Builder articles from February 2003

Builder archives from February 2003

Spirit of giving: if you've got the will, there are easy ways to give back to your community. (Editor's Notes).(Editorial)
February 1, 2003... AS YOU COULD PROBABLY TELL BY THE COVER OF THE magazine, Bob Strudler, the CEO of Lennar, is the grand winner of this year's Hearthstone-BUILDER Lifetime Public Service Award. This is the fourth year that we've run this program, and during that...

Bmail.
February 1, 2003... Broadcast News THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS ABOUT SELLING "EXPERIENCES rather than products and services" (November, page 19). For nearly two years now, I have conducted a study of marketing methods and issues facing the home building...

Corporate question: could you be personally liable for discrimination under the Fair Housing Act? The U.S. Supreme Court must decide. (Scales of Justice).(Meyer vs. Holley)
February 1, 2003... THE STORY IS SIMPLE. AN INTERRACIAL COUPLE tries to put an offer on a new home, only to be told by their agent that their deposit won't be enough. Months later, they learn that the house they wanted was sold for Significantly less than their...

High impact. (House Blend).(Greater Atlanta HBA sues city of Atlanta for allegedly mishandling $20 mil in impact fees)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Home builders nationwide will be closely watching a lawsuit filed in a federal court by the Greater Atlanta HBA that for the first time tests a Fifth Amendment property rights claim on an impact fee. The suit alleges that the city of...

Lone star buy. (Big Deals).(Hovnanian Enterprises bought Brington Homes in January 2003)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Hovnanian Enterprises has added another Texas builder to its portfolio. In January, the New Jersey-based public builder purchased Brington Homes, a Houston company that closed 750 homes between November 2001 and October 2002. The buy boosts...

Bond bonanza. (Big Deals).(California voters approved Proposition 46, biggest affordable housing bond in history, in November 2002)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The largest affordable housing bond in history, Proposition 46, was approved by California voters in November. The bond allows the state to sell $2.1 billion of bonds to fund 21 housing programs and is full of good news for builders in the...

Vague ruling. (Big Deals).(Florida Supreme Court will review lower court ruling on Miami-Dade County zoning regulations)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to review a lower court ruling that found Miami-Dade County's zoning regulations "unconstitutionally vague." The case, Miami-Dade County vs. Omnipoint Holdings, began as a dispute between Omnipoint and the...

Mold: new field study: a study of new homes with mold problems finds many possible causes. (Forensic Evidence).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... BECAUSE MOLD REMAINS ONE OF THE BIG scare issues for builders, the NAHB Research Center recently began monitoring and testing new homes with mold problems. The staff chose 21 building sites in various states, including single-family attached...

School smarts: Atlanta builder combines training and a state tax break to save $400,000 over four years. (Cost Cutter).(John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... AS VICE PRESIDENT OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT for John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, Laura McMurrain oversees the delivery of more than 18,000 hours of training annually to the Atlanta builder's roughly 1,000 employees. It's a big job,...

Mold update. (Big Deals).(molds may not be severe health risk)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A peer-reviewed report approved in October 2002 by the 6,000-member American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine offers some hope that mold is not as severe a health risk as many fear. "Adverse Human Health Effects Associated...

Hillside harmony: tapping Global Positioning Satellite technology makes surveying and grading faster and more accurate while preserving topography. (Slope Solution).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... IT's BEEN USED IN WAR. IT WILL SOON BE PART OF cell phone technology. And now Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology has utility for home builders too. Glenn Martin, vice president of project management for Standard Pacific Homes...

Just ask: BizMat takes contractors' business questions and answers them online. (Editor's Internet Pick).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... IMAGINE A PLACE WHERE YOU COULD GET QUICK, affordable answers to your most pressing business questions. That's the promise of BizMat (www.bizmat.com), a Web site launched last fall by the Silver Spring, Md.-based company to provide advice to...

Knockout move: tool maker to market handheld task application Punch List. (Election Aftermath).(Robert Bosch Tool Corp.)
February 1, 2003... ROBERT BOSCH TOOL CORP. MADE a unique move for a power tool company in late 2002 by forming a joint venture to market Punch List, a Palm-based handheld task management application developed by Strata Systems. Andrew Reed, vice president of...

