Consider Arbor View or Falcon Pointe for Your New Home

Charleston Homes has new lots available. Could one of them be for your future home?

We are excited to announce that we have two new developments opening up for lot reservations. Our existing Arbor View neighborhood in Elkhorn is opening lots for phase III and the brand-new Falcon Pointe will be taking lot reservations for its development near 48th and Capehart. This new location in Bellevue will offer affordable lots with many villas available. Stop by our models in Elkhorn or Gretna to get a better look at a plat map or learn more about these new areas. To learn more about the developments, watch our latest video. 

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 

If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our eight new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

The Advantage of the Charleston Homes Warranty Program

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 8 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

Today, we’ll go over our warranty program and how it compares to our competitors or other home builders. At Charleston Homes, we schedule a warranty walkthrough at the sixty-day mark and the eleven-month mark. This allows people to live in their homes and try it out. People have the opportunity to feel it out before making an adjustments or repairs as required.

The homeowners go through the building process, close on their home, get their keys, and move in. For some builders, that’s the end of their involvement. That’s not the case for us. We like to wait sixty days to conduct an initial walkthrough. We contact the new homeowners and go over any questions or concerns they may have. Minor adjustments might happen at this time. Typically, homeowners create lists of concerns to go over with us during these meetings.

We like to follow up and make sure everything runs smoothly even eleven months after the purchase! That’s why we do walkthroughs a second time around.

If you have any questions, check out our website. Thank you!

Lawn Care Tips for New Construction Owners

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 6 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

Today we're joined by Jordan Kroeger from Logan Valley Sod. This company is responsible for all of the sod for our new construction homes, and we'll discuss how to take care of your brand new lawn.

The first two weeks are the most critical for watering. Be very generous with water in those first couple weeks; water three times a day for twenty minutes in each zone, depending on the weather. That's the key to a lush lawn.

In the summer, you may have to water more due to the hot weather. If the yard shows signs of stress, you need to water it more often.

September is a good time to overseed or repair lawn damage. Jordan also recommends aerating the yard in the fall. If you have bare spots, put down either Bluegrass or Fescue, depending on what your yard is. Fescue has a wider blade, so it's good for overseeding.

After the first two months, put down a starter fertilizer. After that, get your lawn on a regular fertilizer regimen. You can do this yourself, or have a lawn care service take care of fertilizing.

If you have any other questions about your lawn, go to LoganValleySod.net, or call (402) 306-7099. If you have any other real estate questions, give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!

What Are You Responsible for as a Homeowner?

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 6 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

Today, I want to briefly cover the differences between homeowner warranty and homeowner maintenance. From time to time, we get some questionable calls from homeowners, so we thought we would explain this topic in some detail today.

Let's start off in the kitchen. The area where the counter meets the back-splash is a grout caulking. If any of the grout chips out, it is covered under warranty. However, if the grout caulking starts to wear, all you have to do is caulk it using a caulking gun, which is relatively inexpensive and easy to do yourself. 

Another maintenance item you should keep an eye on and maintain is where the under mount sink meets with the counter-top. About once a year you'll want to make sure it's neatly caulked. Additionally, transitions from the window frame to the actual window also need to be caulked with acrylic caulking.

Moving to the front entryway of the house, you'll want to check your closure on your storm doors. Periodically you may need to push the adjustment screw in or out to adjust how fast or slow the door closes. The further in the screw is, the slower the door closes, the further out the screw is, the faster the door will move. You also want to check your front door entryway thresholds. Make sure the door isn't rubbing in order to keep from tearing the weather-stripping.

As a homeowner, you are responsible for maintaining your own yard. This includes regular fertilization, watering, and mowing. As long as you don't change or alter anything, warranties cover just about all electrical. As a homeowner, you're responsible for replacing light-bulbs, even if they're very high up.

At the new home orientation, your builder will walk you through the home, room by room, and go over not only the ins and outs of the house, but also all imperfections that might exist. All imperfections will be addressed by your builder before close. After closing, if you happen to scuff up a wall or two while moving in, you can find the flat paint downstairs so that you can touch it up after closing.

In the bathrooms, you want to make sure the inside corners of your tiled shower stay caulked, as well as your tub if it has tiled area around it. Any wet areas should be checked routinely to ensure no separation has occurred.

Next, make sure you change out the 9V battery in your smoke detectors. Although the fire alarms are hardwired together, the battery serves as a backup; if a wire is severed, all fire alarms will still send an audible signal in the event of a fire. Once you've replaced the battery, press and hold the reset button to reset all of smoke detectors. This will let out an audible alarm as a test throughout the house, and should be done once a year.

