Glass, porcelain tile and natural stone tile will come from Daltile and Interceramic among other manufacturers who have proven their commitment to quality. Popular carpet brands such as Mohawk, Beaulieu and Shaw will be available in the most popular colors and styles, including the stylish frieze. Bamboo flooring will also be available, improved in construction and environmentally sustainable, as will other hardwoods from Mohawk and Shaw.

Heading the flooring division is Edwin Marzano and Jeff Anderson. With more than 25 years of combined flooring experience, they will use their expertise to ensure the flooring division measures up to the quality of all of Construction Resources’ other divisions.

Like any other purchase from Construction Resources, homeowners, builders and remodelers have the ability to utilize one of the professional design consultants on staff. Products can also be viewed at Construction Resources’ showroom in Decatur.

For more information on the new division, including directions to the Decatur showroom, visit the Construction Resources website.

Construction Resources is proud to now offer numerous flooring options including bamboo. Because many different varieties exist, bamboo allows homeowners the ability to tailor the color to match almost any décor in their home. Stop by one of our showrooms to find out for yourself.

Bamboo resists humidity and is a highly adaptable flooring option. While we have seen the benefits of bamboo in furniture and home products, it wasn’t until a few years ago that it was even considered a flooring option. Once it was introduced the public, it took off. The range of styles offered, easy upkeep, quality and cost effectiveness have made it the “go to” choice for homeowners across the United States.

Because bamboo is a rapid growing grass and not wood, it is typically harvested every five to seven years, unlike other woods that are harvested every 15 to 100 years. The harvest time for bamboo makes it more of an environmentally friendly product for flooring. Conservationists have praised this aspect of the material. The leftover leaves and shoots are utilized as a food source for livestock both here in the U.S. and in Asia.

By using bamboo as an alternate source, woods such as oak and pine are being saved, slowing down the clearing of forests across the world. It is becoming more important every year to use renewable resources. By using bamboo flooring, you are helping to preserve the environment.

For more information on Construction Resources visit the website or call 1-800-765-5129.

Save Money By Reducing Energy

It is almost common knowledge that ENERGY STAR appliances save money on operating costs. The less energy you use, the less energy you have to pay for. Other changes to your home can reduce energy costs as well.

• Install proper insulation. On average, 40% of a home’s energy bills are from heating and cooling.
• Install low-flow water fixtures. You will barely notice a difference (if you notice on at all) in the water flow from sinks, showers and toilets, but your water bill will.
• Consider a tankless water heater. Instead of keeping a tank of water constantly warm, the tankless models only heat water that is being used.
• Install high-efficiency windows. Yes, they cost more than those that just skim past the energy code, but the long-term energy savings are more than worth the investment.

Save Money With Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credits

A tax credit expiring December 31, 2010 offers homeowners a tax credit of 30%, up to $1,500, for installation of the following:

• Windows and doors
• Insulation
• Roofs (metal and asphalt)
• HVAC
• Water heaters (non solar)
• Biomass stoves

Tax credits through 2016, with no upper limit and at 30% of the cost for:

• Geothermal heat pumps
• Solar panels
• Solar water heaters
• Small wind energy systems
• Fuel cells

To see the specifications for qualifying improvements, visit the ENERGY STAR website. Construction Resources would love to help you remodel your home in an environmentally-friendly way. Contact us or check out our website for eco-friendly options as well as our company’s commitment to green practices.

Since it is a promotion to celebrate the season, only the colors of Spring are being offered at a discounted price – only $55 per square foot! While the promotion is limited to only three colors, Victoria™, Cranbrook™ and Cardiff Cream™, they are very different and will fit a wide variety of themes. So whether you are creating a sleek and modern look or a country setting with your Atlanta kitchen remodeling project, one of these three colors will fit in perfectly.

The promotion is the perfect opportunity for you to upgrade your kitchen with a countertop that you may not have been able to afford otherwise. For roughly the same price you would spend on granite surfaces, you can get a step up in quality and product. You’ll find many similarities between Cambria quartz countertops and granite. Cambria is stain-resistant and, like granite, can withstand high temperatures, but it is harder, stronger and easier to care for. Another big difference between the two materials is that Cambria quartz countertops are eco-friendly. They are GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® and GREENGUARD for Children and Schools Certified®. In addition, there is no safer surface available to consumers as Cambria is also certified by NSF International as safe for use as a food preparation surface. Now that you can afford it, there is no reason you shouldn’t choose Cambria quartz countertops for your new kitchen.

So, take a little time to enjoy the new season, and then head to Atlanta Kitchen, Inc to pick out your affordable Cambria quartz countertops and get started on your new kitchen!

We’ve talked about Corian solid surface products before; about its versatility, durability and style and how its a great choice for commercial uses, such as at a hospital. In addition to things like efficiency, flexibility, circulation, security and accessibility, there are some important considerations in healthcare design, including sanitation, therapeutic environment, sustainability and aesthetics, which we’ll quickly address here and show how Corian countertops and their installation by Atlanta Kitchen was a smart choice for Athens Regional Medical Center.

