Penn Homes Blog

Category: Green Building

Chateau Collection-New Home Designs from Penn Homes

Categories: Custom Homes, Decorating Your Home, Green Building, Real Estate Shreveport, Relocation, Shreveport & Bossier City Louisiana

After months of design, redesign, corrections, tweaks…Finally it is here!  Meet the Chateau Collection by Penn Homes.  The first two plans have rolled out and promise to be another spectacular creation.  The goal was to provide never before constructed sustainable exteriors that appealed to the demands of todays buyer.  Mixing old world stucco with used brick and stone was chosen as the facade.  Harmonizing the mix is key to curb appeal.  Our designer is provided as part of the total building package when selecting us to build your home.  Our designs include towering ten foot tall ceilings adorned with crown molding to suit your needs.  Open floor plans were selected where family can connect after the activities of the day.  Spacious Kitchens and Breakfast Nooks with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances anchor the finishes in this area.  The Master Suite provides for a perfect retreat from along days work.  Separate shower and garden tubs accompany each plan with large walk in closets in the Master Bath area.

Let Penn Homes build your dream home.  It all begins with a phone call to one of the numbers on this page or by simply clicking on the Contact Us button.

RSVP: Curb Appeal – Part II

Categories: Green Building, Home Additions, Real Estate Shreveport, Remodeling, Selling Your Home, Shreveport & Bossier City Louisiana

Now that we’ve been ‘invited’ to your home…we are happy to accept the invitation.  When giving someone directions to your home, you always describe your house.  ”Take a right on Oak Street, we live in the second block, third house on the right…our house is the one with ____________.”  So, what does one see when looking at your house?  What is the descriptive trademark of your home?  What’s the ‘curb appeal’ of your home?

This is one area that could be an inexpensive project for your home and would have an immediate impact.  It could be as simple as a new coat of paint, a new front door and maybe some shutters, or it could be an exterior project with an interior impact.

First, the simple project.  Many times we are asked if we would do something as simple as replace a front door and some rotten wood.   The answer is “Yes!  We’d love to help.”  We’d take a good look at the exterior of your home and make suggestions.  Are the columns in good shape?  What about the shutters – do they need painting, are they the right size shutters for your windows, does the shutter fit the style of your home?  Are the flower beds or shrubs compromising the integrity of the foundation?

"Before" - the owner wanted a new look for her bungalow

Next, let’s take a look at an exterior project with an interior impact.  ”Recently, I was asked to consult on a project where the owner wanted to update her exterior, but she had an interior problem.  She didn’t have enough closet space” said Mike Penn. After measuring and sketching, Mike had the following solution.  ”We were in luck, the Master Bedroom faced the front of the house.  It was a pretty easy fix — she had enough room between the front door and an existing window to extend the front porch which allowed for a nice sized closet addition into the Master Bedroom. Then, the front of the house could be re-faced with stonework, shutters and a new front door.”

Penn Homes Sketch

Mike recommended a combination of products to create a focal point that added historic strength to the home.   The use of cultured stone and cedar beams from an old sugar mill gave a distinct look that was also durable and weather resistant.  Additionally, he recommended adding a Bevolo gas fixture for ambiance and additional lighting.  The owner had a great looking house with fantastic curb appeal while solving her interior problem of inadequate closet space.  A simple solution the owner could afford yet couldn’t visualize without the help of a professional builder like Mike Penn.

These are the type things Penn Homes has to offer.  We’d look at your project – then make recommendations based on what you were interested in investing in your home.  Mike Penn would break them down into the things necessary and those things which are optional, yet would add value to your home.  We would help you determine the cost of the project and work out a construction schedule to suit your family’s needs.

Curb appeal is what makes someone want to see the inside of your home and we’d love to help.  Can’t wait to hear from you.

Why Brick is Green, Not Red

Categories: Green Building
  • Brick is fully compliant with ASTM C21607a: Standard Specification for Facing Brick (Solid Masonry Units Made from Clay or Shale). No other material, except for brick made from genuine clay or shale, can make this claim.
  • Walls built of brick don’t need immediate replacement because of severe conditions. Brick exceeds the 34 mph resistance requirement for high velocity hurricane zones in the Florida building code, and it inherently fireproof.

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Bloom Box

Categories: Green Building

One man with over 40 patents in electrochemical energy conversion is one of the founding fathers of model fuel cell technology with a career that dates back to the 1960s managing Gemini fuel cell projects for NASA. The second man regarded as one of NASA’s top experts in trace contaminant control and air revitalization for life support systems. The third a professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Arizona who worked for the NASA Mars program to convert the Martian atmospheric gases to oxygen for propulsion and life support. These three men came together in 2001 to form Bloom Energy headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA with the goal to develop clean, reliable, affordable, on-site power to provide a clear path to energy independence. Read the rest of this entry »

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