Tax Tips for Homeowners Looking Ahead to 2010 Returns. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
From energy tax credits to vacation home deductions, check out these tax tips for homeowners looking ahead to 2010 returns.
If you believe your real estate assessment is too high, you can always appeal it and possibly save on your property tax bill. Image: Tetra Images/Getty Images
Tax Tips for Homeowners Looking Ahead to 2010 Returns. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
Tax planning for homeowners should start well in advance of the April 15 filing deadline each year. If you delay until the last minute, it might be too late to maximize tax credits and tax deductions. These tax tips for homeowners looking ahead to 2010 returns explain some of the things you can do now that'll pay off later on your 1040.
Take a day to formulate a tax plan for the year. Depending on your circumstances, you might want to take advantage of energy tax credits or max out your vacation home deductions. The "What's New in 2010" section of IRS Publication 17 offers a sneak peek at tax changes that might affect homeowners.
Tax Tips for Homeowners Looking Ahead to 2010 Returns. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
Claim remaining energy tax credits
It's time to get cracking if you didn't exhaust your full allotment of residential energy tax credits during 2009. Although tax credits for big projects like residential wind turbines and solar energy systems have no upper limit and are good through 2016, energy tax credits capped at $1,500 expire at the end of 2010. Eligible capped projects include new windows and doors, insulation, roofing, water heaters, HVAC, and biomass stoves.
Here's how it works with capped federal credits: You can earn energy tax credits worth 30% of the cost of qualifying improvements, but the total tax credits can't exceed $1,500 combined for 2009 and 2010. So if you only took, say, $700 worth of capped energy credits on your 2009 tax return, you're still due for another $800 in credits in 2010. Some projects include the cost of installation-a furnace, for example-while others, such as insulation, are limited to the cost of materials.
Max out tax benefits of a vacation home
Use a vacation home wisely, and it'll provide a break from taxes as well as the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The rules on tax deductions for vacation homes can get a bit tricky, but understanding and adhering to them can yield many happy tax returns.
If your vacation home is truly a vacation home meant for your personal enjoyment, as opposed to a rental-only income property, you can usually deduct mortgage interest and real estate taxes, just as you would on your main home. You can even rent out the home for up to 14 days during the year without getting taxed on the rental income. Not bad.
Now, let's say you want to rent out your vacation home for more than 14 days in 2010, but also use it yourself from time to time. To maximize the tax benefits, you need to keep tabs on how many days you use your vacation home. By restricting your annual personal use to fewer than 15 days (or 10% of total rental days, whichever is greater), you can treat your vacation home as a rental-only income property for tax purposes.
Why is that a big deal? In addition to mortgage interest and real estate taxes, rental-only income properties are eligible for a slew of other tax deductions for everything from utilities and condo fees to housecleaning and repairs. Deductions are limited once personal use exceeds 14 days (or 10% of total rental days), so get out your calendar now to strategically plot your vacations.
Take advantage of tax breaks for the military
In salute to members of the armed forces serving overseas who want to purchase a home, the IRS is extending a lucrative tax perk for military personnel. If you spent at least 90 days abroad performing qualified duty between Jan. 1, 2009, and April 30, 2010, you have an extra year to earn a homebuyer tax credit. In addition to uniformed service members, workers in the Foreign Service and in the intelligence community are eligible.
Thanks to this extension of the homebuyer tax credit, qualifying military personnel have until April 30, 2011, to sign a contract on a new home. The deal must close before July 1, 2011. Just like non-military buyers, first-time homebuyers can earn a tax credit worth up to $8,000, and longtime homeowners can earn a credit of up to $6,500. The same income restrictions and $800,000 cap on home prices apply.
Military personnel can also get a break if official duty calls and they're forced to move for an extended period. Normally, the homebuyer tax credit needs to be repaid if you sell your home within three years, but this requirement is waived for uniformed service members, Foreign Service workers, and intelligence community personnel. The new extended duty posting doesn't need to be overseas, but it must be at least 50 miles from your principal residence.
Challenge your real estate assessment
You can't do much about the rate at which your home is taxed, but you can try to do something about how your home is valued for taxation purposes in 2010. The process varies depending where you live, but in general local governments conduct a periodic real estate assessment to determine how much your home is worth. That real estate assessment figure is used to calculate your property tax bill.
