You’ll enjoy viewing our new Slide Show, prepared for the Home, Garden and Lifestyle exhibit. Click here: Acheson Builders
A look at Acheson Builders’ legacy
March 28th, 2010Home, Garden and Lifestyle – GREAT Show!
March 22nd, 2010
Acheson Builders display 3-2010
Acheson Builders displayed a booth for the first time this past weekend, in the Home Garden and Lifestyle trade show at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds, sponsored by the Builders & Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor . Over 5000 people attended, and Jim Acheson and I (Marilyn Acheson) thoroughly enjoyed meeting many new friends, as well as greeting some of our loyal past clients and associates who came to visit our booth. It really was fun and exciting – and I loved showing off Jim’s handiwork and design ability.
Jim Acheson designed and created (with the help of our fine craftsmen) a beautiful maple and walnut paneled wall to display photo enlargements from some of our projects. In addition, we designed and built a custom desk with granite top, attaching to a short paneled wall to match the tall one. We also built some beautiful triangular matching wood flower stands. All of this was custom designed by Jim Acheson, with special curved molding, both concave and convex, and unique accents of walnut wood, finished with a clear water-based acrylic to allow the light and dark colors of the wood to shine through.
We also displayed a kiosk with 4 panels, pictorially telling the stories of two before and after case studies, one passive solar home, as well as our unique design-build process. Many people were impressed by our process laid out so clearly in this format.
We’re looking forward to working with some new clients and showing how we are a great choice for their remodeling projects: our owner, Jim Acheson, with 37 years of experience, personally oversees and is involved from start to finish in making sure our clients have a remarkable experience in working with us, and we promise to stay on schedule and on budget to the very best of our ability. Just listen to audio testimonials of prior clients – and you will see!

Jim Acheson, Owner, at the Home & Garden show, March 2010
Two Pieces Out of Place
March 1st, 2010I love puzzles.
They always teach me good life lessons.
Like this one, a Van Gogh Starry Night painting, that I got from my son for Christmas. (That I am still working on!!!)
I am learning all kinds of things with this one.
Like perseverance, diligence, self control. (I have to limit myself to a couple of pieces a day. That means I’ll be done with all 1000 pieces by the end of 2010.) (Well – the self control isn’t working that well. Occasionally I get 4 or 5 pieces in a day.)
But I am learning. One thing I have learned is that there can easily be a piece or two out of place, and it can look like it works just fine. I’m an artist – I could have painted it that way. However, I am not Van Gogh, Van Gogh was thinking differently than me. So many times, I find I have put two or more pieces in the wrong place. In this puzzle, there are very few variations in shape, so many can “fit” in the wrong place. You find out down the road that the rest of pieces aren’t going together that well. Two pieces out of place can make a big difference.
It’s like life: if there are a few pieces out of place, you don’t always find out until down the road a bit. Like eating and exercise: if you don’t have those pieces in the right place in your life, you may find yourself getting unhealthy and overweight. Or like buying and charging things on credit cards: you may find down the road that you really can’t afford to pay for all those things you purchased. Scripture reading and prayer are two very important pieces in life – if you don’t have those in place, you will find your strength waning and your heart unfulfilled. You may even find yourself in the WRONG place at the end of this life.
It’s true for construction too. You want everything built on a solid foundation. You want every piece to fit together properly – not only to fit tightly and look good now, but also to be done totally correctly so they the pieces look good together and last longer and hold up beautifully over the long run. That’s why hiring a really good and really experienced builder is so important. For Acheson Builder experience is one of our great fortes. We specialize in putting it all together in the right way, to provide the best looking and best possible outcome for your home.
Like pieces of a beautiful puzzle masterpiece.
THE INSIDE OUTSIDE GUYS
February 17th, 2010
We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with a radio show called The Inside Outside Guys, which airs on WMUZ 103.5 FM on Saturday mornings (8 -11 am), and soon to be Sundays as well. It is hosted by two very experienced professionals in the construction field, who are sharing their knowledge on the radio, to help homeowners with advice on anything to do with your home, both inside and outside. Ken and Chuck are not only knowledgeable, they are also fun to listen to, very funny, yet honest and trustworthy as well. Check them out on WMUZ! This coming Saturday, 2/20/2010, they will be introducing our company on air as a company that they recommend and refer people to in the Ann Arbor area. We are excited to have their endorsement. We are also glad to recommend them to our clients to listen to and learn about many home care and maintenance issues. We hope you will enjoy the show!
FREE TICKETS – Home and Garden Show
February 16th, 2010We are proud to be presenting our company in the upcoming HOME GARDEN & LIFESTYLE SHOW, sponsored by the Builders and Remodelers Association of Greater Ann Arbor. This will be held on Friday through Sunday, March 19 – 21, 2010, at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds.
Acheson Builders will be in the first building, in a booth on your right, soon after the entrance and ticket table. Stop by to see us!
There will also be lots of other vendors, including lots of landscape companies that always present really beautiful gardens and displays. It’s a fun way to get your spring gardening and home improvement ideas in gear!
I have one hundred free tickets to give away. They will be selling for $5.00 each at the door, but I’D LOVE TO GIVE YOU SOME FREE TICKETS! Just email me or call with your name and address, and we will mail these out to you.
Email marilyn@achesonbuilders.com to let me know how many tickets you would like.
We’ll see you at the show!
