marble or tile.  Just photos!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0005-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-188" height="221" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0005-2-e1338642380678-300x221.jpg" title="DSC_0005 (2)" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>Laminate flooring planks, depending on the type you buy, are either snapped together or glued together.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001-2.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-187" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/DSC_0001-2-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0001 (2)" width="199" /></a>They just  come in planks and you fit them together like a puzzle.<br/><br/>When we were choosing our modular home, one of the big discussions was about our flooring choices.  We wanted a laminate flooring in the kitchen, living room, dining room and hallway.<br/><br/>Okay, so, maybe laminate does have a little bit of a "con".  It can be a little pricey.  It was a lot more expensive than carpet anyway.  So I had to settle for laminate in the kitchen, and take carpet for the hall, dining room and living room.  No amount of sulking or stomping my feet was going to sprout a money tree in our new yard, so carpet it is!  We set our sights on eventually changing one room at a time to laminate...<br/><br/>But, here we are one year later, and I’m not sure I'm going to want to change to laminate throughout.  I love my kitchen and the laminate in there.  <em>BUT</em> carpet feels sooooo good on your feet.  It’s such a good feeling to get out of bed and walk your bare feet on nice warm soft carpet.<br/><br/> 

Laminate Floors

I love laminate flooring.  I’m not even going to try to give you any “cons” in the pros and cons department, cuz i just looove it!  Laminat...

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Painting

When you build your new modular home, your dealer will be back in one year to check on your home, and because of the house settling, they will fill in any cracks in the walls or ceiling.  They will ask you to wait that year before you paint, so that you don't have to re-paint where the cracks have been filled.  Houses settle, and new houses settle a lot.<br/><br/>I was sitting in our living room one day, about a month after living in our home I noticed a big line across the ceiling. Of course being all house proud and surrounded with the comfort and bliss of my new home, I was shocked and horrified!  But no need to worry, the builders will fill that.  However, this exactly why they suggest you don't paint.  You're gonna have to paint over the filled in cracks.<br/><br/>We couldn't live without any color on the walls for a year, so we decided it would be worth it to paint before we moved in, and just touch up after the inevitable settling.  It's really no big deal - we've had to touch up the paint around the house all of our lives. Paint gets dingy and scratched and cracks appear all the time.  All it takes is a little fresh paint and about 15 minutes of your time to touch up.  Just remember to save your left over paint, and save the paint chips, and label which room they belong to so that you can always get a (nearly) perfect match for patching up.   I have a kitchen drawer that has all of my paintchips, labeled, and neatly stored.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0001.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-175" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0001-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0001" width="300" /></a>Okay so I exaggerated when I said "neatly stored", but I know where they are if I need them!  See them there on the left?  I just write on them which room they belong to, and keep them there in a pile, next to the binoculars and Christmas ribbon!<br/><br/>Personally, I want, need, loooove color on my walls.  If you want all white or monochrome, I think that looks awesome too, but it's not for me.<br/><br/>I specifically have a thing for yellows, golds, and brown, with hints of maroon.  I love sunsets.  Think about the colors you wear, think about a favorite curtain pattern or throw pillow.  What are the colors you gravitate towards?  Of course, you need to go light if you don't have a lot of natural light, and you want it bright.  Go warm if you have tons of light and want your home to seem more cozy.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00081.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-177" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00081-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0008" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Sunset picture inspires my color choices.<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>And here are two pillows - I'm not particularly fond of the patterns, but the colors are my colors.  I wanted my wall colors to match these pillows.  It sounds goofy, but it's true -  go for colors that you love having around you.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00061.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-178" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00061-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0006" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0005.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-179" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0005-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0005" width="300" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>Next, armed with your favorite color pillow, shirt, painting, etc... go to your home store of choice.  When it comes to picking paint, you'll no doubt be advised to look at the color wheel. Is it me, or is that thing totally overwhelming?  Doesn't it seem too much like hard work?  Well, it does to me.  So rather than tangle with the color wheel, just grab the paint chips that tickle your fancy (those little pieces of cardboard with all the examples of color on them) and stuff 'em in your purse.  They're free!  I like to choose the larger square pieces with one color, rather than the strips with 5 colors per strip.<br/><br/>I usually choose chips that match my colors, then grab lots of the same color, although in slightly different shades.  Take them home and carry them around to each room, because those small variances in shade and hue, look different in all rooms, and at different times of the day.  I once chose a beautiful medium gray for my old dining room and painted the whole room before I waited for the light to change or really let the color grow on me.  It was a lovely gray, until the light changed in that room, and then the paint (and my whole dining room) was no longer grey, it was purple!  Not quite ugly, but definitely NOT what I'd had in mind!<br/><br/>So once you've looked at all the colors in each room, you'll definitely have narrowed it down.<br/><br/>If I'm selecting different colors for each room, I want my colors to <em>flow</em> from one room to the next.  You want the color in the kitchen to go with the color in the dining room, and with the color in the halls... Think about this:  take the colors you like for your various rooms and put them all together on a white piece of paper, would they make a nice color combination for a curtain or a throw pillow? If they all go together nicely, your rooms will flow.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00091.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-181" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00091-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0009" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>(In the above picture, you can see I have two gold/yellow tones. That white strip of ceiling where you can see a recessed light, will be a reddish/maroon color eventually.)<br/><br/>* Note: kids bedrooms are different.  I believe in letting them have their own space and choosing their own colors, no matter how awful you think those colors are.  As I mentioned my affinity for sunset colors, my kids have completely different tastes. Our kids have bedrooms in electric blue, frog green, denim blue...  Our only rule was the flooring had to be our choice (a neutral gray carpet), and they could choose any paint they wanted.  After all, it's their space, and walls are easy enough to change.  While their rooms are now electric hews, with Eminem and David Beckham posters, I just close their bedroom doors and go to my happy place.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0011.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-180" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0011-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0011" width="199" /></a>This is a happy place...<br/><br/> 

