Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Guest Blogger





York Enterprises welcomes a guest blogger, our very own lead Remodeler, Ryan Bittenbender. Ryan has recently started his own blog, http://www.connectingrelevance.blogspot.com/. For our blog, Ryan wrote about his recently completed addition project.


Historical Space


Taking an extra small kitchen nook and transforming it into an open eat in kitchen area with a desk workspace was no easy task. We removed approximately 24 square feet of living space. On the outside the deck and patio were reconfigured. This beautiful old home in the North End has lots of character with craftsman style moldings inside and outside, and 1" x 4" bevel cedar siding. Architect Joel Parker worked with Duke York to design the addition with the rest of the house in mind and to preserve the historical look and feel of the original house. Marvin Windows' double hung wood windows were installed to match the old single pane windows in the rest of the house. The new windows also added to the home's overall efficiency. A new tile floor, with electric floor heat, was installed throughout the kitchen and new addition. Outside a new cedar deck with wrap around stairs takes you down to the new patio and backyard. After removing a tree and expanding the patio north there is plenty of space to enjoy the sun when it does come out. The added benefits of this addition are a full basement underneath the addition (future wine room), a new concrete walkway to the street and the power and cable lines moved underground. Looking at the space, inside and outside, the homeowners have gained areas designed specifically for their lifestyle, preserving the history of the building and adding modern conveniences.


Friday, February 18, 2011

Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission


Our very own Duke York has become a Commissioner for the Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission. Congratulations! The Landmarks Commission reviews and approves changes to registered landmarks and buildings that are located in historic districts. The commission also reviews nominations and advises the city council regarding additions to the register of landmarks. There are currently 11 members on the commission. Five districts make up the historical areas of Tacoma. Two more areas are in the process of application, the west slope district and the wedge neighborhood district. The commission has a very informative web site. http://www.tacomaculture.com/.


We are currently working on the Olof Carlson home in the Old Tacoma Historic District. You can follow our project at http://www.theadditionproject.blogspot.com/


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Energy Efficientcy Tax Credit for 2011




If you missed your chance at a window or door tax credit you have a second chance! On December 17, 2010 the Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 was signed into law. The act extends some of the energy efficient tax credits for qualifying windows, skylights and exterior doors. The tax credit is $200.00 for windows and skylights. $500.00 for exterior doors. The maxium credit for all taxable years is $500.00. The credit is 10% of the purchase price up to the maxium credit allowed. The updated tax information will be available at http://www.energystar.gov/ and at http://www.irs.gov/ soon.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Northwest Harvest Food Drive

Duke and Dorothea delivered our food and money donations to the King 5 Home Team Harvest drive. Thank you to all of our customers, suppliers, subcontractors and employees for their generous donations. We donatated a total of $600.00 and 33 boxes of food! The York office will be a year round donation station for Northwest Harvest. Keep us in mind if you find a great sale on non perishable food items.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Northwest Harvest Food Drive Tomorrow!


The York Crew collected 33 boxes of food and over $600 in cash donations for Northwest Harvest. Thank you to all of our customers, crew, suppliers, subcontractors and the families of Commencement Bay Academy. Watch for Duke on King 5 tomorrow around 9 am for a live shot from the Tacoma Mall drop off for Home Team Harvest. We look forward to filling two trucks next year.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Help us "fill the truck" with food donations for Northwest Harvest, this Saturday.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Recyle Your CFL Bulbs


Puget Sound Energy is running a CFL Bulb Drive. Any local business with twenty or more employees can host a free PSE CFL bulb collection box. Employees, neighbors and customers can bring in spent CFL bulbs to be recycled. PSE's goal is to keep 50,000 CFL bulbs out of landfills this year. You can sign up on their website or give them a call. 1-888-225-5773 or www.PSE.com/bulbdrive
CFL bulbs contain mercury. They should always be recycled or disposed of at a household hazardous waste facility. Bartell Drugs, Lowes, Home Depot and Ikea offer CFL recycle services.
If you hapen to break a CFL bulb you will need to follow specific steps to clean it up safely. Start by airing out the room for 15 minutes and turning off your central heating system. Do not walk through the debris. Carefully pick up the large broken pieces and place them in a glass jar. Use packing or duct tape to pick up the smaller pieces. Place the tape in the jar with the larger pieces and seal the jar with a metal lid. If you absolutely need to vacuum, throw away the vacuum bag, sealed in a plastic bag, when you are done. Wash your hands thoroughly. Dispose of the debris at the local household hazardous waste facility.