volume 10, issue 36 - home improvement guide. pt. 2

HI1www.longislandpress.com | Long IsLand Press for september 27 - october 3, 2012 spec ial pullout sect ion fall home improvement part 2

HI2 Long IsLand Press for september 27 - october 3, 2012 | www.longislandpress.com spec ial pullout sect ion fall home improvement part 2

HI3www.longislandpress.com | Long IsLand Press for september 27 - october 3, 2012 spec ial pullout sect ion fall home improvement part 2B6 L o n g I s L a n d P r e s s f o r m a r c h 2 2 - m a r c h 2 8 , 2 01 2 | w w w. l o n g i s l a n d p r e s s . c o m Spring Home improvement Special pullout Sect ion

L.I. Contractor Gives Back

Thirteen years ago, Gary Zaccaro brought with him to Massapequa a six-year-old home improvement company committed to rebuilding and renovating homes, sometimes from the ground up. Since that time, Zaccaro has also dedicated himself to his community and struggling neighbors that he’s also helped lift off the ground, armed with a toolbox and a big heart.

Earlier this year, Zaccaro, founder and President of Ambas-sador Home Improvement, got a call from the White House asking him to visit. No work needed to be done, of course, President Barack Obama wanted to honor the 46-year-old Mass-apequa resident for his work in the community, and awarded him with the gold-level Presi-dential Volunteer Service Award, which hangs in his office.

The presidential recogni-tion doesn’t just stem from one generous offer to help a family, but from a lifetime of service to his neighbors.

“I can’t help the world, I’m one person,” says Zaccaro, also the vice president of Drug Free Massapequa. “But if it’s local within my community I try to get involved as much as a I can.”

In January, Zaccaro read about a man battling a very aggressive form of leukemia that limited his interaction with his family because of the dangers of contracting germs and other bacteria. Realizing how sad it was that the man could barely touch his kids, Zaccaro felt like he needed to step in.

“I decided to renovate an entire basement for him and make it a germ-free living space

for him so he can live within his house and be able to still see his family,” he says. “But God forbid his children - he has two little kids - if one of them was sick and he hugged them, he has no immune system, he could die.”

The renovation cost $35,000. All of it came out of his own pocket.

Three years ago, Zaccaro decided to build a new press box for the local little league team so players, coaches and fans could have a warm area to sit in during games. That cost him $25,000.

It’s a lot of money, but he’s glad to do it.

Through 19 years of running his business, Zaccaro has rolled with the punches. Business was great in the ‘90s when the economy was booming, and then he had to lead the company through the Great Recession. But he never wavered in his commitment to the community.

“My whole life has been trying to get somebody to sign a contract with me so I could renovate their home,” he says. “To be able to sit in front of somebody and say ‘look you don’t have to sign anything, I’m doing it, there’s no charge, I want to do it, I feel good about it,’ it makes me feel really good about myself.”

adVerTorial

dedICaTes LIFe, BUsInessTo HeLP oTHers

B6 L o n g I s L a n d P r e s s f o r m a r c h 2 2 - m a r c h 2 8 , 2 01 2 | w w w. l o n g i s l a n d p r e s s . c o m Spring Home improvement Special pullout Sect ion

L.I. Contractor Gives Back

Thirteen years ago, Gary Zaccaro brought with him to Massapequa a six-year-old home improvement company committed to rebuilding and renovating homes, sometimes from the ground up. Since that time, Zaccaro has also dedicated himself to his community and struggling neighbors that he’s also helped lift off the ground, armed with a toolbox and a big heart.

Earlier this year, Zaccaro, founder and President of Ambas-sador Home Improvement, got a call from the White House asking him to visit. No work needed to be done, of course, President Barack Obama wanted to honor the 46-year-old Mass-apequa resident for his work in the community, and awarded him with the gold-level Presi-dential Volunteer Service Award, which hangs in his office.

The presidential recogni-tion doesn’t just stem from one generous offer to help a family, but from a lifetime of service to his neighbors.