I haven't covered all the differences between maintenance and warranty items, but this is a very good start. If you have any questions about new home construction, or if you would like our assistance, don't hesitate to call us or visit our models.

How to Maintain Your Tiled Shower

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 6 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

Today we're going to be giving you some tips on how to maintain the tile in your shower. Most of our homes have tiled showers, and after a few years you're going to have to do some maintenance on them.

Tiled showers are caulked with Tec Brand Grout Caulking, and this is used where the floor meets the wall or on any of the corners in the shower. You'll want to ensure that there is no cracking in the grout joints, and if there is, you can simply apply more grout with a grout sponge.

When you repair the grout caulking, make sure you have a matching color. If the original caulking is too cracked, you can scrape it out with a putty knife, or you can simply apply new caulking right on top of the old stuff if it's not too damaged. After applying the new grout caulking, you need to run a grout sponge over it and smooth it out.

We recommend sealing the grout annually because most grout sealers only work for about a year. There are other grouts that last for 4-5 years, but an annual check up is still necessary.

If you see any mold or mildew building up in the corners, applying bleach to a stiff bristled brush should remove the mold. If you have a buildup of mold in the corners of the shower you can apply bleach to a paper towel and squeeze it into the corner. Letting it sit overnight and removing it in the morning usually solves issues with mold building up in the corners of your shower.

Hopefully this has been helpful for you. Check back often for more helpful homeowner tips!

What We Do to Help Prevent Settling

Know anyone who's interested in building a home? 
If you have any friends, family, or co-workers who are looking to own their first or second home - would you forward this message to them? We'll be happy to show them our 6 new construction home plans along with the benefits of owning a Charleston Home so they can make a decision that's right for them.

Sinking can happen after fresh sod has been put down. We water soak and compact the soil with a tamper to prevent this, but sometimes the ground will still settle.  

Today, we're at one of our beautiful homes that's under construction to talk about how the ground around your foundation could sink or settle. 

But first here's how we start with excavating the basement. The CAT operator, after going through all of his calculations and carefully measuring the lots, will scoop by scoop remove dirt to complete the over-excavated basement. This means your basement will be 2-3 feet shorter than the hole itself; the extra space is used for water proofing and draining in order to prevent too much sinking. Later, that space is filled with loose dirt that is never quite as packed as the original dirt. Because of this, rain and snow melt can cause the sod or dirt above ground to sag or sink. 

To prevent these common problems, Charleston Homes does things a bit differently. We water soak the area to compress the ground; we manually probe the ground around the foundation with water to help the dirt settle. Another thing we're doing is back-filling and then packing the dirt down to make the loose dirt more compact. 

If you have any questions about settling foundations, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, give us call or shoot us a quick email. We would love to hear from you! 

Have You Noticed Anything Strange With Your Driveway?

Have You Noticed Anything Strange With Your Driveway?

Welcome back to our blog. With the recent blast of cold weather, I wanted to share with you what effects the weather can have on your home’s concrete. When we have a 50 degree day, you may notice some things with your driveway that you didn’t see in the fall or summer.

The place where you will notice this is at the point where your driveway meets the garage. When temperatures get very cold, the ground freezes anything with moisture and can expand up to 9%. When this happens, it is not uncommon for your driveway to be higher than your garage floor. For driveways facing the south or southwest, you won’t see this due to the driveway having more exposure to the sun. When the driveway was poured, we used re-bar (reinforcement bar) to allow the expansion so in the springtime, the driveway will lower again.

Don’t be alarmed! If you notice cracks in your driveway on a nice day (50 degrees or warmer), seal the crack with Vulkem to prevent any run off from your car sneaking in. Also, if you notice there is a lot of water pooling up in your garage, try and sweep it out as best as possible. If the water sits, it will creep down underneath and cause for more expansion.

Another thing to watch out for is the road salts that are spread on the roads during a snow or ice storm. The salts usually cover the bottom part of your driveway and can deteriorate the concrete if they aren’t swept off. Not only can the salt eat away at your driveway, snow packed on top of the salt can also cause damage as it will keep thawing and refreezing. If you come across a nice day, don’t hesitate to wash off your driveway!

Thanks for stopping by our blog. If you have any questions, visit our website or one of our model homes. Have a great day!

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power - Part 2 Sump Pump and Treadmills

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power

Welcome back! I’m Shaun Sterba, Warranty Manager at Charleston Homes. Today I wanted to talk to you about Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI).

