Cheryl and Brian Martin receive 2012 CotY award from Mark Glidden
We’re happy to share that it was a clean sweep at the Contractor of the Year (CotY) awards ceremony for the Master’s Design Build Group. We won CotY awards for every project we entered in the Bucks-Mont chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) CotY competition. During the “Evening of Excellence” awards ceremony on January 27th, our team was honored with 3 CotY awards for: Addition Under $100,000, Kitchen from $40,000 to $80,000 and Kitchen from $80,000 to $120,000. Two of these award-winning projects also won the Regional CotY competition and are in the running for National awards.
The awards kept coming as Owner, Brian Martin, received the Spirit of NARI Achievement Award for his dedication and service to NARI. It truly was an “Evening of Excellence” for our team. Thank you to our Master’s Design Build team, partners and clients who allow us to create the beautiful spaces they love coming home to.
Thinking about a Spring or Summer remodeling project? Contact us and we’d be happy to get you started on the right foot.
Well, it is Contractor of the Year time again. In less than two weeks, the Bucks Mont Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry will have our “Evening of Excellence. Master’s Craft, now the Master’s Design Build Group, has entered three projects in the following categories: Addition Under 100,000; Kitchen from $40,000 to $80,000; and Kitchen from $80,000 to $120,000. We have won two previous times, in 2009 for the Best Exterior Under 100,000. We actually won a Regional Contractor of the Year Award for that project. In fact, you can watch the video of us receiving the Award here on You Tube: Master’s Craft Wins Regional CotY.
We will keep you in the loop as soon as we find out the results of the judging.
As always, Master’s Craft wants to be a source of new and valuable information on items related to your home.
New energy efficiency laws that took effect on Jan 1, are aimed at making lighting in your home more energy efficient. Starting in California as of January 1, 2011, the traditional 100-watt and 150-watt A19 incandescent light bulbs are no longer being sold in California. Next January 2012, these bulbs will be off the shelves nationwide.
The law also calls for the sale of 75-watt incandescent bulbs to be halted in 2013. (California will remove them from store shelves one year earlier.) And in 2014, Americans will no longer be able to purchase 60-watt and 40-watt A-shaped incandescents.
What does this mean for all of us who have incandescent lighting? We will have to gradually switch to another type of bulb. Homeowners will be encouraged to replace their traditional incandescent bulbs with compact flourescent lamps (CFLs) or high-efficacy halogens, both of which are longer lasting and use less energy. LED technology is also becoming available and are constantly being improved. In fact, we are currently remodeling a kitchen where all the lighting will be LED.
CFLs are spiral shaped, average between $2-$3 each and can last up to 10,000 hours.
Halogens emit the same warm light that an incandescent bulb does but lasts about twice as long or up to 2,000 hours. The cost is $1.50-$2.00 per bulb.
LEDs have a life expectancy of 25,000 to 50,000 hours and are fast becoming a great option. While they are still quite expensive ($30 to $50 per bulb), one LED bulb can easily outlast 20 or more standard incandescent or halogen bulbs. They should be seen as an investment that returns lower energy bills, require less time changing light bulbs, and ultimately have about the same or less out of pocket expense over the life of the bulb.
One of the biggest challenges with the new law and converting homeowners to more energy efficient options for lighting their home is teaching people what to look for when choosing a bulb. This chart from eBuild.com tells you everything you need to look for.
When remodeling your kitchen or bathroom or building a new home it’s really important to find a contractor that knows the simple ways, such as lighting, to make your home more energy efficient.
If you have any questions about energy efficient lighting or are looking for ideas about where to start with your kitchen remodel or bath remodel, contact us. We proudly serve Montgomery County and Bucks County, PA, including the boroughs and townships of Hatfield, Lansdale, Souderton, Franconia, Telford, Hilltown, Doylestown, New Britain, West and East Rockhill, Towamencin, North Wales, Lower and Upper Gwynedd, Mongomeryville, Collegeville, Upper and Lower Salford, Salford, Skippack and Worcester. Owner Brian Martin is a NARI Certified Remodeler (CR) and a -NARI Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR) . Master’s Craft Construction LLC is a proud member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
We want to take a moment during this busy time of year to reflect and give thanks. First of all, thank you to all of you, our loyal customers, for making 2010 a successful year for Master’s Craft. While the recession has been challenging and things have not been easy, we are thankful that we are still here, and we are grateful to each and every one of you who entrusted your home to us. We are quite busy now and look forward to the projects we have scheduled for the New Year.
