Friday, January 29, 2010

Product: Hardie with ColorPlus

During a recent addition, we had the opportunity to work with James Hardie siding with ColorPlus Technology.  This is a fantastic product!  It is essentially pre-painted Hardie cement fiber boards.  Once installed, the nail holes and joints are caulked with a color-matched caulking and that's it.  Done!  The house has new siding and paint all in one day!






The cost of this product is about 25% more than using the conventional system of installing standard primed Hardie and painting it in the field.  However, there are some distinct advantages of using ColorPlus:

 - zero maintenance
 - color is guaranteed to not chip, peel, or warp for 15 years
 - 400% better paint adherence
 - 30% better fade resistance
 - installation labor also guaranteed for 15 years


For more information regarding your specific needs, please contact us at info@duarteconstruct.com or 512.275.6500.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

8 Hot Kitchen Trends

From the 2010 International Builders' Show... 8 Hot New Kitchen Trends.  Some really good ideas.  Check them out:

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Sears House, Update 2

The Sears house remodel project is coming to an end.  Here are several more before/after pictures:


(Before)

(After)
The roof was entirely demolished and the metal was sent to a reseller for reuse.  Once damaged roof rafters were replaced, a new galvalume metal roof was installed.  The original windows were kept on the front  elevation in order to keep the authenticity of the intital design.  Along with a cleaning and a fresh coat of paint, the Sears house has a second life well into its next century.


Before

After

These before and after pictures are taken from the living room while looking into the dining room.  The original light fixtures were kept, as they still work, and lend an additional charm to the Sears house.  The hardwood floors were repaired and refinished with a red oak stain and a water-based, semi-gloss polyurethane.
Before

After

After

The fireplace mantel had very interesting mouldings and ornate details that we definitely wanted to repair and preserve.  After repairing the mouldings, we removed all of the old caulking, sanded, re-caulked and painted the mantle.  As intended, it is now the focal point of the entire house.

Before

After
The exterior dining room wall had extensive termite damage and was completely rebuilt with new framing members, windows, sheetrock and trim.   The interior wall was painted a light blue to help balance the earth tones and to create a nice accent.  Again, we kept the original light fixture and the trim around the windows was designed to replicate the original window trim.

This was such an amazing project to see this transformation.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Tax Incentives Extended!

The Federal Tax Credit for Consumer Energy Efficiency has been extended into 2010!  What does this mean?  On an existing primary residence, a homeowner can upgrade several key elements contributing to the overall energy efficiency of the home and receive a tax credit.  This could include replacing windows, roofing, or even an HVAC system.  The tax credit is for 30% of the total cost of the product (excluding installation) up to $1500.  The credit expires December 31, 2010.


Also, a 30% federal tax credit for solar panels, geothermal heat pump systems, and small residential wind turbines is extended until December 31, 2016.  This credit applies for existing and new construction homes, primary and secondary residences, and has no max limit!

For more information regarding this tax credit program and the entire list of qualifying products, please visit:



For more information regarding your specific needs, please contact us at 512.275.6500 or at info@duarteconstruct.com.