Zett Quinn has been in the home remodeling industry for over 25 years. He started out flipping homes for himself, and from there Quality Craftsmen was born. Recently, Zett explored a new avenue in the TV industry and was featured in the Qualified Remodeler magazine for the great information he was broadcasting to Atlanta, GA viewers.

Offering a Resource

Zett’s show, ‘The Home Helpers with Zett Quinn’ is not currently being produced, but while it was on the air, it was getting watched by about 30,000 people a week. What was unique about Zett’s show was that he wasn’t teaching people how to fix their own plumbing problems, or install a new light fixture; there are already plenty of shows that fill that niche. Instead, Zett decided the information that the public is lacking is how to choose the right contractor for their home remodel or repair project. Zett learned on his own that doing projects yourself ends up costing more time and money in the long run, than simply hiring a qualified and experienced contractor. But, if you don’t know how to hire appropriately, you could lose your shirt as well. Each week, Zett would feature a reputable contractor in the area and discuss the types of assets you should look for when hiring including that they are licensed, bonded, insured, and have ample experience.

Qualified Remodeler

The Qualified Remodeler magazine helps independent remodeling and renovation firms to survive, providing business information, best practices, design ideas, and new product information. Quality Craftsmen was thrilled when their writer Laurie Banyay offered to write us a feature in their magazine. Read the full article and learn more about the great team we have here at Quality Craftsmen.

If you need help with your next kitchen remodel, window replacement, or siding replacement in Marietta, GA, call Quality Craftsmen and have the confidence that we are recognized across the home remodel industry and have over 25 years of experience helping people like you change their home into the home of their dreams.

Do you love your view, yard and neighborhood…but not your house? Sometimes a house requires a total makeover to meet the needs of the Atlanta, GA family that lives there.

There may be severe issues – like water damage or electrical dangers – or design issues – like updating the flooring or making the space more usable. Either way, a remodel project can make a house more comfortable, practical and enjoyable.

An example of this is a 35-year-old house in the Walton community that was in rough shape. The previous homeowners weren’t able to keep up with the maintenance, and time took its toll. Termites infested the back porch. Bathrooms had never been updated. Closets were small. There was water damage in the basement.

The question wasn’t which project to undertake…but which one to tackle first.

The first step was preventing water from leaking into the home and causing further damage.  The backyard was re-graded, French drains were installed, and new pipes added – all to direct rain away from the house. New gutters and gutter covers were added to keep the system free from debris to help the water flow.

Inside the home, the water damage was fixed, and there were additional plumbing projects, like replacing leaky pipes.

The next priority was the master suite. We doubled the size of both the master closet and bathroom for a dramatic transformation. New carpeting in all the bedrooms added a warm and cozy atmosphere. To ensure the comfort of guests, the hall bathroom was enlarged by adding space from a closet.

The kitchen is the heart of the home, so it should be welcoming, practical and attractive. Luckily, the cabinets were in good shape, so they didn’t need updating. Other items were replaced, including granite countertops, sink, faucet and appliances. By moving the appliances into a more user-friendly configuration, counter space doubled.

New hardwood floors throughout the downstairs created a warm, updated ambiance.

To increase living space, the patio was converted into a screened porch and doubled in size. Now the nearly 300-square foot area is usable most months of the year, thanks to two ceiling fans. With a sitting area and dining table, it’s ideal for entertaining.

Does your home fit your family? If not, meet with a certified, insured remodeling contractor to transform your house into your dream home.

This article appeared in the April issue of Around Walton Magazine. To view it online, click here.

BEFORE the Remodel

AFTER the Remodel

We have been sharing with you the process of installing Everlast Composite Siding over the last several weeks, including the initial steps and the steps that Quality Craftsmen takes to ensure that your home is sealed and energy efficient. Now, we are finally at the point that the install of new siding can begin on your home.

Install Siding

Now that the preparation of your home is complete, it is time to start installing your new siding. The process is started at the base of the home with a stainless steel starter strip that is meticulously leveled. Then, each stud on your home’s framing is found and marked to ensure that we hit each stud with our siding install to keep it sturdy and strong, and avoid any potential damage to plumbing that might be in the walls. The first piece of Everlast Composite Siding can be snapped onto the starter strip and the process is relatively easy from there! Each piece of subsequent siding interlocks on top of the other as the installation moves up the wall. The butt joints of the siding are spread out evenly throughout the home, never too close together. Each joint break is on a stud, with a color matched piece of aluminum flashing installed behind it to make the installation appear seamless, and water tight.