THE RELATIONSHIP BUILDER
February 14th, 2010
We build relationships! At Acheson Builders, it’s not just about quality of construction or great design, although those are certainly of high priority. It’s about building a relationship with you – earning your trust – getting to know you and your needs, so that we can meet them with the best possible service and performance. Our clients become part of our “family” and we treat them with respect and genuine personal concern. We build long term relationships with our clients, so we can take care of their needs, as they come up. It’s not surprising then, that many of our clients call us for subsequent home improvement projects over the years. We love our clients!
Thinking about Valentine’s Day, besides thinking about all the family that I love, I think about how much we love and appreciate our clients. I’d love to give each of you flowers!
Marilyn Acheson
Vice President
Remodeling Cost Vs. Value 2009-2010
January 12th, 2010Below I have posted the information for our region of the country (East-North-Central) for typical costs of various projects, and the potential recoup of your investment dollars when you sell – as well as the comparison of these with National Averages from 2008-2009.
I have posted both midrange prices as well as some upscale pricing. These give you a good idea of some of the investment required for various types of remodeling projects. Obviously, there can be a very wide variation in costs and investment, depending on many many factors.
The following excerpts are from Remodeling Magazine. For the full article and more information go to Cost vs.Value Report online. Also, with each type of project below, you’ll find a link to a description within the magazine article, that describes approximately the size and major assumptions for each.
REMODELING Magazine COST VS VALUE Report 2009 – 2010
East North Central Area…………………….2008-09 National Averages
Job Cost Resale $ % Recouped PROJECT TYPE……. .Job Cost Resale$ % Recouped
$51,226 $32,943 64.3%_Attic Bedroom (midrange)_ $48,398 $35,694 73.8%
$14,906 $ 7,158 48.0%_Backup Power Generator __$14,040 _$ 8,026 57.2%
$64,008 $37,851_59.1%_Basement Remodel (midrange) $61,011 _$44,467 72.9%
$40,178 $22,322 55.6%_Bathroom Addition (midrange) $38,078 $24,187 63.5%
$77,667 $44,865 57.8%_Bathroom Addition (upscale) _$74,325 $49,100_66.1%
$16,568 $10,656 64.3%_Bathroom Remodel (midrange) $15,899 _$11,857 74.6%
$53,345 $32,875 61.6%_Bathroom Remodel (upscale) _$51,455 $36,400 70.7%
$15,440 $ 9,910 64.2%_Deck (composite) (midrange) _$15,277 $11,857 74.6%
$37,893 $20,747 54.8%_Deck (composite) (upscale) __$37,498 _ $23,706 63.2%
$10,534 $ 7,263 68.9%_Deck (wood) (midrange) _____$10,601 $8,676 81.8%
$85,752 $49,641 57.9%_Family RoomAddition (midrange)$81,315 $53,608 65.9%
$60,018 $33,559 55.9%_Garage Addition (midrange) __$57,272 _ $38,161 66.6%
$89,732 $47,908 53.4%_Garage Addition (upscale) ____$85,844 $53,908 62.8%
$28,979 $13,224 45.6% _Home Office Remodel (midrange) $28,094 $15,329 54.6%
$21,758 $15,038 69.1%_Minor Kitchen Remodel (midrange)$21,246 $16,881 79.5%
$58,253 $38,726 66.5%_Major Kitchen Remodel (midrange)$56,611 $43,030 76.0%
$113,056 $70,703 62.5%_Major Kitchen Remodel (upscale)_$110,964 $78,398 _70.7%
$107,036 $62,377 58.3%_Master Suite Addition (midrange)$101,571 $67,037 66.0%
$231,714 $124,730 53.8%_Master Suite Addition (upscale) _$223,876 $136,764 61.1%
$20,227 $11,056 54.7%_Roofing Replacement (midrange) $18,825 $12,336 65.5%
$39,144 $20,594 52.6%_Roofing Replacement (upscale)_ $36,296 $22,861 63.0%
$12,965 $10,279 79.3%_Siding Replc (fiber-cement) (upscale) $13,177 $11,424 86.7%
$10,398 $ 7,591 73.0%_Siding Replcmnt(vinyl) (midrange) $10,256 $ 8,274 80.7%
$12,184 $ 9,061 74.4%_Siding Replcmnt (foam-backed vinyl)$12,528 $10,074 80.4%
$71,591 $36,740 51.3%_Sunroom Addition (midrange) __ $71,745 $70,715 56.7%
$152,236 $93,575 61.5%_Two-Story Addition (midrange) _$146,538 $103,553 70.7%
$11,076 $ 7,429 67.1%_Window Replcmnt (vinyl) (midrange)$10,537 $ 8,132 77.2%
$14,322 $ 9,806 68.5%_Window Replcmnt (vinyl) (upscale) $13,608 $10,781 79.2%
$12,117 $ 8,156 67.3%_Window Replcmnt (wood) (midrange)$11,512 $ 8,946 77.7%
$18,276 $12,127 66.4%_Window Replcmnt (wood) (upscale) $17,580 $13,455 76.5%
Kitchen Products: Rotisserie
December 1st, 2009I just saw this on e-build, an online resource for building products.
Wouldn’t it be fun to have a rotisserie in your own kitchen! What a healthful, fun way to cook!
ACHESON BUILDERS VIDEO
November 25th, 2009Watch this short video that features some of our recent projects. Enjoy the music as well!
A+ with BBB!
November 18th, 2009We’re proud to continue to be accredited with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of southeastern Michigan.
We have been members of the Better Business Bureau for over 9 years, and we have an A+ RATING – which means you can TRUST US when it comes to your project!
This means we take care of our clients, and we strive to please you each and every day with our design creativity, our workmanship, our integrity and follow through, as well as our fastidious care for and protection of your property.

