It’s spring time again! And while it may not feel exactly like the joyous spring of yore, it’s still a good time to think about Spring Parade! Whilst the idea of a “normal” Spring Parade may still not be quite here, we are super excited to give you a couple sneak peeks into what Thomsen Homes has rolling out in spring! Our lovely Designers have put together several mood boards, inspired by a model home we plan to have on Parade. Today we are featuring our Modern Bi-Level. This home has many lovely touches to it that you’ll enjoy like Bourbon Street Sunflower laminate flooring, trendy and sleek Nuvo interior lighting, a custom hex backsplash and so much more! Thomsen Homes is proud to offer you all these wonderful amenities in this home and our additional model homes! We can’t wait for you to check them out, whether that be in person or virtually, in the Spring Parade! Stay tuned for more sneak peeks to come your way!
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Baking & Design Hero: Cydney Knaust
Have you ever met someone who just makes you smile? Well, Cydney is just that person! Whether she’s cheering you up with her carefree attitude or bringing in loads of monster cookies (the bin is gone by noon), Cydney is sure to bring a little sparkle to your day. Cydney built with us a few years back and fell in love, eventually landing her job here as Design Assistant! You’ll be lucky to have her on your team and maybe she’ll even bring a cookie or two for you! Get to know Cydney below!
- What’s your favorite movie of all time and why? Beauty and the Beast. My mom and I would watch it together all the time and she would twirl me around in her arms while the end credits played.
- Speaking of movies, what is the current title for your life? Three Men and a Lady (I live with all boys ?)
- If you were a character on a TV show, which one would you be? Leslie Knope
- Look at your last played song on your phone, what is it? Truth Hurts by Kidz Bop Kids
- You’re up next at karaoke. What’s your go-to song and why? Shoop by Salt-N-Pepa – because it really doesn’t require singing well!
- Chess or checkers? Checkers
- Beaches or Mountains? How about a beach by the mountains? But if I have to pick I’d say mountains because I’d rather be active and go hiking.
- What is the craziest thing you’ve done? Those who know me well know how extremely crazy I am ? I would say the craziest thing I have done is close on a new house, get married and travel to Iceland in three consecutive days.
- If you could time travel, where would you go? I would go to the year 3000 to see how accurate the Jonas Brothers were when they sang about it. And then I would travel to whichever year the Vikings win the Super Bowl ?
- What’s your proudest achievement? Being a member of the NDSU Women’s golf team that won the conference championship for the first time in program history and advancing to the NCAA regional at Stanford.
- Best piece of advice you have been given? “Never get in a pissing match with a skunk.” Thanks, dad!
- What one topic/person do you wish you knew more about? Carol Baskins – did she kill her husband?!
- What are some small things that make your day better? Prayer, a green light, fresh sheets, vanilla candles, puppy kisses, Asher (my baby) giggles, my husband’s cooking
- What does your daily life look like at Thomsen Homes? A typical day for me consists of coordinating meetings with clients, assisting on design meetings, processing addendums/documents and some data entry in our software system.
- If you could try another role here at Thomsen for a week, which one would it be? Drafting, but I’ll leave that to the pros.
Activities at Home with the Kiddos
While there is uncertainty in the world about the Coronavirus (COVID-19), each day brings new insights and here at Thomsen Homes we are doing our part to keep our team and the safety and security of our guests as our highest priority. Circumstances and how this is affecting each individual are different, which means that those of you who have kiddos may be trying to think of ways to keep them occupied while you balance working from home.
Here are some fun ideas on how some of our Thomsen team are keeping our little ones minds flowing and bodies going:
Yoga
Health, movement and exercise all good for the mind, body and soul. Try putting on a workout video or stream one on Instagram or YouTube. You not only get a quick workout in but so do your littles as they try and master the different Yoga poses and mirror what you are doing. Or maybe they have lots of energy to burn! Just turn on some good tunes and have a dance party! We find that the best dance parties happen in the kitchen.
Art & Science Projects
Who doesn’t like a good old fashioned art project? There are so many resources and ideas out there that you can pull from to keep those little minds and hands busy. One of the Thomsen mom’s has a little guy who is really into space and planets so she decided to create some planets out of good old fashioned construction paper and paint. To get a 3-D planet she also took some bouncy balls and painted them like each of the planets.
Here are some great resources online to get some ideas on different projects like this you can do with your kids.
