A Little Shade Can Go a Long Way

The hot days of summer are upon us. If you’re thinking of ways to reduce your summer energy bills, you might consider investing in a home improvement that will keep your home cool, stylish and comfortable: shade awnings.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, window awnings can reduce solar heat gain in the summer by up to 65% on south-facing windows and 77% on west-facing windows. You can use awnings to shade individual windows, or you can order an awning custom-made to shade the entire side of your house. If you don’t want an awning all year around, you can order models that retract or roll up when you don’t need them.

 

Types of Awnings

A small, horizontal awning will completely shade a south-facing window during the summer. An east- or west-facing window needs an awning that extends down to cover a larger part of the window. Sideless awnings, called Venetian awnings, can be adjusted as the angle of the sun changes. Venetian awnings, however, are usually not effective at blocking direct sunlight on south-facing windows. Hood awnings are more effective because they come with sides that block out additional sun. Hip awnings project out and down to accommodate casement windows that open outward.

Fabric Choices

In the past, most awnings were made of metal or canvas, which need to be re-covered every five to seven years. Exposure to sun, wind and water wore them out over time. Today, awnings are made from synthetic fabrics, such as acrylic and polyvinyl laminates, that are water-repellent and treated to resist mildew and fading. No matter which fabric you choose, you should select one that is opaque and tightly woven. Also, opt for a light-colored awning that will reflect instead of absorb more sunlight.

Adequate Ventilation
Awnings require ventilation to keep hot air from becoming trapped around the window. Grommets or other openings along the tops and sides of an awning can provide ventilation. The awning may also open to the sides or top to vent hot air.


Almar Building & Remodeling Co is a third generation family owned and operate company for over 50 years. As a fulls ervice general constrution company, we have all the benefits of a small company with the options of a larger company including financing. We service the entire South Shore of Massachusetts including: Hanover, Hingham, Pembroke, Norwell, Scituate, Cohassett, Avon, Hanson, Abington, Rockland, Holbrook, Braintree, Weymouth, Milton, and many more towns.

HAPPY 10 Year Anniversary to Allison Guido

By: Craig H. Guido, CS (Hanover. Ma)

Ten years ago this week Almar Building & Remodeling invested in it’s own future when we welcomed our General Manager Allison QuinnGuido, CS as the third generation of Quinn’s to the team full time. (Almar was founded in 1959 by Allison paternal grandfather Gerald Quinn.) Allison had worked part-time with Almar thru college running vinyl siding installation crews, and helping with the marketing in the office. But upon her graduation from West Virginia Wesleyan College she joined the team full time taking over the administrative tasks full time.

In Almar’s 53 years we have gone thru many different phases but we have been delighted to have Allison’s leadership and organizational skills with us thru the last decade especially as we navigated thru the recent economic challenges.  Allison was learning the new skills of running a business in the moment. When asked about her time at Almar she said; “One of the greatest parts of being part of a small family business is that I have had the opportunity to jump right in and have my opinions heard. Terry has given me the opportunity to learn by doing and opened me up to education experiences I never would have been able to have in other situations.”

In the time Allison has been with the Almar team we have won Remodeling Magazine’s BIG 50 Award - 2005. In addition Allison has individually been recognized with the following honors:

Builders Association of Greater Boston Rookie of the Year – 2004

Cape &Plymouth Business Magazine 40 Under 40 Award – 2010
West Virginia Wesleyan Young Alumnae Award - 2010
Professional Remodeler Magazine 40 Under 40 Award – 2011
Bay State Alumnae Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha: Zeta Lady Award – 2012
And featured in both 2008 and 2009 by South Shore LivingMagazine as one of their Women in Business.

Aside from all her duties here at Almar, Allison also captained our Asthma Avenger team for several years till the American Lung Association stopped their Asthma Walk. She is also the current president of the Alumnae Association for Notre Dame Academy in Hingham Ma, and the Secretary/Treasurer for the Bay State Alumnae Chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha – in all her free time from looking after the hopefully fourth generation of Almar’s leadership, 9 month old Giovanni Quinn Guido.

When I think about working with my wife, I think that “ Allison’s leadership and organization not only help our team on a daily basis, but has been a major factor in Almar’s ability to survive and grow over the past 10 years.” As we look to the future Allison and I are hard at work thinking about where we want to take Almar Building & Remodeling, and CATExteriors over the next ten and twenty years.