You can usually appeal your real estate assessment if you think it's too high. Contact your local assessor's office to find out the procedure, and be prepared to do some research. There's often no charge to request a review of your assessment.
Look for errors. You probably received an assessment letter in the mail, and many local governments provide the information online as well. Make sure the number of bedrooms and bathrooms is accurate, and the lot size is correct. Also check the assessed value of comparable homes in your area. If they're being assessed for less than your home, you might have a case for relief.
Even if your assessment is accurate and comparable homes are being taxed at the same rate, there might be another route to tax savings. Ask your assessor's office about available property tax exemptions. Local governments often give breaks to seniors, veterans, and the disabled, among others. By: Mike DeSenne
Tax Tips for Homeowners Looking Ahead to 2010 Returns. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Architect. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
The answers to these questions will help you zero in on the architect who's right for your project, your budget, and your personality.
Many architects have a signature style that appears in their work. Talk with the architect before the project starts to make sure you're on the same page. Image: hana/Datacraft/Getty Images
7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Architect. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
The architect you select for your job will determine the look and functionality of your home improvement project, along with the financial and emotional costs of getting it done. Whom you choose to work with isn't a decision to make lightly. A great way to get a feel for an architect-besides looking at examples of prior work, which is essential-is to start a conversation about the way he or she approaches the craft of architecture, and about the specifics of your project. There's usually no charge for this initial consultation.
Here are seven questions to use as a starting point. The answers will help you analyze each candidate's design sensibilities and personality, so you'll know who's right for your house, for your budget, and for you.
1. What do you see as the biggest challenges and attractions of this job?
Architects can have a beautiful portfolio and loads of great references, but that doesn't tell you what thhe'll do with your project. You want to hear them talk about their vision for your house-not just to learn how they think and work, but also to find out how well they understand what you want.
"You can hire any number of architects who'll come up with creative solutions to your job," says Pittsburgh architect Gerald Morosco, author of the book "How to Work With an Architect." "The differences are in how well the architect matches his design to your taste and your lifestyle." By making him talk about the job in the early stages, you'll get a sense of how good a listener he is: Did he really hear what you told him about your priorities?
2. Are you the person who will design my project?
Unless you're hiring a sole proprietor, there's a good chance that the person you meet with initially isn't the one who's actually going to handle the job. Often a partner signs up the clients and then hands them off to someone else to carry out the work. That's perfectly OK, as long as you understand it up front. But since good communication is crucial to a successful job, you need to meet the lead architect for your job before you hire the firm. You'll be interacting with this person on a daily basis, so it must be someone you get along with and like.
3. What project management services do you provide?
Architects do more than come up with the plans. They may also manage the project, checking the contractor's work as the job proceeds, answering questions, and making design adjustments. The architect may even help you decide which contractor to hire and certify the invoices, to ensure that your payouts never get ahead of the work and that you obtain the necessary lien waivers from all contractors before they're paid, so nobody can make a claim against your property later.
4. How do you charge?
Architects usually charge a percentage of the total project cost, anywhere from 5% to 20%, depending on the services being provided, the complexity of the job, and the renown of the architect. You'll want to know what percentage the architect will charge for your project, of course, but also when and how payments will be due.
Architects typically bill monthly, starting as soon as they begin work. But most of the upfront design work happens before you bring in a contractor and know the total project cost. In the interim, the architect may bill you by the hour or charge a retainer-a fixed monthly fee-with any necessary adjustments occurring once the real numbers are known. Each of these billing approaches can work well. What's important is utter clarity about the plan so you can manage your budget.
5. Would you say you have a "signature" style?
Most architects pride themselves on their adaptability, which allows them to tailor their style to fit each house and each client. But some have an overriding design sensibility that they bring to every project. It's not that all their jobs look the same, just that certain motifs show up again and again. For example, an architect might specialize in sleek modernism, a beach cottage feel, or reinterpretations of historic houses. Others may focus on environmentally friendly construction or universal design. By talking about the architect's signature style up front, you can decide whether it's the right fit for you.
