Staff writer

A three-sided deal.

That’s how Bob Miglioratti, agent at ReMax Plus in Brighton, describes 2369 East Ave., a 7,000-square-foot brick colonial built in the 1930s, now refurbished to its original beauty with all of the modern conveniences.

Working with homeowner Gil Porter and contractor Dave Norbut, Miglioratti put together a real estate deal that would put the refurbished Brighton home on the market for $1.4 million.

“It’s a signature property,” Miglioratti said.

The home’s owner approached Miglioratti about selling the property, either by knocking down the existing structure or to refurbish it. Once Miglioratti saw the details of the home, he knew it was a property that had to be renovated instead of torn down.

Norbut Construction in Henrietta partnered on the deal to refurbish the property. With a crew of about a dozen people, Norbut spent the past year and about $600,000 refurbishing the home, which was just completed this month.

The three-deal plan involved Norbut on the contracting end, Miglioratti handling the marketing and advertising and Porter as the homeowner paying for the property taxes on the home.

Though the home is assessed at $800,000, it needed a lot of TLC, said Norbut, president of Norbut Construction.

The flooring was plywood and many of the architectural details were missing, Norbut said.

Following the flow of the home, Norbut redesigned the floor plan, put in a new roof and gave the entire home an upgrade. He kept the intent of the original architects while updating the five-bedroom, six-bathroom home to today’s standards, such as a large expanded kitchen, larger closets and new bathrooms.

“He stayed true to period,” Miglioratti said.

One of the toughest details to replicate is a coffered ceiling over the kitchen and dining areas, Miglioratti said. But the detail was important in this home, as it is meant for the highest end of the market, clients who want every detail to be perfect, he said.

The home was originally built for Frank Thompson Ellison, who gave the 470 acre tract of land known as Ellison Park to Monroe County, along with other philanthropic gifts to the YWCA and the city of Rochester.

Three families have expressed some interest in the home, Miglioratti said.

When all is said and done, there will probably be very little profit when the home is sold, at least from the contractor’s end, Norbut said.

He said he took on the project because he is personally passionate about restoring homes and couldn’t resist an opportunity to refurbish this architectural gem.

A slideshow of the renovation process may be viewed on www.2369east avenue.com.

MCHAO@DemocratandChronicle.com

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Matthew Daneman

Staff writer

The childhood photos show David and Brad Norbut, just kids at the time, standing in the midst of the Gates house they were helping their widowed mother gut and rehabilitate.

Today, 21 years later, the two head up their own growing construction company with 11 employees and expectations of doing almost $2 million in business this year.

Norbut Construction of Henrietta specializes in high-end home renovations and restorations.

“A home improvement company will go in and do cosmetic changes, but not anything dramatic,” said David Norbut, 28. Dramatic, he said, means projects like the 38-foot lighthouse the company built earlier this year on a lakefront Cape Cod in Hamlin.

David and his brother, Brad, 31, in their late teens started separately buying and renovating homes. The construction company started in 2002.

Norbut Construction has two in-house crews that do much of the work, though it works with subcontractors on some specialty projects, David Norbut said.

Most of the company’s work comes through word-of-mouth referrals. At any given time, there are 15 to 20 projects in some stage of development, from initial design to cost-estimating to actual renovation work being done, Norbut said. “We’re booking projects for spring of next year.”

Norbut Construction was one of several firms to which Reid Foertsch brought his basic designs for what he wanted to do to the Hamlin lakefront cottage that had been in his family for years. “This being a little bit unusual to do, I was looking for somebody able to capture my vision, that would be able to turn it into a reality,” Foertsch said.

The cabin got a substantial makeover, including new roof, furnace, porch and bathroom, updated windows and updated insulation. Foertsch was able to start moving furniture back in and decorating as of mid-September.

“It doesn’t come cheap,” Foertsch said. “We encountered the usual project creep. But those are things which one would expect to encounter. It was well worth the effort and the wait.”