Painting

When you build your new modular home, your dealer will be back in one year to check on your home, and because of the house settling, they wi...

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Happy Memorial Day!

<a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0004.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-171" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0004-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0004" width="199" /></a>

Happy Memorial Day!

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Patio Installation - am I nuts?

This is how I roll:  (Okay, I don't roll, I usually stumble, but anyway...) I'm walking through Home Depot with my man.  We are there specifically to get the stain for the front and side porches.  As we enter Home Depot, there's an easel with a sign announcing that there's a "How to Make a Patio" class on Saturday.<br/><br/><em>Light Bulb moment! </em> My mind is racing... We want to expand our porch and add a large deck, but our rather meager budget isn't going to allow this any time in the near future.  So how about I install my own patio?  I'm giddy at the idea, but my husband is looking like a puppy dog left out in the rain.  And I know that look.  He's not thrilled with the idea.  Not because it isn't a <em>brilliant</em> idea - it's because it means <em><strong>he</strong></em> is inevitably going to have to help me, and by "help", I mean "do all of the back breaking labor in his free time".<br/><br/>Now, I feel bad about this.  <em>BUT</em>, it means we can make better use of our back yard for BBQ's, for fires in the fire pit, for coffee with the birds, and lunches with the kids.  And we don't have to wait until we can afford the deck!  And I promise, I will make it up to my hubby - back rubs for a month!<br/><br/>If my handsome, charming, kind husband will agree to help me... The process itself looks fairly easy, although very labor intensive.  I did voice my reservations about how difficult this would be, but the guys at Home Depot assured me that I could do this project myself, without help!  (And I'm a 5'3", 120 lb weakling, with a bad back).  Some of those pavers weigh 40lbs, each!  Okay, so I'm not fool enough to try this by myself, but I believe the HD guys that it's do-able.<br/><br/>So with that belief firmly planted in my (pea) brain, this is a general idea of what the project looks like.  I'm planning on this taking a weekend!<br/><br/>I looked all over and there are all kinds of pavers and bricks you can use for the patio.  Home Depot had them, I know Lowe's has millions, and lots of the local farm stands even have them.  I haven't decided on one yet, but when I do, I will get a square foot size of patio and buy the amount of pavers I need.<br/><br/>Then the fun begins.<br/><br/>1.  Measure and mark the area for our patio dimensions.  You can do this with string and stakes, but the HD guys said to use spraypaint.  <em>Smart!</em><br/><br/>2. Dig up the ground (call utility companies to be sure there are no underground lines). Edge around your perimeter, and then dig out the entire patio area, 6" deep.  Use plastic edging around the edges.<br/><br/>3. Make sure this shallow hole is level, with, well, a level.<br/><br/>4. Fill the patio hole with 2" of gravel and use a hand tamper to compact it.  Then put in 2" more of the gravel and compact that.<br/><br/>5. Add 1" paver sand and tamp down.<br/><br/>6. Arrange your paver stones or brick in the pattern you want... drop them straight down, don't slide them into place.<br/><br/>7. After laying the paver stones, sweep the paver sand all over the top, filling in the cracks with the sand.<br/><br/><em><strong>THAT'S IT!!!</strong></em>  Sit down and enjoy the view!  Well, in theory, that's how easy it is.  I'm gonna try it anyway.  What could go wrong?<br/><br/>Don't answer that.<br/><br/>(Details, pictures, and possible swear words to follow... )

Patio Installation - am I nuts?