Lumber tariff blues: fallout from higher duties on imported Canadian lumber has some manufacturers sharpening their criticism of U.S. policy. (The Straight Dope: The Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Feeling good about lower lumber costs? Don't get too used to the idea. The value-added wood industry hopes to change what it sees as bad trade policy. Several mills in the United States closed last fall, and some companies blame the new, 27...

Boise's "last stand?" The forest products giant has come under attack from environmentalists.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... IN RECENT MONTHS, ENVIRONMENTALISTS from the Rainforest Action Network made the news when they dubbed wood products company Boise (formerly Boise Cascade) their "top enemy of forest protection." The group cited the company's continued...

Space saver. (Top Shelf).
February 1, 2003... WHEN SPACE IS AT A PREMIUM, this ventless washer/dryer combo is the right fit. It has nine wash cycles, seven wash temperatures, and a spin speed of 1,200 rpm, which extracts more moisture, resulting in less drying time. The water-saving unit...

Seal off. (Top Shelf).
February 1, 2003... WATER INFILTRATION is bad for a house. LeakBarrier door and window tape can help. With a self-adhering, high-tack bitumen that is reinforced with non-woven fiberglass and protected by a polymeric surface, the product seals around fasteners and...

Portable power. (Top Shelf).
February 1, 2003... POWERBENCH GOES WHERE YOU GO. This portable workstation features a 3/4-inch-thick melamine worktop with wrap-around vinyl edges. Measuring 30 inches by 20 inches, the tabletop has a working height of 36 inches and is flanked by two adjustable...

Into the closet. (Top Shelf).
February 1, 2003... PROCLOSETS GIVES BUILDERS AN ALTERNATIVE TO RUN-OF-THE-mill wire closets and expensive custom systems. The company's Web Site allows you to design and order an entire system with custom options such as islands, hutches, drawers, hampers,...

Zone heating. (Top Shelf).
February 1, 2003... ANOTHER WAY FOR YOUR HOUSES TO HAVE DIFFERent temperatures in different rooms is with the Reiker Room Conditioner, a room-heating device that is integrated into a ceiling fan. It heats in the winter and doubles as a fan in the summer. Using a...

Trash it. (Top Shelf).
February 1, 2003... AT A MERE 18 INCHES WIDE, THE DESIGNER SERIES TRASH compactor has the largest capacity of any residential compactor, the company says. The unit reduces trash in 35 seconds or less and has a breakaway basket that allows homeowners to use it with...

Leaving Las Vegas: like the bright city in the desert, the 2003 International Builders' Show had a little bit of something for everyone. (View from the Floor).
February 1, 2003... LAS VEGAS IS A ONE-OF-A-KIND, make-believe city. Where else can you lose your shirt at the high-stakes table, see an elaborate stage production, or ride down the Grand Canal of Venice without actually going to Italy? For one week in...

Making progress: NAHB/CEA survey shows structured wiring is now a mature product as vendors keep pushing home-technology it wares. (Tech Report).(National Association of Home Builders, Consumer Electronics Association)
February 1, 2003... BUILDERS HAVE HAD GREAT SUCcess selling structured wiring systems to new-home buyers, but have, not fared as well marketing monitored security, distributed audio, home theater, and automated lighting systems. So said the results from a new...

Lumber rumbles: a new proposal has the United States and Canada talking but not necessarily any closer to resolving lumber trade issues. (Vital Signs).
February 1, 2003... THE NEW YEAR OPENED WITH A NEW campaign in the lumber wars: a U.S. proposal on how Canada should reform its lumber practices toward a more market-based system. The proposal, introduced in January by U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce Grant...

Luzier named. (NAHB Briefs).(Michael Luzer named president of NAHB research center )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... On Dec. 5, the NAHB announced that Michael Luzier was to become president of the NAHB Research Center, a wholly owned subsidiary of the NAHB. Luzier was the NAHB's senior staff vice president for regulatory affairs. "In his two decades of...

Systems boom. (NAHB Briefs).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Experts at SHOWCASE 2002, the NAHB's Building Systems Council's (BSC) annual symposium, say the systems-built housing market is booming and poised to grow beyond the 2 percent of national housing starts it already captures. Studies by the...

