How To Get Your Backyard Ready For Fourth Of July

Fourth of July is just around the corner. This is a great holiday to spend time at your Lake of the Ozarks home. There are fireworks, concerts and fun community events happening all weekend long. If you're coming down to your home at the Lake of the Ozarks, here are a few things you can do to help prepare for your weekend festivities.

Clean Up The Porch

During Fourth of July, you will most likely spend a lot of time on your covered deck, so make sure it's ready for the holiday weekend. Pests love hanging out on porches as much as we do, but we don't want them hanging around for the festivities. Sweep up any debris that may have accumulated over the winter and spring months, clean up cobwebs, and if your porch has a table or chairs make sure those are wiped down for your guests.

Clean Barbeque Grill

There is no better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than barbecuing! Whether you're barbecuing for the first time this year or you've already got your grill out, it's a good idea to give it a good scrub down before using it this holiday weekend.

Create A Social Setting

During the summer months, you'll probably want to enjoy some time outside enjoying the beautiful view of the Lake of the Ozarks. When having company over, rearrange your outdoor furniture to a more social setting. If you have a firepit, placing the chairs around that is a great place to start. You'll want the chairs set up in a way where you can still easily interact, but still enjoy the beautiful view.

Get Yard Ready

If you'll be spending time outside, make sure your yard is cleaned up by mowing and ensuring that landscaping is taken care of. If you have walking paths, take a weed eater and clean up around them. In addition, make sure any debris from the past storms is cleaned up.

Get Creative With Lights

If you plan on your Fourth of July festivities lasting long into the night, you'll want to make sure you have plenty of lights. In addition to having walking paths lit up with path lighting, you may want to get more creative and place festive lights around the deck. The more light you have the more time you'll want to spend outside at night.

Keep Pests Off The Guest List

One downside to the summer months are the insects that come out to play. Make sure they're not invited to the festivities by taking preventative measures to ensuring your party is uninviting to pests. If you have any food out, make sure it's tightly covered, ensure any trash is placed into a sealed container and that the food prep area is cleaned well.

Photo Credit: FunLake.com

While you're here for the holiday weekend, make sure you stop by our beautiful residential development at the Lake of the Ozarks. Mission Bay is conveniently located in Camdenton on the 32 MM of the Osage Arm. We're near many of the fun events happening during the Fourth of the July, as well as area waterfront restaurants, shopping and other fun attractions. Swing on by and see what our Lake of the Ozarks community development has to offer!

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Phone: (573) 346-6600

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OUR LOCATION

237 Mission Bay Blvd.

Camdenton, MO 65020

Keep Your Home Maintained With These Simple Tips

As a homeowner, there are many things you must do to keep your home in tip-top shape. Just like a car, your home needs regular maintenance to ensure it looks and is running its best. When your Lake of the Ozarks home is well maintained, it could also keep you from dealing with big issues, as you can catch problems early on before they become an issue. Mission Bay has created a list of home maintenance tips to help you keep your Lakefront home at the Lake of the Ozarks in peak condition.

Monthly Maintenance

- Inspect or replace HVAC filters.  It's best to check your air filters once a month and replace as necessary. The air filters for your HVAC system are an important aspect in making sure your furnace and AC are running efficiently. If you have pets or children, you may need to replace your filters more often.

- Clean garbage disposal. If your home has a garbage disposal, you will want to clean this once a month to avoid pests, such as fruit flys, from invading your kitchen. In addition, it will also help with avoiding gunk buildup that could make your kitchen sink start to smell. Many cleaners that you can buy at the store also perform double duty and help sharpen the blade of your garbage disposal.

- Inspect the fire extinguisher(s). It's best to have a fire extinguisher (or two) in your home in case of a fire. It's best to have one in close proximity to the kitchen, laundry room or any other place that has a source of heat that could catch fire. The inspection process for your fire extinguisher doesn't take a lot of work, but it could help you avoid a fire disaster in your home. Ensure that the extinguisher is not being blocked by anything, the gauge shows adequate pressure and, finally, make sure there are no visible signs of wear and tear.

Bi-Annually

- Test the smoke/carbon monoxide detectors. It's best to check the smoke alarms as well as the carbon monoxide alarms in your home quarterly to ensure they are in proper working conditions. Test your alarms to check to make sure the batteries are fully charged and change if necessary. If the alarm is still not working after replacing the battery, it may be time for a new alarm.

- Give your home a deep clean. While you should be vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, cleaning the counters, dusting on a regular basis, it's a good idea to give your home a proper deep clean at least twice a year. This including cleaning the appliances, windows, dusting every nook and cranny, etc. Keeping these things clean and not letting dirt, grime, dust build up over years and years will help keep your home in tip-top shape.

- Do a once over on your home. Do a walk around your home and ensure everything is looking ok. Check the pipes, faucets and toilets and ensure there are no drips or leaks. Look outside your home and check the condition of the roof for damaged shingles or water intrusion near the windows and doors. While you're outside, cut back trees and shrubs from the house walls, roof and AC unit.

Spring Maintenance

- Clean out gutters. During the fall and winter, leaves and other debris have likely accumulated in the gutters. It's best to clear the gutters now before the summer storms, so your home has proper drainage.

