Lauren Stonehouse

Love Where You Live In Horace, ND- Welcome to Maple Lake Estates

April 15, 2021 by Lauren Stonehouse

If small town living is where you you see yourself living than Maple Lake Estates our newest development situated just minutes from the outskirts of Horace, ND. Just a quick trip and you are in the F-M area. There are a variety of lots surrounding a serene pond, wide open spaces and affordable to make this your new home.

Nearby parks and easy access to everything Horace has to offer, including the new middle school and high school amenities just to the north. Big Erv’s a Horace hometown favorite has something for everyone when it comes to eats. Small town celebrations like Bean Days with a parade in the heart of down town followed by entertainment and music.

If you are thinking of building this is a great area to be and get that close knit community vibe.

Schedule a tour with one of our new home consultants and tour one of our model homes to get a feel of the layout and space of our variety of floor plans.

DIY Master Bedroom Board & Batten: A Guest Blog from Reagan Lange

January 22, 2021 by Lauren Stonehouse

One of the fun things about working with different families when they build with Thomsen Homes is the different DIY projects they do after they build their home with us. It is so great to see the personal touches that they add to the home and Reagan and her husband Jacob have been so gracious to share their Thomsen Homes journey as well as dive into a DIY project in their master bedroom. Sit back and become inspired as Reagan shares her tips on creating a faux board and batten accent wall in their Thomsen Home. Follow Reagan on her instagram @reaganlange.

Since closing on our 2180 bi-level Thomsen Home in August 2018, we (mainly I, Reagan) have enjoyed decorating every room in the house! Home design has become a huge hobby of mine and I love getting inspiration from people I follow on Instagram. Some of my favorites include @studiomcgee, @hartman_haus, @frengpartyof6 (fellow Thomsen Homes homeowner!), and @jaci.daily just to name a few. When we first moved in, I found myself playing it safe design-wise. It took me a while to settle into a specific design style I enjoy for my home because I wanted it to fully emulate what I enjoy. Up until 2020, we had not made any major design changes to our home because I wanted to really think about it and make all the right choices. Building with Thomsen Homes allowed us to have a great foundation for any interior design choices we made moving forward. I love the light wood floors we chose as well as the white walls throughout our home (Sherwin Williams Snowbound). These light and airy elements allowed me to think freely on my interior design aesthetic and fully research what I found to love for our home.

The “Master” Plan

Last spring we were at home quite a bit due to the pandemic. My husband Jacob and I decided to make a dramatic change to our master bedroom by building our own faux board and batten accent wall. I am so happy with how it turned out! The color we chose was Sherwin Williams Iron Ore in a matte finish. This color is not quite black, but is a wonderful compromise between black and deep charcoal. Since the master bedroom in the 2180 floor plan is right off the main floor, I knew I wanted to do something “moody” to our room since our door is open most of the time. In fact, I feel like this dark paint color made our bedroom feel bigger than it was originally, believe it or not! The board and batten brings a huge wow factor that this room did not have before!

Faux Board and Batten

Here are some extra details about our faux board and batten wall: We chose to use primed wood boards from Menards in a 2.5″ x 8′ size. We liked the primed option because it provided a smoother appearance. In total, we applied seven vertical boards because that’s the spacing that seemed the most natural on our particular wall. We also decided to “frame out” the entire wall using boards that lined the ceiling as well as the floor. We ended up taking out the existing baseboard on this one wall and replaced them with the new boards to make a cohesive appearance. This gives the project a finished look in my opinion. We applied the boards with liquid nails and also nailed the boards to the wall. They are absolutely not coming off any time soon! To further make the look appear “professional” and finished, we added wood filler to any nail holes and caulked all the edges. This made a huge difference in the final look! Also, our existing outlet covers were white, so we opted to swap them out to a black option so they blend into the wall seamlessly.

Tips along the way

Some lessons learned from doing this project on our own include: paint AFTER the boards are on the wall! For some reason we thought it would be better to paint the entire wall first, then paint each individual board with a sprayer. This was so time consuming and in the end we wished we had painted everything as our final step, not the first. Another lesson learned was that we wish we would have invested into a nail gun. We used our handheld drill for everything and using a nail gun would have been so less tedious. Additionally, I found that it was helpful for my visual mind to put together a mood board in Photoshop to see how I wanted the end result to look, including the bedding, lighting, and decor items I planned to buy. Sometimes it’s hard to envision all my ideas together, so putting this mood board together really helped!