Sanitation: Hospitals must be easy to clean. A clean, sanitary environment can be facilitated by durable finishes, careful detailing on features to avoid bacteria- and dirt-catching and hard-to-clean cracks, crevices and joints. Corian is durable, stain-resistant, non-porous (which means it resists mold and mildew growth) and food safe and easy-to-clean and maintain, with a smooth seamless appearance and no grout lines to catch dirt and bacteria.

Therapeutic Environment: Patients in a hospital are many times scared and confused, which can slow down their recovery; so hospitals are designed to create a therapeutic environment that ensures a patient’s stay is as unthreatening, comfortable, and stress-free as possible. This can be achieved by use of familiar and culturally or locally relevant materials and cheerful and varied colors and textures wherever possible and consistent with sanitation, functional and assessment needs. Corian is available in over 130 colors from whites to neutrals to darks and bright, energetic yellows and warm reds.

Aesthetics: Aesthetics, like therapeutic environment has to do with making a hospital more homelike and attractive. This is important in enhancing the facility’s public image. Would you rather be in a cold, sterile hospital or one with natural materials and textures, art on the walls and countertops and cabinets that remind you of home? Aesthetics is not only important as a marketing tool, but it is important to staff comfort and patient care.

Sustainability: Hospitals are large, public buildings that have a significant impact on the environment  of the surrounding community. As heavy users of energy and water and large producers of waste, hospitals today are seeking solutions that minimize their impact on the environment. Corian, along with the adhesives and sealants used to install it, is GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® as low emitting materials. Durable, easy to maintain, and low-emitting, Corian solid surfaces help buildings achieve LEED® credits and can contribute to sustainable design goals in a variety of applications.

Construction Resources has teamed up with providers of products that are stylish, high quality and less damaging to the environment than many products. From reclaimed wood tops to recycled glass and cement to radon free to low VOC countertops, Construction Resources has them all in a range of beautiful and artistic types. View all of the products in Construction Resources’ environmentally friendly collection.

Hotel Indigo Pensacola Beach is the first boutique hotel in the area. This brand new hotel is 100% smoke free and features contemporary amenities that are sure to exceed expectations. Like at every Hotel Indigo location, the focus is to deliver each guest peace, serenity, and renewal with the conveniences of a fitness center, Wi-Fi, pool and more. Guests will be able to curl up in the hotel’s over-sized beds with plush bedding and plenty of fluffy pillows – but not just yet. Construction Resources will likely be working on the project through the remainder of 2009, so start planning your visit for early next year.

At Construction Resources, and each of our subsidiary companies, we practice several environmentally protective initiatives in our operations everyday and make it a priority to team with products like Caesarstone that offer eco-friendly options on projects like Hotel Indigo that make the smart decision with environmental preservation.

Caesarstone is made of 93 percent natural quartz, one of nature’s strongest minerals, and combines form and function for a more diverse, durable, and practical surfacing material than either granite or marble. With its environmental protection standards and its stain, crack, scratch, chemical, and heat-resistant properties, CaesarStone is the ideal choice for the four-story, 130-room Hotel Indigo.

The recently opened Hotel Indigo Athens University Area offers a sophisticated, stylish boutique experience with hip decor within walking distance to shops, award winning restaurants, and a variety of performing arts and theater venues. The hotel features such luxuries as welcoming, wide-open foyers, over-sized beds with plush bedding, hardwood floors, spa-inspired showers and more. The Hotel Indigo experience is based on the universal design constant found in nature, art and architecture known as the Golden Mean and is designed to be peaceful, inspiring and energizing to its guests.

According to the article, Hall researched for a couple of months.’ At her local Lowe’s hardware store, Hall found a new countertop material made of recycled glass and porcelain, ECO by Cosentino, a 75 percent recycled material bound together with corn-oil resin.

Hall, who considers herself an environmentalist, concerned about energy consumption and her carbon footprint, decided ECO was the perfect choice for her.

The material is available in 10 colors and is stain resistant, scuff resistant and easy to maintain without requiring special cleaning products. Some combine old mirrors, stone and even industrial furnace residuals. It is also affordably priced between $85 and $95 a square foot installed.

“Including everything — demolition of the old countertop, the new countertop and its installation, the new sink and new mounts for the sink and dishwasher — the bill came out to about $2,800.” Later, Hall found out that she was the very first person in the nation to buy the product! If you would like to learn more about ECO by Cosentino, or other eco-friendly choices for your kitchen, contact local fabricator Construction Resources, Inc. Read the full article in the San Antonio Express-News here.

Certified by NSF International as safe for use as a food preparation surface, Cambria is a nonporous surface that is stronger, harder and easier to care for than other stone surfaces. Produced in the United States, Cambria surfaces have a lower carbon footprint than others, requiring less transportation and carbon resources in route to market. Cambria is GREENGUARD for Children and Schools® certified and GREENGUARD Indoor Air Quality Certified® by the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. Cambria also does not contain formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds or radon emissions.

For more information about tours at Greenhaven and to see these beautiful kitchen countertops, visit www.GreenhavenHome.com. To select a Cambria countertop for your kitchen, visit the a Construction Resources Kitchen and Bath Showroom near you.