Happy Fall & Welcome Back Tollgaters!

 

Hello Everyone and Happy Fall! We're wishing all of the local school students a happy and healthy start to the new school year.  We also want to congratulate Tim Hansen, a local Boy Scout and Hopewell resident who participated in the Urban Promise Project and worked with his Boy Scout troop to update a children's liturgy room at the local Pennington Unitarian Church.   

  

Tim and the Boy Scouts repainted the walls, installed new flooring, and installed a new door to close off and secure a corridor.  A&E and Aromaz Mercer Carpet provided supplies and assistance to the troop.  

 

Tollgate Alligator Monument

As the leaves begin to change colors and kids are getting back into the swing of things with school, we at A&E Construction are looking forward to the change of the seasons. This year, Tollgaters will have a new addition to their school with the Tollgate alligator mascot sitting atop the school's rock monument!

 

Keep up with A&E's spotlights on the community by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter!

Save Money This Spring With Home Energy Improvements!

If you are looking to cut your energy bills or just to improve the comfort of your home year round, take a look at New Jersey’s Clean Energy Program! This spring, NJ homeowners can save money and improve their home’s energy usage and comfort with the incentives from the program’s Home Performance with Energy Star (HPeWS) promotion.

Homeowners can obtain rebates as well as loans to perform energy improvements on their home such as air sealing, insulation, hot water heaters, furnaces, and air conditioners. 

Basement before insulation

After insulation

The first step to obtaining these incentives is to get an energy audit from A&E Construction, a certified contractor.

With over 25 years of experience in building and construction, A&E has performed numerous home energy improvements in the local Princeton area, including Hamilton, Ewing, Lawrenceville, Pennington, and Hopewell. Our team of experts can guide you through the process of making energy improvements as well as utilizing all financial incentives available through HPeWS.

The Energy Audit is a series of tests to assess the health and efficiency of your home. During the audit A&E’s auditor will also test the efficiency and performance of your appliances.

After the audit, we will provide a comprehensive and detailed report of your home's energy losses or problems outlining recommended measures as well as how to qualify for the financial incentives of the HPeWS program.

A strong advantage of selecting A&E to perform your energy improvements is that we bring excellent knowledge of your home’s construction and systems, thus being able to better analyze where energy is lost and how to make the most out of the improvement. 

In addition to being in our 4^th year participating in the HPeWS program, A&E Construction is a Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified contractor with a qualified team. Our BPI certified energy professionals are trained and certified in building analyst, envelope, heating, air conditioning & heat pump, and whole house air leakage.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an energy audit, contact us today. 

Attic Before

Preparing to blow in cellulose insulation

After cellulose insulation is blown in

Old air conditioner

New energy efficient American Standard air conditioner

Houzz

If you are not already on Houzz you should be! Houzz is the largest residential design database in the world. It is said to be the Pinterest of home design. It allows people to get the design inspiration, project advice, product information and professional reviews they need to help jump start their home improvement projects. Signing up for Houzz is free and easy. Once you have joined you can search thousands of home photos and save the ones you like to your online idea books. You can even add notes to the pictures as well as share and collaborate with others on the site.

This website allows you to see lots of professional’s work whether they are designers, landscapers or contractors. You can message the professional with any questions you may have about their work and you can read reviews on the professionals. There are also discussions about design dilemmas you can participate in or start your own. Everyone on the site is passionate about helping others.

A&E Construction has joined Houzz and uploaded some of our own work. Take a look at our page, who knows you might even get some ideas for your own home!

Our Houzz Profile

Hillsborough Modular Job completed!

After many posts on the Modular home process all the work is completed. You will see in the images below the wraparound porch and two car garage add to the curb appeal of this beautiful home. Check out the finished job below!

Hillsborough Modular Job Update!

Here are some updates on the Modular home project we are working on in Hillsborough, NJ. Back in late September early October we added a two car garage onto the Modular home structure.  A&E Construction also added on a wraparound porch to the home. This will add a beautiful outdoor living space to this home.  The homeowners will get to enjoy many relaxing days out on their porch once all this snow melts!  Keep updated with the A&E Construction blog for the next steps of this project! If you missed the previous post, click here!

New Energy Tax Credits available for 2013

Home Energy Efficiency Tax Credit                   Photo Credit: Google Images

If you have been thinking about making energy improvements on your home, now is the time to get started! By making a qualifying home energy improvement in 2013, you will be eligible for an energy tax credit of up to $500. In addition to the new 2013 tax credit, energy improvements can help reduce your energy bills and increase the comfort and efficiency of your home.

