texas homefront magazine

Across Greenspoint Lane are

approximately half-acre meadow

home sites. This creek side

community features large custom

lots for sale to home builders and

also individuals.

Fewer than forty homes will

ultimately be built here, with home

sites spacious enough to

accommodate magnificent legacy

estates and extensive outdoor living

areas. Meadow home sites from the

low $100’s, and creek side acreage

home sites from the low $200’s.

FOR MORE INFO VISIT

www.greenspointTX.com or contact Trang Dang-Le at:

214.563.2438

Residents are welcomed at

the private entrance by an

elegant stone horse trough

befitting of a Texas estate.

Ranch style gates swing open to

luxurious estate home sites that

preserve the rural character of the

unique setting.

The Estates at Greenspoint

boasts beautiful stone privacy walls,

ornamental street lighting, and a

private street. Home sites are fully

improved with city water and sewer,

underground electric and the

conveniences you expect such as

Atmos gas and ATT high-speed

bundled –content fiber to the home.

Creek side home sites are situated

high along a wooded limestone

bluff, and range in size from 1.0 –

1.6 acres. These sites enjoy

spectacular views overlooking a

tributary to Wilson Creek, which

feeds Town Lake on the east border

of the community.

For those seeking an elegant

residence in a refined country setting;

look no further than The Estates at

Greenspoint. Located in the rolling

hills of east Prosper, an area dubbed

the “Country Club District”,

generously sized custom home sites

await your dream home.

This thoughtfully designed

community incorporates your

personal architecture set in rugged

harmony with the pristine Texas

countryside. Outdoor enthusiasts will

enjoy the adjacent equestrian

facilities, golf amenities and adjacent

27-acre Town Lake.

Advertisement

Schemes, Themes

and Dreams pg 6 Randy Summers of ReMax shares some helpful

insight on how to remember the ‘Fun Factor’ when

purchasing your next home

The Ethics of Water

Conservation pg 18 If water conservation is as important as it is,

then it is truly everyone’s responsibility says

Clark Gullette

Best Seats in the House pg 24 You’ll be amazed at what goes into making all

of the choices for the ultimate media experience

Homefront Highlight pg 12 A media, a game room, and children’s

spaces; what do they all have in common?

They are the perfect ingredients for having

a home that’s fun and exciting for youth

Texas Luxefront pg 30 Erin Hickman and Rachel Ellis of

Tom Grisak Estate Home Realtors showcase

two absolutely exquisite homes that are sure

to catch your attention

On the Cover The Media Room in a Paul Taylor Model at Gentle Creek Estates in Prosper

Photography by Jonathan English

Back to school shopping,

school registration, sports

physicals, locker decoration,

anticipation of class

schedules and meeting the

educators are all a part of

shaping another year of their

precious minds and lives! So

much work to be done, but so

much excitement and

anticipation – and we can’t

help but catch the buzz!

As our summer break draws

to a close, we find ourselves

nostalgic about the

experiences we shared the

last couple of months, and

begin to talk about what we’ll

do differently NEXT summer!

All the while, we try to soak up

as much family time as we

can before the pandemonium

of the new school year

begins! One of the best

memories we shared with our

family this year was the photo

shoot for this issue.

We chose to include all of our

children in the project, as they

are the reason we work

endlessly to make TEXAS

HOMEFRONT the premiere

publication in our area. We

sincerely hope that you enjoy

the brief glimpse into our

everyday lives with their

photographs, and pray that

your Homefront includes as

much laughter, love and

appreciation as ours.

Welcome Home!

Jason and Heather Reynolds

Executive Publishers

EXECUTIVE PUBLISHERS

Jason & Heather Reynolds

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Heather Reynolds

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Jason Reynolds

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

JD Lee

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Randy Summers

Clark Gullette

Deb Goss

PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTORS

Jonathan English

Various

PRODUCTION / DESIGN

FIFTHKING MEDIA

www.fifthking.com

ADVERTISING / MARKETING

The Homefront Team

www.txhomefront.com

© 2012

TEXAS HOMEFRONT MAGAZINE

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED WORLDWIDE The title and all material within are

protected by international copyright laws

and are reserved. No part of this magazine

may be reproduced without the publisher’s

permission. Although the greatest care has

been taken to ensure the accuracy of the

information contained in this magazine at

the time of going to press, neither Texas

Homefront Magazine nor FIFTHKING

MEDIA can be held liable for omissions,

inexactness or errors.

FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES CONTACT: Texas Homefront Magazine

PO Box 405 Prosper, Texas 75078

Ph: 469.481.2935 www.TXHomefront.com facebook.com/txhomefront [email protected]

As the parents of six, yes SIX,

beautiful children, August can

only mean one thing on our

Homefront – back to school!!

