J. Schwartz Construction Blog

Do-it-yourself???

Joe Schwartz — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:10:32 +0000

As the economy remains stagnated, I am noticing more and more “do-it-yourself” web-sites popping up. Some are comparing the do-it-yourself cost to the “cost of a professional”, and interestingly enough, many of the projects listed don’t have a very big spread between the two “options”; but that is not why I find these sites interesting.
As a professional remodeler, I (believe it or not), have expertise that has a value. My expertise can not only lead me the proper cost of a project, but also the proper design, methodology, materials, scheduling, ordering, expediting, and quality control, as well as expertise on warranty issues. I understand trends, I know what your neighbors did, are doing, and are considering doing – as I know what the market in general, is doing.
While a simple comparison of cost is easy, it is also completely careless and misses the most important parts of the picture – are you, the homeowner, an expert at this? Does the quality of the finished product matter to you (and will a do-it-yourself project actually lower your homes value)? What is that quality worth? Does the input of a professional have value to you?
I leave the answers of those questions to you – although obviously I feel that if anything, the services offered by a professional, caring and competent remodeler like J.Schwartz, LLC is invaluable, and cannot be calculated as a part of a “do it yourself, or not” chart.

Be careful who you invite into your home!

Joe Schwartz — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:20:00 +0000

In this market, experienced Remodelers and Custom Home Builders are crossing paths with businesses that have no experience with the types of projects that we have been doing for years. When the economy took a downward turn and speculative home-building began to dry up, many of these production builders looked for a way to stay in business. Many have ended up trying their hand at remodeling – as did roofers, framers, trimmers, etc. – most of them have no experience with the specialized skill-set that quality Remodeling takes; and as the first of the projects that they have contracted are moving along, we are getting phone calls…
We have all heard the horror stories related to home builders; and the unfortunate truth is that many of them are true. As horrified as we (J.Schwartz,llc) are each time we hear about one of these, when we hear the back story we almost always think “if it is too good to be true, it most likely is…” and the particular events were avoidable with just a bit of due-diligence on the part of the homeowner. Of course I am not by any means, saying that homeowner is responsible for the problems that occurred – they were most likely “taken” buy a dishonest person, or bad businessman that had no business offering a service that were not qualified to undertake.
Remodeling is a specialized skill that takes a person/ business that is dedicated to the passion that working in someone’s home takes. It is so far from production building and the subcontract trades (roofing, siding, framing, etc.), that there is little that even links them; and that goes for custom home building, as well – it is very specialized. After all, you wouldn’t go to a podiatrist if you broke your arm, right? That may not be too far of a stretch if you go to someone for your remodel that does not have the expertise that it DEMANDS.
It seems that for the past four years, at just about this time of the year (as spring hits), J.Schwartz,llc gets about a half-dozen calls from homeowners that need to be “bailed out” of one of these bad situations – and fortunately (or unfortunately), we know how to handle these terrible debacles.
We understand that there are a lot of “loose-ends” in projects like these, there may be things that were done improperly, and some things that were supposedly done, that were not done (or even started), at all. It is of paramount importance that these things be clearly laid out, and that the overall scope of the “new” project be clearly listed. I say “new” project, because there needs to be a clear line between the work that was “done” and the work to be done. This is not “finishing” a project, but starting a new one, with a completely new set of issues that demand complete transparency, clarity and understanding.
It is important to have some long conversations about the project – about the original plans, about things that may have changed, and about what is actually, physically built already – and most of all, about EXPECTATIONS. It is important to be open about issues (both the homeowner and the contractor must be open), and honest about the new project.
It is usually not pleasant to be the bearer of the pricing when these “new projects” are priced – because it almost always seems that the cost to get the home finished, is more than the cost would have been had the original builder finished his project – and that may actually be one of the reasons why the original contract went bad; the agreed upon contract amount was just too low to actually complete the home, i.e., “it was just too good to be true…” in the first place.
You see, you may have gotten three bids, maybe even 5, and maybe the lowest one was 20% less than the highest. Maybe three of the five were not even qualified to give you a bid? Did you go with the lowest bid? Was that bid 5% or more less than the “pack” of bids? Maybe the numbers were telling you something – SCREAMING at you, that something was not right – maybe not dishonest (?), but not right… there may have been something missing from that bid – intentionally or not… I would say that if your pricing from a qualified group of bidders is more than 5% different, then there is something wrong. Maybe my competition missed something? Maybe they purposely under-bid to get the job, thinking that they will gouge later with change orders? Who knows… but there is something wrong.
You see, there are associated costs that quality remodelers like J. Schwartz,llc know – and we know that we are sometimes bidding against others – and paramount to that, we are honest. Our pricing will be fair and honest; and our work will be of the utmost quality.
To sum it all up – be careful who you invite into your home – they can make a real mess of things; and if you are unfortunate enough to be in one of these situations, we are happy to help you get out of it.

