How Secure Is Your Garage Door?
When you close your overhead garage door, do you assume that your home is secure? For the most part, it probably is, but there are a few ways crooks can still get through. Consider these measures to make sure your home is locked tight:
Look at the service door. The service door, or side door on your garage, is often one of the easiest points of entry for a burglar. Make sure the door has a deadbolt and a heavy-duty strike plate, as should all exterior doors in your home.
Install a garage door sensor. Sometimes your garage door security is compromised simply because someone forgot to close the door. This is where a sensor and monitor come in. Attach the sensor to the garage door and then place the monitor somewhere inside your house. If the garage door is open, the monitor will let you know.
Remove clickers from your vehicle. If you park a vehicle in the driveway, make sure you do not leave your garage door remotes in your vehicles (e.g., on the visor or center console). A thief can break into your car for entry into your house. Opt for a key-ring remote, which you can find online by typing in your garage door brand followed by “remote.”
Use an old-fashioned lock. If you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of time, you may want to lock your garage door track. Simply drill a hole in your garage door track just above one of the rollers and fasten a padlock through the hole. Even if a robber can fish the garage door lock open from the outside, he will not be able to actually roll up the door.
Install a smart home door opener. These high-tech garage door openers come with built-in security features such as monitors and lighting controls – all connected to your smartphone. This means that from anywhere, you can make sure your garage door is closed and your home is secure.
Source: The Family Handyman, Garage Security Tips
Smart Kitchen Technology
If you are thinking about renovating your kitchen, one consideration you’ll have is whether to replace your old appliances with new ones. If it’s been a few years since you’ve gone appliance shopping, be prepared to be amazed at what’s available today.
New kitchen technology comes in both high-tech and low-tech options, but the one thing they all have in common is that they make working in the kitchen much easier and more enjoyable.
Smart Kitchen Technology:
Ovens
Ovens are getting quite sophisticated. Some are “two ovens in one,” where dishes can be cooked at two different temperatures simultaneously. Others are a combination of convection heating with a burst from microwave elements to cook foods faster. Some steam foods, which is particularly helpful for those cooks who want to retain vitamins and nutrients that would be lost with other cooking methods. And some are WiFi capable, allowing you to control your oven with your smartphone.
Cooktops
Induction cooktops – short for “electromagnetic induction” – have grown in popularity because they appeal to those who want a flat ceramic cooking surface (for ease in cleanup), speed in cooking and improved safety. Induction cooktops require a special pot where the bottom of the pan is magnetic, and once the burner is turned on, a magnetic field of energy is created. This heats the pan and cooks the food without the actual burner becoming warm.[1]
Samsung recently introduced a smart induction range top where their Virtual Flame™ is simply an array of blue LED lights that give the visual of gas cooking (pictured above). Their latest induction range tops also offer WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. Learn more >>>
Refrigerators
Smart refrigerators are perhaps the most recognized advancement in the field of smart home appliances because TV commercials are abundant. Here are a few of the fun new smart features you can find incorporated into the latest fridges:
- Cameras are mounted inside so when you are grocery shopping, you can use the app to see if you have all of the ingredients.
- Refrigerators tell you when a product has reached its expiration date.
- Models allow different compartments to be set at different temperatures.
- Samsung has created a refrigerator that has an interactive panel on the outside of the door that becomes your family’s “command center.” It features calendars, message boards, a grocery list, photo sharing features and more. Learn more >>>
- GE has created a fridge with a built-in Keurig Brewing System with voice-control assistance. Learn more >>>
Dishwashers
Many manufacturers have integrated smart technology into their dishwashers, too. Most smart dishwashers allow you to start the dishwasher remotely, monitor cycle times/status, lock and unlock controls and even tell you if your rinse agent is low – all through a smartphone app.
Bosch created the PerfectDry dishwasher that uses natural Zeolith drying technology that absorbs the humidity so your dishes come out dry – even your pesky plastic ones. Learn more >>>
Microwaves
Like ovens, microwaves have come a long way since their introduction. We’ve already seen transformations in where the microwave is located in the kitchen – including over-the-range, countertop, and built-in models, as well as microwave/oven combos.
Some of today’s microwaves can steam food or make food crispy with a combination convection oven, like the Breville Quick Touch™ series (pictured here). Additionally, microwaves are becoming smarter, and many come with hundreds of recipes and can weigh the dish it’s heating, taking the guesswork out of cooking time.
A final thought: While smart technology is fun, it can also increase the cost of an appliance. Keep in mind what features you’ll actually use for each appliance. If you are in the market for a new appliance, we don’t recommend that you shop based on smart features alone, but they could help you choose between two similar models.
*Photos used in this article are from the manufacturers.
