The Renovation Company, Inc.

Consumer Confidence and Renovation Projects at Highest Levels in Years

cindylund — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:15:50 +0000

Home remodeling and online design community platform Houzz conducted the largest-ever study of renovation activity in the United States, surveying over 100,000 people for their research. The results show that more than half of the sample base think that now is a good time to remodel their homes. The Commerce Department put out a report that backs the findings, indicating that the number of single family home construction projects are at its highest level in almost five years, signaling growth in the renovation market. The most common projects were bathrooms and kitchens, with around a quarter of all survey members planning on redoing these rooms in the next two years. Going green was also a driving factor; with 34 percent claiming that making their house more energy efficient was the main reason for tackling the project.

Creative Use of Glass Tops KBIS 2013 Design Awards

cindylund — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:00:41 +0000

Creative use of glass topped the awards at the 2013 KBIS Design Competition, which took place this past weekend in New Orleans. The Best Kitchen Award went to Wendy Johnson of Designs for Living in Manchester, Vermont. Her kitchen featured a curved LED-lit glass bar and art glass on panels overlooking a golf course. Shea Pumarejo of Younique Designs in Helotes, Texas, was awarded Best Bath for her Baroque style room with a hand-blown glass faucet and sink, and a hand-cut glass wall.

You can see pictures of the award winning designs at http://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-industry-trends-press-releases/NKBA-Best-Kitchen-Best-Bath-Design-Awards-at-KBIS-2013-203918631.html

The Renovation Company receives 2012 Super Service Award

cindylund — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 12:00:34 +0000

The Renovation Company, Inc. is proud to announce their continued presence at the top of Angie’s List with the 2012 Super Service Award. This recognition is given only to the top 5% of service companies, based on an “A” average rating on a minimum number of reports and being in good standing with the Better Business Bureau. The 2012 Super Service Award reflects an uncompromised commitment to quality work and attentive customer service that The Renovation Company, Inc. provides on every project. Congratulations to The Renovation Company, Inc. team!

A Premium Value for Energy Efficient Houses

cindylund — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:30:06 +0000

Although everyone has heard about how much you can save with energy efficient electric and hybrid vehicles, it is important to know that these savings can also apply to your home. While going green is a great solution to cutting yearly energy costs, a recent report suggests it also adds major resale value to your house. The study looked at over 1.6 million homes sold over the past five years to see what effect energy efficient solutions had on resale value. The results were very impressive, finding that houses with a green certification label sold for an average of 9% higher than those without the label. Importantly, the value gained in the improvements was significantly more than the cost involved in making the improvements.

You can ready more about this study at http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/study-finds-that-energy-efficient-homes-often-command-higher-prices/2012/07/19/gJQAF4MiwW_story.html

Long-Term Repair for North Shore Water Damage

cindylund — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 21:51:29 +0000

Many residents of the North Shore were knee deep in water as Chicago broke records with its sudden burst of thunderstorms and rain last week. Calls came fast and furious about repairing trim, floors, walls and carpeting. Our clients were also interested in preventative measures to thwart future damage. The team at The Renovation Company highly recommends our protective drain tile system, which prevents future leaks, floods and water damage. It is a pro-active procedure that takes a minimal amount of time (one to two weeks; depending on size of area) but yields a super product and most importantly, a dry basement. Feel free to call us for more details and a complimentary estimate.

Window Frame Condensation?

cindylund — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:25:09 +0000

Window frame (aluminum) condensation has been an issue for some of our clients living in high-rise buildings. Some buildings (i.e. pre-1980) suffer more, as they were constructed without thermal-break technology in the aluminum cladding surrounding the windows. The exterior cold temperature travels through the window frame into the interior of the condo, where it turns the window frame into an ice cube. The higher the humidity, the more ice and condensation that forms inside. The issue can become quite severe for residents whose exterior walls consist mainly of aluminum framed windows: They are forced to either lower the humidity or mop their windows twice a day. The Renovation Company, Inc. has developed a solution that completely eliminates this issue without disrupting the aluminum framing (typically a violation of building by-laws). Electrical work is required. An efficacy video will be posted soon…

New York Times: Don’t Sell; Renovate!

cindylund — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 18:37:06 +0000

There was an excellent article posted in the New York Times (the full article is available to view in our News section) that emphasized the benefits of renovating homes in a slowly-recovering economic climate versus selling. In such a difficult housing market, many homeowners have begun to view their current abode as a longer-term living space and are spending their money on making it more livable as well as increase the overall value of their home. The article highlights strong movement in renovation with projections continuing into the next few years.

Go REALLY Green: More Federal Tax Credits

cindylund — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 22:24:18 +0000

While the deadline for more common green installations is December 31, 2010, for more comprehensive green home installations such as geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines or solar energy systems, the federal government will pay 30% of the cost with no upper limit to the amount. This is an exquisite enticement to consider some of the more extensive ways to go green in your home. The deadline for this rebate is December 31, 2016. We’ve got a little more time on this one…

Insulation: Simple Solution to Saving Energy

cindylund — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:29:37 +0000

Today was the first day that temperatures dropped and the smell in the air was one of fall. It’s unbelievable that Chicago weather can still surprise when just two weeks ago it was in the soaring 90’s and as humid as all get-out.

Cold weather is approaching and one of the easiest ways to save energy and save money is to insulate. Insulating ceiling, walls, floors or a combination of the three will save anywhere from 15% to 55% heat energy. While this statistic yields a significant cost savings, insulating also assists with cooling homes in the summer by allowing more heat to escape.

Find Your Unique Contractor

cindylund — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:24:53 +0000

When I first started to date Tom, people would ask me what he did for a living, and I obviously told them that he was a general contractor. I could not for the life of me figure out why I’d always get the stink eye. I thought it was weird, all those funny looks and no comments. What was the deal? I was so proud of him and what he did as an entrepreneur with his company, witnessing it all from a purely objective standard. I knew who Tom was, had met many of his clients and felt immense pride with his chosen career path.

Oh, but it came clear after a while. At the time, I was a Chicago apartment dweller and was naïve to the negative stereotype of “the general contractor,” a.k.a., sleazy, dishonest, untimely, lack of professionalism and self-serving. These were the qualities I heard about, anyway, as slowly but surely people started to open up about the empty silences that accompanied my disclosure of Tom’s career.

I do believe that in any profession there are those that stand out and those that bring down the group. While some would call me biased, I can say with certainty that Tom has built his company on a foundation of integrity that exceeds anybody’s I have ever witnessed. And I have now witnessed him for many years. Tom’s authenticity is palpable upon meeting him. Clients know immediately that they are NOT going to get screwed over. His ethics on doing what is “right” is the cornerstone for every project and every interaction in his life. He has an innate moral compass that guides him and he and his team will not complete a project until it’s perfect—even if it costs him.

This is the founder of The Renovation Company, Inc. and these are the guiding principles of what the company is about. Along with an authentic assessment of a project, each client is promised the most professional and highest quality execution and experience of transforming their home. Integrity. Quality. Professionalism. Confidence. Ensure that your contractor is as unique as this one.