Fall-ify Your House

Fall is back again and here in upstate New York where we are based, there is a crisp feeling in the air of the changing season. There’s nothing more distinctive of a New York fall than the picturesque scene of changing leaves, pumpkins on the front porch and shorter days ending with the scent of fresh baked goods wafting from the oven. There are so many different ways in which you can decorate your home for the fall season, and we wanted to give you a few of our favorites:

Ahhh, fall scented candles, especially one of our favorites, "Leaves" 3-wick candle, by Bath and Body Works. Nothing makes a home smell more like fall than this signature autumn candle. If "Leaves" isn't your cup of tea, then Gear Patrol has 7 other amazing scented candles to burn this fall that you may want to take a whiff of.

Curl up on your sofa in front of the fireplace with a faux fur throw like one of these from Pottery Barn. It will be sure to keep out the cold!

Looking for a delicious pumpkin baked treat? You have to try our Service and Closing Coordinator Jennifer’s famous pumpkin cake that she makes for the office. Follow the link for the recipe.

Need some DIY decoration inspiration? Here are 35 fall décor ideas what will be sure to give you some creative motivation! We especially love this adorable DIY stenciled leaves mug from Hands Occupied. Don't you just want to curl up in front of the fireplace with a "Leaves" scented candle burning, under a faux fur Pottery Barn throw, drinking tea from this mug?

Last but not least, we can’t forget about the outside of the house. We just love this blogger’s beautifully stylish twist on decorating her front porch for fall.

If you have any other signature fall decorating tips and ideas, leave us a comment below!

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier home builder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information.

Easy Ways to Increase Your Home’s Value

Are you ready to build your dream home with Hodorowski Homes, but you need to sell your current house first? Before you put your home on the market, take a look at some of these tips below to how to raise your house’s value before you sell.

$- Plant flowers or hang potted plants. Start from the outside of your home- the exterior is the first impression that your buyers have, make sure it’s a good one! HGTV says: “No question that shrubs and colorful plants will add curb appeal to any home, but when shopping at your local garden center, make sure that you "think green." Purchase plants that are native to your region or plants that are drought-tolerant; these require less water and maintenance.” 

$- Clear the clutter. The best way for the rooms in your home to appear larger is to clean up the clutter. If you must, rent a storage unit and put unused bulky furniture or clutter in a storage unit. Better yet, have a garage sale or donate any unwanted items that are in good condition.

$$- Paint. Before you list your home, put up a fresh coat of neutral paint on your walls. This will not only refresh the rooms, but it’s potentially one less thing the person moving into your home will have to do. Also consider the front of your home- give your front door a fresh inviting color.

$$- Add dimmers to light switches. This Old House suggests that “lighting noticeably enhances a home's appeal.”  Lighting can make a space appear larger and with the correct hue, it can create warmth and set the mood.

$$$- Clean/replace carpet. Along with the same line as paint, if your carpets have stains or odors, it would really benefit the value of your home if they were shampooed or better yet replaced. “Nothing turns buyers off more than the thought that they will immediately need to replace all of the flooring in a home. Ideally, you may want to replace them all, but if a limited budget puts a snag in that plan, start by replacing the carpet in the room that shows the most wear and tear and replace the others as your finances allow.”

$$$$- Update your bathroom(s). One easy way you can update your bathroom is to replace the outdated vanity with a more modern one. If you have cracked tiles or an outdated flooring, you may want to just consider a small gut renovation. Be sure you hire a professional.

For more tips on how to increase the value of your home, visit HGTV’s website.

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier home builder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information.

DIY Father's Day Gift Ideas

Father's Day is this weekend, and there are so many ways that you can celebrate the father in your life. We've put together a short list of gift ideas that will hopefully inspire you to give the perfect gift to Dad. 

Fun coupons for home- If the dad in your life is the kind of guy who loves receiving acts of service, then coupons for fun activities or chores at home are perfect for him. These coupons are a ridiculously easy gift because they are already pre-made, or you can create your own. All you need to do is click on the downloadable PDF, print, cut, and put them together in a nice envelope.