This is how I roll:  (Okay, I don't roll, I usually stumble, but anyway...) I'm walking through Home Depot with my man.  We are ther...

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Porch Railings...

Day two of staining the porch railings on our new modular home, and it is coming along.  After two full days of work, with the stain scented wind in my hair, and bees around my ankles, I think I have finally cracked the code to painting quickly and efficiently.<br/><br/>I had to cover the composite decking, because I do not want to have to deal with cleaning stain droplets off of the deck floor.  So I bought 4 large plastic sheets from Home Depot, which set me back all of $4.  I taped the plastic down and got to work.<br/><br/><em>Not so fast!</em>  It was windy and the plastic was paper thin.  You can probably imagine the wind blew the flimsy plastic, slapping it into the wet stain, and then wrapping it around my bare calves, thus staining my legs.  <em>Not</em> what I call a good look for summer. And not my finest hour.<br/><br/>To add insult to injury, I inevitably dripped stain on the plastic, and managed to step in it every time.  Then worried about tracking it around and had to constantly check the bottom of my flip-flop. This clearly wasn't gonna work.<br/><br/>So I rummaged around in the basement and found a large piece of cloth.  My first thought was the stain will bleed right though it to the flooring. Despite my worry, I folded the cloth into a 3 ft long square and placed it under the railing where I was working, moving it as I went.  This worked much better.  It was heavy enough that it didn't blow in the wind, and there were not wet drip marks to step in!<br/><br/>So, my advice is: save yourself $4.  Wahoo!  Just enough for a RedBull! (I hate them, but you're gonna need one!)<br/><br/>Regardless of your drop cloth, staining is sloooow going.  If you have wooden balusters and they're turned, as opposed to smooth, I feel for you!  Here's my advice:  choose smooth balusters if you're going to end up staining them.  Better yet, choose plastic so you don't have to stain them at all!  Only joking!  But for two days I can tell you I was thinking "<em>Curse choosing the turned spindles!</em>", only the version in my head had some more colorful words in it...<br/><br/>Here's what I advise for staining, provided you have turned balusters:<br/><br/>The porch posts are the easy part.  The surface is larger and smoother. The porch posts or columns extend from the porch ceiling to the floor of the porch and support the porch roof.  To stain the porch posts I used a 2" foam brush.  This seemed to work well, and foam brushes are so cheap you can use as many as you need.<br/><br/>The turned balusters are a serious snore-fest to stain. Balusters are usually 36 inches tall and are offered in different widths and styles. We have a <em>turned</em> baluster, which means more nooks and crannies than an English muffin, to paint in.  Balusters are placed between top railings and the bottom rail and are usually spaced 4 inches apart.  What that means is: even if you have a small porch, you'll still <em>LOTS</em> off balusters to stain!  *Caution: May cause marked drowsiness and irritability.<br/><br/>So, the posts go pretty quickly.  But if you get stuck, I mean, volunteer to stain the balusters, like I did, here's the fastest way I found to get it done:<br/><br/>Start by using a 1" foam brush.  Get the brush wet in the stain, but not dripping wet.  Squish it into all of the nooks in the turns first.  Don't worry if it's a little thick, you can even it out after.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00031.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-162" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00031-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0003" width="199" /></a>Then slather the stain from the top down, like you're slathering on BBQ sauce, and even out any drips.  Just make sure you get a <em>good cover</em>.  But within reason...<br/><br/>It's really easy to be a perfectionist and get caught up in going over every little tiny weeny crack and bump on the wood.  Don't bother!  Just put the stain on fairly thick, even it out and keep moving.  I did an experiment and stained several of the balustrads really, really carefully, and a couple the fast, efficient way. Guess what?   Can't tell the difference when they're dry!<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Well that's it for staining the porch railings.  And one thing off my "to do list".  Only 19 to go!