“I can’t help the world, I’m one person,” says Zaccaro, also the vice president of Drug Free Massapequa. “But if it’s local within my community I try to get involved as much as a I can.”

In January, Zaccaro read about a man battling a very aggressive form of leukemia that limited his interaction with his family because of the dangers of contracting germs and other bacteria. Realizing how sad it was that the man could barely touch his kids, Zaccaro felt like he needed to step in.

“I decided to renovate an entire basement for him and make it a germ-free living space

for him so he can live within his house and be able to still see his family,” he says. “But God forbid his children - he has two little kids - if one of them was sick and he hugged them, he has no immune system, he could die.”

The renovation cost $35,000. All of it came out of his own pocket.

Three years ago, Zaccaro decided to build a new press box for the local little league team so players, coaches and fans could have a warm area to sit in during games. That cost him $25,000.

It’s a lot of money, but he’s glad to do it.

Through 19 years of running his business, Zaccaro has rolled with the punches. Business was great in the ‘90s when the economy was booming, and then he had to lead the company through the Great Recession. But he never wavered in his commitment to the community.

“My whole life has been trying to get somebody to sign a contract with me so I could renovate their home,” he says. “To be able to sit in front of somebody and say ‘look you don’t have to sign anything, I’m doing it, there’s no charge, I want to do it, I feel good about it,’ it makes me feel really good about myself.”

adVerTorial

dedICaTes LIFe, BUsInessTo HeLP oTHers


by dan o’reganHigher energy bills seem inevitable

when winter comes, but greening one’s home by making it more energy efficient and environmentally friendly is a smart way to help keep home heating costs down during the colder months.

according to gordian raacke, founder and executive director of nonprofit renewable energy long island, long islanders still have a long way to go in making their homes as green as possible. He offers some tips for homeowners.

“schedule a general checkup for your home called a home energy audit,” he says. “a qualified energy professional will give you a list of upgrades for your home to consider.”

Homeowners can then choose what to improve, continues raacke. long island power authority (lipower.org) offers free home energy audits, he adds, as do programs available through the long island green Homes consortium (longis-landgreenHomes.org), a cooperative effort of seven municipalities to help residents upgrade their homes’ energy performance.

one costly waste for many long islanders is heat escaping through folding attic stairs. an easy remedy, says raacke, is an attic tent—a sealable, insulated barrier

blocking the staircase opening. attic roof insulation can also be a

weak point in many homes across long island, says mark gunthner, president of brentwood-based Home performance tech-nologies (Homeperformancetechnologies.com). a quick way to better insulate an attic, he explains, is with spray foam roofing—the application of foam insulation either inside the attic or coating the roof.

“[spray foam roofing] is one of the best measures you can do to improve the energy efficiency of your house,” says gunthner. “it brings your attic into the thermal boundary so it is now conditioned space, and the heat stays in the attic and doesn’t get lost through the attic.”

attics aren’t the only places drafts can occur in a home, stresses david magid, renewable energy coordinator at you save green (yousavegreen.com), a renewable energy contractor with offices in albertson. that’s because most homes are not com-pletely airtight, he says.

“reducing airflow is critical in the winter time,” he explains. “there is a lot of small things that add up. these small holes can sometimes be equivalent to a window being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in the middle of the winter.”

Homeowners should also look at openings they may not consider problems, continues magid. central air vents and wall-mounted air conditioner units left unsealed in winter can be a big drain on a heating bill.

massapequa park-based maVcap industries aims to eliminate this problem entirely with its ac draftshields. the clear-plastic covers fit over central air grates and wall-mounted air conditioners to seal out drafts. the company (acdraftshields.com) is also developing a cover to fit over electri-cal outlets to prevent drafts through non-insulated wall spaces. these products keep energy costs down while more efficiently heating a home in the winter.

chu & gassman consulting engineers calculated that ac draftshields can save oil users $103 annually for through-wall air conditioners and $260 per year for central air grates covered, according to maVcap’s website. the products have the potential to save gas users $89 annually for covering through-wall air conditioners and $244 per year for central-air vents.