6. Can you provide three-dimensional drawings?
Reading a standard two-dimensional plan isn't easy. Even if you can tell where the walls, windows, and doors are, you may not get an accurate feel for how things will look in the real world. Luckily, some of the software that architects now use to do their designs (few hand-draw anymore) can render three-dimensional images, says Corvallis, Ore., architect Lori Stephens. Not all architects have this software, however, so it's worth asking about.
7. Will you help us hire a contractor?
A good architect can help you evaluate prospective contractors' portfolios and bids, bringing a professional eye to the selection process and increasing the likelihood that the architect and contractor will have a good rapport. He may even recommend someone he has worked with before. That's a boon to the homeowner, since it means you won't have to do another big search to find the right contractor.
Even if you go with the architect's choice, you can still take advantage of competitive bids. Typically, the contractor will charge his standard markup (say, 10% to 20%), then he'll bid out the work to subcontractors-excavators, electricians, plumbers, etc.-and put together a quality crew with fair prices. That's the best of both worlds, because you get a contractor your architect likes, and you get the benefit of the competitive process to keep your costs under control. By: Oliver Marks
7 Essential Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Architect. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
Do You Need an Architect for Your Remodeling Project? New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
An architect can add to the cost of your remodeling project, but there are times when it pays to hire a design professional.
You can hire an architect for the design phase only or for the entire project, start to finish. Image: rubberball/Getty Images
Do You Need an Architect for Your Remodeling Project? New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
If you're planning a big home improvement job, you may be wondering whether you should bring an architect onto the team. On the one hand, you want the project done right, so consulting an architect seems like a good idea. On the other hand, you want to dedicate as much of your budget as possible to the actual work, rather than siphoning off thousands of dollars in professional fees. Here's how to decide when it pays to hire one of these pros.
What an architect does
Architects are highly trained in all aspects of building design, from engineering to style to ergonomics. At the outset of the project, an architect will examine your house, listen to what you want, and then propose a number of different solutions, with approximate building costs for each option.
Once you've settled on a design, the architect works with you to specify all the details of the job (right down to the style of doorknobs), helps you select a contractor, and oversees the work to make sure it's being done according to plan.
What an architect costs
Architects charge based on a percentage of the total project cost. That way, as the project evolves, the fee remains proportional to the scope of the job. Since the majority of the design work happens before a contractor is hired and before a bottom-line price is determined, the architect will bill based on a cost estimate for the project, or set an hourly rate for design work and make any necessary adjustments later, says Pittsburgh architect Gerald Morosco, author of the book "How to Work With an Architect."
Depending on who you choose, how complex your project is, and how much construction oversight you want, expect to pay an architect 5% to 20% of the total job cost. At the upper end, you'll get full-service project management. The architect will help choose the contractor, supervise the work, and sign off on the invoices, assuring that the construction is going according to plan and that all contractors have filed lien waivers.
Do You Need an Architect for Your Remodeling Project? New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
When an architect makes sense
There's no rule that says you have to hire an architect. Most contractors can design and draw your remodeling job or addition themselves. Others, known as "design-build" firms, have their own architects and engineers, providing one-stop shopping for both design and construction. So hiring an independent architect is totally a matter of choice.
A good rule to follow is this: The bigger the job and the more valuable the house, the more you need an architect's help. "Any time you're changing the exterior of the building, making significant alterations to the floor plan inside, or spending more than 5% of the value of the house, you want an architect," says Stamford, Conn., construction manager William Harke.
The advantages of using an architect
Architects and contractors take very different approaches to problem-solving. If the contractor handles the planning, he'll look for an efficient and logical solution to your goals that he can execute well, but not necessarily the most creative or aesthetically pleasing approach. An addition, for example, is likely to be a square room tacked onto the existing structure, with the simplest possible roofline.
An architect, on the other hand, will propose ways to incorporate the new space into the existing building in a way that enhances both-with a new roofline that adds visual appeal to the exterior, for example, and interior design that complements and flows with the rest of the house. As a result, the construction is likely to cost more, since the custom-designed addition will be more complicated to build.
Still, architects can sometimes save their clients money by proposing cost-effective solutions that contractors might overlook, or through the creative use of materials and products. And in the end, says Chapel Hill, N.C., appraiser Everett (Vic) Night, you'll enjoy a unique home that's going to have a better resale value because of its visual appeal.
