Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited to begin working with Tessa Romanowski, owner of Studio 3 Architectural Design, on an interior renovation and addition to a home in the Prestwick division of Landfall in Wilmington, NC. With previous experience in remodels, Mark Johnson and his team understand the anxieties that can sometimes accompany a remodel. And so they are eagar to begin utilizing the Google SketchUp 3-D modeling program with Studio 3, which allows the client to literally see their home’s potential for renovation and additions. The files created for each individual client are open to manipulation and can be shared with family and friends.

Tessa Romanowski had this to say about this homeowner in Landfall, in particular: “The client has an existing two-story space that contains her living and dining room. It is a soaring volume with lots of natural light and a wonderful spacious feel. Our client felt that she needed more sleeping space and wanted to maximize her square footage by adding a loft over her dining room. It was important to maintain the dramatic light quality and sightlines in the two story space, as well as to create a sculptural stair that was unobtrusive to the room.

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Wilmington, NC home builder and remodeler Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share with our readers some simple steps to making the move to a new home as easy as possible for your pet.

Experts agree that pets thrive on routine. But how can that routine be maintained during a move? There are some simple steps that you can take to make the transition from old home to new home easy on you and your pet.

The first step is to visit your current veterinarian. If you are moving out of the area, be sure to request your pet’s medical files, this way your new vet will know of any conditions your pet has been treated for and when they’ll be due for their next vaccinations. Be sure that if your pet is on any medications, that you’ll have enough of the needed prescriptions to last until you visit your new vet.

While you’re at the vet, consider microchipping your pet. A microchip is a small transponder, as small as a grain of rice, that is implanted just under the pet’s skin. The Humane Society says, “Microchips provide an extra level of protection in case your pet loses his collar and tags.” The cost is relatively inexpensive, especially when you consider that one chip can last up to 25 years. Along these same lines, update your pets ID tags with your new address or phone number if necessary.

When you are beginning the actual process of moving boxes and transferring your belongings to your new residence, consider first prepping, a pet friendly area in your current home, and then in your new home. You can designate one room that will be out of the way of movers. Fill the room with the pet’s favorite toys and bedding, as well as their food, water, and if applicable, litter box. Your home is your pet’s sanctuary, and for the time being, this room will be their connection to this.

Once you’re living in your new home with your pet, the best thing you can do is maintain your routine. If you usually walk your pet in the mornings, make the time to continue this tradition. If you come home at lunches to let your dog out, be sure that either you or a reliable pet walker are there for your dog. This is also not a time to change your animal’s eating habits. Keep with the same brand and type of food as before the move.

And finally, you’ll need to search out your new hot spots. This means pet supply stores, veterinary offices, dog parks, and pet sitter and walker servicers.

If you are new to your area, feel free to ask your real estate agent for recommendations for a new vet, as well as where the aforementioned local hot spots might be, such as local establishments that are pet friendly.

Article Written By: Carla L. Davis, RealtyTimes.com

The Primrose at Landfall built in Wilmington, NC by custom home builder and remodeler Mark Johnson Custom Homes was recently recognized as one of the Most Innovative Small Residential projects in the country. The honor was presented as part of the ICF Builder Awards, an international competition designed to showcase the advantages of building with Insulated Concrete Forms, commonly called ICFs. ICFs are hollow foam blocks which are stacked and then filled with steel-reinforced concrete. The finished structure combines the strength of concrete with the insulating properties of foam, which stays in place to insulate and protect the walls. This construction method can reduce energy bills by up to 70 percent, block exterior noise, and is extremely disaster resistant. As an additional benefit, it is one of the most popular ways to “build green” costing between 5 to 10 percent more than regular frame construction.

The Primrose at Landfall was named First Runner-Up in the Small Residential division. The presentation, witnessed by hundreds of construction professionals associated with the industry, took place last month at the World of Concrete trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For more information about the ICF Builder Awards, go to www.icfmag.com.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has called the growing number of interactions between sea turtles and fishermen in the state’s inshore waters “excessive and unacceptable,” and the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Topsail Beach could soon move the matter into federal court.

