Odds and Ends

Another weekend and another winter storm...I think this is three weeks in a row. This one seems to be the storm that will pack the most punch, we are hearing anything from 4 to 10 inches. Our local news stations are doing a great job scaring people, we have already been bombarded with customers buying Rock Salt, Safe Step ice melt and sand. We anticipate this will only get crazier as we open our doors tommorow morning. Enough about this snow.


As we head into 2010, new products are being launched by many manufacturers. You name the product line and I can tell you about their endeavors for 2010. I'll keep this brief today and bring you a few more updates weekly as we lead up to the NAHB International Builders Show in Las Vegas (January 2010).

• AZEK Deck will be introducing 5 new PVC deck colors. Very cutting edge and all have a great look and feel to them. In addition to these products, AZEK will be introducing two new moulding profiles (small crown and square baluster) and a thicker trimboard in all sizes. AZEK is one of the hottest companies in the building industry and we are thrilled to have a strong relationship with them.


• Larson Storm doors have launched various new items mainly for the Do-It-Yourselfer. One that should be a crowd pleaser is The Insider Storm Window. Many people refuse to install the storm window to the exterior of their home, its sloppy and and requires an extension ladder. The Insider offers the same benefits and insulates better, reduces drafts, good sound control and easy removal. Great for historic homes and condos when you want a quick fix at a fraction of the cost of new windows, for more info check out http://www.larsondoors.com/storm_windows/products/insider_windows/


• Titebond Weathermaster sealant has been specifically formulated to outperform all other sealant technologies, including silicones and urethanes. This superior polymer formula provides the best possible performance on siding, windows, doors and vents. Its availble in 200 colors - we stock the most commonly used colors. And best part about Weathermaster - it guns out at 0 degrees fahrenheit!!!
  

Thanks for checking in. Our hours this weekend are Friday 7am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 2pm. Please remember we will be closed Dec. 26th and Jan. 2nd.

Baby its cold outside

I started last weeks blog off by saying we were expecting a high of 39 degrees with snow and rain, well this weekend doesn't get any better. My thermometer just read 19 degrees and our friends at www.weather.com expect a high of 33 degrees with wind gusts up to 40mph, not very conducive to putting up Christmas decorations or anything else that requires you to stand outside for more than two minutes.

So as you can see I am sick and tired of winter already and this just makes me appreciate the people who work outside in this kind of weather even more, i.e. our yard employees, a.k.a "The Yard Dawgs". I challenge anyone in our business to show me a better staff of yard personal - it can't be done. Regardless of the conditions our men are pleasant, attentive and above everything else skilled and talented to offer product suggestions to our contractor and homeowner customers. Prosales magazine recently did a story on the Building Material industry's best salesperson (great article!) but I'd nominate a different kind of salesperson for this distinction - The Yard Dawgs of Niece Lumber! Not a day goes by that a customer doesn't come into the sales counter and rave about how wonderful their experience was in the yard.

In closing, I encourage you all to go shop elsewhere, wait 20 minutes to be helped then load your vehicle with below average material. It'll make you appreciate the Niece Lumber Yard Dawgs too!

I despise this time of year

I just checked the Saturday weather for our area - 39 degree high and a chance of snowy/rainy weather. Our preference in this industry is to have this kind of weather on a weekend. Dismal weather mid-week essentially wipes out a good business day, so we are fortunate this time around. As much as we like being a supplier of ice melt, rock salt and shovels - this generally doesn't pay the bills but we loaded up again this year to supply our loyal customers. Our inventory includes the Safe Step brand of Ice Melt (10lb, 25lb, or 50lb) and Hailite Rock Salt (10lb, 25lb, 50lb and 80lb). We offer pallet discounts for plowers, farmers, estate owners, etc.