Everlast Doesn’t Cut Corners

To complete the installation  both inside and outside corners made of the same Everlast Composite Siding material are installed. If your home has a fascia or soffit, they can either be wrapped in matching aluminum  replaced with fiber cement, or PVC. If you opt not to replace your fascia, we can paint it with a high quality paint with a lifetime warranty that you will never have to paint again.

Now that you have replaced the siding on your home with Everlast Composite Siding, you have made a major investment in not only your home’s appearance, but you have increased its energy efficiency, its ability to stand up to wind, rain, and bad weather, and you have significantly increased its market value – not to mention the convenience factor of never having to repaint your home again! If this project sounds like something you would like to to do renovate your Atlanta, GA home, give Quality Craftsmen a call today for a free estimate and consultation on your next home remodeling project!

Last week we shared a post with you that detailed the first steps to removing your home’s siding and readying your home for a siding replacement. These first steps are essential to the correct installation of home siding. If they are not done with the proper care and attention to detail, you could have potentially just wasted several thousand dollars in a new siding job that will not last more than a few years and could lead to further damage on the foundation of your home. Quality Craftsmen of Atlanta, GA has over 25 years of experience with home remodeling and siding replacement, so when you call us, you can be rest assured that you will be getting the best service that the metro Atlanta area has to offer. After the first steps are taken – old siding removed and the home’s foundation inspected – it is time to add on options that will increase your home’s energy efficiency.

Increasing Energy Efficiency

The next steps in the siding installation process are all about saving energy and decreasing your utility bills. You will have an option to add a radiant barrier around your home. The barrier reflects 97% of the suns radiant heat while reflecting/retaining heat on the inside of your home. It goes on underneath your siding, and wraps around your entire home. The radiant barrier helps to increase efficiency of the heating and cooling systems in your home and saves you dollars! A vapor barrier is added around every home at this point. The vapor barrier that we use for our clients is called Green Guard. It is a step above typical vapor barriers because it utilized wicking channels that keep the siding off of the wrap just enough so that if moisture does creep its way behind your home’s siding, it is able to drain away – which prohibits molding.

During the process of Everlast Composite Siding installation, we have our customers best interests in mind. We want you to get the most value out of your investment, which is why we encourage our clients to use the radiant barrier in this step of the process. While it will add some additional cost to the project, its return on investment will start paying you back immediately with a savings on heating and cooling bills.

Before Siding Replacement

If you would like a free quote or consultation with Quality Craftsmen about your home’s siding, just give us a call today! We look forward to working with you!

Replacing the siding on your home is a major investment, and at Quality Craftsmen in Marietta, GA we understand how hard you work to earn your money, and that you want to protect your investments with the best products installed with the best service. Because of this, we make sure that when we install new Everlast Composite Siding on your home, we do it right, inspecting the base structure of your home before we install your new siding. Over the next several weeks, we will share with you the important steps of installing siding to not only to give your home a ‘like new’ appearance, but also to protect it from wind and weather for years to come.

The First Steps of Home Siding Replacement

To start the project, the first thing we do is remove the old siding off of your home. We will closely inspect your substructure, looking for wood root, faulty siding, or structural issues such as bowed or broken studs. At this point, we may also advise you to add more insulation to any areas with an R value of 7 or less. Increasing the R value of the exterior insulation on your home will improve your homes energy efficiency. If we see any signs of mold growing, this all also be addressed and mediated to prevent further growth. The most important step of this first process is checking the sheathing on your home. It must be plum, nice and straight so the siding will lay properly with clean lines.

The next steps of siding installation are to address the energy efficiency of your home. Look for these in our blog next week! In the meantime, if you are thinking about replacing the siding on your home, give Quality Craftsmen of Atlanta, GA a call, and we will be happy to consult with you and help you make the best choice in your new siding to fit your budget and protect your investment!

 

Your Atlanta, GA home is probably one of the largest investments you will ever make. When it comes time to build or remodel your home, budgeting wisely can go a long way. But, be careful that your budget doesn’t force you into the wrong contractor. Choosing the right contractor, like Quality Craftsmen, means verifying that they are licensed, bonded, and insured.