“We haven’t seen or heard anything that meets or addresses our needs and concerns,” said Executive Director Jean Beasley, adding that the filing of a suit could be imminent.

Gill nets, used up and down the coast in a number of fisheries, are stretched from the water bottom to the surface. They are effective fishing tools in the state’s extensive estuaries and sounds.

But the nets, which are often left out overnight, catch everything that swims into them – and that includes sea turtles. The animal’s head or flippers can get caught in the net, and the air-breathing turtles eventually drown.

That has incensed environmentalists, who consider the nets among the biggest controllable threats to sea turtles. They also note that North Carolina and Mississippi are the last states still allowing the fishing practice. To read the complete article, click here!

Courtesy of: StarNewsOnline.com

Landfall custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages our readers to view recently uploaded photos of our projects, both past and present, on our Flickr and Facebook Fan pages. View our Photo Sets on Flickr and Facebook, including our luxury homes in Wilmington and Hampstead, NC. For more detailed information on these homes and available lots in Wilmington, NC visit our Inventory Page!

As both a proud member of the National Association of Home Builder and a Green home builder, Wilmington, NC luxury home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share with our readers a recent press release from the NAHB. Below is the complete press release on “Project ReEnergize”, a program that was addressed at the NAHB’s International Builders’ Show aimed to generate Green jobs and weatherize homes.

“January 21, 2010 – A weatherization program that created jobs while it made homes more energy-efficient worked in Minnesota – and can be one model for successful programs in other states.

A remodeler, a window manufacturer and the executive officer for the Builders Association of Minnesota explained how ‘Project ReEnergize’ worked during a press conference on Wednesday at the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show.

As part of its economic stimulus package, the Obama Administration made money available to state agencies for the purpose of weatherizing homes and generating jobs.

When some Minnesota agencies could not disburse the funding quickly enough, the state turned to the home builders association, which quickly trained and certified contractors and insulation installers to make improvements to 1,400 homes, said Pam Perri Weaver, BAMN’s executive officer.

Consumers were eligible for rebates when they hired certified contractors to replace windows, but they received even more money if their home’s insulation was upgraded as well. That was an important incentive because it’s hard to convince home owners to make improvements that in the end, they can’t see, said Minnesota remodeler Shawn Nelson, a Project ReEnergize participant. ‘Air sealing is not a visual upgrade,’ he said.

About 90 percent of the windows in today’s homes are older, single-pane glass styles – much less efficient than modern double-pane, triple-pane and argon-filled products, noted Maureen McDonough of Andersen Windows. A new federal energy-efficiency tax credit and supplying windows for Project ReEnergize contractors were important factors in enabling the manufacturer to call back 600 employees who had been laid off, she added.

Participating home owners had no income limits, but the homes could be no larger than 3,000 square feet and had to be built before the year 2000, when more stringent state energy codes were mandated. The average size of each home was 1,800 square feet and the average age was about 45 years old, Weaver said.

The home builders association stands ready to funnel more money to consumers to make upgrades should additional federal funding become available. ‘We have a list of people who are waiting,’ because most consumers are unwilling to make the upgrades without the financial incentives, Nelson said.”

Courtesy of: www.nahb.org

Wilmington, NC builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages those in the Cape Fear Area to attend UNC-Wilmington’s Intercultural Week (iWeek) events beginning February 15, 2010. The Office of International Programs at UNC-W will be hosting iWeek, which will culminate with the Intercultural Festival on Saturday, February 19^th, 2010. This year’s theme is “Connecting Communities through Social Justice,” and below is the week’s agenda and for detailed information on each, visit their website! All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted on UNC-W’s iWeek website.