“something as simple as blocking a draft has a profound impact on [energy costs],” says maVcap industries president tom mavroudis. “depending on how bad your systems are between your outlets, your vents and your through-the-wall air condi-tioner, you could save 10 to 15 percent off your energy bill.”

For more ideas, check out the li green Homes open House, a free event on oct. 13 at 15 locations across li, offering tours, green technology in action and talks with homeowners and contractors. to register visit renewableenergylongisland.org. .

GreeninG Your Home

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by Laura Cerrone

John sopack never expected to have his basement renovated for free. He also never thought he would be diagnosed with leukemia in september 2011.

the young married father of two had no escape in his own home from germs that could delay his recovery. gary Zaccaro read about sopack’s illness in a local newspaper and decided he would lend a helping hand, and an open wallet.

Zaccaro has built his business, mass-apequa-based ambassador Home improve-ment, by renovating homes for nearly 20 years. without any hesitation, Zaccaro completed sopack’s basement, outfitting it with metal stairs so dangerous mold couldn’t grow, as well as keeping the work environ-ment free of dust.

before donating his time, resources, and paying for sopack’s basement renova-tion, Zaccaro had been active in helping the local massapequa community since 2009.

“i know it sounds very generic but i just love helping people,” he tells the press.

Zaccaro was approached by the mass-apequa coast little league team to help spruce up the baseball fields at John J. burns park in massapequa. the long island and new york state champion team was looking to add a press box and Zaccaro, a coach of one of the teams, stepped up to the plate.

“i never did something of that scale

before. it was exciting and fun, and it was nice to have good things come out of it,” he says.

more good things were to come Zaccaro’s way after helping out sopack. Zaccaro says someone anonymously nominated him for a president’s Volunteer service award.

“the white House called my office and i thought it was a joke,” he says, referring to when he was notified in February about winning.

Zaccaro describes the experience as one of the most amazing in his life, but is even happier about the response of locals who’ve been calling up and asking how they can get involved, too. He believes that when people work together to help others, it only leads to more positivity.

it has also made his employees happier to work for him.

“my employees see what i do in the community, and it makes them feel good about working for me and working for this community,” says Zaccaro.

Zaccaro says community service can be “infectious.” recently, don Higgins realty, a manhattan- and oyster bay-based real estate company, has also caught the bug, donating 10 percent of its commission sales to charities.

matt mcgarry, a real estate broker with dHr who lives in locust Valley, agrees that employees derive happiness from working for a company that gives back to the community.

GivinG Back

mcgarry says dHr’s owner, don Higgins, has wanted to be charitable for years, but dHr has only been able to donate to charities for about five months due to verifying docu-mentation with the state.

in those five months, dHr has donated to the east end Hospice, the eastern long island Hospital, lead the way Fund, the life enrichment center at oyster bay, long island alzheimer’s Foundation, manhasset student aid association, north shore animal league america, north shore-liJ Health system Foundation and the peconic bay medical center Foundation, he says. dHr is planning to spread its charitable donations to the boys and girls club in locust Valley, too, he adds.

“Unfortunately because of the economy these charities are the first to feel the cuts,” says mcgarry, explaining why they chose to start their charity work.

alure Home improvements in east meadow is another long island company that has made donating to charity and volunteer-ing its time two of its top priorities. over the past few years, alure has been involved with more than 20 different projects that have benefited everyone from college students to cancer patients.

most notable of all the work is the eight times alure has been a remodeler for the television show extreme Makeover: Home edition.

sal Ferro, alure’s president and ceo, says his company’s experience has been rewarding.

“i’ve been touched by the number of people we’ve heard from that were inspired to get involved in supporting other charitable organizations after volunteering on one of our extreme Makeover projects and experiencing

the gift of changing lives,” he says. Ferro echoes Zaccaro’s sentiment

that employee morale is improved by their company’s charity work, and their contribu-tion is invaluable and inspirational.

