Custom Contracting clients used to be

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1 ustom Contracting, Inc. your neighborhood remodeler Your Neighborhood Remodeler Established in 1990 Ready to Transform Your Basement? Custom Contracting clients used to be pretty conservative about basement renovations. Now, it seems like the sky is the limit. Until recently, homeowners tended to hire us to convert their basement into a playroom, home office or entertainment room. These were sizable projects, but they paled in comparison to what we re currently seeing. These days, many clients and prospects have a much more ambitious vision for their basement. And they re willing to spend a lot more money Custom Contracting, Inc. Serving you since 1990 Kitchen & Baths Additions Attics & Basements Garages & Sunrooms Dormers & Mudrooms Architectural Windows & Patio Doors Porches & Decks 1267A Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA (781) to address the various issues needed to make the basement a viable living space. Common Issues to Address We ve thought a lot about why homeowners are willing to spend so much more on their basements than just a few years ago. We think a big factor is the local real estate market. (See the Management Memo on page 2 for more on this topic.) If you re looking to create more livable space in your home, the basement is a natural option to explore. The complexity of such a project depends largely on the current state of the house. Homes built in the 1980s or later generally offer a good starting point. They re likely to feature a continuous pour foundation, stable concrete floors, adequate drainage and ceiling heights, codeconforming stairways, better windows etc. Older homes are another story. Among the issues that often come into play: Water: Is the basement protected against water? Homes near the coastline are at risk, but homes located inland could be as well depending on the local water table. Installing a French drain and/or sump pump might be necessary for water mitigation. Air quality: The State Building Code requires every room or space intended for human occupancy to have natural [a calculation for a certain number of operable windows per square Caption: Lee basement bathroom! foot of space] or mechanical ventilation. Bathrooms must be equipped with a mechanical exhaust fan. If radon gas is a concern, a radon mitigation system might be needed. Head rooms and clearances: The State Building Code stipulates that at least half of the floor space have at least 7 3 of headroom (although 7 ceiling heights are permissible in some cases). Creating more headroom by digging down isn t an option if that means going below the water table. Digging down near foundation wall footings can also complicate matters. Egress: Other than the stairway, what is your egress out of the basement? The State Building Code requires any bedroom to have at least one window that measures 20 x 24 in either direction and is no more than 44 off the floor. The Continued on page 2

2 2 Management Memo: Remodeling Spending on the Rise In our Management Memos, we often like to share our perspective on what we re seeing in the local remodeling market. Lately, one trend has clearly stood out: Homeowners are spending more on their remodeling projects. President Bill Farnsworth, general manager Scott Blain. To cite just one example from our historical data, our average kitchen project has gone up about 80% over the last five years. The increased spending is due both to larger project scope and homeowners choosing higher-end products. What are the reasons for this trend? We think the local real estate market is a key factor. Suppose a family wants a bigger and/or updated house. As they start looking around at real estate, they might struggle to find the right house in the right community at the right price. Considering the competitive real estate landscape in Greater Boston, this would be no surprise. In this case, homeowners typically face two options: One, they could buy a home that doesn t have everything they want, but is priced accordingly and could be remodeled before they move in. Two, they could keep their current home and examine remodeling options. Around here, there s a good chance the home has appreciated in value and left them with considerable equity to apply toward a renovation and/or addition. In either of these scenarios, the homeowners end up having major work done on the house. They re taking down walls, ripping out bathrooms and kitchens, putting on large additions, making significant renovations to the exterior and more. Many of these homeowners aren t skimping on product selection. Those staying in their current home may have lived for 20 years with laminate countertops in the kitchen or beaten-up flooring on the second floor. Now they re willing to spend what it takes to create the house they want to live in for the next 20 years. Rising demand for remodeling services means that many general contractors are as busy as ever. If you have a smaller project, it might be tough to find a qualified remodeling firm that can take it on right now. If you have a larger project, there might be a long wait before the project commences. No matter what the size of your project, Custom would be happy to speak with you. Once we learn a little bit about your project, we can give you a ballpark quote and let you know when we might be available to work on it. If you like what you hear, we can continue the discussion when the time is right. Ready to Transform Your Basement?, continued from page 1 rules for basement egress can vary from town to town, with some requiring a door/bulkhead entry and others just requiring an egress window well. Even if you re not using your basement as a bedroom, the State Building Code calls for eight square feet of window surface for every 100 square feet of floor space. Insulation: Insulation options can be a very important aspect to consider, although most basements are well below ground level and foundations can almost always meet insulation code requirements on their own. Moisture issues, moisture barrier types, French drain applications and other factors can often dictate which insulation method (e.g. spray foams, rigid foam boards or fiberglass insulation) might work best. And regardless of the home s age, it s sometimes necessary to relocate a stairway, remove a chimney and/or relocate the major mechanicals to make the project work. At Custom, we ve been remodeling basements for over a quarter century. We can call on this experience to let you know whether yours can be remodeled or if it s simply not worth pursuing. Contact us today to learn more. Looking for Inspiration? Please check out our website to learn about the design/build process, meet the members of our team and, most importantly, be inspired by projects we ve worked on. Visit today! Safe. Clean. Dry. Homeowners looking to renovate a basement are really looking to ensure a safe, clean and dry space above all else. Meeting all three goals can be highly challenging. In fact, some basements simply cannot be brought up to code, no matter what upgrades are made. In most cases, however, it can be done with a lot of creative thinking by experts.

