Mar/100
Homeowners more likely to remodel in 2010
In the recent U.S. Remodeling Sentiment Report (a survey done by www.remodelormove.com) homeowners were found to express increased interest in wanting to remodel within the next 12 months. The report surveyed around 5,000 homeowners in the U.S. and found that there was an overall 13% increase of people who said they will remodel in the next year. Compared to only a 5% increase in 2009.
Summary results from the report (2008 – 2010):
Homeowners who report they: 2008 2010
Plan to hire a general contractor 66% 64%
Plan to do some of the remodeling work 67% 66%
Are excited about remodeling 48% 54%
Plan to remodel a bathroom 49% 42%
Plan to remodel the kitchen 55% 48%
Plan to add a bathroom 49% 53%
Read the full article here.
Feb/100
Nebraska Builders Home & Garden Show
Come browse through approximately 300 exhibits for the newest ideas in home and garden! Speak with hundreds of businesses about your next home project, build, or remodel.
February 11-14, 2010
Lancaster Event Center (84th & Havelock Avenue), Lincoln, NE
HOURS
Thursday & Friday: 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
ADMISSION
$6 per person OR
$5 with a non-perishable food item for the Lincoln Food Bank
Children 12 and under FREE
Jan/100
Nebraska to Place Property Tax Exemption for Home Improvements on November Ballot
On the General Election Ballot in November, there may be a proposed constitutional amendment which would allow the state legislature to provide that the increased value of real property resulting from the construction of improvements for the purpose of renovating, rehabilitating, remodeling, improving, or increasing the size of a homeowner’s residence be, in whole or in part, exempt from taxation for a period of six years.
Obviously, this would be a huge boon for the remodeling industry, however it’s impact on municipal tax revenues remains a question. To the extent that it encourages property owners who would not otherwise have done so to improve their homes, there should be no adverse affect on the municipal budgets.
Jan/100
Snow and ice – a bad combination for your home.
ICE DAMS
Figure 1. Cross section of a one-and-a-half story house with an ice dam.
What is an ice dam?
An ice dam is a ridge of ice that forms at the edge of a roof and prevents melting snow (water) from draining off the roof. The water that backs up behind the dam can leak into a home and cause damage to walls, ceilings, insulation, and other areas. Figure 1 shows a cross section of a home with an ice dam.
What causes ice dams?
There is a complex interaction among the amount of heat loss from a house, snow cover, and outside temperatures that leads to ice dam formation. For ice dams to form there must be snow on the roof, and, at the same time, higher portions of the roof’s outside surface must be above 32° F while lower surfaces are below 32°F. For a portion of the roof to be below 32°F, outside temperatures must also be below 32°F. When we say temperatures above or below 32°F, we are talking about average temperature over sustained periods of time.
The snow on a roof surface that is above 32°F will melt. As water flows down the roof it reaches the portion of the roof that is below 32°F and freezes. Voila!—an ice dam.
The dam grows as it is fed by the melting snow above it, but it will limit itself to the portions of the roof that are on the average below 32°F. So the water above backs up behind the ice dam and remains a liquid. This water finds cracks and openings in the exterior roof covering and flows into the attic space. From the attic it could flow into exterior walls or through the ceiling insulation and stain the ceiling finish.
Nonuniform roof surface temperatures lead to ice dams.
Dealing with ice dams
-
- Remove snow from the roof. This eliminates one of the ingredients necessary for the formation of an ice dam. A “roof rake” and push broom can be used to remove snow, but may damage the roofing materials.
- In an emergency situation where water is flowing into the house structure, making channels through the ice dam allows the water behind the dam to drain off the roof. Hosing with tap water on a warm day will do this job. Work upward from the lower edge of the dam. The channel will become ineffective within days and is only a temporary solution to ice dam damage.
- Long-term action:
-
- First, make the ceiling air tight so no warm, moist air can flow from the house into the attic space.
- After sealing air leakage paths between the house and attic space, consider increasing the ceiling/roof insulation to cut down on heat loss by conduction.
Read the full article here.
Copyright © 2010 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All rights reserved
Jan/100
New 2010 ENERGY STAR Criteria
Effective January 4, 2010, new ENERGY STAR® performance criteria will be implemented for windows and patio doors. In many instances, the new ENERGY STAR performance criteria will increase performance requirements across all four (4) U.S. ENERGY STAR climate zones.
*Northern zone windows can meet prescriptive (1st row)
or alternative energy performance (2nd & 3rd row) criteria
to qualify for Energy Star.
New Energy Star Climate Zone Map
Dec/090
Omaha Unchained
Support your locally-owned, independent businesses! Nov. 25 – Dec. 18
View the ad here to find out how you can help your local economy this Holiday Season.
Dec/090
They work among us!
The delivery drivers that I am so fortunate to work with never fail to amaze me. They are on the job day in and day out, delivering material to our customers, sometimes finding themselves in some pretty precarious positions. They deal with all of the elements that Mother Nature can throw at them and them some.
Through all of that they still manage to lend a helping hand to those who need it. About a week ago we had the situation with Ray Punko and the van that rolled over in front of him. As we all know Ray stopped and gave his assistance to the accident victims. Today I find myself sitting here and being concerned with the weather conditions that I have asked these drivers to deal with.
