Tax time can be an exciting or dreadful time of the year depending what side of the fence you fall on. For those who will be receiving a refund this year, tax time brings the opportunity to spend some extra cash. Some people choose to indulge on vacations or new toys while others take a more practical yet less exciting route and pay down debt or stock pile it away in their rainy day fund. I went searching the world wide web for advice on how to wisely spend tax refund cash and found a few different articles with suggestions. The most common advice was to pay down debt, fund your retirement or savings account, and invest in yourself and in your home. I will acknowledge that I may be a bit biased in my opinion, but I strongly agree that using your tax refund on home improvement projects is a smart move. Luckily you don't have to take just my word for it because one of the Money Crasher bloggers shared why he considers the portion of his tax refund he spent on home improvement projects a great investment. 

"As an example, this year I decided to spend 25% of my tax return on home improvements, which often yield “double benefits” in my opinion. First, you’re not blowing your tax money on an iPhone 4 or a 65″ flat screen TV – you are using it for upgrades to your home. This can yield signficant future benefits by raising the value of your home. Moreover, you’ll get to actually enjoy the benefits of these home improvements in the short-term, rather than doing what many people do – upgrading their home right at the time they want to sell it."

I love that David highlighted the "double benefits" of using your tax refund on home improvement projects. Upgrading your home can not only be a great investment, but it can also feel like a special treat. When I replaced my entry door I was shocked at how proud I was when I had company over and they complimented my new door. It was even better than when I get compliments on a new hair cut! So, consider getting the most out of your tax refund this year by splurging on a home improvement investment at the Millwork Outlet this tax season!

For more tips on smart ways to spend your tax refund please visit these websites: 
http://www.quickenloans.com/blog/3-smart-ways-spend-2011-tax-refund-money#ixzz1lpwTSYMZ 
http://www.moneycrashers.com/what-to-do-with-your-tax-refund-money/ 
https://www.mint.com/budget/smart-ways-to-spend-your-tax-return/
http://money-finance.kaboose.com/money/tax-rebate.html 

I am like many women, I love to shop, but dread the dressing room. I am short and small so my pants tend to drag on the ground and my shirts are either too tight or too loose, hardly ever just right. As a result of my sizing predicament, I have made good friends with my local tailor. When I find my dream pair of pants that are about two feet too long and sag down around my  caboose I no longer have to give them back to the dressing room attendant. I now buy them, drop them off at my tailor and wait for them to come back sized for the perfect fit. Not only do my clothes feel better when they are custom sized, but they look a whole lot better too! 

The door shop at the Millwork Outlet is much like my local tailor. Many times construction projects require custom sized doors and in order to make the project work you either have to buy a standard door and try to modify it yourself or hire a professional. Cutting and tweaking a standard door to fit a custom opening can be compared to trying to do the tailoring on your own pants, but with the added complication of dangerous power tools and heavy lifting. As is the case with most do it yourself projects, your skill level and available tools will be instrumental in your success rate. The other alternative is to find a professional who can modify your door to fit. This is where the Millwork Outlet comes in. Our door shop allows us to modify standard doors to fit custom size openings. Additionally, we can sometimes change the look of a door in order achieve the exact effect you are looking for. And if you just can't find your dream door in the catalogs the Millwork Outlet can also play the role of a door seamstress and make you a completely custom door.

2011 was a rough year for the door industry. We saw one of our favorite door companies, International Door and Latch close their doors as well as many of our suppliers significantly reduce their product lines and inventory. Additionally, the bust in the construction and real estate market had a severe impact on the pipeline of our surplus products. Determined to not be defeated, the owners of the Millwork Outlet did what they do best: they got creative and adjusted to the changing market.

The project that best exemplifies the creative genius of the Millwork Outlet owners is the release of our new rustic series door. Each door in our rustic series was designed by our owner, Dan Drllevich and  are hand crafted by our door hangers and local woodworkers and artisans. The door series was created to offer our customers doors they cannot find anywhere else and provide something that is completely different from the box store norm. These doors are evidence of Dan's passion for incorporating nature into his designs as well as his formal art training. Each design uses different wood types, broken lines and finishing techniques to create positive and negative spaces that transforms each door into a true work of art. These doors are more than a product line extension for Dan and if you spend any time talking with him about his doors you will see this first hand. Because these doors are designed around the natural designs of the wood, no two doors are the same.  To view these amazing doors in person please come visit our showroom in Maple Valley.

