From the Nate Burkus Show, Holmes on Homes:

Renovation Rehab

Mike Holmes tells you everything you need to know when hiring a contractor.

Transform Your Bedroom and Relationship

October 11 2011

Choosing A Home Remodeler On The Nate Show

Known as “the city in the country,” Poway is one of San Diego County’s newest affluent suburban towns. The area is family-friendly and the majority of the residents are families of three or more. Although it has grown dramatically in the past couple decades, it still maintains a strong grip on its country culture. Owning a horse or two is commonplace in Poway and the city hosts San Diego’s largest annual rodeo. It is located directly in the center of the greater San Diego County, giving residents easy access to everything San Diego has to offer. The beaches, downtown, mountains, desert, and amusement parks are all within a 30 minute drive. It is a great place for raising children as it boasts far above average schools and plenty of great outdoor activities nearby.

Historically, Poway was used for farm land and cattle stocking, but the modern road development gave the area direct access to other parts of San Diego. The city was incorporated in 1980 and has boomed since then with an estimated population of just over 50,000. Since Poway is just east of Interstate 15, most residents are raising children there and commuting to work in the nearby San Diego areas. The town is primarily a residential neighborhood with a total of 30 elementary, middle, and high schools. All of the school’s high success rates for standardized tests and are above the national averages. The median income for a household in Poway is $71,708. The area boasts some of California’s best and most consistent weather as the winter average high never drops below 67 degrees Fahrenheit and the summer average never exceeds 82 degrees. San Diego is very desert like and there is usually little rain in Poway, less than 12 inches per year. This is a red flag for fire season and forces the community to constantly take precautionary measures for preventing and defending against wildfires.

You can ensure your family’s safety during wildfire season by completing the proper renovations necessary to block fires from your home.  By creating a safe landscape barrier and/or fire break around your home, the large flames won’t be able to cross over and burn your home.  There are other home renovations recommend for fire safety like replacing wood shake roofing with fire proof tile or composite shingles, replacing dried out wood siding with stucco, and keeping exposed exterior wood painted.   When you move into the beautiful suburban town of Poway, check the date that your home was built and look to see what upgrades are necessary for protection from wildfires and also protection from the hot sun that is shining the majority of the year.

Since the lot sizes in Poway are typically large, family room and bedroom additions are always popular. Being that the Poway is inland it gets hot in the summer time.  When remodeling, a reputable design/build contractor can help you cut down on cooling costs by using energy efficient dual glazed windows, orientating the building so as to avoid direct sun through glazing and use other building practices. There are a large amount of homes that are 25 plus years old in Poway, so kitchen remodeling and bathroom remodeling are also very popular.

I was proud to see this article in the San Diego Union newspaper on Saturday, May 30, 2011 featuring a home we remodeled in the 90′s:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/apr/22/point-loma-listing-has-ties-portuguese-pioneer/

We remodeled the exclusive 1934 Frank L. Hope Jr. home in 1995.

815 Armada Terrace

Photos courtesy of Pauline Lim-Endresen.

The Scope of work included restoring exiting kitchen cabinets, new counter tops and back splashes, structural interior reconfiguration, expanding balconies, building out a wine storage room and other general remodeling.  At the time, it was one of our largest projects.

Known as “The Hill” to locals, Del Cerro is a centrally located community in San Diego. The town is perched up on a hill overlooking its bordering areas of San Diego State University to the south, Mission Valley to the west, and Mission Trails Regional Park to the east and north. Some areas have beautiful views of Lake Murray and on a really clear day you can see all the way out to Mission Bay and downtown San Diego. The small town has one high school and a few stores and restaurants, but the central location gives residents access to all San Diego has to offer. In less than 20 minutes you can be surfing, hiking, dining, or catching the latest flick at the theater. Interstate 8 and San Diego State University is located right next door, giving the south side of Del Cerro a college town feel.

The demographics of Del Cerro include mostly single family homes with the majority of residents above the age of 30. The population in 2000 was recorded at 25,553, but it is estimated to have increased over the past decade to nearly 34,000. It is an upper income area with a median household income of $64,358. There are a total of 10,467 households, of which 6,846 are occupied by families. It never gets too hot or cold, with an average high of 83 in the summer and 68 in the winter. Del Cerro is seven miles to the San Diego International Airport, one mile to San Diego State University, and three miles to the San Diego Chargers stadium, Qualcomm Stadium.

Del Cerro is a great place to own a home in San Diego. You have easy access to all areas of San Diego, not to mention the benefits of a small town feel with great views from the hillside. Located further away from the coast, the climate is dryer and slightly warmer than the beach.

Since many of the homes in Del Cerro were built in the 60’s and 70’s, it is a prime area for remodeling too. With some homes an ocean view can be captured with a second story addition. Other popular remodeling projects in the area are custom kitchens, great room/family room additions and major home renovation which can include energy saving measures like new roofing, windows and heat/cooling and solar.

The housing market boom of the late 90’s and early 2000’s has completely flat lined. People are no longer able to qualify for a new home loan easily and their finances have most likely tightened during their daily lives. Instead of searching for new homes to buy in better neighborhoods, they are accepting that they will be living in their current home for many years to come. The mentality has changed from new home buying to improving the home you already live in. The home remodeling industry is making a strong comeback and there are several factors that help explain the recent and future remodeling boom.

1. Stabilizing economy: The economy may not be making a full rebound, but it seems to be stabilizing and should remain somewhat constant through the next several years. People will regain trust in the economy and feel more comfortable spending money on larger projects such as home remodels.
2. Stable housing market: The major downward swing in the housing market and drastic increase in foreclosures over the past few years is now stabilizing. With fewer people losing their homes (thankfully) and more people purchasing affordable housing, there will be a larger market available for home remodels.
3. Age of houses: In higher income metro areas, the housing stock is older and the people living in them have the necessary income to make improvements. The higher value homes in high income metro areas will regain value faster than low income areas and provide the main area of growth for the home remodeling industry.
4. Increased spending: Since the economy seems to be stabilizing and people are showing new confidence in it by spending rather than saving more, they will now use their discretionary income to spend on improving their living conditions.
5. Job security: During the lowest point of the recession, many people were worried for their own job security. With a more stable economy, less people will be afraid of losing their jobs and will once again feel more comfortable spending money on housing projects. Without the fear of job loss looming over people’s heads, they can begin spending money on other things that will make their life more comfortable.
6. Necessary upgrades: Over the past several years people have been neglecting the home upgrades that are necessary for a comfortable level of living. The next several years in the home remodeling industry will have a large focus on the necessary upgrades that were neglected in the past.
7. Baby Boomer retirement: The Baby Boomer generation is beginning to retire and either find a home to spend the rest of their time at or improve upon their own. They will prepare for retirement and aging by spending money on upgrades to make their home as comfortable as possible.
8. Foreclosure repairs: The recent increase of buying, repairing, and reselling home foreclosures will create a large new market for the home remodeling industry. The foreclosures often need major repairs and renovations, adding to the home remodeling boom.
9. Energy efficiency: Despite the sluggish economy, going green is still a priority among the higher income, higher value home metro areas. Home renovations that will improve energy efficiency will continue increasing over the next several years, especially if the federal tax incentives remain intact.
10. Reduced housing mobility: Many people that are locked into long-term, low-interest rate loans will not easily be able to move and qualify for an equal loan. Their lack of mobility will result in them choosing to upgrade their homes rather than moving into a new home with a new mortgage and a higher interest rate.

Image: Pixomar / FreeDigitalPhotos.net