We have some great tool and gift ideas for the holiday season. We stock the Fein Multimaster tool and sell is for $393.75 - for comparison sake Sears sells this same tool for $399.99. For more information on the Multimaster tool go to http://www.fein.de/fein-multimaster/us/en/main/
Do yourself a favor and don't settle for the low priced knockoffs out there or you'll be in the same boat as two customers from last month who bought the knockoff brand only to come back and buy the Fein brand. Our Makita inventory is well stocked with Routers, Drills, table saws, circular saws and planers. Its not uncommon to surprise your significant others with houseware items like new kitchen knobs and pulls, countertops, crown moulding, or a new front door. This can all be done by Christmas if ordered in time.

Our social media efforts have increased over the past 6 months. Its a great way for us to keep our followers and customers posted on important information from Niece Lumber. You can follow us on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook or just visit our website www.niecelumber.com and follow our blog which is updated every Friday morning.

Unfortunately, Niece Lumber will be closed Dec. 26th and January 2nd.

Happy Thanksgiving! Get a $25 Dunkin Donuts card!

Niece Lumber would like to take this oppurtunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. This is the time of the year where family and friends gather and reflect on everything they are thankful for. At Niece Lumber we are thankful to our many customers, both contractors and homeowners and our great employees; they are truly the best in the business.

In our effort to increase our following throughout the social media channels, Niece Lumber will be asking for your help in establishing our Facebook Fan page :

http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Lambertville-NJ/Niece-Lumber/92151234185?ref=ts

Your part is simple, suggest our Fan page to all of your friends in the Tri-State area. For every 50 new fans we get, we'll give out a $25 Dunkin Donuts gift card to randomly selected followers. If we get 200 new fans, then four of you will recieve the gift card. There are 96 fans as of now, lets make it 500 by the start of 2010 and we'll give out eight Dunkin Donut gift cards!

Our December promos will be in effect on Tuesday December 1st. Any questions regarding the promotions should be directed to mcurrie@niecelumber.com

• Get 40% off of the list price on American Jewel series 1500 doublehung vinyl windows, when ordering 10 or more with Low E glass. Add that to the 30% tax credit that these windows will make you eligable for and thats savings at 70%!!!
• Buy 12' Timbertech Twin Finish grey decking at $26.40 - thats $2.20 per lineal foot!
• Buy 12, 16, or 20 Timbertech Earthwood Walnut plank at $3.25 per lineal foot!

Again, have a great holiday and we hope to see you in the store soon!

Quick remodeling moves before Turkey day!

This list is endless, but I'll be highlighting a few simple remodeling projects that you can take on and have completed before Thanksgiving:

• Replace your interior doors without removing the casing. Four elements need to be addressed to do this.

1. Measure the width and height of your existing door slab
2. Measure the locations of the hinges, measure from the top of the door to the top of each hinge location. Interior doors will either have two or three. They will either be radius or square hinges.
3. Document the handing of the door. Pull the door toward your body...is the knob on the left or the right?
4. Did you know that you can get hollow core and solid core interior doors? Did you know that no matter the design these "masonite" type doors are the same price. So don't think you are limited to a six panel door, a very trendy option now is the two panel square top and two panel arch top door. Solid doors are usually twice the cost of hollow doors but they have a nice heavy feel to them and are desirable in bedroom and bathroom applications. Check out http://www.jeld-wen.com/interiordoors/molded/jeld-en/product.cfm/product_id/106 or http://www.masonite.com/productpages_InteriorDoors.php for more information.

• Remodel your closets

1. Perfect time to add a closet system is now. Your wife is buying more winter clothes, you are swapping out your summer and fall apparel for the winter apparel and your closet needs organization.
2. Go to www.easytrack.com and click on their design tool. Make sure you have your closet measurements handy. Input your measurements into the design tool, print out the computer generated components list then bring it into Niece Lumber. We stock both the Cherry and White finishes of Easy Track and have quick access to the Toffe and Maple.
3. Seriously...Easy Track is that easy. Once you attach the track to the wall, everything else falls right into place.

• Replace your old shutters

1. Your wood shutters may be rotting or your old vinyl shutters may be faded. Your house needs a quick face lift. No need to go up on your ladded just yet. Measure the windows your need shutters for from the inside of your home.
2. Visit http://www.cellwood.com/shutters.html and view their color options, or shoot me an email, mcurrie@niecelumber.com and I'll send you actual color samples.
3. Why Cellwood? They have the best definition and detail of all the vinyl shutter options, they are cost effective (average size pair of louver shutters $42 and $50 for a pair of raised panel shutters). Lead time is generally 2-3 days, most cedar shutter manufacturers run on a four week lead time.