Home made photo frame- A great activity to do with the kids for a Father's Day gift idea is a DIY cut out frame, like this one. It's the perfect way to capture memories and share how much you care for Dad.

For the sporty Dad-  A sweet sentimental gift idea for Dad is to get a box of golf balls and write "I love you Dad" on them with permanent marker. Golf not your dad's thing? You could do this same idea with any sport ball like a basketball, soccer ball, baseball, or football.

Give Dad your time- With the busyness of day to day life, sometimes the most precious gift we can give our father is our time. A great way to show Dad how much you care, is to set aside a day to spend some quality time with him. This could be anything from planning a hike, a day at the golf course, or even a drive to spend the afternoon at the lake.

To all the dads out there, we wish you a wonderful Father's Day!

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier home builder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information.

Prepping Your Home for Summer Vacation

Can you believe that June is already here? With the warmer weather and long summer days quickly approaching, you are probably organizing or maybe you’ve already organized your summer vacation. Most vacations come with a long list of things you propose to do while you are vacationing, but it’s important not to forget this crucial list of things to do before you leave. Whether you are planning on lying by the pool or exploring a foreign country, make sure you properly prepare your home before you leave so you can relax and get the most out of your vacation while you are away.

* Lock all your doors and windows, unplug your electric garage door opener, and manually lock it. Alert your some security company of when you will be away.

* Give a close friend, family member or neighbor a key to your home and have them periodically check your house while you are away. Ask them to bring in any unexpected packages, or notices that came while you are away. Tell your neighbors that you will be out of town so that they can be on the lookout of any suspicious activity while you are gone.

* Make sure your gutters are clear from debris in case it rains while you are gone. Flush all your toilets and leave the lids open while you are gone. Empty all the garbage cans- kitchen, bathrooms, and bedrooms) so you don’t come home to a stinky house. Also, run the dishwasher, empty it and leave it open so it doesn’t become stale or musty. Also, you will feel better coming home to clean dishes.

* Put your lights on timers, and set them to come on and turn off at specific times while you are away. Make sure you test them a few days before you leave. Pause any routine delivery or pickups like your mail, groceries and trash. Another item to temporarily pause while you are away is your lawn sprinkler system should there be a possible drought.

* Leave on the air conditioning, but turn the temperature up to around 78. This will prevent any mold or mildew from forming that could be pricy to repair.

If you would like more information on what you can do to prepare your home for summer vacation while you are away, check out these helpful links from the DIY Network and HGTV. 

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier home builder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information.

Prep Your Home for a Spring Garden

Spring is in the air, (at least we hope it is!) and now is the time of year to begin thinking about planning your garden at home. We certainly don’t claim to be gardening experts, but we’ve harvested some quick gardening tips and resources that will hopefully help you yield a successful garden this year.

Choose the right soil. “Roots live in the soil. So the most important part of your garden is the part below ground. Most soil around houses isn't ideal for plants, so improving it is the most powerful thing you can do to have a successful garden.” is the advice that Burpee gives to their customers. A good way to improve your soil is by adding fertilizer and organic matter like crushed eggshells, compost from other vegetable peels or fruit cores, and coffee grounds.

Plan ahead before buying your seeds. According to Urban Farmer: “Selecting your veggies before you design your garden will help ensure you have the correct amount of room and the best growing conditions.”  A great way to do that is make a list of the veggies your family enjoys. If you know that no one likes brussels sprouts, then save your time and don’t plant that vegetable. If you are a beginner gardener, start small so you can manage your garden if time is limited.

   

Follow the light. Make sure you plant your vegetable garden where there is the most ideal light exposure. “Most vegetables need at least 6-8 hours of direct sun. If they don't get enough light, they won't bear as much and they'll be more susceptible to attack from insects or diseases” says Better Homes and Gardens. If veggie gardens aren’t your taste, follow the lighting guide for flowers and perennials at the bottom of the Urban Farmer’s page.