Brian & Cheryl Martin Family, Owners
Through the support and loyalty of our employees, clients, families, and friends, we are becoming one of the premier kitchen and bath remodeling companies in Montgomery County and Bucks County, PA. Over the last two years, approximately 70% of our business has come from repeat clients or from direct referrals of previous clients. We are very proud and yet humbled by that. We recognize that you, our friends and clients, are an integral part of our success.
We also want to give thanks for the gift of Christmas and the reason we celebrate the holiday–our Lord Jesus Christ. Without his grace, who knows where we would be.
If a new kitchen, bathroom or addition is on your wish-list this year, contact us and we’ll be honored to help you design and create the room of your dreams.
Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year from our family to yours!!!
Cabinetry is without question the most prominent consideration in any kitchen remodel and also plays an important role in nearly every bathroom remodel. When choosing new cabinets for your kitchen or bath there are many things to consider including construction, style, quality, materials, color, and price. One element seldom researched however is the reputation, values and quality of the company manufacturing the cabinets.
One of the brands we like best is the Talora Cabinet line by Decor. Decor Cabinets is a family owned company located in Morden, Manitoba that has been producing beautiful, high-quality cabinets for more than 33 years. Decor prides themselves on their modern facilities, quality materials, state of the art equipment, and a comprehensive employee training program that emphasizes creation of a superior product.
Decor is also extremely passionate about green initiatives and having high environmental standards. They have instituted a Greencor team who looks at how the company operates and what kind of impact it has on the planet. These “environmental stewards” find ways to improve their existing planet-friendly policies and practices.
As an authorized Dealer, Decor Cabinets allows us to offer high end kitchen and bath cabinetry with a maximum degree of design flexibility to meet our client’s needs. This flexibility allows us to order individual cabinets down to the 16th of an inch thereby eliminating distracting fillers and spacers often seen in lower quality cookie-cutter stock cabinets. If you have a space that measures 28 7/8″, we can order a cabinet to fit that opening precisely–for the same price as a standard 30″ cabinet. No up-charges. This translates into what really amounts to virtually custom cabinets for your kitchen and bath at a semi custom price point. Our customers have been thrilled with the result.
If you have any questions or are looking for ideas about where to start with your kitchen remodel or bath remodel, contact us. We proudly serve Montgomery County and Bucks County, PA, including the boroughs and townships of Hatfield, Lansdale, Souderton, Franconia, Telford, Hilltown, Doylestown, New Britain, West and East Rockhill, Towamencin, North Wales, Lower and Upper Gwynedd, Mongomeryville, Collegeville, Upper and Lower Salford, Salford, Skippack and Worcester. Owner Brian Martin is a NARI Certified Remodeler (CR) and a -NARI Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR) . Master’s Craft Construction LLC is a proud member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
Perhaps more than any other symbol in our lives, our homes reflect who we really are. Are we closed up, dark and cluttered, or are we open and organized with lots of space and sunshine? Choosing a remodeling contractor is an extension of that metaphor especially when the project involves elements of design. You want your new kitchen, bath or addition to reflect the uniqueness that is you. Therefore, it is vital that you partner with a Design-Build team that encompasses not only the skills and experience needed to complete the “sticks and bricks” of the project, but that is also able to listen intently to you, to hear your passion about your home, and to synergystically blend that passion with their own creativity, knowledge and expertise. The result is a fabulous new kitchen, master bath or addition that uniquely expresses your personality to your friends, guests and loved ones.
There are many contractors out there who can do the “sticks and bricks,” some better than others. However, the ranks thin out when you add the Design-Build component. Not many have that unique blend of skill and creativity that make for a successful and award winning design-build remodeling firm. Here is some of what we offer that sets us apart from the guys with a pick-up truck and a hammer.
