At Landmark, we have restored many homes that have been extensively damaged by fire. Although we love remodeling homes, we prefer it when the homeowner has decided to remodel based on their family’s needs, rather than because of a devastating fire.
We wanted to let you know that Kidde has recalled one of their popular smoke detectors – more than 452,000 units need to be checked. Below, you’ll find simple instructions to determine if your smoke detector is part of the recall. If it is, please proceed directly to Kidde’s web site for more information.
Recall Summary
Brand Name, Model of Affected Product: Kidde Dual Sensor (Photoelectric and Ionization) Smoke Alarms – Models PI2010 and PI9010
Hazard: A yellow protective cap in limited instances may have been left on one of the two smoke sensors in affected products during the manufacturing process, which could compromise the smoke alarms’ ability to detect smoke.
Remedy: Replace affected smoke alarms that contain the yellow protective cap.
To review the full CPSC press release, click here.
Review the below Identification Guide to help determine if you have an affected smoke alarm.
If your unit is affected, please continue and register for a replacement.
The Eastern Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (EM NARI) awarded Landmark Associates and KitchenVisions the 2017 EM NARI Contractor of the Year (CotY) Silver Award in the category of “Entire House Remodel – Under $500,000” The Landmark team is THRILLED!
Tony Chiarelli, owner of Landmark Associates, and Jodi Swartz, owner of KitchenVisions, at the 2017 Contractor of the Year Awards.
The award was in recognition of our work remodeling a Brookline home after it sustained significant water damage and needed a complete gut-renovation. We partnered with Jodi Swartz, owner of KitchenVisions, who designed the kitchen and bathrooms. The homeowners recognized that, beyond fixing the extensive water damage, this was an opportunity to bring their very dated home out of the 70s. Check out all the before and after pictures on HOUZZor read our blog HEREto learn more about the story behind this massive remodel.
The kitchen is nearly unrecognizable after the remodel.
Landmark was presented the CotY Award at EM NARI’s Evening of Excellence event on Wednesday, March 29th at the Clarke Showroom in Milford, MA. This year, there were 100 projects submitted for CotY Awards across nineteen categories. A panel of eight independent reviewers judged the project entries in a blind evaluation. Projects were judged on a 70-point scale with points awarded for how well the project met the client’s needs and enhanced the functionality and aesthetics of the space, innovative uses of materials and methods, the ability to overcome obstacles creatively, the craftsmanship displayed in the work, and the presentation of the project.
Landmark Associates is a member of EM NARI, a non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing quality in the professional remodeling industry. Comprised of over 200 local companies representing nearly 1,000 area professionals, EM NARI is a recognized source for information about residential remodeling and local professionals. For more information about EM NARI and the CotY Awards, visit www.emnari.org.
After burst pipes and massive water damage ruined their stately home in upscale Brookline, MA, the homeowners turned to Landmark Associates to rebuild their house into a modern, dream home. In our previous blog, we highlighted the renovations made to the main living areas on the first floor. Meanwhile, upstairs, where the original pipes burst, the remodel brought the home out of the ‘70s.
The bathrooms saw the most stunning changes. The homeowners, who are native Chinese, wanted to incorporate some Eastern elements into their Western home. The result is an Asian-influenced “wet room” – essentially a shower and tub in a combined area.
The shower/tub combined “wet area” of the master bathroom.
Finally, all the bedrooms had new windows installed, hardwood floors refinished, and new paint to complete the renovation.
Down the hallway, the shared, family bathroom received an update and is nearly unrecognizable.
Finally, all the bedrooms had new windows installed, hardwood floors refinished, and new paint to complete the renovation.
At Landmark, we’re used to dealing with large renovation projects. In fact, this one cost several hundred thousand dollars, only some of which was covered by insurance. However, what we hadn’t dealt with before is the language barrier. The homeowners spoke very little English so we used a translator for initial design consultations. As the project progressed, the family returned to China for three months, necessitating the need for conference and video calls, utilizing the homeowners’ 19-year-old daughter as a translator. Our priorities throughout the process were to not only remodel their home, but to make sure the homeowners were fully engaged and on board with the renovation process and the required budget. We wanted to make sure that all of their questions were answered from the start of the project through to completion.
In the end, this 60-year old Tudor home was brought back to life. Today, the homeowners have moved back in and are now enjoying life in their Boston-area home!
There’s nothing worse than having your pipes freeze and, ultimately, burst. Or so we thought. Unfortunately, for the homeowners we recently worked with in Brookline, MA, the burst pipes were on the second floor and went unnoticed for several days as the homeowners were spending time in their native China. The result: a full gut-renovation of the entire Tudor-style home.
