Travel to Stockholm, Sweden
Kathy and I returned last week from visiting Appleton friends who just moved abroad for a two year job with a Swedish paper industry research institute in Stockholm. Five quick, productive days of touring the city gave me respect for Sweden’s high-tech, high quality construction methods. Granite rock is everywhere and most roads and buildings are built on or through it. The only areas around here where we must blast for rock are small pockets in parts of southeast Neenah.
We also visited a 70 acre historical park complete with restored buildings. Andrew Homes recently built its first two houses with cedar roof shingles in Oshkosh. In Stockholm’s park I saw various ancient natural roofing materials used, including cedar. The most interesting material, though, was birch bark. First the roof was covered with flat boards and then wide, long strips of birch bark were laid flat and covered with flat logs for ballast and protection from the sun. The tour guide said the system lasts for many decades. (I’d like to see this system handle the 65 to 80 mile-per-hour rain we had here a few weeks ago!)
While touring the city we came across many high-tech gadgets in use for common needs. I also took a close-up photo of a carpenter working with his tape measure --- in centimeters, of course. Thanks for your hospitality, Sue and Mike MacGregor!
Builder/Architect Magazine
Last month’s issue featured Andrew Homes. This national trade magazine chose us for its Northeast Wisconsin, regional issue including several professionally done color photographs of a few of our homes.
Parade of Homes - Appleton, Green Bay
In Appleton we have the same 2 homes to view as we had in Oshkosh this summer. Located in the new Nature Acres Subdivision adjacent to the Bubolz Nature Preserve off Highway A, (Lynndale Street) they are sized at 4,000 and 4,200 square feet. If you missed them you must see the high-ceilinged family rooms in both and the fabulous first floor master suite in one. They are both built on multi-acre sites, backing up to the nature preserve. I have personally seen nesting red-tail hawks and our workers have seen deer out the rear windows.
In Green Bay we have one of these same houses, a little smaller version without the guest suite on the first floor. It is located on a huge wooded cul-de-sac lot with natural wildflowers in the back yard --- even trillium, if you can believe it!
Housing Market
Today’s Wall Street Journal reports last month’s national new home sales were very strong again. We are having our best year ever.
Interest rates hover around 8 % or just under --- fully 1/2 % less than 12 months ago.
Where to Build
In southwest Neenah, a new subdivision called Whitetail Meadows has started, backed up to a natural, wildlife area. We have four of the better lots, so far. We will be starting spec homes on 2 or 3 this fall and 1 or 2 of our lots are available to contract customers. Our homes will be sized from about 2,250 to 2,550 square feet. Call for details.
Nature Acres, mentioned in the Parade section, has a good selection of lots remaining. These are one acre minimum, Town of Grand Chute with Appleton schools.
The newest phase of Brushwood Nestle in the Town of Algoma (Oshkosh) is ready for home construction. This is a mostly wooded area with lots sized over one-half acre.
Quality
Just over one year ago we started using the higher quality TJI floor truss system —- ("The Silent Floor"). With a year of experience, we are very pleased with the results in greatly reducing floor squeaks.
Our construction team continues to study other ways to improve quality and we are in the midst of studying all of our written standards as well as putting down on paper some procedures previously only verbalized.
Custom Plan Revisions
We are just now completing a home for Fred and Nancy Splitstoser on Lake Winnebago near Stockbridge. They saw one of our model homes in Appleton last fall and talked to me about their beautiful waterfront views.
Working at our model home, we came up with custom revisions which changed the floorplan to take advantage of the view. The fireplace in the family room was moved to a side wall and the window quantity maximized.
The second floor was completely redesigned to move the master bedroom to the rear of the house. We added a small balcony off the master on the second floor. The sunsets will be magnificent.