Z.Z.Daily Construction

We hear a lot about eco-friendly green remodeling lately. As the sustainable building trend picks up momentum, many companies and manufacturers are jumping on the bandwagon and bringing new and improved green building material products to market.

One such company, Serious Materials, has released a new drywall product they call EcoRock. The company claims this is the first significant change in the way that sheetrock is manufactured in over 100 years, and has recently won the Popular Science GreenTech award for best of what’s new in ‘08.

For environmentally conscious home builders and home remodelers that are looking for better sustainable building materials solutions, EcoRock may be an interesting advancement worth looking into.

EcoRock improves on traditional gypsum sheetrock in several ways.

• Uses 80% less energy to manufacture than gypsum drywall.  Traditional gypsum wallboard manufacturing processes uses energy intensive drying ovens to fabricate drywall. EcoRock is naturally dried and cured using an oven-free process that consumes much less energy to manufacturer.
• Made of 80% recycled materials - made using recycled industrial waste products including waste from steel and cement plants. No gypsum is used to manufacture EcoRock.
• Mold and Termite resistant – outperforms all other mold resistant drywall as much as 50%. And no harsh anti-fungal chemicals are used to make EcoRock.
• Can be fully recycled at end of life – can be used as a pH additive for soils and can be returned to the production of EcoRock and other building materials as a useful raw material. And unlike gypsum drywall materials, EcoRock can be safely disposed of in landfills if necessary.

According to the manufacturer, EcoRock should be available from building material suppliers in the Western states later in 2009. The manufacturer indicates there is no difference in hanging, taping and installing EcoRock over standard drywall products.  The cost for the new drywall building material is not currently published, but expect it to be higher priced than gypsum based wallboard.

Did you know that you can receive tax credits for a number of home improvements that increase the energy efficiency of your house?

Originally, these residential home improvement tax credits were set to expire in 2009.

Well, here’s some good news. These energy based tax credits have been extended through the end of 2010.

Energy Based Home Improvement Tax Credits

First established by congress and signed into law by President George Bush in 2005, the Energy Policy Act (EPACT) provides tax credits to individuals for a number of energy conservation home improvements.

The tax incentives offered are credits, not deductions. A tax deduction discounts the tax payer’s gross income which lowers the amount of income on which taxes must be paid.  A tax credit differs from a tax deduction by directly reducing the amount of taxes owed rather than decreasing gross income. Most homeowners regard tax credits as more beneficial.

These energy conservation credits were initially set to expire in different years, with the first expiration dates starting in 2009. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has extended many of the consumer energy tax incentives through the end of 2010.

Remember, always consult your accountant or tax specialist first to fully understand the specific tax benefit you might receive. The current tax laws are subject to change, and these various tax credits are scheduled to expire at different times. (more…)

Home remodels, any way you slice it, somehow always end up bigger jobs than you anticipate. Most homeowners are not well prepared when they take on a home remodel project. Unfortunately, the lack of preparation can lead to higher costs, poor quality results and unnecessary added stress and anxiety.

Make sure you do your home remodel planning first

Proper planning helps you avoid the rush. Most homeowners underestimate the number of decisions they need to make before they even get the construction underway. When you don’t give yourself sufficient time to plan up front, you’ll tend to make hasty decisions that you’ll either want to change later. Or worse, in your hurry to get moving, you’ll overlook an important consideration that can cost you much more after you’ve started to build.

A rule of thumb to remember; Anything you have to re-do a second time to get it right will always cost more than doing it right the first time.

Whether working with a designer or consulting with your contractor for ideas and advice, the variety of decisions you’ll need to work through will add up quickly. You’ll do better if you give yourself the proper time to cover the planning phase up front, and go in with a positive attitude. Enjoy the planning steps and make it fun.

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Selecting the right contractor for your home remodeling job is the single most important step you need to take to insure a successful project.

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