Custom Home articles from July 2005

Custom Home archives from July 2005

Growing greener.(Editor's Page)
July 1, 2005... Every day, the media unearths a new story about environmental degradation, shrinking natural resources, or evidence of global warming. We read reports of deformed frogs in the Midwest and melting ice caps at the North Pole, stories about...

Put function over form.(Readers have their say)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I have just received and glanced through the April 2005 issue. I am dismayed that, although the kitchens featured are beautiful and full of wonderful details, they all seem to be largely dysfunctional. I am not much of a cook, but I do know my...

Contract question.(Readers have their say)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I just read the article ("Bidding Wars," by Dennis Dixon, January/February, p. 26). Great stuff! I seem to endure many of the pitfalls you describe in your article. Do you have any advice on where I can find a good consulting-estimating...

Fantasy home.(Readers have their say)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... Thank you for your fine article ("Unreality TV," May/June 2005, p. 30). I've been bored for some time with lowball articles, too frequently by people who ought to know better and could make better contributions to their industry than this...

Callback.(Readers have their say)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2005... The following product information appeared incorrectly in the May/June 2005 issue. * Ludowici Roof Tile. Weighing 598 pounds per square, improved Celadon Ceramic Slate roofing tiles look like quarry slate, but are lighter and easier to handle...

Are we there yet? Are your clients ready for a sustainable custom home?(On Your Mind)
July 1, 2005... Energy prices rise dramatically. Experts debate whether world oil production will peak by the end of the decade or if it has topped out already. Competition for natural resources of all kinds shifts into overdrive as China unleashes the...

Historical precedent: a lesson from Thomas Jefferson.(From the Trenches)
July 1, 2005... Whenever Americans think of Thomas Jefferson, a number of images of him come to mind: author of the Declaration of Independence ambassador, farmer, revolutionary, statesman, president, point man for the Louisiana Purchase. He is rightfully...

Contain the damage: keep problem buyers in perspective.(Customer Service)
July 1, 2005... Tough customers come in many guises and are labeled with a variety of names by builders: difficult customer, high-maintenance customer, the squeaky wheel, and customer from hell to list just a few of the more polite terms. These folks take up a...

Price vs. quality: selections reflect client-driven values.(Case Study)
July 1, 2005... Scenario: Barry was getting frustrated with his new clients, Jim and Elizabeth Welch. Even though Barry prides himself on building a quality home, it seems like everything he suggested for their new custom home wasn't good enough. When Barry...

Prepare for growth: it takes more than volume to grow a business.(Strictly Business)
July 1, 2005... Many of the custom builders in Builder 20 clubs I have visited recently are laced with a puzzling situation: They've grown their top lines, yet their bottom lines have stagnated and in several cases have actually shrank. What is going on? In my...

Customized service: personalize your sales approach.(The Top Line)
July 1, 2005... Every aspect of the custom home building business is driven by what the customer wants. But when it comes to sales and marketing some builders feel that making a sale is somehow about them: their charming personality, winning smile, or...

Meditation rooms.(Trend Lines/Custom Touches)
July 1, 2005... "We are over-stimulated and bombarded constantly," says New York City-based architect Gavin Macrae-Gibson, "so there's an increasing need for these spaces that are purifying and allow you to get away from the constant intervention of the...

Reuse and retreat.(K+B Studio)
July 1, 2005... "I think the most important thing you can do is reuse," says architect Barbara Brown. "It doesn't go into a landfill, it keeps the house from getting too big, and it's more economical for the client." Transforming an existing cramped kitchen...

Absolute ablution.(K+B Studio)
July 1, 2005... Rather than one big bathroom with opposing functions--waking up and winding down--efficient revamping of two existing bathrooms in this California vacation home offers vibrancy and serenity just steps from each other. There's also enough...

Recycled beauty.(K+B Studio/Products)
July 1, 2005... Recycling has always been a key feature of terrazzo surfaces, traditionally utilizing marble chips. But EnviroGlas Terrazzo uses 100 percent post-consumer and post-industrial recycled glass blended with a pigmented epoxy resin base to create...

