Welcome to Port St. Lucie (PSL)

Install ceramic tile in your home in Port St. Lucie Florida now!

Port St. Lucie's climate is tropical to sub-tropical. When building your new home here, it is important to incorporate features into your home that counter the negative effects of heat and moisture. Ceramic tile is the ideal floor covering for all seasons through out southern Florida. During the summer months when Port St. Lucie's temperatures are always in the 90s and humidity is high, ceramic tile and marble flooring, because of its mass, remains cool and stabilizes room temperatures. Additionally, ceramic tile and stone flooring eliminates the health problems associated with carpeting in a humid environment. Port St. Lucie contractors understand this and you should take advantage of that knowledge. While I specialize in Port St. Lucie Florida residential ceramic tile installation, my affiliations with Port St. Lucie builders and other contractors enables me to see the ingenious ways that good designers and builders are taking advantage of ceramic tile in the news homes of Port St. Lucie and throughout Florida.

Port St. Lucie contractors are aware that electricity in Florida is not "penny cheap"! Anything that we can do to reduce electric usage is a boon to the Port St. Lucie home buyer. The use of ceramic tile on surfaces other than floors can have a major effect on Florida Power and Light electric bills. Highly reflective surfaces of ceramic tile on countertops and walls reduce the need for additional lighting as well as take advantage of greater mass for stable air conditioning. Today's tiles, combined with superior installation and design skills, can create breathtakingly beautiful kitchens when ceramic tile is used on floors and as a backslash between the counter and the cabinets.

Tropical Storm Fay Causes Extensive Flooding in Port St. Lucie

Fay, the first storm of the season came in like a lamb, but stayed around so long it dropped rain in record amounts, causing major property damage to homes and businesses in St. Lucie West and other low lying areas of Port St. Lucie. Fay brought the worst flooding in at least a decade, surpassing the aftermath of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004. In its slow march across the state, Fay paused on St. Lucie County long enough to dump 12 inches of rain and flood nearly a quarter of the roads, causing an estimated $25 million in property damage. In St. Lucie County, an estimated 500 to 750 homes either had standing water inside or water up to the doors. We have road failures, lift station failures, and a lot of heavily damaged vehicles and damage to businesses and to homes. Officials reported some people have been concerned about abandoning their homes, fearful of looters. Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie police said they have had no troubles with looting.

On Wednesday, August 20, 2008, St. Lucie Schools Superintendent Michael Lannon announced that public schools would remain closed the rest of the week and that all extracurricular activities would be canceled because roads were too treacherous. Many of Port St. Lucie's roads were rebuilt after the 2004 hurricanes to reduce the risk of flooding, but officials said the amount of rain Fay dropped simply overwhelmed them.

President Bush declared a federal state of emergency in 22 Florida counties on Thursday afternoon to help with clean-up of Tropical Storm Fayl; Ffour teams of Federal Emergency Management Agency officials were canvassing St. Lucie County, assessing damage.

The St. Lucie Utility Systems Department are asking all to continue conserving water by taking shorter showers, flushing less often and minimizing the use of washing machines and dishwashers.

Dealing with Water Damage

Much of the water damage to residencies is going to be associated with wet carpeting. Dealing with wet carpet, especially padding, is a situation that needs immediate response for health reasons. Once mold is present in the carpet and padding, the best advice is to discard the items. Mold can and will pose various respiratory illnesses. While one may feel frustrated at the cost of removing the floor coverings, in the long run you will be much better off. The biological hazards that could be present in your old carpet will be there even after the carpet dries and will affect the health of you and your family. Mold loves to grow on items that have gotten wet and been allowed to dry naturally. The most important action taken in a flooding is to locate the source and act quickly to remove the water. The humidity, temperature, and dew point levels will determine how quickly mold will develop (24-36 hours in ideal conditions). Certain steps can greatly help to eliminate mold growth.

1. Lower the humidity and temperature with the use of many commercial floor fans and dehumidifiers, while setting A/C levels to coldest settings.
   
   
2. Tenting ones carpet to allow much needed airflow.

Dealing with wet carpet, especially padding, is a situation that needs immediate response for health reasons. Once mold is present in the carpet and padding, the best advice is to discard these bacteria laden items. Mold can and will pose various respiratory illnesses. While one may feel frustrated at the cost of removing the floor coverings (especially the padding), in the long run you will be much better off.
Act quickly to remove the water. Humidity, temperature, and dew point levels will determine how quickly mold will develop (24-36 hours in ideal conditions). Certain steps can greatly help to eliminate mold growth.

