Grand View Builders

Each spring, homeowners catch a cleaning fever known as “Spring Cleaning.” The adage has weaved its way into homeowners’ yearly calendars and the great purge of dirt, dust and trash begins in homes across the country.

Spring cleaning challenges homeowners to overhaul their typical cleaning habits to find crystal clear windows, spot-free floors, organized closets and well-manicured lawns. We’ve gathered a few tips that may be unconventional but definitely worth doing this Spring Cleaning.

Whistle While You Work

After taking a page from our favorite cleaning Disney princess, Snow White, we found something true about whistling while you work! Plug in your headphones or blast your favorite radio station to help the time pass while scrubbing and sweeping. It will make cleaning seem less like a chore and we guarantee you’ll have more fun when cleaning.

Hibernate Winter Items

Now that the flowers are blooming and birds are singing, its time for your winter items to hibernate until next winter. Heavy fabrics and throw blankets from your bedroom or living room and winter clothes, such as sweaters, coats and boots, can be put away. Fewer items in your room and closet will give you more space and will make you feel lighter.

Donate or Yard Sales

Bigger projects, such as closets or garages, can be daunting for homeowners. Many homeowners think that the trash is the only place their old, outdated or outgrown items can go. Remember that items can be donated or resold in a yard sale. Have separate bags or boxes for ‘trash,’ ‘giveaway’ or ‘yard sale’ while cleaning to streamline the process. Donating or selling items will help you part with possessions that may have been difficult to throw away and you will feel accomplished after tackling these larger areas of your home!

Remove Clutter

Clutter comes in all forms and the spring is the time to rid of it all, regardless where it is. Invest in a shredder and go through the mail that has been piling up and organize your desk or office. Similarly, spend time cleaning your email inbox of spam and old mail and organize your inbox. In the age of technology when our smart phones, tablets or laptops are never far from us, cleaning these items will give you a fresh start and decrease stress.

Clean Your Screens

As mentioned above, the inside of your home is not the only place that needs to be “spring cleaned.” Your gadgets: computers, cell phones, tablets, video games, etc…, should all be cleaned as well. There are cleaners, such as Well Kept wipes, that safely clean your technology products of germs and dirt.

Last spring we made a list of more conventional cleaning tips for Spring Cleaning. Use both lists to help you dust the windows and let the sunlight shine in your beautiful, clean home!

Have you ever wondered where Spring Cleaning originated? Learn more via TLC: http://bit.ly/Z8unoc

On Christmas Day, brighten the day of nursing home residents! This opportunity is brought to us by Volunteer Houston. Scroll down to the bottom listing.

Holiday Project Christmas Day Visits

Volunteers will share Christmas cheer and sentiments with residents of local nursing homes. The volunteers will meet at their choice of three meeting sites:

(1) The Volunteer Houston office at 3015 Richmond, Suite 100; Houston, TX 77098 (click here for a map of the immediate vicinity), or

(2) Grace Care Center of Cypress at 9602 Huffmeister; Houston, TX 77095 (click here for a map of the immediate vicinity.) or

(3) Grace Care Center of Katy at 23553 West Fernhurst Drive; Katy, TX 77494 (click here for a map of the immediate vicinity.)

Volunteers will have their choice of 2 meeting times: 9:30 a.m. and 12 noon.
They will be given Christmas cards to share with the persons they visit, as well as maps to the respective assigned facilities. (Note: Other volunteers will be needed to make the greeting cards during the weeks leading up to the event.) Minimum age= none, if able to provide own transportation. Contact: Walter Black, 713-964-0229

Help provide a holiday meal to those less fortunate on Christmas Eve, December 24th. Information provided by VolunteerHouston.

City Wide Club

What They Do

City Wide Club of America is the outgrowth of an effort begun in 1975 by local high school and college students wanting to give back to their local community (Harris County) of their time and talent.

Annual Christmas Eve Feast

Takes place at the George R. Brown Convention Center, early morning till about 5 p.m. 35,000 to 40,000 persons are expected to attend. Volunteers will be needed to help with setup and to serve the meals. Shift times are flexible and can be arranged for almost any time between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Volunteers are invited to partake in the meal. Call: City Wide Club of Clubs, (713)523-1640.

As the winter holidays are quickly approaching, we’re thinking about how to bring joy to homes that are less fortunate. So, we’ll be featuring one way to give every day this week in a blog series called ‘Help a Houston Home’! Here’s the first giving opportunity we’re featuring this week!

Neighborhood Centers, Inc.

What is it?

Neighborhood Centers Inc. brings resources, education and connection to more than 236,000 people throughout Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast area each year.

Ways to Give

Wrap and sort toys on December 23 and 24th. Call or email to choose a time that works for you!

La Porte Neighborhood Center (Map & Directions)
526 San Jacinto
La Porte, Texas 77571
Phone: 281-471-1824
Email: mcasares@Neighborhood-Centers.org

Volunteer at Breakfast With Santa on Dec. 21st (10a-12p) at Independence Heights Neighborhood Center

Donate toys or volunteer as Santa!