Samsung Induction Cooktop Source: https://www.samsung.com/us/home-appliances/cooktops-and-hoods/induction-cooktops/30–built-in-induction-cooktop-with-flex-cookzone–nz30k7880ug-aa/
Breville Microwave Source: https://www.breville.com/us-encollections/microwave-ovens/products/the-quick-touch-crisp?variant=33986810193
Project Spotlight: Award-Winning Parade of Homes in Willow Bend Farm
Our 2019 Parade of Homes entry exceeded our expectations this year! This home won every award in its category – Best Exterior, Best Interior Design, Best Kitchen, Best Bath, Best Decorated and Best of Show. We are also delighted that this home was awarded Honorable Mention for the Fulton Award. This award, named after Fulton Bank who sponsors the event, is given to the home with the highest overall score.
Located in the Willow Bend Farm Community just south of Lancaster, this single-family home combined industrial and farmhouse accents. Many custom touches were added throughout the home, and they were designed and built by Skip Butler – a longtime employee of Metzler Home Builders. These unique additions made it a stunning one-of-a-kind home.
The foyer featured a transom window in the hallway leading into the main living area, giving it a light, airy feel. The powder room off the foyer boasted a custom wood top and vessel bowl, shiplap on the walls and a black decorative mirror to match the faucet.
The kitchen showcased beautiful gray cabinets with a white quartz countertop and subway tile. Floating shelves on either side of the range, glass wall cabinets and a farm sink gave this kitchen a charming farmhouse feel. A favorite feature of many was the spacious pantry with a sliding barn door.
A gorgeous fireplace was the focal point of the family room. With stone surrounding the fireplace, a custom mantel, columns and shiplap were all added to enhance the beauty.
A unique feature of our Parade Home was two tables provided by YZ Lancaster. The dining table and the coffee table, both live-edge and custom-crafted specifically for our home, brought an extra element of beauty to the décor.
A spacious master suite provided a retreat for relaxing and winding down at the end of a busy day. A soaking tub and tile shower were included in the master bath.
Last, but not least, we went outside the box with an industrial-style finished basement that we staged as a game room. The exposed ceiling joists were painted black to further enhance the industrial “vibe” of the space, We had never finished a basement before for a Parade home, but with the walk-out doors to a lower level patio, it was the perfect set-up to do so. And finishing off this area provided 700 extra square feet of living space.
We are truly grateful to the Building Industry Association of Lancaster County for organizing this event each year. We have participated in the Parade of Homes every year since 1993, and we find it’s the perfect way to showcase our talent and our product!
Pets of Metzler Home Builders
Metzler Recently Honored with Two Industry Awards
Best of Houzz 2017 Service Award
We are honored to win the “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. We were chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2016.
Choosing Your Landscape for a New Custom Build Home
You’ve chosen all of the details, down to the smallest ones, for your new custom build home. But what about the surroundings – the landscaping and curb appeal?
The grass, pathways, accents, and plants that surround your home are truly what can help set it off, complement the architecture, and make it an inviting oasis to come back to each day. Learn how to choose your landscape for your custom build home and make it happen.
5 Elements to Consider for Your New In-Law Suite
It’s becoming more common for seniors to move in with their adult children rather than head to retirement communities or assisted living. It makes sense for a lot of reasons: saving money, being close to family, and generally worrying less about elderly parents.
If you’re one of the many American families making the leap and preparing an in-law suite for you or your spouse’s senior parents, there are lots of key elements to include for organization, interior design, and convenience. Here’s a handy checklist to help you figure out what’s most important.
Project Spotlight: Family Room Makeover
Andrew and Kate purchased and moved into a beautiful old stone home. The previous owners had added a family room to the end of the home. Andrew and Kate desired to update the interior of the 1980’s family room addition to blend with their circa 1779 home and become a space the whole family could enjoy.
The home needed a renovation to bring the family room closer to matching the architectural style of the stone home. The stone fireplace, which is the anchor in the room, was enhanced with a wall of cabinetry. The carpeting was removed, and wide plank distressed flooring was installed to coordinate with the original home. Reclaimed wood was hand-selected to encase the ridge beam, and beams with wooden pegs were added. Also, crafted from the reclaimed wood, the sliding barn door accentuates the entry from the kitchen into the family room.
Lancaster Parade of Homes 2017 Sneak Peak
The Building Industry Association of Lancaster County will be holding their annual Parade of Homes from June 17-25, 2017. Metzler Home Builders will have two entries in the Parade again this year. One entry is a semi-detached home in our Villas at Featherton Community in Elizabethtown. The other entry is a single-family home in our Willow Bend Farm Community in West Lampeter. Hours and Parade of Homes details can be found at www.lancasterparadeofhomes.com. We hope to see you there!
New Home Available Near Ephrata
75 Clay School Road, Ephrata
This new two-story home is complete and ready for immediate occupancy. It features an open floor plan with 2,040 square feet and has 4 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths. Public water, sewer and natural gas. Located in the Ephrata Area School District.
We have one additional lot along Clay School Road as well.