Builders are finding that their survival in the weak new-home market depends upon creativity.

Builders increasingly are branching out into interior renovations, especially as firms consolidate numerous locations into a single building.

High-end custom builders are serving homeowners who have decided to stay put, erecting trellises, arbors, potting sheds, and other structures for them.

Additionally, some builders now serve as consultants, helping real estate agents identify and fix structural defects that impede home sales.

Source: Wilmington, N.C., Morning Star, Wayne Faulkner (09/19/10).

The Titus Woman Ministry is a 501 (c)3 faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to serve the community through the holistic development of women in need.

One of our primary goals is to construct and operate a homeless shelter for women and their children in the Waller area, with the intent of equipping the women to enter (or re-enter) mainstream society and become self-sustaining and providers for their children. This proposed shelter will be constructed in Waller County, Texas and will house families from all the surrounding communities.

We have opened a resale shop, name Grace & Mercy, on March 1, 2008. Funds obtained from sales of merchandise at the Grace & Mercy resale shop will help fund this project, we are asking for the support of your church and the community to make the vision a reality. Come out and buy our resale merchandise.

Any donations to this worthy cause will be appreciated.

The shop is called Grace & Mercy for it was God’s grace that gave us the vision and His mercy will allow us to carry it through. Can we count on you?

The resale shop wiill carry furniture, clothing (for the family), household goods, and much, much more. It is located at 71 Scroggins Lane Waller, Texas (off FM 1488 In the Held Store Mini Warehouses). The grand opening was March 1, 2008.

For further information and/or donations, contact Rosemary Butler @ 936-931-1726; 281-682-4177 or Carol O’Brien @) 281-302-S333 or Fern Poyser at 936.931.3344. Pass the word and support this God given vision. We thank you in advance for what you will do.

The Titus Woman Ministry is preparing to take Waller County for Jesus!

We have secured retail space in the Fieldstore area of northern Waller county to open the Grace & Mercy resale shop.  This will enable us to be open more often in an effort to generate the funds necessary to work towards the shelter for women and children in Waller county.

We praise God for this small stride and look forward to many, many more fruitful days and bountiful blessings as we reach out to the community.

A recently enacted law (HB 1530, 80th Legislature, Regular Session) requires any person applying for or renewing a broker or salesperson license on or after January 1, 2008 to provide their fingerprints, in a specified format, in order to enable an FBI criminal history check to be performed. These new fingerprint requirements apply only to brokers and salespersons. They do not apply to other TREC licensees, such as home inspectors. Once fingerprints are on file with DPS for a TREC license, a licensee will not need to be fingerprinted for subsequent renewals.

This new fingerprinting requirement for Texas realtors is very welcome.  This is good news for the real estate community.  It will give homeowners and property owners a greater sense of security knowing that the people responsible for selling or showing their homes are not wanted for any crimes.  Also, should any criminal activity occur within or on a property owner’s property, the law enforcement agencies can quickly and easily identify the perpetrator(s) through this new fingerprinting requirement.

The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) conducts background checks on ALL licensees.  This new fingerprinting requirement will NOT affect current licensees’ licensing status UNLESS that person has committed a new crime and is convicted of a felony offense within the state of Texas. 

If a licensee has committed new crimes and has new felony convictions which were not reported to TREC since he or she last applied for a real estate license, the new convictions resulting from a background check may or may not hinder the issuance of a real estate license.  TREC will decide if the licensee’s license should be renewed after conducting their own independent investigation of the circumstances surrounding the new felony conviction.

Under no circumstances will TREC suspend or revoke a licensee’s license unless (1) they falsify or try to hide any new felony convictions (2) they willingly lie about having new felony convictions (3) they refuse to submit to fingerprinting and background checks and (4) they fail to pay their renewal fees or honor any delinquent debts owed to TREC.

While homebuilders all over the country are searching for ways to beat the odds in a depressed housing market, one small New York builder is doing it one house at a time.

Former commercial builder Charles Petersheim left Manhattan right after 9/11 for Sullivan County, a remote stretch of the Catskill Mountains.

The first job he landed there was fixing up the barns. It was then that he got the idea to create homes that echo the past using a well thought-out combination of salvaged and new materials. The result? The Catskill Farms — brand new 100 year old farm houses. While capturing the charm, beauty and character of the early 1900′s, all the hassles and maintenance related to an old house are eliminated.

These vintage style homes boasting reclaimed barn beams, old mantels and banisters, clapboard siding, wide-plank floors, cast iron radiators and clawfoot tubs are built from the ground up – but are also appointed with all the modern conveniences, such as whole-house audio and automated security systems — giving the term “shabby chic” new meaning.

His buyers? Urbanite New Yorkers cramming themselves into small rental spaces during the week have been buying one of Petersheim’s homespun creations for weekend retreats — a welcome alternative to taking on the types of projects featured in TV programs like “This Old House.”

Just goes to show you that they CAN build them like they used to — only better.

FERN POYSER HAS JOINED THE TITUS WOMAN MINISTRY LAUNCHED BY ROSEMARY BUTLER IN WALLER, TX.

Titus Woman Ministry has opened a resale shop on March 1 in Waller, Texas.

WALLER – The Titus Woman Ministry is a 501 (c)3 faith-based nonprofit organization dedicated to serve the community through the holistic development of women in need.

One of our primary goals is to construct and operate a homeless shelter for women and their children, with the intent of equipping the women to enter (or re-enter) mainstream society and become self-sustaining and providers for their children. This proposed shelter will be constructed in Waller County, Texas and will house families from all the surrounding communities.