3 3 Client Spotlight: The Uhlenbrock Home The 1920s Arts & Crafts style home of Justine and Nathan Uhlenbrock has charm to spare. The previous owners had lovingly cared for it for 60 years, but the house needed some updates. When the Uhlenbrocks bought it in November 2016, they wanted to modernize the kitchen and make other improvements before moving in with their two children. Their realtor recommended they speak with Custom. Before and after cabinet, pantry and window treatment Custom was the first place we called, Justine says. [General manager] Scott Blain had such a great vision of what could be achieved and really listened to what we wanted. We knew right away we wanted to work with them. Focusing on the Kitchen and Dining Room Following a walkthrough of the home and a conversation with the Uhlenbrocks, Scott recommended that the couple focus their budget on improving the kitchen and dining room. The scope of work eventually included: Fully renovating and reconfiguring the entire kitchen space Removing the front-foyer closet opening into the kitchen Removing the undersized half bath Removing a china cabinet and wall partition to open up the kitchen into the dining room Making renovations to the dining room, including installing new recessed lighting and a new plaster ceiling A lot of the work had to do with improving functionality and safety while also honoring the historic appeal, Justine says. Before and after of dining room wall with china cabinet that was removed to open up the kitchen into the dining room. Continued on page 4

4 4 Client Spotlight: The Uhlenbrock Home Continued from page 3 The work in the kitchen was extensive. Out came cabinets, flooring and a window. In went new cabinets and appliances, an island and a pantry. A new structural beam was put in, and a pipe was moved to the edge of the room to free up space for more cabinets. Custom kitchen and bath designer Nicki DeFelice was a big help throughout, working with the Uhlenbrocks on the kitchen layout and providing fresh ideas for placement of cabinets and drawers. The Uhlenbrocks also appreciated the efforts of lead carpenter Terry Tighe, especially his carpentry and cabinet installation. He did such a nice job, Justine says. We get compliments on his work all the time. The classic white subway tiles and super white quartzite countertops. Worth the Wait The couple was impressed with project manager Craig Lielasus patience, willingness to answer their many questions and ability to stay on schedule despite a few unavoidable setbacks. After about four months of construction, the Uhlenbrock family moved in to their new home in May Waiting for the project to be completed was well worth the inconvenience. White shaker cabinets with a contrasting light green island, complimented with Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray walls. We spend so much time in the kitchen, between Nathan and me cooking and the kids doing their homework, Justine says. It feels so relaxed in there now. It s such a usable space. The pantry, too it s a great place where I can put everything from the kids homework and cat food to my printer and computer. Overall, it feels much more natural to move from one place to the next. The details are so well thought through. It s a space that I can show off, and I m really proud of it.

5 5 Going Green When Remodeling H ere s a question we re getting from more and more clients: What s the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of all the stuff being taken out of my home during my remodeling project? Caption: Recycling is one route. Waste Management, for example, recycles concrete, porcelain, lumber, metals and many other common construction materials. The company can also arrange for hazardous waste disposal as well as pickup of refrigerators, microwaves and other household items (refurbishing and recycling as much of these as possible). Donating the items is also an option. We often work with EcoBuilding Bargains (ecobuildingbargains.org) based in Springfield, MA. Their goal is to help home owners stay green by keeping thousands of tons of useful materials out of landfills. EcoBuilding assesses our upcoming projects to see if there are materials that can be reused. They salvage building materials, furnishings and appliances and then make them available to homeowners looking for quality bargains. Of course, an architectural salvage company like Nor East is also worth checking out if you want to purchase older items for your home. Another possibility is an architectural salvage company, such as Nor East Architectural Antiques ( Nor East, which operates out of a huge warehouse/showroom in South Hampton, N.H., purchases a variety of architectural salvage and antique building materials from (e.g. doors, windows, cabinetry, sinks, bathtubs, lighting, ironwork and fixtures). They buy individual items as well as items from large-scale demolition projects. Unfortunately, not everything you abandon during a renovation is suitable for recycling, donation or resale. But if you do your research on options like these, you ll at least make your project as environmentally friendly as possible. Visit Custom Online Check out custom-contracting.com to see our blog, a portfolio of our projects, an archive of past newsletters and client spotlights, plus more. You can also find us online at: Client Referral Program Refer a friend, get a reward: That s how our Client Referral Program works. You You qualify qualify for for this this program program when: when: someone calls in and says you someone calls in and says you referred referred them, them, referral signs signs on on with with us us for for their their project, project, or or aa referral you serve serve as as aa reference reference toto aa prospective prospective client. client. you There There are are other other ways ways to to qualify. qualify. For For more more details, details, please please call call us us at at Caption:

6 ustom Contracting, Inc. your neighborhood remodeler 1267A Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, MA (781) MA Reg. # INSIDE THIS ISSUE First class mail Ready to Transform Your Basement? Management Memo: Remodeling Spending on the Rise Client Spotlight: The Uhlenbrock Home Going Green When Remodeling Welcome to the CCI Team! In the Remodeling and the QR500 Welcome to the CCI Team! In the Remodeling 550 Remodeling magazine has released its 2018 Remodeling 550 list, and Custom made the cut. We came in at No. 80 among Full-Service Remodelers. The Remodeling 550 captures the largest 550 remodeling companies in the United States, distinguishing among full-service, replacement and insurance contractors as well as franchise operations. Design Assistant Hannah Wirtz Hannah Wirtz joined the Custom team earlier this year as a design assistant. A graduate of the New England Institute of Art (Brookline, MA), Hannah studied interior design. Hannah lives on a farm in Littleton, MA. and the QR500 In addition, Custom placed No. 287 on Qualified Remodeler magazine s 2018 top 500 Remodelers list. The annual QR500 recognizes remodeling firms around the U.S. based on annual revenue.

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