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Renovation, Re-Engineering, Rehabilitation, Retrofit, Recuperate, Re-use ie:

This may appear to be a simple facade entry dress-up for an older pueblo style Inn at La Mirada but renovations were far more serious and extensive. The metal corrugated roof deck with cement and asphalt had failed, requiring 3 rear walls as well to be replaced.

A complete new roof structure of exposed viga beams were laid into a new bond beam, decked and insulated in splined SIPI panel, roofed with sealed elastomeric membrane.

Treating the whole building as a system, with not just the materials and labor costs, but, also the energy efficiency reports showing what was worth doing, what was not as productive, over the total life cycle, we were also able to boost internal rate of return (equivalent investment in a savings account compared to real estate) from 5.8 to 9.8 %. (These figures do not include the business operations, reflect only the building; materials, maintenance, mortgage, utilities, and return of operation capital costs over 30 yr in E-10)

Before you remodel, ask me for an Energy-10 Report comparing your options.

Before you upgrade to PV panels or a better HVAC system, get test reports done.

Before you take the advice of a realtor or broker on investing, get the reports and run the figures by your accountant. Then, with these numbers you can make sound decisions as to where the completed market value is for your neighborhood, current replacement value for insurance valuation or for your use in resale, rental, or financing your remodel project. If I can model your project in 3d virtual Cad, I can pull the data into .xls spreadsheets, shopping lists, and LEEDS rating or energy uase takeoffs and the life-cycle costs, r.o.i. or present valuation correlation at any given year ownership.

"Invest in reality of physics and economics as real estate, not just perceptions alone. Afterall, one third of the greatest opportunity for increased value and reduced energy consumption is in our existing housing and small business built environment."

I empower the owner-builder-developer to argue with banks, suppliers, or brokers and appraisers who operate from other parasitic unethical modes. Business as usual now has to answer to the realities of the experiential, not those unfunded mandates, casual inflationary markups, or expected gratuities. What the owne-builder-developer and designer experiences in attempting to deliver actual created value is no longer in the hands of the avaristic ones who prey upon our humble efforts. It is truth-telling time, as near as we can correlate it, and go out in the marketplace to confirm results, not that I can control your level of wisdom or how you use the knowledge....

-Katje Erickson, 2004, $45/hr empowers your real life decisions.

All content of website ©Copyright 1986-2005 by Katje Sana Erickson, Belen, New Mexico, USA,all rights reserved.