Tongue and groove boards are extremely useful in a number of practical purposes. Flooring, shelving and decking commonly utilize a tongue and groove system for easy installation. Lately, we have seen tongue and groove boards being used for decorative purposes. Using thick tongue and groove boards as mantel shelves adds dimension to a typically flat surface and is becoming popular among interior decorators and designers. I have also seen tongue and groove boards used as tables, shelving and racking. Using the tongue and groove edges as an accent adds an extra dimension without going over the top.  We recently received a tuck of large tongue and groove boards that look beautiful when sanded and oiled. They are one of a kind pieces that are sure to stand out in your home. Come by to take look as these are selling fast and won't be around long!

Most people know the Millwork Outlet is a great place to find doors and windows. However, some people are surprised when they find out we have a large inventory of salvaged lumber and wood. Just yesterday we received a HUGE load of salvaged lumber from a Port of Tacoma demolition. If you are looking for a unique conversation piece for your home, make sure you come by and check out our new salvaged materials. In addition to providing you with materials for DIY projects, our custom shop can provide the labor to turn your ideas into reality. Throughout the years we have completed hundreds of custom projects for homeowners, builders, restaurants and retail stores. We have built all types of projects including mantels, tables, flooring, ceiling panels, doors, benches, shelving, wine racks, bar tops, stage props, ect. Below are some pictures of the new materials we received. Come visit us today to discuss your next project!

My husband and I recently bought a new house with the hope of fixing it and renting it out. We knew the house needed a lot of work when we bought it, but the price was right so we went for it. We were already a bit overwhelmed with the whole process of buying and financing an investment home in this lovely economy when we did a final inspection on the place two days before we were set to close on the house. And as our luck would have it, when we walked into the kitchen we walked into a wet mess. The kitchen sink had been leaking for the last few days and there were large puddles of water sitting on the floor. With only two days left to close we had a decision to make: continue with the purchase and sign our closing documents or put a halt on the closing and try to see if the bank would help us fix the problem. We decided to continue with the process as we didn't want to risk losing the house, but now we had a mess to fix. The water had been sitting long enough to cause a tremendous amount of expansion in the MDF underlayment. Our first idea was to notch out the underlayment to see if we could relieve the expansion, however, the expansion was too great for the underlayment to settle. In the end, we ended out ripping out all the underlayment. And now, we are stuck with the task of purchasing new underlayment and reinstalling flooring. We were in the process of researching different underlayment options when one of our sales reps came in with a sample of NewWood.

NewWood is an composite construction material that is a totally green product comprised of 50% wood and 50% polyethylene plastic formed with heat and pressure into panels that are durable, insect-proof and virtually waterproof. NewWood has a wide variety of uses, similar to how plywood or plastic sheeting is used in everything from crating to home building. Because NewWood has a surface that is easy to clean and durable, it is a great substitute for wood materials anywhere it comes in contact with food, animals or humans. So fruit bins, commercial kitchen walls, pallets for food products, and barn or animal enclosures are perfect for NewWood. With a durable surface that has a UV inhibitor, NewWood can be used for exterior sheathing, trim boards and fencing. And for cases like mine, the  water and chemical resistant qualities of NewWood makes it a great underlayment in kitchens and baths where leaks are likely. Because NewWood’s surface face is a polyethylene film layer which resists water absorption and the recycled plastic in its core minimizes edge swell and water penetration at exposed edges NewWood swells far less than most all wood products when exposed to water or humidity. And my favorite part of all is that NewWood is a local product made here is Elma, Washington.

NewWood panels are now available in 4' x 8' sheets and are 7/16" thick. The introductory price per sheet is $35. We are offering a $5 off coupon for up to 10 To view a sample of NewWood make sure you swing by the Millwork Outlet. NewWood boasts that because NewWood is durable, sanitary, water resistant, weather resistant, and insect resistant there are over 100 uses for their product. To see a list of all the suggested uses as well as additional information visit their website at www.newwood.com. We would love to hear (in the comments section below) if you have any ideas on how you can use NewWood on your next project.

Keeping track of all the federal and state incentives for being green can be overwhelming. But, for those of you who received the 2010 tax rebate for installing new energy efficient windows in your home, you probably know first hand how handy those rebates can be. In 2009 and 2010 the Federal governent offered a Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit for up to $1,500 on purchases made towards increasing the energy efficiency of residential homes. In 2011 the tax rebate was reduced to $500 and is only available to those individuals who have not yet claimed $500 in years past. Although the amount isn't as high, for those individuals who missed out on the $1,500 it is still a $500 rebate, which means more money in your pocket come tax season.

