by Meg Dehn

Be prepared this year and let us help you!  Following is a list of items to review and perform in order to keep your home and yard safe, maintained and well-groomed, as we quickly approach the winter season.  The forecast looks sunny and warm through next week so use this weekend to run through the list!  Hope it proves to be helpful.

Home Care

• Check fireplace and chimney; service or clean if needed
• Clean range hood filter
• Check and clean air exchanger
• Clean or replace furnace filter 
• Do safety checks: smoke detector, fire escape routes, fire extinguisher, door and window locks
• Adjust thermostat for season change, check humidity levels to prevent excessive moisture
• Inspect pressure and temperature valve on water heater 
• Clean dryer vent 
• Clear air intakes, exhaust vents and meters of debris, nests, etc.
• Test and change batteries in smoke detectors as needed
• Check roofing and flashing for signs of wear or damage
• Check roof and soffit vents
• Check adjustment of door thresholds
• Check garage floor for cracks; seal & caulk as needed

Lawn & Garden Care – tips from Gary Anderson of Gary Anderson Landscaping

• Cover roses with leaves and protective cones which can be purchased at the box stores or garden centers
• Water your evergreen trees thoroughly in late fall.  Evergreens will continue to drink water late into fall and early winter
• Turn off your outside spigots to avoid freezing
• Make sure your sump pump line is running out into your yard to prevent water backing up into house
• Make sure gutters and downspouts are clean of any debris to prevent ice dams over winter
• Fall is the time of year to trim trees and shrubs.  Just don’t prune your Azaleas and Rhododendrons because you will be trimming off the spring flowers
• Give your evergreen shrubs a shot of Miracid.  Yews, Arborvitae, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, and Hydrangea love the acidic soils.  
• Wrap your young trees (if planted within the last 5 years) with a tree wrap you can pick up from the box stores, garden centers, or hardware stores.  This will prevent “sun scald” and deer and rabbits chewing at the bark of the tree which could kill your tree.
• Fall is a great time to help out those birds still around with some bird seed.  Expect a squirel or two to show up to the buffet as well.
• Fall fertilizer for your lawn or “winter fertilizer” can be a great idea for a green lawn in the spring
• If you haven’t done so already, make sure your underground sprinkler system has been winterized by a certified contractor
• Maintain proper grades for drainage throughout property

Gary works with Mega Homes and our customers on landscape design and installation.  His strong business ethics, reputation and landscape creativity continues to impress us!  For more information about Gary Anderson, click to view his website  Gary Anderson Landscaping

Soon our homes will be glistening with Snow!

by Meg Dehn

Not necessarily new, but concrete countertops are becoming more and more popular in all areas of the home! Kitchens are definitely the core of the home and designing concrete countertops into your kitchen allows much versatility, creativity and function. Form and function, being equally important, make concrete countertops an appealing choice.

Versatility seems to be the biggest advantage with concrete countertops. You can integrate color, decorative objects, concrete sinks and drain boards… essentially the sky is the limit. Those of us who love choices will enjoy the opportunity to custom design a countertop to meet the personalities of our families. However, those who like the look but want limited choices can be guided accordingly.

At Mega Homes, we recently selected concrete countertops in all areas of a custom designed home. We included two different textures and designs in a kitchen. We incorporated concrete tops into a master bath and a children’s bath; one was more subtle and the latter was quite playful. We also designed a charcoal stained, exposed aggregate top into the laundry room.

We worked with Living Stone Concrete Design. Eric Mayne, President, expands on his business:

“Living Stone Concrete Design specializes in concrete countertops. We hand make pre-cast concrete items such as countertops, sinks, fireplace mantels, bar tops, furniture and many other related products.

Our custom designed concrete offers timeless design and versatility for home, office or retail use. Concrete’s immense adaptability allows you to express your personal style through the use of near limitless colors, texture and physical designs. Our molding and finishing techniques ensure a fully customized high quality product.

When you hire Living Stone Concrete Design we will partner together, with you as the art director, to help bring your concrete vision to life.”

See pictures below and click on Eric’s link for more information. You may want to consider concrete countertops in your new home!

You have probably heard that interest rates have plunged to record lows in recent weeks. The average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 4.66 percent in the latest survey of major lenders taken Aug. 4. Low interest rates in the current market make it the opportune time to buy or build a new home with Mega Homes.

