Manufactured Stone Molds Allow Inexpensive Long Island Home Improvements
Inexpensive Long Island Home Improvements With Manufactured Stone Moldings
Manufactured Stone Moldings
If you’ve ever walked or driven by a Long Island home with beautiful stone brick and rock facades, statuary, walkways and other decor detailing, you probably wondered how anyone could afford such exquisite materials and workmanship. You can indeed pay a fortune for stone and even stone veneers, but you don’t have to. That’s because you can make your own stone at home with cast concrete molds! In fact, a lot of the stone you see on homes is cultured stone though you couldn’t tell it from looking at it.
You can make stone stone veneer, bricks, pavers, cobbles, steppingstones and floor tile using concrete stone molds into which you pour own ready-to-mix concrete, cement or plaster. The craft molds then give the concrete the shape, size and texture of whatever stone you want to make. Special cement colors and cement sealers are applied to get the coloring and surface treatment of a specific stone It is actually the sealers that can create anything from a flat “stone” finish all the way to an ultra-glazed high gloss.
Concrete is an incredibly flexible building material that makes it all possible. It allows you to create a huge variety of different manufactured stone materials at a small fraction of what you’d pay at a stone yard. The look is almost indistinguishable from the real thing because the master molds are taken from real fieldstone, limestone, ledgestone, river rocks and many other types and kinds of stone.
Stone can be used for walls, fireplaces, siding replacement, trim, walks, patios, tile and numerous other applications. It looks terrific and adds value to any property. Used in walls or as siding, man-made stone offers fire resistance, great insulation, sound suppression and superior durability. Used in landscaping, stone lasts practically forever and lets you create spectacular effects.
The key to it all is molds for stone Those concrete molds are made of industrial ABS plastic that lasts for hundreds of pours if you use and maintain it properly. Depending on the type of stone a mold may make a few large stones or a bunch of smaller ones. Each will be different, just like natural stone Man-made stone from molds is usually a couple of inches thick and generally weighs a lot less than thicker real stone Thinner pours are used for stone veneers. There is no need for a kiln or anything like that; concrete cures all by itself within anywhere from 15 minutes to a day, depending on the concrete mix, weather and the kind and size of the mold.
There is a very large selection of molds for just about any type of stone and stone material imaginable. You can even make things like Celtic designs, wall plaques, or other decorative additions. When it comes to making man-made stone siding styles there is no limit to your imagination.
You can order kits from companies that specialize on decorative concrete and cement molds. The kits usually include the molds, mold release to get the finished stones out easier, cement color, some sort of fortifier to add durability, and sealer. Some cast concrete companies offer packages that include DVD-based training materials. This comes in handy as, like with everything else, there is learning curve and you need some practice to get everything right.
Using cast concrete molds to make your own stone is an increasingly popular hobby that’s not only fun, but it can greatly add to the look and value of your Long Island home.
Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web.
Learn more about Manufactured Stone Molds.
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Energy Tax Credit for Siding and Replacement Windows
THANK YOU….MR. PRESIDENT!
On February 17, 2009 President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law, thus providing great benefit to the home improvement industry and consumers alike. The following summarizes the Act as it relates to the products we sell and should address any questions you may have. Feel free to contact us if you need additional information.
How much is the Tax Credit
30% of the cost of the goods, subject to a maximum $1500 ceiling. The 30% can not be applied against costs of installation – only against the cost of the products.*
Why a Tax Credit is better than a Tax Deduction
Tax Deduction
A tax deduction reduces your adjusted gross income. How much that deduction is worth to you depends on your marginal income tax rate.
For example, if you are in the 25% tax bracket, a $1000 tax deduction means you will pay $250 less tax that year.
Common tax deductions include Traditional IRA and 401(k) contributions, as well as mortgage loan interest, student loan interest, and charitable donations.
Tax Credits
A tax credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in your income taxes regardless of your tax bracket. If you have a $1000 tax credit, you will pay $1000 less tax that year. The Stimulus Package benefits qualify as Tax Credits in 2009 and 2010.