In addition to the Federal Tax Incentives many utility companies and state governments offer tax incentives for replacing inefficient windows and doors. I recently ran across a great website that lists all the available incentive programs by state. Included in the database are incentives for both commercial and residential buildings. To see if there are any incentive programs you qualify for please visit: http://www.dsireusa.org/

If you find that you qualify for an incentive program make sure you understand the requirements and order your products accordingly. When ordering windows make sure you know what U-Value is required to qualify for the credit. In most cases, off the shelf windows will not meet the requirements for qualifying for incentive programs so make sure you clarify with your sales professional whether t windows or doors will meet tax credit requirements.

I love to start projects. The problem for me, my husband and my home is that I don't love to finish them as much as I love to start them. I love the creative part of making an idea come to life, however when it comes time to put on the finishing touches and clean up, I tend to lose interest. Am I crazy...does anyone like that part? This weekend, my husband and I promised we would finish one of the many unfinished projects we have in our house. The project we choose is a project that has been on the back burner for the last six months and we finally finished it last night. I decided to share our project on this blog so that I may inspire one of our readers to complete one of their own pesky unfinished projects.

In The Beginning
Our project began at the scrapyard. My husband is a natural born treasure hunter and loves to frequent the scrapyards to see what kinds of treasures he can find. Usually his treasures are metal pieces he can use when welding. About six months ago he found a very large fir glulam beam. Having seen the projects Millwork Outlet has done in the past with gluelam beams (floors, tables paneling, ect), he decided to buy the beam. When he brought it to the Millwork Outlet I originally thought it would make a neat coffee table. It wasn't until we had a mobile milling machine come out to the Millwork Outlet three months later that we decided we would slice it into thinner more usable pieces. When it was finished being milled we had five 1 1/2" thick glulam boards that were 24" wide by 120" long. As soon as I saw the finished boards I knew I wanted to turn one into a kitchen countertop. And it was just my luck that my countertop measured 24" wide by 112" long.

Step One: Sand
Two months later we decided that we should probably put the glulam to use rather than let it sit outside through the rainy Seattle winter weather. Now I imagine there are probably instructions for making wood countertops on the internet, but both of us prefer to forge our own road, so we decided to wing it and use our common sense instead - after all we work at the Millwork Outlet so this should be easy. We started by sanding the board because I was pretty sure we didn't want slivers in our sandwiches when all was said and done. We sanded the top side as well as front edge with 85 grit sandpaper. We wanted to keep the board looking a bit rustic so we left some of the marks from the milling process. We finished the board with 120 grit sand paper which left the marks, but made the surface very smooth to the touch. We also double measured our countertop and realized that at 24" we would be a bit narrow since the ugly formica countertop we had has a 2" backsplash attached to the back. We found a piece of another board that had broken and sanded it down as well. Take home lesson: ALWAYS double measure.

Step Two: Finish and Protect
After we completed the sanding we were ready to apply a finish. Because it is a wood countertop and wood tends to rot when left wet, we knew the finishing step was extremely important. We had originally thought we would have to use an extra thick polyurethane coat, much like you see on bar tops in restaurants. However, a trip to the dreaded Home Depot made us think otherwise. Home Depot only carried one type of the extra thick polyurethane coating and was far from cost effective. We instead opted for a oil based polyurethane flooring coating because it is more resistant to scratches and it doesn't require sanding in between coats (did I mention I hate redundancy and inefficiency?) The instructions called for two coats for flooring, but since we expected the countertop to get fairly wet around the sink we decided to go a bit overboard and we applied six coats total. We did the same to the back splash.

Step Five: Install the Countertop
For those of you who have ever tried to remodel an older house you know how frustrating it can be. I would be willing to bet that there is not a single ninety degree corner in my house. We expected that when it came time to install the countertop we would have to make some adjustments and the gaps along the wall wouldn't be uniform. We were right. It took us a total of FIVE cuts and a timeout to move the stove before the countertop would slide into place.

Final Step: Install the Faucet and Drains and Caulk
My husband has a saying he learned as a teenager installing custom cabinets and that's "Do your best and then caulk the rest" and that's just what we did! We caulked the gaps between the countertop and the backsplash with clear silicone sealant so water cannot get behind the countertop. We also caulked the sink edges so water doesn't leak into our lower cabinets. And finally, we installed the faucet and drains and hooked them up to our existing system. The last step took the longest because we were completely burned out and wanted to quit. We almost didn't hook the sink up because we were so tired, but we figured if we didn't do it then it would probably stay that way until next week. Now the sink and countertop look beautiful, but the job is still not done because the old countertop is still sitting in pieces in our backyard and I cooked my breakfast this morning in my mircowave that is in my hall and as my Grandpa Val always says, "the jobs not finished until you are all done cleaning up"!

NOTE: We have three glulam boards left if anyone is interested in making a glulam countertop of their own. Feel free to give the Millwork Outlet a call (425)432-5189 and ask for Venise.

