Craig Knott, CR

President

Houseworks Unlimited, Inc.

Telephone: 301-831-5178

E-mail:craig@houseworksunlimited.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOUSEWORKS UNLIMITED CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF RICH HISTORY SERVING HOMEOWNERS THOUGHOUT THE FOUR COUNTY REGION.

Mount Airy, MD –July16, 2010 – Houseworks Unlimited, Inc., an industry-leading residential home improvement contractor is celebrating its 20th year of providing outstanding work to the Baltimore and Washington DC region. As one of the area’s premier design/build firms offering high quality design, construction and project management, Houseworks Unlimited realizes an unprecedented 90% rate of return from their previous customers.

Owner Craig Knott comments, “It’s always been a goal of mine to share my passion for high quality design and craftsmanship with clients; helping them achieve their dreams of creating a home they’ll love for years to come. It’s clear that our satisfied customers are what help to keep the business growing.”

“From design to finish, Houseworks Unlimited was on time and on budget. Craig’s personal oversight ensured that everything went according to plan and with minimal disruption.” said Dennis and Sally B., who worked with Houseworks Unlimited on a kitchen remodeling project at there home in Historic Frederick City. “We commend you all for your professionalism and dedication to provide a superior product.”

Based in Mt. Airy, MD, Houseworks Unlimited Inc. is an award-winning, full-service remodeling company specializing in home additions and renovations, serving Montgomery, Howard, Frederick and Carroll counties. The company is a member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) and also provides a complete handyman service, including storm doors, windows, drywall repairs, painting and miscellaneous electric and plumbing.

“We are also excited to launch our updated web site, www.houseworksunlimited.com, as an information portal for Washington/Baltimore area home owners,” Knott says. With articles, photographs, helpful planning tips and other information about home remodeling projects updated on the site regularly, Knott expects the site to quickly become one of mid-Maryland’s primary resources for home remodeling and repairs.

About Houseworks Unlimited, Inc.

Houseworks Unlimited provides turnkey projects for valued clients with a focus on residential remodeling and additions. Any size remodeling project is welcomed, from big to small – the attention to quality and craftsmanship remains the same.

Pricing includes a full range of services, such as on-site supervision, warranted work, guaranteed customer satisfaction, complete project development from beginning to end and 20 years of experience. The company provides an unsurpassed five year warranty on workmanship and materials. Most remodeling companies only warrant their work for one year.

Houseworks Unlimited is fully licensed and insured in the state of Maryland. Owner Craig Knott, CR is one of only a select few in the state that is a Certified Remodeler.

Houseworks Unlimited is an EPA Certified Lead-Safe Firm and owner Craig Knott is an EPA Certified Renovator.

For more information about the premier remodeling services provided by Houseworks Unlimited, visit www.houseworksunlimited.com or call (301) 831-5178 and 800-831-5178

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“Absent a reversal of recent economic progress, there should be a healthy upturn in home improvement activity by year-end and into next year,” says Eric S. Belsky, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies.

Homeowner optimism is bolstering a trend toward investing in the home again. “The recovery in home improvement activity appears to be moving beyond simple replacement projects and energy retrofits to broader remodels and upgrades,” says Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies. “A wider activity base would help generate the expected growth in the quarters ahead.”

The Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) is designed to estimate national homeowner spending on improvements for the current quarter and subsequent three quarters. The indicator, measured as an annual rate-of-change of its components, provides a short-term outlook of homeowner remodeling activity and is intended to help identify future turning points in the business cycle of the home improvement industry. The development of the LIRA is detailed in “Developing a Leading Indicator for the Remodeling Industry” (JCHS Research Note N07-1). In July 2008, the LIRA was re-benchmarked due to changes in the underlying reference series. These changes are explained in “Addendum to Research Note N07-1: Re-Benchmarking the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity” (JCHS Research Note N08-1). The LIRA is released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University in the third week after each quarter’s closing. The next LIRA release date is October 21, 2010.

The Remodeling Futures Program, initiated by the Joint Center for Housing Studies in 1995, is a comprehensive study of the factors influencing the growth and changing characteristics of housing renovation and repair activity in the United States. The Program seeks to produce a better understanding of the home improvement industry and its relationship to the broader residential construction industry.

