Before Sustainable Upgrades

After-Sustainable upgrades

When Rick Vullo, owner of Lane Investment Properties, purchased 540 W. 17th Place in Tempe this summer he knew his property would have to stand out from the crowd if he was going to “Flip This House” in today’s market. Long gone were the days of buying a property, cleaning it up, painting and carpeting it and reselling for a quick profit. By October Rick had an idea to have 17th Place stand out from all the similar homes for sale in Tempe. He would make the home “Green.” He contracted with an eco-consultant, came up with a plan, and went about executing the plan.

The plan called for making the home more sustainable (aka more “green”) and having it certified as an “Emerald Level Green Home” by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Could Rick accomplish this project within a reasonable budget? The answer is yes. It cost an additional $7,000.00, yet the home will save a new homeowner 50% in operating costs (energy & water wise) than a similar home that has not undergone sustainable upgrades. In these challenging economic times, consumers prefer a home that will cost less to operate and maintain.

Rick needed a starting point, the eco-consultant scheduled an initial HERs test to be performed. The Home Energy Rating System (HERs) Report proves how efficient a home is. The HERs rating will tell a homeowner what to expect for costs of operating the heating and cooling system and the hot water use costs for the year.

17th Place’s initial HERs rating was 287. The Home Energy Rating Score covered 4 major areas (Heating, Cooling, Water, and Lights/Appliances). The report explained how 72% of the home’s energy cost was being used by the Cooling portion! The system used for the scoring is called REM/Rate-Residential Energy Analysis and Rating Software v12.85

In order to make the home more efficient Rick did the following:
1. Repaired the roof, and then added a steel roof (long lasting…very durable in Arizona’s intense climate).
2. Took out the grass in front and backyard and “Xeriscaped” it all (low to zero water required).
3. Used zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) paint with low VOC pigment for color. This makes for a healthier indoor air quality environment than using regular paint.
4. Installed air tight canned lights.
5. Had R-38 cellulose blown in, which by the way qualifies new homeowner for a Federal Tax Credit (saving 30% on the material).
6. Opened up living room to make a great room (increased ventilation by doing so).

Before-sustainable-upgrades

Improved Open Floor Plan

7. The NAHB minimum standard for a kitchen vent is 100CFM, Rick installed vent with 400CFM rating.

8. Removed old duct system (donated it to scrap yard for recycling…which kept it out of a landfill), and installed new R-8 flex line, and had home properly air balanced and ensured all vents shot out cool air throughout the home’s hottest spots.
9. Installed new low E Argon Gas filled Federal Tax Credit eligible windows. Again, new homeowner qualifies for this tax credit. Check with your CPA to clarify if you have to purchase and close escrow before Dec. 31st, 2010, when currently the Federal Energy Tax Credits are set to expire.
10. Installed CFL bulbs throughout home (reduces lighting costs tremendously).
11. Installed dual flush toilets (saves on water use).
12. Upgraded to new 14.5 Sere Gas Pack (AC unit System)…also qualifies for $1500.00 Federal Tax Credit.
13. Installed Rain Water Capture System which can store 7500 gallons at a time.

Rain Water Capture System

14. Installed outdoor laundry line and bike rack.

Eco-Living: Laundry Line and Bike Rack

New Bird House from Old Electrica Box

After-backyard

Before-Backgate

After-Gate

After all the sustainable upgrades came the Post HERs test, the score was: 140. Rick’s sustainable upgrades reduced the operating costs by 49%!
The difference in efficiency from the initial test to the post test earned 540 W. 17th Place the “Emerald Level Green Home Rating” by the NAHB. Better yet, 17th Place will save the future homeowners a bundle in energy and water costs. Congratulations to Rick Vullo for his innovation and commitment to getting Tempe’s sustainable future underway.

Usually there are two types of roof leaks: small ones and big ones. Either way it is important to address them. We were already on a few roofs today investigating leaks. Here are some tips for minimizing damages:

1. Use an old bucket or trash can to capture water. Save water in larger trash cans for watering of plants.

Bucket saves the day!

that blows off tiles and paper, then water pours in.
4. Turn off any lights near source of leak.

Once the sun comes up take a deep breath, access the damage…for the most part the building materials are not very expensive to replace (drywall, baseboards, insulation, “roof paper”, plywood). Roofers throughout the valley will be very busy for a month or so…in the mean time be sure to use tape on the walls to mark where the water leaks occurred…they are hard to find after a few days.