We have enjoyed a wonderful

summer with our family, have

tried our best to beat the

Texas heat, and have thought

endlessly about ways we can

shape our own Children’s

Spaces. The debate rages on

regarding our Media Room –

too darken or not to darken?

LED or Projector? Sectional

or Theatre seats? And what

about our open concept

Game Room? Do we go with

a family game table or a pool

table? So many choices to

make, and if your Homefront

is anything like ours, this

month’s edition may help aid

in those oh-so important

decisions.

We chose August to focus on

Media and Game rooms,

Children’s spaces and

bedroom design because of

the nature of what’s on our

minds this month. Namely,

our children! Not that they

aren’t always at the top of the

list, but this month particularly,

it seems that everything

revolves around them.

www.TXhomefront.com | 5

Although

parents are

the ones who

initiate the

purchase of

a new home,

children play

a huge part

in deciding

the final

outcome of

the search.

6 | Texas Homefront Magazine

Children’s Spaces are just as

important as the choice you make

between your exterior façade,

whether it’s a Colonial style or a

single story Mediterranean home.

In the long haul, your children’s input

and choices really do matter too!

From game rooms and media

rooms to bedrooms, lofts and web

parlors (fancy words for children’s

homework areas); “Children’s

Spaces” should exist throughout

your home, both inside and out.

These areas will eventually give

you multiple options when selling

your home. While you enjoy your loft

as an area to relax and read a book,

the next family could very well use it

for a treadmill or an area for a family

poker game. Children’s color

schemes, decorations and themes

help define their spaces.

So let’s talk schemes, themes

and little ones’ dreams!

Color Schemes

Choosing the right color scheme

can bring new life to your child’s

bedroom. It also helps to create a

mood that could be essential to their

day to day activities. It is important

for the room to be brightly decorated,

and the colors chosen should be

vibrant and bold.

This is especially true if your

child’s bedroom doesn’t get much

direct sunlight.


I am always open to your questions about

any Real Estate topics, so please feel free

to call me at 214-498-0083 or email me at

[email protected].

Randy Summers / ReMax

Based in Prosper, Texas, Cornerstone Assistance Network of North Central Texas is a faith-based nonprofit that unites with others to demonstrate Christ’s compassion by serving our neighbors in need. This is accomplished by sharing the Gospel and helping family units escape the cycle of poverty for good by providing resources, tools, and education. For more information about Cornerstone, visit cornerstonenct.org. To pray for and/or financially support our neighbors, text 'CornerstoneNCT' to 90210.

* Names have been changed to protect the privacy of

individuals.

Katie* came to

Cornerstone NCT for

help with back to

school clothes for her

kids. As we talked

with the family, we

learned more about

their story.

Advertisement

Katie's husband had died in a car accident a few years before. About a year later, Katie was laid off and soon after, the family lost their home. God provided as we worked with Katie to find her a job that allows her to cover her bills, save significantly, and even help others in need.

As you clean out your closets, give locally to help families just like Katie's! Items will go to families or be sold at Cornerstone's resurrected retail store, The Attic (201 S. Main in Prosper). 100% of The Attic's profits benefit Cornerstone and those we are privileged to serve.

To donate, bring items to the Cornerstone NCT Donation Center (304 E. First Street in Prosper) for a full tax write off. Hours are listed on our website, cornerstonenct.org. There is also a drop off box built by Girl Scout Troop 644 at the center for your convenience.

Advertisement

VLife Church is a growing,

vibrant, and contemporary body

of Christian believers who have

a passion for life, love, and

divine purpose to reach the

world with the love and

transforming power of Jesus

Christ. Recently, we have

embarked on a mission to revive

one of the oldest, and most

notable church buildings in the

City of McKinney. It is a place

where people from all genres of

life will be able to worship and

enjoy the presence of God. It is

also an endeavor that you can

participate in by sharing a

financial gift. Visit us online at:

www.vlifechurch.com to learn

about VLife Church. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Mike Connaway

Senior Pastor


The Children’s Retreat in Grand Homes Model at Greenspoint in Prosper


The Game Room in Grand Homes Model at Greenspoint in Prosper

A Work Desk Area in Grand Homes Model at Greenspoint in Prosper


A Youth Bedroom in Grand Homes Model at Greenspoint in Prosper

The Game Room in a Paul Taylor Model at Gentle Creek Estates in Prosper

The Media Room in Grand Homes Model at Greenspoint in Prosper

In the year 2010, the National Association of Realtors

listed selling points found most important to potential buyers,

and second on the list was landscaping. We all love a

beautiful lawn, lush green grass, landscaped shrubbery and

native trees, with a design to accentuate and beautify the

property. After all, landscaping can make a huge difference in

curb appeal.

