Leading the Way
September 2003
Green Bay Showcase of New Homes
September 20-21, 25-28,
2003
The Brown Country Home Builders Association’s Showcase of New Homes will take place September 20-21, 25-28. Andrew Homes will have 2 homes on display here, both of which are must-see. The first is a 10,765 sq. ft. custom home that features everything you can imagine, from an in-ground pool with water fountains to an ultra-sophisticated home theater. Marble flooring and gold-leafing on the grand staircase create an elegant and formal foyer. The nearby study is filled with custom cabinetry. Check out the wine cellar in the finished lower level-the homeowner and his father-in-law installed the entire custom wine rack system!
Our second Showcase Home is a 7,020 sq. ft. custom home located on a wooded lot in Barnard Woods. We began this home as a model for sale, but soon sold it and have since modified the floorplan to include the new homeowners’ personal requests. The gourmet kitchen and adjoining hearth room are amazing...vaulted ceilings, custom painted and glazed cream cabinetry, an impressive custom range hood that extends to the ceiling and fireplace with gorgeous cultured stone surround are all features of this area.
We invite you to take advantage of this rare opportunity...once the Showcase if over, you won’t be able to see these homes again!
Tickets for the Showcase of New Homes may be purchased at the Brown County Home Builders Association office or at any of the Showcase Homes during the tour.
Where to Build
In our last newsletter, we reported that we had 4 lots in Barnard Woods in Green Bay. Since then, we’ve acquired 14 more. We’ve chosen to build model homes for sale on some of then and now have 12 available wooded lots for custom-designed homes. We would love to show you this area-give us a call to discuss your building plans!
In nearby Thornberry Creek Estates, we have 8 golf course lots available, all located on the 11th fairway of the golf course. We also have one wooded lot left in Thornberry Creek.
We have 1 wooded lot left in Muirwood Manor, as well as 8 lots in nearby Sheltered Creek.
In Wood Winds Estates, we have a 3/4 acre cul-de-sac lot available. This subdivision is located on the east side of Green Bay and 5 miles from the new Aurora BayCare Hospital.
At Breaker Ridge in the Town of Clayton, we have three lots left, 2 of which are wooded. The lots are over 1.5 acres in size and are located within the Neenah School District.
We are excited to announce the upcoming second phase of Quail Run in Oshkosh, where we will have about a dozen lots available. This popular area will offer a more natural setting and is located 5 minutes from Mercy Medical Center on Oakwood Rd.
In Fond du Lac, we have a .71 acre wooded lot offering views of Whispering Springs Golf Course. In the Highlands, we have 2 large lots located on the course itself.
Design
Team Trip to Charlotte, NC
Once or twice a year, our Design Team travels to different parts of the country to research new home design. This spring several members of the team took a very informative trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to attend a version of a Showcase of Homes. The Charlotte “HomeArama” was held at a single site showcasing a dozen large, custom homes ranging in size from 5000 to over 10,000 sq ft. While in the Charlotte area, the team also toured both completed and under-construction homes in several other neighborhoods and came away with some wonderful new design ideas which are already being incorporated into some of our new models and custom homes.
Designer Craig Dorn commented, “In Charlotte we found that many homes incorporated outdoor living spaces into their designs which felt like an extension of the interior. We were able to use this idea in creating screened-in areas for several of our model homes in the Breaker Ridge subdivision in West Neenah.”
Another prominent design trend the team noticed was that in homes of 3000 sq. ft. and up, the vast majority had master bedroom suites located on the main level. Expect to see more first floor masters in upcoming models!
Andy Backus Named Vice President
Andrew Homes is proud to announce Andy Backus’s appointment to Vice President in January of this year. Andy joined the Andrew Homes team 5 years ago, after graduating from UW-Madison with a degree in Construction Administration and working for an established Milwaukee builder. In addition to this new position, Andy is a member of Andrew Homes’ Design Team and works closely with homeowners to design and build their homes. Owner and proud father Len Backus commented, “It is a dream come true to have Andy able to fill such an important role and become my partner.” Congratulations Andy!
