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Thomsen Homes

Affordable Luxury Homes in Fargo, ND

Homeowner Tips

Fire Safety month across America

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Each year over 350,000 homes catch fire.  The National Fire Protection Association’s campaign, “Look. Listen. Learn. Be aware. Fire can happen anywhere,” works to educate people about three basic but essential steps to take to reduce the likelihood of having a fire – and how to escape safely in the event of one:

 

Look

Look for places fire could start.  Take a good look around your home.  Identify potential fire hazards and take care of them.

 

Listen

Listen for the sound of the smoke alarm.  You could only have minutes to escape safely once the smoke alarm sounds.  Go to your outside meeting place, which should be a safe distance from the home and where everyone should know to meet.

 

Learn

Learn two ways out of every room.  Make sure all doors and windows leading outside open easily and are free of clutter.

Cooking is the leading cause of house fires.  

Pay attention to what you are cooking. 

If you have to leave the room, turn off the stove.  

Don’t cook if you are sleepy or impaired.

Clean your stovetop frequently to avoid grease build up.

Keep flammable items away from heat sources. (potholders, towels, clothing, etc.)

 

Close before you doze.

Sleeping with your bedroom door closed could be the difference between life and death. 

 The today show recently posted this demonstration video showing what happens to a bedroom with a door open vs. a door closed during a fire.  After watching this video hopefully it will change your night time routine.

 

For more information on ways to keep your house and loved ones safe all year round please visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website.  https://www.nfpa.org/

 

Life is lived in moments. Stay alive for them!

Winter Is Coming: 8 Tips For Prepping Your Home

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Now that you have officially said goodbye to summer and you’ve brought your thick blankets and stockings out of storage, it’s time to also prepare your home for the winter months! Everyone enjoys a lower energy bill every month, right? Well, Thomsen Homes is here to give you a couple tips and pointers on how you can save money and make the best of your home in the winter.

  1. Winterize Air Conditioner & Water Lines: This one is a simple and easy task and can actually save you money when the temps outside warm up again! You just need to drain your hoses and A/C pipes of any excess water. If you have an air conditioner with a water shutoff valve, turn it off. You should also turn off any outside water spigots and store your hoses away.
  2. Turn Down the Water Heater: If you’re anything like me, you like a good hot shower in the winter. Liking your water hot doesn’t mean you have to run your heater temperature high. During the winter you can turn your temperature down about 20 degrees, saving you 5-10 percent on water heating costs. You’ll still be able to enjoy your relaxing shower and save money on the side!
  3. Change Furnace Filters: This is another quick and easy tip. Ideally you should replace your filter every month or so. Clean filters reduce energy demand. We suggest either a electrostatic or HEPA filter.
  4. Put Up Window Plastic: Now you may think this is old school and an eye sore, but if you install the plastic properly, it’s nearly invisible! This will help your home hold in the heat. Kits are available at your local hardware store such as Lowes or Menards.
  5. Insulate Your Pipes: Have you ever heard of someone’s pipes freezing? Yea, it’s not good! All you need to do is touch your pipes. If they’re warm, they should be insulated. You can easily buy pre-slit insulation that you simply cut to size and duct tape around the pipe. No more frozen pipes!
  6. Reverse Your Ceiling Fans: By reversing your fan’s rotation, the warmer air that gets trapped at the ceiling gets pushed down and circulates through the room. 
  7. Block Drafts From Under Exterior Doors: This can be easily done with a rolled up towel, a DYI project or you can purchase a draft snake online.
  8. Open Blinds and Curtains During The Day: Having your blinds/curtains open eliminates air trapped and reduces freezing on windows. Wipe any condensation you see on the jambs and woodwork.
  9. Salt or No Salt?: Only use salt on sealed concrete. Salt will eat away at stone, brick and concrete resulting in chips and pockets on your driveway and sidewalks.
  10. Winterize Your Sump Pump: Watch the video below as Niels explains how to winterize your sump pump:

     

All of these tips and trick shouldn’t take more than a couple hours and soon you will be on your way to an energy efficient home! Check out our Homeowner 101 Page to explore more ways to make your home the best it can be.  Now grab some hot coffee (pumpkin spice or not) and get to it!

How to Prepare your home for Spring

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Spring is right around the corner and with warmer temps, that means preparing your home for the warmer months ahead. Below are a few tips from our Client Relations department on how to prepare your home for spring. 

