Archive for the ‘Remodeling Updates’ Category

Energy Efficiency News from Energy Trust of Oregon

(June 10, 2010 • Energy Efficiency Tips, Healthy Home Trends, Remodeling Updates, Weatherization • 0 comments

This is great news from Energy Trust of Oregon regarding the number of Oregonians taking advantage of Energy Incentives to invest in weatherization and efficient heating & cooling systems.

Check out the article below:

Oregonians completed almost 93,000 energy projects in 2009, a new annual record and an increase of 58 percent over 2008. Our work helped 84,000 households, 1,700 businesses and more than 450 industrial customers participate in Energy Trust programs last year. Oregonians used incentives to make changes large and small:

• Homeowners replaced aging refrigerators and washers, invested in weatherization and efficient heating and cooling systems.
• Businesses continued to invest in high-efficiency lighting and efficient HVAC solutions.

• For industry, our small industrial initiative (which provides streamlined operations for agriculture and smaller industrial operations) resulted in a nearly 70 percent growth in the number of efficiency projects over 2008.
• More than twice as many residential solar electric projects were completed in 2009 than in 2008, while commercial solar projects increased by 14 percent.

• Even though delays in project completion shifted four average megawatts of new renewable generation into 2010, 10 small wind systems, three biopower projects, a large solar project and a geothermal project were completed.

Those investments, supported by Energy Trust incentives and state and federal tax credits, pay dividends and make Oregonians more financially secure for years to come.

The associated energy savings and generation saved Oregonians nearly $165 million in 2009, approximately $450,000 a day. These projects saved 32.3 average megawatts of electricity—enough to power more than 25,000 homes. They also saved nearly 2.9 million therms of natural gas—enough to heat approximately 5,700 homes.

Beyond driving new savings and generation, together we helped expand Oregon’s clean energy workforce, providing jobs and living wages. We helped create almost 2,300 new jobs, generated $76 million in wages and stimulated $11 million in new business income.

If you are interested in completing Energy Efficient upgrades on your home please contact the Renovation Concepts Energy Efficiency team to have a Home Performance review done. Contact LaDonna Miller- President of Renovation Concepts to schedule an appointment. (503) 310-9076 or ladonnamiller@earthlink.net

Residential Rooftop Solar Market Doubled in size in 2009

(April 20, 2010 • Green Building, Remodeling Updates • 0 comments

According to Eco Home Magazine, the Solar Industry remains a bright spot in the economy. I think that this is encouraging news and a bright spot as our country moves towards less dependancy on foreign oil.

“The solar industry in the United States added jobs and saw the residential rooftop solar market nearly double in size in 2009, according to an annual report released Thursday by the Solar Energy Industries Association.

“The solar industry added 17,000 new jobs coast to coast,” said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of SEIA. “Residential installations grew from 78 megawatts in 2008 to 156 megawatts in 2009.” One megawatt of electricity is enough to power 750 to 1,000 homes.

Resch credited the growth to increased interest in solar among consumers and the removal of a $2,000 cap on the 30-percent federal income tax credit”.

Exceptional Artisan & Tilesetter in Portland Oregon

(April 6, 2010 • Member Spotlight, Remodeling Updates • 3 comments

Dirk Sullivan of Hawthorne Tile is an exceptional artisan and tilesetter. His work is found in many fine homes throughout Portland. He has developed a solid reputation with designers, remodelors and homeowners alike for being an exceptional tilesetter. He has a passion for doing excellent creative work and is wonderful to work with.

I had the opportunity to work with Dirk Sullivan of Hawthorne tile on a small project in my own home. This was a smaller project in comparison to the intricate tile projects he works on typically.

Even though this was a relatively small project, the difference that this new travertine tile has made in this room was striking. This is a remodeling project that I still appreciate 1 1/2 years later. Every day, I still walk into this room and love how this fireplace looks. I searched for over a year to find the right tile and discovered a wonderful Travertine tile that I purchased at Pental Granite and Marble in Portland which is simply beautiful.

Based on my personal experience, I would highly recommend Hawthorne tile. I was so impressed with Dirk’s attention to detail and workmanship that this year, I am planning to work with Dirk Sullivan on a major kitchen remodel.

For more information please visit: www.Hawthornetile.com

or Contact Dirk Sullivan at (503) 231-1340 or info@hawthornetile.com

In addition please visit: www.http://www.renovationconcepts.net/building-and-remodeling-services/granite-tile-stone/

BEFORE: Original Builder Grade Tile

Health Care Reform & how new changes will Benefit the Construction Industry

(April 5, 2010 • Remodeling Updates • 0 comments

This was an article published in the National Association of Home Builders trade publication on the new landmark health care legislation that recently was passed in Washington.

One of the final changes incorporated in the second measure of the H.R. 4872 bill, strikes down a provision that was in the original healthcare bill requiring construction firms to provide health coverage if they employ 5 or more workers.

This correction was particularily needed for small business owners in the construction industry. As this article pointed out, in every other industry companies were exempt if they employed 50 workers or less. The National Home Builders Association lobbied that the same should be the case for the construction industry.

This past semester, I studied Health Care Reform at Portland State University. I am pleased to see that this correction will now be part of the Healthcare Bill.

The uninsured statistics are staggering with 47 million citizens/ workers in this country who do not have healthcare. This statistic coupled with the looming health care crisis that faces our nation, I am pleased that our elected officials were able to pass this needed Reform.

