There are few areas of your home that can rack up repair bills like the foundation. When foundation problems start, they can quickly affect other areas of your home, which is why it’s vital to catch signs of trouble early and fix them effectively. Many of these problems can be avoided with proper maintenance and keeping a watchful eye. Here are a few tips for keeping your foundation strong and healthy.

• Minor cracks

When you notice small cracks in your foundation, you may be tempted to ignore them. These small cracks have a nasty habit of growing into major problems, however. Instead, clean out the cracks immediately to clear away any dirt and debris. Then, you can seal them with epoxy or other materials meant for concrete repair. This ensure the crack won’t grow over time.

• Moisture levels

During dry, hot Oklahoma summers, the soil around your foundation shrinks and can eventually cause damage. However, over-watering this soil can also be detrimental to your foundation. The key is to never let the environment around your home to get too extreme. If you have plants and other vegetation around your home, keeping these healthy should also keep your foundation healthy. If you don’t, consider installing rock beds that extend to about a foot or two from the foundation. This allows rain water to gradually filter to the soil and keep it cool and moist all year.

• Drainage

A similar issue is drainage from gutters and downspouts. If these are pouring water too close to your foundation, it over-waters the area and can cause damage. In most environments, downspouts should point away from your home and be located at least 5 feet away from the foundation. Many homes require an extension to downspouts to accomplish this, but they are cheap and easy to install. This can also help prevent water from pooling in areas you and your family often walk.

• Plumbing inspections

Again, the problem of too much water in the wrong space is a concern. Your entire plumbing system should be inspected annually at minimum and a professional should be called any time you notice leaks. These need to be repaired immediately for a number of reasons, which includes potential damage to your foundation. If you have a sprinkler system, there’s additional possibilities for leaks and improper drainage so keep an eye out and have that system inspected regularly also.

At Perry Hood Properties, we build high-quality homes in Tulsa, Broken Arrow and Bixby and want to help residents keep their homes in top quality for years to come. When you’re ready to build a new home, give us a call or browse through the homes we currently have available.

Having some extra space in your home is a luxury that allows you to creatively create a room for fun or extravagance, rather than necessity. At Perry Hood Properties, many of the homes we build feature a game room, or bonus room, that you can use to put your own personality into your home. Once you have an available game room, put these set-up tips to use to ensure you and your guests always have a great time.

• Decide the function

Game rooms don’t have to have a specific function, that’s part of the fun. But, if you do plan to use the room for a specific type of activity most often, it’s good to know before decorating and choosing furniture. It may be for your children to play in, for movie or sports watching, or for an at-home bar area. You can see how each of these would call for distinctly different decorating ideas. So, before you get into the details of your room, decide on how you want to use it.

• Seating

The seating included in your game room will also be dictated by the function, but there are a few good rules of thumb to go by. First, the amount of seating available. You’ll want to meet or exceed the amount of seating in your dining room. If you can comfortably serve eight guests, be sure all eight can then have a seat in the game room. Then, be sure to get extra comfortable chairs or couches to ensure guests can stay for hours. If you’re planning to watch movies or sports or play games, you don’t want discomfort to interrupt the proceedings.

• Personalize it

Perhaps more than any other part of your home, a game room is a space where you can really let guests know your personality. Remember your bedroom when you were a kid? There were likely posters and other items that let people know what you liked. A game room can be similar. Hang up pennants or memorabilia from your favorite sports teams or movies. Incorporate colorful furniture that would look out of place in other parts of the house. This is your chance to be you without having to worry about matching the rest of the home’s decor.

• Remember refreshments

Most game rooms are located on the second floor of a home, which means that you may have to run up and down stairs for drinks and snacks. Instead, plan ahead and include a small refrigerator, liquor cabinet or wet bar. This way, refreshments are always just a few steps away and you and your guests can hole up in the game room without interruption. This could be particularly handy if you have teenage children. Either you or them can use the game room without having to walk through the living room and interrupting the other’s plans.

A game room offers a number of advantages to your home. At Perry Hood Properties, we offer a number of beneficial amenities in our homes. Customize the options you want included and end with your dream home.

When you’re ready to start building, just give us a call or look at our currently available homes.

 

If you’re new to the home building experience, it can seem daunting. There are a number of decisions to make and plenty of paperwork up front. But, if you’re working with an experienced builder, like Perry Hood Properties, these obstacles are minimized and the process runs much smoother. Additionally, if you go into the process with an idea of what to expect, it will be a much more enjoyable experience. With that in mind, here are some things to keep in mind as you start the home building process.