Hopefully this sparked your remodeling fire and gets you out and about and into your local independent lumberyard. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. Please print this out and present it at the time of purchase to take advantage of the following offers:

• Free hinges with purchase on any interior door slab. Choose from Bright Satin Brass, Oil Rubbed Bronze, Satin Nickel and many more.
• 10% off any purchase of Easy Track closet systems.
• Take $50 off any Cellwood Shutter order over $500

Average cellwood prices were base on 47" size. Price varies on size. Standard width is 15". Interior door slabs with pre-mortised hinges locations have an upcharge of $15 per door slab (three hinges). Pricing subject to change without notice.

Offers on Interior Doors, Easy Track and Cellwoods are valid until November 21st. Delivery before Thanksgiving is not guaranteed on orders placed after November 16th.

Routine home maintenence will save you money!

I'm frustrated and I have no one to blame but myself. I have neglected routine maintenance on my hot water heater since we moved into our home four years ago. Because of this negligence I was rewarded with a basement that felt like a steam room. My hot water heater took a turn for the worst early in the week and I hadn't discovered it until last Friday. Needless to say I spent Friday afternoon with the plumber replacing my tank. I then spent Saturday morning tearing up my carpeting in the basement. This is just one example of what could happen should you neglect some very important, yet simple annual checkups and projects throughout your home.

• Lets start with the hot water heater. How can you possibly maintain this on your own? According to Danny Lipford, from www.dannylipford.com there are a few things you can do periodically to increase the life of your hot water heater. Check all pipe connections and valves for leaks, open your pressure relief valve (located at the top of the tank) to ensure hot water comes out of the overflow pipe, and remove a bucket full of water from the faucet at the bottom of the tank (this will remove sediment build up from your tank). What happens if you didn't catch it in time? There are many sites online which can troubleshoot you through a hot water heater problem that I wish I had referenced over the years which can eliminate a call to the plumber. Check out Bob Formisano's Home Repair Blog at www.about.com for a great hot water heater troubleshoot guide.
• Lets now go outside and to the deck. Annual maintenance is a nicest if your deck is made from Pressure Treated, Cedar or Redwood deck boards. Get to the hardware or rental store and rent a power washer for the day. Niece Lumber rents great commercial power washers for the half day ($34) or the full day ($68). Power washers are very effective in getting up the grimy finish from prior years, removing stains from leaves and debris, and gives you a great, clean surface to re-finish. After you power wash, apply a premium exterior finish from Cabots. Check out www.cabots.com for information regarding the best product for your application.
• Clean your gutters! Or hire someone to do it for you. Routine attention to your gutters, especially in the fall will eliminate many headaches. Clogged gutters can ruin your foundations, decks, patios and landscaping. They also can facilitate mold growth on your roof and siding and increase infestation of mosquito's, spiders, bugs and rodents. Always remember to keep your safety in mind when scaling your ladder, if your not equipped to undertake the task, hire someone, routine gutter and downspout maintenance is rather inexpensive.

If you ever have any questions regarding home improvements or remodeling, give us a call. If we can't help you out we will certainly point you in the right direction. Thanks for checking on our blog and take advantage of the following promotions for Saturday October 31st. Happy Halloween!

Please print or mention this blog for the promotions.

10% off all Cabot Stains and Finishes
20% off all Ace Paints and Painting Supplies
20% off all moulding purchases
20% off list price on all Therma Tru doors (1 week lead time w/ many qualifying for the $1500 tax credit)

Thanks to Danny Lipford and Bob Formisano for their great websites and blogs.

