Posts Tagged ‘ Building retrofit ’

Top 12 Considerations for Choosing a Home Improvement Contractor

March 2, 2011
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Through a nine-year experience of working with homeowners and various building owners, I have observed that there are 12 considerations that are most important to a potential customer when she seeks (notice the choice of the feminine gender throughout, the usual contact in my experience) to hire a contractor. It is her expectation that these considerations are largely satisfied (often through time-consuming due diligence) before making a selection. In today’s fast-pace society the time commitment required to do due diligence is becoming less desirable therefore, customers are seeing brand recognition with its built-in credibility as an efficient way to decide on a home improvement company. The following are the 12 considerations.

1. The Right Evaluation – The customer wants and expects the contractor to have the skills and the experience to assess the job and arrive at the right evaluation. For example, is the water mark on the wall below the window the result of a poorly flashed window or is it from a leak in the roof?

2. The Belief That the Job will be Done Right the First Time – The analogy of the car repair shop is appropriate here because it embodied the classic example of repeatedly returning to address the same problem.

3. No Unexpected Repairs (Ghost Repairs) – The customer expect that no additional work is done without authorization; consider the situation where a client was presented with added cost for removal of plumbing pipes that the contractor deemed too old for the newly remodeled kitchen.

4. The Quote is the Final Charge – The customer expects to be charge the quoted price (or be offered a discount) and not more.

5. Wants to be Educated – Whenever possible and feasible educate the customer on specifics of the problem and its solutions. It is expected.

6. The Job will be Finished on Time – The customer expects the job to be completed on time, if this is not possible she must know this well in advance.

7. Be Professional – The customer expects a professional experience through out the process.

8. Be Friendly – The customer expects a friendly experience. The crew working in her home must be approachable.

9. Proper Communication – The customer expects beneficial communication during service, someone on site must speak her language to answer immediate concerns.

10. Wants warranty/Guarantee – The customer expects written warranty and guarantee for the service provided.

11. Post Job Follow up – The customer expects after-job follow-up both verbally and physically.

12. Price – The customer expects fair price for the service provided; contrary to popular belief price is often not a primary consideration but it must always perceived to be fair.

In conclusion, my interactions with home improvement customers (at times through specific survey questions) have taught me that the above 12 considerations are perceived as credibility attributes inherent in a professional home improvement company. It further highlights that brand recognition will be an important determining factor in selecting a home improvement company in the future.

Retrofit Boston is produced by Caledonia Construction Company, Inc.

The New Rules of Home Improvement

January 25, 2011
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Many homeowners are beginning to recognize the higher standards that are being demanded from home improvement contractors.The new rules of certification, accreditation and independent verification have complemented well the old ways of selecting a contractor so that the two established a benchmark that bodes well for the professional perception of the industry. It is not a coincident that in 2010 credentialing and training organizations have achieved their highest growth rate in recent years.

I believe that a profound shift is taken place in the home improvement industry. This shift has embraced certification, accreditation and independent verification as the new rules of doing business. As a contractor who has been in the business for many years, for me, this shift means one thing – a chance to dominate a market by showcasing a brand that understands and welcomes the new reality. Indeed, homeowners are beginning to demand this higher standard of training and perceived credibility to measure value. And, the surest way to achieve this is by checking for (vividly transparent because of social media) the credential of companies and the skill of their people. Now, besides the old ways of relying chiefly on word-of-mouth recommendation, customers will be able to more independently check for and measure the training and professional underpinning of a company. This is quite a significant development in the home improvement business brought on by dramatic emphasis on energy efficiency improvements in building.

The Federal government and large utility companies have contributed to this by providing tax credits and purchase rebates respectively for energy efficiency improvement initiatives. States have seized on these opportunities and have enacted changes to their building codes to encourage higher efficiency standards in building. The State of Massachusetts for example, has enacted the ‘Stretch Energy Code’” which its cities and towns are adopting to promote energy efficiency improvement to their building stock. The execution of these strategies create jobs, save money on utility bills and decrease the Carbon output to the environment from buildings. The savviest of small home improvement contractors are using these new rules to improve their companies’ image to portray a well trained professional operation. The majority of the buildings in the nation are in need of some sort of energy efficiency improvement, if we are committed to improving our building stock then the adoption of these new rules are just the start of the revolutionizing of the home improvement industry.

To be clear, the changes that are taking root are a result of the budding Home Performance Improvement industry that is taking shape and which is buttress by the Building Performance Institute (BPI), a national credentialing and training organization. Indeed, I believe two things:  One, this is setting a new benchmark for the professional assessing of the home remodeling industry. Two, brand recognition will be an important criteria in selecting a home improvement company. The companies that recognize this and make the necessary positioning adjustments will be the winners.

All in all, these new rules that are required to operate a professional home performance improvement entity will no doubt usher in a change in the negative perception of the the home remodeling industry in general.

Retrofitboston.com produced by Caledonia Construction

The Coolest Trend In Home Improvement

January 2, 2011
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Although most building owners are unaware of the energy efficiency programs directed at the current building stock, they can significantly affect the interior environment of buildings.

Home performance improvement widely viewed as the latest trend in home remodeling takes a whole-house approach to home improvement where improvements to enhance the energy efficiency directly affects the comfort, health and safety in the building. In deed, the general view in building science is to intentionally controls the indoor air quality through effective energy efficiency improvement. This is achieved by executing specific steps. Below are 4 basic steps consistent with this view:

1. Tighten the envelop of the building by sealing, caulking, and insulating to create a sealed boundary between indoor and outdoor air.

2. Reduce or eradicate pollutants (toxins) sources that are in the building is one of the simplest way to deal with to improve air quality, keep them out whenever possible. In addition, Vent all combustion appliances to the outside.

3. Maintain indoor humidity within a healthy range to reduce mold sources, high moisture areas in the building such as Bathroom and kitchen must be vented properly. Bathroom fans situated on walls or in the ceiling must exhaust air outside, not just into the attic, for example. Kitchen range hoods must always be vented directly to the outside, forget the so call useful charcoal filter.

4. Intentionally introduce fresh air into the building through the use of a mechanical ventilation system, ever home should have one. In fact, commit to treating air like you do water – clean water is essential to our health, so we control it carefully. Fresh air is also essential, but in most homes (compared with being at the office), we pay no attention to controlling it. If unwanted air is kept out and fresh air is intentionally introduce this would make for a more controlled healthy indoor environment

Bundled together these 4 basic steps reduce heating and cooling costs, reduce uncomfortable drafts, minimize airborne toxins, control moisture content and generally provide for a more healthy and safe indoor environment that is comfortable.

Retrofitboston.com is produced by Caledonia Construction Co., Inc

What Is Weatherization?

November 6, 2010
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Weatherization is primarily a two step process designed to both save money on heating and cooling, and perhaps most important to keep your house comfortable throughout the year. Before the processes get started, a blower door test is done to find out exactly how much conditioned air is being lost to unconditioned space.
Sealing leaks
Once this is determined, the house and the ductwork are first sealed off from the outside air. This is done through a variety of techniques and an array of products including foam board, expandable foam, sheet metal, duct mastic, caulking, and other specialized products.
Insulating
The second step is to insulate the home to stop heat transfer. This is done with the use of various insulation products, primarily blown cellulose in the wall cavities of existing buildings. Cellulose is made with recycled newspaper treated with a fire retardant. It has excellent insulating and air blocking properties when dense packed.
To be meaningful, the process must conclude with a final blower door test to provide quantitative evidence of savings.
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