Tools for Free? You already have one – the snow, just look at it and “read” what it tells you.

Joe Schwartz — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:21:55 +0000

A FREE ANALYTICAL TOOL – the snow.
There are a lot of benefits to the fluffy white stuff; fun, beauty, a cause for a slowdown in our otherwise hectic lives, but there is another that is a little less obvious.
Have you ever looked up at your roof a day or so after a snow? Have you looked at your neighbors in comparison? What do you see?
The speed that the snow melts can tell us a lot about the insulation in your home, the way that the snow melts can tell us a lot about the ventilation in your home, and the icicles that may form over the eaves can tell us a bit about both.
If you look around your neighborhood, you will see some pretty interesting things on roofs as the snow melts. After a good snow, some roofs just melt the snow away in no time – and unless you really like the way your roof looks – and are therefore purposely heating it, this is not a good sign for the energy efficiency of your home. (Take care to make sure that you are looking at rooflines that face a similar direction as the one you are comparing it to – that will make a HUGE difference in how the snow melts.)
Some roofs will show patterns as the snow melts – maybe the area around the plumbing vent melts faster than the surrounding areas, maybe you can see the stripes where the roof rafters lay below the roofing and plywood, and you may even be able to tell where the attic access is by noting a square area somewhere in the melting snow. Sometimes you can see a home with an addition whose roof holds the snow, but the main house is snow-free (or vice-versa). All of these can tell us a lot about what further investigation should be done to make a home more efficient, healthier (that’s right – ventilation and efficiency correlate directly with the health of your home)and therefore more comfortable (both directly, and from a fiscal point of view).
After the observations, we can investigate where the air leakage around the vent pipe is coming from, we can check the insulation levels in the attic or between the rafters (based on construction and design of the home), we can look for un-insulated recessed lights that break the air/insulation barriers, we can look for whether or not cold air is getting under the attic insulation, and believe it or not – we can often (almost always) find leakage that comes all the way from the basement. All of these things can be easily and inexpensively remedied – and all of these remedies will decrease energy consumption (sometimes drastically), increase comfort, and increase the longevity of your most prized possession – your home. We can use the observations collected from the outside, in conjunction with a blower-door test to fully understand how the envelope and interior of your home is working (or failing), and how it is “connected” with the outside where it should not be. We can then come up with a comprehensive plan to of attack.
So as we in the Northeast are under a blanket of snow, take the opportunity to look up – at the trees, at the sky – and now, at your roof; and if you would like us to come out and analyze what you see, audit your home, and make it better from all of the angles that we wrote about – than just call; we will be waiting. 610-644-6700!

It is time for electrical deregulation – read on to save money!

Joe Schwartz — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 00:51:38 +0000

Electrical rate caps have been in place for 15 years, and they are set to expire on the first day of the New Year…
Most of us in the Philadelphia area are PECO customers, and in our bills we see Generation Charges and Transmission and Distribution Charges. The Transmission and Distribution Charges will not change – and PECO will still be responsible for the physical upkeep of the supply system. What will change is the Generation Charges – and they are generally about 2/3 of your bill.
There is a great website that has been set up to help us make informed decisions about who we will buy our electricity from – go to www.papowerswitch.com and enter some basic information. You will be presented with a list of electrical generation companies that serve your area – just be careful – some charge termination fees, some don’t. Some have variable rates with introductory “teaser” rates, while others have locked rates. Some even offer “green” electrical generation….
Make an informed decision and start saving money now!

