Haines Contracting Inc.Remodeling Blog

    There are many things to consider when planning for an addition. Let me take you through some to prepare you for your first meeting with your contractor.The first thing you should do is go to the building & zoning dept. of your town and find out what your property lines are and what the minimum set back requirements are for adding an addition to your home. Ask them for an "As-built " drawing if they have it. This shows your property lines and building set backs of your existing buildings on your property. The other thing you want to ask about is what is the maximum impervious surfaces you can cover. This means, how much of your land can be covered with things such as buildings,blacktop driveways,concrete patios, etc. Ask how much is covered now and see how much space you have left before you exceed the limit. It is possible to have the property set backs available, but not meet the impervious surface ratio.   Below is an example of an "as-built".  

If you don't meet some of the requirements for zoning , it's possible to apply for a zoning variance. To get this you have to go before the township in a zoning hearing and prove a hardship. An example may be , you need to build an in-law suite to aid your aging parents in their living requirements. Usually you need to pay a fee for the hearing if you win or loose your case.    

   Second thing you should do is go home an verify your building setback requirements of your property. Then you can start to determine where you can add on to. You should also find out where your utilities exit the building such as sewer, septic tank & drainage field, well, electric, phone, & cable. You don't want your addition to interfere with these items if possible and you certainly don't want to hit them during excavation.

    Third, you should start thinking about the kind of contractor you want to hire. Some are bigger outfits and you'd be dealing with multiple people throughout the process. You might see a designer 1st, then a salesman, then a carpenter,then a supervisor, etc.  Or you may want to deal with a smaller outfit where you'll have one person to go back to at all times if you have any concerns. That's where we fall in. We can take you through the design, through estimating your job costs, through the building phase,through finish & cabinet installations if there is any, to the end of the job.

    Fourth, you need a design and drawings before anything can be estimated for building costs. You can hire an architect first and pay for all the services they provide or use a contractor that can do what is called "design-build". They can do the design and build the project complete. There is a fee to pay someone to do the drawings either way. A good architect or designer can provide floor plans, 3d renderings, and even movie walkthroughs of what it would be like walking through your plan, it's really neat. We can supply all of these services and below are some examples.

     You should also be thinking about your budget in the fourth step. Don't be afraid to share that up front with the designer. In many cases, you can be guided through certain selections to stay withing a given budget.

      Fifth, How are you going to pay for it now?

• Cash-You have the funds saved up for your investment and will pay for it out of pocket.
• Home equity loan- borrow money against your home equity
• 2nd Mortgage-Take an additional mortgage out to pay for the home improvement
• Cash out refinance-Where you refinance and take out the additional funds to do the home remodeling project

      Sixth, If you don't have a contractor yet, you need one at this point. There are several thing to consider when you're selecting your remodeling contractor. Do you like the person. This person is going to be in your living space for the next 5-10 weeks , if you don't like them now, you'll probably like them less at the end of the job.

      Ask for referrals and make sure to call some of them. Ask about their experiences with the contractor. Both good and bad. And most importantly, how did they respond to your concerns. Did they follow up promptly or did they take forever to follow through. Ask if you can visit a similar job to check out the workmanship of the contractor. Were all calls & Emails returned promptly. I have a Blackberry, and all my Emails and phone calls come straight to me.

       Will they respect your property, cleaning up regularly, covering up and protecting your floors etc. Do they use dust control walls to help contain dust and the mess? Do they smoke and will they not smoke in your home if they are smokers?

       Will they give you a schedule showing the job progression steps and a reasonable time frame to complete the tasks. If they can't beware, they don't even know how long the job will take or what it will cost them to produce.

      Are they Certified , such as a NARI Certified Remodeler? This is an extra step on their part to better themselves within the industry.  NARI's certification program offers this assurance through its extensive screening, training and testing process. In addition, NARI certification programs require on-going education and training to maintain certification status.

     Only full-time, professional remodeling contractors are eligible for certification by NARI. You can be assured that any time you hire a NARI certified remodeling contractor, you are hiring an individual who has made a strong commitment to the professionalism of the remodeling industry and to his or her business. And because remodelers are not eligible for certification until they have been actively involved in the remodeling industry for at least five years, you know that the NARI certified remodeling professional you hire for your home improvement project has had many years to develop the experience and skills that can only be gained through extensive hands-on practice.

Isn't it good to know that your remodeling contractor has a long-term commitment to his or her work?

      Are they a NARI Member? This is short for National Association of The Remodeling Industry . Members must comply with a Code of Ethics and have proper  licensing and insurances.

      Are they licensed or registered with the State that they will work in? In PA & NJ it is a requirement now.

    And make sure to ask them for a Certificate of Insurance to make sure they have the necessary insurances in place. And most of all, get it all in a well written contract. Happy Remodeling.