As I look at the current weather conditions/reports on the internet I receive a phone call. I am told that someone wants to talk to me about a driver. The call is then transferred to me. The gentleman on the other end begins with “I just want you to know that I am not calling to complain.” “ I wanted to let someone know that your drivers are some of the most helpful people I have encountered.”
The caller tells me that he has been stuck in a ditch for about 45 minutes and no one, not even the county and city trucks that went by him, stopped to see if he needed any assistance. Lo and behold here came a truck from Millard Lumber. Not only did this driver stop to see if this man was ok but also offered to help him out. The driver, Dave McCullogh and his helper, Don Bryson, stopped and helped this gentleman dig the snow out from around his car and then chained up and pulled the car from the ditch.
The caller was very appreciative of this was just amazed that these guys would help him when everyone else just passed him by. I told the gentleman that I was happy that we were able to help and thanked him for the call. Now as I sit back at my desk, with a very warm and fuzzy feeling, I can only wonder what the next incredible act of kindness will be from one of our employees!
Rick Klein / Millard Lumber / Dispatch Supervisor / Waverly, NE
Nov/090
Understanding the EXTENDED first-time home buyer tax credit.
On November 6, 2009 President Obama signed into law new legislation that extends the first-time home buyer tax credit beyond its Nov. 30 deadline and expands it to a wider group of home buyers. This video explains the facts and answers many home buyer questions regarding the tax credit.
2009-2010 Home Buyer Federal Tax Credit Facts:
Who is Eligible
- First-time home buyers, who are defined by the law as buyers who have not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase, may be eligible for a tax credit of 10% of the home purchase price, up to a maximum of $8,000.
- Existing home owners who have been residing in their principal residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight and are purchasing a home to be their principal residence (“repeat buyer”), may be eligible for a tax credit of 10% of the home purchase price, up to a maximum of $6,500.
- All U.S. citizens who file taxes are eligible to participate in the program.
Income Limits
- Home buyers who file as single or head-of-household taxpayers can claim the full credit ($8,000 for first-time buyers and $6,500 for repeat buyers) if their modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) is less than $125,000.
- For married couples filing a joint return, the combined income limit is $225,000.
- Single or head-of-household taxpayers who earn between $125,000 and $145,000, and married couples who earn between $225,000 and $245,000 are eligible to receive a partial credit.
- The credit is not available for single taxpayers whose MAGI is greater than $145,000 and married couples with a MAGI that exceeds $245,000.
Effective Dates
- The eligibility period for the tax credit is for homes purchased after Nov. 6, 2009, and before May 1, 2010. However, home purchases subject to a binding sales contract signed by April 30, 2010, will qualify for the tax credit provided closing occurs prior to July 1, 2010.
Types of Homes that Qualify
- All homes with a purchase price of less than $800,000 qualify, including newly-constructed or resale, and single-family detached, townhomes or condominiums, provided that the home will be used as their principal residence. Vacation home and rental property purchases do NOT qualify.
Tax Credit is Refundable
- A refundable credit means that if the amount of income taxes you owe is less than the credit amount you qualify for, the government will send you a check for the difference.
- For example:
- A first-time buyer who qualifies for the full $8,000 credit who owes $5,000 in federal income taxes would pay nothing to the IRS and receive a $3,000 payment from the government. If you are due to receive a $1,000 refund, you would receive $9,000 ($1,000 plus the $8,000 tax credit).
- A repeat buyer who owes $5,000 would pay nothing to the IRS and receive $1,500 back from the government. If you are due to get a $1,000 refund, you would get $7,500 ($1,000 plus the $6,500 tax credit).
- All qualified home buyers can take the tax credit on their 2009 or 2010 income tax return.
Payback Provisions
- The tax credit is a true credit. It does not have to be repaid unless the home owner sells or stops using the home as their principal residence within three years after the purchase.
For more information, go to: www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com
Oct/090
2009 United Way of the Midlands Campaign – “Live United”
A very special thank you goes to all the Millard Lumber associates who generously gave and contributed to this year’s United Way campaign.
United Way’s mission is to improve lives by uniting the caring power of our communities. The best way to do this is by focusing on underlying causes to our community’s most serious human services problems. United way brings together neighborhoods, faith-based groups, agencies, business, labor, government, schools and volunteers – because together we will achieve results no one group can accomplish alone.
This year’s Millard Lumber employee campaign was a tremendous success, and all who contributed should be very proud of your commitment to helping those in your communities who require the services supported by the United Way. Companywide we contributed a total of $27,755 and we had a 45% participation rate. This is a tremendous achievement during these difficult economic times, but it makes an important statement that we care and are committed to giving something back to our communities.
Special thanks to this year’s campaign volunteers: Rob Sturgis, Eric Briggs, Sue Eaton, Bryan Foxhoven, Angela Lliteras, Earvin Brown, Terry Barker, Pat Dougherty, Linda Hansen, Rich Jackson and Rod Williamson.
Thank You to everyone who participated and contributed to the success of this year’s campaign!!