Fulton Homes now carries Therma-Tru patio doors that are low E dual pane glass, but have a shade in the center  of the glass panels that can block out the light, when you need.  The advantages of these fully contained shades within the window, is that you can adjust the shade so that is fully closed partially closed and fully open.  The design possibilities are endless, as they come in many different styles and can also be done in a dual french door set up.

Beautifully crafted, energy efficient, secure, and easy to maintain, Therma-Tru fiberglass patio doors are a durable alternative to wood or steel.  Even after 25 years, fiberglass remains the most advanced material for entryways — able to satisfy both today’s and tomorrow’s homeowners by giving them the look of wood doors and the strength of steel doors, without the compromises of either.  It’s the optimum combination of security, energy efficiency, performance and aesthetics.

Gone are the days when you had to put up with blinds that clattered around every time you opened or closed the door. When you purchase an entry or patio door from Therma-Tru, you can rest assured knowing that you’ve purchased a high quality, beautiful product that was built to last.

CHANDLER, AZ – New reports show the number of bank-owned homes continuing to rise across the nation, while new home sales are still dropping. But one part of the Valley is seeing some hope.

Fulton Homes executives are reporting an unusual rise in new homes in Gilbert, Tempe and Chandler.

Vice President Dennis Webb said in just the past month and a half they’ve had 75 new home sales and in one south Chandler development, every lot just sold.

“It’s been tough… we’re just lucky to have the foresight to figure out what the buyers want and to give it to them.”

Webb says the company had to change their approach to selling new homes and become a customer-choice-driven seller over a home-builder-choice seller.

For Allison and Barret Hartman that made buying a bit easier.

The couple had their eye on the Fulton Ranch area for quite some time.

“We heard the homes were selling fast. We came in and took a look and knew that, if we were going to jump the gun it was time to do it,” said Barret Hartman.

The couple chose to buy a new home instead of a foreclosed home as a way of saving family time.

“It takes a lot of time to invest in a house that may need some fixing up,” said Allison Hartman, who has to keep up with two fast-paced boys.

The choice to buy new had to be tough with the increasing number of bank-owned homes available.

Reuters reports Nevada with the most foreclosed homes, while California and Arizona share the second spot, holding 56 percent of the nation’s foreclosed homes.

“It’s very difficult to compete with the homes that we built that are foreclosed homes that are $30,000 to $40,000 less than costs,” said Webb .

That’s where the choices come in. Webb adds that in order to attract new home buyers, the company had to display their prices upfront, with a 13,000 square foot design gallery of options that allow them to add or subtract options and costs.

“It’s kind of nice to be able to start with a clean slate,” said Barret Harman.

With the endless amount of possibilities of a floor plan styles in a home, an open floor plan continues to be one of the most popular choices for new homes and renovations.  A key factor to an open floor plan is functionality.  With opening up walls, the space between the kitchen, dining and living rooms creates a nice flow both visually and functionality.  Along with the style of floor plan, comes the task of choosing the colors that keep the open feel true.  Color in décor and paint can help eliminate the separating lines in an open floor plan.

Using a single color throughout the spaces creates a sense of unity between the different living areas.  If the living room were painted a single color, different from the rest, it would close the space away from the rest of the rooms.  The key is to uphold the flow of movement and color through the space with furniture and accessories to keep the openness alive.

One of the most common areas in a home that are included in an open floor plan is the kitchen.  Tile, paint and the appliances are just a few of the elements in the kitchen that need to be considered when decorating and choosing the right colors to accent the open concept.  In this modern kitchen, you can see the unity of color tone that is carried from the kitchen seamlessly out in to the living space.  The unity of color allows the space to be viewed as a larger living area. 

If you want a pop of color, be sure to accent the rest of the spaces with the same color or tone, to create a visually cohesive look.  Using throw pillows on a couch, dishtowels or vases in a kitchen are a fast, affordable and easy to update way of creating the feel of an open floor plan.

This photo shows a rug, ottoman coffee table and a few accessories in a neutral sepia tone. It gives you the chance to see how texture affects the look of this arrangement.

Start with the warm wood floors. They provide just the right backdrop to the dramatic Oriental rug. The complex design and tonal shifts add much of this image’s interest. You can tell that this rug is authentic by looking at the fringe. In true Orientals, the fringe on one side is about twice as long as the fringe on the other. That’s because what you perceive as fringe is actually the trimmed ends of the rug weaving.

The smooth leather of the ottoman benefits from buttons that show off its texture and personality. On top a tray and folded throw add additional texture and tonal contrasts.

Now let’s look at the same arrangement in the context of the room and in color. Any surprises? Notice the unexpected color of the throw pillow? Also, did you expect the rug to be in reds rather than blue and brown?

One interesting feature of the ottoman/rug area in context is the change in approach. Most of the rest of the space is black and white with a few splashes of red. However, there is just enough brown to bring everything together.

Color always has a tendency to distract from texture and tone. To get a better sense of both, head to a quilting shop and pick up a red plastic square used to look for tonal matches in fabric. You can do the same thing these two photos did – look at the same vignette in color and with the color removed.