    My customer came to us looking to remodel their existing dark & dingy kitchen into a charming working country kitchen to fit into their historic  home dating  back to 1790.  They both enjoyed to cook and work from their garden with their home grown vegetables and produce. They wanted   to make the kitchen flow & be aesthetically matching with the traditional elements in the rest of the home & keep things "green". The things they didn't like about their existing kitchen was:

• It was the coldest room in the house
• The traffic didn't flow well with the zig zag traffic flow through the doorways
• the windows were small & the room lacked sufficient natural light
• the refrigerator was in another room , so the ergonomics of a large working triangle was poor
• there was poor prepping area for cooking and work space
• the sinks were small and didn't give much room for washing their vegetables & produce off
• soffits closed in the upper room space making it feel smaller than it is
• There was no gas available to cook properly
• The electric room lighting was inadequate

   A decision was made  to go with a custom kitchen cabinet company from their home country of England because of some unique cabinets  they offered  and the cabinets were constructed with quarter sawn english oak, which matched their antique furniture in their home. They had  worked  with the kitchen designer for 2 years in getting all the details just right.  The cabinets were all custom made in England and were shipped over to  the US in a container.  There was a 3 month lead time from final measurements through construction. The project needed to be started  before  the cabinets were ordered in case any framing needed to be altered. Once the framing was complete the dimensions were finalized & the cabinets were ordered. 

    To solve the customers desires:

• A existing corner bathroom in the kitchen would be removed to free up more cabinet space.
• The rooms wall coverings would be gutted to reveal whats behind them. It turned out there wasn't any insulation in the walls and they were made up of 1x3 furring lath & crooked 2x3's. The existing walls were stone and masonry and they were not insulated, nor where they square & plumb. To give us enough space to insulate & get all the walls square & true, the walls were reframed with 2x4's. A soy based urethane foam was sprayed in place to insulate the walls & ceiling and radiant heat was added beneath a new tile floor which complemented their existing flagstone floors.
• The existing windows were enlarged to let in more natural light. Energy efficient traditional double hung wood windows were used with a true divided insulated glass option. The interior trim was matched to rest of the house & along with traditional colonial williamsburg paint colors.
• A new doorway was opened up to make a straight passage through the room, the original door was was reused.
• A Large fireclay kitchen sink was chosen to allow ample room for washing of the garden vegetables & produce.
• New wood wainscotings was added to the interior gable walls & matched in a light colored colonial williamsburg yellow making the room come alive with brightness.
• Energy efficient appliance were used and the old ones were "recycled" through donating to Habitat For Humanity Recycle Store
• The new cable lighting was unique to the room with little flying bee lights added to accent the tastes for their hobby of raising bees and harvesting their honey.
• A custom made table was locally made & matched to a late 18th century design featuring a butcher block top , which added more prep area for larger meals.
• A cozy corner nook was created for siting in the natural light to eat, read a book, or work on the P.C.

(Click on the photo below to see slide show of the award winning kitchen renovation)

      You've been thinking about it for a while now & you're ready to move ahead with your kitchen remodel. Do you want it to be an Award Winning Kitchen by putting the best of everything in it including Wolfe commercial Appliances, Custom Kitchen Cabinets, granite counter tops and ceramic tile floors or a more conservative approach using standard appliances, semi custom stock kitchen cabinets, laminate counter tops, and sheet good flooring.

       There can be quite a difference in cost between the variables. On the low end $20-30,000 up to $150,000. Starting out with a reasonable budget first, then designing your kitchen to fit that budget is the best approach. Your first consideration should be, do I have enough space to fit everything I would like. If not, a larger kitchen renovation may be in store by adding a kitchen addition, which may give you the larger breakfast area and kitchen island or peninsula you've been wanting. This could cost anywhere from $150-200,000 for both the kitchen remodeling and addition.

 Most people have a hard time envisioning how something is going to look finished and they can't get the sense of the space from a 2-d floor plan. By working with a contractor who has the ability to do 3d CAD drawings & renderings alot of the problems can be seen and worked out in a 3d view. If the 3d model doesn't work, it won't work in your kitchen either. This part can be time consuming for the contractor, so don't expect it to be a free service. Expect to pay anywhere from $300 for a simple layout up to over $4000.00 if an addition will be included. But it's money well spent. It's easier to change on paper than tear things apart once it's built and most cabinets can't be returned either if something doesn't fit, not to mention the delay it causes to your kitchen remodel.

      It's best to do some homework up front thinking about what you want, take magazine photos and gather ideas and look at some appliance,sink,counter top, & flooring choices.  Then decide what kind of contractor you want to have involved in your life for the next 3 months or so. That's about what it will take from planning and costing out the kitchen remodeling through ordering the cabinets and waiting 2-12 weeks depending on how custom they are and then having them installed. Then right when you think you'll be done, you have to wait another 2 weeks after the templating and fabrication before your solid surface counter tops can be installed. You will be dealing with your contractor everyday during the installation and construction. So if you don't like him in the beginning, you probably really won't like him at the end. Cost shouldn't be your main factor, there's much more the job than that. 

         Get referrals from your contractor and ask to check out some of his work. See what kinds of award winning kitchens they may have completed. Make sure he is a licensed contractor with the proper liability and property insurance. Make sure they are a member of NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) and make sure you like dealing with them.