Air Movement in House

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was just passed by Congress earlier this month.

This Act provides extensions of energy tax credits under IRS code section 25C that previously expired at the end of 2011. 
 

The new retroactive tax credit makes qualifying energy improvements completed in 2012 eligible and extends the tax credit for new work completed through 2013!

The maximum tax credit for all qualified home energy improvements under this legislation is $500.  If you have claimed $500 or more in home energy tax credits in any previous tax year, you are not eligible for this tax credit.  

Here is an overview of eligible home energy improvements and their associated tax credit allowance:

 

·         Insulation for walls, attic or basement: 10% of material costs only up to $150 maximum
                                                           

·         Front Door: 10% of material costs only up to $150 maximum 
 

·         Energy Star Replacement Windows: 10% of material costs only up to $200 maximum
 

·         95% Efficient Furnace (natural gas or propane): $150
 

·         95% Efficient Boiler (oil, natural gas or propane): $150
 

·         Qualifying Air Conditioner and Electric Heat Pump: $300
 

·         Electric Heat Pump Water Heater (2.0 energy factor): $300
 

·         Natural gas, propane or oil water heater with .82 energy factor: $300
 

Click here for additional details. The first step to making an energy improvement on your home is getting an energy audit. Schedule an energy audit with A&E Construction's BPI certified energy professionals and learn about the potential cost savings you can earn on your improvement. 

A&E Construction Extends Home Restoration Services to Ocean County NJ

Pennington Home Renovation

After Hurricane Sandy, many people in the local area suffered extensive home damage from trees, wind, and flooding. A&E Construction worked tirelessly to help homeowners and businesses in the Pennington area, while also volunteering to help set up and deliver gas generators to shore-line damaged areas. 

A&E Construction Addition

We want to officially extend our services to those in need of a builder for renovations for Ocean County homes or businesses.

If you have a residence or business that was damaged by Hurricane Sandy or if you know a friend or family member that is in need of a home restoration contractor, please contact A&E Construction to discuss your remodeling needs and see if our company would be a good fit for your project.

A&E Construction provides a wide range of home renovation services in Mercer and Ocean County including storm, flood, and fire damage. We are a whole-house, one-stop rebuilding company that specializes in large scale renovations and projects. 

Princeton Emergency Generator System

We offer design/build services for projects such as home additions as well as kitchen, bath, basement and other renovations. We work to provide customized solutions to fit your needs.

In addition to being your one stop shop for large renovations, A&E performs water remediation, and installs sump pumps and portable generator backup systems. we rebuild homes with an eye towards remedying past problems as well as preventing against future weather and storm damage. 

To read more about our emergency backup systems, read our blog post here. 

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

Princeton Kitchen Remodel From Start to Finish

Just last week, A&E Construction finished a major kitchen remodel in Princeton, NJ.  The homeowners wanted a clean, modern look with new high-end appliances.

A major concern of the homeowners was creating more space in the kitchen without having to perform an addition. A&E met the homeowner's needs with a fresh, modern design that increased space and movement in the kitchen.

In order to make the most use of the area, A&E re-worked the existing space with a new floor plan that placed the stove-top and appliances in a different area while expanding the floor plan to create more cabinetry and counter top space.

Adding a large Pella architect series window brought more natural light in the room and complimented the sink and faucet area.

A&E installed new Starmark cherry wood cabinetry with a burgundy finish. The dark cabinetry provided a unique contrast with the original, lighter tile that remained in the kitchen. We also installed Crema Bordeaux countertops that further complimented the contrast between the cabinets and the tile.

Balancing the design of the cabinetry and the countertops, A&E installed a silky Ivory Cream Tumbled Limestone back splash. We created a nice custom finish to the stove area by installing an inset tiled niche back splash above the stove-top.

In addition to counter tops and cabinetry, A&E worked with the homeowners in choosing high end appliances including the elegant and functional BlueStar hood & range and a Miele Dishwasher. The Miele dishwasher features a panel on the front of it which gives it the look of completely blending in with the Burgundy finished cabinetry.

Finally, A&E added a custom touch to this kitchen that any wine lover would appreciate. We created a floor to ceiling wine built-in enclosure between the floor to ceiling cabinets that can hold up to 14 bottles!

This Princeton kitchen remodel was completed within a four week time frame thanks to the hard work and dedication of our employees.