New year agenda: Conine's agenda is full of achievable goals, including housing affordability, increased homeownership among minorities, and mold mitigation. (From the President).
February 1, 2003... BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM -- the homes that are the foundation of so much that we cherish--is our industry's most important priority. And it's a priority that requires not only individual effort, but the dedication and hard work of every...

Remarkable performance: housing can sustain its remarkable performance of 2001 and 2002 into 2003. (Seiders Economy).
February 1, 2003... HOME SALES AND SINGLE-FAMILY starts were remarkably strong during the economic recession of 2001 and the sluggish recovery of 2002. Both years also displayed strong increases in house prices and heavy borrowing against equity by America's...

Damp ruling. (NAHB Briefs).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The NAHB is critical of the Supreme Court's 4-4 split ruling in December on the Borden Ranch wetlands case (Borden Ranch Partnership vs. US. Army Corps of Engineers) saying it raises more questions than answers regarding differences in Congress...

Live smart: LifeWise showcase for all seasons. (The NAHB Research Center Corner).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... THE NAHB RESEARCH CENTER'S LifeWise Home is most notable for its fairly ordinary appearance. The features that make the 1,900-square-foot Bowie, Md., home life wise are hidden in plain site. Not everything in the house is fully accessible,...

EMMA winner. (NAHB Briefs).
February 1, 2003... "Building Homes of Our Own," the NAHB's interactive CD-ROM home building game and teaching tool, won a prestigious 2002 International Electronic Multi Media Award (EMMA) for Learning 3-18. The EMMAs attract entries from more than 40 countries...

Whether spec or pre-sale, Silestone helps sell homes. (Special Advertising Section).(Advertisement)
February 1, 2003... Marietta, GA-based Home Traditions, Inc. is one of two builders creating the Shiloh Valley development just outside of Atlanta. With nearly 150 homes to complete within this development, like all builders, Home Traditions must adroitly balance...

Townhome trilogy: for the New American home's 20th anniversary, the nahb's National Council of the Housing Industry tripled the excitement with three townhomes built for today's varied marketplace.
February 1, 2003... For THE 2003 NEW American Home the National Council of the Housing Industry wanted to up the ante Instead of a single large home the council along with other sponsors chose for the first time to do three townhomes. These are no ordinary...

Take the A plan.(ABA Averybrooks and Associates plan, housing design)
February 1, 2003... The A plan looks too elegant to be the home of an eight-year-old and her parents. But think again--new-century materials are durable and easy to clean. THE 2,950-SQUARE-FOOT PLAN A, AS envisioned by the interiors firm ABA Averybrooks &...

Futurescaping.(Townhouse design offers natural light in middle unit)
February 1, 2003... This second-home getaway is a jump-start on a future life in retirement. It has all the welcome-home features to serve maturing buyers. IN TRADITIONAL TOWN HOMES, MIDDLE units are often darker inside because they have fewer window walls...

Bachelorette pad.
February 1, 2003... Singles are one of the fastest-growing buyer segments. In showcasing an upscale single life, the C plan may be the most dramatic of the trio. UNIT C MAY BE THE SMALLEST PLAN, at 2,699 square feet, but it may also be the most dramatic. It...

The New American Home 2003 Team.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... FOUNDING PARTNER: Architect Walt Richardson (left), RNM Architects/Planners, Newport Beach, Calif. DESIGN LEADER: Bob Tyler (right), RNM Architects/Planners, Newport Beach, Calif. THE COUNCIL: The NCHI New American Home committee is...

Degrees of success. (Honeywell).
February 1, 2003... "I've been told it's almost as if our homes tap into another sense, a feeling that starts the moment you open the door". David Weekley, CEO of David Weekley Homes "It's all part of the phenomenon we call LifeDesign, which is the result...

White hats. (Hearthstone Builder Lifetime Public Service Award).
February 1, 2003... WITH COMPASSION TO SPARE, THESE TWO BUILDERS HAVE IMPROVED THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN, WHO FACE OBSTACLES FEW OF US CAN IMAGINE. EACH YEAR, BUILDER PARTners with Hearthstone Advisors, a national home building financier, to honor some...

