Waterproofing an Atrium Door

Posted by FieldStone Homes on August 31, 2010

I heard recently that another division of Fieldstone Homes was having some problems with leaks at back doors. This is a tough one to solve because the leak could be coming from the door itself, the exterior siding or stucco, or just from severe wind-driven weather. With the addition of a little, white, plastic pan under the door frame, all of these potential leak areas become much less of a problem.

This past week I took some photos of an atrium door installation and thought I would share them here with you.

The first thing needed for a door (or window) installation is proper flashing and layering. With flashing of any kind, you always start at the lowest point and overlap it from there.

For a door, first the sides, and then the top piece of flashing paper are installed.

The pan is set into a good thick layer of quality silicone. Notice how the pan has a lip on the inside and notches on the outside. It is also sloped down from inside to outside. All of these small details keep water that hits it flowing to the outside the structure.

After the pan is secured, the door is set in place and attached with screws through the jambs.

This has been a great system that has saved our customers countless headaches due to leaks at atrium doors. I hope it will be as useful to our other divisions as it has been for us in building new homes in Utah.

Most Common New Home Service Requests

Posted by Clark Graff on August 9, 2010

Hi, Clark here from FieldStone Homes Utah!

I asked my friends what I should be discussing in this blog. Most Common Problems seems to be a popular subject. It’s also a subject the FieldStone Homes Warranty Department proactively focuses on for all new homes in Utah.

The tool we use to track the most common requests is a monthly report called the BIG 5. As you might expect, the BIG 5 is a list of the five most common items. We come up with the list by looking at requests from five different points of view.

Uncommon Frequency – These are normal items that happen more often than expected.
Hassle to Customer – Here we have big items that no one should have to deal with.
Unnecessary Expense – Items that are starting to cost a lot every month.
Safety Concerns – This would include homeowner and general safety issues.
Quality Issues – This is where we focus on defective parts or installation practices.

We won’t necessarily have one BIG 5 item from each category each month, but these are where we look to come up with the list. Once we have five items, we focus on them for the next month.

Often the lists are seasonal in nature (sprinkler systems in summer, heaters in winter, etc.). I will focus on individual items as the months go by. In the mean time, if you have any suggestions as to warranty or new home maintenance issues you would like to see addressed here, please post a comment and I will be sure to reply.

Requesting Home Warranty Service

Posted by Clark Graff on July 27, 2010

Requesting warranty service on a new home in Utah is sometimes stressful and often, overly complicated and frustrating. When family and friends hear I work in the warranty department for a home builder, many of them have nightmarish stories to share of trying to get service from their builder. FieldStone’s Warranty Department prides itself on taking care of the customer and always searching out a win/win solution whenever possible. But this doesn’t always mean things go perfectly smooth.

Regardless of who your builder is or what their policies are toward Warranty Service, here are a few suggestions that might help you in your quest to get repairs taken care of.

Be nice. Everyone is doing the best they can. Don’t be a push over, but being nice to your warranty rep is definitely to everyone’s advantage.
Agree to disagree. Sometimes an item just isn’t covered by the warranty. Fighting about it usually doesn’t help.
Know whats covered: Read the manual the builder provided to you and know what is covered or not covered.
Understand that many items will be covered by warranty and some items are clearly homeowner maintenance issues.
Know the builders policy regarding submitting a request – and follow it. It’s much easier to get service if you follow the rules.

Okay, maybe I’m a little biased. I can admit it. But these just make sense to me both as a warranty employee and as a homeowner. Besides, knowing the rules and playing nice are good advice in any situation.

Saving for a New Yard

Posted by Clark Graff on July 14, 2010

The last couple weeks, we’ve talked about sprinklers and grass. But if you live in a brand new home, you may not have the time or funds to get your yard in for a year or two. Today I’d like to discuss things you can do to keep weeds down and also prevent (or at best, counter) the effects of time and erosion.

A yard that is not established will immediately and constantly be attacked by weeds. Also, the effects of erosion (wind, water, use, etc.) will be faster on bare dirt. Here are some things you can do to keep things looking as good as possible while you save up for your yard.

Never allow weeds to go to seed. This will only make the problem of getting rid of them harder as time goes on.
Keep the weeds short. Mow them or weed whack them down so they don’t take over.
Fill in low spots, puddles, and eroded areas as soon as possible. This will help keep the areas from causing larger problems.
Keep water away from the house and foundation. Almost all basement leaks can be prevented by maintaining a proper grade.

When you put in the yard later, it will be easier and go faster if you have maintained the grade and kept the weeds to a minimum. A little care and attention now will make it that much easier down the road.

FieldStone Homes Builds New Homes in Utah.

New Home Yard Maintenance

Posted by Clark Graff on July 9, 2010

Last week we talked about getting your sprinklers started up for the season. This week I’ll focus on keeping your yard green and well watered.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to work for, and take landscaping classes from a man I would consider to be a master landscaper. I was living for the summer in Chicago and my boss was, among other things, responsible for all the landscaping at Grant Park in the heart of downtown. While he thought about mowing in terms of hundreds of acres, most of us are, happily, responsible for only about a quarter acre of yard.

Here are some of his suggestions for a healthy, weed resistant lawn, only slightly scaled down for use by the rest of us.

Bag those clippings or leave them on the grass? Either. But always do the same thing week after week. Your yard will adjust to either option.
How long should I water and how often? Water longer and less often. 30 minutes, 2 to 3 times per week is ideal for root growth. Too much water is as bad as not enough water.
Cut the lawn long or short? Longer grass stays greener and uses less water.
Aerate yearly. I know this was mentioned last week, but this one is worth repeating.

A healthy, appropriately watered lawn will be healthier and have a better chance of choking out weeds. So be good to your lawn and have a great summer.

Till next time…

FieldStone Homes Builds New Homes in Utah.