Working together to control design costs
If your budget is tight, there are a few ways to get an architect's skills for less. You can hire an architect who's just starting out and whose fees are lower than someone with a well-established name. Or you could hire a designer-called an "architectural designer" or a "project designer" in some states. Unlike architects, these professionals don't necessarily have specialized training and aren't licensed as architects, so vet them carefully.
"I've seen great designers and I've seen bad designers," says Corvallis, Ore., architect Lori Stephens. "As with hiring an architect, it's all about looking at their work. If you love what they do and you get along well with them, either a designer or a young architect can work out great."
Another option is to hire an architect for the design phase only. Rather than managing the whole project, the architect will meet with you, propose some options, and draw up plans and specs, typically for 5% to 10% of the total project cost. That can be a good way to get an architect's imprint on the work without breaking the budget. By: Oliver Marks
Do You Need an Architect for Your Remodeling Project? New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
Adding Electrical Service to Your Workshop or Studio. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY, Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
When adding electrical service for a workshop or studio, budget to meet your immediate needs while building in flexibility for the future.
When building a workshop, be sure to decide early on where you want receptacles, light switches, and fixtures to go. Image: Comstock Images/Getty Images
Adding Electrical Service to Your Workshop or Studio. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY, Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
When planning the electrical service for a freestanding workshop or studio, start with a basic understanding of the costs for installing circuits, receptacles, and lighting. Wiring a new 600- to 800-sq. ft. studio or workshop will run from $2,500 to $3,500. From that base price, however, adding extra receptacles and lighting fixtures-even a run or two of empty conduit for future expansion-adds little to the overall cost. Planning for expansion or increased usage of the space is a good strategy. If your needs change or your sell your property, the building is prepped to suit a wide range of uses. Here's how to weigh your options and anticipate your costs.
Adding Electrical Service to Your Workshop or Studio. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY, Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
Determining your electrical needs
If you're going to the expense of adding a workshop or studio to your property, you're likely to spend a fair amount of time using it. That's one reason to wire it much as if it's your primary living space.
"I'd recommend having at least the minimal number of outlets you would have inside the house," says Shane Grasser, an electrical contractor in St. Peters, Mo. Most building codes require one outlet every 12 feet at minimum.
Grasser also suggests installing the lighting you think you need and then a bit more. "I'd recommend adding as much lighting as you can put in it. You can always turn lights off," he says. "It's never going to hinder you to put in additional outlets and lighting. It can only benefit you."
Sound extravagant? Not really. Once an electrician is on site to do the essential wiring, adding another device is literally the work of a few minutes. For instance, adding a receptacle costs about $10 in labor and the same amount in materials. Add the same receptacle after the drywall is on and the cost could be 10 times as much.
Plan in plenty of the basics, then consider these add-ons to suit special uses:
Getting power to your structure
Unless you're in a rural area, you'll be required to run a buried line, a wise choice under any circumstances to avoid an eyesore and potential power outage due to downed lines. The cost of trenching and laying underground conduit runs about $1,000. Because most of the expense is in getting the trenching machinery to site, the cost won't vary substantially whether you need a 25- or a 100-foot trench.
If you have open circuits in your household breaker panel, you can run lines directly to your new building without installing a panel. However, adding a subpanel makes the most sense.
"I always recommend a subpanel because it gives you the most flexibility for the future," says Grasser. "It gives you the ability to have 220-volt circuits, dedicated circuits for machinery, whatever you might need." Plan on about $700 for an installed 100-amp subpanel with 20 breakers, including pulling and connecting cable from the house.
Wiring the building
Grasser emphasizes that the basic $2,500 to $3,500 cost of wiring an outbuilding can include a few 220-volt circuits for special use. Installing a 220-volt circuit is only moderately more expensive than installing a 110-volt circuit.
Beyond the essentials, here are the installed costs of some additional features:
What you can do to save money
Wiring is best left to the pros, but here are some do-it-yourself chores to spare the budget:
Zoning and building codes
Many residential areas are zoned for single-family occupancy and prohibit renting or leasing a portion of the property to another individual or family. They may impose limitations of how your structure is wired.