1. Lower the humidity and temperature with the use of many commercial floor fans and dehumidifiers, while setting A/C levels to coldest settings.
   
   
2. Tenting ones carpet to allow much needed airflow.
   
   

The key is to act quickly making every effort to stop this hazard of mold in one's house.

Port St. Lucie / Ft. Pierce Area Facts

Prime Location

The PSL / Ft. Pierce area is one of the nation's fastest growing areas. Money Magazine rated it on their "Best Places to Live" listing and USA Weekend lauded The Treasure Coast as the best destination for the millennium. St. Lucie County has a great year-round climate, with an average annual temperature of 73 degrees, which varies only 16 degrees between normal winter and summer extremes. More than 8 million people live within a 100 mile radius of St. Lucie County.

Remodeling Activity Slows Slightly

With the overall housing downswing, remodeling activity slowed slightly in the second quarter of 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders' Remodeling Market Index (RMI). The current market conditions component slipped from 46.1 to 44.8 on a seasonally adjusted basis and the future expectations measure declined to 44.1. The RMI measures remodeler perceptions of market demand for current and future residential remodeling projects. Any number over 50 indicates that the majority of remodelers view the market conditions as improving. While we have experienced some weakening in the remodeling market, activity has remained relatively steady. We may have seen a decline in the number of major remodeling projects; however the market has been buoyed by an increase in the number homeowners requesting smaller scale projects and home alterations. On the Treasure Coast, current market conditions declined from 45.9 to 42.3 and future expectations moved from 50.7 to 45.0. Not surprisingly, the remodeling market is following the downswing we are seeing in the overall housing market. Expect some further erosion in the second half of this year and in 2008, followed by a gradual recovery in 2009 and beyond."

Top Distribution & Transportation

Both the Florida Turnpike and I-95 intersect in St. Lucie County. State Road 70 transects the two and continues through the west coast of Florida. Florida East Coast Railroad maintains a rail yard in Ft. Pierce with track running north-south along U.S. Highway 1 through the county connecting to the deepwater seaport and transecting the county crossing both the Turnpike and I-95. St. Lucie County International Airport  is located on 3,600 acres and offers both U.S. Customs and USDA inspections on-site.

Low Cost Of Living

The Port St. Lucie / Ft. Pierce area's cost of living index value of 97.36 is lower than all other South Florida counties. A total per capita tax rate of 14.4% or $4,550 per person ranks Florida 28th out of the 50 states. Low taxes and cost of living directly correlate to lower business costs.

Rising Fees Eroding Affordability

Even as the housing market correction continues to exert downward pressure on new home prices, localities continue to push for new fees and regulations that will further erode housing affordability. According to a new study released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) government regulation on housing shows that each $1,000 increase in the cost of a new median-priced home forces 217,000 prospective home buyers out of the marketplace. Based on the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the report contains detailed results for more than 300 metro areas. The analysis found that every $819 rise in fees paid at the beginning of the construction process – such as an increase in the price of a construction permit, a contractors license fee, a remodeling permit or an impact fee – adds an additional $1,000 to the final price of the home. The study shows that even modest impact fees can have a dramatic effect on housing affordability. Higher regulatory costs frequently push up the price of housing beyond the means of many tile setters and other moderate-income workers.

Low Corporate and Personal Taxes

Florida has no personal income tax, no inventory tax and no tax on subchapter S corporations. Corporate tax is 5.5% with the first $5,000 of taxable income exempt. The overall Florida tax burden is 88% of the U.S. average. Property tax rates range from 2.18 to 2.88% of assessed value depending upon where the business in located in St. Lucie County.

Lots of Available Land and Facilities

The Port St. Lucie / Ft. Pierce Area has plenty of room to grow. Local developers are responding by increasing available office and warehouse space and build-to-suit options.

 

Treasure Coast home sales in 2008 projected to increase

Existing Treasure Coast homes sales are expected to bounce back this year and next from 2007 levels with prices remaining flat.

Would you like a complimentary, no obligation, project consultation?

Please feel free to call for more details.

Chris Boyer - Boyer Tile LLC.
Cell Phone (8:00 AM to 8:00 PM) (772) 519-3670
Port St. Lucie, Florida 34983