Get a Head Start on Paint Colors

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day and got a chance to relax. If not, maybe you got inspired to make a change in your home. I recently found a tremendous resource on Sherwin-Williams' website that can give you a head start when choosing paint colors to update any room in your house. The Color Visualizer allows you to play around with just about any color imaginable for most every room in your home. This way you can compare colors (i.e. prove to your spouse that your favorite looks best), see how the trim might look painted different or just waste a couple hours having fun.

It's simple to use and gives you the ability to narrow any selection pretty quickly. Check out http://www.sherwin-williams.com/pro/paint_colors/paint_color_samples/ and click on Launch Color Visualizer to start.

Happy painting!!

Tennessee Green Building Event Planned

A good friend of mine informed me of this Tennessee Green Building event this coming weekend and I wanted to pass it along. This is a great way to learn a bit about green building while getting to meet new people. This event is certainly more than switching out light bulbs or taking your bottles and cans to the recycling bin.

There is gonna be a "wall Raising" of straw bale construction this Saturday outside Portland, TN. Volunteers are needed to build the wall and help out with this event. This is a free event. Please get there as soon after 8 a.m. as possible. Certainly arrive by noon. Food will be served to the helpers! Bring gloves, goggles, and drinking water. RSVP ASAP to help meal planners.

The architect, Howard Switzer, is the organizer for this event. He has built several of these homes in Tennessee. He is looking forward to designing one to be built in Davidson County.. giving Davidson County Codes something Green to chew on. So gang, if you think you might want to build a very green place of your own in the country, or build a home or addition in the city, this meetup is for you! Explore this relatively inexpensive building alternative!

Announcing a new Meetup for Cumberland Green Bioregional Council!

What: Hands on Building House Walls with Straw Bale Construction
When: August 30, 2008 8:00 AM
Where: Click the link below to find out!

Meetup Description: This event is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy group camaraderie and learn about an alternative construction technique while lending a hand building straw bale walls on a house project by Architect Howard Switzer http://www.earthandstraw.com/.

Lunch will be provided for helpers. This project is in a rural setting on Katrina Hay's homestead outside of Portland TN (the map link on this site isn't going to work. You will need to copy address and zip into map browser)Driving Directions are below

Here are benefits of straw bale construction
Excellent insulation— plastered straw bale walls have an insulation rating of R30-35
Plastered straw bales have a Class A fire rating—straw bale walls offer a 2 hour fire wall. This is the level of protection required by codes for stairwells in high-rise buildings.
Easy to install— large “building blocks” stack easily
Beautiful deep window sills— good for window seats and growing plants
Uses a “waste” product— most straw in the United States is burned creating a high particulate pollutant. Enough straw is burned in the US every year to build 2-3 million homes.
Sequesters carbon— the carbon absorbed throughout the straw’s growing cycle is sequestered in the wall rather than released into the air through burning.

Please RSVP ASAP to help with planning or contact Howard by email or phone 931-589-6513
The date is Saturday, August 30thTime: 8am (come any time before noon)The address is 132 Breeder Road Portland, TN 37148.

Driving DirectionsTake I 65 North to Exit 117, turn right onto Highway 52 off the ramp, turn left at the four way stop onto Highway 31W. turn right onto old Highway 31 W # 3 across from the weigh station, turn right on Scattersville Road and go .7 miles, turn left onto Breeder Road, turn right into the first driveway.

Bring gloves, dust mask, eye protection...Bring your own drinking water (There is no running water on this project site) there is a porta potty...

Learn more here:http://ecology.meetup.com/34/calendar/8619133/

Nashville Pella--I'm IMPRESSED

So a couple weeks ago Jason Broderick & I were invited to tour the Pella Distribution Center in Nashville. Pella Corporate has done a very good job of branding & advertising over the past decade, so most people know the name. Our company, Broderick Builders, has used their products on many a project in the past, but it had been a while since any of us had been to "The Office" to check out how their operation is run.


Ben Cordray, is our sales rep at Pella and he met us there to show us around.
Okay, so I know what you're thinking. Touring a window warehouse? I'd rather wash the dog or cut the lawn. Well, even if you're not in the construction business, you would be impressed by this place.


The whole warehouse is setup like a racetrack....the trucks pull up and the windows and doors are unloaded into a storage bin (if they're complete) or go directly to the track if they need to be modified, painted or stained. Steve and George can paint or stain any product that comes through in almost any shade you could imagine. The benefit to having the windows & doors painted in the warehouse is that once they are installed at your home, they are done!


The most impressive part of the Pella warehouse is how smooth the process seems to operate. Moving the windows from station to station and out the door to a worksite can be tricky, but these guys & girls have really mastered the science (and art) of delivering a quality product on time and backing it up with great service.

Thanks for the tour, Ben.

If These Walls Could Talk...

These walls would tell you alot about the families and the times from over half a century ago. We are remodeling a gorgeous home in a great neighborhood in Nashville and here is the first stage after demo-ing the walls and ceiling. It looks very different.

Get it OUTTA HERE!!

Just a quick demo video on a job we started recently. I will be posting stage pictures on this project to show the progress.

Breakthrough

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but the remodeling business is still moving along great and homeowners are loving their updated homes. We are currently working on a home in Nashville where we are remodeling a bathroom, connecting it to the Master Bedroom and turning the laundry room into a half bath.

It is a fairly simple project that will make a huge difference in the daily lives of the homeowners. It makes this home much more functional and will add great value to the property. The photos to the left show before and post-demo.

