Maryland Home Remodeling » Bethesda Maryland

Remodelers coping with slowdown

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:56:50 +0000

Gazette says economy has hurt the remodeling business

by Chris Huntemann | Frederick Gazette

The recession and real estate slump have taken their toll on not only the homebuilding industry, but remodelers, too.

The number of residential remodeling jobs in Frederick County has fallen slightly this year from 2008, from 808 jobs to 765, according to a report by the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. The average remodeling industry salary in the county is $44,758.

Remodeling jobs overall, including commercial work, have fallen slightly in the county, from 10,951 jobs in 2008 to 10,936 this year, according to county data. Remodeling industry jobs statewide are down less than 1 percent from 2008, from 211,975 jobs in 2008 to 209,089 this year.

Real Estate Live

Elizabeth Razzi

Washington Post Real Estate blogger and columnist
Friday, October 30, 2009; 1:00 PM

Post Real Estate columnist Elizabeth Razzi discussed the local housing market — from condos and investment properties to contracts and mortgages on Friday, October 30, at 1 p.m. ET.

Transcript Excerpts:

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Elizabeth Razzi: Hi, everyone. Happy Halloween eve…which I guess would be the eve of all-hallows-eve, if you want to get particular about it. Let’s dig in.

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Fairfax, Va.: Can you share some thoughts about “over improvement”? We plan to be in our recently-purchased 1980 townhouse for 5 to 7 years, and we’d like to remodel a bit (bathrooms, significant lighting upgrades) for our own comfort. But, our purchase price already was near the top of the range for our community because the seller had made major improvements, relative to the other houses. Unless there’s a rash of remodeling in the neighborhood, we expect our house to stay near the top of the range — although, looking at the market, the range itself may fall. What should we keep in mind as we start to budget for improvements?

Elizabeth Razzi: You’re wise to be concerned about over-improving. But 5-7 years is a long time to be squinting, if you find the lighting to be inadequate. I’d think you’d want to set your budget and prioritize your fixes. Maybe just replace the sinks and faucets in bathrooms, for example. Install new lighting only where it really counts–and search for cheaper alternatives at places like Ikea. I wouldn’t spend big dollars installing recessed lighting, for example. And don’t do anything trendy!

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Arlington, Va.: I received a solicitation from one of the local schools for a fundraiser. Problem is, the contact was one of the plaintiffs who sued against the Views at Clarendon project. I told the solicitor there was no way I was going to support the fundraiser, as the money spent on the lawsuit on both sides far dwarfed the money the fundraiser would raise. And THAT’S how you deal with NIMBYISM

Not In My Back Yard-ISM nimbyism [ˈnɪmbɪˌɪzəm] n or “the practice of objecting to something that will affect one or take place in one’s locality”

Elizabeth Razzi: Well, I’m sure that felt satisfying. But what about the kids at that school? I might look for another way to support the school–very deliberately bypassing that solicitor. If you want to rub it in, you might even ask him/her for someone ELSE you could contact.

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Maryland vs. Virginia: We live in D.C. and want to move to either Arlington County or Montgomery County next year, but don’t know much about either place. Both seem similar in terms of quality of schools. Housing costs seem similar. What other factors should we consider? Are there any huge pros or cons we may not know about for either one?

Elizabeth Razzi: I’ve always been intrigued by the Maryland vs. Virginia choice. Good for you for considering both. For some people, it’s a matter of politics. Maryland tends to be more liberal; Virginia tends to be more conservative. (Though Arlington and Alexandria can hardly be considered conservative-dominated.)The taxes are different. And the commute is different. Va. tends to be handier to federal office buildings; Maryland is handier for uptown offices. Why not just spend a few weekends in both and see which feels more comfortable? I’d love to hear from other chatters about how they made the Md/Va/DC decision.

301 253-1068

Maryland Home Remodeling by BT Martin Contractors serving Bethesda, Potomac and Howard County for 30 yrs. We are fully licensed and insured, with excellent references available upon request. Our team of quality-conscious professionals will address all of your home improvement concerns, treating your home and property with high regards.

Choosing the Ideal Bethesda Maryland Contractor

admin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Choosing the Ideal Contractor For Your Exterior Home Remodeling Project
By Ryan Coisson

In these tough times, savvy homeowners are not moving up and out: rather, they are staying put in their homes and adding value to their existing investment by making much-needed Maryland Home Improvements. If you have made the decision to remodel your home’s exterior by refacing its walls, here are some tips for choosing the ideal contractor to do the job.

Years of Experience

Choose a contractor in your area whose longevity in the business alone is a testament to the quality of his work. After all, in this competitive industry, no one stays in for long who does not build a reputation for quality, dependability, and overall excellent customer service. He should also be recognized as an award-winning leader in the remodeling field whose commitment to excellence is unsurpassed.

