In 2008, Elliott Pike established ELM Construction LLC, a residential design and remodeling company in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. Since then, ELM has experienced consistent profitable growth, largely due to Pike’s meticulous team-building efforts. Fostering a positive and collaborative work environment remains a top priority for him. According to the NAHB, at this year’s International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Pike was named NAHB’s 2023 Remodeler of the Year. Pike reflects on winning the award, the keys to building an exceptional team, trends he’s watching in the remodeling industry and more…
Read MoreDay: June 5, 2024
4 Amazing Basement Remodel Ideas
A basement can be the largest space in a home, but it often ends up as a storage area for forgotten toys and miscellaneous office supplies. It doesn’t have to be that way. The following transformations by four local interior designers demonstrate that a basement can be much more than an afterthought. According to Washingtonian, the designer, of Georgetown’s Regan Billingsley Interiors, worked with Pinehurst Design Build in North Bethesda, led by Tom Gilday. Despite the basement’s space challenges, a pool table was among the clients’ priorities. The husband, a…
Read MoreTrends To Watch for Remodeling Contractors
Remodeling contractors specialize in making substantial improvements, alterations, or additions to the interiors or exteriors of existing buildings. Unlike general contractors who oversee entire construction projects, remodeling contractors typically concentrate on specific areas or tasks, such as kitchens, bathrooms, room layout changes, home additions, or deck and patio construction. While they occasionally handle commercial real estate projects, the majority of their work is on owner-occupied residential properties. According to Washingtonian, although many industries experienced economic hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic, some sectors thrived. For remodeling contractors, the unique dynamics of…
Read MoreOakland Launches New ‘Rapid Permits’ for Instant Approvals
The City of Oakland has revamped its permitting process by introducing ten new “rapid permits” through the Online Permit Center. This initiative aims to simplify and accelerate permit issuance, granting applicants immediate approval once they complete the application and pay the required fee. According to California Construction, these additions complement existing lead-based paint (LPB) and solar permits. Re-Roofing permits and insulation certificates for insulation installation will also be added this quarter. Other additions will include roll out of a new Building Combination permit (B) for apartment unit remodels and minor…
Read MoreBerkeley Hills Home Gets Eco-Friendly Remodel
Berkeley-based architect, founder of Rangr Studio, and a lecturer in architecture at the UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design, Jasmit Singh Rangr is one piece to the team that built his family’s stylish, minimal, cost-conscious home near the Grizzly Peak summit in the Berkeley Hills. His wife, Abigail Dillen, president of Earthjustice, a nonprofit, public interest environmental law firm, is the one who truly made it possible. According to Sunet, The challenge began in 2014 when the couple and their young son, Sher, moved from Manhattan to the Bay Area after…
Read MoreOlder Americans Seek To Make Accessible Upgrades
Many adult ages 50 and above would prefer to stay in their current home as long as possible according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll. Some baby boomers and older members of Generation X are locked into low mortgage rates too good to give up, thus meaning the choice of moving has been relinquished. Skyrocketing housing prices fueled by lean supply further complicate the calculations of moving house. According to Daily Herald, Despite feeling tied down, a subset of these older adults have enough extra cash to splurge on upgrades…
Read MoreA 1950s Silicon Valley Tract Home Transformed for Net-Zero Living
By Graham Irwin California has ambitious goals to address climate change. Achieving them will require sweeping changes to industry, transportation, and the built environment. Although this societal transition is a work in progress, a recent project of ours offers an effective and compelling response. A cramped, dark, uncomfortable, and dated 1950s tract house was transformed into a bright, airy, all-electric, high-performance home. The owners now enjoy outstanding comfort, quiet, and air quality, plus a “net-zero lifestyle” – they power their home and charge two electric vehicles with zero energy bills.…
Read MoreFrom Flooded Flooring To Full Remodel, Renovation Eased With Inspirational Approach
After a flooded basement plagued her house South Dakota homeowner Maria Schaffhauser approached interior designer Patricia Thoms and began talking about long term plans. “I was just there looking for flooring, but I said eventually I want to do a home remodel,” Schaffhauser said. “She didn’t know where to start,” Thoms said. “So I said, we have a free consultation, and I can go to your house and measure and make a project for you, and she thought that was great. So I went to Aberdeen and measured and took…
Read MoreNew Research Reveals States Most Eager To Fix up Their Home
Online self-storage finder SpareFoot, analyzed 50 different search terms related to remodels, such as ‘bathroom remodel’ and ‘kitchen remodel’ over the last 12 months revealing the states most eager to fix up their homes. It was found that Georgia residents are most likely to remodel their homes. The state’s average searches were 31% higher than the national average, making Georgians searching 401 times per 100,000 people each month as compared to 306 searches per 100,000 residents when searching terms such as ‘bathroom remodel’ and ‘kitchen remodel’ over the last 12…
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