Payne Family Homes - Blog

Ah, ‘tis the season in St. Louis.

The holiday season isn’t something that can always be described with words, can it? There is just something about reuniting with family, or even just becoming closer to those around you—on your street, in your neighborhood, around the city—that isn’t always there the other 11 months of the year. The holidays have a way in breeding community and creativity that truly brings people together.

So as the holidays approach, Payne Family Homes wants to share some subtle yet creative holiday decoration ideas that can help bring your entire Payne home together:

• Rockin’ Around the… Mailbox? Cars will come and cars will go, but the first thing they may notice from the road is a beautifully decorated and/or lit mailbox or light post. A simple mix of evergreen branches and white lights can give off a festive and inviting feel to passersby. Don’t want to wait for the snow? You can even add some of your own, if you’d like!

• Baby it’s Cold Outside… so we’re not going to be sitting on our bench out there, are we? Instead, use it as a decorative prop for tinsel, red bow, and wintergreen elements (cones, wreaths, etc.) to complement your outside decorations.

• All I Want For Christmas is… for someone to move that pile of logs out of the front yard. But until then, use those random objects—bushes, logs, etc.—as a source of lighting and decoration (neatly, of course). Get creative and see how you can utilize those objects around your yard!

• Up On the House Top… are nothing but gutters and shingles. Winterize your roof with beautifully lit icicles and lights across the front of the house to illuminate not only the house, but the yard in general.

These are just a few ways you can visually enhance your home for the holidays. But don’t leave it just up to us—in what other creative ways can you decorate your yard or home for the season?

It may be getting darker earlier and colder every day, but for us at Payne Family Homes that just means one thing: it’s time for the holidays!

When it comes to the holidays, our Payne staff loves exploring various St. Louis destinations for music, events, and other activities that are synonymous with spreading the winter cheer. And since we’re all about community, what better way to enjoy the holidays than to share some of our favorite ideas with you?

• AmerenUE Thanksgiving Day Parade. A mere two days away, the Ameren Thanksgiving Day Parade is a Payne Family favorite. Entertaining for the kids and adults alike, the parade starts at 8:45am on Thursday and will include some of the area’s best marching bands competing for the top spot!

• Winter Wonderland 2010 at Tilles Park. The Winter Wonderland is in its 25th year and looks to be better and brighter than ever. Whether you do the drive or the romantic carriage ride, this is a visually stimulating experience that we love to visit every year. And if you can brave the cold, you can do the WinterWalk, too!

• St. Lou IS Holiday Magic. This unique holiday event takes place December 3-5 at the CVC downtown St. Louis. A Schlafly Beer Garden for the adults, arts and crafts for the kids, and a full-size ice-skating rink for all to enjoy—this has everything!

• St. Louis Zoo’s U.S. Bank Wild Lights. Starting this weekend and going through Christmas weekend, enjoy the splendid colorful lighting of the famous St. Louis Zoo! Gorgeous lighting displays, a beautiful atmosphere and live choir performances on various nights make this an area favorite every year.

These are only a few of the many things to do for the holidays in St. Louis. But enough from us—we want to hear from you! Where do you like to spend your holiday evenings and weekends in St. Louis? Share below!

The leaves have come and gone (unless you haven’t raked your yard yet!) and there’s frost on the pumpkin and landscaping.

Payne Family Homes would like to offer a handful of tips to get the house in shape as “Old Man Winter” creeps his way into a weather forecast.

• Windows, Doors & Siding…Oh My! In the cold winter months, a home’s windows, doors and siding can not only provide you shelter from a storm, but it can also help keep those energy bills down and your pocketbook smile. By properly sealing the crevices that may have appeared during exposure to the summer elements, the cold air has little to no chance to enter into your home, preventing your furnace from running virtually around the clock.

• Roof/Gutter/Downspout Inspection. After going being exposed the elements for months, your home’s roof, gutter and downspouts may have experienced some wind or weather-related wear. In cleaning out the gutters and downspouts of leaves, you’ll prevent potential damage to your roof’s shingles due to drainage backup and water seepage into your basement. Additionally, a gutter that’s filled with water and leaves could freeze over, causing the gutter to potentially loosen – and even fall – from your home’s fascia.

• HVAC Maintenance. Despite the age of your home and heating system, with temperatures regularly falling below freezing there’s always the possibility of your furnace failing. Have your HVAC system serviced by a licensed professional to ensure it’s running properly and equipped to handle the harsh cold. Stock up on air filters and change them frequently; also consider clearing the area around your furnace of flammable materials like cardboard boxes to prevent the possibility of fire.

• Landscaping Preparation. You thought you were done with yard work?!?!?! Oh, contraire! Trim any trees that may hang over your home, seal decks and driveways to avoid possible cracking and move sensitive vegetation indoors to avert serious damage.

By putting together a good checklist in preparation for “Mother Nature’s” harshest conditions, your Payne Family Home can be a nice oasis from the cold temps…and your pocket book will thank you! What else can you do to prepare for “Old Man Winter?”

It’s the holiday season at Payne Family Homes and we’re in the giving spirit.  Stop by any of our nine luxurious homebuilder communities across the St. Louis and St. Charles areas for our fantastic “Home for Holiday” promotion.

