Springtime is greener as remodeling gains speed

Remodeler optimism stronger than ever during first quarter

Des Plaines, Illinois, April 23, 2013?The National Association of the Remodeling Industry's (NARI) first-quarter Remodeling Business Pulse (RBP) data of current and future remodeling business conditions is reaching new heights, as quarter-over-quarter increases are seen across all sub-components measuring remodeling activity.

As remodelers approach the busy season, overall current business conditions have seen steady increases since March of 2012, now at a statistically significant 5.97 rating compared with the 5.59 rating from one year before.

"Remodelers nationwide are not only experiencing increased activity right now, but many have a backlog of projects well into the fall," says Tom O'Grady, CR, CKBR, chairman of NARI's Strategic Planning & Research Committee and president of O'Grady Builders, based in Drexel Hill, Pa. "This current condition is world's away from March of last year and suggests that the recovery is beginning to gain speed."

Growth indicators in the first quarter of 2013 are as follows:

• Current business conditions up 1.0 percent since last quarter
• Number of inquiries up 4.9 percent since last quarter
• Requests for bids up 5.2 percent since last quarter
• Conversion of bids to jobs up 1.1 percent since last quarter
• Value of jobs sold is up 0.2 percent since last quarter

Sharp increases in the number of inquiries and requests for bids point speak directly to an increase in consumer confidence, especially in housing.

"Homeowners are tired of waiting to make improvements?many have chosen to stay put?and better financial positioning has them actively approaching professionals to get work done and enhance long-term livability of the home," O'Grady says.

More specifically, drivers of remodeling activity include needing improvements due to postponement of projects (83 percent reported this as a driver) and improving home prices with 59 percent reporting (an 8 percent jump from fourth quarter data).

Other significant contributors to overall activity:

• Certainty about the future was reported by 44 percent of respondents
• Economic growth was reported by 43 percent of respondents
• Low interest rates was reported by 42 percent of respondents
• Growth in stock market was reported by 39 percent of respondents

"We knew that several things had to turn around in order for business to get better, and NARI members are finally feeling a holistic economic recovery outside and inside the housing market," O'Grady says.

Whereas two-thirds of remodelers forecasted the next three months positively in December of 2012, now 76 percent of remodelers believe there will be growth in the next three months. Only 7 percent of respondents reported declines in the near future.

To review the research in its entirety, please send your request to marketing@nari.org.

NARI is the source for homeowners seeking to hire a professional remodeling contractor. Members are full-time, dedicated remodelers who follow a strict code of ethics with high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

Visit the NARI.org site to get tips on how to hire a remodeling professional and to search for NARI members in your area.

Click here to see an online version of this press release.

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About NARI: The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry.  The Association, which represents 7,000 member companies nationwide?comprised of 63,000 remodeling contractors? is "The Voice of the Remodeling Industry."® To learn more about membership, visit www.NARI.org or contact national headquarters, based in Des Plaines, Ill., at (847) 298-9200.

Des Plaines, Ill., January 31, 2013–The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) named 152 Regional CotY (Contractor of the Year)^TM Winners from the 2013 competition, of which 19 were team members. Judging for the regional projects took place at NARI's national headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois, during the second week of January.

Contractors from seven regions around the country vie for CotY Awards on an annual basis. National winners will be announced and honored at NARI's Evening of Excellence^SM reception on Friday, April 12, 2013 at the Intercontinental Kansas City at the Plaza, in Kansas City, Mo. National winners will be announced via Webcast the evening of April 12, and the Webcast will be available for viewing for 30 days afterward on www.nari.org/eveningofexcellence.

All projects in the CotY awards program are an improvement or an addition to an existing structure, with the exception of one category, "Residential Exterior Specialty."  Otherwise, new construction projects were not eligible.

The CotY Awards program also recognizes projects with universal design and green elements through the Universal Design Project Recognition Program and Green Project Recognition Program.

Competing projects were completed between July 1, 2011, and November 30, 2012, and were not submitted in previous NARI National contests. An impartial panel of judges, experts within the remodeling industry and associated fields, selected winners based on each entrant's binders, which include "before and after" photography and project descriptions. Judging focused on problem solving, functionality, aesthetics, craftsmanship, innovation, degree of difficulty and entry presentation.

To be considered for a CotY Award, a company must be a NARI member in good standing. The entries of this year's competition totaled over $71 million worth of remodeling projects. NARI members represent an elite group of the approximately 800,000 companies and individuals in the U.S. identifying themselves as remodelers.

The list of 2013 Regional CotY Award Winners is available on NARI's Website.

Homeowners are estimated to spend a total of $127 billion on home improvements in the U.S. through the first quarter of 2013.