Snacks and Super Heroes
Food is one of those areas we can get really creative. Our little ones love to help so have them help make different recipes or bake. Pull up a chair or a stool to the counter so they can see whats going on. Or if you have older kids give them the reins and have them take over dinner (under close supervision of course 🙂 We love this idea of a variety of snacks in a muffin tin. How simple and fun! It’s like a kid version of tapas, you get to try a little of everything!
Now who doesn’t like a good super hero costume? I know I do! Use your imagination and whip out the dress up clothes or even the old Halloween costumes! Bring out that inner child and build an old fashioned fort in the living room. You remember the kind where you use all the couch cushions, dining chairs, boxes and whatever else you can find.
Hopefully, laughter, family togetherness and imagination we can all weather this though! We would love to hear and have you share your creative activity hacks to keep your little ones busy! Post them on our social media.
Flooring, It’s What’s Under Your Feet!
Floors; You dance on them, play on them, sit on them, the list goes on and on. Floors are a staple feature of the home both in function and design. What is fun about picking out flooring for your home is that you can choose to have one style all throughout the house, or have a little fun and choose several options, depending on the room. They should accommodate your lifestyle while also showing off a little bit of your personality. Here are some things to consider when choosing your flooring:
- Durability – Do you have pets or kids? These guys often leave mud or bring in snow from outside. Accidents happen and things may be spilt or knocked over by small hands and wagging tails. Newborns and toddlers tend to like the softness of carpet to lay and play on. Do you entertain often? Consider how much traffic runs through your home and where people tend to gather.
- Budget – Thomsen Homes has a wonderful array of flooring options that come standard in our home, meaning no extra cost for you! We have plenty of beautiful wood laminate flooring that will be sure to catch the eye. Looking for something in the bathroom or laundry room? Choose from over 15 different vinyl colors and patterns! If you would like to upgrade to a more luxurious feel, we have tiled several styles of tiling and stone to choose from!
- Style & Design – Everyone has their own taste when it comes to how they decorate and use their home. Maybe you prefer cool tones like greys and darks, or more maybe earthy tones such as tans and cremes. The flooring you choose should also complement the furniture being placed into your home and the decor on the walls. We have flooring to fit the personality of a crafty-chic household to those who prefer a more modern and sleek look.
We hope that with these tips and the guidance of your expert Design Team, you’ll love to live on your floors!
Your Kitchen: A Space of Many Uses
When you reminisce on memories you’ve made with friends and family, where do a lot of those memories occur? Think about events and parties you’ve been to, or have hosted yourself. What space do you gather in? The kitchen is the space most beloved and used in the home. You cook, entertain, eat, socialize, and so much more in the kitchen. Designing this space to your liking is key to ensure plenty more memorable moments happen in the years to come!
The Fun Part – Design Meetings- Guest Blog Chelsey Freng
Continuing our home building journey, let’s talk about the fun part – design meetings. If you haven’t been following along, catch up here.
From personal experience, design meetings can be fun, but also stressful (think budget). In my opinion, the key to alleviating that stress is being prepared and planning ahead. Thomsen has structured their meetings so that each client has at least 3 meetings – floor plan, exterior and interior. We had a few more meetings than the initial 3, but we also had a lot of custom changes and I’m thankful for the extra time and effort the design team was able to put into our home.
Design Meeting 1 – Floor Plan
In our initial meeting, we discussed our site plan, floor plan, layout, windows, door placement, etc. Leading up to this meeting, we felt a little stressed as we couldn’t decide if we wanted to change the upstairs layout from 4 bedrooms to 3 bedrooms with a larger master bath (I’ve always dreamt of a large soaking tub). After talking it over, we decided to keep the original 4-bedroom layout and I’m so glad we did. The extra space will be much needed in the future as a guest room as we have family visiting out of town often.
Nate and I also knew we wanted to add a larger window in the kitchen, a larger patio door, and we opened the office space on the main floor by partially removing a wall. These are all items that we knew we wanted to add before going into our meeting, which was extremely helpful.
Design Meeting 2 – Exterior
During our second meeting, Nate and I were able to pick out our exterior siding, garage doors, shingles, and more. I love the look of the LP Smartside and can’t wait to see what it looks like on our home. We chose a classic white siding and brown brick for the front. We also were able to select a front door and I knew I wanted something with a large window. I had some inspiration pictures saved and Shirley was able to obtain pricing for several different doors. I love that we are able to make our home custom to our wants and needs. She suggested an 8’ door instead of a 7’ door and transom window. I can’t wait to see what the door looks like and how much light it will let in our entryway.