Hanover Designs: Designing Your Remodeling Project

By: Allison Quinn Guido, CS

Networking can open small businesses up to a whole world of people and connections that they might not have ever been exposed to otherwise. I have had the honor of getting to know Paulette O’Connell, AIA, LEED AP thru Almar Building & Remodeling’s association with the South Shore Women’s Business Network. And now by getting to know each other we are looking forward to collaborating on upcoming Design and Remodeling projects to service our client better.

Paulette is the principle at OCO Architecture located in Hingham Ma. She started this firm to offer more personalized design solutions to homeowners and clients alike on the South Shore and beyond. She has a diverse background which allows her to bring a fresh eye to her custom
residential projects.

A registered architect and a member of the American Institute of Architects and the Boston Society of Architects, Paulette is also LEED certified. LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system.

Almar is looking forward to collaborating with OCO Architecture as part of our Design Build process. Design Build is the one-stop shopping approach to remodeling. Our clients hire us to do everything, from design to finish. From conceptual designs, to the working plans, right through
production management of getting your project built.

Choosing Deign Build your whole team is listening you your wants, needs and budget and
working together to create the best project for you that can be built with in your budget.

For more information about on how you can work with Almar Building and OCO
Architects on your upcoming Renovation (Addition, Kitchen, Bathroom, Basement,
Sunroom) then please give call us at 781-826-2577

Plymouth Remodeling: NARI Helps Educate Homeowners

By: Craig H. Guido, CS

Even though we had a mild winter here on the South Shore, I can feel the excitement of Springs approach in our Almar family. Clients are excited about getting new projects underway. Our carpenters are excited that they can comfortably work on exterior projects again, and I’m
excited to start talking to new clients about new projects and how Almar and CAT Exteriors can make their homes even better.

With that in mind I was delighted to be invited by the Eastern Massachusetts chapter of NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry) to help represent professional remodeling companies at last weekend Plymouth Home Show. EM NARI is a not-for-profit trade association committed exclusively to enhancing the professionalism of the remodeling industry and providing ethical and quality service to the region's remodeling homeowners.

I was happy to have the chance to talk to many of the Home Show attendees and educate them on how as a member of EM NARI professional remodelers and industry associates come together to improve our companies and client experience thru education and collaboration. And also to
let them know that homeowner’s can utilizes the resources that EM NARI provided
to educate and protect themselves and their homes when they decide to partner on remodeling projects.

EM NARI’s commitment is shown in our PEAK program, which aims to provide the absolute best remodeling experience for homeowners in Eastern Massachusetts. PEAK represents the four key aspects of the remodeling industry — Professionalism, Excellence, Ability, and Knowledge — to ensure that homeowners can find the right professional partner to do their remodeling.

Professionalism — All EM NARI members agree to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards of care outlined in our six-part Code of Ethics. These extend beyond building standards to all areas of business practices including marketing and sales, contracts, and customer satisfaction.

Excellence — NARI sponsors both regional and national Contractor of the Year (CotY) Awards to recognize the excellence and quality of its members. These prestigious awards encourage EM NARI members to strive for quality and excellence in every remodeling project. (View the latest
EM NARI CotY Award winners.)

Ability — EM NARI expects its members to maintain skills and expertise through continued learning and education. NARI offers a number of educational programs, seminars, conventions and rigorous remodeling certification programs. The better informed and trained your contractor is, the better your results.

Knowledge — Knowledge is power. Our extensive library of resources offers homeowners information on any number of topics from how to hire a contractor and what questions to ask, to adding value to your home and local licensing laws. The more educated the homeowner, the more
successful your remodeling project will be.

Almar is proud to be a member of NARI and is committed to uphold the standards that all NARI members represent. Almar’s entire team is ready to work with homeowners from all over the south shore of Massachusetts like Hanover, Pembroke, Hingham, Norwell, Scituate, and Cohasset. As a full service Design/Build remodeler Almar can handle all phases of remodeling: Additions, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Basements, and Sunroom projects.

2011 EM NARI COTY AWARD WINNER

The entire Almar team is so proud to announce that we have won our very first COTY award from EM NARI (Eastern Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry). The annual awards program recognizes the best achievements in remodeling projects over the past year. Reviews were performed by an impartial judging panel for the 2011 Contractor of the Year Award winning projects.

New downstairs bath

Craig and I were pleased to be able to attend the Evening of Excellence Awards Banquet where the winners were announced on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at Showcase Live at Patriots Place, Foxborough Ma.

Our Silver Award was in the Category of Residential Additions Under $200,000 for a recent project we completed in Scituate.

Problem: 1 bathroom for 3 bedrooms. 1 bedroom had no bathroom on that floor. And the second bathroom was inside the Master suite. These clients are not from the area and have family visit for extended periods of time, so we needed to accommodate extra storage and privacy for these guests.

