Leading the Way

Andrew Homes welcomes you to our 2004 Winter Wonderland Home in Appleton! Sponsored by the Valley Home Builders Association, the Winter Wonderland of Homes runs February 7-8, 12-15. We will have our Bancroft model on display here, offering 5,005 sq. ft. including 1,221 sq. ft. in the finished lower level.

Have you seen our hearth rooms yet? They have become a popular addition to several of our model homes and provide that extra space just off the kitchen for entertaining or relaxing. The formal dining room in this home is also stunning. Bordered by round columns and arches, dinner is truly an event in this room.

The Spring Preview of Homes, sponsored by the Brown County Home Builders Association, runs Feb. 28-29, March 5-7 in Green Bay. At this event, we will introduce our 7,170 sq. ft. Concorde model. This design also offers a hearth room with volume ceiling, along with a first floor master suite, study with beamed ceiling and a large playroom or hobby area on the second floor. The 2,017 sq. ft. finished lower level features a corner fireplace, extra bedroom or office with full bathroom and a room that has been sound insulated and wired for a future theater room. Our Spring Preview Home will be located in Thornberry Creek Estates, adjacent to Barnard Woods where Andrew Homes has several other model homes for sale as well as 13 lots available for future customers. Look for our “Lots of Lots in Green Bay” article inside this newsletter for more information on where to build.

We at Andrew Homes were pleased to welcome Barbara Backus to our team in September. Barbara will be working in our Selections department, assisting homeowners with all of the selections details that go into building an Andrew Home. After graduating from UW-Madison in 2001, Barbara moved to Chicago where she worked in the international marketing department for a manufacturer of fitness equipment. She loves the idea of working on such a 1-on-1 basis with our homeowners.

Owner Len Backus remarked, “What a dream! Now a second bright, hard-working child of ours in the family business!”

In our last newsletter, we announced the upcoming availability of the second phase at Quail Run Farm in Oshkosh. This exclusive subdivision was ahead of its time 10 years ago when the first home was built there, providing protective covenants for the residents of the area and keeping much of the natural environment intact. Andrew Homes is truly excited to be the exclusive builder for the second phase of this neighborhood. We strongly believe it will be the address of Oshkosh for the 21st century.

Andrew Homes will have 17 lots available in the second phase and anticipates that new home construction will begin this spring. Give us a call to discuss your building plans!

We have always been proud of the Service Department at Andrew Homes...we are always striving to exceed our homeowners’ expectations when it comes to servicing their Andrew Home, whether that home is 6 months old or 5 years old.

It is especially gratifying when we receive a letter from one of our homeowners. Hearing their perspective reinforces our attitude that Andrew Homes has one of the best warranty and service programs in the area.

Dear Andy,

Just a brief note to thank you for following up on my request to fix the leak over my office window. We’ve had a couple of pretty intense storms since you sent your crew over to repair the leak and I’m happy to report that all the water stayed outside the house!

My wife and I were very impressed with you at our initial meeting. We left feeling that you and the Andrew Homes organization were truly committed to stand behind the quality of your workmanship. Even though we didn’t end up buying one of your new homes, your follow-up validated the fine reputation you’ve established over the years. This kind of commitment is rare in most industries today and, from my perspective as a homeowner, is extremely valuable.

Thanks again for your help and for upholding the Andrew Homes attitude that the homes you build are “ours forever.” You guys are the “real deal”, as they say and we couldn’t be happier with our house.

~A Satisfied Andrew Homeowner who bought a 3 year old Andrew Home from one of our customers

You’ve attended the Parade of Homes. You’ve surfed the Web. You’ve talked to your friends and colleagues. You have finally made the decision to build your next home. Now you need to find the land. On what kind of lot do you want to build your next home? Perhaps you want golf course views or maybe a more secluded wooded lot suits your style. What about the dream you’ve always had of living on the water? Whatever you are looking for, Andrew Homes can assist you in making these types of choices.

We have many lots available to our customers in several different areas of Green Bay. Thornberry Creek Estates on the west side continues to be a popular community of choice for many people looking to build. Here we have several lots with views of the 11^th fairway. Most of these lots are about ½ acre in size. We also have a ¾ acre wooded lot in Thornberry Creek.