Down in the furnace room, we have a sump pit that is plugged into its own dedicated GFCI outlet. If the light is illuminated, follow the troubleshooting steps listed previously. After heavy rains, lighting or snow melts, it is good practice to reset the outlet to make sure it’s working and it hasn’t accidentally tripped. Also, a sump pump has an unknown lifespan and is common practice to replace it every few years. Also, our electrical systems do not support treadmills and if you plan to use one, we recommend having a licensed electrician professionally install a 20 amp dedicated breaker for the treadmill.

Thanks and have a great day!

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power - Part 1 - Kitchens and Bathrooms

How to Tell If Your GFCI Outlet Has Power 

Welcome back! I’m Shaun Sterba, Warranty Manager at Charleston Homes. Today I wanted to talk to you about Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI). All of our kitchens, bathrooms, exterior, garage and basements will have GFCI outlets. You can tell if the outlet does not have power by noticing the illuminated light on the unit. To restore power, simply press in on the reset button and the illuminated light will disappear. There are different styles of GFCI outlets; but generally if there is no power press the reset button on the unit and power will be restored. As a general rule of thumb, all of our bathrooms are connected to master bathroom. This means if the light on the unit is illuminated, none of the outlets will work until the main unit is reset.

Thank you and have a great day!

Now is the Time for You to Winterize Your Sprinkler System!

Now is the Time for You to Winterize Your Sprinkler System!

Today I wanted to talk to you about the importance of winterizing and draining your sprinkler system. In the basement of your home, you will find the utility room where the main water line comes into the house. You will see two valves on the unit and by turning them at a 90 degree angle, that will shut the water off to your house; that is not what you want to do. Above those valves, you will find a red valve that will control the water going to your sprinkler system. Once you turn it 90 degrees, water will be shut off from going outside. Once the water is shut off, there is a drain valve above it where you should get a bucket and allow the water to slowly drip out. This can take up to several hours. Once on the outside of your home you will find the backflow preventer and you will turn the valve and allow the water to drain out by just leaving it open.

When it comes to actually winterizing your sprinkler lines, we leave that to the professionals at Turfbuilder Irrigation; they use compressed air to blow the lines out. Anytime the temperatures dip below 50 degrees or freezing, I highly encourage you to drain the lines until you feel the need to water again.

Thank you for joining me and have a great day!

Are You Having Trouble Finding a Home?

Are You Having Trouble Finding a Home?

Welcome back! We have had a phenomenal year due to the fact that most of our homes are presale. This means we weren’t building homes and waiting for them to sell; we had many people coming to us and building from scratch. Our low on-hand inventory is not alone, the Omaha area in general is lacking inventory.

The lack of inventory is creating frustration for buyers as they cannot find the home they are looking for. When buyers come to us with this issue, we simply tell them “let’s build it!” We help you find the lot and the floor plan and are more than happy to make it happen.

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying, give us a call or stop by one of our model locations. They’re open seven days a week. Have a great day!

Don't Wait Until Spring!

Don't Wait Until Spring!

It is shocking that we are already halfway through October. If you are looking to move into a new home, the soonest you could move in would be mid-April 2014 as we are sold out into spring. Most people’s mindset right now is that it's late fall, the holidays are coming soon and I am not ready to move. The reality, however, is that now is the time to buy so you can move in next spring. Additionally, interest rates are still staying low making it a great time to purchase a home and to also get an extended lock through your lender to secure your pricing and your final interest rate price.

Don’t forget, our models are open 7 days a week and we would love to have you come out and visit Pebblebrooke or Saddlebrook. Thanks and have a great day!

Pebblebrooke - Our Newest Subdivision

Pebblebrooke - Our Newest Subdivision

Autumn is here and today we’re at our Pebblebrooke subdivision on the corner of 174th street and Highway 370 where we opened our new models earlier this year. The sales and successes of this new subdivision have been phenomenal and there are still plenty of lots available. We do have lots that we are going to re-plat this fall to make more lots suitable for three-car garages. These lots are some of the most affordable in southwest Omaha and the locations include prime interstate access, minutes from schools and Chalco recreation center.

If you have not been out to visit us, our models are open seven days a week and we would love to see you. Thanks for watching and have a great day!

Building an Accessible Home - Part 2 - Warranty Check Up

Building an Accessible Home - Part 2 - Warranty Check Up

Hey, guys! Welcome back to our video blog!

At Charleston Homes we take pride in our homes and the service we provide. We want to be there for our customers before, during and after the home building process.

That’s why we are here today with the Hoell family. They have been in their home for 11 months now and we wanted to follow up with a checkup to see how everything has been going. Like many other families, the Hoell’s needed to customize their home to fit their needs.

