How to Conserve Energy in the Dog Days of Summer

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Trying to stay cool in the south is expensive. Whether you have an energy-efficient home like the houses from Homes by Vanderbilt, or you have a traditionally built home, here are three ways you can save on energy costs during hot summer days without sacrificing your comfort.

1. Lowering the cost of your air conditioner. A/C units are a huge energy drain and may be working more than necessary if you have a habit of leaving doors or windows open. Keep shades drawn during the sunniest times of the day. If you find it easy to leave your front door open while you bring groceries in the house – start to pile your groceries outside your front door and only open it to move everything inside. You can also purchase an inexpensive thermostat timer so that the temperature is higher during the day and will cool down just before you arrive home. If you have ceiling fans, use them as often as possible. They require insignificant energy and help circulate the air so that your A/C unit doesn’t have to work overtime.

2. Find an energy-efficient dryer or cut down on laundry machine time. Take advantage of the hot days of summer and dry your clothes or sheets outside. You’ll start to see a savings in your energy costs even if you air-dry half of your laundry loads.

3. Run your dishwasher once per week. Wash dishes by hand as much as possible and let them air dry. Air drying will cost you nothing. Your dishwashing machine won’t be wasting more energy heating up to dry your dishes, instead it will be lessening your costs!

For more summer energy tips please visit our green website XtremeGreenHomes.com or follow us on Twitter

Homes by Vanderbuilt VG512 Model

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Homes by Vanderbuilt has a wide supply of home models to choose from including the prestigious VG 512.

About Homes by Vanderbuilt:
Homes by Vanderbuilt is a leading modular home builder that serves North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. They have over 170 floor plans to meet your every need. For more information about Homes by Vanderbuilt follow them online at XtremeGreenHomes.com or follow them on Twitter.

An introduction by the Homes by Vanderbuilt.

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Not familiar with Homes by Vanderbuilt? Sorry, if we forgot to introduce ourselves. We’re a modular home company that’s been serving the Carolina’s and Virginia since 1984.

Homes by Vanderbuilt is an A+ accredited business and with over 170 floor plans to choose from, it’s no idea why.

Find out more about the Homes by Vanderbuilt team, by following them on Linkedin.

Homes by Vanderbuilt Oakland ll Floor Model

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If you are looking for a new home, let Homes by Vanderbuilt help you today. They offer the largest selection of modular homes on the market including the Oakland II Model.

For more information about other modular homes available with Homes by Vanderbuilt, visit them online at XtremeGreenHomes.com or join their Green group on Linkedin.

Homes by Vanderbuilt as seen on Xtreme Home Makeover.

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Homes by Vanderbuilt loves to give back to the community. They were recently featured on an episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition and were able to help the wonderful Williams family.

For more information about Homes by Vanderbuilt’s initiatives to help the community, please visit XtremeGreenHomes.com or join the Green conversation on Linkedin.

What is a Care Cottage?

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A Care Cottage from Homes by Vanderbuilt is an affordable housing solution for handicapped or retired individuals to live independently yet close to family or care givers.

Care Cottages are smaller homes designed to be easily managed by an older person or one with health or mobility issues. These homes are meant to be added to a homeowner’s current land holding as a close neighbor to the primary home, making supporting the Care Cottage resident convenient. It’s an attractive alternative to nursing care.

Care Cottage Homes by Vanderbuilt
Wheel chair-accessible doors and easy entry shower stalls are just two of the features that make Homes by Vanderbuilt’s Care Cottages ideal for family members who are not able to live completely independently.

These cottages may be used to either house a home health care giver or a person needing home health care in North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia. They can be built to the size and scope of the client’s needs and can also be made handicapped accessible as well as ADA Compliant.

These modular homes can sit on your own land, or be moved to a family member’s property much like a guest house in the back yard.

Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year From Homes By Vanderbuilt!

Homes By Vanderbuilt 2012

Homes By Vanderbuilt Wishes Everyone A Happy New Year

Building a new home can be a very involved process. Homes by Vanderbuilt strives to make this process as smooth as possible for our customers.

Our highly experienced staff is always there for you during each step in the building process from picking out the modular home plan that best meets your needs and your budget to final interior trim of your new house.

We are very proud of the high quality standards during the 20+ years we have worked in the modular housing industry.

Let’s make it another great year, everyone! Be safe in welcoming 2012!