Tips

Stick with vendors who prove reliable. “Most businesses do not back up what they say,” David Norbut said. “It’s much more difficult to do business these days than when someone shook your hand and made sure of it. It’s brutal.”

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Matthew Daneman

Staff writer

The childhood photos show David and Brad Norbut, just kids at the time, standing in the midst of the Gates house they were helping their widowed mother gut and rehabilitate.

Today, 21 years later, the two head up their own growing construction company with 11 employees and expectations of doing almost $2 million in business this year.

Norbut Construction of Henrietta specializes in high-end home renovations and restorations.

“A home improvement company will go in and do cosmetic changes, but not anything dramatic,” said David Norbut, 28. Dramatic, he said, means projects like the 38-foot lighthouse the company built earlier this year on a lakefront Cape Cod in Hamlin.

David and his brother, Brad, 31, in their late teens started separately buying and renovating homes. The construction company started in 2002.

Norbut Construction has two in-house crews that do much of the work, though it works with subcontractors on some specialty projects, David Norbut said.

Most of the company’s work comes through word-of-mouth referrals. At any given time, there are 15 to 20 projects in some stage of development, from initial design to cost-estimating to actual renovation work being done, Norbut said. “We’re booking projects for spring of next year.”

Norbut Construction was one of several firms to which Reid Foertsch brought his basic designs for what he wanted to do to the Hamlin lakefront cottage that had been in his family for years. “This being a little bit unusual to do, I was looking for somebody able to capture my vision, that would be able to turn it into a reality,” Foertsch said.

The cabin got a substantial makeover, including new roof, furnace, porch and bathroom, updated windows and updated insulation. Foertsch was able to start moving furniture back in and decorating as of mid-September.

“It doesn’t come cheap,” Foertsch said. “We encountered the usual project creep. But those are things which one would expect to encounter. It was well worth the effort and the wait.”

Tips

Stick with vendors who prove reliable. “Most businesses do not back up what they say,” David Norbut said. “It’s much more difficult to do business these days than when someone shook your hand and made sure of it. It’s brutal.”

Be selective with your customers. “If we’re not a right fit for the client, you’re never going to be happy.”

Do the research. “Know about the companies, their backgrounds. Do they have strong referrals? You have to make sure they’re equipped to do this stuff. If they don’t have a place of business to walk into, I say walk away.”

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Some local contractors are braving the cold to help bring shelter to a family in need.

Norbut Construction is one of sixty local companies donating labor or supplies to build a Flower City Habitat for Humanity house on Orange Street.

Brett, Doug and Tim are framing the one-thousand-square-feet home. Other sponsors from the Junior Builder’s Trade will complete its three bedrooms and full basement.

Brett Shellman is the crew chief

He says while working in the cold is tough, there is a sense of warmth for the reason they’re doing it. Shellman says, “There’s a sense of community involvement everyone has working on it. It’s nice to. I drove by, I took my girlfriend by here the other day and showed her. It’s nice to see something that you have built that someone is going to get to enjoy. ”

140 Orange Street is actually one of a hundred homes that will be built by Habitat for Humanity in Rochester’s Josana Neighborhood. This house will be dedicated sometime next month.

Norbut Construction is one of sixty local companies donating labor or supplies to build a Flower City Habitat for Humanity house on Orange Street.

Brett, Doug and Tim are framing the one-thousand-square-feet home. Other sponsors from the Junior Builder’s Trade will complete its three bedrooms and full basement.

Brett Shellman is the crew chief

He says while working in the cold is tough, there is a sense of warmth for the reason they’re doing it. Shellman says, “There’s a sense of community involvement everyone has working on it. It’s nice to. I drove by, I took my girlfriend by here the other day and showed her. It’s nice to see something that you have built that someone is going to get to enjoy. ”

140 Orange Street is actually one of a hundred homes that will be built by Habitat for Humanity in Rochester’s Josana Neighborhood. This house will be dedicated sometime next month.