I believe strongly that the construction industry with many small business owners will be one segment of the market that will greatly benefit from a national healthcare system that will make healthcare more affordable for owners and workers alike.

____________________________________________________________

Here is the article for your review:

“Just one week after landmark health care legislation became the law of the land, President Obama on March 30 signed a second reconciliation bill with “fixes” to the health care measure that include the elimination of an onerous provision targeting the construction industry.

NAHB worked closely with lawmakers to ensure that one of the changes incorporated in the second “corrections” measure (H.R. 4872) would strike a provision in the original health care bill (H.R. 3590) offered by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) requiring construction firms to provide health coverage if they employ five or more workers.

Small businesses in every other industry are exempt from providing mandatory health insurance if they employ 50 workers or less. As a result of NAHB’s efforts, the 50-worker threshold will now apply to all construction industry workers as well.

The vast majority of NAHB’s members are small businesses that employ fewer than 10 people. Approximately 60% of NAHB’s members build fewer than 25 homes per year and 80% have less than $5 million in annual receipts.

“NAHB led the charge to ensure that the Merkley language that unfairly singles out the construction industry and threatens the viability of countless home building firms across the nation was stripped out of the final health care legislative package,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones. “If this punitive provision had not been removed from the final bill, many small builders across the nation would have seen their businesses face a difficult financial burden.”

For the complete article please click on the link above.

Olson & Jones Construction in Portland declares war on Dust

(April 3, 2010 • Member Spotlight, Remodeling Updates • 0 comments

Olson & Jones Construction a premier remodeling contractor and Renovation Concepts member, wrote the following blog post about a service that they offer their clients during remodeling projects.

“As everyone who has ever completed a home remodel knows, dust and debris during the project can be a big concern to homeowners. Check out what Olson & Jones Construction does to make a remodeling project better from start to finish.

Any homeowner who has undergone remodeling, either by their own hands or the hands of someone else, knows that dust and construction debris are a big issue. From the beginning of demolition all the way through cutting, sanding, and painting, the work area has a tendency to want to spread it’s dusty arms out over the whole house.

We’ve taken a hard-line approach to dealing with this problem on our work sites – whatever it takes, we keep the dust in the work area. This often involves building temporary walls to seal off areas of the house. It may seem excessive, but this preliminary work is absolutely necessary for the efficiency of the project and the sanity of the homeowner”!

For more information on Olson & Jones Construction Inc. please visit: http://www.olsonandjones.com/

To schedule a remodeling project please contact Greg Olson- President (503)244-7467.

email: greg@olsonandjones.com

Great points to consider when Converting Old Basements into Living Spaces

(March 1, 2010 • Remodeling Updates • 1 comment

CONVERTING OLD BASEMENTS INTO LIVING SPACE

By Jim Bruce- JB Construction Services, Inc.

www.JBConstructioninc.com

(503) 453-7826

As a remodeling contractor, we receive a few calls a year to look at converting unfinished basements into living space. I live and work in the Portland Oregon area and the great majority of basement conversions occur in older houses, because newer ones are not built with basements, unless they are daylights. Things to consider in the planning stage are:

Is the basement dry? I mean “really dry”. Nobody wants moisture problems that can lead to high humidity, rot and mold. So we ask each homeowner how long they have lived in the house, have they ever had a leak, etc. Then we carefully inspect the basement and the surrounding yard. Does the ground slope away from the house? Are the rain drains in good shape? Does the foundation have an exterior perimeter drainage tile and what shape is it in? Are there a lot of trees around the house that could cause the gutters to overflow? All of these factors and more are considered.

Even if all of the above checks out, we recommend that almost all basements should have an internal perimeter drainage system installed inside the basement and below floor level, with a sump well and pump to catch any water infiltration. That same system has a plastic fin that protrudes slightly above the floor near the foundation wall and re-directs any wall leakage down into the drain tile under the floor. Then we frame the interior stud walls inside and away from the plastic fin. We have found that this “last line of defense” is very effective and protects the homeowner’s investment.

Is there reasonable access to the basement from both inside and outside? Building codes require a proper stairway from the inside or outside. Invariably, the homeowner wants unfettered internal access to the basement, and that can cause challenges with the upstairs floor plan. The basement must also have a secondary exit in the event of a fire or other emergency. An egress window or outside door can suffice as a secondary exit. Additionally, each bedroom must have its own egress window or door.

Is there enough headroom in the basement? The code minimum in Portland is 6’8”, but we recommend a minimum of 7’0” after all finishes are installed. We will often dig down to achieve this. Sometimes the existing foundation is not deep enough and we will build one under the existing foundation walls to achieve the desired height. There is also the furnace and its ductwork to consider.

Is there enough light down there? Much can be done with windows and light tunnels. Window wells can be turned into small atriums or gardens.

Is the old plumbing in good shape? We encourage our clients to change out the drains and supply lines, especially in older homes. If they are cast iron or galvanized steel, they will never hold up for the 50 or more years that a basement remodel should last. The newer materials are much more durable and efficient. Having to repair a sewer line under the concrete basement floor, after doing that beautiful remodel, can be very disruptive and costly.

These are the main points that you should consider when planning to remodel your basement.

Jim Bruce is the President of JB Construction Services in Portland, Oregon. For more information on Remodeling services in Portland, Oregon please contact Jim Bruce at (503) 453-7826 or jimbruce@jbconstructioninc.com

If you contact Jim Bruce, please make sure to mention this informative Renovation Concepts Concepts blog post.

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