NARI is a professional association whose members voluntarily subscribe to a strict code of ethics. According to results from the 2012 Member Profile Study, NARI members outpace the industry norm in sales, production and employees, when compared to professionals represented in the Home Improvement Research Institute's (HIRI) 2011 Remodeling Professional Study.

Consumers may wish to search www.NARI.org to find a qualified professional who is a member of NARI or call NARI National at (847) 298-9200 and request a free copy of NARI's brochure, "How to Select a Remodeling Professional."

East coast remodelers focus on rebuilding communities this holiday season

Des Plaines, Illinois, December 18, 2012?It has been two difficult months since Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeast, bringing devastation to areas along the coastline. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry's (NARI) 12 chapters that represent the Northeastern region are stepping up in in big ways this holiday season?lending a hand and expertise to those who need it most.

"Those affected by the storm are now trying to piece lives back together," says NARI National Chairman Michael Hydeck, MCR, CKBR, president of Hydeck Design Build Inc., in Telford, Pa. Hydeck himself assisted a fellow officer in the Long Island, N.Y. area when he loaded his car with gasoline, a generator and food and drove several hours to make the delivery.

Many of the projects out there require skilled remodeling professionals, and NARI members are doing their part to assist in rebuilding efforts in their local communities. "The NARI community is proud to come together and support each other in what will be a long and difficult rebuilding process," Hydeck says.

Here is a look at some of NARI's Sandy recovery efforts so far.

New York City/Long Island NARI chapter took action after seeing a news report about the Heckman family's struggle to treat one child's recent leukemia diagnosis with a home destroyed by the storm. The chapter immediately organized a rebuild of the home, gathering supplies and labor, for what will eventually be a new home for the family.

NARI-Staten Island Home Improvement Contractors Association is focused on education and safety for homeowners during the rebuild. They have joined forces with other groups and business leaders to form the Rebuild SI coalition, with the goal of disseminating information to more than 20,000 victims on issues like avoiding unscrupulous/unlicensed contractors, health risks associated with flood waters and hazardous materials left behind, and proper care and removal during clean up to lessen risk.

In addition, Steven Coppola, NARI-HIC of Staten Island Liaison and president of APB Security Systems Inc., in Staten Island, N.Y., says that many members are giving back in additional ways. "Remodelers are giving free estimates to help victims apply for assistance, and some are performing work without any assurance of payment," Coppola says.

NARI of Bucks-Mont chapter based in Spring House, Pa., raised funds and organized multiple supply drop-off trips to New York City. On one trip to Queens, chapter board members joined Bill Clinton, and volunteers from the Clinton Global Initiative in rebuild efforts.

Chapter Membership Chair Laura Hawley, principal of Ambiance Design based in Pipersville, Pa., continues to look for help and donations and plans to return to the same neighborhood. "There is just so much to do and still great need," Hawley says.

NARI Eastern Massachusetts chapter based in Newton Centre, Mass., organized a supply drop-off at Breezy Point, home to many New York City police and firefighters who are themselves in need of assistance from flooding and fires. Everything from light construction equipment, clothing, food and water were collected in the effort.

Building Industries Exchange of Pottstown and Vicinity Inc., member Steven Oehlert, of Oehlert Brothers Inc., a heating and cooling company in Royersford, Pa., made 20 emergency fuel deliveries to New Jersey residents and municipalities in need of gasoline and diesel to power generators and more directly following the storm. Additionally, Potty Queen, a portable restroom rental company based in Pottstown, Pa., donated portable restrooms and comfort stations in to areas in New York and New Jersey.

Remodeling Contractors Association of Connecticut chapter member Carl Loschiavo, president of Timberline Carpentry in Stratford, Conn., and property owner in the Milford Shore area, lost two homes in the storm. Nevertheless, Loschiavo and his crew started pumping water from basements during first three days following the storm and set up a grill and passed out hot dogs and hamburgers to workers and victims. "It was great to bring neighbors and workers together to talk and laugh over hot food, if even only a minute?it gave people a little break from the smell and disaster around them," Loschiavo says.

North Jersey NARI chapter members, based in Hawthorne, N.J., are doing their part to help as well, providing free delivery of materials and donating a portion of jobs sold from November to the end of January to the American Red Cross Sandy Relief fund.

"A great source of pride for remodelers comes from driving through a neighborhood and pointing out all homes and buildings that they remodeled in their communities," Hydeck says. "So when something like Sandy comes along and destroys their community, rebuilding and restoring the community becomes a labor of love. It's not over until our communities are rebuilt."

NARI is the source for homeowners seeking to hire a professional remodeling contractor because members are full-time, dedicated remodelers who follow a strict code of ethics that observes high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

Visit the NARI.org site to get tips on how to hire a remodeling professional and to search for NARI members in your area.

