If you live in South Florida, chances are you have considered investing in South Florida storm windows. Many styles and types of storm windows are on the market today. You may think that because you are buying impact resistant glass for storm windows that you cannot get modern design, but you absolutely can! South Florida impact windows are a great investment.

 In fact, you can get an appealing look and feel in any room of your house with South Florida storm windows. You can also rest assured that your beautiful new storm windows will withstand strong storm winds and keep your home and family safe during hurricane force winds.

You can enjoy the brightness, lightness, and visual appeal of large windows with the added bonus of knowing that your South Florida storm windows are built storm tight to resist the impact of flying debris as well as would-be burglary attempts. You can enjoy a room with a South Florida view knowing that your windows are built to last and that your home is secure in the event of storms or tropical storms.

Often times we are disgusted by the appearance of our tile flooring, marble countertops, or showers and are overwhelmed by the expense and time it takes to replace. Replacing is not always the best solution. Depending on the severity of your problem, restoration may be an option. Some services available for tile & marble restoration are: grout & tile cleaning, grout staining & sealing, Mexican tile strip & seal, marble polishing & restoration, loose & hollow tiles, shower restoration, and re-grouting & re-caulking.

Many companies offer tile & marble restoration in South Florida but Universal Tile is a leader in the market. With over twenty years in tile restoration & marble restoration, they are committed to high quality materials, service oriented and willing to stand by their work, all done by allowing them to NOT hire sub-contractors.

Family owned and operated since 1987, Universal Tile and Marble Restoration is a full service tile and marble company specializing in all facets of tile and marble restoration. All types of repairs and restorations are available to our clientele. Our professional and courteous staff will give you a free in-home evaluation. Visit www.universaltile.net for more information.

Sending a Notice to Owner secures your rights to lien a property. A NTO is generally used by anyone making improvements to a property that is not working directly for the owner. A Notice to Owner informs all parties involved that you are making improvements to the property. If you are not in privity with the owner, working directly with the owner, then you must send a Notice to Owner by certified mail within the 45 day from the first day you furnished labor and/or materials.  

The following are scenarios in which a Notice to Owner will be needed to secure your lien rights.

• The Owner pays the General Contractor but the General Contractor does not pay you. Filing a NTO lets the owner know that you are working on the job and the Owner will then secure a release from the General Contractor for each progress payment ensuring that you get paid in a timely manner.
• The Owner doesn’t pay the General Contractor who then cannot pay you. Filing an NTO within the 45 days allowed ensures your right to Lien the job securing your receivables. Should you not be paid by the Owner at that point, you may then foreclose on the Lien compelling the Owner to sell his interest in the property at a judicial sale to satisfy his debt to you.
• Person who hires you claims to be the Owner but is actually a Leaseholder.  Filing an NTO allows us to investigate who the true owner of the property is and then notifies them of your work on the property ensuring your lien rights and to make sure that the Leaseholder will pay your bill.

There are two additional deadlines that you must be aware of, 90 days for your liens and 1 year to foreclose on the lien. If you have not been paid you only have 90 days from the last day you were on the property to lien and only one year from the file date to enforce the claim of lien.

Sunray Construction Notices, Inc. is one of the foremost construction notice services companies throughout the United States. Sunray has over 20 years of experience in construction notice services in Florida and is the only Nationwide Notice to Owner company in Florida.  You can complete all of your Notice to Owner requests online with Sunray Construction Notices. Entering your job information only takes 4 minutes. Sunray Construction Notices does all the research for you!!! To find out more information regarding construction notice services in Florida, visit www.sunraynotice.com. 

As the 2009 Hurricane Season ends with virtually no season to speak of, the opportunity to start preparing for next year is now. The first thing to look at when evaluating if your home is impact resistant is the windows and doors. Hurricane damage can be devastating. When debris from high wind storms become penetrating projectiles, ordinary windows and doors fail. Impact windows and impact doors

provide a safe and secure storm barrier from wind blown projectiles and blowing rain.

Hurricane and storm damage are not the only reasons to replace your standard windows and doors with storm windows and storm doors; you can save money by lowering energy bills as well as lower homeowner insurance rates. Insurance companies lower rates when approved impact resistant windows are installed, with many buildings being required to install impact windows and doors just to maintain their coverage. As an added bonus, impact resistant windows also provide protection from unwanted intruders, reduce noise, and increase the resale value of your home. 

Florida’s Best is a leader in the manufacturing of impact resistant windows in Florida. With over 40 years experience in the windows and doors industry, they have built a reputation of providing high quality aluminum products through their parent company TM Windows LLC.  They specialize in standard and custom designed aluminum impact resistant windows and impact resistant doors intended for Florida’s unique climate for both commercial and residential buildings. To find out more information about the products visit www.floridasbestwindow.com.

Check the License
HVAC contractors must be licensed in Florida and hold a current, valid license from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Ask to see the contractor’s pocket license and another form or identification. The name on the pocket license should be the same as the contractor (or the name of the business). To find out if an HVAC specialist is licensed in Florida, call the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation 850-487-1395 or go to myfloridalicense.com and look up the license. Remember, it is illegal for a contractor to use another contractor’s license, just as it is illegal for someone to use another’s driver’s license. Alaska Breeze. Corp. Contractor License # CAC 1813690, CGC 058647 Professional and Trade Memberships

Is the Contractor a member of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?
EPA is the leading certification program for technicians in the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry. As an independent, non-profit national organization supported by a broad-based coalition of industry leaders, EPA represents a shared commitment to improving the HVAC/R industry through voluntary testing and certification. EPA supporters include contractors, distributors, education and training providers, manufacturers, technicians, utilities, and their respective trade associations.