Alluringly sustainable.(K+B Studio/Products)
July 1, 2005... The distinctive grain of the Moso bamboo species can be oriented either vertically or horizontally on kitchen cabinetry from AlterECO, Alluringly' Sustainable creating a variety of design options. Suited to both traditional and modern styles,...

Thin is in: high-definition TV is here to stay.(The Digital Home)
July 1, 2005... Lawmakers and television-industry leaders are still squabbling over the turn-off date for analog TV that will officially usher in the high-definition age, but most custom electronics installation specialists are designing A/V systems as if the...

Darrell Smith: gear that helps 21st-century custom builders get ahead.(Trend Lines/Gearhead)
July 1, 2005... Shelly Home Company, San Antonio, Texas Darrell Smith says he would have to hire an accountant to do everything that QuickBooks Contractor does for his company. Features such as job costing and specialized reports help him see exactly which...

Power play.(Trend Lines/What's New)
July 1, 2005... Cogeneration technology--the simultaneous production and use of heat and electric power from the same device or system--has been made practical for the residential market by a collaboration between American Honda Motor Co. and Climate Energy...

High efficiency.(Trend Lines/What's New)
July 1, 2005... The XC21 central air conditioning system is rated at up to 20.5 SEER, making it one of the most efficient air conditioning units available to the residential market. Using chlorine-free R410A refrigerant, the XC21 features a two-stage scroll...

Mark your calendar: important upcoming events.(Trend Lines/Events)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... * Sept. 7-11, CEDIA Expo 2005. Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis. For information call 800.669.5329 or visit www.cedia.net. * Sept. 27-29, 2005 World Sustainable Building Conference, Tokyo, Japan. For information visit www.sb05.com....

Think green.
July 1, 2005... * Custom home professionals have been the first in the housing industry to take up the challenge of sustainability--building houses that perform better yet use fewer resources to build and operate. And while the rest of the industry is just now...

Balance of power: a Martha's Vineyard home will generate as much power as it consumes.(Think Green)
July 1, 2005... South Mountain Company, a design/build firm on Martha's Vineyard, Mass., has been toiling in the vineyard of green building for some 30 years. When sustainability flickered at the edges of the public's consciousness, the company maintained a...

Earth work: a Northern California home draws more than inspiration from its site.(Think Green)
July 1, 2005... Green building metals different things in different places. Site-specific design and construction lie at the very heart of sustainability. Local climate--as local as the microclimate of the site itself--influences virtually every aspect of a...

Lakeside renewal: in a Texas remodel, nothing goes to waste.(Think Green)
July 1, 2005... In 2002 the owners of a 20-year-old saltbox in Austin, Texas, approached architect Robert Jackson with an interesting proposal. They wanted to remodel and enlarge their existing house on Lake Austin, a task that seemed straightforward enough....

Back to nature: wind and sun power a Midwest retreat.(Think Green)
July 1, 2005... When Oregon, Ill., builder Rick McCanse first encountered his future clients Kent and Kathy Lawrence, it didn't take him long to decide he wanted to work with them. "I knew we'd get along famously," he says. Not only did their laid-back...

Mainstream green: Architect Peter Pfeiffer makes a case for the everyday sustainable home.(Think Green)
July 1, 2005... Peter Pfeiffer seldom needs to sell the concept of sustainable architecture, but he can make a very convincing case when he has to. "We've been around so long that people come to us with a similar ideology," says Pfeiffer, who attributes the...

Natural impressions: high-end roofing alternatives.(Products/State of the Art)
July 1, 2005... The craftsmanship required to work with delicate, costly materials and achieve a beautiful, classic roof gives slate and shakes lasting cachet in the custom home market. But with today's increasing focus on green building as well as on...

Drew Maran: Drew Maran Construction/Design, Palo alto, Calif.(Products/Great Finds)
July 1, 2005... There are plenty of green insulation alternatives available for builders who shy away from using fiberglass batts, and custom builder/green building consultant Drew Maran has tried many of them. Maran primarily uses U.S. GreenFiber's Cocoon...