Jack of all Trades, Niels Thomsen
Niels is the younger brother of Chris Thomsen and has been with the company from the beginning. He’s the jack of all trades, and has worked in a variety of different areas within the company. Niels oversees many large processes and keeps everything flowing in the right direction. In his free time, he enjoys hunting and being at the lake with his wife and son! Get to know him below!
What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue? Two seasonal activities that I really enjoy doing, but never seem to have time for are Waterfowl Hunting in the fall, and Wake Surfing in the summer.
What fictional place would you most like to go? I’ll stay in the realm of reality ?
Look at your last song listened to on your phone. What is it? I actually don’t have music on my phone. The only time I listen to music is either in my truck or when someone else plays it on a speaker.
My favorite word in the English language is? I have no idea – I’m sorry!…
If you could only watch one movie for the rest of your life, what movie and why? Any of the Star Wars, or Marvel movies – I’ve always enjoyed ‘super hero’ type movies.
Flashback to when you were 10 years old. What did you want to be when you grow up? I don’t actually remember, although I’m sure it was a professional basketball player as that was the only sport I wanted to play, and loved watching Michael Jordan.
Where would you spend all your time if you could? With my family at the lake during the summer, and somewhere in the mountains during the winter.
What is one of your favorite smells? It’s a tie between Fresh baking – cookies, pies, etc. or the smell of wood when working on projects
If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? I wouldn’t, I love my name!
What’s the title of the current chapter of your life? Ever Changing – engaged, married, and had our son Olin all within 3 years!
Who inspires you to be better? My wife and son Olin, as well as my brother Chris
When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with? A little bit of everything; bouncing ideas off me, asking for suggestions on how to handle situations, construction knowledge, or how and why we do things a certain way.
What are some small things that make your day better? Mid-morning, and mid-afternoon coffee with a healthy snack!
What’s a typical day like for you at work? Every day is different – they vary from back to back meetings, to walking projects that are in progress or completed homes.
What do you think are the best skills that you bring to your job? An ability to visualize how something can work in my head, effectively communicate or illustrate it to team members working on the project, and help add structure or detail where needed.
What do you love most about your job? Being able to put my knowledge and skills to work, along with our entire team’s and then seeing our client’s excitement when they see their completed home and get to move in. It will never get old!
The Man Behind The Monies: Don Berg, Finance Director
Don is one of the newer faces here at Thomsen Homes. Don’t let the newness fool ya, he fits in as if he was here for years. Always up for a good chat about sports or life, Don provides a great team atmosphere in the office. He oversees finances and budgets as well as office management. Don is also the current head of HR, so you can see he wears a lot of hats! He’s a hard worker too, often coming in bright and early, you might even catch him in the office on a Saturday! Get to know Don below!
- What’s your favorite movie of all time and why? Twelve O’Clock High (1949). Best World War II movie ever… shows the Air Force in its early stages. The movie is still used by major universities/military academies as a case study in leadership.
- Speaking of movies, what is the current title for your life? New Boss, Who Dis?
- Look at your last played song on your phone, what is it? “Ain’t That A Kick in the Head” by Dean Martin.
- You’re up next at karaoke. What’s your go-to song and why? I only hum.
- Chess or checkers? Checkers.
- Beaches or Mountains? Beaches.
- What is the craziest thing you’ve done? Not crazy, but kinda cool. While in the Air Force, I was an escort for a Russian Nuclear Team that inspected our nuclear missiles. I got into a harness and leaned over a missile to help the Russian inspect it. The idea was to ensure the nuclear material was disabled and removed according to several international treaties. We weren’t allowed to speak so we just smiled and nodded at each other. It was pretty cool.
- If you could time travel, where would you go and why? 1940’s to meet my grandparents when they were younger.
- What’s your proudest achievement? Raising two pretty awesome kids.
- Best piece of advice you have been given? When driving, only back up as far as you have to!
- What one topic/person do you wish you knew more about? Probably my parents’ early life together.
- What are some small things that make your day better? A latte, no flavor. Not having to help my kids with homework.
- What does your daily life look like at Thomsen Homes? Meetings with bankers or vendors, meetings with fellow teammates, approving and inputting data, and researching better processes for HR/IT/Finance/Accounting.
- If you could try another role here at Thomsen for a week, which one would it be? Who wouldn’t want to be a CM??