Check References
Ask the HVAC contractor for local references. Call to see if they were satisfied with the work. A reputable HVAC contractor will be proud to list their references. If possible, visit a job in progress to see how the contractor works. Talk to the customer about work habits, costs, and the contractor’s level of cooperation. Find out if the contractor has maintained the work schedule and honored the terms of the contract.

Is the HVAC Contractor Insured?
In Florida, the law requires workers compensation insurance coverage for licensed contractors. Ask the HVAC contractor if his company is insured against property damage, and personal liability in case of accidents. Ask to see a copy of the certificate of insurance (or ask for the name of your contractor’s insurance carrier and agency) to verify that the contractor has insurance.

Get Competitive Bids
Don’t automatically accept the general contractor with the lowest price. First, make sure all bids are based on the same set of service and equipment specifications. Discuss the bids in detail with each general contractor and make sure you understand the reasons for variations in price. A higher price may be your lowest overall cost if the materials used are of higher quality or the work is more complete. Beware of a bid that is substantially lower than others. It indicates the contractor has made a mistake or is not including all of the work (and/or material) quoted by competitors. You are sure to have a dispute with a contractor if you accept a low bid based on an error or misunderstanding.

Alaska Breeze was founded in 1998 as a heating and air conditioning service company and since then has grown to represent many leading manufacturers and services the needs of commercial and residential HVAC customers throughout Florida. To find out more information about Alaska Breeze or the services provided, visit www.alaskabreezecorp.com or www.alaskabreezetampa.com.

Many roofing companies simply focus on getting the actual roof work done on your home leaving you with homeowners insurance claims, roof evaluations, etc.

At Roof Doctors, we not only focus on the job of constructing a quality roof for you, but we are also insurance claims specialists. This means that we get involved with a homeowner when they initially contact their homeowners insurance company and on the homeowner’s behalf, we will negotiate with the insurance company to get a fair settlement. Roof Doctors is a full service Roofing and General Contracting company that offers an array of services to restore your home including: Total Roof Replacement (tile, shingle and flat roof), Interior Drywall Repair, Painting (interior and exterior), Tile flooring, Kitchen and bathroom restoration, Replacement windows, Vinyl siding, Patio brick pavers and much more. To find out more information about Roof Doctors visit www.roofdoctorsflorida.com.

Most homeowners turn their garage into an eyesore and don’t realize that it is a space that because of its size allows for extensive organizing and the ability to really become part of the home. Garage organization and garage remodeling may seem daunting at first but by enlisting the services of a reputable garage renovation company you are making steps in relieving the stress a messy garage can bring.

HouseWall Garage System was founded with the express purpose of providing the ultimate “Turn-Key” solution in garage organization. HouseWall Garage System offers an exclusive line of garage organization products and has positioned themselves as an innovator in storage solutions and a leader in the garage organization industry. To find out more information about HouseWall Garage System visit www.housewall.com.

Konecto Flooring specializes in the laminate flooring and vinyl flooring industry with over 50 years of experience. Today, Konecto Flooring is 100% internet based with a virtual warehouse that allows them to keep low overhead thus allowing for lower wholesale pricing for their customers saving them up to 80% compared to the average retailer.

Konecto Flooring offers several types of laminate flooring and vinyl flooring including Konecto Bamboo, Konecto Casa, Konecto Exotic Woods, Konecto Patino, Konecto Prestige Plank, and Konecto Sierra Plank flooring.

For more information on Konecto Flooring go to www.laminatevinylflooring.com and can be contacted at 877.722.7755 or info@laminatevinylflooring.com.  

Landscaping has become an essential attribute to adding value to any home or office. In South Florida, there are numerous ways you can create an outdoor experience with landscaping, property maintenance, hardscapes, and outdoor living including lighting, pergolas and speakers.

Broward Landscape has been a leader in creating an outdoor experience specializing in landscaping, property maintenance, hardscapes and outdoor living in the Coral Springs/Parkland area for many years. Broward Landscape has experience in residential and commercial lawn maintenance, irrigation and tree care, commercial landscaping, residential landscaping, custom landscape design, pavers, walkways, outdoor lighting and many other landscape services. Broward Landscape also has a 15 acre nursery fully stocked with hundreds of varieties of plants, shrubs, and native foliage. To find out more about Broward Landscape visit www.browardlandscape.net.

Living in Florida, AC units get a break only a handful of days during the year, so when it stops functioning it’s a major problem. When your AC unit breaks you want to find the most cost effective solution that also saves you the most time in the heat.

The AC Outlet has earned an outstanding reputation for providing high quality service and installation with a team certified in heating repair and air conditioning repair and air conditioning installation. Additionally, our team is certified with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), a certification program for technicians the heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) industry. The AC Outlet provides financing and excellent customer service. For more information visit www.theacoutlet.com.