“i’m just thankful that alure is fortunate to be in a position where we can actually make a difference,” he says.

From John sopack, to the eight families with new homes, and all the hundreds of other people touched by Zacarro, don Higgins realty, and Ferro’s commitment to the community, long island has learned how far the positive, selfless acts of some of its top businesses can reach.

“I’ve been touched by the number

of people we’ve heard from that

were inspired to get involved in support-ing other charitable organizations after

volunteering on one of our Extreme Makeover projects and experiencing

the gift of changing lives.”

—alUre Home improVements

president and ceo sal Ferro

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GOOD ADVICE FROMTHE GOOD HANDS®

Q:

A:

With all the floods in the news, I’m starting towonder: will my home insurance cover me if myhouse floods?

Most homeowners policies don’t cover flooddamages. It’s why, in 1968, Congress establishedthe National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Allstate sells and administers flood policies forthe NFIP. While the federal government pays forthe actual claims, Allstate handles the claimsprocess. So you can expect the same great serviceon your flood claim as with your homeownersinsurance.

You can check your home’s flood risk at www.floodsmart.gov by entering your address.If you have any risk at all, it’s worth talking withme to see how much flood insurance would cost.

I’m here to answer other questions you mighthave about home and car insurance as well. Whenever you have a question, I’m just downthe street - or a phone call away.

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Flood insurance may be available through either an Allstate Agent or directly from FEMA andprovided by the National Flood Insurance Program. Allstate Property and Casualty InsuranceCompany: Northbrook, IL. © 2009 Allstate Insurance Company

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*Loans provided by EnerBank USA (1245 E Brickyard Rd. Ste 640, Salt Lake City, UT 84106) on approved credit, for a limited time. Repayment terms vary from 12 to 84 months. First monthly payment will be due 30 days after the loan closes. 0% fixed APR, subject to change.

Sunrooms • Additions • Windows • Kitchens • Bath Liners • Siding • Security Doors • And More!(800)-FOUR SEASONS • WWW.FOURSEASONSLI.COM

Visit our home improvement resource center: 5005 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Holbrook N.Y. 11741

Built by Long Islanders, for Long Islanders. Four Seasons® has been the most trusted name on Long Island for home improvements for almost 40 years! See the best addition solutions in America at prices you won’t find anywhere else.

EVERYTHING NOW!

THERE’S NEVER BEEN A BETTER

TIME TO BUYLIMITED TIME OFFER:

1/2 OFF + 0%!

FOUR SEASONS DOES IT ALL!

SUNROOMS • ADDITIONS WINDOWS • KITCHENS

BATHS • SIDING • DOORS AND MUCH MORE!

12MONTH PRICEGUARANTEE

800-FOUR SEASONS CALL FOR A FREE IN-HOME

DESIGN CONSULTATION!

BOOK YOURAPPOINTMENT

TODAY!See for yourself:• The NEW Hybrid Room: European Inspiration, American Innovation.• The NEW Hampton Room: The World’s Finest Sunrooms Meets the World’s Finest Windows.• Kitchens with FREE Granite work tops and FREE under counter sinks. CALL NOW!

More Reasons for Four Seasons !

More Reasons for Four Seasons®!

Energy Efficient WINDOWS

Now 50%Off!

Security DOORS

50%Off!

The NEWHAMPTON

ROOM isNow 50%Off!

The NEW HYBRID ROOM

Now 50%Off!

INTEREST THROUGH 2017

*

0%

Energy Efficient

The

KITCHENSat 50%Off!KITCHENS

BATHROOMS50%Off!

MMS

y

f!f!

SIDING 50%Off!

!!!!!

he NEW

!!!!

he NEW

Take Advantage of our Biggest Sale EVER!NOW THRU OCT. 9TH! CALL TODAY: (800)-FOUR SEASONS

volume 10, issue 36 - home improvement guide. pt. 2

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