by Sean | Dec 9, 2013 | News
According to HUD and the U.S. Census Bureau, in recent years home owner do-it-yourself (DIY) projects accounted for 37 percent of all home remodeling projects performed nationwide. The growing popularity of cable television channels with programming dedicated to home improvement including HGTV and the DIY Network, as well as the financial pressure of the economic downturn, may be inspiring home owners to take on home fixes and decorating challenges on their own.
However, it is important that home owners consider the safety risks, time delays and hidden costs before attempting DIY home improvements. Remodeling industry professionals report that about 30 percent of their work comes from fixing DIY debacles.
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by Sean | Oct 23, 2013 | Accreditation, Recognition
On September 17, Living Stone Construction attended the 2013 STARS Awards Gala in Charlotte, NC for the sixth straight year and hoped to have yet another successful evening. The STARS Awards Gala is a prestigious ceremony that recognizes residential custom homebuilders all throughout the state for their superb work during the year in a wide variety of categories. Living Stone went into the ceremony with high expectations and did not leave disappointed.
In all, Living Stone walked away with four awards, which included: Best Television Commercial (The Living Stone Difference), Best Brochure/Marketing Piece for a builder, Best Single-Family Detached Home with a sales price of $250,000-$500,000 (The Rockcliff Residence), and Best Addition (The Thiemkey addition). Living Stone was the only builder out of the Asheville HBA to receive awards that evening.
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by Sean | Jul 10, 2013 | Accreditation, Recognition
Living Stone Construction is an award winning, nationally recognized, and environmentally friendly custom home -builder. Based in Black Mountain NC, they have been in business since 1995. Living Stone Construction builds peoples’ dream homes. These homes are beautiful, within budget, on time, while never compromising style or substance. Whether you’re looking for renovation or original home design, they have left a trail of impressed clients and custom homes across Western North Carolina. Living Stone Construction makes client concerns a top priority. Between the combination of good old honest communication and newer technologies that allow the client to essentially see their home built virtually–everyone is heard, on the same page, and usually ahead of schedule.
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by Sean | Jul 10, 2013 | What Customers Are Saying
“In working with Living Stone we witnessed an excellent and thorough estimate, honesty and reliability, superb workmanship, fantastic communication and an all around great job! We would build with Living Stone again as well as refer them.” Dr. Bill Thiemkey. Dr. Thiemkey’s addition won Best Addition for the NCHBA Stars Awards for the entire state!
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by Sean | Jun 10, 2013 | News
In good times or bad, there is one constant: Homeownership remains the American Dream for millions of American families. And there are many reasons why, both economic and emotional. Most Americans consider homeownership to be their single best long-term investment and a primary source of their wealth and financial security. Generations of families have counted on and used the equity in their homes for their children’s education, their own retirement and other milestone expenses. Individual household budgets are helped by tax incentives that are designed to make owning a home more affordable. Deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes can result in thousands of dollars of tax savings, especially in the early years of the mortgage when interest makes up most of the payment. Home owners save nearly $100 billion annually on mortgage interest and property deductions alone. And when home owners sell their primary residence, they get an enormous tax break. A couple who owns and lives in their home for two years and then decides to sell can keep up to $500,000 of the profit tax-free, and a single owner can keep $250,000. A healthy housing industry means more jobs and a stronger U.S. economy. In fact, fully 15 percent of the U.S. economy relies on housing. Most of the products used in home construction and remodeling are manufactured in the United States. Constructing 100 new homes creates more than 300 full-time jobs, $23.1 million in wage and business income and $8.9 million in federal, state and local tax revenue. New home owners spend money on decorations and furnishings, to enhance the landscaping and to become members of the community by patronizing local businesses and service providers. (more…)