In the past few years we have observed a noticeable increase in the number of customers searching our surplus window lot for affordable windows to install into their chicken coops. According to THIS article in the New York Times backyard chicken coops are springing up all over the place, even on the roof tops and in gardens of city dwellers. The owners of the Millwork Outlet, Dan and Darryl Drllevich were raised on a small farm in Kent, WA where they raised cows, sheep, chickens and other farm animals. Both brothers have fond memories of caring for their animals and love talking to our customers about their chicken coop, barn and farmyard projects. With the increasing requests for chicken coop products we started searching for items that can help our customers build attractive and affordable chicken coops. We recently stumbled upon about 20 large shipping crates measuring 48" x 48" x 96" that will make a great structure for chicken coops. Rather than spending a fortune on lumber, these shipping crates are already built to last. A saws-all, chicken wire, paint and some carefully planned holes will turn these crates into cute chicken coops in no time. I searched the internet for pictures of chicken coops built from shipping crates and found the one below. These coops are built from smaller shipping crates, but the idea is similar. These already complete shipping crates are sold for $70 but as the seller warns the shipping from California would cost more than the coop. We are selling our shipping crates for only $45. For pictures and details please visit our surplus website HERE. Come get them today and you'll be on your way to collecting great tasting eggs for your morning omelet!

I can hardly believe the Millwork Outlet has been in business for twenty years. As the daughter of Dan Drllevich, one of the owners and manager at the Maple Valley store there was never a time when I wasn't a part of the  hustle and bustle at the Millwork Outlet. I was six when the Millwork Outlet first opened their doors, but my family has been making a living at the Maple Valley location my entire life. My family photo albums are filled with pictures of me toddling around the Millwork Outlet grounds hanging out with my dad in his acid wash pants and tank tops when the store was an auto body shop. I have fond memories of my sister and I spending the day at work with my dad. We spent hours earning money by sorting nuts and bolts in the office. Looking back I am pretty sure my dad never used  those nuts and bolts, it was more an effort to keep us busy for long hours. As we got older we were allowed to answer the phone. My  six year old sister, being the overachiever she is, created her own office space with a custom made desk fashioned out of the drawers of the big person desk and a door panel. She created business cards and an alternate identity. When she was in the office at Millwork Outlet she went by Maxine, no one was allowed to call her Belinda. In high school the Millwork Outlet employed me and a few of my high school friends. Keeping track of our availability between school, sports and social events was undoubtedly more trouble than we were worth, but dad liked having us around, and the young and able bodies came in handy when it came time to load our customer's doors and windows. After college I left the Millwork Outlet and got a "real" job. I loved my new job, but missed the Millwork Outlet incredibly. After a couple of years away I have returned to the Millwork Outlet where I have the opportunity to work alongside my dad, grandpa, stepmother, husband, stepbrother, cousin, aunt and uncle. Working with my family is not always easy, but I love it. I am extremely thankful to all the customers who have supported us throughout the years, they are the reason the Millwork Outlet is celebrating our 20th anniversary and I get to work with my family. This week I felt it appropriate to thank our customers for their support which prompted me to write a letter to the Editor of Maple Valley's local paper the Voice of the Valley. I have included it below so that all our customers can read it and know how much our family appreciates your business!
   
Dear Editor,
 
I would like to take a moment to thank the citizens of Maple Valley who remember to shop locally and support the small businesses in Maple Valley. I am the daughter and neice of the owners of the Millwork Outlet. This year is Millwork Outlet's 20th year in business and it is because of our local and loyal customers that we have weathered the troubled economy and have been able to give back to our community. Having grown up in Maple Valley area my whole life I have seen how important the Millwork Outlet and other small businesses are to the success of our community. Growing up the Millwork Outlet has sponsored all of my and my cousin's parks and recreation athletic teams. They have also donated countless items to community fundraisers. Additionally, the Millwork Outlet has employeed numerous local high school students who are in need of summer jobs to help pay for college.  Now as an adult, I have the opportunity to work for the Millwork Outlet alongside my grandfather, father, husband, aunt, uncle, brother, mother and cousin. It is great to work within the community I live and get to know my neighbors. Many of our customers are local contractors, handymen and installers and I know they appreciate the support of their community as well. It has been a pleasure serving our customers and community. In celebration of all the amazing customers we have had the honor of serving over the last 20 years we will be having a Customer Appreciation Day on August 20, 2011 with lots of great deals on home remodeling products. We will also have a garage sale benefiting Seattle's Habitat for Humanity. We invite everyone to come out, enjoy some free BBQ lunch and meet the Millwork Outlet family! Thank you Maple Valley for being a part of our family business!  

Thanks,  

Venise Cunningham