A quarterly newsletter from Musser Home Builders, Inc.

I N T E G R I T Y Q U A L I T Y S E R V I C E V A L U E

Musser Home Bui lders , Inc .10 Barrens Val ley Road

Di l lsburg , PA 17019

T: (717) 432-3496 F : (717) 432-4192info@musserbui lder.comwww.musserbui lder.com

f a l l 2 0 1 6 I S S U E N O . 0 7

Duct less , mini-spl it heat pumps are a great a lternat ive opt ion to houses with “non-ducted” heat ing systems. We use them in a var iety of remodel s ituat ions including sunrooms, fami ly rooms, andbonus rooms.

These systems of fer f lexible solut ions , requir ing nothing more that mount ing units and access to e lec tr ic ity. Mini-spl it systems can a lso be used for temperature control in speci f ic rooms in both home addit ions and new bui lds .

B ecause these systems have a bui lt in f i l ter and require no ductwork, they improve your home’s air qual ity and are typica l ly more energ y ef f ic ient .

C onsider us ing a duct less , mini-spl it heat pump as a lternat ive opt ion in your next remodel !

A few t imes ever y year, we take par t in something much bigger than a k itchen remodel or sunroom addit ion. You may remember in the summer newsletter, we highl ighted a home renovat ion projec t that t ransformed the l iv ing s ituat ion for a fami ly whose oldest daughter, Jos ie , had l imited mobi l ity and use of her body. Through teamwork and l is tening to the unique needs of the customer, we were able to create a solut ion that became a turning point in how Josie and her fami ly l ive at home.

Sarah, a v ibrant and fun loving 18 year old g ir l , has had C erebra l Pa lsy s ince bir th . This leaves her conf ined to a wheel chair and requires around the clock care. Sarah is acutely aware of her surroundings and has the typica l “g ir l” i ssues–boys , c lothing, and looking pretty!

We set of f ear l ier this year with the goa l of g iv ing Sarah a bathroom shower and closet that f it her unique l i festy le . Sarah needs a care g iver to be in the shower to bathe her, however, her shower made this less than convenient . The closet she was us ing made sense for the major ity of fami l ies , but in Sarah’s case, i t made the s imple task of picking out her c lothes ever yday ver y di f f icu lt .

Through the hard work of Curt Fleck and the rest of our team, we were able to des ign a solut ion that showed empathy to Sarah and her fami ly. Sarah can now shower with her fu l l body in the shower at one t ime. In her pr ior set up, she was l imited in shower ing only ha l f of her body at a t ime. The new shower has two hand spray showers with sca ld guard technolog y, a table that direc ts water to the drain and reduces the amount of water that sprays onto her care g iver, and a l i f t that can move Sarah to and f rom the table without here caregiver having to l i f t her.

In addit ion to the shower, our cabinet bui lder br i l l iant ly craf ted Sarah a wardrobe that is eas ier for her to pick out her c lothing. Now, Sarah can see her c lothing without having someone pul l i t f rom a drawer and show it to her. This , combined with a c loset organizat ion system that isspeci f ic to Sarah’s medica l and personal needs , has made her ever yday tasks more independent ly manageable , and u lt imately more enjoyable .

We l isten to the unique needs of the people we work with and commit to do our par t in helping to make l i fe more enjoyable for themselves and the ent ire fami ly. S eeing the happiness you br ing into someone’s l i fe in a di f f icu lt s ituat ion makes what we do worth it .

We hope your gardening ef for ts this past year provided you enjoyable hours outdoors in the summer sun and the f ruits–and veggies !–of your labor gave your fami ly big smi les and fu l l bel l ies around the dinner table !

Remember, now that fa l l i s among us , properly c los ing your garden wi l l help protect your garden in the the winter whi le a lso sett ing your garden up for success come spr ingt ime. We close out our garden by removing a l l the plants and adding a 1-2 inch top layer of mulched leaves . By s imply running over the leaves that dropped f rom the t rees on your home’s proper ty with the lawn mower, your can make your own layer of mulched leaves . These mulched leaves wi l l protect the ground in the winter and in the spr ing they are turned into the soi l for f ree compost !

Once you are f inished clos ing your garden for the year, don’t think your gardening fun has to stop over the winter. Many have t r ied grow-ing greens , herbs and other vegetables indoors . The biggest cha l lenge you wi l l face is providing enough of the r ight l ight ing . Due to a decreased amount of sunl ight over the winter months , you typica l ly wi l l not f ind enough of it for your indoor garden to f lour ish. You can tr y us ing reasonably pr iced T5 f luorescent bulbs in your cupboards to get your indoor garden star ted.

If indoor gardening isn’t your thing , another a lternat ive could be to t r y growing a bonsai t ree as a projec t with the k ids . We bet they wi l l love it !

Unique needs requires special equipment

d u c t l e s s, M i n i - s p l i t h e at p u m p s

b e f o r e a f t e rB efore and af ter pic tures of Sarah’s shower.

10 Barrens Val ley RoadDi l lsburg , PA 17019

www.musserbui lder.comRegistrat ion No. : PA4430

S ome of us are forced to l ive di f ferent ly due to physica l l imitat ions . You read on the f ront s ide of the newsletter how Sarah couldn’t even f it her ent ire body in the shower. Her care g iver could only bathe Sarah’s body one ha l f at a t ime. A few months ago, we told you a stor y of how Lyme’s disease has made Jos ie’s l iv ing s ituat ion di f f icu lt due to her physica l l imitat ions . In both of these scenar ios , the l imitat ions that each fami ly has to dai ly overcome are not by choice.

In ever y s ituat ion, however, we can choose to l ive di f ferent ly than how our culture te l ls us to l ive . Work more, make more money, c l imb the corporate ladder, spend more–more, more, more. Even our k ids are busier than ever. They have technolog y at their f inger t ips and rarely take the t ime to enjoy just being k ids .

If we le t our culture dic tate how we l ive, we wi l l f ind ourselves over-worked, exhausted, f rustrated, and “burned out”. I ’ve never met someone near ing the end of a long l i fe who said, “I only wish I had worked more,” or “I wish I had bought .” There is nothing wrong with enjoying a beaut i fu l home, loving your new car, or buying new furniture. The chal lenge for a l l of us is becoming swept up into our culture of consumerism and miss ing the main purpose for l iv ing .

Mike Forster joined our team at Musser Home Bui lders in November 2010, becoming one of our Job Foreman. Mike does an excel lent job in this role of super vis ing severa l job s ites at a t ime, including most ly new houses and larger renovat ions . Pr ior to coming, Mike was a subcontractor and had worked closely with us on many of our jobs . During this t ime, Mike says , “I got to know Jef f and his reputat ion and integr ity as a person f irst , then as a boss and a leader second. I admire his Chr ist ian stance and a l l he stood for. I ’ve said many t imes , he’s the only one I would have g iven up my business to come work for. I ’ve never regretted my decis ion.”

Mike and his wife , Apr i l , have been marr ied just shor t of 26 years . They and their two chi ldren, Jess , who is 22 and marr ied, and Kyle , who is 19 and in col lege, enjoy t ravel ing around to var ious places , especia l ly the beach! Their dog, Mia , i s Apr i l’s pr ide and joy!

Mike is a spor ts fanat ic , watching spor ts year round regardless of the season. His favor ite spor t to watch is footba l l , both col lege and pro.

We are blessed to have someone l ike Mike as an integra l par t of our team. Thanks Mike for a l l you do!M i k e f o r s t e rJob Foreman

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Jef f Musser

“ D o U n t o o t h e r s a s y o u w o u l d h a v e d o n e t o y o u . ”