A wheelchair accessible home was a must for them. So, we made sure the bathroom was large enough to comfortably move around in. We also added roll-over thresholds to help accessibility and many other adjustments to make life a little easier.

With these changes, the Hoell's find their daily routines much easier! This is just one example of how we work to make your home perfect for you and your needs.

Here's part one of this series: http://charlestonhomes1.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-inspiring-interview-with-newest.html.

If you need any help or have any questions. Please give us a call!

Seal Your Exterior Foundation Cracks

Hi everyone, welcome back to our video blog!

Today, I wanted to talk to you about sealing any exterior cracks you may have on your foundation above grade.

Many of you don’t know that your waterproof warranty does not cover any leaks above grade.  Now, here, we have our tar line and the tar line is meant to expand with the crack. Cracks in the foundation will happen and are very normal. Water can come in through the crack and exit on the inside into the basement.

To seal you can use Vulkem. It will leave a line; you can paint over it later. Start from top and go down to the tar line. Then take a rag and push everything into the crack. That’s it! It’s best to do it in the late spring or summer.

That’s all for today, if you have any questions please give us a call!

Thanks for watching!

Driveway Maintenance

Hi everyone, today I’d like to talk to you about driveway maintenance.  Summer is drawing to an end and that means winter weather will be coming before you know it.  So I want to talk about sealing your driveway, the control joints and any cracks you may see as well as sealing the surface with a penetrating sealer.

First we have a crack we want to seal. The product we like to use is Vulkem 116; you can get it at any hardware or home maintenance store. The color you should get is limestone; it matches most concrete shades.

So, the reason you want to seal the cracks is when the weather drops and snow falls, water gets into the cracks. It freezes and then will bust open the top. We seal then in the summer so the water can’t get in. Sealing the control joints is important as well because it prevents moisture from soaking in the ground underneath the driveway.

When you apply the Vulkem 116, you don’t need a lot, just enough to cover the surface.  Now, this is a polyurethane sealant so it can be a little difficult to get off your hands. So if you want to wear rubber gloves you can, but you’ll take your finger and push the sealant in the crack a little more.

It will be pretty tacky and sticky before it dries. Sometimes you can spread sand over the sealant to help with the tackiness. After about 2-3 days it should be dry.

Another maintenance item is sealing the surface of your driveway. Concrete is porous on the surface and all the way through.  You want to seal that surface for the winter months when you are tracking in salt from cars. You want to use a penetrating sealant. Try not to use an acrylic sealer; that just goes on surface and doesn’t soak as a penetrating sealant would. You would just spray that in a pump sprayer on a clean driveway!

So if you have any questions give us call! Thank you so much for watching!

Air Flows and Seasonal Adjustments

Hi there! Thanks for joining our blog today! I wanted to discuss airflow and seasonal adjustments of your damper and register vents!

Today we’re in a two story model. I want to point out if your home is equipped with dampers, there is a lever you need to adjust accordingly depending on the season.

When the lever is in line with the pipe, it is in the on position; it is open all the way. Inside the duct there is a flapper where a fan can be manipulated with the pull of the lever. As I rotate up or down (it doesn’t matter which way) I am able to adjust the air flow. If I turn to a quick 90 degree angle I can actually shut it completely off.

So, in the summer months, the upstairs is warmer than the main floor. So, you will want to turn the bottom lever about 45 degrees to push more air up. The same in the winter months, except you will want to adjust the top lever.

Other seasonal adjustments include the register vents in your home. The vents above the furnace tend to get more air so to create more air flow in the rest of your home you will want to close those a bit.

If you have any questions, give us a call at 402.934.2212!

Lot Availability in the Omaha Metro

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It’s no secret that the real estate market has been on the rise. Financial barriers that prevented people from buying and building are far behind.  

Walt Slobotski, of NP Dodge Real Estate, reported in 2008 there was a total of only 28 lots sold during the entire year. It’s almost the middle of 2013 and they have already closed 147 lots and have 120 pending.  

What does this mean for future buyers?

Lots are being bought up quickly, which is great; however, not much new land has been developed. A shortage of desirable lots is inevitable in the near future.  

To make sure our clients have desirable lots to choose from in 2014, Charleston Homes has bought 350 lots and put them in inventory.  

If you are thinking about building, our suggestion is to do so sooner rather than later.  Land developments can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months to complete.  Now is the time to buy: there is lot availability, interest rates are low and the market is great. Take advantage of the opportunity before things change.  

Please feel free to visit our models at Saddlebrook or Pebblebrooke if you are interested in building a new home and you can always get more information from our website at www.CharlestonHomesOmaha.com.