Spring Maintenance Tips

After what seems like an eternity of cold and snowy weather, spring has finally decided to roll into our area! For many of us, that means it’s time to roll up our sleeves and complete items on our spring maintenance checklist. To get you started, here are 10 things to complete around your house to get it ready for the warmer months ahead.


Inspect your roof. Now that the cold weather has passed, it’s time to check the condition of your roof. Cracked or missing shingles need to be replaced. Also check your gutters and downspouts for debris buildup. With impending April showers, you don’t want to find out too late that you have a leak in your roof or a blocked gutter.

Check your air conditioning unit. Just as you prepared your furnace in the fall, you’ll need to prepare your air conditioner for the warmer temperatures. Clean or replace your air filter and check for leaks in hoses or vents.

Pressure wash the outside of your home. Build up from dead leaves, mold and mud can leave the outside areas of your home looking dingy and grimy. Rent a power washer from your local hardware store or borrow one from a neighbor and clean your deck, driveway, fences and lawn furniture.  

Clean from top to bottom. Spring is a great time to clean the areas that are usually neglected. Dust or vacuum stair rails, ceiling fans, and the tops of cabinets. Schedule to get your carpets and upholstered furniture cleaned or plan to do it yourself. 

Wash your windows. You can’t really appreciate the beautiful sun shine if your windows are dirty and foggy. Wash the inside and outsides of your windows. Don’t forget to clean out the sills and window tracks with a soft brush or rag. 

Prepare your lawn equipment. Time to dig out the lawn mower again! Check the blade for dullness and refill the oil and gas containers. You'll lengthen the life of the mower and improve the look of your lawn.

Inspect your smoke detectors. Make sure each smoke detector in your home has fresh batteries. Change the batteries quarterly, or as needed.

Clean out the dryer lint trap. Even if you clear out lint after each load of laundry, dust, hair and lint can still be trapped in the vent. A clogged vent can lessen your dryer’s efficiency and is a major fire hazard. Follow this step-by-step tutorial from About.com on how to properly clean your dryer vent. 

 Clean up the yard. Clear away dead limbs, leaves, and bushes that have expired over the winter. Keep all landscaping trimmed away from utility lines and your AC unit.

Vacuum the refrigerator coils. The coils you’ll find on the bottom or back of your refrigerator conduct the hot air from inside the unit. If they're coated with dust, they do the job less efficiently and cause your fridge to work harder. That means a higher electric bill for you. Use a vacuum cleaner hose or a brush to clean the coils.

4 Ways to Spoil Yourself at Home

Ever have one of those days or weeks where you just wish you could drop everything and take some time for yourself? While it may not be completely practical to skip town on the fastest plane to the Caribbean for a week or two (wouldn’t that be nice?), there are plenty of things you can do right in the comforts of your own home to ease your stresses and catch your breath, even if just for a little while! Here are 4 things you can do to spoil yourself at home.

Get Comfy

Sometimes the best way to relax is to put on your comfiest pajamas, light a fire in the fireplace, and snuggle up on the couch with a good book or your favorite movie. Turn your phone off, power off your laptop or tablet, and just enjoy some peace and quiet.

Soak It Up

Shut the bathroom door, run the hot water, light some candles, turn on some soothing tunes and slip into a luxurious bubble bath or steamy shower. Let all your stresses run down the drain as you take a soak in the tub.

Leave The Cooking to the Pros

If you’re normally the chef in your household, take the night off. Step out of the kitchen and order in from your go-to Chinese restaurant or pizza joint.

Get to Bed

Don’t you wish there was a rollover plan for all the naps you didn’t want to take as a child? Just thirty minutes of reading, napping, watching TV, or day dreaming from the comfort of your bed will give you a whole new lease on life.

We all have moments of feeling overwhelmed. Finding little ways to treat yourself can make all the difference, though. Take the time to care for you, so that you have the energy to care for everything else in your life.

Do you have special ways to spoil yourself? Let us know on our Facebook or Twitter pages!

The Best Around

The numbers are in and we've compiled our list of the best selling floor plans of 2013! Here are the top 5.

5. Rockwood II collection

The Rockwood II collection is comprised of the Rockwood II plan, as well as the Rockwood II Expanded, which adds 270sf more than its predecessor. This plan includes all first floor living, with a large loft space above the garage.

4. Hudson

The Hudson floor plan is one of the largest in the Ball Homes collection, with over 3,300 sf. It features a variety of different layouts, including a first floor guest suite or sunroom, and luxury Master bath options.

3. Coventry II

The Coventry II floor plan is the #3 on our list of best selling floor plans, and for good reasons. This versatile plan offers many luxurious amenities not normally offered in a ranch plan, including an open-concept living room and kitchen, tray ceilings in the Master bedroom, and multiple Master bath options.

2. Manhattan collection

The Manhattan collection is comprised of a number of plans within the Manhattan family, like the Manhattan, Manhattan II, Manhattan Expanded and the Manhattan Expanded 3 car. As one of the most popular layouts for many years, the Manhattan collection has been a consistent favorite among clients.

1. Cavanaugh II collection

It comes as no surprise that the Cavanaugh II collection is the Number 1 best selling plan of 2013. This plan has seen it's fair share of revisions and additions, with four different elevations, a myriad of design options, and the release of the Cavanaugh II Expanded plan in 2013. 

Did your favorite make the list? Check out the rest of our Top Sellers on our website.

There's a New Name in Town

In all areas where we build, we continually strive to partner with those local real estate professionals who can best provide exceptional service to all of our homebuyers. We're proud to announce that our Louisville brokerage, Prudential Parks & Weisberg has joined forces with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and will now be known as Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, Parks & Weisberg Realtors.

As a brokerage that is known throughout the country as as power-house in the real estate market, we're confident that our clients will enjoy the same level of service and quality customer service they have come to expect with our Louisville Ball Homes Specialists. Broker Dave Parks commented, "We believe real estate clients will embrace our brand as it reflects Berkshrie Hathaway's values of trust, integrity, stability and longevity."

Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Parks & Weisberg, Realtors serves the metropolitan Greater Louisville area, with offices in Kentucky and Indiana. For more information, visit their website at www.BHHSParksWeisberg.com or contact one of our Louisville Ball Homes Specialists.