A project with a quantifiable energy consumption change…

Joe Schwartz — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:50:36 +0000

We are currently in the middle of an interesting project. The project entails the removal of existing cedar shake siding, removal of gypsum sheathing (no vapor barrier!) and the installation of new insulation, new 1/2″ CDX Plywood, Tyvek, 3/4″ Foam Board, Type D Tar Paper, and then Stucco/Fiber Cement…
There will be a small addition (approx 180 SF) that will be insulated with Spray foam insulation.

We will also be sealing off all of the hi-hats in the attic with metal duct and foam, and air-sealing the house to the best of our ability. We have done the ” Before” blower door readings, and will report back with the “afters” as soon as the project is complete. We feel that there will be significant descreases in energy consumption; come back and see!

Energy Audits – A Proud Certified Member of the Building Performance Institute

Joe Schwartz — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 21:48:51 +0000

Joe Schwartz is proud to be a member of the Building Performance Institute – (BPI), a group that sets the standard in Building Performance inspection, review and recommendation. Joe has recently become a certified Building Analyst and has the knowledge and equipment to perform complete Energy Audits on your home. This inspection includes Life, safety and Health inspections, as well as Blower Door Testing of the home.
J. Schwartz,llc offers Energy Audits as an integral part of any home renovation/remodel that we do; as well as stand-alone audits for anyone that would like to hire us to inspect their home.
The inspections will provide an in-depth analysis of the homes combustion appliances, electrical / fuel consumption, general electrical system safety, and it will show exactly how “leaky” the home is… with recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient.

I hope this is not getting dull, but we just have to tell you…

Joe Schwartz — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:29:35 +0000

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), has awarded J. Schwartz,llc, in conjunction with JFA Architecture, PC a meritorious award for the best Kitchen remodel under $40,000Although it is always great to receive the awards that we have for projects with large budgets, this is an especially precious award because it shows that we can design and build a beautiful kitchen within a tight budget; which in some ways is even more challenging.
The kitchen includes new cabinets, counters, plumbing fixtures, and lighting; as well as handcrafted wainscot in the adjacent family room.

Another one! (AWARD, THAT IS…)

Joe Schwartz — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:16:09 +0000

J. Schwartz,llc has recently been named a TOP 500 Remodeler for 2010 by Qualified Remodeler Magazine. This is the second year in a row that we have received this honor, and we plan on making this award a habit. The title of the Awards article is “TOP 500 REMODELERS STAY THE COURSE, Times may be difficult, but leaders demonstrate their resilience.”
We are once again honored, and look forward to reaching and surpassing the efforts and outcomes that allowed us this award.

Another View Into a Crystal Ball – Remodeling in General

Joe Schwartz — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 13:00:29 +0000

How many homeowners have bought houses over the last 5-7 years and have said, “it’s fine for now, but later on we will (add/change/fix) that”?
It was an easy thing to do when money was cheap and everyone was happily employed and had a great outlook towards the future…
But what about now? Some may still be doing the same thing – especially those that are finding great deals, but most are not doing anything
J. Schwartz,llc is blessed to be very busy with some fantastic projects now – but we feel that we are in a special category with a great, loyal client base, and we offer a fantastic service and product most builders/remodelers are not. Most builders are slow, to say the least – and many are no longer with us. We find that many of our current projects (but certainly not all) are from those homeowners that bought a few years back with the wish of what they needed to change in their new home not too far from the front of their minds. For those that are able, now is the time that they needed to do their projects on the otherwise less-than-perfect home.
So as the inventory of homes that were bought with a not-to-distant to-do list get their facelifts/additions/renovations and the lists are completed, there will most likely be less of that kind of project available – which is unfortunate. It is unfortunate not only for those of us that excel in the process, but also for homeowners and the general appeal of our environment. It is often these projects that take an “old” house and turn it into a beautiful, alluring home that increases surrounding home values, and the general aesthetic of the neighborhood. They often start the snowball rolling and sometimes whole developments and neighborhoods are made better-than-new; and the entire area may even increase in value.
While J. Schwartz,llc is confident that we will be providing remodeling services well into the future because of our stature in the market, we feel that the overall genre may be on life support for some time.

