Happy Holidays from A&E!

We want to wish all of our clients a happy and healthy holiday this year! We are grateful for our past clients and new 2012 clients that we have had the opportunity to work with. See you in 2013!

A&E Construction

Powering Your Home with an Emergency Backup System

Emergency Generator with Transfer Switch

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by Hurricane Sandy. We hope that you and your family are safe and doing well in this time of recovery. With the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, A&E has seen a lot of damaged homes in the area and we thought it would be helpful to bring to your attention ways in which you can prepare your home from power outages and flooding.   

Because of the high demand for generators after Hurricane Sandy, we recommend buying a generator as soon as possible. An emergency backup system with a transfer switch outlet will allow you to power your primary circuits such as heat, sump pump, well pump, refrigerator, lighting, or the T.V.  

Transfer Switch System

Installing an emergency backup system with a transfer switch is safer and more convenient than running multiple extension cords around your home. Unlike with extension cords, a transfer switch system can run devices that are not connected to a cord such as heaters and well pumps. 

When your power returns, other appliances or lights that are not run through the emergency generator will turn on; thus alerting you to flip the transfer switch back to the normal position.

Transfer Switch

Transfer switches have the capacity for either 6 circuits or 10 circuits. You will also need a good portable generator that produces about 7500 watts/30 amps in order to run up to 10 circuits.

A good portable generator will cost anywhere from $800 to $1500 and can be purchased online and delivered directly to your home. A&E has already purchased some materials for installing emergency backup systems so if you need advice on selecting a generator or you would like to install a system, please contact us.

If your home is prone to drainage and flooding issues or if you are worried about flooding during future storms, a sump pump system can be an effective way to combat water problems.  With an emergency backup system, you can run your sump pump system even when you lose power. For an in-depth overview of sump pump systems, read our previous blog post on preventing flooding.  

Don't hesitate to contact A&E for information on purchasing a portable generator or if you have any questions on installing an emergency backup system or sump pump system in your home.

 

Hillsborough Modular Job Part 2

A&E Construction is currently working on a new Modular home project in Hillsborough, NJ! Below, the pictures display the modular sections being set as well as totally dried in after the roof was (believe it or not) folded into place. The home’s sill plate was then strapped to the foundation to allow for the soil to be back filled around the Superior wall foundation. Building a modular home and utilizing the Superior wall system is really an efficient and green way to build a home in this day and age. Our next tasks are to pour the garage slab, stick frame (frame in place) the garage, and construct a three sided wraparound porch. These built in place features will greatly improve the home's street appeal and make it virtually unidentifiable as modular construction. When completed, it most definitely will have a warm & welcoming appearance while being very cost & time effective due to its core being of modular construction. Keep updated with the A&E Construction blog for the next steps of this project! If you missed the first post, click here!

Hillsborough Construction

Hillsborough Home Renovation

NEW! Hillsborough Modular Job

The A&E crew has been hard at work these past few months working on various projects. One of the latest is our Hillsborough Modular Job. The first step of this project was to get the foundation into place. These days there are more than one way to install a foundation. Superior pre cast foundation walls are an excellent choice for larger projects where space allows for crane placement of pre cast panels. Superior foundation walls are cost effective, and can be erected in as little as one day. Another important advantage to superior walls is that they come waterproofed, insulated, and prepped to make a finished basement a breeze. After placement, sill plates were bolted at the foundation walls to prepare it for the modular set. Keep updated with the blog posts from A&E Construction to follow this project through to completion. Next week, the modular components will be set.

Superior foundation basement wall being lowered into position.

    

Preparation for superior wall connection and placement.

Entire superior basement foundation wall system set in less than 8 hours.

Modular home sill plate installation.

Interior footing platforms installed in stone base.

 

Basement floor slab being poured.

*Note: plastic behind chute to prevent concrete splash on insulated wall.

Bull float being used to establish preliminary basement floor finish.

Last section of concrete floor being poured in new stairwell to garage.

Screen Porch & Kitchen Renovation Part 3

A&E Construction's Screen Porch and Kitchen Renovation is making fast progress! At the front of the house, the outside of the laundry extension is currently being prepared for the installation of new Cedar Lap and shake siding. At the back of the house, blue stone is being wet laid on top of the finished slab, and workers are in the process of installing the new fiberglass roof system. Within the house you can see that after removing the wall and placing the beam, the kitchen is a much more open and roomier space. Lastly, the installation of the kitchen cabinets has begun. Stay tuned to the A&E Construction blog posts to read more about this project and others like it that are in the pipeline. 

Laundry extension being prepped for siding.

Blue stone being wet laid on top of the slab.

Back porch structure & new fiberglass roofing being applied.

One of A&E's best hard at work.

Removing the wall really does add more space!

Beginning stages of installing the new cabinetry.

 Pete in the process of floating out an uneven ceiling.

If you missed the last blog post, no worries! click here

If you had no idea this project was in 

the works and would like to see the beginning stages, then click here!

Backyard Screen Porch Addition & Kitchen Renovation Part 2

A&E Construction has been efficiently working on this Pennington home renovation! Since the last post, the excavated soil has been reused for backfill, the pre-existing shrubbery saved for replantation, and any unneeded material removed to keep the site clean and safe. The concrete slab foundation has been poured and set in order to support the new porch. Afterward, the rough framing structure was put into place. Lastly, an interior wall has been removed and replaced with a beam and new metal flitch plate (last picture below) to open up the kitchen area. Keep up with the A&E Construction blog to continue this renovation process with us! If you missed the first post, click here.

Concrete slab with rough framing structure.

Employees hard at work renovating 

the kitchen area

One of A&E's best working on the beam.

The newly installed beam with metal flitch plate 

where the old kitchen wall used to be.

Don't forget to check out the first post by clicking here if you missed it!

Garage Addition Completed!

After many posts of the garage addition process, the project is finally complete! In the images below, you can see the finished driveway and the new garage doors, lighting fixtures, and siding. The inside has gotten it's final touches and is now large enough to hold the client's tools, yard supplies, work table, and even his car while still having plenty of space. At the end of the post, a video is displayed showing the entire garage addition process from start to finish. Check it all out below!

Pennington Garage Addition

Keep updated with the blog for A&E Construction to see more addition and renovation projects like this one!

New Job Underway!

Everyone has been busy and working hard here at A&E Construction! Just recently, we began a new renovation project right here in Pennington, NJ. The project includes a new screened porch, refurbished kitchen, and an updated mudroom. The images below show the house before and during the beginning stages of the porch installation. 

The House before any porch additions began.

The first stage was to relocate (not get rid of) the plants 

and shrubbery that were in the way of where the deck is to be built.

In the process of finishing up trench footing.

Stone for slab sub base delivered prior 

to footing excavation for ease of unloading.

Jim and son Greg in the process of 

pouring the trench footing.

Block foundation wall laid and area prepped 

for porch slab with plastic and wire reinforcement.

Keep following the blog posts for A&E Construction in order to keep up to date with this new project, and the steps taken in order to complete it with efficiency and quality.