Newsletter September 1999
Building During Winter?
Decades ago construction in Wisconsin ground to a halt in the winter season. This is no longer true. These days in the area encompassing Fond du Lac northward to Green Bay, in just the month of January, nearly 75 new homes are started. This is fully half of the house starts of a year-round average month. Today’s construction methods are so advanced that it is no longer possible for even an expert to distinguish the construction quality of a well-built winter home from that of a summer home. I much prefer dealing with cold and snow rather than spring and summer rains.
As an example, in the winter we use
special methods in our concrete work. We only pour basement walls during a moderate
temperature period and the concrete is delivered to the site heated to 70 degrees in the
mixer. A special additive causes the concrete to set up and reach its design strength more
quickly than in the summer. Basement floor concrete is poured only after we have heated
the basement air space to 60 degrees. This procedure is also followed for porch stoops by
draping a plastic tent and again heating the space. You may have noticed our brick masons
working on a house in their shirtsleeves. Even if the outside temperature is only 10
degrees they are working under a plastic tent at a balmy 60 degrees.
In the Oshkosh area, the Brushwood
Subdivision is now sold out. Just a block further down Oakwood Road will be the new Hecker
Hollow Subdivision with half-acre plus lots available by late fall. In the same area, I
have 2 wooded lots on private Waldwic Lane that are over one acre each. I had to slow down
to let 2 fawns cross the street in front of me there earlier this week. The value of the
homes in this beautiful area range up to a
million dollars.
In Fond du Lac we have a couple of lots
left in White Pines and Country Club Estates for the use of contract home building
customers. We have just purchased 2 lots in the next phase of Whispering Springs golf
course.
In Grand Chute (Appleton) we have
purchased the 7 best wooded half-acre lots in the new Bentwood Subdivision near the corner
of Cassaloma and Capitol. This is going to be a very high quality community.
In Green Bay we are just a week or so away from committing to some lots in a nice wooded-backdrop ravine development.
Call us if you would like to purchase either a completed home and lot package or a just one of these lots for us to build your dream home on. Call us, too, if you would like us to evaluate a lot anywhere else that you may be considering for purchase and construction. We’d be happy to help you determine houseplan fit and potential additional site costs associated with your lot.
Today we started construction on a
slightly smaller version of my newly completed personal residence on a fabulous wooded
golf course lot in the Green Bay area. For sale and priced in the $500,000’s it is
located in the new and incredibly successful Thornberry Creek Golf Course subdivision.
Home values range up to $1.5 million in this
community. In my opinion there is nothing quite like it in our entire market area.
New Homeowner Experience
Earlier this spring Kathy and I moved into a wonderful new
residence. We were very pleased with our choice of a builder. Call me and I will give you
his name and number.
Ranch-Style Plans
We can’t build them fast enough! We have sold 3 one-story spec homes before construction completion so far this year. You can see our Williamsburg model at both the Green Bay and Appleton parades this month. We currently have under construction and for sale, a larger version of the Williamsburg on a large lot on Pine Ridge in Oshkosh (Town of Algoma).
Next month we will be starting
construction on a new and larger 2,600 square foot rather deluxe houseplan on a Whispering
Springs golf course lot in Fond du Lac. All of these new ranch plans feature dramatic
ceiling heights and a split bedroom layout...the master bedroom located on the opposite
side of the house from the secondary bedrooms.
In Appleton (Sept. 11-19) we will have one parade home and a second home open next door. For the Green Bay Parade (Sept. 18-26) we will be showing 2 official parade homes and will also have open 2 other nearly complete models.
Back in spring my son was working as a construction manager/expeditor for a fine homebuilder in Milwaukee. When he called to say he wanted to come home to talk to me I assumed he wanted advice on his next career move. It was quite a pleasant shock when after arriving he told me he wanted to move back home and work with me. I had always been careful not to let him feel any pressure about me wanting him to work at Andrew Homes and yet I knew he would be a tremendous asset.
He embarrassed me by saying nice things about my personal style of management and leadership. He made me proud by saying great things about my other team members whom he already knew and liked. So…how could I possibly turn him down?
New Office Location
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