How a General Contractor Can Help You Maximize Energy Efficiency in Your Home Renovation

Improving energy efficiency during a home renovation can lead to significant savings on utility bills and a more comfortable living environment. A general contractor can play a vital role in achieving these goals by leveraging their expertise and resources.

Energy-Efficient

Materials A knowledgeable general contractor can recommend and source energy-efficient materials such as insulation, windows, and doors. These materials help maintain a stable indoor temperature, reducing the need for heating and cooling. High-quality insulation, for instance, prevents heat loss in winter and keeps your home cooler in summer.

Upgraded HVAC Systems

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are crucial for energy efficiency. A general contractor can assess your current system and suggest upgrades or replacements with high-efficiency units. Modern HVAC systems use less energy and provide better climate control, contributing to lower energy bills.

Efficient Lighting Solutions 

Incorporating energy-efficient lighting is another way to enhance your home’s efficiency. Contractors can install LED lighting, which consumes less power and has a longer lifespan compared to traditional bulbs. Additionally, they can integrate smart lighting systems that allow you to control usage through timers and sensors.

Solar Panel Installation 

For those looking to make a significant impact on their energy consumption, a general contractor can facilitate the installation of solar panels. Solar energy reduces dependence on fossil fuels and can significantly lower electricity bills. Contractors can ensure that the panels are installed correctly and positioned for maximum sun exposure.

Water Heating Improvements 

Water heating can account for a large portion of a home’s energy use. A contractor can recommend energy-efficient water heaters, such as tankless models, which provide hot water on demand without the need for a constantly heated tank. They can also install heat pump water heaters that use less electricity.

Window and Door Upgrades 

Old windows and doors can be major sources of energy loss. A general contractor can install energy-efficient windows and doors that reduce drafts and improve insulation. Double or triple-pane windows with low-emissivity coatings are particularly effective in reducing heat transfer.

Smart Home Integration 

Integrating smart home technology can optimize energy use. A general contractor can install smart thermostats, which learn your schedule and adjust temperatures automatically for maximum efficiency. Other smart devices, such as automated blinds and energy monitors, can further reduce energy consumption.

Renewable Energy Options 

Beyond solar panels, a general contractor can introduce other renewable energy options, such as wind turbines or geothermal systems, depending on your location and budget. These systems can provide sustainable energy solutions that drastically cut down on traditional energy use.

How to Choose the Right General Contractor for Your Custom Home Build

Selecting the right general contractor is crucial for the success of your custom home build. Here are some key considerations to help you make the best choice.

Research and Recommendations 

Start by researching local general contractors and seeking recommendations from friends, family, or neighbors who have had positive experiences. Online reviews and ratings can also provide valuable insights into a contractor's reliability and quality of work.

Verify Credentials and Experience 

Ensure the contractor is licensed and insured. Licensing requirements vary by state, so confirm that your contractor meets all local regulations. Additionally, check their experience with similar projects. An experienced contractor will be familiar with the challenges specific to custom home builds and know how to navigate them effectively.

Review Past Projects 

Ask for a portfolio of past projects. This will give you an idea of their craftsmanship and attention to detail. Visiting completed projects in person, if possible, can provide a clearer picture of the quality you can expect.

Get Multiple Quotes 

Obtain detailed quotes from at least three general contractors. This will help you understand the market rate for your project and identify any outliers. Ensure each quote includes a breakdown of costs for materials, labor, and any other expenses.

Check References 

Request references from previous clients and take the time to contact them. Ask about their experience working with the contractor, the quality of the finished project, and whether the contractor adhered to the timeline and budget.

Communication Skills 

Effective communication is essential in any construction project. Choose someone who is responsive and willing to answer your questions. Clear communication will help ensure that your vision for the custom home is understood and executed correctly.

Understand the Contract 

Before signing any agreements, thoroughly review the contract. It should outline the scope of work, payment schedule, timeline, and any warranties. Make sure all verbal agreements are included in writing. If you have any concerns, discuss them with the contractor before proceeding.

Assess Problem-Solving

Abilities Construction projects can encounter unexpected issues. Ask them how they handle problems when they arise. Their ability to provide solutions quickly and effectively will be crucial in keeping your project on track.

Trust Your Instincts 

Finally, trust your instincts. If something feels off during the initial meetings or if the contractor is hesitant to provide information, it might be best to look elsewhere. The right contractor should make you feel confident in their abilities and excited about your custom home build.

General Contractors Manage Diverse Projects of All Sizes

When you get general contractors to manage a home improvement project, you have to consider several factors before choosing the right one. Some of the most common factors to consider for hiring a general contractor include years of experience, acquiring proper licenses, and responsively communicating with you. One factor that does not get mentioned as often, but it should, is versatility. The best general contractors manage diverse projects of all sizes.

