It’s the Holiday Season at Thomsen Homes! We’ve got a little book/activity for you and the kiddos to read all snuggled up on the couch! Happy Holidays!
Click on the image below to start the book!
Affordable Luxury Homes in Fargo and Grand Forks
Korey is one of the newest additions to our New Home Consultant team! The West Fargoan is a loving husband and father who enjoys a good Jack Daniels at the lake on the weekend, accompanied by some 90’s tunes. Sounds like a good time, right? Korey is a confident dude and we’re confident in him and his abilities to get you into your net new home! Welcome to the team! Get to know Korey below!
1.What’s your spirit animal, and why? Uhhh…. No clue
2. What super power would you want, and why? Probably Healing/regeneration… I would do some ridiculous/dumb things that would be awesome knowing that I wouldn’t die because of it.
3. If you had a time machine, and couldn’t mess with history, what time period would you travel back to? I would go back to 1994-ish. Mostly for the music. Either that or 1952 to have met my Grandfather in his prime.
4. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Steak
5. What fictional character would you be friends with in real life? Joey from Friends
6. What’s the movie title for the current chapter of your life? “Under Construction”
7. What is one random fact that you still remember from grade school? My 4th grade teacher ridiculed my handwriting so badly that I was pulled out of class to do cursive sheets for a week. Since then my handwriting has been better than any of my teachers moving forward.
8. Look at your phone/radio, what song/podcast is currently playing? “Break my Stride” by Matthew Wilder … Don’t listen to it unless you want it to be stuck in your head for a week.
9. Best concert you’ve been to? Or if you haven’t been, who do you want to see? The Black Keys on their El Camino album.
10. Have you ever met a celebrity? How was it? I haven’t really “met” a celebrity but I have had awkward instance once. I was late for my plane at MSP and running from one of the airport to the other and right outside my boarding place Mike Tyson was standing there with someone who looked like his agent or lawyer or something like that. I literally stopped running, stopped and staired at him with my mouth open as I slowly drifted by him on the fast walk conveyer. He even laughed at me a little bit but whatevs.
11. What’s a guilty pleasure of yours? Whiskey
12. Best TV show ever? The Office or Friends
13. Best movie ever? Out Cold
14. What nicknames have people called you throughout life? There are many but the one that, if said around my fellow high school alum, they’d recognize would be “Whitey”
15. Are you a morning or a night person? Used to be a night owl but now that I have kids it’s more and more turning to a morning person.
16. Where can you be found on your days off? The lake
17. What’s one thing that instantly makes your day better? Friendly people. Positivity is infectious.
18. What drives you to be the best person you can be? Hard to describe. Short answer… a voice in my head. In everything I do there is a mentor from my past that I think of and if what I am doing does not meet what I think their standards would be then it’s not good enough.
19. What does a typical day at the office look like? Computer, Zoom, people, people, people. Computer, Zoom
20. What Thomsen Homes role would you like to try for a day other than your own? CM
21. What’s your favorite thing about working at Thomsen Homes? Structure and Positivity… the people are pretty cool too😊
We have a special blog post from the Sorby family along with some holiday inspiration to get you in the festive mood! They had built their 2180 bi-level home in 2018. This DYI couple has an eye for design and a love for everything home.
The days have gotten shorter and the air has turned crisp…it is finally the holiday season and we could not be more excited!
We closed on our Thomsen in December 2018, so this time of year always feels extra special to us. Not only are we reminded that we’ve spent another 365 days in a house we’ve made a home and truly come to love, but also that subtle changes to your space, like pulling out and putting up different décor, can make your heart feel really, really happy…and, honestly, who doesn’t love that (especially this year)?!
When it comes to holidays, much like the other decorating we do in our home, we choose to approach things with a ‘cozy + slightly minimalist’ mindset. To us, less is often more, although we very much appreciate folks who can pull off very full ensembles (with two large fur monsters running around, our home feels ‘full’ in other ways!). We tend to stick with mostly neutral-colored items that have different textures. This allows us to easily add pops of color without feeling like we’re overpowering one space or having items clash.
