Remodeling: The New Black?

Couple Remodeling

Remodeling has become more popular over the past 2 years than ever before, but why is that?

We all know that the economy is still feeling under the weather, and the housing market has been in intensive care for some time. When things get tough, people get creative, and no more so than when it comes to where you live and how you live there. According to the BuildFax Remodeling Index, home remodeling increased for the 22nd consecutive month this August, showing that people are spending their pennies on making what they already have a little bit better.


You may not know this, but Emmer isn’t just about building homes; we do remodeling, too. So when we saw this huge rise in remodeling, we had to ask ourselves: What actually spurs people remodel? After some research, compiling and opinion scouring, we came to four main reasons that inspire people to remodel:


1)      Resale:  It is most certainly a buyer’s market out there. If you’re trying to sell your home, nowadays it isn’t uncommon to put into play the old “spend money to make money” principle. Sprucing up parts of your home to make it more eligible for the current market, or even putting in add-ons that make it a little bit better ranking, can actually improve your chances of selling.

2)      Repair: Sometimes, things break. Kitchen cabinets, bathtubs and garage doors- all these things deteriorate after time, and depending on how well they’ve been treated, they can fall apart even faster. So, remodeling the kitchen or bathroom can sometimes be justified simply because it doesn’t work right anymore.

3)      Renovate: A little more aesthetic than something that’s broken, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t just as annoying. Cracked pink floor tile? Appliances from the 1970’s? Visual frustrations like that can really put a damper on a homeowner’s opinion of their home. It’s very common for a home to be remodeled to update the style, increase size or simply re-establish function. A tiny kitchen may have been fine for a couple when they started, but now that they have four kids, maybe a bigger oven is necessary.

4)      Re-Appreciation: Okay, so that isn’t actually a word, but we think you get the picture. In this day and age, not everyone can get a new home that’s exactly what they want. If people are having a hard time moving into their perfect place, sometimes they take that money and make where they are a little bit more like the dream. It’s hard to admit, but the current circumstances make it more apparent that we need to appreciate what we have and do with what we’ve got.

So, as the market has changed, people have changed, and the term “housing market” encompasses more than just building. If you’re in the Gainesville area and thinking of remodeling, let us know; we may not be building the place you call home from scratch, but we can certainly make your home your dream home.


We’d love to hear about your stories of remodeling! Why did you choose to remodel? Did you have other reasons than the ones we listed? Let us know in the comments below!  

Plug it in, Plug it in (Then Unplug it!)

Today while scoping around on greenUPGRADER (a great site by the way, you should check it out if you haven’t), a really smart article caught my eye about 5 simple things you can do to make a greener lifestyle. This ranged from turning off lights when you aren’t in the room, to saving water through the “shower bucket,” which is essentially keeping the water that normally drains when the faucet is getting warm before showers, and using that water for something else. These are all great ideas, but one of our favorites here at Emmer was excluded from Becky’s list: unplugging appliances!

Electrical Outlet with Many Plugs

Do we really need EVERYTHING plugged in?

Yes, it can be an annoying task, and obviously there are some things that shouldn’t be unplugged all the time (like an answering machine; sort of loses its function, doesn’t it?), but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of appliances that, when you turn them off, could really be off. People don’t realize that when many of your appliances claim to be in an “off” mode, a lot of the time they’re in standby. When they keep sucking power from the grid, but aren’t actually in use, it’s said that these appliances are using “phantom energy,” which on average constitutes between 5-10% of the standard household energy consumption. Good Morning America quoted that this could resemble around $120 worth of electric payments each year!

We understand: “Why should I run around and unplug everything when it’ll save me maybe ten bucks a month!” It’s a reasonable complaint. But think of it this way: think of every person in the United States. Then imagine if every single one of those people unplugged their appliances when they weren’t in use. That’s a lot of energy.

Plus, there are easier ways to control the energy output. Put your computer, printer, scanner and all the other appliances in the office corner of your home on power strips. When you’re done using them, turn off the strip. Takes care of the waste! Or start small; when you unplug your cell phone, unplug the charger with it. Every little bit matters, and this could not only save you money, but it helps minimize your carbon footprint.

The moral of the story is this: do what you can, where you can and in the end we’ll all be walking around in a healthier, happier world. We’re trying our best to be smart builders; what are YOU doing?

Any other simple and green ways to be efficient every day? Let us know below!