Winter 2008 Allen Associates Opens New Office in The Santa Ynez Valley
Come By and Visit John Mathews, Our Regional Rep
 
Our new office in downtown Los Olivos - 2445 Alamo Pintado Avenue, Suite 104 -fulfills a long time dream for our company.
“We have been building in the Santa Ynez Valley for more than 10 years and have wanted to have a physical presence in the Valley,” says company founder Dennis Allen. “We have finally made that dream a reality.”
As a part of this move, Allen Associates has hired John Mathews to be the company’s Regional Representative for the Santa Ynez Valley. John, who has worked in the building profession for over 30 years and the last 10 years for a respected Santa Ynez Valley builder, will be managing the new office. John has supervised both new and remodeled high end construction projects. He is very excited about the opportunity to work with Allen Associates, focus on green building and do it in a cost effective way. Call John at 688-0777 or stop in for a visit.
Join Us For A Green Building Workshop
Thinking about remodeling your home?
Are you building or remodeling your home? Do you still think building green is expensive? Allen Associates is holding four free green building workshops that will help you learn how you can make your home healthier, more energy efficient, longer lasting, and within your budget. To learn more about a workshop in your area…
The dates and locations for upcoming workshops are:
- Santa Ynez Valley: Tuesday, February 7th, 7 - 9 pm at the Los Olivos Grange Hall (2374 Alamo Pintado Avenue)
- Ventura #1: Tuesday, February 12th, 7 – 9 pm in the Elizabeth Topping Room at the E.P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street, Ventura
- Goleta: Thursday, April 17th, 6:30 – 8:30 at the Goleta Library, Goleta
- Ventura #2: Tuesday, April 22nd,7 – 9 pm in the Elizabeth Topping Room at the E.P. Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street, Ventura
Allen Associates’ Employees Are Taking the LEED
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
Dennis Allen, Kara Shuster, Jon Heffner and Bryan Henson have passed the test to become Accredited Professionals through the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program.
We are about to break ground on two Platinum Level LEED projects: the Tipton Meeting House on UCSB’s Sedgwick Reserve in the Santa Ynez Valley and Victoria Mews, a four-unit residential project in downtown Santa Barbara which will be the 1st project certified under the LEED for Homes program in the Santa Barbara area..
We Can Help You Evaluate Your Home’s Energy Efficiency
To Reduce Building Industry Impacts on Global Warming
Our Building Care & Repair (BCR) Division, originally designed to complete smaller repair and maintenance projects for our clients, continues to evolve.
The type of projects that BCR can handle includes window replacements, small kitchen and bathroom remodels, installing new flooring, and replacing old water heaters with an on-demand unit. Under the leadership of Division Manager Randy Corbin, BCR now offers these same services to new customers, not just former Allen clients. In 2007, Randy and his team completed over 100 projects.
In 2008, BCR will be expanding its services to include home performance audits – the first step in making your home more energy efficient. A home performance audit can help you assess how much energy your home uses (or loses) and evaluate what measures you can take to improve its efficiency, lower utility bills, and increase your overall comfort. In addition to having BCR staff attend an Energy Star certified training program to learn how to perform these audits, Allen Associates will be purchasing the state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment required for this evaluation.
For more information read more about our Building Care & Repair Division.
Going Green – In More Ways than One
Green Buildings Do Bring Financial Benefits
Numerous studies are being done on the economic benefits of green building. One study, a survey of green home buyers and homeowners who have undertaken remodeling projects, found that buyers are willing to pay a premium for green homes -11-25% more than for a non-green home. One hundred percent of the green home buyers surveyed by McGraw Hill Construction identified lower utility, maintenance and operating costs as incentives for purchasing a green home. While there are currently no available figures on how much green might increase the resale value of a home, based on evidence in the commercial market, “green homes will have higher resale values going forward.”
To back this premise up, another study, which looked at commercial office buildings, shows that owners and managers of Energy Star rated buildings can expect increased rents up to $2 per square foots, 2% higher occupancy rates and lower energy-related operating costs ($0.54 per sq. ft.) compared to traditional buildings. The study was conducted by Norm Miller, a professor at the University of San Diego, along with Jay Spivey and Andy Florance, research director and CEO respectively with CoStar. They compared 223 Energy Star rated Class A office buildings of at least 200,000 sq. ft. with 2,077 non-Energy Star buildings of the same class and size. (Buildings with the Energy Star Label are among the 25% most efficient of similar buildings nationwide.) By combining higher occupancy rates, greater rents and lower operating costs, building owners see a marketable benefit at the time of sale, as sales prices are 30% higher per sq. ft. than traditional buildings, according to the study.
In the Limelight
Green Buildings Do Bring Financial Benefits
Allen Associates recently received the following awards for its leadership in green building:
The Environmental Excellence Award at the Ventura Chamber of Commerce’s 11th Annual Poinsettia Awards Luncheon on December 11, 2007 – awarded to businesses that exemplify environmental care, concern, initiative and improvement.
The Jane and Robert O. Easton Award for Environmental Achievement – presented to individuals that have demonstrated a passion for the protection and preservation of natural resources through their work - by the Community Environmental Council at their annual fundraising dinner on November 2, 2007. To learn more: visit http://www.communityenvironmentalcouncil.org/Events/FallAwards/
Two Chrysalis Awards – The Stancer Home in Santa Barbara was honored as Best Whole House Remodel $200,000 - $500,000; The Thayer Home in Montecito was honored as Best Whole House Remodel Over $500,000. The projects are judged on design, use of materials, use of space and integration into the existing space. To learn more: visit www.chrysalisawards.com/.
Dennis Allen was one of four national finalists for the Fred Case Remodeling Entrepreneur of the Year Award. The award seeks to reward a remodeler for his or her integrity, innovation, accomplishment, and entrepreneurial spirit. It was founded by its namesake, Fred Case, one of the most well-known names in remodeling. To learn more, visit: http://remodeling.hw.net/industry-news.asp?sectionID=149&articleID=532644.
Mississippi Update
It is now 2 ½ years since Hurricane Katrina and 2 years since we rebuilt Gaynelle Acker’s house in Bay St Louis. Ian Cronshaw talked with Gaynelle’s son, Alison Acker, to get an update on how they are doing down in Mississippi. Unfortunately, Gaynelle has not been well and had to have major surgery in November.
After a month in the hospital, she is doing better and was able to come home to her house on Ballentine Street for Christmas. Her daughter, Farren, has rebuilt her house down the road on Ballentine St. and is taking care of Gaynelle.
There are now six homes that have been rebuilt on Ballentine St. but the majority of the homes on the street have not been rebuilt. Things are moving forward slowly but many people are still struggling, still living in FEMA trailers, and trying to make a living. Others have sold their land and moved away. Very few of the beach front houses have been rebuilt and the town of Bay Saint Louis has still not been rebuilt.
Farren, Gaynelle and Alison send their best wishes and thanks to all in Santa Barbara for helping them out. They are all so grateful for all that we did for them. They love the house and the good feeling it has about it.
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