Construction & Remodeling News

Real reasons why it makes sense to remodel your NJ or NY home now.

Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County Ribbon-Cutting for Zoe's Place

On May 9, 2011 at 9:30 am Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County will celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Zoe's Place, a group home for unwed teen mothers and their babies.

This project at 58 Farnham Avenue in Garfield was actually a joint effort made possible by funding from Bergen County Community Development and Bergen County's United Way and built by Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County.

The need for such a dwelling was originally identified by Jane Fiedler and Susan Knowlton, whose passion for helping those less fortunate ignited the enthusiasm of many individuals and groups.

Volunteers devoted countless hours to hanging sheetrock, spackling, painting and landscaping so this previous eyesore would become a charming home for these deserving young families.

Mayor Frank Calandriello will lead a group of special guests in cutting the ribbon.

You Heard It Here

Radio call-in show helps Glen Lumia establish his remodeling company as the 'go-to' guys.

By: Stacey Freed

Joining local organizations and attending Rotary club functions is not the only way to network. Glen Lumia, owner of Creative Design Construction & Remodeling, in Northvale, N.J., has been able to connect to prospective clients via radio.

Glen Lumia connecting with homeowners and possible prospects via AM radio.

His Monday morning half-hour call-in radio show, "Real Homes With Glen Lumia," on Rockland County's (N.Y.) WRCR 1300 AM covers products and current topics such as tax stimulus information, green products, and home energy audits and "anything else homeowners might be interested in," he says. Lumia interviews experts -- plumbers, insurance agents, landscapers, realtors -- as well as vendors, giving them exposure to consumers.

Listeners call in and can suggest topics. Lumia is also having a contest advertised on his company's website for a free home energy audit. He'll pick the winner live on the air.

Although the station doesn't track how many people tune in, the link from the radio station's website to Lumia's has brought him 40 to 50 new visitors a month in the five months that he has been on the air. "We're making ourselves the 'go-to' guys," Lumia says. "We do seminars at home shows, too. It's just showing another level of professionalism."

Although it's time consuming, Lumia says that he is learning a lot and it's fun. He recently signed on for another 13-week stint.

ASID & BRANNJ Host Networking Event

On October 6, ASID New Jersey teamed up with the Builder's and Remodeler's Association of Northern New Jersey (BRANNJ) to present "The Powerhouse Night," an evening of powerful networking with guest speaker Wendy Cohen, PowerHouse Advisors, Chicago, Ill. The meeting was held at Porcelanosa's newly renovated showroom in Paramus, N.J. More than 100 attendees, including interior designers, IPs, builders, remodelers, architects, realtors and other home industry professionals, learned how to fight back in these challenging times with goal-driven strategies.

Eileen Riman, James Fitzgerald, Miriam Bloom (All Board members for Zoe's Place)	Susan Knowlton (co-founder of Zoe's Place), Jane Fiedler (co-founder of Zoe's Place), Hugh Knowlton	Karen and Kerry Hampton, Jacey Raimondo (Director of Habitat for Humanity Bergen County)
Steve Mandel, Glen Lumia, Elaine and Arnie Rocklin	Genna and Anna Mecca (Board member of Zoe's Place)	Diana Morrissey, Sarah Christensen, Roseann Connell-Todd
Donna Lumia, Nina Nalbandian, Dr. Matthew Nalbandian, Glen Lumia, William Lumia	Joanne and Joe Favata

A Gala Event in Old Tappan to Benefit Zoe's Place

Over 120 guests gathered on October 24, 2010 at the home of Glen and Donna Lumia in Old Tappan to learn about Zoe's Place, a Bergen County based non-profit organization providing a home and support services to Bergen County pregnant teens, homeless teen mothers and their babies. Zoe's Place was created in 2003 and their mission is to provide safe, supervised housing as well as education and job skills as support services that will guide these young women into self-sufficiency.

In an unprecedented collaboration between Zoe's Place, Habitat for Humanity and Glen Lumia, President of Creative Design Construction & Remodeling as well as many other dedicated volunteers, the first home of its kind is being built in Bergen County which will house these young teens and their babies. Zoe's Place is enthusiastically awaiting the opening of this home in early 2011.

"We are behind this because we believe in the mission of Zoe's Place," stated Glen Lumia, "We are grateful for the funds raised through many generous supporters in our community, thus making a meaningful and productive life a reality for some of Bergen County's young women."

Eileen Riman, James Fitzgerald, Miriam Bloom (All Board members for Zoe's Place)	Susan Knowlton (co-founder of Zoe's Place), Jane Fiedler (co-founder of Zoe's Place), Hugh Knowlton	Karen and Kerry Hampton, Jacey Raimondo (Director of Habitat for Humanity Bergen County)
Steve Mandel, Glen Lumia, Elaine and Arnie Rocklin	Genna and Anna Mecca (Board member of Zoe's Place)	Diana Morrissey, Sarah Christensen, Roseann Connell-Todd
Donna Lumia, Nina Nalbandian, Dr. Matthew Nalbandian, Glen Lumia, William Lumia	Joanne and Joe Favata

Northern Builders and Remodelers bestow Scholarships to Students

Each year the Builders and Remodelers Association of northern new Jersey (BRNNJ) bestows scholarships to outstanding students from within their region. This year proved to be especially memorable as a crowd of over 100 members and guests gathered on June 7, 2010 to see five outstanding students receive foundation scholarship awards during the BRNNJ 63rd Annual Golf Outing at Ramsey Golf & Country Club in Ramsey.