As first time homeowners, we enjoyed tackling this project that we are so proud of. We conquered this project at our daughter’s nap time over the course of a few days and it was so worth it in the end. The before and after photos speak for themselves! If you are looking at making a change to a room in your home, paint makes a simple but HUGE impact. Give a dark, bold color a try…you might be surprised!

A Holiday Take from the Sorby Home

November 21, 2020 by Lauren Stonehouse

We have a special blog post from the Sorby family along with some holiday inspiration to get you in the festive mood! They had built their 2180 bi-level home in 2018. This DYI couple has an eye for design and a love for everything home.

Holiday Home Inspired

The days have gotten shorter and the air has turned crisp…it is finally the holiday season and we could not be more excited!

We closed on our Thomsen in December 2018, so this time of year always feels extra special to us. Not only are we reminded that we’ve spent another 365 days in a house we’ve made a home and truly come to love, but also that subtle changes to your space, like pulling out and putting up different décor, can make your heart feel really, really happy…and, honestly, who doesn’t love that (especially this year)?!

When it comes to holidays, much like the other decorating we do in our home, we choose to approach things with a ‘cozy + slightly minimalist’ mindset. To us, less is often more, although we very much appreciate folks who can pull off very full ensembles (with two large fur monsters running around, our home feels ‘full’ in other ways!). We tend to stick with mostly neutral-colored items that have different textures. This allows us to easily add pops of color without feeling like we’re overpowering one space or having items clash.

Easy Pantry Organization Tips

August 7, 2020 by Lauren Stonehouse

It is the area of the home that can be forgotten but is a space we frequent daily; can you guess what it is? It is the pantry! The space within the home where we store everything from canned goods, crockpots, cereal and basically anything you could think of. Now this could be a space that could drive you nuts, but you just do not have the time, or energy or creativeness to make this space a little more pretty!

We asked organizing guru Maria of The Baer Minimalist for some advice she has on keeping this space organized and styled!

Tips

Discard Expired Goods and all Packaging – It’s amazing how many items are hidden inside the pantry that expired one, two, sometimes eight years ago. Toss anything expired and consider donating items to a local food pantry that won’t be consumed in time. From there, pull all beverages from their cardboard containers, toss the bulk packaging that eats up valuable space and give those shelves a good wipe down.

Create Zones – Think of your grocery shopping experience and create similar zones that fit your family’s lifestyle, such as breakfast, baking, grab and go snacks, and canned goods. Keep items that your family reaches for daily on the most accessible shelves.

Don’t forget the space available on the inside of your pantry door! Check out the ELFA system from Container Store for a door-mounted unit that will give you a ton of extra storage without taking up much space.

Utilize Baskets + Bins – If you like seeing quantities of ingredients on hand, opt for clear containers or bins to house your pantry staples. If you opt to use plastic canisters to store cereal or snacks, make sure to add an expiration date to the bottom of the container (for pastas, we’ll often cut out the cooking instructions and tape them to the back of the canister too). If your preference is out of sight, out of mind, woven baskets look incredibly streamlined on pantry shelves.

Label, Label, Label – Pantries are also the space in your home that gets replenished most often, so labeling is ultra-important. My favorite markers for labeling are these chalk markers that come in such vibrant colors and work on tons of different surfaces. This also allows you to hold everyone in your house accountable for keeping up a system.

The Baer Minimalist helps busy families create ORGANIZED + STYLIZED spaces throughout Indianapolis, Indiana. To keep up to date with all of the tips, tricks and inspiration doled out, subscribe to their newsletter, The Minimal-List and follow along on social, @thebaerminimalist.

Ideas for pantries when building a new home

When building a new home the pantry can sometimes be a space that can get overlooked. There are so many different options when building that you may not even realize can be nice little add-ons to this space to make your life more organized and less cramped.

Depending on what floor plan you decide on there are different options for pantries, as well as ways to modify what is offered as a pantry within that floor plan. Everything from shelving options like standard wire shelving or custom shelving or even custom cabinetry within your pantry. Think about how you want to utilize this space.

Another unique add on to make things easier is including a small door that you can access from your garage to your pantry in order to quickly load your groceries and boxes through can be a game changer.

