Posts Tagged 'remodeling'

Aging in Place Modifications: Practical & Stylish

Published May 10, 2017 Building Industry , Construction , Did You Know , Door Hardware , Doors , Helpful Hints , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Portrait of happy senior woman cutting vegetables in kitchen

A 2015 Houzz report showed that over 50% of homeowners age 60+ are planning to age in place. As the baby boomer generation begins to enter the golden years, home construction and renovation contractors are seeing an increase in accessibility modifications being made. With more spending power than the younger millennial generation, the boomers are also a large player in the interior design industry; frequently updating their home to incorporate the latest design trends. Combining the need for accessibility with the desire to keep the attractive appearance of the home, these modifications are not only practical but stylish as well.  Read below for some simple yet important modifications to make to your home accessible for any generation.

Continue reading ‘Aging in Place Modifications: Practical & Stylish’

Welcome to National Lumber!

Published November 20, 2015 Building Industry , Lumber Leave a Comment
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Welcome to National Lumber’s brand-new blog! National Lumber is the largest building material supplier in New England, with eight lumberyards and stores. We also have divisions dedicated to kitchen design and remodeling (Kitchen Views), installed insulation (Pro Insulators), custom millwork and pre-built staircases (National Millwork), trusses (Reliable Truss), and drywall supply.

Check List for Kitchen & Bath Remodeling

Published April 18, 2014 Building Industry , Building Materials , Events , New Products , Remodeling , Shower Enclosures Leave a Comment
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Mike McDole speaking to a guest at the EM NARI Networking Event

Mike McDole, Senior Vice President of Sales at National Lumber, speaking to a guest at the EM NARI Networking Event

On April 16, 2014, Kitchen Views at National Lumber and Allstate Glass hosted an EM NARI Networking Event at the Kitchen Views showroom in Mansfield, MA. Please check out Brandy Souza’s Kitchen Views blog posting for more information. There are lots of event photos available on our Facebook and Google+ sites.

Did you know? Our insulation installers deliver outstanding results.

Published December 12, 2013 Building Industry , Building Materials , Construction , Insulation , Remodeling , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Closed cell spray foam insulation being applied

Closed cell spray foam insulation being applied

Pro Insulators delivers the difference between insulation products and outstanding results. Our insulation installers specialize in fiberglass batts, blown-in fiberglass, and spray foam insulation. Having the right specialists on your team can keep a project running smoothly as they apply their specialized experience to your building project. Just as you have traditionally subcontracted work to a trusted plumber as part of your team, you can hire the insulation installers of Pro Insulators (HIC #161268), a division of National Lumber.

“I am an Energy Star builder and I use Pro Insulators exclusively because of their knowledge on what is needed to meet or exceed Energy Star levels. They are always on-time, the staff is courteous and professional, and they leave the jobsite very clean. They are one of the best subs that I have!” – Roger Lucier, RS Lucier Contracting

Building code compliance and OSHA safety compliance are met when you hire Pro Insulators. We have all the proper safety and work equipment. Most importantly, we are up-to-date on meeting codes for energy efficiency and current building standards. Whether your project is residential or commercial, new building or a retro-fit project, we have the products and installation expertise you need. Whichever type of insulation you choose, our professional team of experts will leave your jobsite clean and ready for your next phase of construction.

We’ll provide a free evaluation of your project and an estimate. Call 978-423-6051 today to discuss your project insulation needs. Then you can decide if it’s cost-effective to subcontract this work and leave yourself free to work on other items.

If you work with a specific National Lumber representative, please ask about these products and services. If you don’t have a specific contact, you can email insidesales@national-lumber.com and we will have someone contact you.

Thank you for your business. We are honored to be your supplier for building materials and more!

The National Lumber Family of Companies

www.national-lumber.com

Tax Incentive To Build Green

Published October 29, 2013 Building Industry , Construction , Green , Green Building , News , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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green building tax incentive helps put money back in your pocket

Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction puts money back in your pocket.

Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction

Have you taken advantage of the green building incentive yet? The Energy Efficient Commercial Building Tax Deduction is set to expire on December 31, 2013. The program affords building owners deductions on qualifying energy-efficient upgrades done within the last six years. Real estate advocates are in the process of lobbying Congress to extend or expand the program. Read more about the green building incentive in this article by Bendix Anderson, NuWire Investor.

Have these deductions changed the way you or your clients plan buildings?

Remembering a Mentor to the Remodeling Industry

Published February 21, 2013 Building Industry , Construction , News , Remodeling Leave a Comment
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In everyone’s life, one hopes for a mentor to share wisdom and provide motivation to become our best. The Remodeling Industry was fortunate to have such a man providing leadership on a wide scale, and his influence lives on in ways that some may not even realize.

