Craftsman Remodel in Winchester

For this project, Royal Contracting was asked to remodel the outside of Craftsman to make it more functional and increase the curb appeal, and among other things, make the front entrance a more prominent feature of the house.  The primary reason the owners wanted to remodel is to change the way they enter their house - the path from driveway to front door involved a long walk through the porch and around the corner using the sidewalk.  You can see the "before" path in red on in the attached picture.
 
Remodel the Front Entryway and Porch
Overhaul the entryway so that it matches the original building as much as possible.  Change the entryway so that it is not necessary to walk through the enclosed porch to get to the front door. Add walkways from the new front entryway to the street, and from the entryway to the driveway.  Repair the existing front porch to make it structurally sound. Add an entrance from the existing basement to the crawlspace under the front porch to make it more accessible.

Before Photo #1

Back Entryway
Remodel existing back entryway so that it is more attractive and matches the architectural style of the house.

Before Photo #2

EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm

Royal Contractors & Remodeling

is Know a

EPA Lead-Safe Certified Firm

http://www.leadsafelist.com/renovators/

Smart Strip Energy Saving Power Strip

Chicago changes the meaning of "Going Green"

It's an annual tradition by the Plumbers' Union in Chicago that they turn the Chicago River green.  They have been doing it for more than 40 years!  In case you are wondering how green the green is, they use vegetable dye.

 Thanks to kenilio on flickr for taking this great picture!

Energy Savers: Insulation

Insulation

Properly insulating your home will not only help reduce your heating and cooling costs but also make your home more comfortable. Here you'll find the following information:

• How Insulation Works
• Adding Insulation to an Existing House
• Selecting Insulation for New Home Construction
• Where to Insulate
• Types of Insulation
• How to make insulation in your home more effective with air sealingand moisture control.

Energy Savers: Insulation

Energy-Efficiency Tax Incentives for 2010

For 2009, under the Nonbusiness Energy Property Credit, you may be able to claim a credit of 30 poercent of the costs of qualified energy-efficient property or improvements (residential energy property credit) and a 30 percent credit for solar energy and fuel-cell power plants (residential alternative energy credit). The credit, which was not available in 2008, has been reinstated and is available in 2009 and 2010.
Improvements include insulated walls or ceilings; energy-efficient exterior doors and windows, including skylights; specially treated metal roofs; and a high-efficiency furnace, air conditioner or water heater. The improvements must have been made in your principal residence located in the United States and the maximum credit is $1,500.

For 2009, under the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit, there is no limitation on the credit amount for qualified solar electric property costs, qualified solar water-heating property costs, qualified small-wind energy property costs and qualified geothermal heat-pump property costs. The limitation on the credit amount for qualified fuel-cell property costs remains the same.

Also, the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit grants four separate credits for different types of energy-efficient vehicles. Your potential credit will be determined by the type of vehicle and which of the four credits apply. You can check with your CPA or the IRS for a list of qualified vehicles and allowable credits.

One credit that is part of the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit is the credit of up to $3,400 for hybrid vehicles. The credit is taken in the year you purchased the vehicle. However, the full credit only applies to the first 60,000 vehicles that the auto manufacturer sells. After that, the credit is phased-out. Ford has reached the limit, and no credit is available for any Ford or Mercury hybrid motor vehicle purchased after March 31, 2010. Honda has reached the limit, and no credit is available for any Honda hybrid motor vehicle purchased after December 31, 2008. Toyota has reached the limit, and no credit is available for any Toyota hybrid motor vehicle purchased after September 30, 2007. The credit is available for other automobile manufacturers.

For qualified vehicles purchased in 2009, a plug-in electric drive motor vehicle credit is also available. A similar credit is also available for vehicles placed in service in 2010. For 2009, the credit is equal to $2,500 plus $417 for each kilowatt hour of traction battery capacity in excess of four kilowatt hours. The credit is capped at $7,500 for a vehicle with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or less. The credit begins to phase out when the total number of qualified vehicles sold reaches 250,000.

Content provided by the Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. 

Product Review - Packaging Made from Plants

Vegware sells eco-friendly green products for the food service industry. 

There products are an economic and environmental alternative to oil-based plastics in the food service sector. Switching to Vegware products reduces the use of non-renewable resources, and will enable a shift in the way waste is managed.  All their products are made from natural materials and are biodegradable or compostable.  They have an FAQ page that answers more questions about the raw materials, disposal and end of life.

This picture shows you the "One of Everything Sample Pack". For $15 you can get a sample of one of all of their products if you want to try them out!

Product Review - the Smart Power Strip

Smart Strip Energy Saving Power Strip with Autoswitching Technology and Surge Protection

You can plug your stuff into the plug into the wall which doesn't protect for surges.
Or, you can use a surge protector to protect against surges.
Even better, you could use this smart energy strip to not only protect against surges, but to save energy.

Most electrical devices produce what is called an idle current. This means that whatever you have plugged in, even if it is turned off, is still costing your money and drawing a current. By using this power strip you can eliminate that consumption and cost by automatically turning peripherals on and off.