How The Tax Credits Work
- The Act covers energy saving home improvements. This is not to be confused with Energy Star rated products. To qualify for the Tax Credit, products must meet more stringent requirements than the Department of Energy has mandated for the Energy Star Program. Windows and Doors, for example, must have a U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) less than or equal to 0.30. The lower the U-Value the better insulation a window provides. Please be very careful with this condition, because contrary to what many “experts” have stated, this does not include everything with an Energy Star label on it.
- Qualifying home improvements must be installed and ready for use between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2010 at the homeowner’s principle place of residence. In the event a purchase was made PRIOR to the law taking effect, the homeowner would still benefit as long as the products are installed and payment is made in 2009. The $1,500 tax credit is a one-time only credit. In other words, if a homeowner purchased windows qualifying for the full $1,500 credit in 2009 and then purchased a roof that also qualified for a $1,500 credit in 2010, he or she would be eligible to claim only a single credit of $1,500.
- However, a number of energy-efficient home improvement products, such as certain solar-related products, are not subject to this $1500 tax credit, and thus can be used in conjunction with other products. For example, if a homeowner purchased windows qualifying for the full $1,500 credit in 2009 and then also purchased a thermal solar water heating system in 2009 that qualified for its own 30% tax credit, he or she would be eligible to claim both tax credits.
How to Claim the Credits
Homeowners seeking to claim one or more of the available tax credits should complete IRS Form 5695 for the tax year in which the improvement is placed into service. For record keeping purposes, it is advisable for homeowners to retain the work orders or receipts for the qualifying improvement. Taxpayers should also keep a copy of the Manufacturer Certification statement (a signed statement from the manufacturer certifying the product qualifies for the Energy Tax Credit) for their records, although the statement does not have to be submitted with the taxpayer’s tax return.
* If your work order does not break down the cost of product vs. labor, use the following chart to determine the eligible amount for the material cost:
Product Materials
Windows 85%
Doors 85%
Siding 19% (The Act only covers Insulation Cost, not the Siding itself)
Long Island Vinyl Siding Testimonials
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Built Right Renovations wins 2009 national award for residential re-siding
The judges of this year’s contest selected 43 winners from a pool of 162 entries. Submissions were evaluated on the basis of imaginative use, design, functionality, quality of workmanship, and, in the Historic Restoration category, faithful reproduction of an original design.
The 2009 Awards of Distinction entries highlight several trends that demonstrate the continued versatility of vinyl siding. Among those trends were the uses of vinyl siding in a wide variety of architectural styles, great diversity in color choices, and more sophisticated trim. Also noted was the increased number of entries featuring multi-family structures and traditional neighborhood design principles.
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Local Vinyl Siding Professional Named Vinyl Siding Institute Certified Installer
Built Right Renovations, Inc. of Amityville, NY has received third-party verification of their vinyl siding installation skills and knowledge and was named a Certified Installer through a program sponsored by the Vinyl Siding Institute, Inc. (VSI).
Through the VSI Certified Installer Program, a certification program for vinyl siding installers, Built Right Renovations, Inc. has completed a rigorous course of study and examination on the proper installation techniques for vinyl siding, soffit, and accessories, as verified by an independent certification firm, Architectural Testing, Inc. and based on ASTM D4756.
“The VSI Certified Installer Program was created to recognize top quality vinyl siding installers,” said VSI President Jery Y. Huntley. “By passing our course and examination, Built Right Renovations, Inc. has demonstrated the knowledge and skills to install quality, durable vinyl siding.”
VSI recognizes an individual as a Certified Installer if they have at least one year of experience and pass a course and examination on correct installation techniques. Installers with more than three years of experience may qualiy to take the test without the course. VSI Certified Installers receive an identification badge and are listed in the registry on VSI’s website, www.vinylsiding.org.
The Vinyl Siding Institute, Inc., located in Washington, DC, represents manufacturers of vinyl and other polymeric siding and suppliers to the industry. VSI is the sponsor of the VSI Vinyl Siding Product Certification Program and the VSI Certified Installer Program. www.vinylsiding.org.
