Duinkerken Homes
Newsletter
May 2011
In This Issue
 Take The 40 Gallon
Challenge
 Quick Answers
 Pictures From Insulate!
Volunteer Day
 Useless Information Quiz
 Professional Women in
Building Council
 ArtSpace Charter School’s
Shed
Contact Us
Duinkerken Homes
10 Lakeview Lane
Weaverville, NC 28787
828-645-2728
828-450-9395 –Brandon
828-450-5690 –Kate
Dhomes@charter.net
Visit us online!
www.duinkerkenhomes.com
www.duinkerkenhomes.com
Take The 40 Gallon Challenge
As summer approaches we may again begin thinking
about water conservation. Gardeners may think about rain
barrels and drought tolerant plants, but may overlook
practices we can implement inside the house. Since less
than 1% of the Earth’s water is fresh water available for
drinking, bathing and other uses, our water usage has
implications globally as well as to our own water bill.
The 40 Gallon Challenge is a voluntary nationwide
campaign to increase water conservation. North Carolina
residents and businesses are encouraged to reduce our
water use on average by 40 gallons per person, per day by
adopting new water-saving techniques. The website:
http://www.40gallonchallenge.org/ contains the pledge card outlining water-
saving practices that you can put to use. By pledging new practices, you can
see the total daily savings expected from your household. Pledging to save at
least 40 gallons of water adds up. Saving a minimum of 40 gallons a day adds
up to more than 1,000 gallons saved per month. If you already have put into
practice a water conserving plan, then build on it to save more. For example, if
cutting off the water while brushing your teeth is a practice you have already
implemented, then don’t indicate that in your pledge because you are already
doing that. This will not truly provide you with water usage savings. Implement
a new practice to add to what you already do. Reprinted with permission from the Buncombe
County’s Extension Office.
Quick Answers:
-Are Spring Showers Wreaking Havoc on
Your House?
 Put in a driveway that drains water
away from your house with a porous
alternative to asphalt that will divert
runoff.
 Try a drainage swale, rain garden, or
another smart landscaping solution to
stop the flooding in your yard.
 Harvest water with rain barrels and create an alternative supply that
won't tax groundwater or jack up the utility bill.
 Install rain gutters to collect and carry away rainwater, preventing leaks
 into basements and crawlspaces.
-Can Vinyl Siding Be Painted?
Yes! If the vinyl siding on your house is looking drab, painting it this
Spring can be a great way to boost your curb appeal! It is important you
choose a paint color that is not darker than your current siding, because
dark colors absorb heat, which causes vinyl siding to expand and warp.
First, make sure the siding is thoroughly cleaned with a light detergent and
water to remove all mold and dirt. A boat brush
works great for this, along with a pressure
washer. Be sure the water is sprayed
downward because you do not want it to
get behind the siding. Next, if your siding
has a glossy, slick finish, it will need to be
roughed up prior to painting with a low-grit
sandpaper. Finally, use two coats of a high-
quality exterior acrylic latex paint. We would
suggest using a sprayer rather than a brush OR
just call our friends at West Side Painting at 828-450-
0098 to help you with your project!
-How do you clean a dusty lamp shade?
Contact Us If the lamp shade is flats, you can use a lint roller! For shades with pleats,
Duinkerken Homes use your vacuum cleaner with the crevice tool attachment.
10 Lakeview Lane
Weaverville, NC 28787
Insulate! Volunteer Day Pictures!
828-645-2728 Saturday, April 30th, Duinkerken Homes and our friend Mary Lynn English
828-450-9395 –Brandon volunteered to help with the Insulate Project through Community Action
828-450-5690 –Kate Opportunities and Warren Wilson to insulate and seal the home of a single
mother living in the Montford area. We had a fantastic time and can’t wait
Dhomes@charter.net to do it again in the Fall.

Visit us online!
www.duinkerkenhomes.com
Contact Us
Duinkerken Homes
10 Lakeview Lane
Weaverville, NC 28787 As a reminder, the Insulate! Program was formed by Warren Wilson
828-645-2728 College, the Ashville HBA, Community Action Opportunities and other
key area groups to weatherize the homes of low income families in
828-450-9395 –Brandon
Buncombe County. The program utilizes volunteers from the AHBA and
828-450-5690 –Kate Community Action Opportunities to work with the students of Warren
Dhomes@charter.net Wilson College on individual homes on Saturday work days. The program
helps mentor students will educating them on the importance of
weatherization. To date the AHBA has been a part of weatherizing 32
homes since the program’s inception in 2008! Visit www.insulatenc.com
Visit us online! for more details and photos of past projects!
www.duinkerkenhomes.com

Useless Information Quiz!

The first person to answer the “Useless Information Quiz” will win a $5
gift card to Subway! I realize with the easy access to technology, the
“Useless Information Quiz” answer might be found without much effort!
So, we ask that you PLEASE do not to Google the question! Send your
reply and address to dhomes@charter.net! Again, the first person to
correctly answer the quiz will get a $5 gift card to Subway!

Hippo Milk is what color?

We will announce the winner on our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.

The Professional Women in Building Council

 The Professional Women in Building Council (PWB) of the Asheville
Home Builder Association (AHBA) is dedicated to promoting,
enhancing and supporting women within the building industry.

The PWB would like to thank April’s

renewing member: Me!