 

Homes By Vanderbuilt Gives Retirees A Reason To Upgrade

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Seniors throughout the Southeast are conserving capital by selling their homes and choosing top quality Homes by Vanderbuilt modular homes. This combination provides much needed financial relief without compromising lifestyle.

Homes By Vanderbuilt has long dealt with seniors choosing to relocate into manufactured homes. These days, a combination of aging baby boomers, rising utility costs and the desire for less maintenance are creating a new wave of demand from those fifty and up. Without being stereotyped, those who find themselves with an empty nest are considering the “next revolution” in residential living. New modular homeowners can pay cash, downsize and have a new highly energy efficient Homes by Vanderbuilt home – all with the convenience of low maintenance and upkeep.

Homes By Vanderbuilt meets people making this transition every week – couples like David and Sandra Holcomb, both now retired, who considered many options before settling on a Homes By Vanderbuilt modular. They agreed that today’s modular homes offer quality construction, efficient heating and cooling systems, convenient livability and modern amenities.

Homes By Vanderbuilt provides its customers with information about construction, manufacturing and the stringent construction and safety standards designed to meet local and state building codes. Materials, the detailed process of construction, mobility considerations and exterior maintenance are all aspects that Homes By Vanderbuilt representatives discuss with prospective buyers. Over the past thirty years Homes By Vanderbuilt has recognized that most Homes by Vanderbuilt homes, once built, are never relocated. Seniors are building decks, patios, screened porches, growing gardens and living in wonderful communities, and Homes By Vanderbuilt has walked along that path with their customers and friends.

Since 1984, Homes By Vanderbuilt has offered a wide variety of products and services that includes assisting customers with customization and features to meet special needs or budget requirements. Today’s Homes by Vanderbuilt modular homes are built with the same building materials as site-built homes that cost twice a much. Homes By Vanderbuilt also provides information on current HUD codes that ensure compliance in areas such as strength, durability, fire resistance, energy efficiency and quality.

The role that Homes By Vanderbuilt plays in the purchase of a new modular home is critical. On-site experience coupled with hundreds of satisfied families insures homeowners that the “Homes By Vanderbuilt” experience will be easy and hassle free.

For more information on how to downsize, step up and enjoy the ease of living with a Homes By Vanderbuilt modular home call 800-801-1064 or visit them at Homes By Vanderbuilt.

Homes by Vanderbuilt Offers Alternative To Assisted Living

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Homes by Vanderbuilt is the first in the home-building industry to offer this new concept in assisted living

“Having an accessible living space is the difference of having a quality of life,” said Angie Plager, Miss Wheelchair Iowa 2009, who recently moved into a Care-Cottage that her parents set up next to their home.

Plager, who was paralyzed from the chest down after an automobile accident eight years ago, had previously resided in her mother’s living room, since all of the bedrooms in her family’s two story, farm style home are upstairs.

Care-Cottages are a new concept in assisted living housing. They are designed to be set up on or near property owned by the primary caregivers, offering a sensible alternative to costly assisting living facilities while providing senior loved ones with a better sense of privacy and independence.

“It’s an entirely new concept, an alternative to traditional assisted living,” said Chris Van de Reit, sales manager and product director for Homes by Vanderbuilt, adding that the custom-designed modular homes will appeal to families with loved ones who prefer to live independently, but still have family close by to look after them.

“The idea is to set these units up on or near the caregiver’s property, so that elderly or disabled family members can enjoy a feeling of independence and privacy while still having loved ones close by,” Van de Reit said.

The wheelchair accessible units, developed by Martinsburg, Va.-based Nationwide Homes, can be custom designed to include counter height appliances, accessible shelving and storage as well as barrier free showers, vanities and commodes without having an institutional look or feel.

Care-Cottages, which typically retail for $69,000, are also more affordable than assisted living facilities, which charge an average of $3,500 per month or $42,000 per year.

“Given the high cost of assisted living facilities, it doesn’t take long for a Care-Cottage to pay for itself,” Van de Reit said, adding that Homes by Vanderbilt will also buy back each Care-Cottage it sells for $20,000 if a family no longer has use for the unit within four years.
And when one figures the four-year cost of staying in an assisted living facility, combined with the $20,000 buyback offer, the typical family could save over $100,000 by investing in a Care-Cottage. For more information on Care Cottages, please visit Homes By Vanderbuilt.