Sump Pump

After the winter months, it is important to check that your sump pump is in proper working order. Make sure your sump pump is plugged into the designated GFCI outlet. To ensure your pump is working, pour water into the sump pit. The float-arm attached to the pump should raise and the pump will turn on and pump water out. If your sump pump is not running correctly, please refer to your Homeowner Maintenance Manual. Also, replace the exterior PVC downspout that you installed before winter with an extension hose running to the back of your lot or towards the street. If your exterior sump pump hose is trenched, disconnect the PVC downspout and re-connect the black extension hose that leads underground.

Downspouts

Ensure your downspouts are down and leaned away from the foundation to channel water away from your home. We recommend using downspout extensions to move water even further away. 

Excess Moisture

As the snow continues to melt and upcoming April showers, it is important to make sure that you are laminate floors are kept dry. Wipe up any spills and moisture immediately. If you need to wash your laminate floors, we recommend a non-abrasive cleaner and a damp cloth/cotton mop. If moisture is left on your laminate floor, this can damage the floor and cause serious issues with buckling.

Furnace Filters

Spring is a good time to replace your furnace filter; although, you should replace your filter every three months. A clogged furnace filter can slow airflow and reduce the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.

There are endless maintenance tips that can be completed in the spring and the above are simply recommendations. Read our Homeowner Maintenance Manual for more suggestions.

Is your home still the one?

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This Valentine’s Day, it’s time to think of one relationship that you often don’t put a lot of thought into – the relationship with your home. What does your home mean to you? Do you love your home? Do you spend a lot of time with your home, putting in endless hours of time/ care into your home?  Like most relationships, it’s a good idea to step back and evaluate the place you spend your days and nights. How do you feel about your floor plan? Your location? To help you dig deeper into your home relationship, take this quiz offered by Zillow: How Much Do You Love Your Home?

We’re gathered here today to find out … when it comes to your home, is love enough?

Your life changes over time: new relationships, new jobs, new hobbies. Sometimes, you can make changes to your home to adapt to your lifestyle — but sometimes you can’t. And the hardest part? Knowing when to let go.

Take our quiz to find out your relationship status — with your living space.

love_your_home

What were your results? If you got ‘Ready to Move on’, check out our Available Homes and stop dreaming, call us today before you’re dream home is gone!

How to deal with window condensation in cold weather

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When the temperature drops it can be downright irritating, that condensation builds up on the interior windows and sliding glass doors. It is also known as “sweaty windows” resulting in high humidity on the interior of your home and low temperatures outdoors.

It can drip on your floors, freeze on the glass and obstruct your view. Regardless of what kind of windows you have humidity and condensation will condense on any window if the conditions are right. Window condensation is a result of excess humidity, and the glass only provides a visible cool surface on which the humidity can condense on your windows.

 

For interior condensation on your windows here are a few things you can do to remedy the problem:

Turn down the humidifier

Condensation may appear in multiple rooms in your home like your bathroom, kitchen or nursery if you use a humidifier in the baby’s room. If you have a humidifier in any part of your home you can try turning it down and as a result there will be less moisture released into the air which will hopefully reduce condensation.

 

 Use your fans

Getting your kitchen fan and bathroom fan going when you cook or shower. This will help with the excess moisture that is released from these activities. Use your exhaust fans in your kitchen and bathroom and let them run a recommended 20 minutes or so after cooking or showering.

 

Circulate air

Starting a ceiling fan can also help combat moisture in the home. Be sure to not cover heat registers or cold air returns. Keep drapes and blinds open throughout the day to allow air to circulate freely over the windows and sliding doors. Another option is to invest in a de-humidifier to help remove air humidity.

 

So if you are noticing condensation on your windows and doors try some of these tips to resolve the issue. For more homeowner tips find them here.

Party Hosting Tips for the Holidays

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The Holiday’s are upon us, which means for some of us, hosting parties and family/friends. The most wonderful time of year can often be a stressful one, especially when hosting people in your own home. Below are some helpful party hosting tips to get you through the ultimate holiday party.  

Food

Meal Plan – Planning your meals ahead of the event, as well as picking up any necessary groceries ahead of time, will help alleviate stress before you’re big party.

Cook/Prepare in Advance – Cooking food in advance will give you more time on the day of the party. Also, prepping the night before is a huge time saver!

Share Food – Host potluck style! Let guests know to each bring a dish, appetizer or dessert and this will cut down on the amount of cooking you have to do, as well as stress.

Dishes – Go disposable! With a large party/meal, dishes can pile up quickly while cooking and eating. If you don’t want to use disposable dishes, wash as you go as this will save a huge headache post party.

Stocked Food – Have plenty of food on hand! If you’re providing snacks or appetizers to munch on, ensure that you don’t run out. You don’t want hungry guests!