TEAM OF EXPERTS
Work on this home was completed by a team of experts including a great architect and an expert kitchen and bathroom designer working in concert with the Landmark remodeling team of carpenters and craftsmen. Added to that, early on in the process we started working with the Brookline Building Department to prevent unnecessary decision-making delays that could have been caused by structural concerns and multiple code-related issues.
DESIGNING “BEYOND THE INSURANCE CLAIM”
The homeowner’s insurance, while paying for a large portion of the renovation, would only cover work done to “restore” the home to its previous condition. However, the homeowners saw this as a unique opportunity to remodel what had been a dark and very dated home. Today, the renovated entry way, which is now a full two-stories, welcomes you.
The dark, single-story entry was opened up into a light-filled, two-story foyer to welcomes guests.The finished foyer includes a grand staircase and gleaming hardwood floors.
Support beams were added and walls removed on the main floor to create the open floor plan that the homeowners desired. Now the family has plenty of light, open space in which to entertain friends and family.
The Tudor-style home was exceptionally dark, even after it was gutted down to the studs. Windows were replaced throughout the home (original single pane, metal frame casement windows). Additional windows were added throughout the downstairs, including a kitchen window “bump-out.” The gorgeous new kitchen is the focal point of the home.
To see more photos of the home, check out the project on Houzz.
We’ll be writing more about this renovation in a future blog. Stay tuned!
Moisture plus warm, interior conditions can lead to the dreaded four-letter word: MOLD. Even in the cooler fall and winter months, mold can take hold behind walls or under floors as a result of water finding its way in through rooves, rotten window frames, improper ventilation or plumbing leaks. For property managers, proactive, exterior maintenance programs that prohibit moisture are the key to good health … and avoiding costly lawsuits.
There is some very interesting reading on the internet, in various books and magazines, and even seminars that address mold and fungus and their effects on construction, re-construction, and the health of people in the buildings where mold is found to be growing. The Center for Disease Control has compiled a lot of useful information on the effects of mold and how to test for it.
Photo credit: Ameriprise Auto & Home Insurance
Cleaning solutions or mildewcides are more relevant to small homeowner situations that might occur such as the mold and mildew you might need to address in your bathroom. And as a rule of thumb, affected areas of less than 10 square feet can be simply cleaned up using cleaning solutions or mildewcides. However, if the area is over 10 square feet, a professional should be consulted and called in immediately.
Mold is a fungus, but not all fungi are molds. There are black, green and white varieties, gelatinous and furry varieties, opaque and clear varieties. In fact, there are thousands of mold species, but there is one that is considered problematic wherever it presents itself. This mold is called Stachybotrys Chartarum.
Stachybotrys Chartarum has been linked to health issues since the 1930s. The sequence works like this; a musty odor is detected, possible health effects become evident, and the musty odor is traced to a room or an area of a room. The mold infested building components are removed and replaced and the source of the moisture is identified and eliminated. Air quality testing can also be done.
There are a variety of factors involved with this issue; the type of building or where in the building it is growing, the type of mold, and the general health of the people living within those buildings. Air testing and dry residual testing is necessary for all public buildings because insurance companies, lawyers, and doctors will all require this as a base line for future testing levels. However, testing is not always required in order to perform remediation.
Typically, when a mold spore lands or settles on an area, it will remain dormant until it has enough food and water to support growth. If it lands on food (organic material) it will simply wait for moisture to come in contact with it. Once the moisture is present, growth will occur at an alarming rate, taking only days to become a nuisance.
There are two key points to be considered when doing mold remediation when the affected area has not been subjected to gross water problems (i.e. leaks in plumbing, HVAC, roof, window, wall, or basement). These are (1) the temperature and (2) the %RH (relative humidity).
For unique temperature situations consider the room or section of a room and then consider the barrier to moisture. For example, a single pane window on a cold day or vinyl wallpaper will sometimes be the root cause of mold because the temperature difference coupled with a substrate that does not have a high MVTR (moisture vapor transmission rate) will lead to mold growth. For unique %RH situations, you must evaluate eaves, attics, crawlspaces, and cold pipes in the summer and basements, to root out all sources of water development.
Most of the building materials present in our buildings (except brick, concrete, and steel) are considered a food source for mold. The best prescription for preventing moisture intrusion and mold formulation is a preventative maintenance program utilizing consultants and professionals qualified in building envelope technology and mold detection/remediation in combination with trusted on-call licensed contractors.