Our Process Our proven process allows us to create truly beautiful spaces for you, while reducing the stress that typically comes along with remodeling projects. From start to finish our goal is to ensure that you are comfortable every step of the way.
Our Experience
From remodeling your kitchen and bath to putting an addition on your home, our experienced team of construction professionals can give you the home you’ve always dreamed of. Check out our Portfolio to see examples of our work.
Our Expertise
Owner Brian Martin is a NARI Certified Remodeler (CR) and a NARI Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR). Master’s Craft Construction LLC is a proud member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
Our Relationships
Over the years we have developed solid relationships with trustworthy and meticulous trade subcontractors that work with us when needed to ensure the timely progression of your project. We also have relationships with architects and engineers when required for structural components or for collaboration on the entire project if necessary.
Our Resources
We believe education is so important when it comes to making choices about remodeling your home. So, we constantly seek to educate ourselves, staying up to date on the latest trends and technologies as they emerge in the marketplace. We can then offer that knowledge to you throughout the Design and Construction process. We also like to offer tips and tools via Plumb Bob’s Blog as well as in the Resources section of our website.
Our Passion
We believe in giving our best, all the time. Building beautiful spaces is our passion and we are only satisfied when you are. As our customer, you are our number one priority. In addition to picking up the phone or dropping us an email, you can also connect with us via Facebook and Twitter. We’d love to connect with you and learn more about your remodeling dreams.
Choosing to invest in remodeling your Kitchen or Bathroom is almost always a smart move. Not only does a new Kitchen or Bath add beauty, personality, and functionality to your home, it can also add to the resale value and increase interest when you decide to sell it. Real Estate experts nationally as well as locally in Montgomery and Bucks County estimate that up to 80%-90% of the remodel / makeover investment in upgrading these rooms is recouped when you sell the home. Plus you get to enjoy it until you do so.
With October being National Kitchen and Bath Month, we thought we’d highlight some key areas within your Kitchen and Bath to consider upgrading. As a reminder, Master’s Craft serves the Montgomery and Bucks county region with professional remodeling and design / build services for Kitchens, Master Baths, Bathrooms, and Additions.
Flooring
Ceramic tile, hardwood, bamboo, cork, laminate and vinyl are all popular flooring choices for kitchens. Because of the moisture involved, ceramic tile or vinyl are typically the best options for most bathrooms. We just completed a kitchen remodel using Armstrong Alterna groutable vinyl tile. The result is an affordable floor that is also very beautiful. The owners love it so much, they just signed another agreement to have us install the same flooring in their Master Bath, the Hall Bathroom and the Powder Room.
Cabinets and Countertops
Beautiful, functional cabinetry and countertops can serve as the centerpiece of any well-designed Kitchen or Bathroom. Custom cabinets provide the ability to choose the exact look and feel you envision, while semi-custom cabinetry gives you a predetermined palette of stains and finishes, wood species and door/drawer styles from which to choose. Master’s Craft is proud to offer our clients the superior quality of Talora Cabinetry by Decor.
Countertops can be the crown jewel of any kitchen, not just a functional item. The options are many. Granite remains the most popular because of its natural beauty and astounding variations–your kitchen can truly be one of kind. Other considerations include Corian, Solid Surface, Quartz, Stainless Steel, Recycled Glass, PaperStone, Wood, and Concrete.
Fixtures
Items like new sinks, shower-heads, toilets, and faucets make a tremendous difference when it comes to the overall impression your kitchen or bath portrays. It’s important to update all, not just some of these fixtures when renovating a room. This will give it a clean, consistent look. When choosing these fixtures make sure to consider not only how they look, but also their functionality.
Lighting
Most do-it-yourselfer’s don’t consider the dramatic impact thoughtful Lighting design makes. Lighting can be the difference between nice and spectacular–it is that important. The type of fixture, positioning of the fixture, and type of light provided all make a difference. Both kitchens and baths need to be well-lit with several different forms of lighting–general lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. Making use of any natural light that is present in these rooms is also a key consideration.