The Difference Between a Licensed Contractor and a Non-Licensed Contractor

When you are on the hunt for the contractor for your Atlanta, GA home remodeling project, you will be calling contractors asking for bids on your project. The bids vary from contractor to contractor, but there is one operation who undercuts the competition by a significant amount, and offers you an extremely low, extremely attractive, price. This is when you should start to raise an eyebrow. Unlicensed contractors are able to cut their costs because they do not have to pay for the license, they don’t pay workers comp, liability, or insurance. This cuts their costs down, which they may then be passing on to you in hopes of taking your money. While the lower price may seem attractive in the short term, in the long run, choosing an unlicensed contractor is going to cost you big time in unfinished projects and stolen payments for “materials”.

Why Choose a Licensed Contractor?

To obtain a contractors license from the state of Georgia, you are required to take a contractors examination with the Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors. All builders in the state of Georgia are required to have a license and carry it with them at all times. This makes it easy for you to ask for a copy of their license – always check the expiration date too. When a contractor is licensed,  you know that they have the knowledge and expertise to complete your project correctly, to state codes and regulations. You will also know that they carry liability insurance at a minimum level of $300,000 to $500,000 so all parties will be protected in the event of an accident.

“Bonded” – What Does This Mean When Choosing a Contractor?

When a contractor is bonded, this means that they hold a surety bond. Surety bonds are a promise of performance and guarantee that the contractor will perform as they have stated in their contract. Not all surety bonds are the same, so to understand specifically what the bond is promising, you would need to obtain a copy of the bond literature. If the contractor does not perform as promised, the bond will pay the client up to the bonded amount.

Not only does Quality Craftsmen of Atlanta, GA give you the reassurance of being licensed, bonded, and insured, we also have 25+ years of experience and numerous satisfied customers that have given us excellent reviews. For help with your next home renovation in Marietta, GA or surrounding areas, give us a call today!

The East Bank project was a major undertaking, as you have seen in the exterior home remodel and living room remodel. Quality Craftsmen also spent a significant amount of time remodeling the kitchen of the Atlanta, GA home to bring it up to date, and give it the same luxurious feeling as the rest of the home.

The original kitchen in the home had a double oven that reached from ceiling to floor and blocked off the eat in kitchen. There was shelving across the top of kitchen that allowed a peep hole between the top cabinets and the counter so you could pass food through as you were preparing it. While the double ovens were probably a handy feature when cooking a large meal, the cabinetry set up closed in the entire kitchen and made the space feel as if it was no larger than a 3′x5′ area. A small kitchen can be a major strike against a home to potential buyers, as many of us spent most of our family time in the kitchen preparing food and eating meals.

BEFORE:

The simplest changes completely renewed the kitchen. Taking out the double oven and installing a standard range opened the space between the kitchen and living room. The cabinets along the ceiling were also removed so there was no longer just a peep hole of space between the kitchen and dining area. The old counter tops were removed and replace with quality granite. Quality Craftsmen was able to save the quality cabinets and simply resurface and repaint them. The microwave got its own shelf nook which opened up even more counter space. The granite was made oversize of the cabinets which allows  for chairs at the bar and a new eating space. To top off the renovation, the kitchen got all new appliances and new hardwood floors to match those in the living room.

AFTER:

 

Do you have a kitchen renovation in Atlanta, GA or the surrounding areas that you need help with? Quality Craftsmen would love to help you! As you can see from the East Bank renovation, Zett Quinn has a great eye for design and knows how to make a beautiful home on almost any budget!

As we head into the rainy season, it’s important to protect your home from potential water damage. Every home is at risk – even those without basements.

When it rains a lot after a drought, the ground absorbs water quickly and then becomes saturated. There’s a lot of water streaming, and many times it winds up in places that can cause damage.

The key is to direct rainwater away from your home’s foundation.

Make sure your gutters are in good condition, and gutter covers will prevent clogging. Ensure the water from downspouts is directed away from the house. Consider adding underground hard piping to flow the water to the street, or employ French drains around the foundation. Next, make sure the ground surrounding your house slopes away.

Inside your home, solutions may include a drainage system in the floor, evacuation pumps, and waterproofing a basement wall.

Excessive rain can create unstable soil conditions, making your home sink into the ground, causing stress and cracks. If you see a bowing wall, a leaning chimney, cracks in the floor, or cracks between bricks on exterior walls, call an expert. Don’t simply caulk the cracks – it doesn’t fix the problem and could make it more difficult for a professional to repair.

Have an experienced contractor or foundation specialist inspect the space to ensure it’s not serious. The expert should work with an engineer who can help evaluate the situation. The initial consultation should be free of charge. A sonic test will determine where the voids are under a house, so the expert will know the exact spot to target.