I also shot a quick video below:

As usual, feel free to drop me a note or comment about any of the posts you see or would like to know about in the future!!!

The Stone is Going Up

I have shown you this home before...it has the arcustone turret. The stone is now going on and it is looking great.

BackYard Party

Here's a little video of a great back yard Patio recently completed in Brentwood. The video is a bit dark, but it still looks great.

Great Ceiling Feature

Well, the weather is warming up. The flowers are starting to bloom (maybe not in my yard yet, but somewhere) and we are working on a house in Nashville that has a great ceiling going in it. If you are building a new home or thinking about remodeling, this video will give you something to contemplate.

The Groin Vaulted ceiling has been around for hundreds of years and doesn't get much attention these days, but Broderick Builders is remodeling a gorgeous home that has one.

The title link will give you the Wikipedia entry for Groin Vault and is very informational.

Remember, give me your feedback or questions about remodeling and construction.

ArcusStone--New Products Overview

In today's remodeling market there are so many new products and processes that it's often hard to weed through them all. Well, I have stumbled onto a fairly new product and I think you're going to like it.

The company is ArcusStone and they provide decorative limestone coatings that are much lighter and less expensive than traditional limestone. It gives you a very elegant look inside or outside and it won't blow up you remodeling budget.
http://www.arcusstone.com/

Watch this video from one of the Broderick Builders remodels that is using ArcusStone on the exterior.

Congratulations....You live in Middle Tennessee

I know you've heard for months now how bad the housing market is and how many homes are going into foreclosure. There is definitely some truth to the stories in many parts of America, but not here in Middle Tennessee. Sure, we have our fair share of delinquencies and foreclosures, but Nashville is not seeing the dramatic drop in value and abandoned homes like much of Nevada, California and Florida are experiencing. There is actually a new name for homeowners who are moving out of their homes and mailing in the keys to the banks--they call it JingleMail ('cause the keys jingle--get it?).

One piece of the real estate puzzle which does seem to be happening in Nashville, is a slight upswing in Home Remodeling. When a slow down occurs in the Real Estate market, many people decide to stay in their homes and add on as opposed to move. This eliminates the expense of moving and it allows homeowners to increase the value of the home for the future.

If you are in an established neighborhood and like where you live, consider adding a new room or finishing out the attic space so the kids can have separate bedrooms. Remodeling your current home may be a little inconvenient at the time, but will allow your family more continuity in the longrun because the kids stay in the same schools and the family doesn't have to learn a new neighborhood, but you get the benefits of something "new" and add value to your home.

Creating the Bones--The Remodeling Insider

Well, the New Year has started off with a bang and remodeling ideas are flying around in your head. As I mentioned previously, I am starting an interview series this year called The Remodeling Insider. It will focus on sub-contractors & vendors who actually do much of the labor or supply the great products for a remodeling project. I am creating this project from the ground up and what better way to get started than with a Framing Contractor.

Josh Gunnels, with Frame To Finish, is our inaugural guest and he has tremendous insight into the skeleton of your home. Framing is not the sexiest part of the job, but it very well may be the most important aspect of any project. Frame To Finish is a five year old company located in Nashville, TN. Josh, a native Nashvillian, has more than 14 years experience as a carpenter and contractor in Nashville and in Boston. While attending Boston College, Josh was exposed to the wonderful world of framing in the Northeast. Although he does miss some things about the Boston area, Josh does'nt miss the frigid days outside in the winter battling gusting winds and sub-zero temperatures while driving nails and framing houses.

Frame To Finish frames additions for remodeling, new construction, high end interior carpentry and trim. One of the things I wanted to know from Josh is what are common requests he sees on the job or what are some of the trends to look for over the next year. "Outdoor living spaces are very hot right now...and not just little decks. We are framing outdoor living areas that include outdoor kitchens, flat screens televisions and outdoor fireplaces. Some of these spaces may be up to several 1000 square feet to accomodate large gatherings."

In addition to trends, I asked Josh what topics or items most homeowners overlook that impact the final result of the project. "Sometimes the Cornice Line gets overlooked from a framing perspective as it relates to the wall heights and pitch of the roof. It is important to know what the eves and overhangs will look like and to have proper venting." If that's Greek to you, the cornice detail or cornice line refers to how the roof pitch and wall heighth line up. A great idea in your head does'nt always transfer to a great design when there are different roof pitches and then the cornice line does'nt line up properly. It can throw off not only the framing crew, but it may look awkward as well.

I want to thank Josh Gunnels and his experienced crew at Frame To Finish for sitting down with me and talking about remodeling and how their business impacts your project.

Remember, your life is a work in progress so let your home be too. If you're not changing something, you're just staying put!!

Insider Series Coming...

I hope everyone had a tremendous holiday and a Happy New Year! Santa was very good to me and mine, so I cannot complain about anything going into 2008.

This year is shaping up to be an interesting year for construction, homebuilding and remodeling. Although we have heard ALL the horror stories about the mortgage mess and declining interest in Real Estate, one of the bright spots is that now is a great time to buy or remodel the existing home you're in now. When the housing industry slumps, many homeowners decide to stay put and remodel or add onto their existing home. Great Idea...just make sure you know a little bit about what you're getting into and who is doing the work.

I am starting a new interview series this year that will focus on sub-contractors and businesses that are a part of the remodeling project or important to the finished product. This series will include framers, plumbers, lighting galleries, painters, flooring companies and bath & kitchen fixture stores to name a few. I am looking forward to learning more about new products and techniques they use along with sharing some of the secrets of remodeling.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to drop them in the comments section.