Layout and Design
Would your bathroom work better if it were just a little bigger? Would your kitchen be more functional if it were rearranged differently? Do you need the space an Addition might provide? The time to consider these options is before you start remodeling which leads us to the importance of good Kitchen and Bathroom Design. Master’s Craft’s owner, Brian J. Martin is a NARI Certified Remodeler and a Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler. His award winning expertise can help you transform your kitchen or bath from a good room into a gorgeous room.
If you have any questions or are looking for ideas about where to start with your kitchen remodel or bath remodel, contact us. We proudly serve Montgomery County and Bucks County, PA, including the borough and township of Hatfield, Lansdale, Franconia, Telford, Hilltown, North Wales, Lower and Upper Gwynedd, Mongomeryville and the Philadelphia Metro area. Owner Brian Martin is a NARI Certified Remodeler (CR) and a -NARI Certified Kitchen and Bath Remodeler (CKBR) . Master’s Craft Construction LLC is a proud member of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.
The Bucks Mont NARI August Dinner Meeting was held recently. Master’s Craft Construction owner, Brian Martin, who serves as the current program chair, is shown below at right with President John Gemmi.
The Bucks Mont NARI is a trade association for the remodeling industry in Bucks and Montgomery counties, PA. The local chapter is a resource to the remodeling industry in Bucks and Montrgomery counties; helping to build ethical, successful, profitable businesses that serve the community.
Last time we published an excerpt from a 2009 e-news article on the Green movement and Sustainability from owner and founder, Brian Martin. This week we’d like to extend the conversation by adding more from the e-news article and share more on Brian’s thoughts on “Sustainable Remodeling.”
Moving Toward Sustainability
As a firm engaged in the remodeling industry, one of our privileges is helping our clients think about their homes as it relates to sustainability. We have also been working at incorporating sustainability into our business practices. We recycle our paper, cardboard, aluminum, copper and other scrap metal. We use direct deposit and pay most of our bills online which reduces the use of paper. We also use much of the scrap wood from our projects as fuel for our wood stove and fireplace which keeps it out of the landfill and reduces our use of fuel oil for heat. We often donate usable items from our projects to the Habitat for Humanity Restore or place them out by the driveway where people can pick them up for free. The fact is, according to Jay C. Walter of the Sustainable Waste Management Collaborative, “75% of the waste generated in a typical residential remodel can be recycled or reused.” I am not sure we are there yet, but it is something to work toward. We are also reading a lot to make sure we stay up to date on cutting edge technology and sustainable building practices like using Insulated Concrete Forms(ICF’s) for foundation walls and Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s) for walls and roofs . Our challenge is communicating our knowledge and expertise to our clients and potential clients. We want to be able to provide you with accurate and timely information. Something we are learning more about is just how inefficient most of our homes really are.
Gas Guzzling…House?
What kind of fuel mileage does your house get–your HFE (Home Fuel Efficiency)? Are you living in a clunker? Isn’t it fascinating that most of us are more concerned about the gas mileage of our car than we are about the efficiency of our homes. Most people don’t realize that the average house in the U.S. is the source of twice as much greenhouse emissions as a single car every year. And the really sad fact is that a huge percentage of those emissions is due to easily corrected deficiencies in the envelope of the home that allow air infiltration. The horrible gas mileage that would never be put up with in a car, is completely overlooked when it comes to our homes. In fact, many older homes in the U.S. are so inefficient, it literally is the equivalent of opening your front door and leaving it open all winter. Just as cars need maintenance and tuneups in order to operate at peak performance, so our homes need tuneups and regular maintenance in order to maximize their performance. Those tuneups can include:
A Home Energy Audit that shows where your home is losing energy–this helps us to create a long term plan for improving the energy efficiency of your home.
Additional insulation and air sealing
Weatherstripping and caulking
New energy efficient windows and doors
More energy efficient new appliances
New energy efficient Standing Seam Metal Roofing
Changing air filters regularly
Installing ceiling fans
Installing dimmer switches and/or motion sensor switches (did you know that dimming your lights by 20% saves roughly the same percentage of electricity and extends bulb life by four times. Check out this cool Lutron Calculator–then call us to install your dimmers) A typical dimmer has an ROI of less than five years. Motion sensors switches automatically turn lights off when you leave the room.