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Whether you’ve been hit by the harsh blows of the economy over the past couple of years, or made it through unscathed, there is no doubt that the home market has been a volatile one as of late. And although rates have recently reached all-time lows, buying a new home isn’t exactly in the cards for many of us. In fact, for most of us, any move is a bad move in such an uncertain economic climate.

Which leads me to my point: Why move when you can improve?

If you currently live in a $200,000 home in Monroe County (NY) your taxes are probably somewhere around the $7,000 mark, or nearly $600 per month. For most Americans, that is high. For Upstate New Yorkers, that is typical. That’s just the reality of living in the state that we do.

The reality of such a high property tax rate is that moving is often not an option for us. If it is, we must understand the financial impact such a move might have. Let’s consider the following:

• From the cost of a truck, helpers, boxes, tarps, protective wrap, tape, and more, the average mover will spend upwards of $3,000 on the actual moving process alone.
• New window treatments are often desired, if not required, as well as paint and supplies to make your new house a home. These costs can total anywhere from $5,000 to $7,000.
• Carpets, flooring and other personal changes are again, often desired if not required. These updates can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000.
• Unexpected capital improvements, be them small and few or large and many, can cost major money, depleting your savings even further.

While moving is certainly not always a bad idea, it can be an inconvenient and costly one. My point is this: If you have invested years, money and most importantly memories into your current home, you may be better off making improvements rather than moving.

Think about all of the time, blood, sweat and tears you have spent making your home the best it can be. Of course your taste has most certainly changed over the years, and that is to be expected. It’s also important to know that that’s okay. But if your lifestyle requires more than a simple coat of paint or minor investment in new furniture, you should consider the possibility of making your home fit your lifestyle, rather than make your lifestyle fit your home.

Home improvements can be scary; but consider the alternative. Continuing to invest in the home you have already put so much into is often a smarter financial decision, and can be a truly gratifying one as you create a space that is uniquely and specifically designed just for you.

Their focus is on process and top quality product.

David and Brad Norbut were not born into the construction business, but the brothers have been involved in it since they were only seven and 10 years old, respectively.

In 1986, shortly after their father died from cancer, the two boys set out to help their mother renovate a nearby house she wanted to rent. The family project turned into a passion for the Norbuts, who now own home renovation company Norbut Construction Inc.

Brad, now 31, says no one taught them how to renovate. They just learned from experience-and some library books.

“We tore the roof off my mom’s garage, and I don’t think she knew or let us do it. But I asked if I could go to the library and get a book out,” Norbut recalls. “I read about how to take a roof off and how to put one on, and I borrowed some tools from my grandfather.”

At that time Norbut was 13. His grandfather lived next door and discouraged the boys.

“He said, ‘You’re going to mess it up. You’re going to have a leak. It’s going to have plenty of problems,’” Norbut says. “When we got done, finished it in two days, I looked at him, and I said, ‘See! It looks good.’ He said, ‘I knew you could do it,’ and walked home.”

As soon as the Norbuts were old enough, they started buying their own properties to flip or rent, which they co-own. David, 27, is sales manager and Brad is production manager.

In 2006, sales at Norbut Construction were $1.5 million; this year it expects to log $2 million.

Today Norbut Construction has 12 employees and plans to hire three more by the end of the year. The firm focuses mainly on high-end residential renovations but does some commercial work for clients such as the Strathallan Hotel on East Avenue and mall stores: Spencer Gifts Inc. at EastView and Sunglass Hut Inc. at Marketplace.

Perhaps its most notable residential project so far is a lighthouse Norbut Construction is building on Lake Ontario. A client wanted to rebuild his cottage and include a 38-foot lighthouse. In addition to the lighthouse, Norbut Construction is relocating and renovating two bedrooms and a bathroom, installing an underground propane heating unit and adding a driveway.

Mark Potter, Norbut’s chief communications officer, says the client has nine children, one of whom is in England. That family member has been able to watch the renovation’s progress with a Web cam Norbut Construction has on its Web site to record the process.