It’s that time of year again when homebuilders roll out the red carpet and highlight the best they can build for you! That’s right, it’s the 2020 Fall Parade! We have four exciting homes to showcase this year located in Bison Meadows and The Wilds! We’re going to give you a little sneak peek and delve into the minds of the designers that put them together.
2340 3-Level
1439 RAMBLER
2191 2 STORY
Are you looking for a home with the options you and/or your family needs? Perhaps you need a certain amount of bathrooms, or perhaps you like a more open floor plan? Look no further than our lovely 2180 Bi-Level! This home is our most customizable home to date; featuring SIX different floor plan options to suit your needs!
STANDARD OPTION:
This is our standard layout. As you come up the stairs, you will find a half wall and behind it, your kitchen with an island. The living room is tucked around the corner!
OPTION #2:
In this option we have turned the half wall into a full wall, giving you much more privacy. The island has been removed and we have added counter stance to the back of the kitchen.
OPTION #3:
As you can see, the kitchen is going to be the same as our Standard Option. We have added square footage onto the master bedroom, bath and second bedrooms allowing for a private hallway into the rooms.
OPTION #4:
This layout is the same as the Standard layout, but we have added a half bath to the upper! This is nice for guests!
OPTION #5:
This is another popular layout plan that we have built for many homeowners! We have switched around the kitchen and the living room, giving you more open space as you walk up the stairs!
OPTION #6:
In Option #6 we have kept the layout from #5, but we have added a full bath to the upper level, creating a master suite!
Jess with Thomsen Homes can guide you through a tour of all six of these options!
With the layout of your home in your command, we can. assure you that you’ll love your Bi-Level for years to come! Start your Thomsen Moment today!
Home is a time capsule. A home is filled with memories and moments you cherish forever. Libby remembers back on some precious moments growing up in her childhood home.
“I grew up on a 4 acre wooded lot down a dirt road outside of Raleigh, NC. I spent a lot of time perched in a huge magnolia tree in our front yard. When I wasn’t up in a tree, I rode four wheelers, got lost in the woods trying to follow the creek, and built forts out of downed limbs. I never wore shoes! When I picture our home growing up I see my dad in his big garden in the backyard with a hoe in hand and my mom in the kitchen, steam rushing out of a pot that she was blanching whatever produce she was freezing or canning from the garden. My fondest memories are of sitting at the dinner table with my family and listening to Daddy tell us about the all interesting people he met during his work day. All of that probably sounds very romanticized, but I count myself blessed to have such a rich childhood home life.”
It is the area of the home that can be forgotten but is a space we frequent daily; can you guess what it is? It is the pantry! The space within the home where we store everything from canned goods, crockpots, cereal and basically anything you could think of. Now this could be a space that could drive you nuts, but you just do not have the time, or energy or creativeness to make this space a little more pretty!
We asked organizing guru Maria of The Baer Minimalist for some advice she has on keeping this space organized and styled!
Discard Expired Goods and all Packaging – It’s amazing how many items are hidden inside the pantry that expired one, two, sometimes eight years ago. Toss anything expired and consider donating items to a local food pantry that won’t be consumed in time. From there, pull all beverages from their cardboard containers, toss the bulk packaging that eats up valuable space and give those shelves a good wipe down.
Create Zones – Think of your grocery shopping experience and create similar zones that fit your family’s lifestyle, such as breakfast, baking, grab and go snacks, and canned goods. Keep items that your family reaches for daily on the most accessible shelves.
Don’t forget the space available on the inside of your pantry door! Check out the ELFA system from Container Store for a door-mounted unit that will give you a ton of extra storage without taking up much space.
Utilize Baskets + Bins – If you like seeing quantities of ingredients on hand, opt for clear containers or bins to house your pantry staples. If you opt to use plastic canisters to store cereal or snacks, make sure to add an expiration date to the bottom of the container (for pastas, we’ll often cut out the cooking instructions and tape them to the back of the canister too). If your preference is out of sight, out of mind, woven baskets look incredibly streamlined on pantry shelves.