Landscape is a vital part of finishing out a property, and

the design, installation of hardscapes, plantings and irrigation

can hit your pocket book pretty heavy. Usually the last line

item in the budget, most young homeowners must settle for

less landscape curb appeal in favor of crown molding. Yet we

all want to protect our investment no matter how big or small.

,we all

want to

protect our

investment

no matter

how big or

small.


In this region, the majority of water used by homeowners is

through one’s irrigation system. We love to water our lawns.

Municipalities are quick to force stage water restrictions in

favor of other methods which have been proven as solid ways

of deterring wasteful habits. As homeowners, we sometimes

disagree with the notion that watering our lawns as wasteful.

Because let’s face it, we’re protecting our investment, right?

Each of us has a responsibility to use water in an ethical

manner in which the least amount of waste is incurred. We do

this by water conservation habits and methods. If we can

agree that most water used by homeowners is through our

irrigation systems, then we have an ethical right to ensure our

system is performing as intended.

,we have

an ethical

right to

ensure our

system is

performing

as intended.


,each of

us can make

a difference.

How many times have you

been running the kids to soccer

practice or on your way to work,

surprised to see a solid stream of

water shooting abruptly out of a

broken or defective sprinkler head?

Sure it’s not your property, yet we

pass by without even thinking of

notifying the homeowner or city

officials. Correcting these types of

behaviors is what city officials are

trying to instill in each of us, an

ethical attitude about water

conservation.

very precious resource. We must be

ever vigilant as to when and “how

much” we use. Take the time to re-

evaluate your water conservation

habits, learn to cut waste, audit your

irrigation system and don’t be afraid

to point out the wasteful habits in

others.

The best way to achieve this is by

your example, because each of us

can make a difference.

In previous articles we have

covered ways to limit use, such as

turning off water as you brush your

teeth, taking a shower instead of a

bath and properly irrigating your

plant life. These three very simple

solutions to waste can be the answer

to possible water shortages. All we

have to do is be aware, be attentive

and be ethically minded about this

very important issue.

As we go throughout the rest of

summer, keep in mind our water is a

In our modern world there

seems to be so little time for

play, so few opportunities for

families to be together, relaxed,

enjoying each other’s company,

enjoying life.


Albert Einstein once said,

“Combinatory play seems to be the

essential feature in productive

thought.” The new concept of a

media room, home theater, or game

room may provide a modern venue

for the family to get back together,

play, relax, clear minds, and allow

creative thought to flow once again.

Media Room Design

Media rooms can be almost

infinitely diverse in style, décor,

function, and technology. They

ultimately reflect the unique

expression of the family that plays

there. When designing a home

media room, so many decisions

must be made.

What is the main function of the

room? Should the room be a

combination home theater and

gaming room? Should it include

theater chairs or a large sofa where

the whole family can snuggle up

together? What technologies will

best meet our family’s need?

Some common decisions that

need to be made are choosing

between LED or LCD screens, multi-

speaker surround sound or single

sound bar technology, Blu-ray Disc

or traditional DVD technology, or

choosing to integrate and automate

using Smart Home technology?

Keep in mind that room lighting, size,

and shape will also more than likely

affect component selection. www.TXhomefront.com | 25

Multi-Speaker Surround Sound vs.

Virtual Surround Sound (VSS)

Traditional multi-speaker

surround sound, the standard

compliment to High Definition

Television (HDTV), is achieved by

using either a six-channel 5.1 or

eight-channel 7.1 configuration. The

5.1 configuration, which is how most

movies are encoded, is comprised

of a center channel, right and left

rear channels, right and left front

channels, and a low frequency

effects (LFE) or subwoofer channel.

These channels are then routed to

an array of six speakers. The

surround effect can be enhanced to

more closely achieve a complete 360

degree sound experience with the

eight channel 7.1 configuration. Two

rear channels are added in this

configuration, resulting in two back,

two side, three forward, and a

subwoofer channel routed to an

array of eight speakers, engulfing the

listener in sound from all sides. 22.2

Hamasaki surround sound is the

standard for Ultra High Definition

Television and uses a twenty-four

channel-to-speaker configuration

arranged in three layers.

DVD vs. Blu-Ray Disc

Digital Versatile Video Discs

(DVD) and Blu-Ray Discs (BD) may

look and feel alike, but are worlds

apart in functionality. Both are optical

storage devices that use the

presence or absence of reflected

light for binary encoding of data.