We are getting some awesome

donations for our PWB Scholarship
Fundraiser on June 9th at Highland
Brewery. This is going to be a lot of
fun! Thank you to everyone for your
donations and support! The 100%
confirmed donations so far include:

 Zach Crady of Duinkerken Homes is donating professional chef

services for an evening, which is for a 3 or 5 course dinner for two
at your home.
 Tamara Cohen is offering a one month membership to Asheville
Contact Us Strength and Conditioning gym, which offers Asheville’s first
Duinkerken Homes USAW Club.
10 Lakeview Lane  Daisy Marquis of Shanti Collective is donating an Energy Healing
Weaverville, NC 28787 session.
828-645-2728  Westside Painting is donating a $50 gift card for their services.
 Asheville Gymnastics is donating a birthday party.
828-450-9395 –Brandon
 1 hour of free architectural services from Samsel Architects, P.A.
828-450-5690 –Kate  Jennifer Jeffries with Dillard Jones Builders has donated an IPad.
Dhomes@charter.net  Jasone Weil of Retro+Fit Design has donated "Frozen Technology"
a 1993 mixed media 26" x 26" art piece.
 Matthew Ouimette with Wright’s Carpet has donated two rugs: a
5x7 wool blend rug, and a 4x8 SmartStrand (Cornsugar) rug.
Visit us online!
www.duinkerkenhomes.com If you don’t see your name on this list, please make sure to confirm your
donation ASAP and have the actual donation to me by May 24th to make
sure we get your name in the June AHBA Newsletter. Otherwise, I will
need to turn in the donations by June 7th and your company name will be in
the July AHBA Newsletter.

Again, tickets for this event are now on sale. They are $20 in advance or
$25 at the door. The ticket includes 5 free beer tasting tickets, fantastic
catered food, and a private tour of Highland Brewery, which will start at
6:30 sharp. As a reminder, if you donate an item worth over $100, you get
one free ticket. If your item is worth more than $200 then you will get two
free tickets to the event! Please email or call me with any questions about
this event. This is our main fundraiser for the year and we are hoping to
top last year’s proceeds of $3,200 for our scholarship!!

The PWB meets the first Tuesday of every month! Our next meeting on
June 7th will be a lunch meeting held by Katherine Morris at Stone
Gallery Granite and Marble. Her showroom is gorgeous and we are excited
 to hear about what they have to offer and the new products available in the
market. Please RSVP ASAP for this event by emailing me at
dhomes@charter.net. Further out: Shana Combs with Build It Naturally
will be our educational speaker at the July 5th meeting being held at the
AHBA office at 8:30am. This is a FANTASTIC and extremely
informative presentation on Sustainable Building Products and the Impact
in Your Home.

ArtSpace Charter School’s Shed

On May 20-21 we will be building a much needed tool shed in the garden
area of ArtSpace Charter School and also be replacing the current chicken
wire fence. The picture at the right is somewhat similar to the design that
we have picked out for the shed, which is being built to keep tools safe and
easy accessible for teachers, and they plan to eventually add a rain barrel
system for our garden and have “greenhouse” space for plant starts.

We are so grateful to Jim Robertson and Scott Lewis with ProBuild (828-
694-0665) for donating the majority of the materials for the shed. We
would also like to thank Shana Combs with Build It Naturally (828-254-
Contact Us 2664) for donating all the pain for the project and Joey Shepherd with
Duinkerken Homes Shepherd’s Finish Grade (828-388-0232), who cleared the area for us to
build! We would also like to thank Peirce Harmon from Heritage
10 Lakeview Lane
Weaverville, NC 28787 Homeworks (828-777-3501) for volunteering to help build the shed. The
children and faculty at ArtSpace are so excited for this addition to their
828-645-2728
gardening area and all of your generous donations have helped us on this
828-450-9395 –Brandon venture!
828-450-5690 –Kate
We’re well on our way with the project, which is set to start this Friday,
Dhomes@charter.net
but still need lots more supplies to help with the project. If you have
building contacts, love asking stores for donations, or want to make a
donation yourself, PLEASE HELP! Share this information with friends
and family members who may also be willing to help. This will be a
Visit us online!
wonderful collaborative project; it’s just waiting for your touch! Please
www.duinkerkenhomes.com email me at dhomes@charter.net if you have materials to share.

Here’s what we still need:

9 – 4x8 T1-11 plywood
4 – 1x4x10 yellow pine or mirtec or cedar
6 – 1x4x8 yellow pine or mirtec or cedar
4 – 1x8x12 yellow pine or mirtec or cedar
1 – 2x4x8 yellow pine or mirtec or cedar
1 – 2x4x10 yellow pine or mirtec or cedar
1 – 2x4x8 yellow pine or mirtec or cedar
2 – 2x4x12 spruce
1 – 2x4x14 spruce
1 – 2x4x12 spruce

Thank you again to ProBuild, Build It Naturally, Shepherd’s Finish Grade,

Heritage Homeworks and Brandon for your time and generosity! You will
be able to find pictures of the complete project on or website, next month’s
 newsletter and on our FB Page.

Contact Us
Duinkerken Homes
10 Lakeview Lane
Weaverville, NC 28787
828-645-2728
828-450-9395 –Brandon
828-450-5690 –Kate
Dhomes@charter.net

Visit us online!
www.duinkerkenhomes.com