We will open a resale shop, named Grace and Mercy, March 1,2008. To help fund this project, we are asking for the support of your church and the community to make the vision a reality. Come out and buy our resale merchandise.

Any donations to this worthy cause will be appreciated.

The shop is called Grace and Mercy for it was God’s grace that gave us the vision and His mercy will allow us to carry it through. Can we count on you?

The resale shop wiill carry furniture, clothing (for the family), household goods, and much, much more. It is located at 71 Scroggins Lane Waller, Texas (off FM 1488 In the Field Store Mini Warehouses). The grand opening was March 1, 2008.

Thereafter, the resale shop will be open the first Saturday of each month with the same operating hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m..

For further information and/or donations, contact Rosemary Butler @ 936-931-1726; 281-682-4177 or Carol O’Brien @) 281-302-5333; 713-294-1476 Fern Poyser @ 936-931-3344. Pass the word and support this God given vision. We thank you in advance for what you will do.

You know August is approaching when temperatures are heating up and air conditioners seem to be constantly humming. Staying cool is on everyone’s mind.

But many home owners are equally concerned about how they can cut down on their energy consumption and reduce their monthly cooling bills.

The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has a few suggestions:

• Clean or replace air filters in air-conditioning units to keep cool air moving a reduce electricity consumption.
• Have an air conditioner tune-up performed by a qualified contractor.
• Make sure your attic, which traps a lot of hot air, is adequately insulated.
• Replace old equipment. A new high-efficiency unit not only pares down utility bills; it can help you qualify for a federal income tax credit. But before you buy something new, do your research. “Often people are so desperate to replace their equipment that they don’t take the time to research the investment, locking themselves into high cooling bills and less comfort,” said ACEEE researcher Katie Ackerly.

For more information log on to www.energytaxincentives.org/consumers.

Should your well need disinfection a well contractor can provide this service. You can disinfect your own water supply using ordinary chlorine bleach. For the average home well, one to two gallons of bleach will be adequate. Be sure to use regular bleach, not “lemon scented” or other modified bleach products.

Guidelines:

Your well must be in good condition to prevent contamination. Check the well cap and upper well casing to be certain of tight construction. Replace any damaged parts. Remove the well cap.

Mix a gallon of bleach in a bucket with three gallons of water. Water drawn from the contaminated well is satisfactory. Pour the solution directly into the well. Run a garden hose into the well and recirculate the water until you smell bleach in the water coming out of the hose. Hose down the inside wall of the well casing. Remove the hose from the well. Replace the well cap. Check to see that the well cap has a good fit.

Turn on each water faucet successively throughout the distribution system. Let the water run until you smell bleach. Turn all faucets off.

After two hours, run each faucet for ten seconds and close it again. Then, allow the solution to stand overnight. The water should not be used except for flushing toilets.

On the following morning:

If you have a septic system, connect a garden hose to an outside water faucet and run the water into a road ditch until the bleach odor disappears. Then run each tap inside the house to rid the system of lingering chlorine. 

If you have public sewers, run each tap until the bleach odor disappears.

Use the water for two days, and then re-test your water. Do not test your water as long as the odor of the bleach remains. Water may be made safe for drinking by putting ten drops of bleach in each gallon of water used. Otherwise, boil all drinking water, or use bottled water until you receive a satisfactory laboratory report.

The majority of private sewage disposal systems consist of a septic tank and a septic field. The septic tank removes solids from household wastewater. After the wastewater exits the tank it flows under the ground through a series of pipes to the gravel filled trenches of the septic field. Proper maintenance of a septic tank is important to the proper functioning of the septic field.

Baffles slow the flow of sewage as it passes through the tank. Heavier solids accumulate on the bottom while lighter solids rise to the surface. As the tank fills up with solid material, the wastewater passes through more quickly and solids have less time to settle. A tank full of solids will result in some solids exiting the tank along with the wastewater. Blockages can then occur in the pipes of the septic field and could cause sewage to surface on the ground. To prevent pipe blockages, a septic tank should be pumped out every 2 or 3 years. The condition of the septic tank baffles should be checked at the time of pumping.

An additional concern with septic fields is the build up of biomat in the soil. Biomat consists of microorganisms and their waste products. It forms where the septic trench gravel and soil contact each other. A small amount of biomat is normal; however, if the wastewater contains solids, then the organisms in the biomat will feed on the increased amount of nutrients and the layer will thicken. As the biomat thickens, the flow of water out of the trench is slowed. The trench will fill and eventually the wastewater will surface to the ground. To protect your field against excessive biomat formation, pump the tank every 2 to 3 years.

Hydrojetting may remove pipe blockages, but a septic field repair or replacement is needed to correct a biomat problem. Hydrojetting will not remove a biomat build up. The following information can help prevent these problems.

Do not add excess water to your septic system. Water from sinks, toilets, baths, and laundry machines need to go to the septic system. Water from footing sumps, water softener discharges, furnace humidifiers and air conditioners should not drain into the septic system. Repair dripping faucets and running toilets. Attempt to limit laundry loads to 2 or less a day. Use water wisely.

Do not put unnecessary solids into the septic field. Diapers, sanitary napkins, condoms, cigarettes, paper towels, newspapers, and facial tissues do not decompose well and could fill the tank and clog the field pipes. If a garbage disposal is used, the tank will need more frequent cleaning. Improve drainage around your septic field area. Discharge sump pumps or downspouts away from this area. Do not install a sprinkling system in the field area. Excess surface water sitting over the field area will encourage the growth of biomat.

Avoid damaging the field area. Vehicle or construction traffic due to building projects or landscaping can damage the field. Placing a swimming pool or shed over the field can damage the field as well.