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Log Home Retreat Frey Construction and
Home Improvement, LLC
Before
608.643.7914
planning and painstaking timelines, along with hurdles galore. And while we’re always working with others in the trades, this took us down an entirely new path.
In This Issue: Spring Cleaning Checklist St. Patrick’s Day Word Search
This past summer, we completed one of the biggest projects we’ve ever taken on: construction of an exquisite log home near the village of Plain. We’d worked with these Clients in the past, and were more than pleased when they approached us to take on something new. Perhaps it goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway… Such a large undertaking definitely came with a lion’s share of
Our newsletter featured part of the story early last year, when we shared the fun details behind the construction of the home’s outer shell. Think “meticulous” and you’re close… First, each and every log was handcrafted by Pioneer Log Homes at their company site in British Columbia. Next, as is customary, they completed the home’s preliminary construction there, perfecting every detail. Finally, the log structure was disassembled, transported to Plain, reassembled, and reerected.
Now it was our turn! With the log shell complete, our amazing remodeling team stepped up to work their magic. To complete the outside, we installed windows, a standing seam metal roof, Absolute gutters, and a beautiful deck that runs the full length of the home. Inside, we perfected all of the finishing touches, including flooring and drywall, light fixtures, and fireplace. Simply put, the end result is absolutely stunning! The pictures offer a glimpse but cannot do justice to this beautiful home. It is truly breathtaking inside and out, with views of the picturesque Sauk County through every window.
A Homeowner’s Guide to Window Condensation Recipe: Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
March 2018
www.FreyConstruction.com
Client of the Month....continued from page 1
Clever Storage Tricks Use Glass Jars Grandpa’s wood-shop solution of attaching glass jars underneath a table or a shelf is triedand-true. This trick works in the garage, the basement, and the craft room: Nail or superglue the lids to the underside of a surface near where you store your tools, then twist the jars into place. Put like-size nuts and bolts in one jar, wood screws in another, nails in another. Use a Dish-Drying Rack Keep coloring books and art supplies organized in a dish-drying rack. Stack the books, like plates, between the prongs. Store markers, crayons, and pencils in the utensil caddy. Use a Tissue Box Dispense plastic grocery bags with ease by stuffing empties into an old tissue box stored under the sink; simply pull out one when you need it. For a slimmer solution, try a cardboard paper-towel tube. Use a Tension Rod To keep pot lids from rattling around and getting lost in kitchen drawers, position a short tension rod to create a divider. Stack pots and pans in the larger section and lean lids against the rod on the smaller side.
Checklist from: www.simplisticallyliving.com
Small Dose of Useless Knowledge • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out. A snail can sleep for three years. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple. The volume of the earth’s moon is the same as the volume of the Pacific Ocean. Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizza every day. Hummingbirds are the only animals that can fly backwards. A cat’s jaw cannot move sideways. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar. A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours. It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world. Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing. www.freemaninstitute.com/uselessfacts
Use a Coat Rack Hang your best-loved (and most frequently worn) necklaces and bracelets within easy reach on a wall-mounted coat rack. Bonus: They’ll stay tangle-free when not decorating your neck. Or mount corkboard—available in various sizes—on a wall and drape necklaces from straight pins. Use a Desk Organizer Sort cookie sheets, cutting boards, and jelly-roll pans in the kitchen for easy access (and no more cymbal-crashing sounds) in an overstuffed cabinet. www.realsimple.com
{kind words} “[We chose to contract with you because] of the personal service and the very informative presentation. Your company did a great job! The workers were thorough and conscientious.” ~Tom & Julie Schuster, Sun Prairie (Roof, September 2017) “[We chose to contract with you because] we were able to get an estimate quickly and meet with them at a time that was convenient for us. Staff are friendly. I liked the communication with updates regarding the scheduling of the work. Thank you!” ~Rick & Sara Lennertz, Verona (Gutter Protection, October 2017) “I needed a new roof and insulation replaced. The whole experience was great. I thought I wanted more expensive shingles, but was assured the less expensive ones were of equal quality and would fit in better with the other roofs on the street.I had been told by another contractor that I needed new gutters but Frey Construction thought my existing ones were fine. Frey Construction is a very trustworthy company and won’t sell you unnecessary products. The workmen were professional and did an excellent job. All took pride in their work and were incredible! The roof is beautiful and the insulation has made a huge difference in the warmth in the house. The furnace isn’t running as frequently as before. I am very thankful that I found Frey construction. I can’t imagine there is a better company than Frey Construction!!!” ~Lala Wigand, Oregon (Roof, November 2017) “We have always been happy with your work. The work your company does is excellent! The recent work was outstanding, as usual” ~ Perry & Carolyn Frey, Madison (Siding, December 2017)