Summer Safety: Never Take A Vacation From It

July 24, 2020 by Lauren Stonehouse

Summer safety is a hot topic, literally and we asked Safe Kids of Grand Forks Coordinator Carma Hanson to share with us some insight on how to enjoy the summer months and keep those kiddos safe.

As the warm days of summer have come to our part of the country, we find kids out of school, families enjoying this season and all of us adjusting to the new routines that Covid-19 has brought to us this year. Routinely, June, July and August are the 100 deadliest days of the year for kids as they are out of school and in a less structured environment. Add to that this year the stresses that have accompanied our global pandemic where parents may be working from home or carrying the weight of job changes or losses. All of these things lead to a set-up for more unintentional childhood injuries. We offer some insight into ways that you can keep your home a safe environment by not taking a vacation from safety.

Because of community pools being more apt to be closed, above ground pools have popped up around homes. While these can offer a cool retreat from hot summer days, they can also present a danger. Below ground pools are required to have 4-sided fencing around them, but smaller above ground ones are not. If you have young children that may toddle off or are curious by nature, know what is in your neighbor’s backyard and assure that kids don’t get out of your sight. Drowning is a silent behavior and you often won’t hear a child struggling in the water. If you have a pool in your yard, but sure to store toys and floaties out of the pool when not in use so kids are not tempted by them. If it is a smaller pool, dump the water and turn the pool upside down so it does not collect water with rainfalls. Keep the ladder stored out of sight and in a shed or garage, away from the pool. Active adult supervision, meaning the adults are watching the kids and not reading a book, cooking on the grill, talking on the phone, taking a nap or a variety of other activities, is important to keep kids safe in a water situation. Never rely on inflatable water wings or water rings to keep your kids afloat. If you have a below ground pool at your home, assure that there are self-latching gates on the fence and if there are doors from the house that exit directly to the pool, equip them with alarms so you will be alerted if someone exists them.

Another danger for children in the summertime is heatstroke from kids being left in cars that heat up quickly or children gaining access to a vehicle whether that be at your family home or a neighbor’s. It doesn’t take a very hot day for this type of tragedy to occur. Temperatures inside vehicles can get to be 40-60 degrees hotter than outside and children’s bodies overheat three to five times fast than an adult. When the vehicle is not in use, lock the car and keep the keys out of reach. Always remember to check the back seat after every ride and set reminders on your phone as babies often fall asleep in the vehicle when the car starts moving. A simple change in routine such as road construction that takes you on a different route to work can quickly lead to a tragic outcome for a young child. If you see a child in a vehicle that is unattended, call 911 immediately so emergency responders can come and get the child removed and provide medical attention if needed.

While the summertime can create great family time and generate fabulous memories, we want to assure that kids are free of the dangers that this season presents. For more information on preventable childhood injuries, visit www.safekidsgf.com or LIKE us on Facebook at Safe Kids Grand Forks. Altru Health System is proud to serve as the lead agency for Safe Kids Grand Forks and you can reach out to us there at safekids@altru.org. Sip your lemonade, relax in the cool waters of a pool and enjoy special times with your family but never, ever take a vacation from summer safety.

Design Inspiration for our Thomsen home

June 17, 2020 by Lauren Stonehouse

Chelsey with @frengpartyoffive shares another blog post about her home building journey with Thomsen Homes. Her home is finished and the whole family is settled in. Read below some of the inspiration she had while designing her home.

Thank you for joining us on our Thomsen home building journey! Don’t miss my other blog posts here.

Today I’m going to talk about inspiration that we used for our Thomsen build. Over the past several months, I’ve gained a lot of inspiration from Instagram. There were a few key areas in our home that I knew we’d put more of our budget into and a few areas that we will add to after we close and move-in. During our design meetings, I shared with the design team my inspiration behind the few areas of our home and they helped my goals become reality.

Kitchen

I knew that I wanted to add a few key things to our kitchen right away and of course Nate agreed. He’s been so easy going through this whole process (as long as it’s within budget). In my dream kitchen, I wanted to add a large window over the sink, white appliances, a square island, a white box hood over the range, quartz backsplash and 2 pendants over the island. After showing these ideas to Shirley, she was able to obtain pricing for several different options and we were able to narrow down our choices. Here’s a few images I used for our kitchen inspiration.