Lonny Rutherford of Legacy Construction in Farmington, N.M., ran into just such a situation when planning an office structure on his property. "The city required that we tie into the utilities in our house," he says. That meant running an underground feed from his breaker panel to a subpanel in his outbuilding; a separate meter wasn't allowed. "They don't want it to be metered independently so you can rent it out as an apartment."
Code requirements are surprisingly minimal for an outbuilding. As long as the structure won't be living space, the stipulated outlets and lights are about what you'd expect for a garage. Although the National Electric Code (NEC) is the standard from which cities formulate their codes, local differences abound, mostly in the types of cable or conduit required.
Most homeowners have a tough time interpreting local codes correctly; good reason to hire a licensed electrician. Inspections are required after trenching, when wiring and boxes are roughed in, and after drywalling when all devices are installed. By: Dave Toht
Adding Electrical Service to Your Workshop or Studio. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY, Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Burnt Hills NY.
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Review your remodeling contract carefully and adjust it to make sure it protects you in terms of payments, work schedules, and project specifications.
Unless the contractor signs the document, it doesn't matter what it says-it's not a valid contract. Image: © Masterfile
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Even if you never intend to pick up a hammer for your remodeling project, there's one tool that's absolutely essential-a solid contract. But just having one often isn't enough. That's because the document a contractor gives you is designed to protect him. It's up to you to add in some basic protections for yourself. Here's what you need to know to make sure the remodeling contract you sign includes solid legal protection for you and your home.
Hiring a lawyer to review and make changes to a contract is a safe bet, especially since each state has its own construction-contract statutes. But not many homeowners are willing to shell out $500 for an attorney review, plus $1,000 to $1,500 additional fees to make wholesale revisions to a flawed contract. However, you can hand-write changes and additions in plain English and make sure both you and the contractor initial each change to the document, says Tampa, Fla., attorney George Meyer, who is chair-elect of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Construction Industry. Here's what you want to add (and subtract).
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Project specs
Start by reviewing your contract, a process that should take several hours. The most important element of a contract is a thorough and complete description of the project, and the materials and the products that will be used. "It should say that the contractor will secure all necessary permits and approvals as well as what walls are being moved where, what type of countertops are going in, what type of sink, what type of faucet, and so forth," says Meyer. "You can't rely on everyone's memory because if there's a problem later, people may remember different things." The contract needn't contain these specs on its pages, it can simply refer to the contractor's attached itemized bid. Avoid allowances, which are pools of money set aside for work to be determined later, and which often lead to cost overruns.
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Payment schedule
The contract should also state the total price for the job, and that it's a fixed price-not an estimate. It should provide a schedule of how the payments will be made by linking them to milestones in the work-such as when the foundation, rough plumbing, and electricity will be completed-so you're paying for work only after it's done. "You should always have enough money left to hire someone else to finish the work if need be," says Meyer. In general, the first payment should be no more than 10% of the total job and the final payment should be at least a few thousand dollars to ensure that it's a big enough incentive to get the contractor back for the final niggling details. If you're unsure whether the payment schedule is proportional to the milestones your contractor suggests, ask a friend who's familiar with construction process or consult a construction attorney.
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Start and end dates
A contractor's boilerplate contract rarely includes dates for when he will begin work and when he will complete the job, so make sure those details are included. It's not that he'll be penalized if it runs late, only that if you ever have a major problem and need to sue him-or defend yourself from a suit he brings-showing that the contractor is, say, two months behind schedule will help you make your case. The dates needn't be too exacting. If he says it's a six to eight week job, eight or even nine weeks is fine for the contract, says Meyer.
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Statement about change orders
Make sure the contract contains a line stating that any changes that will affect the cost of the job must be priced in writing and countersigned by both the contractor and homeowner before that work commences. That ensures that an offhand discussion about a possible change to the project won't result in a huge unforeseen additional cost. It also helps you, as the homeowner, keep track of exactly how much you've added to the bottom line, so you can avoid the very common urge to keep expanding the job.
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Binding arbitration
Many contractors include a line that says that rather than going through the courts, disputes will be resolved by an arbitrator. Some legal experts feel that this is a quicker and lower-cost solution to problems, so a binding arbitration clause isn't necessarily a problem. What can be trouble is if the contract requires a specific arbitrator. "There are some big, national, well-respected arbitrators, like the American Arbitration Association," says Meyer. "And there are other questionable arbitrators that always side with the contractor. If a particular arbitrator is specified, I'd do some internet research about the agency to make sure it's legit."