Porch Railings...

Day two of staining the porch railings on our new modular home, and it is coming along.  After two full days of work, with the stain scented...

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Staining the front porch railings, finally!

There's no getting around it.  We've complained and procrastinated - our front porch railings still need to be stained.  Here it is (almost) Memorial Day Weekend and we have 20 people coming over for a clam bake on Monday.  So, it's gonna be done.<br/><br/>Yesterday we went to Home Depot and spoke with the "paint guy with a very deep voice and lots of tattoos" (pretty sure that's his official title). He was very helpful and advised us to go with a semi-transparent stain in California Redwood.  I've seen a lot of houses where people have used a similar color on their porches and decks, and I hope/think/pray it goes well with our siding, because we ended up buying a 5 gallon bucket of the stuff!   (We don't like to mess around.)<br/><br/>Mr. Deep Voice told us that the stain is water based, so we'd better hurry up and get the wood stained before the rain hits Saturday and washes our hard work away.  Great!  Now we only have until Saturday, if we want it done for our party on Monday.<br/><br/>So, here we are at noon on Thursday, and there's a <em>LOT</em> to go.  (At least it shows some progress, and I'm very pleased with the color.)<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0008.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-158" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0008-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0008" width="300" /></a>Bummer for me, the H is off to work, I have a toddler who needs a nap, and two tweens who need to be picked up from school!<br/><br/>How am I going to get this done?  I'll tell you how!  I'm gonna get off my computer, suck it up, and get out there!<br/><br/>Pix of the finished railings tomorrow! (okay, realistically, Monday.)

Staining the front porch railings, finally!

There's no getting around it.  We've complained and procrastinated - our front porch railings still need to be stained.  Here it is ...

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Modular Home Extensions or Additions

No hair extensions here, only house extensions!  In the housing world, you may have the option of building a modular addition to your existing house.   I had a couple of comments recently about additions and garages, and there are modular home dealers that offer additions.  Waaaaaay cool!<br/><br/>In-law suites<br/><br/>Master bedrooms with bathrooms<br/><br/>Dining rooms<br/><br/>Garages<br/><br/>Garages with bonus rooms<br/><br/>Full second storys<br/><br/>From what I can see, the modular extension is just like a modular home.  It’s well-built, green, less expensive.  But the real, true, obvious beauty of the modular addition is the <strong><em>time</em></strong> savings.  Assuming you want to stay in your home while renovations are completed, the modular addition will take only days to set!  While renovations done the “stick-built” traditional way could take months.<br/><br/>Years ago I had a large addition put on my old house.  The addition was a full kitchen renovation, with the addition of a dining room/sun room combination.  It was beautiful when it was finished, BUT getting to that point was a long and arduous journey!  While the addition was being stick built, we had several weeks with no access to our kitchen.  Furthermore, construction took place in late winter (our thought was it would be done by Spring), and we had days that our only wall on that side of the house was heavy plastic sheeting.  In mid-winter in Central NY, with two young children, that was not comfortable. In the end, the entire process took about 6 months to complete.  We were cold, we were tired of noise and dust, we were sick of the invasion of privacy, and we just wanted our house back!<br/><br/>With a modular addition, just like a modular home, you are meeting with the builder and designing your addition.  The modular addition dealer will help you with all permits you will need, and checking your existing house before the addition project.  You will be advised along the way, and will order your addition and all the fixin’s.<br/><br/>Obviously your new addition will need siding, which will usually be left off the module and assembled at your property.  The module itself will be built in a factory and delivered to your house on a flat bed, and set with a crane.  The builders will handle all of the finishing touches, with the roof and walls all doing their jobs, so a freak storm can’t rain on  your parade!  Just like a modular home.  There will be minimal disruption to your life. How amazing is that?  It makes me want one!<br/><br/>If you actually need an addition and are looking into the process, I suggest you call various dealers in your area, or visit the following sites for a dealer in your neck of the woods:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.nahb.org/">www.nahb.org</a>  or <a href="http://www.modularhousing.com/">www.modularhousing.com</a><br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/module.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-153" height="150" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/module-150x150.jpg" title="module" width="150" /></a><br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>(Module in the factory, ready to be delivered.)<br/><br/>Information or pictures are always welcome!  I would love to share more about modular additions!

Modular Home Extensions or Additions

No hair extensions here, only house extensions!  In the housing world, you may have the option of building a modular addition to your existi...