{we have the
c oo lest clients}
“A pinhole water leak in the ceiling caused considerable damage to our outdated foyer bathroom. Instead of just repairing the damage, my wife and I decided to do a complete remodel. After receiving bids from four contractors we choose Frey Construction to do the job. This was based on the total team approach utilized by Frey in developing the bid, their presentation of how they would facilitate the project, their 15-year workmanship guarantee, and our previous experiences (roofing, gutter guards) with Frey. We couldn’t be happier with the final result and we now have a beautiful contemporary looking bathroom off of our main floor foyer. We would highly recommend Frey Construction to anybody looking for a home remodel. We want to give special thanks to Jeanne Panucci, Mark, Ashley, and everybody else we had contact with at Frey. We would also recommend the workmanship and professionalism of the following sub-contractors involved with our project: Cooper Plumbing, Maier Electric, Drywall Concepts, Ferguson’s, and B&B Laminates. We will certainly be using Frey Construction again in the future for our next remodel project.” ~Mike & Lynn Estell, De Forest (Remodel, December 2017) “Very pleased with your workmanship and commitment to satisfying our expectations. Thank you for another excellent experience.” ~Mark & Kathy Stoveken, Black Earth (Skylight, January 2018)
Try these helpful tips!
1. Reheat Pizza: Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove; set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. 2. Easy Deviled Eggs: Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal bag and mash yolks till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing roughly; cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done – easy clean up. 3. Expanding Frosting: When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 4. Reheating Breads: To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 5. Newspaper Weeds Away: Start putting in your plants; work the nutrients into your soil. Wet newspapers and put layers around the plants overlapping as you go; cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic; they will not get through wet newspapers. 6. Picking Up Broken Glass: Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily. 7. No More Mosquitoes: Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 8. Squirrel Away: To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it. 9. Flexible Vacuum: To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 10. Reducing Static Cling: Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and — ta da! — static is gone. tips found on heartofwisdom.com
CONDENSATION: a homeowners' guide Every winter, homeowners experience condensation on their windows, even new, highly-efficient multi-pane windows. Fog, frost, and water that forms on windows can be irritating to see, cause expensive damage and may even be hazardous to your health. Sweating windows serve as a danger signal, showing when indoor moisture is trying to get out.
IT'S NOT THE WINDOWS, IT'S THE HUMIDITY! What is condensation? When there is excess moisture in the air, condensation is the result of water changing from a gas (water vapor) to a liquid. Water vapor turns to liquid water when it comes in contact with a cold surface. The warmer the air, the more water vapor the air can hold. In any given room, the air in the center of the room is the warmest. As this air circulates toward the cooler window, the air temperature drops. As the temperature drops, the air can no longer hold all the moisture it held when it was warmer air. That water vapor condenses into liquid water on the glass surface of the door or window. This occurs most often in the winter months as the temperature difference is greater between outdoors and indoors. If condensation is an ongoing issue in your home, you probably have excess moisture in your air. Window condensation is easy to see because it blocks your view. But, its very likely that you have condensation on other surfaces, like your walls and floor. This can lead to serious problems like mold, wood rot, and peeling paint. Condensation can be especially problematic after a remodeling project, as more energy-efficient construction and materials traps moisture inside the home. This guide will help you in identify sources of excess moisture and offers suggestions to reduce that moisture. Follow these steps to help reduce any condensation in your home.
Recommended Humidity for Your Home and Climate Some humidity is necessary for everyday comfort, but authorities agree with Professor C.P. Yaglou of the Harvard School of Public Health that any inside relative humidity higher than 40% is undesirable, both for your health and your home’s paint, insulation and structural components. The table at right shows the maximum safe humidity levels for your home. Reducing your home’s humidity to these levels will cure troublesome condensation on windows, in most cases. Remember, too, that these relative humidities are for 70o F indoor air temperatures. Higher temperatures require lower humidity.