Mares & Dow is one of the general contractors that manages projects of all sizes. Our team of contractors plans, organizes, and manages complex home remodeling projects that involve several specialty contractors. On the other hand, we have the expertise to complete the following home remodeling projects that involve just one specialty trade.

Skylights

The installation of skylights delivers several benefits for both homeowners and business owners. By opening up one or more spaces to sunlight, you immediately enhance the ambiance of a living space. Adding more sunlight also keeps a living space comfortably warm during the colder months of the year. Homeowners benefit from lower energy bills during the colder months of the year, while at the same time leaving behind a much smaller carbon footprint. Opening up skylights also improves the circulation of air.

Siding

Curb appeal refers to the first impression someone has when they pass by your home. Adding siding to your home represents one of the most effective ways to boost curb appeal, which in turn translates into a higher home value. As a general contractor, Mares & Dow does not have to hire a specialty contractor to add siding to your house. We have a team of special contractors that specialize in completing highly successful siding projects. In addition to improving the visual appeal of your home, siding also delivers the functional benefit of protecting your house against prolonged exposure to moisture.

Retaining Wall

Creating a retaining wall also produces visual appeal, as well as provides functional benefits for your property. Building one or more retaining walls prevents soil erosion, which can be a major problem during the rainy season. By trapping loose soil, a retaining wall diverts rainwater from spots that often lose soil. Building retaining walls is another specialty trade mastered by the contractors at Mares & Dow. We help homeowners determine the materials used to build a retaining wall, as well as where to build it to maximize functionality.

Mares & Dow Offers Comprehensive Services

Mares & Dow is one of the few general contractors that manages projects of all sizes. We also provide more services than our competitors. If you are looking for a general contractor just to install skylights, siding, and or retaining walls, our team of professionals can help you achieve your home improvement goal. Mares & Dow also removes skylights, siding, and retaining walls for property owners who have decided to go another direction to increase the value of their properties. If you have skylights, siding, and/or retaining walls that need a little maintenance or require substantial repair work, Mares and Dow is ready to tackle the home improvement job.

Home Remodeling is an Important Investment With Lasting Value

Your home is not just a place where you and your family live. It also is the most significant investment you can expect to make throughout your lifetime. This is especially true after you pay off the mortgage and home sweet home is all yours. The key to getting the highest financial investment out of your house involves making improvements on it in the form of home remodeling projects.

In other words, home remodeling is an important investment with lasting value
You have a seemingly endless number of ideas to choose from for home remodeling projects. At Mares & Dow, our team of highly-rated contractors complete bathroom and kitchen renovations, as well as waterproof basements and repair foundation structural issues. We are also known as the go-to home remodeling contractor for three specializations.

Skylights

Mares & Dow helps homeowners get the most out of lighting systems. We also install skylights, which welcome sunlight into any room in your home. Installing skylights is an important investment with lasting value for several reasons. First, numerous studies demonstrate increasing the amount of sunlight in a room enhances a room’s ambiance, which translates into elevating everyone’s mood that passes through the room. Second, sunlight represents a free way to warm up a room on a cold winter day. Third, this means you can expect lower monthly energy bills. Finally, our team of contractors directs natural illumination to focal points in a room, such as on an art collection or a valuable piece of furniture.

Siding

One of the most common ways to ensure your house has lasting value involves boosting its curb appeal. Curb appeal refers to the first impression people have of your home’s exterior. You can enhance the curb appeal of your home by installing a new roof and completing an exterior paint project. However, a more affordable home remodeling project that boosts curb appeal involves installing new siding. The right siding acts as a complementary feature to other exterior elements such as your home’s windows. You should choose a color for siding that blends seamlessly with other design elements that are added as part of a home remodeling project.

Retaining Wall

Retaining walls serve several functional purposes that increase the value of your home. Building a retaining wall in a low-lying area of your property diverts rainwater away from the foundation of your house. Adding a retaining wall also protects the most vulnerable area of your yard from erosion. However, retaining walls also can improve the visual appeal of your property, especially if you customize the design of a retaining wall. At Mares & Dow, we work closely with homeowners to design the most visually appealing customized retaining walls.

Hire the Right General Contractor for Your Home Remodeling Project

You have decided on what type of home remodeling project you want to complete for giving your house lasting value. Now, the time has come to choose the right general contractor to get the job done right.

Several factors play a role in selecting the best general contractor. You want to hire a team of home remodeling professionals who have several years of experience working on your type of home remodeling project. With that experience, the general contractor hired for your project should possess a record of proven success completing home remodeling projects. The general contractor should have earned the right credentials, such as the certification that makes the general contractor a part of the Building Industry Association (BIA).

The final factor to consider and the one that confirms the other factors is the positive reviews left by former clients on sites like Yelp and Google.

