Would you love to have a home office but just can’t spare a room? Don’t limit your thinking. You may be surprised at the choices you actually have. Let’s consider one.

Do you have a formal dining room? How often do you use it? Chances are most of the time it sits empty. Well, with a laptop and rolling file cabinet, you can turn your dining room into a temporary home office. The room has comfortable chairs and a large table for spreading out your work.

It’s up to you how deeply you want to convert your dining room to the home office role. For some, it may make sense to simply repurpose the room. If you’re not ready to go that far, can you use part of your buffet for office supplies? Would a wooden file cabinet look appropriate in the room?

One other temporary addition might be helpful – a good floor lamp. Depending upon your dining room chandelier, you may need different lighting to be really efficient.

If your dining room has wood flooring or an area rug such as this one, you may want to think twice about pulling a rolling chair up to your dining table. Pick up an inexpensive rug or pad to protect your floors and good rugs. Then enjoy the fact that you can have your office space when you need it and quickly convert it to a dining room for those gatherings of family and friends.

There are many features in your new home that you’ll need to make sure to become familiar with.  From your air conditioning to your smoke detectors there is a lot to learn!  Please take a look at the interior and exterior product information we have gathered to assist you in understanding how you’re new home features work. By learning how these products operate, you will be able to keep them working at their optimum efficiency for the maximum comfort in your new home.

Termites
Subterranean termites are native to this area. Your home has been treated with a chemical barrier to deter the termites from entering your home. Landscaping may break this protective barrier or the routine maintenance that you lot requires. It is important that you inspect the perimeter of your home on a regular basis. If you notice evidence of termites, such as a mud tube on your foundation wall, call us as soon as possible.

Pretreatment for termites is done immediately before the concrete slab for your home is poured. Therefore your termite warranty will predate your Limited Warranty from Fulton Homes. This date can be found on your termite certificate. The subcontractor that treated your home initially will retreat the soil as necessary for five years from the pretreatment date.

There are many features in your new home that you’ll need to make sure to become familiar with.  From your air conditioning to your smoke detectors there is a lot to learn!  Please take a look at the interior and exterior product information we have gathered to assist you in understanding how you’re new home features work. By learning how these products operate, you will be able to keep them working at their optimum efficiency for the maximum comfort in your new home.

Electrical & Smoke Detection

Electrical

Some receptacles are controlled by a switch and are typically installed “upside-down” for quick reference. One of the outlets in the receptacle will be controlled by the switch and the other should have power all the time.

Per building code requirements GFCI protected receptacles “Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters” are installed adjacent to water sources, in kitchens, in bathrooms, in laundry rooms, on the exterior of the home and in the garage. These receptacles are designed to trip when a short or power surge is detected. This will prevent dangerous electrical shock. When this occurs, the GFCI outlets will need to be reset according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not plug a freezer or refrigerator into a GFCI receptacle, the constant surges created by these appliances will short out the GFCI and everything in the freezer or refrigerator will be lost. (To see a recent post on GFCI’s, click here.)

Arc Fault receptacles are installed in bedrooms. These outlets will trip if there is an electrical cord breakage or appliance failure causing an arc fault short in the wire or appliance.

All light bulbs are maximum wattage. When replacing bulbs be sure to use bulbs of the same or lower wattage.

Please note that lighting will sometimes dim when a major appliance or HVAC system is turned on. This is normal and will not cause any damage to your electrical system.

Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors are “hard” wired and have battery back-up. Change batteries every six months. Be sure to change the batteries in ALL smoke detectors at the same time. They will “chirp” when the batteries are low.

We hope this helps you understand more about how the electrical and smoke detection in your home works!

There are many features in your new home that you’ll need to make sure to become familiar with.  From your air conditioning to your smoke detectors there is a lot to learn!  Please take a look at the interior and exterior product information we have gathered to assist you in understanding how you’re new home features work. By learning how these products operate, you will be able to keep them working at their optimum efficiency for the maximum comfort in your new home.

Cracks and Squeaks in Your Home

Cracks & Squeaks in your home are normal. There are many different materials used in the construction of a home.

Most building materials are subject to expansion and contraction due to changes in temperature and humidity.  This is especially true of all concrete and drywall.  Due to this expansion, as well as the natural shrinkage which takes place at the time the material sets, it is inevitable that some cracks may appear in foundations, walks, driveways, porch floors, basement floors and steps, as well as dry-wall.  These are natural occurrences beyond our control and the strength of the various items is in no way impaired.

The structural lumber in your home, which includes the trusses, the joists, studding, rafters and other framing members, has been selected in sizes and grades that provide a factor of safety over and beyond that which is necessary to carry the loads for which they are intended. Shrinkage in all wood is inevitable and occurs in the drying out period of the new home.

This shrinkage in the framing explains why certain moldings, trim around doors and windows, as well as baseboard and shoe molding sometimes seem to work out of their original position.  Shrinkage can cause joints in the woodwork to open, doors to warp, cracks to appear in drywall, particularly around door and window openings, drywall arches and stairwells.  This shrinkage can be minimized by maintaining a constant temperature in your home throughout the year, particularly during the first year.

Wood floors may squeak! Sub-floor adhesive and screws are used to anchor the sub-floor to the truss joints. Even with these precautionary measures, wood floors will always flex and can eventually squeak to some extent.

We hope this helps you understand a little more about your home!

There are many features in your new home that you’ll need to make sure to become familiar with.  From your air conditioning to your smoke detectors there is a lot to learn!  Please take a look at the interior and exterior product information we have gathered to assist you in understanding how you’re new home features work. By learning how these products operate, you will be able to keep them working at their optimum efficiency for the maximum comfort in your new home.

Older toilets held 3-5 gallons of water in the holding tank. Per current code these tanks cannot hold more than 1.6 gallons of water. There are many twists and turns in a normal sewer line and some of these pipes may be 50- 60 feet in length. Much like washing leaves down the gutter, a sufficient amount of water is required to carry the waste for any length. Therefore it may be necessary to “flush twice” or hold the handle down after toilet use to push waste down the sewer pipe.

If you have a spare bath that is rarely used, keep in mind that flushing once will only provide enough water to carry the waste in the line a short distance. If this bathroom is not used again for some time the waste may dry and stick to the pipe causing a back-up and overflow during its next use. It is recommended that you flush toilets and run water down bathroom drains that get little use on a monthly basis to prevent the traps from drying up and emitting sewer gases into your home.

It’s not the most glamorous topic, but we hope that we have helped you understand more about the toilets in your home!