Friday, July 31, 2009

Window Replacement Saves Money for Manassas and Woodbridge Homeowners

Many homeowners living in Manassas, Woodbridge, Gainesville and Lake Ridge are thinking about ways to maintain or improve their present home instead of buying a bigger one. Staying put and increasing the value of your present home can be a smart move in today’s economy.

Some improvements, though, provide more benefits to homeowners than others.

Take, for example, window replacement. Many older homes have windows that have outlasted their useful life. And in recent years it seems that new home builders have used increasingly less expensive products that need to be replaced much faster.

One of the most critical benefits of window replacement is that new windows can improve the energy efficiency of the home. That means that heating and cooling costs go down. Also, because replacement windows save energy they are good for both the local and global environments.

Now is a great time to replace your windows. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows homeowners to take a tax credit of 30 percent of the cost of the new windows up to $1500 total. For more information and details on the credit, visit the government’s Energy Star website and consult your own tax advisor. Not all Energy Star products qualify for the credit. Make sure that your windows meet the strict government standards to qualify.

For even more information about choosing a great Manassas Remodeling Contractor for your window replacement project in Manassas, Woodbridge, Gainesville or Lake Ridge, check out our article Window Replacement Saves Energy and the Environment.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Manassas Remodeling Contractor Explains How to Find a Great Home Remodeling Contractor in Your Area

One of the best ways to find a good reliable remodeling contractor is to ask your friends and family who have worked with remodelers in the past. They can give you good insight into how the project progressed and how they felt about the remodeling contractor who completed the project.

Another source of quality home improvement specialists is to search the membership in industry organizations such as the National Association of the Remodeling Industry or the National Kitchen and Bath Association. These types of organizations set higher standards for their members.

Once you’ve put together a list of potential remodeling contractors, contact those companies to schedule an appointment. Upon meeting the contractor for the first time, pay attention to his or her people skills. Is he or she friendly, dressed well, and most of all, prepared? The contractor should be able to provide you with the essentials of doing business with his or her company: a contractor’s license, business license, insurance information, references and photos of prior projects completed by his or her company are a start. Memberships in organizations such as the Better Business Bureau, the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, and the local Chamber of Commerce, just to name a few, indicate professionalism and interest in the community and the industry.

Be prepared to discuss your proposed project in detail. Written notes, simple drawings and pictures from magazines and books can help the contractor to better understand your vision for the project. Pay attention here to how the contractor behaves. If he or she monopolizes the conversation with talk about himself or his company’s prior projects, he or she may not be taking the time to fully understand what you want. One who asks thoughtful, probing questions to better understand your vision will gain a thorough understanding of the project. Active listening is a key prerequisite for any remodeling contractor.

Use the time between your meeting and when the contractor gets back to you with an estimate to do some research. Check with your state’s licensing board, your city or county’s contractor board, the Better Business Bureau, and follow up with references. You may even ask to see some projects, if possible.

The remodeling contractor should present you with a written estimate. The estimate should detail the work that is to be performed and the materials that are to be used. A detailed written estimate eliminates the possibility of misunderstandings in the future.

Once you’ve done your homework, it’s time to make a decision. Sit down with all of the decision makers and, for each remodeling contractor, discuss the positives and the negatives. Look for the contractor who is the best fit for both you and your project. You should pretty quickly find your answer.

Finding a quality remodeling contractor will take some time, patience, and work on your part but it is worth the effort. A good quality remodeling contractor will help you to improve your greatest asset – your home.

For even more information about choosing a great Manassas Remodeling Contractor, check out our article How to Find a Great Home Remodeling Contractor in Your Area.