WicksteadWorks 2009 Renovator of the Year

Southface and The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association (GAHBA) named WicksteadWorks as the 2009 Renovator of the Year. The Renovator of the Year award distinguishes an EarthCraft House renovator that has gone above and beyond the established measures to decrease energy consumption in an existing home. The annual EarthCraft House Awards honors the leading builders, developers, renovators and manufacturers dedicated to protecting the environment through sustainable design and construction of homes, communities and products. WicksteadWorks is an Atlanta remodeler that builds to a minimum standard of EarthCraft certification on all projects.

EarthCraft House is a voluntary, green building third-party validation program that serves as a blueprint for healthy comfortable homes that reduce utility bills and protect the environment.

A team of EarthCraft House judges selected the nominees and winners for the EarthCraft House awards. The winners were honored at the annual awards ceremony earlier this month.

Since EarthCraft's inception in 1999, more 450 builders have become builder members, and more than 7,150 homes in the Southeast region have been certified to EarthCraft House standards.

As an experienced remodeling company, WicksteadWorks is able to provide solutions for all types of problems. For example, one renovation project of WicksteadWorks was for a family with two asthmatic children. After the project was completed, the children's asthma symptoms were completely gone due to WicksteadWorks' renovations of the crawl space and HVAC system. Once the renovations were complete, the house became EarthCraft certified.

For more information, visit EarthCraft House at www.earthcrafthouse.org. or www.wicksteadworks.com

WicksteadWorks Honored

It has been a great year for WicksteadWorks with many prestigious designations and honorable recognitions.

To start, the Atlanta Business Chronicle named WicksteadWorks as one of the top 20 remodelers in Atlanta. Atlanta has many qualified remodeling companies, but WicksteadWorks’ emphasis on customer satisfaction, impeccable quality of work and devotion to green building practices has given them an edge over their competition, and solidified themselves as a top remodeler in Atlanta. “It is a privilege to be ranked among the best in Atlanta and this designation is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff at WicksteadWorks,” said Frank Wickstead, President of WicksteadWorks.

Wickstead’s expertise in green building practices is evident by the fact that he is a LEED Accredited Professional. This year he added to his green credentials by becoming a verifier for the National Green Building Program, which is part of the National Home Builders Association. As a verifier, Wickstead will thoroughly analyze different homes, ensuring that they meet the criteria of the national green building certification. In addition, Wickstead also became a Certified Green Building Professional. Wickstead firmly believes in building green, which is why the minimum standard for all WicksteadWorks projects is EarthCraft certification.

While the company has furthered their involvement with the green building industry and been labeled as a top remodeler in Atlanta, they have also launched a new blog specifically for homeowners undertaking a do-it-yourself remodeling project. “Ask WicksteadWorks” is a forum in which homeowners will be able to get advice from an industry expert completely free of charge. The blog was created to be highly interactive, so visitors to the site are encouraged to leave comments and ask any remodeling questions they may have.

As an experienced remodeling company, WicksteadWorks is able to provide solutions for all types of problems. For example, one renovation project of WicksteadWorks was for a family with two asthmatic children. After the project was completed, the children’s asthma symptoms were completely gone due to WicksteadWorks’ renovations of the crawl space and HVAC system. Once the renovations were complete, the house became EarthCraft certified.

WicksteadWorks has completed a wide variety of projects. In 2007, WicksteadWorks received an OBIE Award for “best renovation” for their work on the Bauer Project. WicksteadWorks completed a whole house renovation transforming a 1930’s bungalow into a modern energy-efficient home, while maintaining the original architectural integrity. More recently, WicksteadWorks was featured on Renovation Nation, a regular program on the Planet Green channel, for the innovative water conservation and rainwater reuse techniques they incorporated into a Myrtle Street project. For more information about WicksteadWorks visit www.wicksteadworks.com.

Image (top left): Bauer Project Renovation