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Join us for the Artisan Home Tour beginning next Friday,  June 10th, 2016.

Tour Dates: June 10 – 12, 17 – 19, 14 – 16

Tickets are available for sale at each home or you can purchase online, at Bachman’s or Holiday Station stores.

Woodbury just got a little grander with the addition of an elegant European chateau by Custom One Homes.  A true Artisan residence, the classic design welcomes family and guests alike, with graceful triple arches framing a dramatic front entry.

Oval, arch-top and gridded windows echo the entryway, while stone and stucco lend authenticity to this 5 bedroom, 5 bath, 7000+ SF home with two double garages separated by porte-cochere for added architectural interest.   Don’t miss this home opening in Woodbury for the 2016 Artisan Home Tour event June 10-12, 17-19 and 24-26^th.

Being a custom home builder in Cottage Grove, MN lets us try out new and innovative products. We’re always looking for new technology for the smart home and the Nest is a great product that can keep you comfortable and save you money.

Heating and cooling take up at least half of the average homes energy bill, as such it’s important to be conscious of how often you’re leaving your heating and cooling running when you’re not even in the home.

If your thermostat isn’t programmed you could be wasting a lot of energy, and money, every year. Unfortunately a complicated thermostat mixed with laziness results in many of us not taking the time to learn how to program our thermostats.

Thankfully, there is now a smarter solution.

The Nest Thermostat

Most people leave their heating and cooling running while they’re out of the home, either due to forgetting to turn it down or because they don’t want the house to be too hot or cold when they return. The Nest Thermostat knows when you leave the house and will turn off the heating and cooling for you while you’re away. You can also schedule it to turn off while you’re at work as well as lower it when you’re asleep.

If you change your temperature settings the Nest will learn what temperatures you like and build a personalized schedule based on your habits. After a few days of manually changing the temperatures the nest will start setting them on its own.

Like most smart devices you can control the Nest from an app on your smart phone. If you’re getting home early you can tell the Nest to change the temperature from anywhere sot that the temperature will be perfect when you arrive home.

One of the best features of this device is that you can see exactly when the Nest is running in your home and how the temperature levels affect your energy bill. If you set the temperature to 70° one day and bring it down to 68° the next you will be able to see exactly how much energy you saved. The Nest will also email you a monthly energy report that contains a summary of your energy use.

The Nest can help lower your heating and cooling bills by up to 20%! So, if you’re trying to be a little more energy conscious, or just want a better way of controlling your home’s temperature, the Nest Thermostat is a great option.

For those of you who don’t have central air, the Nest Thermostat obviously isn’t going to work for you. There is, however, another product on the market that you may want to look into.

The Aros Smart Window AC Unit

The Aros is similar to the Nest in that it learns about what temperatures you prefer at different times of the day, can be controlled from anywhere using your smartphone, and can anticipate your movements by using your smartphones GPS settings to turn off when you leave and have the home back to the perfect temperature when you get back home.

For anyone without central air this is the perfect substitute!

If you’re thinking about moving to a great place to raise a family then look no further than Woodbury, Minnesota. These top 5 reasons to live in Woodbury might seem obvious to those who have lived here for a while but might not be so evident to those from out of town. Many people think of I-94 and Radio Drive when they think of Woodbury but there is so much more to it than that. Woodbury has a population of 61,961. The median age in Woodbury is 35.6 making it a city with many young families, perfect for raising kids.

Top 5 Reasons to Live in Woodbury MN

1. Jobs – The median household income in Woodbury is $94,506 and the unemployment rate is 3.0%. Both considerably better than the national average.
2. Schools – Woodbury schools are some of the best with average test scores at 81%. There are roughly 14 public schools in Woodbury  with 96% completing high school and 56% going on to complete a bachelors degree. Because of open enrollment families can also send their children to schools in nearby Stillwater and Maplewood.
3. Recreation – Woodbury has 45 parks covering roughly 3000 acres of land and about 100 miles of trails, many of which are paved for multi use. Central Park is a multi-use indoor park that provides a focal point that establishes the City Center area as the heart of our city. The park links to the Washington County branch library and the YMCA, and houses School District 833 Early Childhood Family Education, is designed to bring a cross-section of the community together.
4. Low Crime Rate – Woodbury’s crime rate is 38% lower than the national average making it safer than 73% of the cities in the US. Add to that, that crime has decreased by 15% and you know it’s a safe place to raise your family.
5. Of course, one of the best reason to live in Woodbury is Autumn Ridge. Autumn Ridge of Woodbury is an executive neighborhood with 1.5 – 3+ acre homesites. Home packages range from $800,000 to $2M+.  Strong architectural features will create one-of-a-kind homes that compliment the large estate setting.  Enjoy extra privacy and spacious yards for great outdoor living and recreation.

If you’re considering a move to Woodbury then be sure to check out Autumn Ridge, Stonemill Farms or Twenty-one Oaks, are all wonderful communities in Woodbury. Want to learn more about these great neighborhoods? Call The Royal Team at 612-405-4663 today to learn more.