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Air Conditioning

Yesterday I was sitting in my office writing about how I’m not particularly fond of Air Conditioning.  I like the windows open and the smell of the cut grass!  As I sat here, the breeze was blowing in the windows, and my husband was out mowing.  It was lovely, except...<br/><br/>I couldn’t stop sneezing!  I confess, it occurred to me: if the windows were all closed and I had AC, I probably wouldn’t be suffering from allergies as badly.  Because of all the sneezing, and the itchy, watery eyes, this is my second week without mascara (<em>I know!</em>).  And they say it’s going to be a long allergy season, since our winter was so mild.  And the weatherman says it’s going to be <em>HOT</em> too!  Perhaps I should have given the whole house AC a little more thought...<br/><br/>Seriously, besides keeping us cool, and me grumbling about my allergies, there are some definite health benefits to Air Conditioning.  In hot climates, or on scorching hot summer days here in Central NY, we’ve all worried about our elderly or very young family members and neighbors during heat waves.  Excessive heat can cause fatigue and dehydration, which are both dangerous.  It goes without saying that an air conditioning system can reduce symptoms of fatigue as well as the risk of dehydration.  A <em>CLEAN</em> air conditioning system can help with external allergens (ie. pollen!) and can help with your overall air quality too.<br/><br/>Also, let’s not forget the importance of a good night’s sleep.  I feel for my kids when it’s really hot.  They have to sleep with covers on them at night (<em>it’s a known fact that bad guys can’t get you if your under covers</em>).  Of course that gets hot, and sleeping is a lot easier when you’re cool.<br/><br/>Air conditioning systems are expensive, and often need repairs - so depending on the systems your builder offers, it’s a good idea to check out Consumer Reports for the most reliable brands.  If you do end up putting in an air conditioning system, there are ways to reduce your monthly bills and to keep your house cooler in general:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Keep blinds and shades closed in the windows that get the most sun.  This really, really keeps the temperature down in your house.</li><br/> <li>Use a ceiling fan to circulate the cool air around you.  This way you can turn your AC thermostat up a few degrees, and still feel just as cool.</li><br/> <li>The new Energy Star light bulbs produce less heat, so there’s less hot air to cool down, thus reducing your cost.</li><br/> <li>AC units have programmable timers so that you can set cooling times around your schedule.  Just set the AC to come on about an hour before you get home, rather than cooling an empty house.</li><br/> <li>Cook on your grill.  And if you get sick of grilled food like I do by the end of summer, can you plug-in your crock pot outside?  Do anything but use the oven, which adds tons of heat to your house!</li><br/> <li>Make sure the AC filter is clean.  Periodically have a professional check your duct work , vents and registers for leaks.</li><br/></ul><br/>If budget is an issue, ceiling fans can be effective, as are window AC units.  And there’s always the stand-by of placing the underside of your wrists under cold running water for a few minutes.  That’s what we are doing, at least for this summer.

Air Conditioning

Yesterday I was sitting in my office writing about how I’m not particularly fond of Air Conditioning.  I like the windows open and the smell...

