The end of the Energy Tax Credit is coming soon and homeowners need to act fast to take advantage! The tax credit expires on December 31, 2010.  As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, this federal tax credit allows for energy efficient home improvements to receive a $1,500 tax credit. The tax credit is based on 30 percent of the cost of the product cost of the energy efficient product, up to $1,500. For example, a purchase price totaling $5,000 of qualifying products will receive the maximum tax credit of $1,500.

Windows and doors are a great way to use this tax credit! In addition to a great new look, new windows and doors are often made of energy efficient materials that can save money on heating and cooling bills.

Marvin Windows and Doors has numerous products that qualify for the tax credit, including our new Ultimate Casement with a unique wash mode. This beautiful yet tough window comes in a variety of styles, sizes and options to meet the needs of any home. And Marvin’s large product portfolio means that you can find any number of windows and doors to satisfy your design and energy needs.

Act fast and contact your local Marvin retailer to take advantage of this tax credit before it expires!

We at Marvin Windows and Doors and the MLuxe blog hope you all have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend!

We’ll see you back here on Tuesday, July 6.

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Marvin is looking for more residential projects to feature in its official photo galleries, on our website and in our case studies. Specifically, we want to see projects that include our Ultimate Casement and Ultimate Replacement Casement windows, or any of our other casement and awning products from the Ultimate Casement Collection.

Send photos or video of your home to press@marvin.com, and we’ll look at them all. We’ll select our favorites and follow up with you about scheduling a professional photo shoot. After the photo shoot, you can see your house featured on marvin.com, in our case studies, and in other communications from Marvin.

Marvin Windows and Doors was honored last week as “Family Business of the Year” by the University of St. Thomas’s Opus College of Business.

The prestigious award, given by the college’s Center for Family Business of the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, recognizes Marvin for 98 years and four generations of business success coupled with ongoing family leadership and community involvement.

Here’s a video from the awards ceremony. Enjoy!

We here at MLuxe have to recognize some amazing builders and architects — they’re so amazing that they are hall of famers! These two firms and one individual have contributed much to the American building industry. In October, they were inducted into the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence at the Builder’s Choice Awards in Washington, D.C.

The inductees this year were:

• Robert Hidey of Robert Hidey Architects in Irvine, California
• BAR Architects in San Francisco, California
• Horizon Builders in Crofton, Maryland

All three inductees have had numerous achievements and were given the award in recognition of their bodies of work over their careers and companies’ histories. Susan Marvin helped present awards to the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame inductees.

She commented:

In a challenging market as this, we look to people and organizations like Robert Hidey, Horizon Builders and BAR Architects to continue to produce innovative, livable residential design. Our industry is better because of them and we are proud they are inductees to The Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design Excellence.

Other residential designers were awarded Builder’s Choice Awards for their work on various projects.

Left to right: Scott Kline (accepted award on behalf of Robert Hidey of Robert Hidey Architects), Susan Marvin and Boyce Thompson of Hanley Wood

Left to right: Susan Marvin, Paula Krugmeier of BAR Architects and Boyce Thompson of Hanley Wood

Left to right: Joe Bohm of Horizon Builders, Susan Marvin, Boyce Thompson of Hanley Wood and George Fritz of Horizon Builders

We’ve searched the whole country over and are pleased to announce the winners of the myMarvin Architect’s Challenge. Six beautiful structures, all using Marvin products, have been chosen as winners for their ingenuity and beauty.

Over the next six Tuesdays, we’ll cover each winning entry: five residences and one church.  You’ll be learning more about them soon, but here are the architects who won the Challenge:

• John Senhauser, FAIA of John Senhauser Architects
• Helga Lilley of Gorgeous Green Home Design
• Duncan Stroik of Duncan G. Stroik Architect, LLC
• Michael W. Swinghamer of River Architects, Inc.
• Arleta Chang of Jarvis Architects
• Jonathan Feldman of Feldman Architecture
• Andrea Swan of Swan + Simmons Architecture, Ltd.

The myMarvin Architect’s Challenge was judged by three architecture luminaries and members of the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame: David Baker, FAIA, LEED AP; Carson Looney, FAIA and Stephen Muse, FAIA.

We’ve written before about the myMarvin Project, and I think these new videos warrant another mention. Sandee Awalt, architectural project coordinator at Marvin Windows and Doors, took design inspirations from garden home designer P. Allen Smith and photographer Mark Laita and turned them into actual, functional Marvin windows. These videos document that process.

Welcome to the MLuxe blog, Marvin Windows and Doors’ take on distinctive home style. This blog is inspired by our guiding principle for Marvin Windows and Doors: that each window and door we create is “Built Around You.” As the world’s largest maker of custom wood and clad-wood windows and doors, we look forward to sharing our insights on windows as part of your home scheme.

Our goal is to help you express your personal style through your home. However, MLuxe will discuss far more than windows. Our topics will range from architecture to sustainable living to ways to simplify your life. To ensure our information is the best available, we’ve gathered a group of our friends to share their expertise with you.

• Lou Manfredini - Lou is a regular contributor to NBC’s TODAY Show, hosts a weekly radio call-in show called “Mr. Fix-It,” and is a contributing editor to USA Weekend with his “House Smart” column. Lou’s life-long interest in home improvement began during high school when he worked in a hardware store, gaining knowledge of hardware products and experience in customer service. While attending Millikin University, Lou worked his way through school remodeling homes and learning everything from sewers to shingles. Lou owns his own development company that builds rental properties and manages the construction of custom homes in the Chicago area.

• Sarah Susanka - Bestselling author, architect and cultural visionary, Sarah Susanka is leading a movement that is redefining the American home. Her “build better, not bigger” approach to residential design has been embraced across the country and her “Not So Big” philosophy has sparked international dialogue. Her upcoming book, “Not So Big Remodel,” looks at the remodeling market as more homeowners look to remain in their homes longer.

• P. Allen Smith - Smith is an award-winning garden designer and host of the public television program P. Allen Smith’s Garden Home as well as the syndicated 30-minute show P. Allen Smith Gardens. He has emerged as America’s most recognized and respected garden design expert, providing ideas and inspiration through multiple media venues.

Our topics will vary and we will take our cues from you. What would you like to hear about? Let us know.

Susan Marvin
President, Marvin Windows and Doors