Independence Heights Neighborhood Center
Taking gifts until December 19 at 7pm.
205 W. Crosstimbers (Map & Directions)
Houston, Texas 77018
Phone: 713-691-1393
Email: nchapa@neighborhood-centers.org

Neighborhood Centers Central Services
Taking gifts until December 19 at 5pm (closed weekends).
4500 Bissonnet Ste 200 (Map & Directions)
Bellaire, Texas 77401
Phone: 713-667-9400
(Entrance at glass block atrium)

2 BR/1 Bath Foster Glen Floorplan

There’s a new neighborhood on the GVB block! We’re excited to announce the Foster Glen home community in Conroe. Homes are affordable, functional, comfortable, and in a prime location near the lake.  Have you always wanted to live near the lake so you could take a dip in the summer or have beautiful settings surrounding you? Now you can – for being so close to the water, prices are ideal ranging from the $90,000′s to $140,000. Multiple floorplans, including 2 BR/1 Baths, 3 BR/2 Baths, and 4 BR/2 Baths, are the foundation of this desirable community. Nearby schools are Conroe ISD, Runyan Elementary, Travis Intermediate, Washington Junior High, Conroe High School.

Have a lakefront lot you’s like to build on? No problem! With our Build on Your Lot program and our comprehensive Design Center, we can help you build the lakeside home you’ve been waiting for. Contact Jan at (936) 777-9777 to learn more about this community or to schedule a visit.

Grand View Builders hosted a Realtor Preview Luncheon yesterday (April 19, 2011) at one of our newest communities, The Village of Oak Forest. The grab-and-go lunch went off without a hitch! We had quite a turnout to view the inventory homes and got to speak with several great realtors in the Houston area.

[Show picture list]

With homes from the $160,000’s and several amazing community features including the brand new Oak Forest Library and the scenic TC Jester Park, The Village of Oak Forest is now being referred to as “A little mini Bellaire”. The Village of Oak Forest is only 15 minutes from downtown Houston, making it easily accessible to anyone working inside the loop!

As promised, we had a raffle drawing of business cards at the luncheon for three lucky realtors to each win a $50 American Express gift card. Congratulations to James Brown, Mary Zepeda, and Linell Jones for winning the drawing!  Thank you to everyone who came out for lunch and toured the homes. If you have any questions about The Village of Oak Forest, please email Carlos Bustamante at carlos@gvbtx.com.

Do you have the perfect lot and the desire to build your dream home on it? Grand View Builders offers a Build on Your Lot program that builds anywhere in the Houston Metro area as well as the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, San Antonio and Austin. We work with our clients to create their dream homes, understanding their dreams and making them a reality with our Build on Your Lot program.

We make the Build on Your Lot process simple for you. Grand View Builds provides clients with unrivaled building expertise, as well as design and financial guidance should you need assistance choosing the features that are right for you. Whether you have your own floorplan already designed or you are interested in one of our 31  predesigned layouts, we are proud to offer you  the best price per foot for the luxury features we include.

Homeowners can choose from an array of floorplans ranging from 1,400 to 4,700 square feet.

• The Estate Series offers ceramic tile, 4.5” baseboards, a 42” fireplace with a tile and wood mantle, granite countertops, crown moulding throughout the house, and energy saving features and much more for around $190,000.
• Our Signature Series homes are designed for buyers seeking a home with more standard amenities fitting their price range. All Signature Series homes feature three to five bedrooms, 2 to 3 baths and study options. Homes include ceramic tiling in all wet areas, a mahogany front door and a beautiful fireplace with tile surround and wood mantle.
• The Liberty Series offers a solution for e value engineered floorplans designed for the first and second time home buyers looking for a home to fit their needs. Grand View Builders’ most affordable option features three to five bedrooms and up to 2.5 baths. All floorplans have Energy Star Certified, Wilsonart countertops, Whirlpool appliances, Delta plumbing fixtures and six professionally designed color palettes to create your dream home.

Each series has a minimum of seven floorplans to choose from, so YOU get to decide exactly what kind of house you want.

Build on Your Lot programs are relatively few and far between, but we believe everyone should have the option to choose how they build on their own property.  Call us to inquire about the Build on Your Lot program today and do what works for you!

We’d like to showcase some of the fabulous features that come with the homes in the luxurious Inverness Estates community.

A Cool Kitchen. Your home comes with top of the line Whirlpool appliances including cooktop, built-in oven, dishwasher and microwave. Each Estate Series kitchen comes with gorgeous granite countertops and recessed lighting accenting your own kitchen work area. As every makeshift chef needs, each kitchen comes with 42” custom Benedittini cabinets to spaciously store all of your cooking appliances, fancy dishes and serving platters.

Not only does the granite serve as a great cooking area, it also serves as a seated bar behind the kitchen. All you need are some high bar stools or other chairs to turn your kitchen into serving area, casual dinner spot or wet bar! Your stylish new kitchen will be a great place for entertaining guests at any dinner party!

Along with these impressive interior features, you also receive a 4-hour consultation at the design center with one of our professional designers, so that Grand View Builders can provide you with the best possible options and features for your new home.