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The recession and real estate slump have taken their toll on not only the homebuilding industry, but remodelers, too.

Still, local home remodeling and design companies found reasons to cheer last week, as they gathered in Frederick for the first Contractor of the Year awards presented by the Mid-Maryland Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

Among the winners was M.V. Pelletier Inc. of Frederick, a remodeling, home maintenance and home energy audit company that won the category for a residential interior project in Middletown that cost less than $250,000. The work included new countertops, lighting and flooring, including natural stone tile.

The new appliances and lighting are all energy-efficient, according to company president Mark V. Pelletier.

His company's annual revenues of $800,000 to $1 million, he said, are down about 15 percent from previous years and "definitely" because of the economy.

Pelletier's company also performed historic renovations to two homes on E. 4th Street in downtown Frederick. The homes were gutted and remodeled, Pelletier said, and his company worked with the city's Historic Preservation Commission on the project.

"They let us try out some new products," Pelletier said, adding that commission members wanted to see how new products, such as fiberglass doors and energy-efficient windows, would work in historic downtown homes.

Factors including the recession prompted Carriage Hill Cabinet and Millwork Co. of Frederick to lay off two of its seven employees late last year, according to owner Douglas Fauth.

Fauth's company won in the category of an entire house that cost up to $1 million. The award was for a $770,000 remodeling project on a house in Ellicott City.

It was "great to be recognized by the industry," he said. "Being a small company, 90 percent of our work is by referral," said Fauth, who has been in business 28 years.

Majestic Wood Floors in Frederick won for a commercial specialty, for its remodeling of its showroom floor. The cost was kept to a minimum, almost $30,000, according to president Robert Humphreys.

Humphreys, whose company installs custom hardwood floors, said it was "wonderful" to be recognized.

Dorman Builders of Mount Airy won two awards, for residential interior specialty and best addition under $250,000. Marketing manager Donna Dorman compared winning the awards to a musician winning a Grammy.

"This is something remodelers aspire for and to be judged by our peers is incredibly exciting," she said.

The number of residential remodeling jobs in Frederick County has fallen slightly this year from 2008, from 808 jobs to 765, according to a report by the Frederick County Office of Economic Development. The average remodeling industry salary in the county is $44,758.

Remodeling jobs overall, including commercial work, have fallen slightly in the county, from 10,951 jobs in 2008 to 10,936 this year, according to county data. Remodeling industry jobs statewide are down less than 1 percent from 2008, from 211,975 jobs in 2008 to 209,089 this year.