The final goal, Potter says, is to show a complete time lapse of the construction, which is due to be complete by early July.

Potter says Norbut Construction wants to distinguish itself from contractors who, as a group, he says, increasingly have a reputation for unreliability.

Norbut Construction has new marketing materials and a Web site complete with industry report, referrals and project Web cam to help ease the concerns of home owners jaded from a bad renovation experience.

“We’re trying to focus on communications and the process and provide a better product,” Potter says.

To stay competitive and keep costs down, the company finds creative ways to economize while networking with other young professionals in the city.

“My best friend is a senior graphic designer for IBM,” Potter says. “He did (our Web site) for us for a song.”

The company’s Web site, he says, has high-quality photos-Norbut Construction was able to work with a wedding photographer out of season.

“He gave us a great deal,” Potter says. “Our Web designer was someone I worked at a restaurant with. We have a fantastic Web site. And all of those people are under 30.”

He says the company sought to further differentiate itself in the industry by building a quality control facility where, to avoid unnecessary delays, products can be stored and inspected before they are installed for clients.

“It’s a quality control most contractors do not have. They work out of their van and don’t have that ability,” Potter says.

The company has an 8,000-square-foot facility on Brighton-Henrietta Town Line Road with new sewer lines, bathrooms, offices and a workshop designed for custom cabinetry building.

Norbut Construction rents out a portion of the building but uses the location as a control center for training, storing tools and equipment and making client presentations, something Potter says many of the company’s competitors cannot do.

An East Avenue estate is nearing the end of major renovations meant to restore and modernize the historic mansion built for Rochester philanthropist Frank Ellison.

Ellison became known for the hundreds of acres he donated in his father’s name almost a century ago to Monroe County. Ellison Park was this area’s first county park.

Today, the former Ellison mansion at 2369 East Ave. in Brighton has become the largest project to date for Henrietta-based Norbut Construction Inc.

The home renovation firm plans to finish work this month and sell the three-story property for $1.7 million.

Company officials estimate some $800,000 worth of materials and labor have been poured into the colonial-style mansion since Norbut Construction purchased it this year for an undisclosed price. Monroe County records do not list a purchase price for the house, and company officials declined to disclose it.

Robert Miglioratti, chairman of Greater Rochester Association of Realtors Inc., is marketing the house, which he said is attracting interest from buyers who want a historic home without the hassle of restoring it.

“The East Ave. property has attracted a fairly large number of inquirers. We have not listed the home in the (multiple listing service) since the rules require our ability to show the property with notice; Norbut does not want folks to go through the house while we have work going on,” Miglioratti said.

Norbut Construction officials estimate the project, which started in July, should be finished and possibly sold by Christmas. The company, officials said, has at least one serious buyer for the 0.85-acre site, which, beyond the 7,000-square-foot main house, includes a carriage house.

“I presently have approximately nine prospects that asked to be placed on a contact list and a couple of individuals who just walked on to the work site,” Miglioratti said.

The project has had a crew of 15 working to replace the roof, floors and fixtures after Norbut Construction’s designer reconfigured the floor plan to meld a previous addition to the house’s original layout.

“I was very excited to even have the opportunity to work on this house. But there were challenges,” designer Sandra Anken said.

“When you came into the house and entered into the new addition, we wanted a very natural flow, which wasn’t the case when we arrived,” she said.

A renovation project the home’s previous owners had started 14 years ago was never finished. Picking up where someone else had left off was a new challenge for Norbut Construction.

“The floor plan was not friendly. So we gutted it and found a tremendous amount of things that are no longer practiced. We had to tear out a lot of existing work to go in and do it the right way,” President David Norbut said.

One of the designer’s jobs was to maintain architectural consistency. That included leaded-glass windows, original rounded doors and the five ornate fireplaces throughout the house.