Click here to see an online version of this press release.

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Take care of mold before it turns ugly  

Remodelers advise homeowners during Mold Awareness Month  

Des Plaines, Illinois, September 5, 2012?September is Mold Awareness Month and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) wants homeowners to know how to recognize signs of mold or water damage, and how to catch these issues early on?or prevent them all together.  

Mold is everywhere, though the amount and location of the mold is what can be harmful to your home and your health. Brian Jones, president of Jones Design Build LLC, based in   Minneapolis  , knows first-hand about mold in the home?how it impacts a house and how to have it safely removed. His company worked on a bathroom project, which won the 2011 North Central Regional CotY award-winning project in the Residential Bathroom over $60,000 category, which required mold remediation.  

Moisture brings mold  

Mold becomes a problem when moisture is present, and the mold begins to grow. The risk increases in places that are more exposed to moisture, such as bathrooms, kitchens, attics and basements.  

"Oftentimes, bathrooms that are not properly ventilated or not properly insulated are at greater risk of mold issues, regardless of the age of the home," Jones says.

This was the case with Jones' clients and their 10-year-old home. They began to notice stains on their first floor ceiling, directly under the location of their upstairs shower, and grew concerned. Once Jones took down the drywall during the demolition phase of the project, their concerns were realized?the fiberglass batt insulation throughout the entire shower wall area was covered in mold.

"In this instance, the ceiling of the shower was sloped, and it can be difficult to install fiberglass insulation properly when the area is sloped, increasing chance for error," Jones says. "There needs to be a plastic barrier that protects the insulation from openings where moisture seeps in."

Given the oddly shaped shower, the vapor barrier between the drywall and the insulation was not taped or sealed at all seams, so moisture found its way under the plastic, creating a ripe environment for mold to thrive.

Mold growth behind the wall reduced the direct health risk to the homeowners, but according to Jones, if left untouched, mold poses another risk to the structural elements of their bathroom.

"Mold that continues to grow for years can actually eat through the wood, causing structural problems," he says.

Removing mold

After the discovery, Jones called in mold remediation experts to clear the area before work could continue. If not properly removed, mold can re-emerge.

Luckily for Jones, remediation is a fairly simple process. "A plastic barrier contains the area with the mold, so that it doesn't spread into other parts of the home. As it is being removed, a fan drives air to the outside through a window, and HEPA vacuums remove leftover mold particles from the area," he says. Once the area is completely cleared of mold and dried, it is sealed with a mold-inhibiting paint to help prevent future outbreaks.

Following the remediation, Jones recommended using a polyurethane spray foam insulation instead of the fiberglass batt insulation that was originally used.

"The polyurethane foam insulation is sprayed into the area, so it completely fills every crevice and hole that may be present," Jones says. Not only does this type of insulation block all moisture, but it is also known for its energy-efficient elements.

Jones' knowledge and expertise was very beneficial to his clients when dealing with a hidden issue like mold during their bathroom remodel. They were very happy to have detected the problem early on, before structural damage could occur.

Recognizing issues early on

Do you have moisture issues in your home? Jones provides the following tips to ensure early detection of moisture issues and preventative measures for mold growth:

Staining. By the time you notice staining, you can be sure that water either has been or is present. "Drywall and paint is easy and cheap to replace, so when I see staining, I recommend clients cut through the drywall immediately and locate the problem," Jones says.

Odor. Many times you don't need to physically see the mold to know that it is present because it will have an odor. If you walk into a room or basement and notice an odor, it's time to investigate.

Blistering. Paint that is peeled or blistering is another sign of water damage. Also bulging dry wall, and screws or joints that are popping out is evidence that the wood is warping from repeated water exposure.

Ventilate. Areas of the home that have accessible water systems or could face water exposure from the outside are extremely susceptible to mold growth and must have proper ventilation. "I suggest a bathroom fan with a wired timer, that will continue to run 30 to 60 minutes following shower use to keep the moisture level down," Jones says.

NARI is the source for homeowners seeking to hire a professional remodeling contractor because members are full-time, dedicated remodelers who follow a strict code of ethics that observes high standards of honesty, integrity and responsibility.

Visit the NARI.org site to get tips on how to hire a remodeling professional and to search for NARI members in your area.

Click here to see an online version of this press release.

# # #

About NARI: The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) is the only trade association dedicated solely to the remodeling industry.  The Association, which represents 7,000 member companies nationwide?comprised of 63,000 remodeling contractors? is "The Voice of the Remodeling Industry."® To learn more about membership, visit www.NARI.org or contact national headquarters, based in Des Plaines,Ill., at (847) 298-9200.