Source: Amber Interiors Source: thegritandpolish

Source: hearthhomesinteriors Source: nicolediannephoto

Of course there were things that didn’t fit in our budget such as cabinets and countertop in our pantry, but Thomsen had great ideas such as removing the wire shelving, adding electrical, etc. so that Nate and I can add these items after we close on our home.

Here’s a vision board I put together for our kitchen.

Bathroom

I really wanted the bathroom of my dreams with a tiled floor, tiled shower and large soaking tub; however, the space nor budget allowed for all of these items. I used the images below for our vanity inspiration, flooring and tiled shower.

Source: juniperhome Source: designstiles

Can’t you just see it all coming together? I have my fingers crossed that everything will come together and look great. Check back next time as I discuss our lighting during our electrical walk through!

Life Outside: Style Your Deck or Patio

June 10, 2020 by Lauren Stonehouse

We wait patiently for this every season the time when we can be outdoors, enjoy the sunshine and spend time on our deck or patio. The space off of our homes for unwinding with a cold one, or grilling that delicious steak and indulging in an ice cream cone. We savor the time spent outside with our families in these spaces.

How to stylize my deck or patio

Whether, you use this space to grill, and relax it’s nice to make it your own little oasis off of the home. Here are somethings you can do to make your outdoor space more enjoyable and add some style.

Greenery

An easy way to make your deck or patio pop is adding in flowers or a touch of greenery. This can be a simple way to add color to your outdoor space. If you aren’t a green thumb opt for plants that are low maintenance like succulents or ferns. Flower boxes or pots can compliment the space and are an easy way to stylize and become a fun hobby too.

Outdoor Furniture

This is an area where you can really have a lot of fun! There are so many different ways you can make your outdoor space trendy and comfortable. You can do outdoor furniture like couches, lounge chairs, daybeds, bistro set, gas firepit and so much more the options are endless. We love these rattan chairs from EcoChic compliment them with a textured pillow to add some dimension and color.

Alfresco Dining

Create an outdoor entertaining space with simple outdoor dining sets, neutral table runner and no-fuss place settings. Invest in cute outdoor platters, outdoor cutlery for a fast easy clean up for dining outdoors. We love these place settings from EcoChic that can be used indoors and outdoors. A neutral pallet allows for flexibility to add pops of greenery or color to swap out for the season. This gives you more options when entertaining while keeping your staple pieces simple.

No matter what you decide to do with this outdoor space make it your own. Take time to enjoy those summer days and nights because they are precious! If you decide to build don’t forget that with Thomsen Homes you get deck or patio and a sod yard included in the base price of your home.

Image credits @Ecochic

It takes a village: COVID-19 Emergency Fund

May 6, 2020 by Lauren Stonehouse

On March 21^st, Thomsen Homes launched a give back initiative to help alleviate some financial instabilities due to COVID-19. The initiative, which was originally set for $50,000, was to be given to those different individuals, businesses, and organizations that had been affected by the pandemic. Thomsen Homes had taken to social media to request nominations from the community and asked our social following to submit their recommendations on who should be nominated for the relief fund. The response to the give back initiative took off, and we sought out other businesses that wanted to help, in the hopes of making a greater impact. Through the generous donation of almost $60,000 from ten other businesses, along with Thomsen’s 50% additional match, the total impact reached $139,000.

156 businesses were nominated throughout the community that needed help. Through our committee, donors, and partnership with the FM Area Community Foundation, we narrowed our suggested recipients from 156 down to 30 different individuals, businesses and non-profits with the highest needs. We then utilized a range that was established to determine the amount given to each individual, business, or organization to help them through the challenges they are facing due to COVID-19.

“We are fortunate to be in a position to give back like this,” said Chris Thomsen, Founder/CEO of Thomsen Homes. “It’s really amazing to see how something like this can truly bring people together. The support and positivity that came from this initiative and our generous partners in the community is indescribable. We live in a very special place with some very amazing people.”

The 30 recipients spanned from non-profit organizations, small businesses, and individuals in the F-M area as well as Grand Forks. We worked closely with FM Area Community Foundation and funds were distributed in mid-April.

We would like to recognize our ten donors below:

FM Title, Bank Forward, Weyer-For-Hire, Dawson Insurance, Anderson, Bottrell, Sanden & Thompson Law Firm, Northridge Construction, American Family Insurance DJ Colter, D&M Industries, All Season’s Mechanical and Ferguson.