If you have new construction or a remodeling project in the horizon, working with a qualified, licensed contractor will help you prevent any moisture from entering the building. There are many construction materials marketed as “mold-resistant” today, including mold-resistant wood, drywall, paint, carpet, caulk and other sealants. A well-ventilated, dry environment will save on costly remediation services in the future.
Tony Chiarelli, licensed contractor and owner of Landmark Associates, talks about flipped homes on Real Estate Radio.
New home buyers can be naive: they see granite counter tops, a fresh coat of paint, refinished floors and an open floor plan, and are ready to put in an offer. But if you are buying a flip, it’s important to know what’s behind all those updates.
“Flips” are run-down homes that have been purchased, renovated and put right back on the market for a higher, profitable, price. If your realtor shows you a flip – which you can tell by looking at how long the current owner has had possession of the property – make sure you do your homework. If the updates were beyond cosmetic – for instance, if walls were moved to create an open floor plan – then check with the town to make sure a permit was pulled and that it has been properly inspected. Further, find out who’s name was on the permit and that it was a contractor who is licensed and insured. The town building department will have accurate records of any permits pulled on the property. Keep in mind that if you buy a property that had significant work done, but no permit was pulled, you’re assuming the risk and liability if you purchase the home.
We talked about this issue on a recent edition of Real Estate Radio, which airs on Saturday evenings on WBZ AM-1030. Interested in learning more about flipped homes and what to look for? Watch this video to see the broadcast.
Last Saturday I was honored to be guest on Boston’s Real Estate Radio which airs on WBZ Radio, AM 1030. I get a lot of my news, weather and traffic updates from WBZ and frequently listen to their evening talk shows so being “on the air” is always a thrill!
Real Estate Radio, which is hosted by financial expert Rick Scherer of MSA Mortgage and legal professional Ali Alavi of Alavi Braza P.C, airs every Saturday night from 8:00-9:00 pm.
This week we took some time to discuss how to deal with insurance claims. There’s nothing more stressful than having your home damaged – whether it be by fire (and the water used to put it out), flooding from a burst pipe or sprinkler malfunction, storm/tree damage…the list, sadly, does on.
At Landmark, we often find ourselves serving as an advocate with insurance companies on behalf of our clients. We recently renovated a home following water damage. The insurance company was about $5,000 under our quote to get the home repaired properly. We compared our quote to that of the field adjustor and then sent a detailed explanation to the Insurance Claim Representative highlighting exactly where and why the assessments were different. For example, the field adjustor had only accounted for only a single coat of paint once the walls were replaced and didn’t note that they were two-story walls. They also hadn’t accounted for the detailed woodwork which would also need to be carefully removed prior to the walls going back up.
After all was said and done we actually received a thank you note from the Insurance Claim Representative saying “It helps when I actually get an itemized estimate that I can review with a breakdown of reasons to justify the higher pricing difference! Not just a homeowner screaming that our estimate isn’t enough and then provides a contractor estimate that says ‘Fix House $20,000’”
Reprinted with permission of Condo Media magazine, the official publication of the CAI New England Chapter
The following article was written by Tony Chiarelli, President, Landmark Associates, and appeared in the February edition of Condo Media Magazine which is published (and reprinted with permission) by the Community Associations Institute, New England Chapter (CAI-NE).
Ever wonder what you should do if your pipes burst? Who to call first? We had a great show on WBZ Radio this past weekend discussing homeowner emergencies. Watch and listen to find out how you should handle water, ice, or smoke damage just in case it ever happens to you.
You’ve got a big project on the horizon – maybe a new bathroom, a kitchen remodel, or your roof needs to be redone. Time to call a contractor! But before you hire someone, here are some “must-dos” that will help insure that your project gets done safely, legally, and to your satisfaction.
Hire a licensed You need to know that your contractor knows what he/she is doing. For larger jobs, that means that they should have a Construction Supervisor’s License. Check your state’s web site to verify that the license is in good standing. Click here for the MA state licensing board.
Make sure they are insured and follow safe practices. Obviously, you don’t want someone on your roof without a harness, but accidents can happen anywhere. A good general contractor has the proper insurance.
Check references. Ask the contractor for references for clients with similar projects. Follow up with an online search for reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List and the Better Business Bureau.
Are they using their own in-house team or are they hiring subs? Find out how long they have been working with their sub-contractors. Long-term relationships with sub-contractors, including plumbers, electricians, and painters, are very telling. If a general contractor has new subs it could be a red flag that he doesn’t pay them on time or there have been other issues.
Get it in writing. You should insist on a written contract that spells out exactly what work is included, the timeline, and a specific payment schedule that should be based on milestones (for example, electrical work complete = next payment due).
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