The Joint Center for Housing Studies is Harvard University’s center for information and research on housing in the United States. Established in 1959, it is a collaborative unit affiliated with the Graduate School of Design and the Harvard Kennedy School. The Joint Center analyzes the dynamic relationships between housing markets and economic, demographic, and social trends, providing leaders in government, business, and the non-profit sector with the knowledge needed to develop effective policies and strategies. For more information, please visit www.jchs.harvard.edu.

The Snyders

Damascus, MD

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A coalition of housing industry groups joined the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today in announcing plans to file a lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for removing the “opt-out” provision from its Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule.

“About 79 million homes are affected, even though EPA estimates that only 38 million homes contain lead-based paint. Removing the opt-out provision extends the rule to consumers who need no protection.”

The Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (LRRP) applies to homes constructed before 1978 when lead paint was banned. Its opt-out provision, which expired July 6, let consumers allow contractors to bypass extra preparation, clean-up and recordkeeping requirements in homes where there were no children under 6 or pregnant women, thus avoiding additional costs.

“Removing the opt-out provision more than doubles the number of homes subject to the regulation,” said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. “About 79 million homes are affected, even though EPA estimates that only 38 million homes contain lead-based paint. Removing the opt-out provision extends the rule to consumers who need no protection.”

The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association joined NAHB in filing the petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

The group will challenge EPA’s action on the grounds that the agency substantially amended its LRRP regulation without any new scientific data and before the regulation was even put into place on April 22, 2010.

“Even under the original rule, the opt-out provision was not available in homes where small children or pregnant women live,” Jones said. “That shows that this change provides no additional protection to the people who are most vulnerable to lead-based paint hazards.”

Remodelers’ and other contractors’ estimates of the additional costs associated with the lead-safe work practices average about $2,400, but vary according to the size and type of job. For example, a complete window replacement requires the contractor to install thick vinyl sheeting to surround the work area both inside the home and outdoors – with prep time and material costs adding an estimated $60 to $170 for each window.

“Consumers trying to use rebates and incentive programs to make their homes more energy efficient will likely find those savings eaten up by the costs of the rule’s requirements. Worse, these costs may drive many consumers – even those with small children – to seek uncertified remodelers and other contractors. Others will likely choose to do the work themselves – or not do it at all – to save money. That does nothing to protect the population this rule was designed to safeguard,” Jones said.

ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 175,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.

The study also concludes that remodelers can provide their clients with a precise estimate of how much bathrooms add to the value of their homes.The recently released data reveals that a half-bath adds approximately 10.5% to a suburban home’s value and a full bath adds about 20%.

The results also suggest that homeowners prefer a balance between the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Adding an extra bathroom increases the home’s value by a higher percentage when there are more bedrooms than baths. In a home that has only one bathroom, an additional half bath will increase the value of a standard two bedroom home by 11.5%, a three bedroom home by 12% and a four bedroom by 12.5%. When the number of bathrooms is approximately equal to the number of bedrooms, an additional half bath adds about 10% of the home’s value and converting a half bath to a full bath adds another 9%. So, one additional bathroom adds about 19% to the value.

According to Paul Emrath, NAHB economist, “One way to interpret this is that when there is an excess of bedrooms over bathrooms, an additional bathroom makes the bedroom more valuable.”

BATHROOM DESIGN TIPS

If you’re planning to stay in your home long term, we would recommend considering these

design features when remodeling your bathroom. These inexpensive design tips provide ease in transitioning your bathroom when the need arises.

1. Hand-held shower with a 6′ hose. The shower is mounted on a vertical grab bar.

2. Grab bars around the entire bathroom (visually integrated as trim).

3. Install off-set shower faucet.

4. 3/4″ plywood reinforcement on all bathroom walls.

5. Pressure reducing mix valves.

6. Install a low profile shower curb.

7. Install a seat in the shower.

In March 2010, GAO released a report about its experiences submitting 20 made-up products to Energy Star for certification, highlighting weaknesses in the program, which relies primarily on self-policing by manufacturers to maintain the label’s integrity. These products ranged from the truly ridiculous—a gas-powered alarm clock—to those that seemed believable, but all included fake data that showed performance better than anything currently on the market. According to the report, “GAO found that for our bogus products, certification controls were ineffective primarily because Energy Star does not verify energy-savings data reported by manufacturers.” The program did require confirmation of test results for two products, which were then rejected.

