Although Easy Homes 123 focuses on custom home building, one of our most recent projects was quite unique as it involved a total home remodel of a 24ft x 24ft detached home garage. In a quick 75 days, what once was a stark, unattached storage space, evolved and blossomed into a robust, deluxe one bedroom home that became Energy Star Certified with luxury finishes and total functionality.

Our customer desired a livable, and efficient home environment for a single person that contained high-end finishes. Every customer we encounter is different, and on this project detail and luxury was a must. It was our pleasure to satisfy our client therefore, immediate plans were drawn, a timeline was discussed and the project began with great momentum.

It was imperative to maximize every inch available and we found it obligatory to add 10 feet of living space in order to accommodate all of our client’s needs. A brand-new metal roof was installed, high- efficient insulated windows were added along with block foam insulation to aid with energy efficiency and sound control. A new trust system allowed for vaulted ceilings throughout, brand new post and beam construction was implemented, along with complete electrical installation, fresh dry wall, duct work, new septic system and water supply lines. Interior floors were cut to move around plumbing, a sidewalk was installed to ensure easy access from the front and back of the property, a 22ft x 18ft parking pad was laid, and 22 feet of new front porch was added with a Gable Roof and Front Dutch Hip Roof. Stucco was applied to rejuvenate the exterior and the outside was suddenly budding with appealing modern flair.

Interior finishes such as hand-scraped wood vinyl plank was installed—a look desired by the customer. This finish gave the look and feel of warm, wood floors while providing the perks of total water resistance and virtual 100% durability. All window and door openings were modified to accommodate for new windows and doors. Crowned molding, LED lighting, remote controlled fans, and outlets with USB connectors were implemented. The kitchen housed granite counter tops, tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances with large double door fridge, and impeccably installed kitchen cabinets. The bathroom was designed with sleek tile and river rock floor inside the shower. Mosaic detail was also installed to add texture and sleek glass doors elegantly encased the shower. To maximize space, a washer and dryer was installed neatly and tucked away for functionality and aesthetics; and a high-end custom closet system was installed which featured a lock and jewelry case.

This project was completed with level 5 finishes and was finished early according to our timeline which left our client appreciative and satisfied—our team calculated a 4-6 month completion date and delivered the finished product in 2.5 months amongst simultaneously working on 8 other projects. Overall we converted a 576-sq. ft. garage into a 1344 sq. ft. home with indoor and outdoor living space which had our customer beaming with satisfaction.

If you would like to view the finished product, this home remodel will be featured in the Spring Parade of Homes with the Polk County Builders Association; and if you’re interested in starting a project with Easy Homes 123, visit our contact page and contact us today!

Unfortunately, from time to time, we do have to evict renters who have failed to make their payments. It is an unfortunate side of the business but it is a reality. Try going to your favorite restaurant, ordering food and then leaving without paying for it. I guarantee the next time you try to eat there, you will not be served. Any reasonable person understands this.

It has come to our attention that there is a website called “Rip Off Report” that allows “customers” to leave reviews on businesses. Unfortunately there are a few negative reviews about Easy Homes 123 and we wanted to address these comments as well as explain the dirty little secret about Rip Off Report and the shady tactics they use to actually make their money.

Before we get into why we consider Rip Off Report to be a “scam”, we want to say that any review – positive or negative – is only as credible as the source. By this we mean that if the person leaving the review refuses to share details and is not willing to leave their name, how can it carry any weight? This is why on our website we include the names as well as the photos – in some cases even videos – of the Lakeland home buyers and sellers we have helped. These are credible. However, when a review is left without a name it warrants some suspicion, especially when you consider the following…

So Why Does Easy Homes 123 Consider Rip Off Report a “Scam”

The biggest problem we have with “Rip Off Report” is their revenue model. So just how does Rip Off Report make money? When a company tries to defend itself from comments left on the Rip Off Report site, the business owner is told that the negative comments and reviews can only be defended if the accused business pays for their “Corporate Advocacy” program – at the tune of $2000 per entry.

The Third District Court of Appeals of the State of Florida filed an opinion on December 28, 2011 describing RipOffReport.com (Xcentric Ventures, LLC) as:

“The business practices of Xcentric, as presented by the evidence before this Court, are appalling. Xcentric appears to pride itself on having created a forum for defamation. No checks are in place to ensure that only reliable information is publicized”.