Kitchens have changed a lot in recent years. Before, kitchens are hidden out of sight and are separated from the other rooms with dividers or walls. But now, it has become the center of the house as there are a variety of activities that can be done in the kitchen like food preparation, entertaining or just relaxing with the family. That is why most kitchens nowadays are exposed in plain view just like the other rooms in the house like the living room, the den, etc. For this reason, special care needs to be taken also when designing your kitchen.

Many homeowners prefer to employ a modern design for their kitchen as modern styles have a sleek and clean look. Here are a few suggestions on how you can create a modern kitchen:

1. No modern kitchen design is complete without a central unit called an island. An island serves a lot of functions aside from adding a modern look to your kitchen. It can be a working area so you may want to have a built in sink or chopping board in it. It can also be used for entertaining as it is one great place where family members or guests can convene and gather.
2. Maintain a clean line. This means that all surfaces in the kitchen have straight edges for a clean look.
3. Avoid too much color. A kitchen with a white theme is a good bet to achieve a modern kitchen look.
4. Lastly, accessorize your kitchen with stainless steel appliances and minimalist furniture to complete the sleek look.

Using a black and white color scheme tends to make a space feel modern and almost cold. Instead, by adding silver and crystal, this room is warm and glamorous.

The feeling of rich abundance comes in part from the generous use of patterns. Only the loveseat is solid. Even the walls and buffet contain subtle patterns that support the room’s total look.

The tile floor is primarily off-white, with a touch of darker tones to add personality. Overlaying it, the area rug’s black and white large floral pattern is echoed in many variations throughout the room. The lampshade in the foreground, throw pillows, and even the design etched on the glass room divider use variations of large floral patterns in their look. This consistency helps keep the room from becoming overwhelming.

Silver is used well also. From the small silver-leaf tables in the far corner to the antique candlesticks on the buffet and picture frames on the wall, silver is the third color that brings the room together.

Finally, crystal light fixtures provide the sparkle that leads to interesting reflections and patterns of light. Just add a few old Hollywood stars, and this room is ready for its close-up.

When decorating, color plays a key component to create a wow factor for your house. It also compliments the flooring and furniture to complete the overall look and theme that you want to create.

To create harmonious color combinations, you have to understand the effect colors have on ourselves and our environment first and the best way to do that is by understanding the color wheel.

There are six basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple and then there are mixes of the basic colors. When these colors are used together in a right way, it creates a combination that is harmonious to the eye.

Here are some color schemes that will create a harmonious effect for your home:

Monochromatic Color Scheme. For this scheme, a single color of varying lightness and saturation is used. For example, a dark brown bed over light brown flooring.

Analogous Color Scheme. This scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel like green and light green or orange and yellow.

Complementary Color Scheme. Using colors that are adjacent in the color wheel makes each color appear brighter. Examples of colors in this scheme include blue and orange, red and green, purple and yellow.

Triadic color scheme. This scheme uses color like yellow-green, blue-violet, and red-orange. If you look at the color wheel, these three colors are equally distant from each other forming a triangle.

Colors define the ambiance and mood for your home so choose the right color scheme to make a welcoming feel for your house.

If you have every furnished your home from scratch, then you must have faced the dilemma of choosing the floor color, and whether to match it with your cabinet color or not. Although the answer to that question is quite subjective and depends really on what your preferences are, but here we’ll try to explain what the general trends are in this respect.

Some people feel it’s atrocious to have same colored floor and cabinets. Primarily because they get bored looking at the same color everywhere. Life is boring without diversity and this aptly applies when it comes to the color scheme of your home.

Home décor experts say it’s always best to have floor two or three shades lighter or darker than your cabinets. For example, if your cabinets are dark and rich in color, the floor you should opt for should have a light color; for instance, maple. This makes for a far more aesthetic look and typically, similar colors create confusion and are not as visually appealing.

It’s up to you to decide which color will goes with which. A combination of various colors, shades and textures gives your house that extra flair. They reflect liveliness and the personality of the person who owns it. You can use all your creativity to choose various color schemes, or have your interior decorator give you suggestions. But mixing is definitely better than matching your floor and cabinetry colors.

Have you considered shutters for your windows? They work equally well with modern or traditional styles, and can provide just the right balance of light and privacy.

Take a look at how shutters work in this room with its simple lines and choices of colors. The adjustable louvers are set to let light in without glare and while maintaining privacy.

The pure white of this shutter choice is perfect with this room’s design choices. There is just enough light yellow-green to allow the whites to carry a soft shadow of color. Even in the heat of summer, this room provides a cool escape.

Everything about this space speaks to simple good taste. The slightly-different shades of green on the pillow, vase, clock and even the houseplant keep every piece interesting and individual. Choosing to add the silver labels on the shelves and one small turquoise element – the box – adds just enough difference to keep this corner from lapsing into the danger of too much matching.

The best part of this room is the quality of the light. With louvers keeping the sun under control, any window can provide a comfortable level of light at any time during the day. The soft feeling of this space comes from a sophisticated use of its shutters. Shutters come in many colors and wood tones. Here, the simple white painted effect suits the room’s design.

Are you ready to add shutters to your home? Come into our showroom and let us show you the rich variety of design choices available.