Good Morning Nashville!!!

Hi everybody. JD here with a new addition to the Broderick Builder website. I'm calling it "Good Morning Nashville" because every weekday morning we're on the road at 6AM driving to the office to plan the days activities. After a short meeting the crew is back on the road ready to greet our customers and help you remodel or build your dream home. I like to think of this as a well choreographed dance routine in a Broadway musical where everybody (the customers, the leaders, the workers, the suppliers and the sub-contractors) are dancing to the same tune. When the job is finished we all get to take a bow. Broderick Builders is ready, willing and able to help, you the customer, to repair, improve, remodel and build your castle on the Cumberland.
In future posts I will be offering you information, both practical and seasonal, on the care and maintenance of your home. I will also be posting videos ,music (this is Music City USA after all) and cartoons that I hope will be both informative and entertaining.
Finally, in a section called "SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT", I will post articles on the trends and styles of the building trades industry. Here is the first offering:

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

In a world with diminishing energy supplies could this be part of the solution?
http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html

here is a slide show of a passive house project in california.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/scott_shell/sets/72157626032884786/

There it is folks. Feel free to drop a question or a comment at this site. In the meantime, have a great day in Nashville.
JD

Broderick Builders was a part of this Great Project

Advanced Geometry AD 100 Designers: architecturaldigest.com

Don't Let the Media Fool You

There is plenty of information out there about whether the economy is staying in the toilet or whether it's rising from the ashes. Well, based on my experience lately I say it's doing BOTH!! In the remodeling market, homeowners are staying busy and putting their money in the toilet....and in the Master Bedroom, and Kitchen and all over the house. The remodeling business is busy. Homeowners, are spending money on their homes right now because it's a safe investment and when the economy does truly bounce back, the property values will rise accordingly.
If you are thinking about adding onto your home now, it's a great investment!!

Broderick Builders of NASHVILLE, TN : Example of Work : GuildQuality

Broderick Builders of NASHVILLE, TN : Example of Work : GuildQuality

Broderick Builders of NASHVILLE, TN : Example of Work : GuildQuality

Broderick Builders of NASHVILLE, TN : Example of Work : GuildQuality

Hold on Tight

So, Nashville is rebounding from the flood, last month had a record low for National Home sales and Remodelers are as busy as can be. I am so proud to call myself a Nashvillian. Although the storms were devastating to parts of middle Tennessee, the city pulled together for the greater good...neighbors helping neighbors or just helping strangers. Now that things are settling down, the building business is busy again.
Although some of the business is flood related, much of it is not at all. Due to lackluster home sales, many families have decided to stay put in their homes and add on or remodel. This is a great way to "get what you need" without moving or buying a new place. If you are considering a remodel, be selective about which General Contractor you choose and check references before you get started. A remodel is stressful, even a smooth one, so make sure you are dealing with local professionals when adding on or remodeling your home.
Have a Great Day & Enjoy Nashville!!

Choose Wisely...you get what you pay for

So, the economy is struggling, people are worried about there jobs and no one wants to buy a new home. Instead, homeowners are remodeling their current homes and adding space to accomodate their needs.

There is suddenly a glut of "remodeling contractors" offering up their services for everything from roofing to extensive room additions. Where were all these remodeling specialists when the new home market was booming and track homes were going up like widgets on a conveyor belt? They weren't around! Think about this, if a Pediatrician has a slow down in his business because citizens in a certain area of town start to age a bit, does he go and advertise himself as a Heart Surgeon. He is still a Doctor, right...but not a Heart Surgeon.

Well, true Remodeling Specialists are the Heart Surgeons of the building industry. They carve out sections of a home and recreate it into something better and more useful than it was before. They give a better life to the existing home and the family who lives there. They are also experienced with being in and around homes and families who are still living there while the transformation is happening. Having the proper employees, sub-contractors and frame of mind to be in someone elses home during the construction is very different than being on a jobsite in an uninhabited subdivision.

So remember, the next time you are looking for someone to remodel your home, price is only part of the equation. Consider how many remodels they have done, the type of jobs they completed, their "bedside manner" and ask to speak with references. You will pay a much higher price in the end if you get a Pediatrician to do your heart surgery.

From the Top Of the Mountain

Alright, so we are back in the swing after the new year and we are working on a great project in Nashville. The house is on top of a hill around Green Hills and we are adding two floors and a fantastic lookout suite. Check out the quick video of the top floor.

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/