You Get Just What You Want

When you deal with a contractor who handles only vinyl siding, your choices are already severely restricted. A good contractor will offer a variety of facing mediums to choose from so that you get just what you want without having to accept less. You should have your choice of siding, stucco, hardcoat, as well as the current favorites: brickface and stoneface.

Warranties

For your own protection, insist on hiring a company that offers comprehensive and long-lasting warranties. A company that installs all its own products with its own certified craftsmen instead of hiring sub-contractors may be able to offer a strong lifetime warranty. If money is tight, you may also want to find one that offers deferred interest financing for your convenience.

When it comes to investing money in your home, you cannot afford to take chances on a contractor who may or may not come through for you. Do some research, then choose carefully.

Garden State Brick (http://www.brickface.com/) is about NY home remodeling. Ryan Coisson is a freelance writer.

Maryland Home Remodeling by BT Martin Contractors
7130 Rock Creek Dr Frederick, MD 21702-3646

(301) 253-1068

Chevy Chase Maryland Remodeling

admin — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:09:00 +0000

BT Martin Contractors serving Chevy Chase DC and Bethesda Maryland luxury home owners for 30 years with Maryland Home Remodeling Services.

Articles on remodeling:

You ve loved living in your apartment; it s convenient to your job, and it’s easy to maintain. However, your bachelor/bachelorette days are gone, you have a family, and you re finally financially ready for something bigger – meaning a house.

You ve notified your landlord that you ll be moving out on such and such date, and in the meantime you re actively looking for your dream home.

After an extensive search, you ve finally found the perfect house for you and your family regardless of home improvement needs. You ve now moved out of that apartment (funny how it seems so cramped now in comparison to your new home!) and are in the process of getting settled.

You’ve never had to do much work on a home before, or any place that you lived. At your old place, if you noticed a sink was leaking, or there was a crack in the wall, it was up to your landlord to fix it. Now, you want to experience what you think is the thrilling challenge of home improvement.

As a result, you and your wife agreed to buy a real fixer upper. What could
be better than accomplishing your own home improvement projects? You
envision yourself pointing to some pristine tiling work and proudly
declaring, I did that!

Well, before you get started on any of the many home improvement projects you want to accomplish, you should first consult people who actually know what they re doing. For example, for that painting project you have in the living room, why not talk to your nephew? After all, he recently completed a College Home Painting Class, and is well on his way to establishing a
successful painting career!

Once you ve consulted the professionals, you can then start thinking about tackling a few projects yourself. However, it s important that you stick to smaller projects – ones that don t have a high probability of getting injured.

A perfect way to start is actually not inside the home, but outside of it.
The yard looks awful, and the gazebo needs to be painted. Start by getting yourself a really good lawnmower and mowing that lawn! You might even want to add some extra color to the lawn too, but adding various flowers and decorative plants.

Then, there s the gazebo. The white paint is chipping off in clumps, and mold is growing on the side. No need to panic, this is a great job for you “Oh Home Improvement Man!” Lay a tarp down around the gazebo area. Get some clean rags, and dip them in basic household cleaning solution. Vigorously rub away any signs of mold. That step was pretty easy, right?

Next, take a paint chipper (if you have to idea what that is, just go to your local hardware store and ask for one) and scrape off as much of the flaking paint that you can. By this time, the area around the gazebo probably looks very, very messy. Thank goodness for that tarp! Gently gather the corners of the tarp, drag it over to a trash can, and dump in the bits and pieces of trash. Just think, after all that hard work, you can actually start painting.

Who said house projects were time consuming and not much fun?

Now if you’d rather hire an experience professional that’s worked in your Upper Northwest DC or Bethesda Maryland area for 30 years and you can walk to the homes of people who have previously hired:

From Maryland Home Remodeling

Maryland Home Remodeling by BT Martin Contractors
7130 Rock Creek Dr Frederick, MD 21702-3646
(301) 253-1068

Bethesda Maryland Custom Painting

admin — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:05:00 +0000

Montgomery County Maryland Home Remodeling by

BT Martin Contractors
Residential Interior and Exterior Painting for Discriminating Clients.

Realizing you have many choices when it comes to residential contractors, we thank you for considering us. We provide the highest level of commitment to ensure your satisfaction with each and every project. We use only premium products and apply them with the latest methods and highest standards.

We are fully licensed and insured, with excellent references available upon request. Our team of quality-conscious professionals will address all of your home improvement concerns, treating your home and property with high regards.

We understand… the importance of completing the projects in a timely manner without interrupting your daily life.

We understand… that the importance of maintaining a clean work environment. We make it a top priority

BT Martin Contractors
Maryland Custom Painting
7130 Rock Creek Dr Frederick, MD 21702-3646