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For a Home You'll Love to Live In


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Daniel Genser
To Build or Not to Build
Cool Stuff and Hot Tips
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FALL, 2008
Greetings! Bob Stewart

Well, the elections are over, as is Daylight Savings time and the rains have returned. Must be fall! A good time to take stock of the year and finish up things that I want to accomplish before years end.

One of those is to get the Fall edition of our newsletter out. I must admit to being a little late, but there have been way too many distractions of late. Now it feels a little calmer so here goes.

We have been getting a lot of calls from past clients these days looking for smaller remodel jobs. Many have expressed surprise that this is something we do. We do many smaller jobs each year, and with the downturn in housing I am expecting to see more come our way. This year alone, in addition to finishing up and selling our spec house in Tacoma, we have done a garage/studio, a whole house remodel in West Seattle, as well as three smaller projects.

We realize that with money tight and budgets stretched that the scope of projects people are willing to undertake are getting smaller. We don't mind, we like them all.

In addition to the actual building part of the business we have updated our website. It has the same look and feel but now includes my blog, as well as updated photos of recent projects. The work on the site was done by Islander Daniel Genser. You can read more about him below.

Give the site a look sometime and let me know what you think. Stewart Custom Homes Web Site

I hope all your summers were wonderful and that the rest of this year finds you well.

Thanks,

Bob
 
DANIEL GENSER
Daniel Genser Website Design
I met Daniel through a business networking site called Biznik. We met for coffee and before I knew it I had hired him to revamp my website.

What impressed me about Daniel was his ability to integrate design and function. While keeping the look of the site, he added features that I had no idea of how to do myself, while making the site a breeze for me to change on my own.

Plus, he's a pretty good fellow. You can find out more about him on his website at Zigflitz.com . Tell him I sent you!
 
To Build or Not to Build
Stewart Entry Building in Uncertain Times
You don't need me to tell you that we are living through rocky times and I bet you are tired of hearing about the economy so I won't pile on. But even difficult times don't keep us from wanting or needing to update our homes. I am hearing from lots of clients these days looking for help on projects ranging from small changes to a bath to total remodels of their kitchens and all are wondering if they can afford to move forward.

 If you are planning a project or are just thinking about one I am always here to help. I have spent the better part of my career helping clients balance vision and budget and I would love to do the same for you or anyone you know who is thinking of building soon. Give me a call and let's see what we can do together, or drop by the site and send me an email.

www.stewartcustoms.com
 
Cool Stuff and Hot Tips
Greenwashing

Green Building is all the rage these days and I am one of it's biggest fans. There is, however, like most things, a down side to this emerging trend. Like the label "Organic" on the food we buy, too many companies are labeling their products and services as "Green" with out any standard for the end consumer to judge them by. 

I am all for energy efficiency, low VOC paints and caulks, and all the other attributes of the sustainable building movement. My concern is that there will be, and indeed might already be, a backlash from consumers worried about being scammed by all the claims being made in the industry these days.

Take a look at my post, Greenwashing, and the article it links to and let me know what you think.

Swift Wind Turbine

Wind energy is usually not at the top of most peoples list of things to do to conserve or create energy. Most of the systems we have had available to us are too large or too expensive to seem applicable to the smaller residential user.

A new type of wind turbine has just come on the market and it looks like it solves a lot of the past problems with the technology. It is from Cascade Engineering, a Grand Rapids, MI. based company that has installed 250 of the devices in the UK and has just launched the product in the US. You can read more about this new turbine in the Builder Magazine article here.


 
Thanks for taking the time to check out our latest newsletter. If you are planning a project or just dreaming about one we look forward to hearing from you. Whether it is a remodel or a new home you can count on Stewart Custom Homes to keep the focus on you.

Until next time,
 
 
Bob Stewart
Stewart Custom Homes
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Like lots of people who are contemplating a new home, addition or remodel you probably have lots of questions about where to start. How much will this cost and is it even possible? Call me and I will come out to your home and help you get going. We can talk about design, siting, time line, cost or whatever else you have questions about. You don't even need to cut out this coupon and the best part is there is no cost to you. Call me at 206-463-6401
 
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