Are you in search of a premier lot for your million dollar dream home? We have a beautiful ½ acre cul-de-sac lot offering both pond and golf course views with walkout potential in Thornberry Creek.

Just adjacent to Thornberry Creek, we also offer about a dozen wooded lots in Barnard Woods. The lots here are about ½ acre or more in size, with a few located in a more private cul-de-sac. Driving through this area gives us the sense of being in Northern Wisconsin…it’s that peaceful. Andrew Homes has several model homes for sale under construction in Barnard Woods. We have recently sold a few of these homes while they were under construction and the new homeowners were able to make many of the selections themselves. We are happy to show you any of these partially completed models.

We have several wooded lots in Sheltered Creek Estates located just off Hwy. 172 and within the Green Bay School District. All of these lots have walkout or exposed window potential and many back up to a private preserve. Located at the end of the cul-de-sac, we have a beautiful 2.8 acre lot available. Here, too, Andrew Homes has 2 model homes for sale, still under construction, and 1 completed model home for sale. In nearby Muirwood Manor, we have a single wooded lot available, the only one left in this premier neighborhood.

On the east side of Green Bay, we have just acquired 2 wooded cul-de-sac lots in Wood Winds Estates, located 5 minutes from Aurora Bay Care Hospital . Both are ¾ acre in size.

We also have recently obtained a nearly 2 acre lot with 93 feet of frontage on Green Bay. It is located in the city of Green Bay and features views of a beautiful point that provides protection for boat docking.

Andrew Homes’ professional Design Team is ready to work with you to design a floorplan that takes advantage of the unique features of your lot. Our Design Team takes the best advantage of your lot’s location, topography, size and surroundings. Your home’s size, shape, and exposed basement window or walkout potential are all factors that depend heavily on the lot. We also study the direction of orientation to best take advantage of views or sunlight. Andrew Homes can assist you in searching for that perfect location. Call us or visit our website at www.AndrewHomes.com.

In our last newsletter, we told you about the introduction of the Tuff-N-Dri system to our model homes. This system uses a variety of components to control the three main sources of moisture from basement walls. We have now begun installing a back-up water pressure powered sump pump in our model homes that offer city water. A battery powered sump pump will be installed in those models that get their water from a well system.

“Combining the Tuff-N-Dri system with this additional sump pump gives our homeowners that extra peace of mind. We are proud to offer a 10-year structural warranty with a no-leak basement guarantee and believe that our homeowners appreciate this value-added component,” remarked Andy Backus.

A: A humidifier is a unit that adds moisture to your house through your furnace system. It only works when the furnace is running. A humidifier is only used during the winter months. Humidity levels should range between 30 and 40%; however, the colder the outside temperature, the greater the need to lower the humidity level. How do you know what the relative humidity in your home is? The best way is to purchase a gauge that measures humidity. There are many types on the market. Place the gauge close to the thermostat so that you always know what the humidity level is. The control dial for the humidifier will be either next to the thermostat where it has to be adjusted manually or on your furnace’s cold air return duct. This dial is automatic, meaning it detects the outside temperature and automatically adjusts the humidity level accordingly. It does need to be manually set at the beginning of the heating season and turned off in the summer. How do you know if the unit is working? First, check the supply line and look for a small copper pipe attached to unit. This pipe has a shut off knob somewhere close to the ceiling. Turning this knob counterclockwise turns the unit on. Second, while the furnace is running, check to make sure water should be coming out of the discharge tube at the bottom of the humidifier.

A: If you are troubled during the fall and winter months by condensation on the windows of your home, you are not alone. It is very common in cold climates.

Condensation and ice form on windows because the window surface is below the dew point for the air near the window, so some of the moisture in the air condenses on the glass. The higher the relative humidity of the air near the window, the higher the temperature of the dew point.

1) Control humidity in your home by adjusting your humidifier according to the outside temperatures.

2) Always use your range hood fans when cooking and bathroom fans when showering.

3) Raise your window blinds or other treatments to let the warmer inside air get to the surface of the glass.

4) Try to run the furnace fan in the On position overnight. This keeps the air circulating and should minimize condensation on the windows.