- Inspect the exterior of your home. Check the condition of the paint or if there are any damage to your siding from winter. Take a close look around the entire exterior and make any repairs ass needed. This is also a good time to check the condition of the foundation and look for any cracks.

- Get AC unit serviced. Have your AC unit serviced in the spring to ensure it's in proper working condition before you need it in the summer.

- Repair/replace damaged window screens. Make sure bugs don't have an easy access to your home by repairing or replacing any window screens that are damaged.

- Clear away dead plants/shrubs from the yard.  Take a look at your plants, shrubs and trees and clear away any parts of them that are dead. For trees, if dead branches are left unattended, they can fall, which could cause property damage and potential injury. It's best to trim plants before the leaves come out, as it's easy to see the condition of the branches while they're bare.

Mission Bay offers Lake living at its finest with gorgeous Lakefront and Lake view homes at the 32MM of the Osage. Our Lake of the Ozarks homes our beautifully tiered so most of our homes have stunning views of the water. To learn more about our residential development at the Lake of the Ozarks visit www.MissionBayLakeOzark.com.

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Phone: (573) 873-3465

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OUR LOCATION

237 Mission Bay Blvd.

Camdenton, MO 65020

Winter Lawn Care Tips For Homeowners

Owning a home at the Lake of the Ozarks means you're able to experience the four seasons and all that they bring. Lush greenery in summer, falling leaves in autumn, snow and chilly temperatures in winter, and the rain and blooms of spring. With the enjoyment of the changing seasons comes lawn and garden maintenance. Mission Bay boasts large lots where landscaping possibilities are many and we're here with some tips and tricks to keep your winter lawn looking great and prepped for spring.

Watch Out For Weeds

If your grass is more of a beige-tone this time of year, then the occasional green weed stands out like a sore thumb. If you only notice a few weeds sprouting here and there, you can spot-treat them using an herbicide that kills weeds but not grass. If your lawn is littered with a few more weeds than you care for, you may want to continue mowing your lawn through winter at the recommended height for your grass. Many common winter weeds can't survive repeated mowing and will die. Don't forget to use the mower's bag and capture the seeds as to avoid the weeds from spreading. 

Remove Debris

If you didn't get all the autumn leaves removed from the lawn before snow arrived, you can still tackle the task. Very carefully remove any debris that accumulates throughout the winter months. This is a great time to gently rake up any matted areas of the lawn. Raking these areas and removing debris can encourage better air flow throughout the turf grass and prevent possible disease and insect infestation. 

Organize Your Equipment

It's a great time to organize your lawn care equipment. Take advantage of the downtime and service your lawnmower. It may be time to change or sharpen the blade, install a new air filter, and install new spark plugs. Organize your lawn chemicals by discarding expired chemicals and ensure all products are off the ground and locked away.

Research Spring Fertilizers

Fertilizing in the spring can jump start your lawn out of its winter slumber. It can provide a nutrient build up that will give the lawn strength to withstand the heat stress and dryer temperatures of summer. 

Midwest weather can be unpredictable and more snow will likely make an appearance before spring. Keep your lawn looking great when the warmer weather hits by following these maintenance tips. Mission Bay residential community offers lake living at its finest and we love the look of a well cared for lawn. You can sculpt your own landscaping masterpiece when you build or buy at Mission Bay!

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Phone: (573) 873-3465

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OUR LOCATION

237 Mission Bay Blvd.

Camdenton, MO 65020

4 Tips To Keep Your Home Looking Like New

You don't have to live in a house for very long before it starts showing wear and tear if you don't take good care of it.  If you just get into the habit of doing a few simple things, you can keep your beautiful home looking like you just bought it.  Our luxury lake view homes at the Lake of the Ozarks start out looking amazing, and the following tips will help you to keep yours that way.    

Keep the yard tidy.

Curb appeal is one of the most attractive parts of a new home.  It's definitely the first impression that someone gets about your house.  You don't have to spend a fortune completely redoing the landscaping.  The simple act of keeping the grass cut and weeds pulled can keep your place looking its best.  Don't forget to look up, too.  Trees need to be trimmed often to keep them looking neat.    

Don't postpone routine maintenance.

Your home can keep running like new if you make sure to keep it well maintained. Replace filters and test smoke detectors.  Clean out gutters and inspect the outside for damage.  Keeping a home folder with a calendar listing all of the tasks to be taken care of by season is a great way to stay on top of this.    

Protect the floors.

Rough-looking floors can really age a house.  Take care to clean up spills on carpets or rugs immediately before they can set in.  If you have hardwood floors, make sure that any furniture placed on it has the proper protection so that it won't scratch up your floor when moved around.  

Easy upgrades

When you just want to change things up a little, there are plenty of easy, low-cost things that you can do to make a room that you are tired of look like a new one.  A fresh coat of paint can make a huge improvement to a room.  You can re-grout a tub that is starting to look a little dingy or add new handles to cabinets or pulls to drawers and change the whole feel of a room.  


These tips are very easy ones that will cost you little to nothing, and they will go a long way in keeping your luxurious home at the Lake of the Ozarks looking its very best.  Take great care of the house that you live in, and you just may never want to move again!      

Your new home is waiting for you at Mission Bay!

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CONTACT US

Phone: (573) 873-3465

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OUR LOCATION

237 Mission Bay Blvd.
Camdenton, MO 65020