Grand View Builders

Do you know where your nearest polling place is located so that you can cast your vote in this historic election?  If not, take a look at Vote411.org. All you have to do is enter your address and Vote411 will find your polling location! Every vote counts, so make sure to get out there and vote for who you think should reside at the most famous address in the United States!!

With Halloween coming up this week, we wanted to share some Halloween safety tips with you, from neighbor to neighbor. If you have any other suggestions or tips you’d like to add, please comment below! We hope everyone has a very happy and safe Halloween!

1. A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.

2. Children should avoid trick-or-treating alone. Tell them to bring their friends along!

3. Children should go only to homes where the residents are known, and who have outside lights on as a sign of welcome.

4. Children should never enter a home or a car for a candy or a treat.

5. Instruct children to travel only in familiar areas and along an established route.

6. Everyone should stick to walking on the sidewalks and not in the street. Make sure to have a flashlight with you at all times           so you can see the sidewalk clearly and so that cars can see you!

7. Never eat any candy that has been unwrapped or tampered.

Fall is a wonderful season with all of its fun colors, but a yard full of leaves can sometimes be bad for your lawn. It is important to understand the benefits of raking leaves: it is good for your grass and it is good exercise for you! There is, however, an alternative to raking leaves and that would be a mulch mower. A mulch mower, when used over leaves, helps to break the leaves down into tiny pieces which can then be used to fertilize your yard as many people do anyway. Here are some steps to raking that you can use to get your yard in tip top shape this fall.

Alternatives to Raking

With the colors of the leaves changing, it’s time to change the colors of the foods we eat. Fall is a great time of year full of colors and spices so why not add this to your cooking? Here are some fun and delicious fall recipes to make for you and your family to enjoy.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Pizza

Tangy Apple & Beet Salad

Crusted Butternut Squash

Fall Pasta Primavera

Butternut Squash and Shrimp Pasta Bake

Proud to announce that at this past weekend’s Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA) PRISM Awards, we were a finalist for Houston’s Best Custom Home Design Under $400,000 and WINNER of Houston’s Best Custom Home Elevation Under $400,000 for our Stewart’s Forest model!

For more information on our award winning homes, check out our website and see everything that Grand View Builders has to offfer.

What do you need for a truly spooky Halloween? A giant spider in front of your home! Make this one easily out of materials that you have around your home – it’s a great activity to do with your kids. Simple instructions listed below:

-Collect nine black trash bags and stuffing such as newspaper, left over packing materials, or even leaves.
-Fill one trash bag with stuffing and tie it closed to create the spider’s body.
-Hold the second trash bag on its side and fill the length with stuffing.
-Wrap the empty bag around the stuffing several times, so that it looks like a spider’s arm, and secure it with a tie. Repeat this for the other seven legs.
-Use a glue gun to secure the legs to the body.

Pro Tip: You can cut off the bottom of Styrofoam cups and glue them onto the body to make eyes.

We got this idea from MoneyCrashers.com – check out their list for more decorations!

When we began our military charity on the Fourth of July, we had no idea that we would receive such an overwhelming response! We are proud to announce that we are extending the campaign, in order to give a much support to this amazing charity as possible. Be sure to share our Facebook page with your friends and let them know that for each new “like” on the page, $1 will go directly to Operation Homefront.

As we draw closer to Veteran’s Day, we continue to appreciate everything that Operation Homefront does, especially for military families in Texas!

Although we may not have the harshest winter in the nation, the change in climate that comes with the winter months does lead to important winterization steps. One of the tasks that are most suited to fall is insulating your pipes. There is nothing worse than having a pipe burst on a cold, winter night and having to deal with freezing water! Get pre-slit pipe foam (available at most hardware stores) cut to size and fasten in place with duct tape. A few more tips below will help to get your home ready for Jack Frost!

Seal it up! – 10-30 percent of heated air escapes in the average duct system. Therefore it could be beneficial to hire a professional to inspect for any problems. You should also add a draft snake to the bottom of your door – a rolled bath towel does just fine! Lastly, use caulking and weather striping to close corners where different materials meet.
Winterize your water lines – Drain any water hoses and air conditioner pipes and make sure you don’t have excess water pooled in equipment. If your a/c has a water shutoff valve, go ahead and turn that off.
Run your fans in reverse – Your fan is set to run counterclockwise and produce a cool breeze. Make sure to switch it to run clockwise and ensure that air pooled near the ceiling is pooled back into your living space.

The most overlooked winterization project is actually remembering that you can receive Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency. The federal government will reimburse you for 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500 for highly efficient insulation.

We sent the above information to one of our favorite sister blog, eLocal. Check back in there for continuous homebuilder information!

As fall remodeling projects are underway , who better to seek advice from than the mother of all home-and-garden improvement maintenance and renovation, HGTV.

Circuit breakers are an important part of your home, and one that you’ll want to check on a few times a year. When a circuit breaker is connected to a wire that is rated for less amperage than the breaker, this is called over fusing which can be a dangerous situation. Over fusing can cause wires to overheat, insulation can melt and that can result in an electrical fire. Here we have provided two quick tips to prevent his problem:

-If breakers feel hot or frequently trip, cutting electricity to appliances, that’s a sign of problems. Call an electrician if you suspect a problem with your circuit breakers.
-Once a year turn all circuit breakers off, then on, to clear the contacts of any corrosion. It’s important that breakers are able to move easily, or they won’t be doing their jobs.

If you suspect a major problem, never attempt to correct it yourself. The health and welfare of your circuit breakers is best left to a professional.

Since we’ve agreed last week that some home improvement and decor projects are in order, we thought we’d show this beautiful tip from the blog Love, Pomgranate House.

An old shoe rack or TV stand can become a new end table, all it needs is a new fresh coat of paint! See the “how-to” in four easy steps!

1. Lightly sand and dust the soon to be converted furniture!
2. Use a primer to smooth over and make sure the paint goes on a slick surface
3. Paint your piece any color but make sure to use 2 coats – drying between each layer.
4. Paint on 3 coats of Polycrylic Protective Finish, also drying between layers.

If you’re planning on converting some furniture, tell us about it on our Facebook or Twitter!