Attic Stairs and Phillies baseball

Who in their right mind incorporates Attic Stairs and Phillies baseball into a headline of their blog? We do, because Niece Lumber is serious about both at this time of the year. Although attic stairs may seem like a small ticket item to most vendors, its tends to be a big ticket item for us. Think of how ineffiecient your old wood pull down staircase is? If its like mine, the weatherstripping is deteriorated, the insulation on the door snows onto your floor every time you open it and the stepping is about as unstable as our stock market.

I'm sure you know where I'm going with this:

According to Bob Formisano of the Home Repair Guide, 35 percent of your heat loss is through leakage and infiltration. When you think leakage and infiltration, attic space comes to the top of your mind. Think about the size of the hole that is put into your ceiling to accomadate your attic stair, perhaps as large as 10 square feet. Most attic stair doors from yesteryear had plywood doors, yes plywood doors with an R value of less than 1!

So in honor of the playoff baseball and energy efficiency we are offering up to 25% off all Rainbow Attic Stairs, most with R values of up to 15! Check out www.rainbowatticstair.com for more information. If Rainbow Attic Stairs aren't in your budget, please take a look at www.draftcap.com for a quick fix.

Thanks for taking the time to follow my blog and if you need any information on the above products or anything else remodeling oriented, please don't hesitate to call (609) 397-1200 or email me directly at mcurrie@niecelumber.com

25% off Rainbow Attic Stair promotion is valid through November 31st, 2009.

Customer Appreciation

We defy all rules of where to locate a business;

• On the state line with Pennsylvania; you could hit a golf ball from our parking lot into the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River.
  
• We aren't located on any of major roadway in our area, we are tucked away in a tiny corner of Lambertville, New Jersey (pop. 3741)
  
• Tractor trailers and Mack trucks cycle through our tiny town to deliver material, much to the dismay of residents trying to sleep past 7am.

We understand what our customers go through to get here and shop at Niece Lumber. This is why we have created one of the more unique environments in which to shop for building materials and remodeling products, where else can you go on a Saturday morning and be offered homemade cookies and muffins from our "live" kitchen? Our facility is loaded with experienced help that caters to both contractors and homeowners, its clean and friendly, and its stocked chock full of quality building products. It is what seperates us from Home Depot and Lowe's, its the personal element that we invoke with every customer that walks through our door.

Its an understatement to say that we appreicate our customers and our surrounding communities. As a token of our appreciation, print out this blog posting and stop in on any Saturday (8am to 2 pm) from now through October and take advantage of the following promotions:

• 20% off any purchase of Ace Paints and all other painting supplies
• 20% off any moulding purchase
• 20% off of list price for all special order Therma Tru entry doors (1 week lead time, many eligable for tax credit)

Promotion applies to orders placed on the following days; September 26th, October 3,10,17,24 and 31st. Cannot be applied with any other discount or promotion.

Join an organization!

Teddy Roosevelt said it best, "Every man owes part of his time and money to the business or industry to which he is engaged. No man has a moral right to withhold his support to an organization that is thriving to improve conditions within his sphere."

Organizations, associations and networking groups are thriving in the midst of our current economic downturn and they are waiting for you to stop in as a guest at their next meeting. If education and networking is a vital part of your business model or you plan to incorporate these facets into your revised business model then consider the following:

• Are you a home builder? Try the National Association of Home Builders www.nahb.org, NAHB has taken a very proactive approach in the green movement and their website is about to recieve a major facelift. NAHB also brings us the Internation Builders Show every year, if you have never attended, its a "can't miss" event! This year they are back in the Sin City, Las Vegas.
• Is your M.O. remodeling and renovations? Then check in with the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. Our local chapters are Central Jersey and Bucks/Mont in Pennsylvania. Visit www.nari.org for more information regarding the benefits or joining and other membership questions.
• Have you ever attended a BNI meeting? BNI is the largest business networking organization in the world. With BNI you can find a local meeting group and start sharing ideas, contacts and most importantly business referrels. Niece Lumber just recently attended our first meeting and came away impressed with their structure of the group and the oppurtunities that lie within. Check out www.bni.com for more information.

If you ever have any questions about networking, advertising and marketing please ask me! As part of my role as the Marketing director I can assist all of our customers with the information needed to build your business and brand from a marketing standpoint.