Superseal windows and doors get seal of approval from builders everywhere. (Special Advertising Section).(Advertisement)
February 1, 2003... For more than 40 years, Superseal Window & Door Company has been providing builders and remodelers with quality vinyl windows and patio doors. In 2002, not only did Superseal rank number one in quality in the vinyl window category with readers...

Get on schedule: Arizona builder slashes cycle time and meets deadline with new scheduling application. (Builder Tech).
February 1, 2003... FOR YEARS BUILDING SUPERINTENDENTS have complained that they spend at least 60 percent of them day calling subcontractors to make scheduling changes. Since each change can throw off the schedule by a few days it's no wonder builders miss...

Audio for all. (Builder Tech).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The perception that only the rich and famous, or geeked out engineers can either afford or understand distributed audio must change, says the Distributed Audio Alliance (DAA). That's why the new 15-member group joined forces with the Consumer...

Office comforts. (Builder Tech).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Builders looking to offer the comforts of the office at home may want to think about installing the 2x10 KSU/PBX Telephone System from OnQ Technologies. The KSU/PBX is a business-quality phone system that started shipping in December 2002. The...

Urban outfitters: City projects stand out among the winners in the National sales and marketing awards.
February 1, 2003... Weber, Carolyn SPONSOPED BY THE NAHB SALES AND Marketing COUNCIL THIS ANNUAL contest just keeps getting more competitive and prestigious. The Nationals celebrates the creative masterminds behind the industry's most innovative and effective...

A True Story: Virginia builder streamlines paperwork. (Builder Tech).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... BY USING BUILD TRAK, A COST MANAGEMENT software program from True Systems (www.true.com), managers at Arcadia Building Co. in Purcellville, Va., spend less time tracking down invoices and more time running the business. Neil Reinhard,...

Builder upgrades. (Builder Tech).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Hovnanian Enterprises, based in Red Bank, N.J., recently upgraded its Web site (www.khov.com), adding a mapping tool and enhanced search functions that let home buyers look for a new home based on specific criteria, such as number of bedrooms,...

Home security. (Builder Tech).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... NAPCO Security Systems recently introduced the GEM-P801 security system, the newest version of its security systems geared for the residential market. The unit lets users customize their home into nine different zones: six hardwire or wireless,...

Be sales wise: Web tool from BeHomeWise offers valuable customer data. (Builder Tech).
February 1, 2003... GREG BENSON, PRESIDENT OF COMSTOCK Homes in Reston, Va., remembers how tedious data collection used to be. Benson, whose company builds about 300 units per year and had roughly $77 million in 2002 sales, says sales managers used to collect...

Introducing Baldor generators.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Baldor Electric Company, the largest industrial electric motor manufacturer in the United States, is proud to introduce its new line of portable, automatic emergency standby and industrial electric generators. Over the years, our customers...

What's new on Builder Online: we're looking for a few good advisors.(focus group proposes changes to website)
February 1, 2003... SOMEWHAT BLEARY-EYED BUT MUCH Enlightened, we're back from the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas. Bleary-eyed because of the late flights; enlightened because of the insights provided by faithful BUILDER readers who attended our focus...

Stairs. molding and millwork. (Special Advertising Section).
February 1, 2003... Good builders strive to set their homes apart from the competition. They have an eye for detail and a sense of style. Finely crafted stairs, molding and millwork give builders the opportunity to add the rich, textural elements that transform a...

Charming Cottage. (Builder Plans).
February 1, 2003... Poised and cozy this traditional home features a split-bedroom plan, along with half-circle transoms and tall gables on the front elevation. Above the convenient front-entry garage is a versatile bonus room for expansion. Economical and...

Soda springs condos, keystone, wolo. (Walk-Through).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... PATINATED BY DECADES OF INVITING SNOW, THESE 44 Resort condos won a 1982 Builder's Choice Grand Award for projects more than 15 dua. The best mountain views, judges noted, were in the worst place to build, on a 100-foot, power-line easement...

Georgia- Pacific's Densguard[TM] Products Resist Mold. (Special Advertising Section).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... For 75 years, builders have turned to Georgia-Pacific building products to provide cutting-edge solutions for their needs. So it's no surprise that Georgia-Pacific's DensGuard[TM] family of mold-resistant gypsum products ranks as an...