Activities

Games – Be game ready! A Holiday party is not complete without some sort of games! Whether you prefer board games, card games or holiday games, have something in mind for playing during your party.

Movie & Popcorn – Will there be kids at your holiday event? Put together a movie experience with a holiday movie and popcorn for the kids to chill out and have their own space. 

Party Theme

Whether your hosting Christmas at your home or a holiday party leading up to Christmas, you can always have a theme for your party. Winter Wonderland, Flannel & Frost, Mad for Plaid, Jingle & Mingle are just a few ideas. Pinterest has a lot of great ideas for holiday party themes.

Looking for more ideas for hosting Christmas? Host a Favorite things party! There are many different ways to host a Favorite Things Party, but here are some general rules. Guests can bring a set number of their favorite things (bring 1 favorite thing – leave with 1, bring 3 favorite things – leave with 3, etc). Set a budget! Let guests know how much to spend on their favorite things ($10 or less is a good budget). To find out more ideas and details on how to play, visit mylifeandkids.com. What a fun idea to do with your family on Christmas day!

For more homeowner tips and trends, check out our design section on the blog.

Create a smart Home With Samsung’s SmartThings

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If you haven’t heard of Samsung’s SmartThings, look it up right now! Seriously. This innovative new device from Samsung can astonishingly turn your Thomsen home into a smart home. In simple terms, it is a home automated system that you can connect your phone via Samsung’s app, Google Home or Amazon’s Alexa to control your lights, garage doors, cameras, door locks, thermostat, blinds and more.  

Centralized Hub

The heart of Samsung’s SmartThings is their centralized Hub.

“The Hub communicates with all of your different connected products – regardless of their wireless protocol – so that you can easily monitor and control them from the SmartThings app. The Hub contains ZigBee and Z-Wave radios, and is also compatible with IP-accessible devices. There’s no hard-wiring or installation needed. Simply connect it to your Internet router using the included Ethernet cable, attach the power cord to the back of the Hub, and you’re ready to start creating a safer, smarter home.”

By using the Samsung’s SmartThings Hub, compatible devices (outlets, light switches, etc) and the app, you can control just about anything in your home. For example, you can program specific lights to turn on when you unlock your front door. You can also set your early morning routine in the app to gently turn on the lights and music, as well as start your coffee machine before you even wake up. According to SmartThings.com, plug your iron into a SmartThings Outlet and you’ll be able to turn it off via the app or put a SmartThings Motion Sensor in your living room to turn off the lights. The SmartThings app will even alert you if there is a potential water leak or suspicious activity while you’re away. Complete your Smart Home by using Google Home or Alexa. Change your thermostat, turn on or off your lights or start music, all with the sound of your voice. The possibilities are endless! There’s no limit on the number of individual devices that you can connect to the Hub. View a complete list of products here.

Ask your Design Specialist on how to integrate SmartThings into your new Thomsen Home. Check out more design tips and trends here.

Throwing a backyard bash

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Summer has arrived and it’s the perfect time to host a backyard bash in your new home. Use the tips below to help plan the perfect backyard bash that your guests will be talking about all summer.

Themes

Throwing a themed bash is a great way to liven up the party.  Some popular themed backyard parties are: Hawaiian, campfire, modern fiesta, classic garden party and more. Will kids be attending the party or just adults? This might make adjustments to what kind of theme you decide to go with. 

Plenty of Food & Drinks

You will want to plan ahead for your food and drinks. Are you catering in food or are you going to grill your food? If catering, order ahead of time. Pick up the food and prepare buffet style before your guests arrive. If grilling, prep food the day of your party, but before guests arrive. You can either grill after guests have arrived or before. If grilling before, plan on putting the food somewhere that it will stay warm before it’s time to eat.

Games

Provide entertainment for your guests. From kids to adults, everyone likes to play games. Depending on your party theme, there are many different games you can proide. Classic games include: cornhole, jumbo jenga, ladder golf, darts, ring toss and many more. You can also provide other games such as carnival, Olympic, water games, the list is endless. Pinterest is a great source for backyard activities if you become stuck on planning games for your backyard bash. 

Unique Ideas

Besides games, there are some other unique activities you can add to your party. An outdoor movie night can easily be set up if you have an inflatable outdoor screen (or just a sheet and a fence) and a projector. Having a karaoke machine is also another unique idea to help entertain your guests and make your backyard bash one of a kind. Set up an outdoor photo booth with props is another fun idea for guests. They will forever have photos of your awesome backyard bash!