Excerpts with permission from Shawn McCadden’s blog posting,
In Remembrance of Walt Stoeppelwerth: The Godfather Of Remodeling To Many

Walt Stoeppelwerth

Walt Stoeppelwerth

On February 18th, 2013 Walt Stoeppelwerth passed away. Walt was the President of HomeTech Inc in Bethesda, MD for over thirty years. Walt helped shape the Remodeling Industry through his teaching and writing as a columnist with Remodeling magazine. He was a visionary with a unique ability to identify, fully understand and solve existing as well as future challenges within the industry.  He would share his observations, speculate on the likely consequences if the challenges were not addressed, and suggest or predict the solutions he felt would address the challenges. His brilliance was his ability to then create and provide the required solutions, and, through his consulting, direct others who wanted to participate in making the evolution happen. His business model was not reactive to the perceived and often misguided needs expressed by remodelers and industry partners, but rather proactive in creating and providing the solutions and the guidance remodelers and industry partners really needed to improve and foster true success. In summary, Walt had the intimate knowledge, insight, creativity, resources, contacts, relationships and solutions to change the industry and cause tremendous social benefit at the same time. When people feel better about themselves and their businesses, they listen and seek for more of what helped them. Additionally, many then share what they have and know with others with the hopes that they too will benefit.  Walt was a master at setting that example and making it happen for so many remodelers.

 Click here to read the full message.

The Massachusetts Lead Paint Law Public Hearing

Published June 1, 2010 EPA Lead Rule , Helpful Hints Leave a Comment
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The Massachusetts Division of Occupational Safety held a public hearing last Monday for comments and suggestions about how to implement the Massachusetts version of the new lead-based paint EPA RRP (Renovation, Repair and Painting) law. The hearing was a success as there was a great deal of positive and constructive feedback regarding the issue. Construction law expert Andrea Goldman’s latest blog post is a list of the important issues and suggestions from this hearing.

You can read the commentary in her blog post here:  “The Massachusetts Lead Paint Law Hearing-Audience Commentary”

A more detailed account about the hearing can be found here in an earlier post: “Hearing with the Division of Occupational Safety about Massachusetts taking over the RRP Rule“

House Approves $6 Billion Home Star Program

Published May 24, 2010 Building Industry , News Leave a Comment
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The U.S. House of Representatives announced their passing of the Home Star program bill, also known as ‘Cash for Caulkers,’ earlier this month. Hopefully, this will pass the Senate soon, as it will be a huge boost for the building & remodeling industry.

From CNN Money, May 6, 2010:

House lawmakers on Thursday approved a $6 billion measure that aims to provide rebates to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements — but not without a fight from Republicans.

The bill, officially known as the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act but better known as “cash for caulkers,” has been touted by President Obama since December as one of the signature pieces of his administration’s larger job-creation strategy.

The act “is a common-sense bill that will create jobs, save consumers money, and strengthen our economy,” President Obama said after the House passed the measure. “We have workers eager to do new installations and renovations, and factories ready to produce new energy-efficient building supplies.”

You can read the rest of the story here: “House approves $6 billion ‘cash for caulkers’”

For more information on the Home Star program, here is a fact sheet from the White House website.

Great Green Web Resources

Published May 11, 2010 Green , Helpful Hints Leave a Comment
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Steve Linsky of our Remodelers PRO Force has provided these excellent Green building websites. Most of these sites have specific Green sections.

www.greenbuildingadvisor.com – One of the best sites in the construction industry

www.dsireusa.org – Site for rebates from all sources – federal and state

www.nahbgreen.org – Home builders’ Green web site

www.NARI.org – Remodeling industry web site – updates on laws and industry tips

www.sbcindustry.com – Wood components manufacturing industry web site

www.massenergystarhomes.com – Massachusetts Energy Star site

www.earth911.com – The latest in green news and recycling – fun site

www.nahb.org – Overall news for builders

www.greenandsave.com – Go to master ROI table for great return-on-investment tables

www.inhabitat.com – Great site, plus see the ECO labels 101: Green certifications explained

www.homeconstructionimprovement.com – General how-to on Green products and installation

www.usgbc.org – Site for LEED certification info, plus tons of other good info

You can follow Steve Linsky on Twitter @steveproforce and also now on Facebook at the PRO Force Facebook fan page.

Merkley Amendment Not Part of Health Care Bill Thanks to NARI Members!

Published March 22, 2010 Building Industry , News Leave a Comment
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A great update from NARI about the Merkley Amendment being taken out of the final draft of the health care bill!

From the NARI newsletter:

“With vote on the bill imminent, NARI reissued a Call to Action in early March urging NARI members to again voice concern and opposition to the Merkley amendment, which unfairly mandated remodeling/construction contractors with five or more employees to provide health insurance coverage.  No other industry with this employee threshold was required to do so. On March 21, the House passed the bill, and we learned that the Merkley amendment had been removed from the bill prior to passage on the basis that enough elected officials heard from contractors who voiced opposition.  To our knowledge, NARI is the only association that identified this onerous amendment and expressed opposition.”

You can read the rest of the newsletter, concerning NARI’s appeal to the EPA to delay the implementation of the new lead rule here: NARI Leaders Deliver Appeal on Capitol Hill

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