We wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving along with a wish that you enjoy this special time with family and friends. We will be closed Thanksgiving Day and the day after Thanksgiving so we may spend time with our families.

We will be back in the office at 9 a.m. on Monday looking forward to a fun week!

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Professional Remodeler magazine recently reported that the BuildFax Remodeling Index showed that September’s Remodeling activity was the highest since BuildFax introduced the index in 2004 and the 23rd straight month of increases. BuildFax is an organization according to their website who “collects and organizes construction records on millions of properties from cities and counties across the United States. BuildFax collects its data on new construction, major systems repair, additions, renovations, roofs, pools, demolitions, contractors and more”.

Helping the Remodeling index no doubt are record low mortgage rates that have enticed homeowners to move in to the remodeling and construction market again and resume improving their homes. We at AnchorBayTile talk to customers who have been putting off projects for 2 – 3 years and now they are finally gaining a little financial stability in their lives which leads to more confidence to move forward on projects they have wanted to do for some time.

Three regions saw an increase in activity: the West which was up 43.5%, the Midwest which was up 15.9%, and the South which showed an increase of 9% over the previous month.

Great news for sure and we always tell our customers that one’s home is a great place to invest your money since this is an asset that you have virtually 100% control over its long term performance. Feel free to leave any comments on whether you are seeing signs of increased renovation activity in your own community.

For those doing some renovations this holiday season and wanting to stay on a budget, have a look at our Coastal Blends ¾ x ¾ glass mosaic tiles. Our Coastal Blends glass mosaic tiles are priced at a very affordable $5.50 per square foot – ONLY – and they make a very nice addition to any room in the home. This price can’t be beat and is within the budget of most anyone planning a renovation.

Our coastal blends glass mosaic tiles are available in 10 super colors and all material is in stock and ready for immediate shipment to your door.

For today only take 10% off of our Solana glass subway tiles for any paid order of 20 square feet or more. Call in your order to our toll free number and we will take the discount off of the normal price at the time of order. And remember that to qualify for free shipping any order total must be $299 or more of tile ordered.

This discount offer is only being promoted for today on our blog so if you are kind enough to visit our blog as one of our readers this is our way of saying thank you to you. Our Solana glass subway tiles would look great on your kitchen backsplash ahead of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Or, upgrade that hallway bathroom that everyone will use so the compliments come en masse this holiday season when the guests arrive.

Thanks again for stopping by the blog and we look forward to speaking with you on Friday.

Our Elements ceramic tiles collection is a great choice for accent tiles and they come in several wonderful patterns that will add some visual spark to any room. Choose the ever-popular Clifton or Tubac design with a ceramic tile or a glass tile to give your room more depth and a design focal point.

The Elements ceramic tile collection are all hand painted by ceramic artists and then fired on to our proprietary ceramic bisque to ensure their durability and long lasting finish.

Order the Elements tiles from the AnchorBayTile website today.

For those looking for a beautiful accent tile for an upcoming tile project have a look at our Kimono Bamboo accent tiles for your home or commercial location. The tiles come in two sizes – a 4 x 4 size to match up with more traditional tile sizes as well as a subway tile size of 2.5 x 8 for more horizontal and liner tile projects.

The tiles come in three wonderful colors and all have been a hit with our AnchorBayTile customers. For installation purposes the tiles come with a backing material making for an easy installation for any DIY’er or tile installer.

Kimono Bamboo accent tiles are in stock and ready for immediate shipment.

An often overlooked detail when planning a kitchen tile project is the switchplates that will be needed to add that last bit of decorative touch. We often are asked what kind of switchplate do we recommend to coordinate with many of our tiles and we do our best when we receive these questions to offer good suggestions depending on the tile and color chosen.

Now we received a tip from a customer on a good online source of switchplates and we thought we would pass it on to our Blog readers. Arnev Products, Inc is a Wisconsin based manufacturer of mostly switchplates as well as a few cabinet hardware items. They have a deep selection of products covering a wide variety of switchplate choices.

According to the Arnev Products website their switchplate products are unique because their products have a scratch resistant, low maintenance finish. And they use heavy gauge metal, so that the products are very sturdy, not flimsy as some “gift shop” plates can be.

Have a look at the Arnev website if you are looking for switchplates for your tile project or maybe you might just want to add a small and inexpensive decorative touch to your kitchen or home.

We thought we would get a little crazy this week and change things up a bit for some mid-week fun. Our customers are the beneficiaries for today if they have our Coastal Blends glass mosaic tiles in their plans.

For today only, receive one free sheet of our Coastal Blends ¾ x ¾ glass mosaic tiles for every five square feet (sheets) that you order – up to a maximum of 5 free sheets. The offer requires and begins with any order of 15 sheets or more to qualify. So, any order over 15 sheets and beginning with sheet number 16 in your order will qualify for one free sheet of tile for every five that are ordered.

Call in your order to us at 1 888 260-7371 and we will happily complete the order and ship the material as quickly as possible. As always, we truly do appreciate your business and your support.

Anyone have a look at where mortgage rates are these days? Well if you are in the market to buy a house it is a very good time because prices continue to remain low and mortgage rates are defying gravity and any reasonable explanation for their low levels.

For a 30 year fixed of course depending on your lender and credit score, a rate on a 30 year fixed of 4% is entirely possible for many folks out there. And if you want to pay a point on the loan amount a rate of 3.8% is also within reach. The savings on a monthly mortgage payment on a 4% mortgage vs a 5.5% to 6% mortgage where rates were only a few year ago are tremendous. The savings in interest over the life of the loan would make a serious dent in your kids college education costs.

We have said this before in our blog, if you are in the market at all for a home, this is clearly a good time to buy for anyone with decent to good credit. Time to “jump in” if this includes you.

Wow, can’t believe those rates!!!

Phyllis Richardson’s new book Nano House is a walk through the world of design efficiency and the maximization of space. Ms. Richardson’s book details 42 unique houses and loosely attempts to categorize them in to five sections based on criteria she has established.

While many of the homes have been written about extensively in design publications and architectural guides the author takes time in her book to explain in more detail than was previously possible the why, where, and how about each home. Ms Richardson admits that many of the homes have been built for and may be more suitable as retreats and vacation homes rather than primary residences. Our only wish from the book is that she would have profiled more smaller primary residences and detailed how these owners have adapted to everyday living in a small home footprint.

The book is available now online and in Barnes & Noble stores. It makes for a nice read for those who enjoy the “finer points” of building and design.