It’s Time to Prepare Your Home for Cooler Weather
By DinaG | October 13, 2008
Proper maintenance of your home and landscaping will help preserve your investment (…and we all know how important that is these days). Keeping your house in tip-top shape this fall will prevent any unnecessary chores in the spring - that’s the best part!
Here are a few things to remember when prepping your home for the winter:
Outdoor Projects
- Complete exterior painting before cooler weather arrives.
- Check for any cracks in siding or door frames. Re-caulk as needed.
- Cover air conditioner and barbecue to prevent winter damage.
- Store lawn ornaments and patio furniture in a shed or basement. If space is limited, weather-resistant covers can protect outdoor furnishings.
- Store kids toys indoors or in an outdoor shed to prevent rusting and fading.
- Check and repair exterior lighting before daylight fades.
- Replace worn roof shingles or tiles.
- Clean out the gutters and use a hose to spray water down the downspouts to clear away debris.
- Consider installing leaf guards on the gutters or extensions on the downspouts to direct water away from the home.
- Drain all outdoor faucets
Lawn and Garden
- Till and prepare planting beds when the soil is relatively dry. By adding soil and mulch to your beds, you’ll be a step ahead for spring planting.
- Plant spring blooming bulbs and perennials - come April, you’ll be hapy you made the effort!
- Protect roses, saplings and small trees by sheltering them with a burlap screen.
- Pull weeds to reduce the number of seedlings next spring.
- Mow grass short for the final cut of the year by reducing the cutting height gradually to 3.5 cm (from 7.4 cm) until the grass stops growing.
Interior Projects
- Schedule a furnace inspection. Call an HVAC professional to inspect your furnace and clean ducts. Stock up on furnace filters and change them monthly.
- Check and clean dryer vent, air conditioner, stove hood and room fans. Keep heating and cooling vents clean and free from furniture and draperies.
Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors and Check Fire Extinguishers
- Buy extra smoke detector batteries and change them when daylight savings ends.
- Install a carbon monoxide detector near your furnace and / or water heater.
- Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they work
- Replace any fire extinguisher older than 10 years. You should have at least one on every floor of your home - YES…including the basement! Make sure they are placed in easy to locate areas and that everyone in your homes is familiar with where they are.
Topics: Atlanta-Georgia, Energy Savers, New Home Building, Roswell-Georgia, Smyrna-Georgia | No Comments »
Monte Hewett Homes to be represented at the International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas
By Renita | October 6, 2008
Dina Gundersen, Director of Marketing for Monte Hewett Homes and a Member of the Institute of Residential Marketing (MIRM), has been invited to be a featured speaker at the International Builder’s 
Show in Las Vegas in January 2009. Ms. Gundersen, who has been with Monte Hewett for 5 years, will be speaking on the effectiveness of social media and blogging in marketing and selling homes.
“I am very honored to have been selected to speak at IBS. It is a very elite group!” says Ms. Gundersen. She will be joined by other industry experts and fellow MIRMs Carol Flammer, of Flammer Relations in Atlanta and Kathie McDaniel, Director of Marketing and Advertising for Highland Homes in Lakeland Florida.
If you are intersted in a “Sneak Peek” of what Ms. Gundersen and other Atlanta experts will be talking about in Las Vegas in Januray, please come to the “IBS Sneak Peek: Internet Marketing Strategies”: seminar on Wednesday, Nov. 5 from 8 a.m. – Noon at the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association in Tucker. For more information or to register for the class, visit the GAHBA website.
Topics: Atlanta-Georgia, New Home Building, Web Realted | No Comments »
Roswell Mayor Jere Wood Mingles with Monte Hewett
By LauraE | September 18, 2008
Heatherton homeowners mingle with home builder Monte Hewett and Roswell Mayor Jere Wood at a summer gathering for neighbors
Monte Hewett and the Roswell Mayor, Jere Wood, met and mingled with Heatherton residents at a recent summer gathering at the community pool and neighborhood maze. Guests enjoyed a performance by a coffeehouse band comprised of local high school students, along with drinks and hors d’oeuvres prepared and served by members of the Monte Hewett team. Harold Cunliffe, designer of Heatherton’s maze, met homeowners and answered questions on behalf of the community’s developer, The Pacific Group.
The gathering included about 20 families from the updated traditional Southern style neighborhood, where Monte Hewett Homes has just added the new Town Home II Collection to existing townhomes, manor homes and courtyard homes. Heatherton’s Town Home II Collection offers three-story townhomes with almost 2,400 square feet of living space. Each new Roswell townhome has a two-car, alley-entry garage and a guest suite or home office on the ground level. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Roswell-Georgia | No Comments »
Monte Hewett’s FishCamp Playhouse in AJC
By DinaG | August 13, 2008
Members of the FishCamp building Team - August 2005
Monte Hewett’s famous “FishCamp” Playhouse was featured in the Saturday, August 8, 2008 edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. The happy “homeowners” still enjoy the playhouse they purchased at a live auction nearly 5 years ago benefitting HomeAid Atlanta. And the house looks great! It brings back great memories for all those at MHH who had a hand in bringing Monte’s “little dream” to reality.
Look for the new crop of playhouses up for auction through the 5th Annual Project Playhouse event starting weekends Septem,ber 13th. Monte Hewett himself will be judging the playhouses on the basis of imaginatin, creativity and other categories.
For more information on the event visit www.homeaidatlanta.org.
Topics: Atlanta-Georgia | No Comments »
Monte Hewett to Judge Project Playhouse 2008
By DinaG | August 13, 2008
Monte Hewett should know what it takes to build a spectacular children’s playhouse… His “FishCamp” entry into HomeAid Atlanta’s very first Project Playhouse charity event sold at auction for $36,000! This time around, Monte will be donating his time and expertise to help judge the fifth annual event. The fundraiser showcases child-sized dream homes by some of Atlanta’s top builders in support of HomeAid Atlanta’s efforts to provide transitional housing for Atlanta’s homeless families and individuals and is HomeAid’s biggest fundraiser of the year.
His inspiration for the FishCamp playhouse came from weekend fishing trips with his son. (It was recetnly featured in the 8/9/08 edition of the AJC along with it’s happy owners.) In addition to raising top funds, it also received the Imagination Award that year, recognizing it as the most creative among the entries. Monte Hewett Homes still serves as a sponsor of HomeAid Atlanta and its programs.
This year’s Project Playhouse™ will open on September 13, 2008, at the Playhouse Village located in valet parking at Lenox Square. The public may tour four extraordinary playhouses designed and built by some of Atlanta’s premier architects and home builders. The Village will be open on weekends from September 13 to October 4th. These playhouses will be fully furnished and decorated by professional interior designers and exhibit the utmost quality craftsmanship. They are amazing and something that ANY child would dream of having in their backyard. One house will be raffled off, while the others will be sold at a live auction. All proceeds support HomeAid Atlanta’s mission of building trasitional housing for the temporarily homeless. Monte Hewett is proud to be involved once again in an event close to Monte’s heart.
Topics: Atlanta-Georgia, New Home Building | No Comments »