How to Reduce Humidity
Outdoor Air Temp.
for 70o Indoor Air Temp.
-20o F
15% - 20% humidity
-10o F
20% - 25% humidity
0o F
25% - 35% humidity
+ 10o F
30% - 35% humidity
+20o F
35% - 40% humidity
Indoor Relative Humidity
There are only a few ways to reduce excess humidity in your home. First, provide adequate winter ventilation. Because outside air usually contains less water vapor, it will dilute the humidity of inside air. The process of heating your home will reduce the relative humidity, providing that it is DRY heat. But the most important step to reducing indoor humidity is controlling sources of humidity. Controlling Sources of Humidity Below are the most common causes of excess moisture in the home, along with simple solutions. Open drapes at least half way during the day. Open windows for five minutes to allow air exchange. When washing dishes by hand, don't leave water running.
Use properly vented exhaust fans during and after showers and baths. Don't leave water running to "warm up" for too long. Turn off humidifiers and run a dehumidifier in the basement. There is often one attached to the furnace.
Equip laundry area with an exhaust fan. Dryer should vent to the outdoors.
Run the vent hood over the stove. Put lids on pots while cooking. Install and use ceiling fans to increase air circulation. Move plants closer to the center of the room. Switch furnace thermostat to “run fan.’ Run the fan day and night to circulate the warm, dry air when moisture appears on windows. Also, add a fresh air intake to your furnace.
The only way to stop condensation is to reduce the moisture in the air in your home. Living with lower humidity and identifying and controlling moisture sources are the best ways to reduce condensation. Questions? Contact us! Sources: Better Business Bureau Pittsburgh | University of Minnesota Engineering Laboratories | C.P. Youlou, Harvard School of Public Health | Tim Carter, askthebuilder.com
www.FreyConstruction.com | Info@FreyConstruction.com | 608.643.7914
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Alexandria Condo Association, Madison Michael & Ann Albert, Blue Mounds **Dan & Eva Allen, Cross Plains Betty Alley, Baraboo Roger Alt, Mazomanie Ken & Pat Annen, Dane John Archambault, Oregon Lucas & Stacy Attleson, Columbus Mardelle Ayres, Middleton Bruce Baker, Oregon Prabahara Baladhandapani, Middleton Robin Bariel, Merrimac **Bob & Jane Bartel, Lodi **Shellie Benish, Black Earth **Larry Bensky, Madison **Dave & Ann Berres-Olivotti, Baraboo Big Oaks Child Care, Madison Stephanie Birmingham, Verona **David & Paula Bizot, Madison Paul & Pam Blount, DeForest Ed Blume, Madison Tom Borba, Madison **Pat Breunig, Mazomanie Neal & Margie Breunig, Lodi **John Brown & Mary Durkin, Middleton Jerry Brucaya, Belleville Paul Campagnola & Karen Lecuyer, Madison Romaine Capps, Merrimac **Gordon & Emily Carncross, Lodi **Kent Carnell & Barbara McFarland, Middleton **Chuck & Pam Cashman, Black Earth Cory & Kaylene Christnovich, Middleton Chuck & Barb Chvala, Madison Cimarron Condos, Madison **Jeremy & Andrea Cook, Middleton **Ned & Karen Dallman, Middleton Jack Damer, Madison John & Summer D’Anna, Fitchburg Rad Deering, Madison Mike Degen & Meghan Ziegler, Spring Green Charles & Marleen Dehmlow, Portage Cristin Denzer, McFarland Nilto & Fernanda DeOliveria, Middleton Steve Devoti, Madison **Don & Marcia Douglas, Madison Roger & Betty Endres, Oregon John & Mary Erpenbach, DeForest John & Linda Esselman, Fitchburg Dale Essmann, Deforest **Mike & Lynn Estell, De Forest **Keith & Linda Feiler, Madison Brian & Nicole Feyrer, Middleton Justin & Kalissa Fitzgerald, Black Earth Tom & Kari Fitzgerald, Verona Ben & Hillary Fleming, Madison Anne Forseth, Arena