Monday, February 15

• Around the World: All Day, residence hall lobbies
• Love in Any Language:12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, FSC, Masonboro Island Room             
• Children in the Fields: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM, FSC, Clock Tower Lounge
• The Fight for Water: 7:00 PM, Lumina Theater
• Jonathan Kozol, Joy & Justice: An Invitation to the Young to Serve the Children of the Poor: 7:00 PM, Kenan Auditorium

Tuesday, February 16

• Creating Social Justice through Latino-Serving Community Resource Centers: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, Java City, Randall Library
• Discussion of Afro-Brazilian Studies: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• Bilingual Dramatized Readings: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Randall Library Auditorium
• UNCW Goes on a Gender Bender: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, DeLoach Hall, 114
• Close to Home: 7:00 PM, Lumina Theater

Wednesday, February 17 

• Cultural Diversity in Harmony – Shanghai and the World Expo 2010: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• Fulbright Scholarship Opportunities for Faculty: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM, CTE/CFL Conference Room
• Who is a Battered Immigrant & What Immigration Remedies Exist in Our Community?: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, FSC, Bald Head Island Room
• Israel – Land of Many Cultures: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM, FSC, Sunset Beach Room
• Delwende: Get Up and Walk!: 7:00 PM, Lumina Theater

Thursday, February 18

• African American Read-In: Activist Authors: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Java City, Randall Library            
• Friendship Bridge in Guatemala: Micro-Lending and Education to Improve the Lives of Women and Families: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, FSC, Sunset Beach Room
• Afro-Latinos – The Untaught Story: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Computer & Information Systems Hall, 1008
• Music from Around the World: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Lumina Theater               
• Prisoner of the Mountains: 7:00 PM, Randall Library Auditorium
• Friday, February 19
• US Immigration – Know Your Rights: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM, FSC, Sunset Beach Room
• Social Justice and the Study Abroad Experience – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• Ralph Bunche Awareness Presentation: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• “We Know That if we Build a 15′ Fence, Then That’s Just a 15′ Ladder” – A Comprehensive Look at DHS Policy, Activism and Immigration on the Arizona/Mexico Border: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room

Saturday, February 20

• 18th Annual Intercultural Festival: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Burney Center 
• A Grain of Sand and Becoming: 8:00 PM, Lumina Theater     

Ongoing Event: Monday, February 8 – Thursday, February 25

• Activist Authors Exhibit

Ongoing Events: Monday, February 15 – Friday, February 19

• International Cuisine at Wagoner Dining Hall      
• A Window to the World, Westside Hall Display Case

Wilmington, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share our most recent client testimonial from Mr. and Mrs. Jim Edens. Our award-winning customer service stems from exceeding client expectations and we are excited to share with you what our latest clients had to say about the Mark Johnson Custom Homes building experience! Click here to read what other clients have said about Mark Johnson Custom Homes!

New Homeowner Survey

Describe your experience with the staff of Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc.

We enjoyed working with your staff very much. Also, your subcontractors were very willing to work with us.

Would you recommend Mark Johnson Custom Homes, Inc.? Why?

Yes. Quality materials, subcontractors and a willingness on everyone’s part to work with us was always Mark’s biggest concern.

On a scale of 1-5 (with 5 being the highest), how helpful was our Client Progress Portal? What improvements can be made?

Five. None

A large part of our marketing is based on client testimonials. If you are willing to provide a testimonial for us, please do so here:

“Beverly and I have enjoyed the total process from design, estimating, construction,(Mark was very receptive to changes made during the construction) and the punchlist process. We have shared this testimonial with our friends and prospective home building clients in the past and are happy to do it now per your request. Again,we were very pleased with Mark Johnson Custom Homes on this project.” – Jim Edens

Wilmington, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes aims and exceeds customer expectations both during and after the home building process. And an important part of offering award-winning customer service is being aware of current trends in the home building industry. An article from MarketWatch outlined the five trends below to be on the lookout for in 2010 and to read more, click here!

The live-in kitchen.

Living within our means.

The Green kitchen.

The wellness kitchen.

Cooking for fun.