Len’s Trip to Peru
By Len Backus
Precipitous, green-covered mountain peaks grasping for the sky through wispy clouds. That was what I expected to see and experience when I booked my family trip to Peru. I was not disappointed. After a few days in Lima, Kathy and I and our daughter Barbara headed by bus to Cusco, the departure point for trips to Machu Picchu…one of the marvels of the world. In one of the small villages outside Cusco I saw an example of a typical home being constructed. Five workers were toiling on a small 2-story adobe brick structure. Through sign language I
tried to tell them that in the USA I build homes also. (My skilled Spanish language interpreter, daughter Barbara, was busy elsewhere shopping with her mother!) I’m not sure if I got my point across but the workers were very friendly and proud to show me their construction techniques.
The bricks for the home are made of clay, dried in the sun. Long stalks of a type of straw were piled nearby. This was cut into shorter pieces to use in the simple clay mortar used to hold the bricks in place. In our travels we saw several “brickyards” located almost anywhere along the rural roads where 2 or 3 men were making bricks and lining them up neatly to dry in the sun. This was typical in Kenya last year, also.
The foundation was made of basketball-sized rocks…the bricks then placed on top. Six inch, hand-peeled logs were used for structural supports…lintels over the window openings and for posts in a few critical locations. The roof was not yet on and this would be made of curved pieces of clay tile. The base of the second floor was started and consisted of the same logs. Flat boards would fill in between the logs.
After finishing my picture taking and saying a warm good-bye I left. My parting thought was that this construction was taking place substantially the same way as a couple of centuries earlier!
The next day we boarded a scenic vista train and headed off to view the highpoint of the trip…Machu Picchu. We wound for hours along a river at the bottom of a deep canyon. Peruvian flute music was playing in our car and the moment was magical. Later in the afternoon we arrived at the entrance to the famous centuries old Incan ruins and headed off by foot up the steep mountain at 8,000 feet of elevation. Several times we gasped for breath…either from the rarified altitude or the majestic scenery.
All in all, it was a fabulous trip!
Introducing...Tuff-N-Dri Basement Waterproofing System
Moisture Out. Comfort In.
That is the philosophy behind the Tuff-N-Dri® Waterproofing System Andrew Homes began incorporating in all model homes earlier this year. Distributed by Owens Corning, this system uses powerful components to control the three main sources of moisture from basement walls and is backed by a 20-year transferable performance warranty.
“This system was a great addition to the list of quality materials that are built into each and every Andrew Home. It allows us to create a premium living space in our homes, not just an ordinary finished basement,” remarked General Manager Jim Armstrong.
Andrew Homes Maintenance Tips
We’re excited to introduce a new section of the newsletter that allows our service department to address seasonal home maintenance issues, as well as answer some of the most common questions regarding service to your Andrew Home. For our first issue, we asked our service department to provide us with some helpful hints to help our homeowners with upcoming fall and winter home maintenance.
Getting Ready For Fall
· Concrete driveways should be resealed every 2 years, while asphalt aprons should be sealed every 2-3 years.
· Check the painted and stained surfaces of your home’s exterior. Repaint before much chipping or wearing away occurs.
· Check exterior caulking. Time and weather will shrink and dry caulking.
Getting Ready for Winter
· Avoid using any salt products on your driveway or sidewalks—this could damage the surface.
· Check furnace filter and replace if needed. It is recommended that you have your furnace checked every 2 years by an HVAC contractor. This can save energy dollars and prolong the life of the furnace.
· Check the water supply on your humidifier and make sure it’s turned on. Also check the humidifier filter and replace if necessary.
· Outside faucets should be turned off for the winter. Always remove hoses during freezing weather. If they are left attached, the remaining water in the hose can freeze and expand back into the pipe, causing a break in the pipe.