The good news is that there are now Tax Credits available for many of these tuneups. We are planning to replace the windows in our house this year in order to cash in on the 30% tax credit available for qualifying windows.
How about you? Do you need advice or counsel about tuning up your house? Is there a way that we can assist you in making your home more sustainable? We can help with all of the things listed above and more. Small projects like this really are an investment in the future that in some instances have a relatively fast return on your investment. When you do the math, you really cannot afford not to do them. Give us a call or refer us to your friends and we would be pleased to help you think through the gas mileage your home is getting.
If financing is an issue, we can help with that too. We are a Trained Contractor for the Keystone HELP (Home Energy Loan Program). Loans are available for Energy efficient home improvements.
And if you would like to continue this conversation with your own thoughts, please give us your comments.
Have a great week.
We are Master’s Craft Construction, a Montgomery County Area Design Build and Remodeling firm serving the Suburban Philadelphia metro area from our base in Hatfield, PA.
This is a slightly updated re-post of an a e-news article originally written in June 2009 by Brian J. Martin, Owner & Founder, of Master’s Craft Construction . We felt the content was worthwhile to post on our blog as the topic of “Green” is alive and well in the building and remodeling industry these days. Stay tuned over the next week for more posts from this article.
2009 Regional Contractor of the Year
For those who don’t already know, we were very pleased to be chosen the 2009 Regional Contractor of the Year for the Best Exterior under $100,000 for the Outdoor Living Room we Designed and Built in 2008 in North Wales.
You can view our project in our gallery and also in 2009 NARI CotY Showcase
Thoughts on Sustainability
If you are an ordinary person like me, you have undoubtedly heard or seen the word “green” or some variation of it multiple times in the last week. I have always kind of wondered: “What is Green anyway?”
A couple of weeks ago I saw something humorous that caught my attention . Lake Superior State University recently released its 34th annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness. “The ubiquitous “Green” and all of its variables, such as “going green,” “building green,” “greening,” “green technology,” “green solutions” and more, drew the most attention from those who sent in nominations this year.” I was gratified to read that there are other people out there who agree with me!!
I’m not sure about you, but I often grow weary of buzz words and marketing trends and those that jump on the latest marketing bandwagon. The advertising industry has a way of taking a perfectly great idea and rendering it completely meaningless by using it to market nearly every conceivable product or service. Green is one of the victims of this machine. What is green anyway? The word doesn’t really tell us anything, and yet seems to be attached to nearly every product, service provider, retailer, and manufacturer trying to sell something. I really don’t like the word green simply because it is so broad and vague virtually any product or business can claim it.
A more helpful word in my estimation is “Sustainability”.Sustainability gives me something to grab hold of. Sustainability seems more measurable. I recently heard someone speaking passionately about the need for us as adults to act responsibly NOW so that our kids and grandkids have a healthy environment in which to live. Think about it. What will the earth be like in the year 2050 when I am 82 and my grandchildren are having their own children? Are there decisions that we can make today that will help ensure that the earth is healthy then? In other words, if we change nothing, are our lifestyles sustainable to the extent that we can all just keep living the way we are and expect that our children and grandchildren will be able to live the same way? Or is our lifestyle such that at some undetermined point in the future, if we continue the present course, we will be forced to make drastic changes? Kind of like General Motors . GM had been declining for years, and there were danger signals along the way that went unheeded by many who preferred instead to pretend that the good times would never end. In 2009, the once mighty automaker was forced into bankruptcy.
Will the same happen to us? Are we paying attention to the danger signals of our lifestyles?
Stay tuned for more thoughts on “Moving Toward Sustainability” as it applies to building and remodeling in our next blog post. Until then, we are Master’s Craft Construction, a Montgomery County, Bucks County Area Design Build and Remodeling firm serving the Suburban Philadelphia metro area.
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