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Ceiling Fans

One of the options we chose <em>not</em> to include in our modular home was central air conditioning.  We do have a furnace, so if we decide we need central air down the road, we can certainly install it.  I’m hoping that we wont need air, because it gives me a headache, and because I love the windows open and the smell of fresh air and cut grass in the summer.  We have our house closed up all winter, and I don’t want it closed up in the summer.  Of course we live in Central New York, not central Texas, so that at least allows me the option of choosing fans.<br/><br/>We're also hoping to realize some savings with the fans, both in summer and in winter.  Central air costs about seventy times more to run than a fan.  And, according to the fan experts, a ceiling fan can make you feel 3 to 8 degrees cooler.  That's not too bad.<br/><br/>(Today I’m using the term “we” loosely.  My husband would love AC.  So, I will post on AC tomorrow, and consider his opinion).<br/><br/>Our modular home builder wired every room for ceiling fans.  Yesterday it was 91 degrees, which is hot for May, but the house was nice and cool, with just the fans going.  I’m hoping that’s a good omen, but I’ll have to let you know how we’re doing come mid-July when every day is 90 degrees.<br/><br/>If you do want central air, you can still use a ceiling fan and raise your AC temperature, which will also enable you to save money.<br/><br/>I did a quick look on The Home Depot website and there are about 15 pages of ceiling fans, ranging in price from $34.97 to $1908.09 .  Of course loading your house full of 2000 dollar fans, it may take a while to realize any energy savings!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cheap-fan.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-130" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/cheap-fan.jpg" title="cheap fan" width="300" /></a>This is the least expensive fan:<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/exp-fan.jpg"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-131" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/exp-fan.jpg" title="exp fan" width="300" /></a>This is the most expensive:<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/>You don't have to go to those extremes - as I remember ours cost around $90.  If you decide to buy a couple of ceiling fans, either to help keep the AC temperature up, or to use on their own, you need to get the right size.  Here is a guide to buying the right size fan (from The Home Depot):<br/><br/><strong>Fan Size</strong><br/><br/>Select a fan that is sized to match the dimensions of the room where it will be installed. Fan size is determined by measuring the width straight across from blade tip to blade tip. While a fan may be larger than necessary, as long as it has enough room to rotate properly, a fan that's too small will not effectively circulate the air.<br/><div dir="ltr"><br/><table><colgroup> <col width="65" /> <col width="110" /> <col width="135" /> <col width="313" /></colgroup><br/><tbody><br/><tr><br/><td>Fan Size</td><br/><td>Room Size (Sq. Ft.)</td><br/><td>Room Types</td><br/><td>Points to Consider</td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>32"</td><br/><td>Up to 80</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Bedroom</li><br/> <li>Bathroom</li><br/> <li>Kitchen</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Matching fan size to room ensures greater energy efficiency</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>42"</td><br/><td>80-120</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Bedroom</li><br/> <li>Office/study</li><br/> <li>Porch</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Outdoor areas require specially-designed fans</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>44"</td><br/><td>120-144</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Bedroom</li><br/> <li>Living room</li><br/> <li>Patio</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Downrods and angle mounts allow installation in tall ceilings</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/><tr><br/><td>52"+</td><br/><td>144+</td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Family room</li><br/> <li>Great room</li><br/> <li>Patio</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/><td><br/><ul><br/> <li>Remotes and wall controls make adjusting fan speed easy</li><br/></ul><br/></td><br/></tr><br/></tbody><br/></table><br/></div><br/>I’m not trying to play favorites here, but The Home Depot really does have a huge selection of fans.  I bought mine from the store, rather than online, and it was easy to get the right sizes, and I had a fun afternoon looking at all the fans and lights with my Mom!   All of the ceiling fans I bought had lights.  I needed the lights, but certainly, they come without lights depending on your taste and budget.<br/><br/>Here is our ceiling fan in the living room. The light is not very bright because the shade is a teracotta color.  We don't need a lot of light in our living room because it gets a lot of light from outdoors in the day, and at night we want it ambient rather than bright.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00211.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-134" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_00211-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0021" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>That <em>WAS</em> in our bedroom, because I <em>thought</em> I wanted it to be nice and dim and romantic in there.  But it turns out I don't!  I want to read at night!  So we took this out of the living room:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0020.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-135" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0020-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0020" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>Not only can I read at night, I find my outfits actually match nowadays!<br/><br/>When you use your ceiling fan, and this may seem obvious, but sometimes I like to state the obvious - in the summer months, make sure the blades are blowing down.  We generate heat, and fans push that hot air away from our bodies.  When we sweat, the moving air cools us as well.  Ceiling fans do not make the air cooler, they just cool <em>YOU</em>.  To be clear, no need to leave ceiling fans on if you're not home, they cool people not the air.<br/><br/>Ceiling fans are also efficient during the winter.  Almost all ceiling fans have  a switch to change the direction of the blade.  In winter, your heat rises, so all your heat heads up to the ceiling.  I’ve read that the air at the ceiling is 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the room!  <em>What?! </em> If you change the direction of the blades and keep them  on the lowest speed, you will gently force the heat back down to the floor, where you are!<br/><br/>Now here’s a tip:  When winter is over, and you decide to switch the direction of the ceiling fan blades, stop and think.  What is that long handled duster I own used for? Why don’t I use it on the ceiling fan blades?  Because, according to a friend of mine, not <em>ME</em>, if you skip this step, and just switch the direction and turn the fan on, you will walk back into a room full of little tiny dust bunnies.  That must have been really funny for my friend.<br/><br/>You have to get your ceiling fans up.  I’m lucky.  I have a live-in electrician.  And he’s tall.  So, he hung our ceiling fans in the blink of an eye.  One day this Spring we even decided to switch the ceiling fan  in the bedroom with the one in the living room, and by the time I had a cup of coffee he had the fans switched.  Good job, darlin!  <em>BUT</em>, if you don’t know what you’re doing and don’t have someone handy in your life, hire someone.  The fans can be heavy, you have to stand on a ladder a fool around with wires.  <em>Not</em> a good idea.<br/><br/>Well, that’s it for today and ceiling fans.  Now I’m off to help my hubby with cutting the poison ivy vines from our trees - <em>no, not really! </em> That’s not a good idea either!