Before

The client needed more bathrooms to accommodate long-staying guests but was also concerned

about the extra space looking like an addition from the rear of the house, because they just put in an outdoor kitchen. After

Also concerns about blending the addition in to the ascetic of the rest of the house

especially from the rear of the house, and make all of the different roof lines work, while maximizing space in the new bathrooms.

Client recently installed drainage system to move water away from the house that needed to be taken into consideration. Drainage installer was consulted to help solve the layout challenges.

Because the addition was going to be a 2 baths, 2 stories, and both fully tiled we decided to install 11 7/8ths I-joists to help stop flexing in the floors.

Pocket doors were used to address the problem of limited space tying the exiting and new areas together.

We want to send huge thanks to our clients for entrusting Almar with their home, and entire Almar team from the design team, to the excavators

and foundation crew, our framers, and the interior crews, especially our plumber, electrician, and tile installers and all our fabulous suppliers. Our whole team makes our job and our process what it is. We would not be the same with out you.

New upstairs bath

2010 Customer Appreication Cookout

Thank you to everyone who helped make the 2010 Customer Appreciation Cookout held at our offices at 1130 Washington St this year so special. We were honored to have many of our past clients and freind stop by to say hello and have a bite to eat with us. It is always great to catch up and hear how people are using and loving their homes since the remodeling has ended.





Craig was busy grilling most the day, we honored Mark Caruso's 20th Anniversary with Almar, and Paulette Lilla the Custom Decorator did a short presentation on decorating a room ar ound a theme.





All the guests were sent home with ALmar Goodie goodie bags with small gifts donated by our freinds at Certainteed, Matthews Electric, Rockland Trust, The Cleaner Spot and of course Almar.



And the Kids Zone was well stocked with their own "construction site" sand boxes, Bubbles, Construction Sticker projects, Bob the Builder Dvds and Corn Holes games. Alongw ith Almar "hard hats".

You can see more photos on our facebookpage:

Checking with the Town Before Planning Your Remodel

It's been getting tougher and tougher to get building permit lately? Many cities and towns have started making homeonwers "jump thru hoops" before they can veen apply for the building permit by making them go thru Zoning, Conservation, and the Board of Health for even a basic project. This add not only time but costs to your home improvement project. It's important to not only have good plans and project descriptiion but you should check with these departments as you start planning your project. We can always help with this too, and guide you along the way.

"The New Rules of Remodeling"

According to an April 15 report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, annual spending on remodeling is expected to accelerate this year, with nearly 5% growth over 2009. "This year could produce the first annual spending increase for the industry since 2006," the peak of the housing boom, says center director Nicolas P. Retsinas.

After hearing this I was just reading an article in the Wall Street Journal that came out on April 24, 2010 about “The New Rules of Remodeling” and while I agree and disagree with some of the items it detailed. The underlying theme of the article we are finding to be true here on the South Shore. People are starting to fix up their homes again, but in different ways than in the past.

In many ways remodeling has always been a “keeping up with the Jones” kind of industry. That still holds true in some respects; but Almar is finding that a lot more people are finally ready to get those improvements and basic maintenance projects underway that they have been putting off “while they see what happens”. We are seeing a lot more clients deciding that they are going to stay in their current homes longer than they initial anticipated so they want to make their house more functional and comfortable for their life styles without doing major renovation. Instead of focusing on how much will this get me at resale they are considering more about how it will improve their lives.

What types of projects are people considering?

Well window, door & siding projects are very popular right now. The Energy Tax Credits that end in 2010 are really enticing people to make these type of improvements now. Minor kitchen renovations: Removing a wall to create an open-dinning area, new cabinets & countertops within the existing kitchen/house foot print. Along the same line a minor bath renovation, where you leave the fixture locations the same up grade all the actual fixtures with more modern, and efficient ones. Even expanding outdoor living space with new decks, and patio rooms allows to you get more space in your existing house at a lower costs.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that people aren’t taking on large projects now. Many people who have decided that they want to stay put have committed to invest the time and money now (before inflation starts) into larger projects, which they can enjoy in the short term and benefit from in the long term.

So with more people looking to make improvements to their homes, fewer licensed (Massachusetts HIC, CS, and EPA), insured reputable contractors in the market place how do you protect yourself?

Some quick tips: Ask the right questions, talk to a few people, and always choose someone who knows what they are doing.

For more a more detailed explanation of the steps you should take to protect yourself I recommend a Free Report called: Six “Secrets” To The Perfect Custom Remodel Of Your Home! Click Here to request your copy.