         Once you have your contractor it's time to measure things up and start some plans. 3d plans are most helpful. Work through the different cabinets available for the various spaces. You may want a revolving lazy susan cabinet in a corner instead of a hard to access blind corner cabinet and so on. Each manufacturer varies in some of the more custom cabinet types. A good designer will show you the different options available to you. Then when all the decisions are made get it all on the plans and/or in the contract which should spell out the payment schedule and time line of the kitchen remodeling project.

        According to the annual "Cost Vs. Value Report", published by Remodeling Magazine, a kitchen remodel project should bring you back 60-70% return on your investment spent when you sell your home. It is the most expensive room in your home.

        Give us a call @ 215-348-9953 when you are ready to remodel to see if we can be your contractor of choice.

   Haines Contracting Inc. has a feature article in the Bucks County House & Home Magazine in the July/August edition. It features their 2009 COTY Award Winning Kitchen addition. To read the article, click here to download the pdf file.

We recently completed a bathroom remodel where we enlarged an existing bath,

(photo on left) The orginal bathroom was small and you could barely fit walking in between the front of the sink and toilet.  There was also barely enough room for your feet between the toilet and the tub.

    The homeowner was now somewhat disabled and  using a walker and wouldn't be able to fit through the space and use the existing bathtub. 

    The solution was a bathroom enlargement using handicap accessable shower and enlarging the bathroom to create wider passage into the bathroom.

      The shower had no threshold, which would let a wheelchair roll into it. There were  short shower doors along with a curtain that would allow someone to assist them in showering  with a handheld shower from outside the shower.

(See photo below of completed bathroom remodel)

The 2009 stimulus bill (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) made significant changes to the energy efficiency tax credits. The highlights of these changes are:

The tax credits that were previously effective only for 2009 have been extended to 2010.

The tax credit percentage has been raised from 10% to 30%.

The tax credits that were for a specific dollar amount (ex $300 for a CAC) have been converted to 30% of the cost.

The maximum credit has been raised from $500 to $1500 for 2009 and 2010. However, some improvements such as geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, and solar panels are not subject to the $1,500 maximum credit and are in effect through 2016.

Tax Credits for Home Owners:

Home improvement tax credits are available for home improvements "placed in service" from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. Any qualified home improvements made in 2008 are not eligible for the tax credit.

The tax credits are available for:

• Insulation
• Replacement windows
• Non-solar water heaters
• Specific high efficiency heating and cooling equipment

What else do I need to know?

• Must be for taxpayer's principal residence.
• Must have a Manufacturer Certification Statement to qualify.
• For record keeping, save your receipts and the Manufacturer Certification Statement.

Improvements made in 2009 will be claimed on your 2009 taxes (filed by April 15, 2010) - use IRS Tax Form 5695 (2009 version) - it will be available late 2009 or early 2010

If you are building a new home, you can qualify for the tax credit for geothermal heat pumps, photovoltaics, solar water heaters, small wind systems and fuel cells, but not the tax credits for windows, doors, insulation, roofs, HVAC, or non-solar water heaters.

Note: Not all ENERGY STAR labeled products qualify for tax credit.

     Haines Contracting Inc. was presented the coveted COTY (Contractor of the Year) Award in the catagory of "Residential Kitchens over $100,000" by the Bucks Mont NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

    According to Dave Haines, President of Haines Contracting Inc., "the project consisted of a 2 year old house in Warrington, PA where the owners just didn't have enough space to entertain their family & friends. The back wall of the kitchen & dining room where bumped out 8' & the partition between the dining room and kitchen were removed. This gave us a whole lot more space to create a better functioning kitchen for our client."

    "Since the house was only 2 years old we were able to reuse 80% of the cabinets and counter tops in the new design. This way nothing went to waste" said Haines.To see more of the award winning project, visit www.hainescontracting.com on the web.

All projects submitted for judging were an improvement or an addition to an existing structure. New construction projects were not eligible. In addition, competing projects were completed between July 1, 2007 and November 30, 2008 (a 17-month time period) and were not submitted in prior NARI local, regional or national contests. An impartial panel of judges who are experts within the industry and associated fields, selected winners based on each entrant's "before and after" photography and project description, problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty and entry presentation.

http://flickr.com/photos/homedr/sets/72157612981490522/show/

Trophies were awarded at the 2009 Bucks-Mont NARI  COTY Awards Event  in Sellersville, PA at the Sellersville Theater on January 23, 2009.

The COTY Awards Banquet is widely considered to be the premier event of the year in the remodeling industry. The event was attended by more than 150 of the industry's elite.

To be considered for a CotY Award, a company must be a NARI member in good standing. NARI members represent an elite group from the approximately 800,000 companies and individuals in the U.S. identifying themselves as remodelers. The remodeling market, a $291 billion industry in the U.S. in 2006, is expected to continue to experience significant growth. It is estimated that more than a million homes per year undergo major renovation or remodeling.
 For more info Email Dave Haines at  Dave@hainescontracting.com or call 215-348-9953.