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Warranty
Having the contractor's warranty in the contract seems like a good thing, right? Well including it is often actually a technique for limiting how much liability the contractor has. "It's usually loaded up with exclusions and time limits," says Meyer, "and you're actually better off with no mention of warranty at all because then the only limits on his warranty are what's in the state statutes." In other words, keeping the contractor's warranty language in the contract will likely mean you're agreeing to less than what state law provides. For example, state law may specify a longer warranty term than what the contractor's warranty offers. So, unless you're having a lawyer review the contract, strike the warranty clause.
What Your Remodeling Contract Should Say. New Construction Homes for Sale in Burnt Hills NY. Todd Stewart of Stewart Construction Custom Home Builder in Saratoga County.
Technicalities
There are numerous state-by-state requirements for construction contracts. He may have to include his contractor's license number, for example, and he may have to include a clause saying you have the right to rescind the contract within a certain time period after signing. And unless you and the contractor sign the document, it doesn't matter what it says-it's not a valid contract. By: Oliver Marks
Our building philosophy is simple: build a product that exceeds our client’s expectations using only quality products and experienced craftsmen.
Stewart Construction Inc. is a second- generation, family- owned and operated business. Our family has been building and remodeling homes in the Capital Region for 40 years. The company is owned by Todd Stewart, who lives with his wife and three children in Vienna Heights, a Stewart subdivision built in the late 1990's. We are a small- volume company, which means that we take a very hands- on approach to your project, and we pride ourselves on personal service and customer satisfaction. Our building philosophy is simple: build a product that exceeds our client's expectations using only quality products and experienced craftsmen.
An open line of communication is vital for any project to go smoothly. We encourage you to visit the site with Todd during the construction process. Ask questions, voice concerns, and offer ideas. Your involvement assures that your new home is exactly what you dreamed it would be. We also encourage anyone who is considering building with us to talk to our past clients to see what the experience was like. Building a custom home, big or small, can be a daunting task. Let us guide you through it and make it the fun and exciting experience it should be.
We think our clients say it best: "...we feel we have not only acquired a beautiful home, but have gained a good friend." Thank you for considering Stewart Construction to build your new home.
Our Building philosophy is simple. Build a product that exceeds our client's expectations using only quality products and experienced craftspeople. We never make exceptions to this rule and our satisfied clients are proof of that fact. Todd personally oversees each major aspect of construction to ensure that it is done right and meets our high standards.
An open line of communication is vital in order for a project to run smoothly. We encourage you to visit the project during the construction process to ask questions, voice any concerns, and offer ideas. Your involvement helps to assure that your new home is exactly what you dreamed it would be. We encourage everyone who is considering building with us to talk with our past clients to get a feel for what working with Stewart Construction will be like.
Along with backing every home we build with our Residential Warranty, we also offer the opportunity to have your home Energy Star labeled through New York State's Energy Smart Program, or, through the National Association of Home Builders, you may choose to have your home built to the standards of the National Green Building Certification Program, an ANSI- certified green building program, which encompasses the Energy Star guidelines and goes on to address many other "green" features. These two programs allow our clients to ensure that their homes are environmentally responsible.
Thank you for considering Stewart Construction Inc. for your new home building project.
As a longstanding partner in the New York ENERGY STAR labeled Homes program, Stewart Construction has the opportunity to offer our clients a way to verify the energy savings they can expect to receive from their new home.
The Energy Star Program was started in 1992 by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as a way to promote the use of energy efficient products and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In New York it is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and is called New York Energy Smart.
New York ENERGY STAR labeled Homes employ proven technologies and advanced building practices to use approximately 30% less energy than conventionally built homes. These practices include comprehensive air sealing, high-density insulation, duct sealing, high-performance windows and doors, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, mechanical ventilation systems, and energy-saving appliances and lighting.
At Stewart Construction, our building practices have always included a comprehensive system of insulation, air sealing and ventilation. Through the New York ENERGY STAR labeled Homes program, we are excited to be able to provide our new homeowners the option of having their home tested and certified to meet the high standards of an ENERGY STAR labeled home.
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
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