Before

Before

Design Rendering

After

After

A&E Construction Out & About in Pennington

We had a wonderful time at Pennington Day this past Saturday and got to meet so many local Pennington and Hopewell residents as well as fellow vendors at the event.

In addition to Pennington Day, we had an eventful couple of weeks as owner Greg Fontaine lent his talents to Pennington's "Busy Town" parade and gave a presentation to graduating 8th graders for Career Day at Timberlane Middle School.

Pennington's "Busy Town" event is based on Richard Scarry's beloved books that introduce children to the people and shops that make up a community.

A&E Owner Greg Fontaine played the part of Mike Mulligan, a steam shovel operator to a tea! 

Organized by Cindy Persichilli, Pennington Library's Children Program Coordinator, this event was a huge success as local merchants and community members played the role of bankers, firefighters, restaurant owners, and construction workers, reading from Scarry's book for the Tollgate kindergartners and Pennington Presbyterian Nursery School children.

See pictures from Pennington Day below:

Meet A&E this Saturday at Pennington Day!

Come out and enjoy the beautiful weather and the company of the local community this Saturday, May 19th for Pennington Day!  A&E Construction is proud to be a vendor yet again at this year’s event.

We will have a table for our construction company as well as for our energy projects so be sure to stop by!  Sign up for an energy audit or simply find out more information on how you can make your home more energy efficient. 

We will be giving out several prizes this year, (worth over $800 in value!) as well as offering informational packets and advice on any of your home concerns. We'll also have our sample backup generator system on hand for any questions about how to prevent flooding in your home and we'll have some freebies for anyone who stops by!

Pennington Day runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is held along Main Street in downtown Pennington Boro. Check out some directions if you need help finding it. 

Since its inception in 1980, Pennington Day has engendered community spirit and has aimed to create an open forum for local businesses to communicate with the community at large.  We encourage you to come out to Pennington Day and get to know the small business owners and organization leaders who have continued to make Pennington a stronger, thriving community.

Bucks County, PA Pool House Addition Update

Bucks County, PA Pool House Addition

As the summer winds down, A&E Construction is quickly finishing up our most recent Bucks County, PA pool house addition.  This renovation centered around building a pool house addition with a loft on the second floor.

In our last update, we had completed the structural framework and finished the new saltbox roof design.

Since then, we have installed new Cobble Stone, 6" reveal, Cedarmill HardiePlank siding on the exterior of the pool house addition.  

Since the rest of the house is already sided with older aluminum siding, installing the new HardiePlank required detailed crafstmanship as we created a smooth transition from the new siding to the existing siding at the corner intersections. 

We also installed new Anderson 400 series casement, double hung windows and fixed glass window units. These windows are a traditional style that compliment the continuous design of this home while also being very functional.

A&E Remodeling

On the inside, A&E's employees are now in the process of spackling the drywall on the walls and the ceiling in the first floor addition and the 2nd floor loft.  We have constructed an oak staircase leading up the loft that will be furnished with an oak railing and white spindle railing system.

Oak Staircase Design

As we finish spackling the interior in the next few days, we will begin painting the 1st and 2nd floor and installing the tiling.

A&E's design will feature a gathering/kitchen setting on the first floor and game/entertainment room in the upper loft area.

Stay tuned for future updates as we furnish the interior with new cabinetry and counter tops.

Update: A&E Pool House Addition

Everything can change in an instant.  In construction, it's not exactly instantaneous but at A&E Construction, we do pride ourselves on getting things done on time and efficiently.  A&E's pool house addition is proof of that. Today's blog update will focus on all the progress we made in just the past two days on site.

A&E Construction left off last week by finishing the installation of the footer.

Following this, we began work on the structural framework of the house and ended with completing the roofing and the protective Tyvek paneling.

As you can see in the photos, we started laying down the framework of the house as well as building up the surrounding walls.

A&E's employees pose for a picture

After we built up the walls, we focused on the structural framework of the roof (above). A&E's hardworking employees were able to completely finish all of the structural components of the house by the second day.

Check out our first pool house design blog showcasing the initial design plans behind the construction plan to see how far we've come.

Once the structure of the pool house was complete, A&E's team worked on getting all of the preparations for the actual roof installation by covering it with protective weather-proof coating (below).

Structural framework, check.  Roofing beams, check.  Weather sealed, check.  Keep reading this week as we continue work on our Central Jersey pool addition.