**Ryan Freidel, Columbus Kevin Frey & Karen Smith, Sauk City Perry & Carolyn Frey, Madison Steve & Jana Frey, Middleton **Derek and Beverley Fuerbringer, Madison Pat Geller, Baraboo Wendell & Lisa Gellerman, Middleton Mary Gilbert, Lodi Bradley & Traci Goll, Madison Harold Gollman & Susan Felstehausen, Madison **Pilar Gomez-Ibanez, Madison Rich Guetzloff, Poynette Peter & Elizabeth Gust, Baraboo Mike & Kelly Gustafson, Verona **Mark & Dawn Hale, Sauk City **Douglas & Nancy Hamilton, Prairie du Sac **Ed Harris, Madison Bill & Sheri Harris, Middleton Scott & Nancy Hartman, Stoughton Jan Haupt, Lodi Tony Heintz, Rio Joe & Emily Heise, Dane Kristin Higgins, LaValle Gary & Lois Hoffman, Cross Plains Linda Hohneke, Merrimac Michael & Andrea Holderman, Madison Bryan & Daryl Holliday, Lodi **John Horak, Sauk City Gary Horst, Verona **Jeff Huebner & Christine Kirsch, Madison Jason & Kristen Jafferis, Middleton **Phil Jochimsen & Maria Spinozzi, Madison Jeremy Jodarski, Madison Michael & Shannon Jolly, Windsor Doug & Sheri Keillor, Madison **Ryan Keith & Amanda Ganshert, Prairie du Sac Claremont & Paula Kelter, Black Earth Nancy Kippley, Middleton Ken Kippley & Jess Hasheider, Sauk City **Susan & John Klopstein, Middleton Garrett & Kelly Knapp, Madison Mike & Nadalie Kratcha, Lodi **Mike & Pam Krebs, Sauk City Aron & Amy Lacrosse, Deforest Mary Laedtke, Madison Matt Lammers, Mt Horeb Jerome & Lois Lancaster, Middleton **Bill & Fern Lawrence, Madison Rick & Sara Lennertz, Verona **James & Caroline Liedtke, Madison Jennifer Lisota, Fitchburg Rishi & Sarha Luthra, Madison **Iain & Madge MacFarlane, Madison **Tim & Cyndi Mair, Cross Plains Terry & Susan Maxwell, Spring Green ** Gordon Mayfield & LynnMarie Schwann, Black Earth Mike McCabe, Sun Prairie Tim McClurg, Madison Charles & Candace McDowell, Madison Kristin McGrane, Stoughton **Mike & Mary McGuire, Madison Charlie & Anna McNulty, Madison Steve & Gerard Meier, Cross Plains Steve & Patricia Meixelsperger, Middleton Andre & Jan Mellott, Mt Horeb Carmelina Merola, Merrimac Jon & Melissa Meyer, Sun Prairie Eileen Mislove, Oregon Shirley Mitchell, Windsor
Chicken & Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients:
½ cup carrots, finely diced ½ cup celery, finely diced 1 medium onion, finely diced 1 teaspoon olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 32 ounces chicken stock 2 cups water 2 cups milk, divided in half ½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon dried oregano 1 bay leaf ½ cup all-purpose flour salt and pepper, to taste scallions, for garnish 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or finely diced 4.3-ounce box of Long Grain and Wild Rice + seasoning packet
Directions:
Place the carrots, celery, onion, and olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot; allow to simmer over medium heat for around 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic cloves, chicken stock, water, and 1 cup of milk to the mixture and stir until combined. Add the pepper, dried oregano, bay leaf, and shredded chicken. Mix until combined. Allow the soup to simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Whisk together the remaining 1 cup of milk with the ½ cup flour until no lumps remain. Pour this into the soup mixture and whisk until combined and no lumps remain. Place the long grain and wild rice and the seasoning packet into the soup and mix until combined. Allow the soup to simmer for 20 more minutes or until the rice is tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh scallions and serve hot. Enjoy!