J.Schwartz,llc and Friends raised over $1000 for Wounded Veterans!

Joe Schwartz — Wed, 26 May 2010 18:04:50 +0000

Proud Young Americans raising money for a great cause

As many of you know (because we asked for your help), on September 22, 2010, J. Schwartz,llc put together a group of friends, neighbors, clients, and family, to walk in (and raise money for) the “Walk for the Wounded”, Delaware County, PA. It was a great day – and an emotional one. There was food, face-painting (as you can see from the photo), and plenty of military displays.
Soldiers that were recently injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan made speeches, the family’s of the fallen read poems, and we walked to show that those that have been injured in our name and defense do not “walk alone”. It certainly did not hurt that the Eagles cheerleaders made an appearance, and the US Coast Guard flew in and landed a helicopter only feet from where we were sitting.
Our fundraising goal was $1000.00 and we managed to beat that goal by $65.00. Next year we will be striving for $3000.00, and hope to far exceed that amount with the help of everyone that we know.
If anyone is interested in joining us next year, send an e-mail and I will be sure to keep you informed – and sincere thanks to those that donated, and those that walked with us.

A Step Above – Building Science integrated with Construction – Energy Audits

Joe Schwartz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:28:05 +0000

I knew at the age of 14 that I wanted to build. I wanted to build things so that I could feel good about myself, and so that my clients would feel good in the spaces that I worked on – their homes. I wanted it so badly that I worked summers as a framer, or more accurately at the time – as a wood carrier. No matter, to be surrounded by the sawdust and to see a structure rise, was all I wanted. I wanted it so badly that I went to school for Architecture, Architectural Engineering, and Civil Engineering – all to be a “builder”. But what does that mean? A doctor is someone that holds a license that compares them with a standard; a CPA must pass tests to be called a “CPA”, but a builder – well – anyone can call themselves a builder; and that is the problem.
There is a science to proper construction – a science that I was not even taught in seven years of higher-education. A science that I taught myself, learned, and sought out.
“Building Science” is now a catch-phrase, but a very good one. Efficiency of a home has suddenly become important in the U.S. (but always should have been), and J. Schwartz,llc is on the forefront. There are terms out there now like “tight home”, “energy efficient home”, and “green home”, but what do they mean, and who can build them? AND – WHAT DO THEY COST???? The truth is, an energy efficient home need not cost more than a cookie-cutter home, a green home may have a higher up-front price tag, but may very well have a large return-on-investment PLUS a large benefit to the common good. It is all in the education – the know how, and the ability. J. Schwartz,llc is in the unique position to offer these evaluations and opportunities as a part of our construction services.
We now offer full energy auditing services that include a complete and thorough evaluation of existing homes, a FREE audit on homes that we renovate, and all of our new custom projects will be ENERGY STAR RATED.
We are dedicated to remain in the forefront of smart, educated and efficient construction – and we can explain (and understand) what that means.

ENERGY AUDITS – CALL TODAY AND WE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THE POTENTIAL ” CASH FOR CAULKERS” REBATES

Joe Schwartz — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 22:03:44 +0000

Do you have drafty windows? Ice Dams on the roof, An inefficient Air conditioning or Heating System, Electrical problems? Call J. Schwartz,llc – we will soon offer full home energy audits – and will audit your home free of charge if you purchase the recommended upgrades from us!
The Federal Government is looking into a new program dubbed “cash for caulkers” that may credit you with a large portion of the upgrades, but an Audit will most likely be required in order to quantify the results.
Call us to schedule you Audit today!
CLICK HERE FOR A RECENT CNN MONEY ARTICLE ON ENERGY AUDITS!

Is “long term” success, truly success? Picking the right team.