Some cracks are less serious, and not all indicate problems with the foundation. But if the foundation has been compromised, you should have it fixed immediately. The type of foundation repair needed depends on the specific cause of the problem. Solutions include placing steel piers beneath the foundation, pumping hydraulic grout into the floor to create a pier, Kevlar wall straps and wall anchors to stabilize and secure the foundation.

What’s the worst that can happen? If your foundation can’t support your house, over time, a wall could implode, causing the building to collapse.

If you see cracks or water damage, call an expert. Don’t wait for disaster to strike.

This article appeared in the March issue of Around Walton Magazine. To view it online, click here.

Last week Quality Craftsmen introduced one of our latest major remodels to you, the East Bank home in Atlanta, GA. We shared the details on how we remodeled the exterior of the home and turned it from the out dated, ugly duckling of the neighborhood into a beautiful, traditional style home that fit right in with the rest of the street. While the exterior of the home looked great, we didn’t stop there! The interior of the home got a face lift of its own. This week we are sharing just how we updated the living room and fireplace to make it an inviting, open space where you look forward to spending your chilly evenings around a cozy fire.

Flooring Replacement & Fresh Paint

The old flooring was ugly, dark linoleum that was intended to look like wood. The dark color of the flooring and walls made the room appear to be small, suffocating, and dark. To open up the room to the natural light that was trying to come through the windows, we lightened up the wall colors and choose a lighter colored prefinished oak flooring. Prefinished flooring makes placing hardwood floors much easier, quicker, and cheaper yet still gives the luxurious feel and appearance of traditional hardwood.

Fireplace Remodel

The rock wall surrounding the fireplace was one of the things that without a doubt had to go. We removed all the stone and hearth down to the bare wood before rebuilding a new hearth out of the reclaimed stone and added a solid oak mantle around the fireplace. Above the mantle we installed an electrical hook up ready for your flat screen TV. We also remodeled the surrounding cabinetry  The current shelving was all removed and replaced with base cabinets and shelving above. To the right of the fireplace we added  a huge chase with three cabinets on top and bottom to give the new home owners plenty of space for storage.

Love the work Quality Craftsmen did to the East Bank project? We would love to come help you remodel the exterior or interior of your home and give it an updated look at a price that fits your budget. Call us today to get a quote for your next project!

Over the next several weeks we will be sharing one of our latest projects with you in various sections. The East Bank project was a major renovation on the “ugly duckling” of a neighborhood off of Timber Ridge Road. Zett Quinn and Quality Craftsmen acquired the property at an attractive price due to its unsightly nature and gave the whole home a good dose of Quinn creativity and Quality Craftsmen elbow grease. This week we will share with you the renovations that we did to the outside of the Atlanta, GA home and over the next few weeks we will also let you in on the details and beautiful makeover that we accomplished on the interior of the home.

BEFORE – East Bank Renovation

AFTER – East Bank Renovation

The Atlanta, GA House Renovation

Take a good look at the before and after photos. Notice that the front door was not centered, there were balconies on the second level, and there was an unsightly mansard that were all eyesores. To update the look of the home, the first thing we did was center the front door in the middle of the house. We removed the balconies on the second level and replaced the sliding doors with new windows. The mansard was also removed – a renovation decision made possible only because it was not part of the framing of the house. The mansard was simply an additional section of framing and shingling that sat atop the stick built home. The front porch got redesigned into a floating portico and new shutters were added around all of the newly replaced Simonton windows to give the home a modern, almost ‘New England Style’ design. We were able to reuse some of the stone from around the home and built a water table around the bottom of the house. The whole house got new shingles, leaf free gutters and gutter caps, and a new driveway.

We also spent time updating the landscape and the back of the house. We remodeled the screened porch, added a deck to one side, and added a handrail to what was once a walkway to give the appearance of two porches on either side. All of this new and old wood was stained to match and give it a fresh appearance. All of the backyard plant beds were also rebuilt and will make a lovely accent when they are full of blooming flowers this spring. To complete the package, the whole home got brand new fiber cement siding.

The whole neighborhood couldn’t say enough good things about how much they appreciated the renovation, because now the home fit in with the rest of the neighborhood and increased the curb appeal for the whole street! The ugly duckling had been transformed into a swan thanks to Quality Craftsmen’s ingenuity and hard work!

Do you have a major house renovation in Atlanta, GA that you need help with? Zett Quinn and Quality Craftsmen would love to help you design and implement the renovations you have been dreaming of – give us a call today!