Three students received $2000 scholarships from the Durante family with the possibility of the award being funded a second year if each student maintains good grades. The Van Natta and Sands scholarships offered a one-time award of $1500 to two worthy candidates. All of the students hail from Bergen, Passaic, Sussex or Hudson County. Four of the five award recipients plan to pursue careers in the construction industry. According to Kathleen M. Kuripel, BRNNJ Executive Vice President, "We offer these scholarships based on certain criteria including whether the student plans to pursue a major course of study in a career leading toward the betterment of the building industry. For example, some students are pursuing landscaping architecture and construction management while others are entering engineering."

Congratulations scholarship award recipients!

Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern New Jersey Holds Associate Appreciation Night

In the attached photo: Glen Lumia, President of BRANNJ, Arnold DeMasi, BRANNJ Program Committee Chair; James Cioletti, Reno's Appliance, Owner; John Cioletti, Reno's Appliance Owner; Kathleen M. Kurpiel, Executive Vice President, BRANNJ, Jeffrey Mathieu, Chairman of the Board, BRANNJ, and Rev. Pat Bruger, CUMAC ECHO.

Press Release-On April 7, 2010 the Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern, New Jersey (BRANNJ) held its Associate Appreciation Night at Reno's Appliance, Route 20 in Paterson, N.J. Reno's, a dedicated member of and Premier Partner with BRANNJ in promoting industry awareness, graciously hosted this great evening with delicious catering by Creativa and wine sampling by Tish. The event featured Michael Kurpiel, National Associate Chairman at the National Association of Home Builders, Washington, D.C. who gave his nationally recognized presentation on Association Maximization as well as speakers from member benefits and services at the New Jersey Builders Association.

Reno's Appliance and BRANNJ also held a food drive at the event to benefit Cumac Echo in Paterson, NJ. Cumac is a non-profit outreach dedicated to the alleviation of hunger and its root causes in Paterson, Passaic County and Northern, NJ and regularly feeds over 2000 low-income families a month.

Over 30 bags of food were donated by members and guests of BRANNJ and Reno's Appliance at the event. Reverend Patricia Bruger of Cumac Echo attended the event along with staff members. Reverend Bruger addressed the attendees and expressed her appreciation to the group for assisting in her organization's efforts to eradicate hunger in the Northern, New Jersey area.

The Builders and Remodelers Association of Northern, New Jersey is a trade association serving builders, remodelers and their associates in Bergen, Hudson, Passaic and Sussex Counties in NJ. BRANNJ is a local association of the New Jersey Builders Association and the National Association of Home Builders. In addition to the economic benefits of providing employment, the construction and renovation of homes builds communities, strengthens families, satisfies the demand for housing and makes the American Dream of home ownership a reality.

Top Questions Home Buyers Have About the Tax Credit

March 2010 / National Association of Home Builders

March 25, 2010 - As the April 15 deadline to file 2009 federal tax returns approaches, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is providing answers to some of the questions home buyers are most frequently asking about the home buyer tax credit.

"NAHB's Web site that provides information about the home buyer tax credit, www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com, has received more than 8 million visits," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "We are doing everything we can to make sure home buyers are informed about this outstanding opportunity to benefit from buying a home before it expires April 30."
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Glen Lumia Named Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2010 Finalist

Glen Lumia and the Creative Design Construction Team give back to those in need.

Foundation for Housing Awards Two $10,000 Grants Supporting Accessibility, Energy Efficiency Projects in New Jersey

March 2010 / CourierPostOnline.com

The Foundation is pleased to announce the following grant recipients: Accessibility – Charles Kojeski/Kojeski Construction of Voorhees, NJ; and Energy Efficiency – Glen Lumia/Creative Design Construction and Remodeling of Northvale, NJ. Additional information about each of these projects follows.
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Don't lose money by selling or buying a new home in today's housing market, stay put and remodel it, make your current house fit your needs and desires.

New Round of Foreclosures Threatens Housing Market

March 2010 / Washington Post

The housing market is facing swelling ranks of homeowners who are seriously delinquent but have yet to lose their homes, and this is threatening a new wave of foreclosures that could hit just as the real estate market has begun to stabilize.
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Home Renovations are on the Increase

December 2009 / North Jersey Homes / NorthJersey.com

"The number of permits (for renovations) evident this summer demonstra te that first-time home buyers took ad-vantage of the Federal Government's $8,000 incentive," stated Glen Lumia, President of both BRANNJ and of Creative Design Construction & Remodeling, Northvale. "They were purchasing foreclosed or lower-priced homes in need of repair.
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