Home Repairs and Remodeling is at your service. Just fill out a “Request for Service” located in the upper left hand corner of our website and we will call you within same working day. If you have any questions please post comments and we will answer and post as promptly as we can…others will benefit from the answers to your questions.

Before Picture of Kitchen:

Becky's Before Kitchen

Green Kitchen Phoenix on Tight Budget

She acquired her property using the FHA 203(k) Renovation program. A quick summary of the FHA 203(K) Renovation program goes as follows:

1. Buyer finds a property that needs a ton of work in the area they desire (usually a bank owned property fits this description…missing flooring, missing cabinets, bad roof, A/C needs work, broken windows, etc). Let’s say the home is being sold for 80k.
2. The home is being sold at a discount because the seller does not want to spend the money to make the repairs.
3. Buyer has qualified for a FHA loan up to 125k.
4. Buyer writes offer for 80K. Buyer has home inspected by HUD consultant to find out what is required to bring it up to FHA standards.
5. Buyer also informs Home Repairs and Remodeling what other items they would like to add (new windows, new cabinets, new paint, etc). Buyer can remodel anything in her home as long as buyer stays within their qualified budget of 125k.
6. Total funds needed to meet FHA standards plus meet the wants of the buyer are 110k. The lender approves loan for 110k.
7. Buyer agrees to proceed with Home Repairs and Remodeling. Once escrow closes, 80k is given to the seller, and 30k is held by the lender. Home Repairs and Remodeling begins making the repairs and renovations. Once work completed and passes inspection, lender releases funds to Home Repairs and Remodeling.

Now, let’s get back to Becky’s situation. She needed a new electrical panel, all new windows, new carpeting, HVAC work, new block fencing to secure property and provide safe yard for her new puppy!

Becky's puppy, Cookie!

The kitchen needed major updating, yet there were not enough funds to replace the beat up cabinets and outdated countertops with new cabinetry and granite countertops. What to do on a very tight budget?

“Go green Becky!”
Immediately her first response was that going green would be more expensive. Big myth! John D. Wagner, Green Editor for the magazine Qualified Remodeler, points to five basic tenets of green building. John says for the most part a product is green if:
1. It improves indoor air quality.
2. Uses recycled/recyclable materials.
3. Reduces water consumption.
4. Is sustainably harvested.
5. Reduces fuel consumption (carbon footprint) during the manufacturing, delivery, installation and use.

So, Becky and Home Repairs and Remodeling got to work. Today they visited Stardust, to find kitchen products that could be re-used. Bingo! They found 15 Linear feet of butcher block that someone had turned in.

$175.00 later, Becky had her countertops. The countertops will need a layer of wood sanded off, plus staining and sealing, but it was still a great find. They also saw where they could buy someone else’s disposed of cabinets at a fraction of the cost they would have paid for new ones…and then have cabinets painted with low to zero VOC paint. Once layout of cabinets finalized, Becky will be back to purchase the used cabinets and Home Repairs and Remodeling will make them look like new again. By saving on big ticket materials, Becky was able to pick out a brand new farm-style sink and faucet from IKEA.

So, please continue to follow this story as it develops. We will keep you posted on the progress through pictures and keep a tally running to see if we can do it under the tight budget!

Special Promo Flyer

August Newsletter 2009
November Newsletter 2009

The article also came out yesterday on AZCentral (welcome to view it now).

Homes in neighborhoods buyers desire are currently very affordable. Most home buyers have the necessary 3.5% down payment. What most do not have is the 20k to 40k to do the necessary rehab the property requires (hence the reason why the homes are priced so low…these undervalued homes might be missing flooring, AC units, cabinets, the pool maybe in shambles). This seminar will explain how these home buyers can afford to buy these homes and still be able to do all the remodeling necessary to make their new home really be their “dream home!” So save the date, April 25th, to come get an hour filled education on this FHA program that fits well with today’s housing conditions.

Date

: Saturday, April 25th, 2009
Time

: 9:30am – 10:30am
Location

: Embassy Suites, 4400 S. Rural Rd
Tempe, AZ 85282
Directions

: major cross streets are Rural Rd. and the 60 freeway. Exit South, and take immediate 1st right into Embassy Suites.

Topic

: Educational Seminar on the FHA 203(K) rehab loan program
Outline

: I. Intro to seminar
II. Steps to understanding FHA 203(K) process
III. Questions and Answer session

RSVP

: 3 options email javier@homerepairsandremodeling.com
list name under comments in this post.
call Co-owner Javier at 602-686-8354

complimentary coffee/juice, bagels and produce to be served

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