Ceiling Fans

One of the options we chose not to include in our modular home was central air conditioning.  We do have a furnace, so if we decide we need...

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Tray Ceilings

Look up!  Isn't that what your mother always told you? Oh, no, that was stand up straight, anyway...  The ceiling is sometimes referred to as the fifth wall, and although I'm not big on painted ceilings in every room, I do believe they have their uses!  Keeping rain out is always handy.  In our modular home, the ceiling in the dining room is very useful in another way.<br/><br/>If you've decided to build a modular home ask your dealer about the possibility of a tray (or trey) ceiling.  FYI: A tray ceiling is a recessed area like an inverted tray, cut into the actual ceiling, so that the center of the ceiling is higher than the surrounding edge, by about 12".  It’s easy to add during construction and creates architectural interest galore!  I’m not saying add one to each room, but a tray ceiling in your master bedroom or dining room would be very dramatic.<br/><br/>AND tray ceilings are perfect for modular homes because they are very modern looking, and, modular homes are generally modern!  Deep, huh?<br/><br/>Our floor plan is fairly open. As I mentioned we have a very large family and we needed the kitchen, dining room and living room to be open, so that we can all eat and still see one another.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0054.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-121" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0054-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0054" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>In these two pictures you can kind of see what I mean.  Where the two stools sit, is a bar area to the kitchen.  And below, the view from the bar to the living room and dining room.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0057.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-122" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0057-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0057" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>However, for nights when its just a few of us, or two of us (yeah right!) we wanted our dining room to have it’s own feel.  The modular home we chose came with a tray ceiling (Shown, but not Included!).  This was the answer to our dilemma.  The tray visually separates the dining room from the rest of the house.  And this makes me happy!<br/><br/>A really pretty way to enhance the tray ceiling is with lighting.  The kind of lighting would depend on you design and decor.  We chose recessed lights in the tray, which are on a dimmer.  We can use either the chandelier, or the recessed lights, or both.<br/><br/>As you can see, I haven’t finished painting my tray ceiling.  I want to highlight and paint the area of the tray where the lights are, a contrasting color to the golds we currently have. And, I am going to, I mean with my husbands blessing, I <em>would like to</em> paint some sort of glaze or mottled look on the actual ceiling.  However, convincing him that this will look amazing, is another story!  I may have to wait til he’s working late, and plan my attack... When that actually happens I will post an update.<br/><br/> 

Tray Ceilings

Look up!  Isn't that what your mother always told you? Oh, no, that was stand up straight, anyway...  The ceiling is sometimes referred ...

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My Modular Home Pictures

I took a couple of pictures to show you some of the changes we made to the specifications or inclusions in our modular home:<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0511.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-108" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0511-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0511" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>This is the front door.  The original door came with a very ornate window, and we chose the lead, with no colored glass.<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0515.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-109" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0515-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0515" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>Here is our back door/laundry room/mud room!  And here are the muddy shoes!  SO, we put a pocket door from the kitchen to the mud room and VOILA!  (See below!)<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0517.jpg"><img alt="" height="300" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0517-199x300.jpg" title="DSC_0517" width="199" /></a><br/><br/>Ha ha! See, isn't that nicer than looking at muddy boots and laundry!  I'm a problem solver, not a cleaner!<br/><br/><a href="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0519.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-112" height="199" src="http://www.fyimodularhomes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/DSC_0519-300x199.jpg" title="DSC_0519" width="300" /></a><br/><br/>This is a picture of one of the pendant lights that hang over the island.  The original pendants came with plain white glass shades, but we found these as Lowe's, and looooove them!<br/><br/>For now, that's it!  Have a wonderful weekend!<br/><br/> <br/><br/> <br/><br/> 

My Modular Home Pictures

I took a couple of pictures to show you some of the changes we made to the specifications or inclusions in our modular home: This is the fro...

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