Water. Different plants require different amounts of water. The Farmer’s Almanac has a really fantastic easy to follow guide for watering vegetables.

  

Enjoy what you have produced. When the time comes to gather your crops, be sure to pick them at their peak. A good way to know if they are ready is to check the vegetable planting guide by Urban Farmers.  They also are a great resource for tips and suggestions for planting, and maintaining your garden.

For a great resource on seed starting indoors, check out Burpee's informative videos.

Best of luck with your garden!

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region’s premier homebuilder building single family homes in Schenectady, NY and its surrounding areas. Please visit www.hodorowskihomes.com for more information. 

Staging Your Home to Sell

Spring is just around the corner and although it may not feel like it now, soon the flowers will be blooming, birds will be singing and the For Sale signs will be popping up on front lawns. If you are looking to sell your house this spring, we’ve put together some valuable tips from our Hodorowski Homes sales team for you to consider as you prepare to stage your home to sell.

"Spruce up the front of your home, including landscaping, lawn, walk-way, front door, porch area and garage door and trim” says Paula Filkins. “The first impression of your home is crucial to a potential customer.” An additional way you can spruce up your exterior is by power washing the exterior. If you don’t have one on hand, you can easily rent one from a big-box home improvement store. Another over looked but an easy fix item is washing all of your windows which will allow the best natural light to come in. John Mesko echoes that by saying: “Data suggests buyers decide not to buy a house within less than 2 minutes upon arrival, so keep your lawn mowed, or in winter plowed and shoveled! Be as neat as possible.”

Once a potential buyer steps out of their vehicle and into the front door of the house, make sure the inside is in order. Jim Bordis suggests to “De-clutter and keep it simple. Remove anything that's not needed, so in a kitchen for instance, if you don't use the toaster every day, put it away.” As you are de-cluttering, Jim also suggests putting away some of the personal family photos, this way the potential buyer can better envision themselves living there. Mesko adds: “Rent a storage unit short term, if needed. Keep ALL areas viewable and illusion of space as good as possible. Make beds, clean dishes, make a place someone wants to stay and explore as opposed to flee.” And while ridding of clutter is always good for your home, one other suggestion is to bring in fresh flowers on the kitchen counter or a few smaller vases of fresh flowers along the center of your dining table.

The last but equally as important tip for staging your home is to freshen up the carpets and floors of any pet hair and odors. If a potential buyer is offended by any odor coming from your house, the chances of them making an offer will be slim.

Oh, and if you are looking to build your dream home, we happen to know a great trustworthy company who can make that happen.

* Paula Filkins has 25 years of experience in both re-sale and helping individuals and families through the process of building a new home.
* John Mesko has been working with Hodorowski Homes for over 25 years and is experienced in both new construction and re-sale.
* Jim Bordis’s background is in management and has been guiding people through the building process since 2003.

Hodorowski Homes is the Capital Region's premier homebuilder building single family homes in Schenectady NY and it's surrounding regions. Please visit www.HodorowskiHomes.com for more information.

Practical Sump Pump Maintenance Tips

Happy spring!!

It's official folks- spring is here, although it definitely does not feel like it here in upstate New York! With the change in seasons come melting snow and April showers which can often lead to basement flooding if your sump pump isn't properly maintained.  Check out today's video which gives some suggested tips on how to prevent basement flooding.

What to Do if You Don't Have Hot Water

Brrr!! It's been so cold here in upstate New York and the last thing you want to go wrong at your home is not having your hot water heater working.  We've been receiving many service calls on hot water heaters in the past few weeks, so we decided to give some pointers on resolving those issues. Take a look at today's video which has a great checklist of things you can be proactive about before calling for a service visit. 

How to Choose the Best Tile for Your Home

Whether you are building a brand new house or you are remodeling your current house (or even considering remodeling,) when it comes to tile, make sure you know the facts before diving into a big project.