E. Decker Ayers: EDACO Custom Building, Austin, Texas.(Products/Great Finds)
July 1, 2005... In custom builder Decker Ayers' part of the country humidity, moisture, and mold are recognized as having a big impact on overall indoor air quality. Removing excess moisture from the indoor air not only reduces the opportunities for mold...

Classic vintage.(Products/Fine Finishes)
July 1, 2005... Distinctive cooper's marks, vineyard notations, date stamps, and winemaker initials are all prominently on display in a line of hardwood flooring produced from reclaimed wine barrels. Stained and aged by wine and oxidation, the wood is allowed...

Reliving the past.(Products/Fine Finishes)
July 1, 2005... Giving new life to salvaged stone and terra-cotta architectural elements requires an appreciation for the simplicity of the materials and the inherent beauty of their surfaces. It also requires knowing how to re-assemble and combine the...

Cool roof.(Energy-Saving Products)
July 1, 2005... Elk Cool Color asphalt shingles use reflective pigmented granules to decrease roof temperature. Three earth-toned colors are available. The shingles meet initial Energy Star reflectivity requirements. Elk Premium Building Products....

In hot water.(Energy-Saving Products)
July 1, 2005... The Winston series CPC collector solar water-heating system uses 12 parabolic collectors to focus sunlight onto absorber tubes that transfer heat to the system's water storage tank. Solargenix Energy. 919.871.0423. www.solargenix.com. Circle...

Draft blocker.(Energy-Saving Products)
July 1, 2005... Molded from foam insulation, the EnergyBlock fits around standard electrical outlet and light switch boxes to seal out drafts, providing R-10 insulation. EnergyBlock is sealed after rough wiring is complete. Pine Ridge Builders. 701.320.1111....

Sealed tight.(Energy-Saving Products)
July 1, 2005... Icynene Gold Seal 400 soft foam insulation and air-dispensing system is designed for insulating and air-sealing around windows and doors, rim joist areas, cracks, and building envelope penetrations, as well as sound dampening in plumbing runs....

Cozy in the cold.(Energy-Saving Products)
July 1, 2005... Utilizing a two-cylinder compressor with a back-up booster compressor and economizer, the Cold Climate heat pump maintains high efficiencies at 0 degrees F and lower, The heat pump is Energy Star qualified. Nyle Special Products. 207.942.2865....

Protective treatment.(Green Products)
July 1, 2005... Utilizing a sodium silicate technology that surrounds wood fibers with layers of glass, TimberSIL treated wood is non-corrosive; non-carcinogenic; free of heavy metals; fire-retardant; and protected against rot, decay, termites, mold, and...

Waste not.(Green Products)
July 1, 2005... shetkaStone is made from pre-and post-consumer non-toxic waste paper molded to form counter tops and other surfaces that have the appearance of limestone soapstone or granite. shetka Works. 507.357.4177 www.shestone.com Circle 172

Fresh finish.(Green Products)
July 1, 2005... Water-based and solvent-free Aqua Resin slain finish No. 33 can be used for interior and exterior wood applications. It is fade-resistant and dries in less than 30 minutes, the maker says. BioShield Paint Co....

Rooftop garden.(Green Products)
July 1, 2005... Based on a combination of several waterproofing layers, filter fabrics, and root-blocking underlayments, the Henry 790-11 Green Roof system allows vegetation of many types to be planted on sloped and pitched rooftops. Henry Building Envelope...

Visions of vinyl.(Green Products)
July 1, 2005... With a backing made of 35 percent recycled materials, Luxia Envinyl flooring is completely recyclable, the maker says. The low-VOC vinyl tile is non-allergenic, will not promote microbial or fungal growth, and comes in several colors,...

Stairs, molding, and millwork.(SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... In the custom home market, details matter, to say the least. Custom home buyers almost by definition, are looking to ado unique design dements and fine details to their home. They want their home to feature the rich, textural elements that add...

Stair tribute.(Last Detail)
July 1, 2005... Hobson Crow, AIA, felt the architectural details throughout this art collector's Austin, Texas, home, also should be works of art. Especially in the entry hall, which doubles as gallery space, he wanted a sculptural piece that would set the...