Label, Label, Label – Pantries are also the space in your home that gets replenished most often, so labeling is ultra-important. My favorite markers for labeling are these chalk markers that come in such vibrant colors and work on tons of different surfaces. This also allows you to hold everyone in your house accountable for keeping up a system.
The Baer Minimalist helps busy families create ORGANIZED + STYLIZED spaces throughout Indianapolis, Indiana. To keep up to date with all of the tips, tricks and inspiration doled out, subscribe to their newsletter, The Minimal-List and follow along on social, @thebaerminimalist.
When building a new home the pantry can sometimes be a space that can get overlooked. There are so many different options when building that you may not even realize can be nice little add-ons to this space to make your life more organized and less cramped.
Depending on what floor plan you decide on there are different options for pantries, as well as ways to modify what is offered as a pantry within that floor plan. Everything from shelving options like standard wire shelving or custom shelving or even custom cabinetry within your pantry. Think about how you want to utilize this space.
Another unique add on to make things easier is including a small door that you can access from your garage to your pantry in order to quickly load your groceries and boxes through can be a game changer.
Summer safety is a hot topic, literally and we asked Safe Kids of Grand Forks Coordinator Carma Hanson to share with us some insight on how to enjoy the summer months and keep those kiddos safe.
As the warm days of summer have come to our part of the country, we find kids out of school, families enjoying this season and all of us adjusting to the new routines that Covid-19 has brought to us this year. Routinely, June, July and August are the 100 deadliest days of the year for kids as they are out of school and in a less structured environment. Add to that this year the stresses that have accompanied our global pandemic where parents may be working from home or carrying the weight of job changes or losses. All of these things lead to a set-up for more unintentional childhood injuries. We offer some insight into ways that you can keep your home a safe environment by not taking a vacation from safety.
Because of community pools being more apt to be closed, above ground pools have popped up around homes. While these can offer a cool retreat from hot summer days, they can also present a danger. Below ground pools are required to have 4-sided fencing around them, but smaller above ground ones are not. If you have young children that may toddle off or are curious by nature, know what is in your neighbor’s backyard and assure that kids don’t get out of your sight. Drowning is a silent behavior and you often won’t hear a child struggling in the water. If you have a pool in your yard, but sure to store toys and floaties out of the pool when not in use so kids are not tempted by them. If it is a smaller pool, dump the water and turn the pool upside down so it does not collect water with rainfalls. Keep the ladder stored out of sight and in a shed or garage, away from the pool. Active adult supervision, meaning the adults are watching the kids and not reading a book, cooking on the grill, talking on the phone, taking a nap or a variety of other activities, is important to keep kids safe in a water situation. Never rely on inflatable water wings or water rings to keep your kids afloat. If you have a below ground pool at your home, assure that there are self-latching gates on the fence and if there are doors from the house that exit directly to the pool, equip them with alarms so you will be alerted if someone exists them.
Another danger for children in the summertime is heatstroke from kids being left in cars that heat up quickly or children gaining access to a vehicle whether that be at your family home or a neighbor’s. It doesn’t take a very hot day for this type of tragedy to occur. Temperatures inside vehicles can get to be 40-60 degrees hotter than outside and children’s bodies overheat three to five times fast than an adult. When the vehicle is not in use, lock the car and keep the keys out of reach. Always remember to check the back seat after every ride and set reminders on your phone as babies often fall asleep in the vehicle when the car starts moving. A simple change in routine such as road construction that takes you on a different route to work can quickly lead to a tragic outcome for a young child. If you see a child in a vehicle that is unattended, call 911 immediately so emergency responders can come and get the child removed and provide medical attention if needed.
While the summertime can create great family time and generate fabulous memories, we want to assure that kids are free of the dangers that this season presents. For more information on preventable childhood injuries, visit www.safekidsgf.com or LIKE us on Facebook at Safe Kids Grand Forks. Altru Health System is proud to serve as the lead agency for Safe Kids Grand Forks and you can reach out to us there at safekids@altru.org. Sip your lemonade, relax in the cool waters of a pool and enjoy special times with your family but never, ever take a vacation from summer safety.
Whether you are looking to build your new home, interested in setting up a private showing, or are just seeking some further information our sales team is here to help.