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.
Home Safety Reminders for the Summer
Summer is just around the corner, and unfortunately, this is the time of year when accidents around the home increase. Here are a few friendly safety reminders so you can have fun all summer long.
Water Safety – It only takes an inch of water for a child to drown. While the common areas to focus on water safety are pools and spas, other places in your yard need to also be considered: water features, wading pools and utility buckets can accumulate many inches of rainwater after storms. Keep a close eye on young children playing around these areas.
6 Most Important Qualifications for Choosing a Home Builder in Lancaster
When you’re ready to get started on building the house of your dreams, the first step is to choose a builder in Lancaster. However, how do you find the right person for the job?
Before you shake hands with a home builder, check that they meet or exceed all of the following qualifications. Careful vetting of the company you hire will make all the difference when it comes to your satisfaction with the entire experience — from start to finish.
How to Choose the Right Exterior for Your New Custom Home
5 Home Design Trends That We Don’t Miss
When it comes to home décor trends, there are some that just need to lay down and die. These instantly make a room look dull, dated, and tacky. For your new home design, avoid these tasteless trends like the plague. Your new house will thank you.
Just Skip These Passé Trends for Your Home Design
There are better choices for finishing off your home than these five options. Instead of fads, choose home design trends that are timeless and have staying power.
Fake Wood Paneling
A relic of the ‘60s and ‘70s, fake wood paneling always looks dark, dreary, and dated. What’s more, it never looks like real wood. Most people who encounter this faded trend in their homes are quick to rip it out or paint over it. Both are good ideas, although painting fake wood paneling might be the better choice if you are budget-conscious.
Home Tips for Spring
The Guide to Trending Kitchen Countertops: Is Granite Still King?
The votes are in. For 2017, designers, tastemakers, and experts will advise you to look beyond granite and instead opt for its newer, cooler cousin: quartz.
For years, granite has reigned supreme as the be-all, end-all for kitchen countertops. It is beautiful, scratch and heat-resistant, and easy to clean and maintain, after all.
However, this tried-and-true stone is seeing competition. Learn about why quartz is the hot, new option place, plus some other kitchen design trends you might want to consider besides granite or quartz for your countertops.
Goodbye Granite, Hello Quartz: The Newest Kitchen Design Trend
So, why is quartz usurping granite for most-loved countertop material? The main reason is durability.
Quartz beats both granite and marble in this area (although the latter two have been the most popular high-end manufactured stones used in the kitchen for years).
Not only is quartz naturally stain-resistant, scratch-resistant, and heat-resistant, it also doesn’t need to be sealed, unlike granite and marble, which require periodic re-sealing to maintain their integrity. On top of these pluses, quartz is also unaffected by acidic foods, which can wear down the finish on other surfaces.
As far as affordability, quartz falls squarely between granite and marble on the price scale (marble is more expensive, granite is slightly less expensive).
Finally, quartz has become more appealing to the eye in recent years due to new manufacturing techniques. All of the above facets make quartz a shoe-in for the kitchen.
More Trends to Watch: Alternatives to Granite or Quartz for Kitchen Countertops
Love the look of natural stone for your kitchen remodel, but don’t have the budget for them? Try any of these alternative kitchen countertop trends.
Butcher Block
No matter the type of kitchen design you have, butcher block will look classic and timeless. If you are wary because you think this type of counter would be high-maintenance, worry not— scratches can be sanded out easily and sealed with mineral oil.
Concrete
Although countertops made of concrete will need regular sealing, they are a modern option that will be durable in your kitchen. Plus, they can be customized for special configurations, and even have special materials, like seashells or stones, embedded in the surface.
Solid Surface
Solid surface countertops can emulate natural stone surfaces and don’t require sealing. While they are not impervious to scratches or heat, they are a low-cost way to get a high-end look.
Modern Laminate
Modern laminate countertops outdo the laminate of the past by leaps and bounds. New versions are far more durable, successfully mimic the look of natural stone, and require little maintenance and no sealing.
For your home, the right kitchen countertops will provide the look you want and the amount of durability you need. Look to kitchen trends for fresh ideas, whether you want something timeless or totally unique.
Want to get started on a kitchen renovation? Contact us to discuss all of the possibilities.
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
4 Reasons Why Spring is the Perfect Time to Build Your Dream Home
Spring is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts, and renewal. What better time to start building your dream home?
There are a few other great reasons to get going on your custom home in early spring. Find out what they are and get closer to breaking ground.
The Weather is Ideal
The best time to build a home is when the weather is cool and dry. Naturally, these conditions are common in fall and spring.
Building in summer or even winter is a different story. Weather extremes, from searing heat to bitter cold, will hamper the workers’ progress. Cold winter days especially equal less sunlight and less working hours, which means the job will take longer to get done. Additionally, in the summer, humidity can interfere with drying times for materials like cement, plaster, and paint.
Let’s not forget that winter comes with something that can set back plans for days, even weeks: snow.
Long story short: choose the spring to begin to build your dream home, and you will probably have less headaches due to weather.
You’ll Have Your Dream Home Enclosed Before the Summer Heat Hits
Once the main components are in place for your dream home build (footers/foundation, framing, windows, doors, and roof), workers can complete the interior of your home in any weather. Starting the main components in early spring means that, by the time summer arrives, the heat will not factor into or hinder the workers’ progress.
Your Custom Home Should Be Ready by the Holiday Season
What could be better than settling into your new dream home right when the holidays are approaching?
Imagine idyllic autumn mornings spent with hot coffee and a book on your new front porch. Think about cooking soups and stews in your new kitchen, and hosting parties and family gatherings in your new dining room. As the days get shorter and festive times roll around, you’ll be doubly glad that your house is ready and you and your family are nestled inside.
Every scenario you dreamed of when you were planning your new custom-built home will be even better when you’re settling in for winter and hosting your friends and family for the first time.
Spring is Perfect for Fresh Starts
What season is more suited for fresh beginnings? Spring, with its strong symbolism related to rebirth and rejuvenation, will also feel like the perfect time to start fresh, from the ground up, on your new dwelling.
After a long winter, most people feel energized come springtime, and this attitude can help push your home-building project along to completion. Start building in the spring, and watch your new home sprout from the ground and take root.
Want a custom-built home but don’t know where to start? You don’t need to be a building expert to start your project with us. Allow us to be your experts to guide you through this process. Contact us to discuss the possibilities.