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- The Stonewall Homes Newsletter (11/1/23)
The Stonewall Homes Newsletter (11/1/23)
Building futures, the Vineyards @ Selah, and preparing for a freeze.
Stonewall Homes
November 01, 2023
Your bi-weekly update from Central Oklahoma’s top custom homebuilder.
In this email:
The Vineyards at Selah
Building futures + giveaway winner
Preparing for a freeze (freeze-proof faucets vs. water hoses)
The Vineyards at Selah
The Vineyard lots @ Selah
The Vineyards at Selah is one of the neighborhood’s most exclusive, coveted areas, and it’s no wonder why. These lots back up to greenbelts and parks, have unobstructed views of the vineyards and equine center, and are extremely limited in number.
Stonewall Homes already owns and is ready to build on one of these charming lots. Lot 50 directly faces the equine center and backs up to Sweetwater Park, making it one of the more desirable Vineyard lots.
The Vineyards - Lot 50
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Build My Future OKC 2023
Several of us from Stonewall Homes had the opportunity to volunteer at Build My Future OKC last week. According to the event’s website, Build My Future OKC is a “one-day Construction Career day for high school students across the Oklahoma City area with interactive, hands-on exhibits from organizations in the skilled trades and the building industry.”
To encourage the youth in Central Oklahoma by inspiring them to pursue professional careers in skilled trades, and raise awareness of the home building industry.
Anyone in the construction business knows that trades are quickly falling out of fashion. NPR reports that the application rate for technical jobs like carpenter, electrician, mason, and plumber dropped by 49% between 2020 and 2022. With such a drastic decline in trade workers seen nationwide, it’s more important than ever to educate the next generation on how useful, fulfilling, and secure this type of work can be.
Approx. 1,400 students attended this year’s event.
This year’s Build My Future OKC introduced approx. 1,400 students to the skilled trades, allowing them to see and experience first-hand just how important (and, many times, fun!) this line of work is.
We had a blast interacting with the state’s next generation of trade workers and builders and hope to make an even bigger impact next year.
Update: Halloween giveaway winner!
Our Halloween candy guessing contest ended yesterday at midnight, and we’re excited to announce the winner of the Lowe’s gift card and 318 (yes, 318) chocolate kisses.
Congratulations to Elizabeth, who came to our model home last week and put in her guess of 333 kisses—only 15 off!
The latest from Pete & Co. - Freeze-proof faucets (and how they can fail)
We recently took to Instagram and Facebook to warn homeowners about the dangers of leaving water hoses hooked up during a freeze. Even with standard freeze-proof faucets, pipes are susceptible to freezing if homeowners allow water to stay trapped near exterior walls, and water hoses are the number one way this happens. So, for this post, we’re taking a quick look at freeze-proof faucets, how they work, and how to prevent disaster when cold weather comes.
Q - What is a freeze-proof faucet?
A - Freeze-proof faucets are exterior faucets that work great at keeping water lines from freezing inside your home. They are designed to stop water deep inside the wall where the insulation and heating of the house keeps it from freezing.
Q - How do freeze-proof faucets work?
A - Freeze-proof faucets come equipped with a valve that stops water from reaching exterior walls, where it’s more likely to freeze. When the water is turned off, the valve closes. How far the valve is inside the house varies, but they are typically 6-12 inches from the exterior wall.
Q - How do I prevent my pipes from freezing?
A - Freeze-proof faucets are great, but they don’t guarantee your pipes won’t freeze. If water gets stuck outside the valve and can’t drain, it will still freeze and crack the pipes. The key is to make sure no water is trapped where it can freeze.
Q - Why do you have to unhook hoses from exterior faucets?
A - The biggest problem our clients have with freeze-proof faucets is that they forget to unhook their water hoses from them. If a water hose is on a faucet, it prevents the water near the exterior from draining, and it freezes. They often don’t know they have a problem until they use the faucet again in the spring and the busted pipes flood their house.
Q - What is an anti-siphon valve?
A - Anti-siphon valves on exterior faucets act as a backflow preventor, and they come standard on most freeze-proof faucets. The valve keeps any used water from flowing back into your plumbing and potentially contaminating the water source.
Still have questions? This video does well to further explain freeze-proof faucets, and this video gives a real-life example of how they can cause leaks if not utilized properly.
Thank you for joining us in our journey of making every house a home, and we hope these emails will be a benefit to you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us here. Until next time! 👋
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