(source: Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tMTCCT_NtBk#!)

So ask yourself this, would you rather believe reviews and testimonials from customers who are willing to put their name, face, and voice behind their comments or reviews or from a website that leaves anonymous comments which profits from allowing businesses to defend themselves by paying $2000.00 or more. The following video is an editorial about Rip Off Report unethical tactics that was produced by a Fox News affiliate located in South Florida.

In addition to many positive reviews and REAL testimonials about Easy Homes 123 we have earned over the years, we are also a proud member of the Better Business Bureau and the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. Have we ever made a mistake? Yes. Are we perfect? No. But we are proud of the service we offer our customers and we look forward to continuing to buy houses from people who need to sell the houses and sell to people who are looking for a great value in moving in to a house they can call their own.

The Process of Making Your EasyHome an Energy Efficient Home

We begin the process of making the house energy efficient by thoroughly inspecting every part of the home from the roof to the foundation. Each house that Easy Homes 123 remodels will have it’s own unique opportunities to reduce the overall utility costs. Older homes usually present more energy efficient upgrades than newer traditional builder homes. However, we still will upgrade many of the newer homes as well. Our goal is to meet or exceed today’s building and energy efficient requirements

When EasyHomes123.com remodels a house, we usually focus on making sure the house you’ll move in to will have new energy efficient appliances, water heater, central heating and cooling unit. We also inspect airflow and make sure the ductwork does not have any leaks. We also check water valves and insure there are no leaks.

In addition to appliances and the HVAC system, we also look at the building “envelope”.

The “Building Envelope” Of Your Energy Efficient House

The term “Building Envelope” refers to any part of your house that creates a boundary between the indoor and outdoor space. This includes, for most Easy Homes, upgrading to double insulated windows and Energy Star rated doors. The building envelope aspect of energy efficiency also includes attic insulation. We always try to get the attic to an R-30 rating or higher and we’ll seal any cracks or holes throughout the entire structure. Another method of saving energy in the building envelope is to use R-10 injected block foam or block foam injected modlding. In addition to the energy cost savings, the block foam helps keep noise from coming in or leaving the house.

Attic ventilation is another problem we run into where the soffits or ridge vents do not allow enough air flow causing mold and addition heat to come into the house.

Water Preservation To Help Reduce Your Lakeland Utility Bill

Easy Homes 123 also upgrades the plumbing fixtures and valves to low flow water savers. These upgrades not only reduce your electric consumption but also reduces your water bill too. On average, Easy Homes 123 customers save over 50% of power usage as their neighbors – comparing identical home models. Amazing, we know, but very true.

How Much Money Can An Energy Efficient Home Save You? A Real Example

I will give you my personal example of how I was able to reduce my Lakeland Electric bill by 63%. I bought a newly built home from a well known builder in the Lakeland area. (I won’t give you there name.) My central heat and air unit ran nonstop and my power bill averaged over $650 per month. I had an energy audit done by Lakeland Electric and they gave me a few suggestion to improve but the most impactful energy efficient tip they gave me was to increase the size of my AC unit. My first thought was: “What!?! This is a brand new home. Why should I be needing to upgrade the AC unit?” The Lakeland Electric energy efficient auditor informed me how this track home builder undersizes their AC units. He also said that many times people do not consider the “felt air” temperature which is an important consideration – especially with Florida weather. Example summer temperatures that are recorded at around 90 degrees are not the same as “apparent temperatures” or “felt air” temperatures which are often times closer to 100 degrees. Felt Air Temperatures take into account factors such relative humidity and density. One other recommendation the energy auditor gave me was setting the right stage run temperature. In other words, it may actually run more efficient keeping your system at 76 degrees rather than 78.

I ended up upgrading my AC unit based on the suggestion. The new unit was properly sized for my home and it had a SEER Rating of 15 while the old unit only had a SEER Rating of 10. This one change saved me over $413 per month with my average bill now being $237. I have never had a bill over $300 since Installed the new unit.

Why Shouldn’t Every Home Be An Energy Efficient Home?

From this moment forward, I realized that every single home that Easy Homes 123 would custom remodel, it was important to make sure that each house would have the most energy efficient system. The energy efficiency of your home really does matter, especially in today’s tough economy. We need to do things like this to not only help our customers but also to help reduce the waste of our nonrenewable resources.