Thanks to the NAHB, NARI and BNI for some of the information above.

Small budget remodeling ideas (part 2)

Start small and remodel one room at a time. What does this remodel usually entail? Three gallons of paint, about 200 feet of moulding, and a couple of interior doors. Now you might say that sounds way too easy, because it is. Follow these simple steps and you'll be on your way:

• Find yourself a carpenter first. Explain to him what your remodeling goals are and the time line in which you figure on completing each goal.
  
• Stop by your local lumberyard to pick up some moulding samples. I would stay away from the box stores. They notoriously reel you in on the $5.00 off a gallon of paint and then hammer the consumer on moulding and millwork. Trust me I've gone and done cost analysis on my spare time. In addition to the cost factor, you'll get better advice, better quality material and broader options. I assume most lumberyards give you free samples, we do it and it has proved very successful for our moulding and millwork sales. While at your local lumberyard stop into their showroom and view their interior door options. If your painting the doors, take a look at their molded door option (sometimes referred to as Masonite doors). Think outside the box. Manufacturers of molded doors do not typically upcharge for their different styles. So don't feel confined to six panel doors when you can buy a 2 panel archtop for the same price.
  
• Once you have made a decision on the trim, give the samples to the contractor so they can pickup the exact profiles. Then tell them of your door choice and ask them to measure the doors and place the order, most door slabs can arrive at our recieving dock the following day.
  
• I would anticipate it should take about two days for the carpenter to install the trim and hang the doors. The painting is then up to you. You will need a gallon of wall paint, usually eggshell, a gallon of ceiling white, and a gallon of semi gloss white for the moulding and doors.
• Use the existing door knobs and hardware if you want. But at this stage it may be the perfect oppurtunity to swap out your old knobs amd hinges. Finishes such as oil rubbed bronze and satin nickel are very popular and are at minimal upcharges from your standard brass or brasstone finishes.

My intent on the blog is to spark your remodeling ideas, offer insight from a suppliers point of view, and have a little fun blogging. If you ever have questions regarding your projects, please email me directly at mcurrie@niecelumber.com or give us a call at 609-397-1200.

Small budget remodeling ideas

Everyone understands that the money is not there for some people to build the home of their dreams or the large addition to accomadate the expanding family. But there are plenty of small budget remodeling ideas that should be looked at while you wait for your portfolio to rebound and the banks to start lending again. Below is the first idea, which will be followed up with more throughout the next two weeks.

Spruce up your front entrance! It starts with some very basic landscaping and ends with a new door or door and sidelight system. A study commissioned by Therma Tru doors and conducted by independent research organization TNS, asked 2400 consumers from across the United Statesto estimate the home prices based on the homes exterior appearence. The study found that an enhanced entryway can add as much as $24,000 to a home's perceived value. The added value was as much as five times the cost of the entry system. The new study also shows that an upgraded entryway can increase the perceived value of a home in the under $200,000 price range by $7,720, or 4.1 percent.

So what were the sample groups looking at when this survey was conducted? Each group looked at images of homes and was asked to estimate how much each one would cost, based on its appearance. One group looked at images of homes with standard 6-panel doors. This group of images was referred to as the "unenhanced" sample. Another group looked at images of the same homes upgraded with Therma-Tru fiberglass entry systems, including decorative glass, sidelites and transoms. This group of images was referred to as the "enhanced" sample. Both groups also viewed "control" homes, which were used to adjust for possible sample differences.
Essentially the homes percieved values jumped almost 7 percent with the new entry door systems.

Bottom line is a new entry system is one of many cost effective ways to ensure one of the best return on investments in the remodeling industry.

For more information on entry doors, please visit www.thermatru.com. For more information regarding the TNS organization, please visit www.tns-global.com

What makes a lumberyard green

Being a green lumberyard is more than just stocking FSC and SFI lumber and materials with huge amounts of recycled content. Being green is the way we operate our day to day business and running our business efficiently every single day of the week makes us more environmentally friendly in the long run.