“We’ve tried to carry the same woodworking throughout, and we added the coffer ceilings so that when people walk in they cannot tell it is the new addition,” Anken said. “The same goes for upstairs. That was the most important factor to making it authentic and real in feel.”

Coffer ceilings feature exposed beams with recessed panels between them.

Founded by brothers David and Bradley Norbut, the construction firm specializes in unusual, high-end projects. In 2008, Norbut Construction expects to log $2 million in revenues.

The firm performs 10 to 12 renovation projects a year for clients. One of its most notable was a 38-foot lighthouse the firm recently added to a cottage on Lake Ontario.

In addition to building the lighthouse, Norbut Construction relocated bedrooms and bathrooms, added a driveway and installed an underground propane heating unit.

With a staff of 15, up from 12 last year, the firm is able to provide the range of services necessary for large projects.

“We’re a master builder. Rather than subbing everything out, we do everything ourselves,” Norbut said.

Historic homes offer particular challenges, but they also provide a lot of gratification, Norbut adds.

“I love doing this. It’s so gratifying to see the progress,” he said.

The company started in 2002, but the Norbut brothers first were introduced to the business at an early age.

After losing their father to cancer in 1986, Brad and Dave’s mother, Cindi, purchased a house that needed a lot of remodeling work and the young brothers helped with the job. They have been involved in construction ever since.

“Our mother programmed us at a young age to go into the construction field, which paid off because we learned the essential skills and bought and sold houses very young,” said Dave Norbut. “People started asking us to do work for them and we constantly said ‘no.’ But [we] finally said ‘OK’ about five years ago.”
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The company centers its services around clients who understand the value of the construction process.

Renovations and restorations to kitchens, baths, and basements make up the bulk of the company’s work. Norbut also does some commercial jobs.

Having their own crew with a full custom cabinetry workshop and a yard for tools and equipment allows the company to keep everything in-house and ensure quality.

“My passion for construction and development has always been just watching a job transform,” Norbut said.

Norbut Construction is currently renovating a cottage near Lake Ontario that also will include a light house as an addition. Reid Foertsch is the owner of the summer cottage, which has been in his family since 1955. The cottage was possibly built in or around 1942.

“I went into the walls to put in some electrical work a while ago and found that they used newspapers from primarily 1942 to insulate,” Foertsch said.

Foertsch said he always dreamed of improving the property.

“In the back of my mind there was this idea of building a lighthouse, which I thought would be really interesting,” he noted.

About two years ago Foertsch started seriously planning the renovation and the lighthouse. He came up with it’s exact design while driving on Long Island.

“I was driving and looked over and saw exactly what I wanted. Later, while taking pictures of it, I learned that it was actually a faux lighthouse that stood at the entry way to a gated community,” Foertsch said.

Foertsch looked into several builders for the project, but chose Norbut in the end.

“They were … able to visualize and satisfy what I wanted, and I liked that very much,” Foertsch said.

Norbut said the job represents a unique opportunity:

“There aren’t too many lighthouses in Rochester, let alone one attached to anyone’s home.”

Other projects now in the works include a site at the corner of East Avenue and Penfield Road. Although the decision has not been made on what will inhabit the space, the brothers want to create some type of “green” structure.

“I think there is more news around green building than what is really happening, but it is starting to take place in the area,” Norbut said.

According to Norbut, the eco-friendly structure they are considering includes geothermal systems, permeable asphalt and water tanks to hold and irrigate the property.

Norbut said ground will be broken at the site either later this year or sometime in 2008.

The brothers are seeing an increased demand for home theaters, bathroom project and performance showers, but Dave Norbut notes that “most people aren’t aware how expensive performance showers are.”

Performance showers can include anything from rainfall shower heads to a custom built spa-type shower, which can cost upwards of $5,000.

According to Norbut, the future of the business includes perfecting their construction process and continuing to make their clients the priority.

“Clients give us all the feedback to make a successful company. They will tell you everything you need if you listen to them and that’s what it’s all about,” Norbut said.