What makes Blu-ray stand out? BD’s

superior resolution presents sharper

details and its superior video

compression presents richer colors

and sharper contrasts. Blu-ray will

also provide better imagery than

your local movie theater if used in

conjunction with an HDTV or

projector. Audio quality is superior

too because the sound is captured

using the same TrueHD and Dolby

technologies as motion picture

studios. This results in audio

identical to the master track. User-

friendly features and pop-up menus

have also been incorporated, but the

most important difference of all is

that Blu-ray provides high-density

optical storage. The capacity of a

Blu-ray disc is more than five times

greater than a standard DVD. A

single Blu-ray disc can store up to

50GB of data.


Light Emitting Diode (LED) vs.

Liquid Crystal Diode (LCD)

Video screen technology keeps

evolving and occasionally

misnomers occur as that technology

permeates mainstream

consciousness. For example, the

latest video screen innovation to

replace the older liquid crystal diode

(LCD) screen has become known as

the LED screen. In reality, an LED

TV is nothing more than an LCD TV

that uses LED lights instead of the

traditional fluorescent lights. Both the

LED and LCD TVs use an LCD front

panel. LED TVs employ two forms of

lighting: edge lighting and backlight

local dimming. Edge lighting places

LEDs around the screen edge and

allows for very thin screen

construction. Advances in LED

construction have dramatically

reduced LED size and now TVs

featuring LED backlight

local dimming, which

places banks of

LEDs behind the

LCD panel,

can also be

very thin.

Fluorescent lit LCD screens

create dark tones by blocking light

from coming through the screen.

This gives advantage to LED

backlight local dimming, which has

sharper image contrasts resulting

from the intricate on/off control of

LEDs behind the screen. The LEDs

can be individually turned off to

reduce light in the darker areas of

the screen and turned on to increase

lighting in the brighter areas. Edge

light LED screens have brighter

whites than fluorescent LCD

screens, but don’t have as much

contrast control as backlight local

dimming LED screens.

White backlight local dimming

LED technology doesn’t provide

much of a color advantage as

compared to fluorescent LCD, but if

red, green, blue (RGB) color wheel

technology is used in conjunction

with LED backlight dimmer

technology, color accuracy is

significantly improved and a more

realistic color is achieved.

Automation

The advent of the home theater

has bestowed an unwanted gift to

many families in America: a giant

basket of remote controls and how-to

instructions required just to turn on

the various components of the media

room and get them to work together.

To make matters worse, the search

for a universal remote control turned

out to be elusive at best, however,

advances in technology have

created a solution. Smart Home

touch screen automation is here,

more affordable than ever, and

simplifying lives all across America.

Touch screen technology can not

only automatically lock the door at

the same time each evening, raise

and lower window shades, and

distribute digital music around the

home; it can be used to dim the

lights, start a movie, and adjust the

sound with the

touch of your

iPhone or iPad

screen. Touch

screen

technology

can be used

to integrate

your entire

home,

bringing

your media

room into

other living

spaces.

As with any large purchase, a

savvy buyer must always adhere to

“caveat emptor” let the buyer

beware! Thoroughly research your

options, read reviews on equipment,

vendors, and manufacturers. Take

advantage of the Better Business

Bureau (BBB) rating resources. Then

with confidence you can move

forward to a modern venue that will

enhance your family’s leisure time

together. Happy playing!


Trusting the sale of your

home is an important decision,

and working with a realtor to

find your next home is also an

important decision. We go to

great lengths to provide our

clients with unprecedented

personalized service.

Our services include a

complimentary consultation with

a professional interior designer,

professional architectural

photography and an in-depth,

detailed description of your

home. We also provide weekly

market activity updates and

enhanced listings on

Realtor.com. I represent both

sellers and buyers in the

Prosper area.

LuxLuxLuxLuxe Facts:e Facts:e Facts:e Facts: House Size 4,818 Lot Size 2.70 Beds 3 Baths 5 Stories 2 Garage 4 Car Year Built 2001 Features: Acreage, Creek, Heavily Treed, Interior Lot, Landscaped, Large Backyard Grass, Subdivision, Automatic Gate, and Dog Run.


My true passion is helping

clients find their dream home or

move on to their next one!!

Whether I am helping buyers or

sellers, there is nothing that

makes me happier than seeing

someone excited about their

future home.

With Tom Grisak Estate

Homes Realtors, we offer

nothing but the best in

professional marketing,

honesty, and top of the line

customer service.

“We SPECIALIZE in

Special Homes”!

Luxe Facts:Luxe Facts:Luxe Facts:Luxe Facts: House Size 5,150 Lot Size 0.42 Beds 5 Baths 5 Stories 2 Garage 4 Car Year Built 2001 Features: Attached Spa, Cleaning System, Diving, Heated, In Ground Gunite, Lap Pool, Side Parking, Swing Drive, and Workbench.


texas homefront magazine

Documents

meadow home sites

home sites spacious

acreage home sites

home builders

dream home

luxurious estate home

sized custom home sites

home thats fun