Here at Hodorowski Homes we deal with many different quality suppliers and vendors to make our homes look as amazing as they do.  We work exclusively with Best Tile in our selections show room. Best Tile is located on Central Avenue in Colonie, New York.  If you are not from the Capital District, Best Tile has nine different locations all over the East Coast. (Check out their website to locate a store near you.)  We sent our selections coordinator to speak with Karen Bernstein, the builder’s rep and design consultant at Best Tile and she gave us a lot of valuable information to consider when choosing tile. 

The first thing you need to decide is whether you want to go with a natural stone tile or man-made ceramic tile.  Natural stone for example is marble, limestone, slate, onyx, granite, etc.  These stones are quarried from all over the world, cut and shaped to size and imported to Best Tile.  If you choose a natural stone, Karen points out that each piece will vary from the other since it is a product of nature, but when it is all put together on a floor or a wall, it looks beautiful together.  In most cases, if you select natural stone you will pay more, but the overall quality of stone you will reveive is worth it. Below is an example of the wide variation in slate, but how beautiful each piece looks all together.

Slate tile.

Travertine is another natural stone; it has rough edges, a rough surface, and pits.  You can get it filled on the surface or you can get it without. Each type of travertine has its own unique look. Below is an example of both types of travertine.

Travertine tile.

Ceramic and porcelain tile are man-made tiles and it can be composed of many different types of minerals.  One advantage of ceramic tile being man-made is that there is more control over the outcome of the tiles. Porcelain is one of the denser harder kind of tile that you can get.  In fact, Karen says a lot of commercial businesses, like car dealerships, use porcelain tile for their showrooms because its so dense, and can withstand heavier objects.  You can see by this side view of these porcelain tiles that they are very uniform in color and density, as opposed to the less expensive not as dense ceramic tile that chips more easily.

Porcelain tile.

Ceramic tile. 

A really interesting fact that Karen shared with us is that the designs on ceramic tile are actually mass printed by silk screen. Cool right?

One tip that Karen has to give is not to be intimidated to put large tiles on small half bathroom floors.  She said that she is seeing people more and more put larger 12x24 tiles on the walls and floors.  Another tip that Karen says is to use glass or natural stones as borders instead of pre-made decorative borders because stone is more classic. 

12x24 tiled wall.

Glass tile accents.

These are just a few things to keep in mind when you are about to remodel or build.  Keep in mind, we are not experts in the field of tile, and it's recommended that you visit the pros at Best Tile before undergoing a large project.

We'd love to know, what are kind of tile are you into? Tell us in the comments below. 

October Home Maintenance Checklist

Fall is officially here and with the cool crisp weather comes many not so cool issues which arise in our homes. We got some great tips from Neal, our Site Supervisor at Twenty West, to help prevent many of the issues we see at our service visits.

1). Clean your gutters.  By cleaning your gutters, it helps prevent the buildup of other natural elements.  If you clean out your gutters now, by the time winter arrives, they won't be weighed down by snowfall.

2). And while you're at it, if you have them, clean out your window wells also.  Neal says this is a great way to prevent debris from getting into your basement. 

 

3). Be sure to remove your hose from the exterior faucets.  If you don't, they are likely to freeze during the winter.  If you disconnect your hoses, you will be sure to prevent a service issue in the spring.

 

4). Change your furnace filter.  Your furnace should be checked and serviced each winter, but a great way to save on your energy bill and maintain a clean breathing environment is to change your furnace filter.

5). While you're in the basement its a good idea to check your sump pump. Neal recommends you  test it by adding water to it or pulling up on the float.

 

6). Fall is the season when we change our clocks back.  Neal says it's a good habit to get into to change the batteries in your smoke detector when you change the clocks. 

7). Winterize your sprinkler system.  You will need to hire a professional to do this, but it's a good idea to get all of the water and air out of the sprinkler system before it freezes for the winter.

Those are the tips we have to prepare your home for fall and winter.  Did we miss anything?  Let us know in the comments below.  Happy Fall!