We have FSC and SFI stamped framing lumber in our yard but we never asked for it and we are not a chain of command FSC facility. If we were a FSC accredited yard we would have to section off an area of our yard and store this material seperately from the rest of our inventory. Doesn't sound very practical from a business standpoint, ecspecially with yards already saddled with space constraints. So why is it that you may be framing your projects with FSC or SFI stamped material? Thats what happens when you deal with the best mills in the business and mills that have always practiced sustainable forestry practices and produce high end, clean, #1 structural lumber.

Training makes you green. If you don't know the first thing about the concept of green building, take some time and research green principles - there is tons of information available to you. As a dealer we were one of the first to take the plunge into the Certified Green Dealer program, sponsored in part by the LBM Journal. This online program trained our staff on the true meaning of green building practices and products. Its worked out very well and establishes our company as a go to source of green information for all of our customers.

Aligning ourselves with wholesalers and manufacturers who share our common interests is critical in the way we operate day to day. Nothing drives me more crazy then those manufacturers who aren't the first ones to take a green or sustainable position. They wait until someone else tries it and succeeds; then they follow suit. Although I totally agree that you should never get away from the foundation your business was built on, it nevers hurts to build additions to your foundation and stay with everything that is cutting edge.

I hope you enjoyed this blog entry. Our intent is to update the blog multiple times a week with pertinent information that is relevent to our customers and followers. Stay tuned and thank you for reading.

Test 1,2,3

No major happenings today in Niece Lumber. I'm just testing our new website to make sure my feed from blogger, twitter and facebook work. Also making a few corrections on content and format at www.niecelumber.com

Have a great weekend and we'll be live on Monday.

Niece Lumber goes cross country!!

Since we've found ourself with a little extra time on our hands to start 2009 off, some very interesting ideas have been bounced around the office. One of our ideas will be taking shape in the summer. Always known for stocking one of the largest selections of pattern white pine and western red cedar, Niece Lumber will now introduce the Niece Lumber Pine Flooring. Niece Lumber will be shipping our Eastern White Pine Flooring Products across the country to every homeowner or contractor who is in the market for quality, great priced, wide plank pine. We refer to our White Pine Flooring as Young Pumpkin Pine. Most of the larger, national outfits are charging a little too much for our liking. How would you like a Premium Pine graded board, tongue and grooved, relief cuts on the back and up to 12" wide for 25% less than the other national competitors?

What is Premium Pine? Its a good appearence knotty grade. Rougher natural appearence than the Finish grade. Exhibits sound, tight knots which are limited to small red or black knots (max. knot size is 3 3/4" on a 12" wide board).

Available in nominal 6", 8", 10" and 12" and in lenghts of 8', 10', 12', 14' and 16'.

Typical shipping time is approximately 3-4 weeks. Common carrier freight is the method of transportation and cost of freight varies by size of order and market conditions.

Please inquire at (800) 932-0779 for more information on Wide Plank Eastern White Pine Flooring from Niece Lumber.

New windows = money back into your pockets

Thinking about doing some remodeling in 2009? If so, I'm sure window replacement may be part of your project.

You can thank the United States government for potentially making your replacement windows cost less. The recently passed Economic Stimulus package (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) includes federal tax credits that encourage homeowners to make energy efficient improvements to their homes.

Niece Lumber sales staff have become very knowledgable since the passing of this bill and can assist you in purchasing windows that may be eligable for the tax credit.

So how much can you save? How about 30% of the cost of your windows and doors, maximum credit is $1500.

Here is an example. Mr. and Mrs. Smith from New Hope just replaced their old doublehung windows in all the bedrooms of their homes. They purchased Eight new Marvin Replacement Casement windows, costing $600 per window...total purchase amount is $4800. Before installation they gather the NFRC labels off the windows and file them with their sales receipt. When they meet with their tax professional in 2010 they will submit their reciept and NFRC labels and get a tax credit of $1440.

Windows must meet or be below a 0.30 U-Value and a 0.30 Solar Heat Gain Co-Efficient. Not all windows in the project have to meet the criteria.

Please stop by our showroom and talk to a window and door professional today.