Between now and the close of 2010, a purchase of a Payne Family Home inventory home lands you a great gift of your choice to celebrate your purchase – and the season!

With over 28 stunning inventory homes available that feature the most tremendous savings in our history, Payne Family Homes wants to offer just a little extra to say “thanks” with your next single family, luxury villa, cottage home and condo purchase: holiday cheer!

Deck the halls with these boughs of holly:

        ·         $1,000 Holiday Grocery Gift Card

·         $1,000 Holiday Photo Session in Your New Payne Family Home

·         $1,000 Donation in Your Name to the Charity of Your Choice

Payne Family Homes crafts distinctive homes that are built to stand the test of time. Their communities include Ashton Woods, Bella Vista, Bordeaux Condominiums, The Enclave at Heritage, The Meadows at Ohme Farm, The Pointe at Heritage Crossing, The Townes at Belleau Creek and Tuscany.  Our custom-built homes at each of our nine communities in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties feature quality craftsmanship, incredible locations residing in AAA-Rated school districts and affordable value.

For additional information about our “Move In Ready Specials,” be sure to check out our website for updated listings!

Throughout our most recent Facebook contest, Payne Family Homes has received quite an array of answers to the following contest question: “If you could add one room to your home, what would it be?

Some said a play room for their kids. A few pushed for a music room for a baby grand piano. Still others threw out the idea of a man cave with a beer fridge and a secret compartment for their Junior Mints stash (hey, we all can dream, right?).

This contest was a fun and unique way to interact with you and listen to your insights about home design and more. We had a blast reading your creative ideas and the reasoning behind each one. That being said, we are proud to declare Katie Dimmitt as the winner of the Payne Family Homes random drawing and the recipient of a brand-new iPad!

We were thrilled with the amount of responses we received during this giveaway. At Payne Family Homes we take pride in our ability to design homes with unique character, styles and meticulously-designed floor plans. We take the time to learn about our customers and build homes to exceed their individual expectations.

We want to thank everyone for their participation! Continue to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for our updates on everything you need to know about your home. Below are some of our participants’ responses, for your enjoyment:

“If I could add any room to my (imaginary) house I would add a pet hotel room so I could continue to rescue animals off the streets of Saint Louis and give them the loving and safe home they deserve!”

“If I could add a room, it would be a Florida room. To be able to sit looking outside at the seasons over a cup of coffee sounds perfect!”

“…A fully finished Man-Cave in the basement – readily equipped with Kegerator, pool table, and special trophy wall for the newly acquired deer head ”

Thanks again to those whom participated and congratulations to our winner, Katie Dimmitt. We really enjoyed reading everyone’s ideas and are excited about planning our next giveaway. What would you like to see in our next contest? Let us know in the comments section below!

As the winter weather slowly makes its way to St. Louis, Payne Family Homes is again supporting “Toys for Tots”, the annual campaign sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

Here at Payne Family Homes we consider it a privilege to participate in this nationwide charitable effort.  Our vision of “community” extends far beyond the borders of our residential neighborhoods and this is a fantastic opportunity to make a difference in the lives of less fortunate children. 

We pride ourselves on building more than just houses.  We create communities where our homeowners can enjoy life, raise their families and build their futures.  The joy “Toys for Tots” brings to less fortunate children seems a particularly appropriate way for us to give back to the greater St. Louis community that has made our success possible.

This is Payne’s second consecutive year with “Toys for Tots”.  Last year we were delighted and impressed by the generosity of our homeowners, vendors, employees and visitors touring our neighborhoods.  With more locations and more owners in residence, we are very excited for this year’s campaign.  We are thrilled to support the “Toys for Tots” program knowing the donations go directly to children in the St. Louis region.

From now until December, the “Toys for Tots” drop boxes will be stationed in the sales centers of all eight of our Payne Family Homes communities in St. Charles and St. Louis Counties.  We ask that donors contribute new, unwrapped toys that will be collected, sorted by age and gender and distributed to needy children in the St. Louis area.

We’re excited to support the St. Louis children and we hope you will join us in making their holiday one to remember.  Simply check out our locations to see which is the most convenient for you!

Here at Payne Family Homes we understand how important it is to be an active member of your community.  The youngest community of the Payne Family is Ashton Woods, located outside of St. Louis in Eureka, Missouri.  Ashton Woods has done an incredible job engaging with its homeowners, neighbors and community, and last weekend’s Fall Fun Fair was no exception!

The Eureka-based community held the annual neighborhood event last weekend and received quite a turnout.  Neighbors and homeowners embraced the opportunity to enjoy festivities with each other.  The night included a chili cook-off, face painting, a jump house, various games, and pumpkin painting.  And what would a community gathering like this be without incredible food?

We were thrilled at the turnout for the event—over 100 people attended and were dressed to impress in their Halloween costumes for the evening.  Payne Family Homes was honored to provide the pumpkins for the children to enjoy and we are proud of our Ashton Woods community for their efforts at community engagement.  You can see all the pictures from the Fall Fun Fair right on our Facebook page.

Payne Family Homes looks forward to participating in and contributing towards future community events.  We are eager to plan our next outing and want to thank all those who participated.  Be sure to take a look at our Ashton Woods community and the rest of Payne’s beautiful communities.  Visit our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter for daily updates on pricing, events and incredible tips!