4 Popular Home Remodeling Ideas to Rejuvenate Your House

A home remodeling project involves improving the function and/or the appearance of a house. From installing a new roof to refinishing the basement to create an additional bedroom, you have numerous ideas on how to increase the value of your home. The question is which home remodeling project or projects should you tackle?

At Mares & Dow, we present four popular home remodeling ideas to rejuvenate your house.

Add More Light Sources

By adding lighting fixtures such as spotlights, and low-hanging pendants, you can brighten one or more rooms in your home. Artificial light sources also help you illuminate focal points of your home, such as an art collection or a grand piano. Illumination on a granite or marble countertop immediately brightens the ambiance of a room.

However, you have another way to add more light sources, and it involves welcoming sunlight into your home. One of our most popular home remodeling projects involves installing skylights in locations of a home that receive plenty of sunlight. Skylights deliver several benefits, which include elevating mood and helping you save money on energy bills.

Install Siding

When you think about enhancing the exterior of your house, you probably think first about installing a new roof or undergoing an extensive painting project. Although both are considered effective ways to improve the curb appeal of your home, a less costly and just as effective outdoor home remodeling project involves the installation of siding.

First, you and our team of contractors determine the right material for the siding to be installed. Second, you have to decide where you want the siding installed. As the name implies, siding attaches to the sides of houses. However, you might not want to install siding up and down the side of your home. Mares & Dow installs the highest quality siding that accentuates other exterior features of your house.

Add One or More Retaining Walls

Typically considered more of a functional home remodeling project, the addition of one or more retaining walls accomplishes much more than diverting rainwater and preventing certain areas of your property from turning into flood zones. Adding one or more retaining walls also enhances the visual appeal of your property, as well as separates your property into different areas of landscape.

Mares & Dow offers the highest-grade materials for retaining walls that improve the appearance of your property, as well as cover all the functional requirements.

Create an Outdoor Living Space

If you frequently entertain large groups of guests, creating an outdoor living space increases the amount of room where you play host. Installing a pergola or gazebo gives more room for guests to sit. Even if you do not entertain often, building an outdoor living space gives you and your family a place to get away from it all. Clients who love to cook can do their thing with much more room when we add an outdoor kitchen.

When the time comes to complete one of the four popular home remodeling ideas to rejuvenate your house, you want to hire a general contractor that has a proven record of success. At Mares & Dow, we offer a team of experienced and knowledgeable general contractors to help you achieve the vision that you have for your home.

Spring is a Busy Season So Schedule Your Home Remodeling Now

Spring is the time of year for rebirth. Birds return from their long migration. Animals that stayed warm beneath cover appear for the first time in months. Flowers bloom to color the nearby landscape. Spring also is the busiest time of year for home remodeling projects.

At Mares & Dow, we encourage our clients to give us plenty of advance notice for their spring home remodeling projects.

Why is Spring the Best Time of Year to Schedule a Home Remodeling Project?

You can see home remodeling crews working on projects throughout the year. However, spring represents the busiest season for the home remodeling professionals at Mares & Dow for several reasons.

Ideal Weather Conditions

Spring offers the perfect balance between winter’s freezing temperatures and summer’s blistering heat waves. Yes, it rains during spring, but that allows us to take our work indoors for a couple of days, from installing skylights to making changes to your project’s construction blueprint. Contractors typically work at a faster pace during periods of pleasant weather, which spring frequently delivers in the form of warm, sunny days.

More Time to Work on Your Project

Just because we start a home remodeling project during spring does not mean the project ends before the first day of summer. For long-term home remodeling projects, starting in spring gives us several extra months of decent weather. This means we can work on your project through summer and deep into autumn. It also gives us a time buffer in case constant poor weather conditions and/or prolonged disruptions in the supply chain negatively impact your project.

Get to the Front of the Line

The earlier you schedule a home remodeling project with Mares & Dow, the more likely your project will move near the top of the line for scheduling projects. Like most home remodeling contractors, Mares & Dow operates on a first-come, first-serve basis. The only exception to the rule is a winter project that extends into early spring. If you wait until late winter or early spring to schedule a home remodeling project, it might be several months before we can start on the project.

Great Deals on Supplies

Many suppliers run sales promotions towards the end of winter to reduce the inventory of products. When the time comes to create a budget for your home remodeling project, Mares & Dow factors in the lower prices of supplies in our bid. The result is a more affordable price tag on your project, which might lead you to consider additional project options. Spring also is a good time to shop for additions to your home, such as the installation of a retaining wall and/or siding that matches the exterior decor of your house.

How Much Advance Notice Should I Provide Mares & Dow?

The complexity of your home remodeling project determines when you should schedule the project. For a minor home remodeling project, we might be able to work the project into our current schedule. However, for more complex remodeling projects, scheduling such a project months or even a year in advance gets you to the front of the line.

Mares & Dow has earned considerable praise for our work on sites such as Yelp and Google. Get your home remodeling project booked today by contacting one of our client service professionals.