The agencies that oversee the Energy Star program—the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—responded quickly to the findings, changing the program’s policies and the way it approves products. By April 10, 2010, the agencies had stopped approvals of new products through Energy Star’s self-certification and automated-qualification programs (which did not require staff member reviews). The Energy Star program now requires staff review of all products, as well as testing results backed up by reports from independent laboratories.

DOE and EPA began testing products that have already been certified, starting with the most common appliances such as refrigerators, washers, dishwashers, and water heaters. The agencies have also taken action against 35 manufacturers whose products carried the Energy Star label but did not meet Energy Star standards. Among these was LG Electronics, which had 21 refrigerators carrying the label—some sold under the Sears/Kenmore name—that failed to meet Energy Star standards. LG removed the Energy Star labels from those products and signed a memorandum of understanding with testing and certification firms Underwriters Laboratories, Intertek, and CSA International to have all of its products tested to ensure Energy Star compliance.

Energy Star is also strengthening the standards it uses for its homes label. New guidelines for the homes program, which go into effect in January 2011, will require that Energy Star homes exceed the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code by 20%. New requirements include enhanced air sealing and envelope insulation, higher-efficiency heating and cooling systems, and moisture control in the envelope.

At some point, one of the existing owners decided it would be a good idea to enclose the original carport and turn it into an extra room. Was it a dinning room, eat-in kitchen area, family room……..no one was quite sure. It also had a low ceiling and concrete floor, which didn’t tie-in to well with the rest of the house. This in turn was connected to what was an extremely small kitchen. The current owners were looking to increase the size of the kitchen along with making room for a separate dining room. The only way to accomplish this, with the limited space allowed, was to remove the closed-in carport and start with a clean slate.

During the design process it was found that the zoning side set-back on the side where the proposed expansion was to go, was pretty close to the limit. This meant that the front edge of the structure was pretty well defined. Based on that, the front wall could not go beyond the existing existing one by more than a few feet. With that in mind we designed it so most of the new portion was at the rear.

The new design had a slightly raised one car garage on the front, the left rear of the main level was large well lit kitchen and the right rear was a large dining room that exited onto a spacious sundeck. The existing kitchen area became a place to house a powder room, hallway and hostess closet.  Beneath the new kitchen & dining room was a spacious home office with a separate entrance and storage area. The exterior of this 1-2 level structure was covered in a natural stone veneer to match the existing house. Having the addition raised in the rear made for some spectacular views. With the garage being slightly forward of the main house, the front roof gable then extended over the entry door, creating a covered porch area. This became a great place to sit and keep an eye on the kids playing out front.

Interior finishes included oak flooring to match, clear pine casing & base trim, ceramic floor & walls in powder room and clear maple cabinets in the kitchen & home office.

The homeowners are very satisfied with the way things turned out and can’t wait to complete the landscaping around there new addition.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 7.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.77 million units in April from an upwardly revised 5.36 million in March, and are 22.8 percent higher than the 4.70 million-unit pace in April 2009. Monthly sales rose 7.0 percent in March.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the gain was widely anticipated. “The upswing in April existing-home sales was expected because of the tax credit inducement, and no doubt there will be some temporary fallback in the months immediately after it expires, but other factors also are supporting the market,” he said. “For people who were on the sidelines, there’s been a return of buyer confidence with stabilizing home prices, an improving economy and mortgage interest rates that remain historically low.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage rose to 5.10 percent in April from 4.97 percent in March; the rate was 4.91 percent in April 2009.

Total housing inventory at the end of April rose 11.5 percent to 4.04 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.4-month supply2 at the current sales pace, up from an 8.1-month supply in March. Raw unsold inventory is 2.7 percent above a year ago, but remains 11.6 percent below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.

HOMESTAR
The House of Representatives passed HB5019 with minor amendments.  For details here’s a  link to the bill.

Accredited Contractors  will need to be BPI accredited or by some other future standard the secretary of Energy may approve. All workers performing installation must be certified in the appropriate job skills under BPI, North American Technician Excellence or the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or state programs or other programs that may be approved in the future by the Secretary of Energy.

The House bill seems to be very similar to the Senate version, before this goes any further the Senate will need to get their bill out of committee and onto the Senate floor for a vote.  Right now the Senate is occupied with other legislation and I don’t see anything coming up to indicate any action on their part.