And always please feel free to call 781-826-2577 and ask whenever you have a question. If I cannot answer it I will get you in touch with another professional who can.

The EPA requires remodelers to become certified to work in pre-1978 homes

Protect your family from lead
The EPA requires remodelers to become certified to work in pre-1978 homes

Hanover, Ma March 12, 2010—The Almar Building & remodeling Co is making homeowners aware of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that will take effect April 22, 2010, requiring remodelers working in homes built before 1978 to follow practices designed to minimize the exposure of residents to lead hazards.

“Lead is harmful to both children and adults. In children, a tiny amount of exposure can lead to neurological damage, and in adults, lead inhalation can lead to hypertension, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and nausea among other symptoms,” says Craig Guido.

The EPA is calling for all remodelers who intend to work in pre-1978 homes to register their company and complete an 8-hour training and certification course with an accredited trainer. The course teaches remodelers how to safely contain lead in a home as it is being disturbed and reduce exposure to residents and workers.

Almar wants homeowners to know how to protect themselves from harmful lead exposure during renovations. If you know your home was built before 1978 and your renovation will disturb painted surfaces you will have to hire an EPA Certified Firm.

Guido adds that current law requires that renovators give homeowners an EPA brochure called “Renovate Right,” which includes facts about lead and lead safety in the home and have it signed to signal that homeowners have been properly notified of the dangers.

If owners of a pre-1978 home decide to remodel, it is important to assume lead is present unless testing is done to identify exactly where the lead is by using a lead test. The following three main areas of safe work practices recognized by the EPA can be used to help homeowners start the lead conversation:

· Containing the work are so that dust and debris does not escape, complete with warning signs, heavy-duty plastic and tape.
· Minimizing the dust by using methods such as misting water on areas before sanding or scraping.
· Clean up thoroughly on a daily basis using special cleaning methods such as using a HEPA vacuum and wet mopping with plenty of rinse water.

As a certified firm, Company can prove the certification by displaying our training certificate to homeowners and on the jobsite.

The EPA also recommends that homeowners have the remodelers specify what the final lead inspection entails. If a homeowner has any doubts about the quality of lead safe practices being conducted in their homes, call 1-800-424-LEAD.

Almar Building & Remodeling is a full service Remodeling Company which has been serving the South Shore since 1959. Almar delivers not only a guarantee and warranty with all of work, but also promises quality work to homeowners. Almar’s office is located at 1130 Washington St on Rt. 53 in Hanover. For more information please call 781-826-2577 email Almar@AlmarBuilding.com or visit the Almar website at www.AlmarBuilding.com

Design Build - One Stop Shopping

I was taking some time recently to catch up with people on facebook, when I came across a status update from one of our clients. She was seeking help from her online friends to find good architects who could help her design an In-law addition. I quickly thought to myself "OH NO! She doesn’t know about our design-build process!"

I quickly messaged her and told her that if she was looking for an architect I know a really good one. We are always happy to work with architects but some projects we find don’t need them or some client’s budgets don’t work well with the architect model. I also told her that Almar has what we call a Design Build process where we can do designs and plans in house for her as part of our one-stop-shopping experience.
Almar’s Design Build process starts with your budget and we create plans that help you visually see your project before Almar starts to build it. Our process combines the design with our remodeling knowledge right from the beginning, allowing you and Almar to have input into the project even before work gets started! As the customer, you are the most important member of our design-build team. Your wishes and ideas drive the design, materials, selection and budget. Our state of the art design software allows 3 dimensional photo-realistic renderings, site and floor plans and walk-through of your project.

The Design/Build process provides you with the convenience of working with one company to design and build your entire project. This method eliminates communications problems that often pop up between an architect and the contractor that leave you in the middle, often having to pay more to one or both of them to solve the problem.







One of the things I really like about this process is when we are done and have a set of plans you could go away on vacation and come back to have the project done exactly how it laid out in the plans. In addition to these great features.

* One point of contact and responsibility for building plans, interior design, and construction.
* Greater quality control at every step and with every choice.
* Early knowledge of firm costs, and therefore, no grand surprises late in the project.
* Build-able plans are created early on, so you can proceed with confidence.
* Costs are controlled.
* The project begins on time and ends on time.
* Your designers and professional builders have the experience with the products you will use.
* Better all around communications, from start to finish.


So don’t forget if you are thinking about that addition, expanded kitchen, bath or basement give ALmar a call first.

1130 Washington St #3
Hanover, Ma 02339
781-826-2577
http://www.almarbuilding.com/