• Structural changes

These are major changes that need to be agreed upon early in the process. Often, a structural change or addition affects the building permit so your builder needs to know about them as soon as possible. These are also the type of changes that will greatly increase the cost of the project if you attempt to make them later. They could require walls going up or coming down, electric or plumbing being moved and the like. Keep that in mind when you’re deciding on your home’s floor plan and be sure that it’s exactly what you want before moving forward.

• Upgrades

These are more cosmetic in nature than structural changes. A post-purchase upgrade refers to paint and cabinet color, lighting, plumbing fixtures and other details that give your home the look you want. While you could purchase these upgrades independently, purchasing them through your builder allows you to roll the cost into your mortgage if you choose. There’s also the fact that the last thing most home buyers want to do after moving in is start working on their home. By deciding on these upgrades during the building process, your home is perfect the day you move in.

• Know the timeline

Every builder’s timeline will be similar, but will have specific difference that should be noted. For example, the amount of time you’re able to make changes varies. To save yourself from making a costly change after a deadline, be sure you and your builder discuss this. Since you’ll likely be selling a house at the same time, it’s also important to have deadlines for certain phases. This way, you can know that your project is on-schedule and when a likely move in date will be so you can move out of your current home accordingly.

• Don’t forget resale value

Initial design meetings often leave home builders with plenty of ideas on how to customize their home. Over-customizing to match your personal taste and style results in a dip in resale value, however. For example, a unique granite countertop may drive potential buyers away in the future, whereas a uniquely painted wall can be easily painted over. You don’t have to skip customization, but do it intelligently so that if you need to sell your home, it will be appealing to a wide audience.

• Build with trust

Whether you’re a first time home builder or have been through the process before, it’s important to work with a builder that’s experienced and trustworthy. You’re not expected to understand every phase necessary in building a house, but having a builder who not only knows the process, but can also offer you valuable advice can save you from mistakes that could delay your project or increase the cost. Trust their expertise and don’t be afraid to come to meetings with plenty of questions and ideas. When you have a specific idea of what you want, your builder is able to guide you to it.

At Perry Hood Properties, we’ve built homes in Tulsa, Broken Arrow and Bixby since 1981. If you’re ready to build a new home for your family, or would like to see our move-in ready available homes, contact us today.

There are still plenty of hot days left in summer, but it’s already time to start preparing your home for the fall. Tackling these issues while it’s still warm out can potentially save you from costly repairs down the road. Here’s a quick checklist of fall preparation to ensure your home is ready for the changing seasons.

• Clean the gutters

There’s a reason this is such a familiar chore for homeowners. Gutters are responsible for keeping water away from your home’s exterior and foundation. If they’re full of leaves and debris, water drains off your roof and down your siding, which can cause rapid deterioration. Water consistently draining down the side of your home can also cause foundation issues. Since there will be plenty of leaves falling soon, clean your gutters now. It’s also a great time to look into mesh guards that can help keep debris out of the gutters.

• Locate drafts

As the weather turns cooler, it becomes increasingly important for your home to be well-sealed. Gaps in caulk and weather stripping cause your heating bills to be significantly higher and make it more difficult to effectively keep your home comfortable. These materials aren’t expensive to replace, but they wear out over time. Be sure to invest in closing up any areas where are is being let in now and enjoy a much more comfortable fall and winter.

• Check the roof

The fall brings rains, falling leaves and falling limbs. It can be hard on your roof. Problems can occur quickly if your roof is already in need of repair. Take some time now to check the quality of your shingles, and look for other potential problems. Fixing them will prevent leaks and help lower your utility bills. These repairs could also save you from major problems when leaves and limbs start to fall.

• Prepare outside faucets

Most of us stay vigilant when the weather gets cold to keep indoor pipes from freezing. The same attention is rarely paid to outdoor faucets, however. But, these outdoor faucets freeze easily and can cause real headaches. When you finish with your outdoor faucets this year, drain the line as much as possible, disconnect hoses and invest in faucet covers when needed.

• Furnace inspection

Before the weather gets too hot in the spring or summer, it’s a good idea to have your air conditioner checked. The same goes for your furnace in the fall. You’d hate to turn on your furnace for the first time and discover that it isn’t working properly. There are also health and fire concerns over a malfunctioning furnace. You can do some simple inspections yourself, but it’s best to trust a professional to not only look over your furnace, but to help ensure it’s working efficiently for the upcoming cold weather.

It’s also a great time to check the batteries in smoke and CO2 detectors and change your home’s air filters. By following these tips, you’ll have a much happier fall.

If you’d like to be in a new home by fall, call us at Perry Hood Properties or browse through our currently available homes.