“Historically, interest rates are at an all-time low right now, and typically Mega Homes’ clients are move-up buyers, so the low interest rates benefit them even more,” says mortgage industry expert Aaron McClay of Fairway Financial. “The savings are tremendous on a 30-year mortgage, but if a buyer is able to work with a 15-year mortgage, the savings multiply immediately because less interest is being paid.”

When interest rates are low there are a number of benefits for you as a home buyer. A potential home buyer can obtain a mortgage more cheaply than they normally would, which translates into much lower payments over the life of the loan.

Even a slight decrease in interest rates makes a huge difference in payments and also in purchase power. Not only do lower monthly payments allow you to purchase more home for your dollar, more money is going to the purchase price of the home rather than toward interest. Mega Homes brings upscale features and distinction to the interior and exterior of your home.

Call Aaron at 612-987-2761 or email him for more information. For your convenience, here’s a link to a great mortgage calculator.

by Meg Dehn

Pictures speak 1000 words…. In March, I was fortunate enough to experience my first Mission Trip.  My 11 year old daughter, Angela accompanied me and 6 others on a trip to Reynosa, Mexico.  The group was coordinated by a friend/Mega Homes’ homeowner.  Di Anna has been on many mission trips to this area of Mexico throughout her life and with the help of “Border of Hope” missionaries, she planned a trip of a lifetime for all of us.

We slept in Texas and worked in Mexico for 5 days.  Our days consisted of prayer time, crossing the border, and working with wonderful Mexican adults and children at a church and the pastor’s family home.  We painted the ceiling and walls of the church.  The youth in our group painted the church pews and we assisted in building an addition on the pastor’s home. 

The gracious people of the community where we worked made us an authentic Mexican lunch on our last day, which we truly enjoyed. We relaxed in conversation; while watching the American and Mexican children (and some adults) play a heated game of soccer.

We definitely made an impact by putting the finishing touches on a church where the community was already gathering in praise and we were able to help the Pastor and his family by enlarging their home. 

However, the impact was really on the eight of us, who were fortunate enough to be taught the big lessons of life; acceptance, humility, graciousness and real love!  Those who have less… truly seem to have more.

We came back home; to our families, our work and our schools and life does go on.  However, three months later and I continue to see the angelic faces of our new friends, very clearly in my mind.  I won’t forget the beauty we witnessed in some pretty ugly situations, the wonderful Kincaid family who gave up their life in Chicago to start “Border of Hope” missionary group and our group of 8 who went on this journey with open hearts and open minds…  only to be changed, spiritually, for a lifetime.

Stay tuned as we hope to plan another trip to help with more construction projects in the very near future.  It is a border worth crossing!

Click on the link below for more information about “Border of Hope”.  

Border of Hope

“We do not believe in large houses with many rooms elaborately decorated and furnished, for the reason that these seem so essentially an outcome of the artificial conditions that lay such harassing burdens upon modern life…

That is why we have from the first planned houses that are based on the fundamental principles of honesty, simplicity and usefulness…”

Gustav Stickley

An American furniture maker, Gustav Stickley began his work in upstate New York, studied in England and returned to America prior to 1900.  His trademark was craftsman furniture, which followed with the publication of “The Craftsman”, a magazine that boasted the styles of the bungalow movement in America.  He also produced house plans and offered his design services.  He truly was an icon in the Arts & Crafts industry and Stickley’s passion for the Craftsman Architecture and style was felt throughout America.

Operating a custom home building business today, I have followed some of Stickley’s design ideas while attempting to create homes that offer the innovation and technology of 2010, but are complimented by the simplistic and practical ideals of English Arts & Crafts homes.

During the last two weekends of the Parade of Homes, offering 358 new homes to tour throughout the Twin Cities; be sure to tour them with a keen eye on space.

• Get a strong feeling for how your family would use ALL space and prioritize what rooms and features are the most important to how you live as individuals.
• Be sure to study the outdoor space as well.  What is available to you now?  How can you add to the landscaping and outdoor living areas over time?
• Ask the builder for ideas and request a landscape plan so you can start your research before spring officially hits.
• Buying a model home in the Twin Cities is a financially sound decision right now.  Prices for new homes are extremely competitive and they offer warranties, innovative products and custom designs and should truly be turn key.
• As a move-up buyer, you will gain equity quickly, especially if you plan on living in the home for several years.

Follow the link below for more details about our Parade Model Home #273 in Nature’s Crossing, at the crossroads of Maple Grove and Dayton.

Edgewood Parade Home