Joe Schwartz — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:18:31 +0000

How many times have you been doing something that you were not sure of and had no expertise in, and the proof that you were successful is that the project “worked” immediately after you were done? Who knows what will happen after a week, or a year or longer? We all do it, maybe it is a plastic kids toy on Christmas, or maybe while working on a car, or our homes.
Well, read this story and maybe you will think twice next time…
During the heavy rains of this last month (December, 2009), a family was gathering for an occasion in a home in South Jersey. The matriarch of the family had lived in the 40 year old home for over 8 years. She had cared for the home and it was in seemingly immaculate condition by anyone’s standards.
There was a loud “pop” and the floor shuddered – and one of the sons went to investigate. What he found was silty mud rushing into the basement, and an entire section of the foundation wall missing.
After a call to the fire department and a night filled with news vans, camera crews and firemen, the house was left uninhabitable, without water, electricity and gas. It was wrapped in caution tape with a big red sticker on the front door that read “DO NOT ENTER”. The basement was shored-up so that no further immediate damage would occur and a women was left homeless.
Well, why did this happen? This foundation was there for decades, so it must have been installed correctly, right? After all… it lasted for such a long time. Well, I loaded this question, so we all know the answer.
The typical foundation wall (hollow block – in this case, real “cinder blocks”) stacked and pointed didn’t do the job this time – not in the long run. Maybe a soil test would have solved this problem? Maybe a structural engineer would have included the potential soil and water pressure in the calculations that he used to design the reinforcing of the wall? Probably so.
Now I cannot say with any certainty that this wall was not engineered; but my very strong assumption is that the builder and/or Architect just decided to use the “typical” foundation wall and didn’t think twice about the specific conditions or the longevity of the product that he/she built. After all, this worked before… Well, was this successful? It did “work”, right? Well, again, no need for an answer.
In many cases, that foundation wall would have been fine; but in this case, it failed catastrophically and risked life and limb in the process; and although no one was physically injured, the costs to repair the home will cause harm, as will the distress in the meantime.
So now the homeowner is left battling a “reluctant” insurance company, while J. Schwartz,llc expediently gets the team of Soils Engineers and Structural Engineers together to do what should have been done in the first place…. But now, there will be the added expense of new HVAC systems, new finishes and furnishings and the project will all take place under a home that wants to follow the laws of gravity.

This most likely happened because someone was either ignorant of the possibility of involving professional engineers, or because they just knew better and “knew” that this would work…. Ignorance, either way.
So when considering your next project – whether it be putting together a Big Wheel , or having a house built, make sure that you and/or your chosen “team leader” (General Contractor), know what they are doing and who should be on the team. It is not good enough if it “looks good” when they are done – it must be designed and built correctly, too. (And when putting together that Big Wheel, you can look at the directions – I won’t tell!)
The lesson is: This could have been avoided. Oh yeah, and what about the dozens of neighboring homes built by the same team?

A New Carbon Footprint Calculation Tool

Joe Schwartz — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:31:26 +0000

The Rocky Mountain Institute has release a new on-line calculator to help rus gain the knowledge to reduce the life cycle carbon foortprint of the homes that are built. This is a great tool to use in the planning, design and material selection phases of any project. WWW.GREENFOOTSTEP.ORG

Homeowner Beware! Know your Rights.

Joe Schwartz — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:07:40 +0000

There have been recent laws enacted to protect the consumer from home improvement fraud and potential lead exposure. The Pennsylvania Home Improvement Contractor Law went into effect in June of 2009. This law requires that ALL home improvement contractors get a license from the PA Attorney General. This license number should be visibly displayed by the contractor and would look smiilar to this: “PAHIC#861″ (with the contractors specific number in lieu of the number shown). There are other specific requirements that must be met by the contractor in terms of client notifications, rights of recision, and specific contract terms. Please note – anyone that works in your home should have this license, not just your General Contractor. Please go to http://www.attorneygeneral.gov/ for more information.
The Environmental Protection Agency has also passed a law that goes into effect on 4/22/09, requiring that ANY person that works on your home that disturbs more than 6 square feet of interior area (a very small area), or 20 square feet of exterior area get trained and become a Certified Renovator capable of testing for and remedying lead paint issues that your pre 1979 home may have. The company must have at least one Certified Renovator that must be on site at specific times during the lead paint abatement, AND the company itself must also be registered with the EPA. (The laws for HUD or Federal financed properties are more stringent than these listed).
The Home Improvement Contractor number for J. Schwartz,llc is PAHIC#861. Joe Schwartz has already taken and passed one of the first EPA classes offered and is a Certified Renovator – We strive to be an industry leader and our clients benefit.