Your home's first impression...and the first place to save money!

How many times have you walked through the front door of your home? Since many of us enter our homes on a daily basis through our garages, we may not notice subtle changes to our front doors.

Most homeowners forget that their front door is the first impression to friends and family. Clean windows, polished knobs, and a dirt free front door present your visitors with a feeling of a homeowner who cares. Too often, as homeowners, we walk in and out of this important part of our home without a second thought.  Take a moment to look at your home's entrance. What does it say about you?

Your front door also presents you, the homeowner, with another important task:  saving money. Your front door can help or hurt your attempts to lower your heating and cooling bills. As the main entrance to your home, often the seals of the doors become worn every 3-4 years. Most home improvements stores offer cheap and quick fixes to worn seals.

How to Test Your Front Door for Leaks
There are many tests available from expensive blower door test to simple tests like this one:
This quick check will require two people.  Have the first person outside at night with a flashlight. The second person should be inside the home.  Person A will use the flash light to shine light around the seals of the doors.  Person B should look for light around the edges of the door from the inside of the house. If you can see light, then heated or cooled air can easily escape from that location causing your energy bills to increase.

Quick Fact:  The U.S. Government has estimated that yearly energy loss through inefficient windows and doors is equal to the amount delivered every year through the Alaskan Pipeline. Yikes!

It has been a little while since we've actively built resort homes in the WaterColor or WaterSound communities just outside of Destin, Florida. But we're happy to announce that through our premiere partner, Michael McKelvie Homes, WE'RE BACK!

Just as before, we bring our design and timeless architecture to the incredible, one-of-a-kind communities of WaterColor and WaterSound by
St. Joe Towns and Resorts. With Mike McKelvie of Michael McKelvie Homes, we can build the resort home of your dreams. Mike has been building custom homes in Florida both for Monte Hewett Homes and now through Michael McKelvie Homes, for over 5 years. Together, we know what it takes to navigate the sometimes intense process of design review, compliance and construction in these planned communities. As partners, we have become one the most recommended builder partnerships in Watercolor, WaterSound Beach and other communities along the 30-A corridor of Walton County.

For more information on building the resort home of your dreams, call our Atlanta office at
404-459-6080 or 866-380-5590.

Keeping your home high and dry, 365 days a year, are the unsung heroes of our homes:  the gutters. And with the record rainfall we've had already (who thought we would EVER say that phrase!), your gutters are working overtime.

Some of the most costly repairs to any home are caused by water damage. While most homeowners are careful about keeping water off the hardwood floors, and ensure they caulk and seal the bathroom tub, many forget that water outside the home is also something that needs constant attention.

Leaves, pine straw, bird nests, and the occasional lost Frisbee often find a home in our gutter systems.  Gutters should be fully cleaned at least once a year, either on your own or through a reputable gutter service company.

Alas! Gutter maintenance should not stop there!  All the water from our roofs hits the ground eventually. Gutters that are functioning properly should push water away from the home and the home's foundation.  Ensure that your downspouts are directed away from your home and that you walk the perimeter of your home regularly to find any problems, especially after a strong storm.

"Green" is big business, and cities who fail to keep up with the green movement will find themselves in danger of losing new homeowners and businesses. Atlanta found itself in this very situation last year when it lost convention business to a greener city.  Since then, Atlanta created a Zero Waste Zone downtown. (Read more at CNN.com.)

Our city has taken steps toward being more "green- friendly, how about you?

Many homeowners see going GREEN as too big of a mountain to climb or too time consuming to get started. The reality is that even small gestures can make a big difference.

With that in mind, here are some quick, GO GREEN tips.

• Unplug appliances when not in use or use SMART power strips. Even when not in use, items such as cell phone chargers, your coffee pot, or blender are using electricity.
• Wash clothes in COLD water. More than 85% of the energy used to wash clothes goes to heating the water.
• Catch "gray water" for house plants or watering your garden. Gray water includes rain water or the "really cold" water you let escape down the drain until the shower warms up in the morning.
• Buy local. When possible use vendors and buy foods that are locally grown.  Many of these foods are better for you, help stimulate our local economy and save carbon emissions from shipping to your local grocery store.
• Keep electronics from going in the trash. Cell phones, batteries, monitors and other electronic materials have lots of toxic wastes. Look for local and FREE electronic recycling events. We post them to the MHH blog whenever we hear about one! If you know of one coming up, let us know!
• Buy a more fuel efficient car. From Ford's Hybrid Fusion to Toyota's new Hybrid cars (now with solar power), you can save money on gas and help the environment.

These are just a few things every one of us can do to help our environment. Take a moment and Google "Green Tips" and find thousands more ideas that are easy and free!