Joe & Jennifer Monarski, Oregon Michael Morgalla, Madison David & Ellen Morris, Madison Jim Moser & Rochelle Ratkaj, Madison Marty & Deb Moses, Plain John Muszanowski, Merrimac **Ken & Bobbie Myers, Sauk City Jay & Elena Neider, Middleton **Geri Nikula, Reedsburg Anthon Olvera, Windsor Dana & Amy Perry, Barneveld Harry & Sylvia Peterson, Middleton **William & Jean Pivovar, Madison Elmer Racek, Madison Louie & Sandy Radkiewicz, Baraboo **Steve & Melinda Rammer, Middleton Ronald Ravel & Beth Mitchell, Madison Justin Reed, Madison **Judith Reith, Baraboo John Renz, Poynette Andrew Rethemeier, Madison **Mike & Judy Ring, Madison **Roger & Kristen Ripp, Cross Plains Patricia Robyn, Reedsburg Charlie Rogers, Cottage Grove James Rogers, Madison Kris Rogers-Ary, DeForest Dennis & Angie Sailing, Mount Horeb Emil & Eloisa Sanchez, Madison **Phil & Jackie Savidusky, Madison David Saylor, Middleton Chris & Meg Schell, Madison **Patti Schlosser, Baraboo Jon & Janet Schmidt, Madison James & Lori Schmitt, Belleville **Ken Schneck & Evelyn Fine, Madison Jack Schumann, Fall River **Rod & Christi Schwegel, Mazomanie Ron Selkow, Madison John Sharpee, Wisconsin Dells **Dave Shearer & Gypsy Thomas, Madison **Eric Siegal, Fitchburg **Gary & Suzannah Sisler, Madison Chris Sleaford, Windsor Lynn Spencer, Verona **Kim & Kathy Standke, Pardeevillee Dave & Marcie Stark, Middleton Todd & Kira Steiner, Fitchburg Craig Stiemke, DeForest **Mark & Kathy Stoveken, Black Earth **David & Mary Strait, Fitchburg **Jim & Lori Straka, Plain Maryan Stubbs, Madison **Martin & Patricia Svendsen, Madison **Tim Sweeney, Madison Tom & Sharon Swinehart, Spring Green **Warren & Aili Tripp, Fitchburg **Jerald & Kendra Tutsch, Lodi Justin & Sarah Virgilio, Cross Plains Fred & Colleen Volker, Verona Ty & Jennifer Weimer, Middleton Todd & Julie Welbourne, Madison Kathy Welhouse, Madison Brad & Jill Werlein, Middleton Colleen Whaley, Spring Green Lala Wigand, Oregon **Donna Wilkinson, Baraboo **Bob & Wanda Williams, Pardeeville Jim Wilson, Mount Horeb Brandon & Katie Wilson, Middleton Chris & Gina Witt, Madison **Kim Wright, Sauk City Yong Wu & Haoqing Jiang, Middleton Lhamo Yangcheng, Madison **Austin Yick & Ashley Byock, Madison Lynn Ziegler, Madison Al Zimmerman, Spring Green ** Randall Zirk & Susan Kau, Madison **Inez Zitlow, Prairie du Sac John & Stephanie Zulkoski, DeForest **Indicates Repeat Client
Employee Birthdays Nick Farmer, Roofing Project Manager on 3/6 Kurt Riha, Roofing Division Manager on 3/18 Ted Kleist, Remodeling Carpenter on 3/20 Nick Moxon, Roofing Project Manager on 3/25 Mark Frey, Remodeling Division Manager on 3/31
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22 YEARS
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Thank you for
TH a n you k
You Look Like You Could Use Some Money...
We’re ready to hand you some cash! Just tell your friends and neighbors how much you love Frey Construction & Home Improvement, LLC! Almost 70% of our work comes from repeat Clients and their referrals, so we think it’s important to thank you for your kind words and faith in our company. After all, the number of referrals makes it clear that you’re already saying positive things about us, now you just get paid for it!
Here's How It Works:
You refer friends or neighbors to our company. One (or more!) of your referrals has a project completed by Frey Construction. Upon completion of the project we will hand you cold, hard cash! That's right! All you have to do is refer your friends and neighbors to Frey Construction. When they call for their project, make sure they let us know that you sent them to us! We'll make a note of it, and once their project is complete, we will send you $150! So, what are you waiting for??? Why not tell all of your friends and neighbors how much you loved your "Quick and Painless" home improvement by Frey Construction!
We look forward to hearing from you!
Contact Us At:
608.643.7914 530 Park Avenue Prairie du Sac, WI 53578
www.FreyConstruction.com