Professional Builder (1993) articles from March 2009

Professional Builder (1993) archives from March 2009

Agent of Change.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 1, 2009... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business David Kosco's colleagues testify the architect's designs have set national trends and withstood the test of time. Bill Lurz examines the collaborative designer's background, as well as what's next. ...

Understand Obama's Rescue Plan.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 1, 2009... Staff Watch, listen and read about the President's plan to stop foreclosures and rectify the housing industry. Which Parts of Housing Need Assistance First? -- Bloomberg TV Bloomberg News' Kathleen Hays analyzes the rescue plan's...

News.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(briefs)
March 1, 2009... Staff Choice Homes Shuts Down -- KHOU-TV Fort Worth, Texas-based home builder Choice Homes ceased operations late February. Citing the likelihood of a deepening recession and tight credit lines, the company decided to go out of...

3-Part Tech Overhaul Keeps Builder Running.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 1, 2009... By Tom Gebes, BuilderMT How one builder upgraded its technology, revamped its workflow and tapped an expert to save 5 FTES Have you got your eyes covered to block out the horror show of this market? Well, you can peek. One home builder...

Buffet and Lurz Say It's Time to Buy.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 1, 2009... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business Bill follows Warren Buffet's words -- and hopes the public does, too. This from his blog, Ear to the Ground. Fortune magazine says it's time to jump back into the stock market and quotes no less an...

Texas Green.(Bigelow Group Inc.)
March 1, 2009... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor Aurora, Ill.-based Bigelow Homes hits Texas with an affordable, energy-efficient home that pioneers HVAC in conditioned interior space. Our coverage of Chicagoland production builder Bigelow Homes as Builder...

Design Center Makeover.
March 1, 2009... By Paul Cardis, CEO, Avid Ratings As the industry emerges from recession, the roll of design centers is changing. During the height of the housing boom, home builders invested heavily in elaborate design centers. Professionally staffed...

All Hands on Deck.
March 1, 2009... Staff It Checks Out Staff You'd be right to go with CorrectPorch by Correct Building Products. The boards feature a new spacer bead design and are made from an environmentally sustainable 60/40 recycled hardwood and polypropylene...

City vs. Suburbs.(Report)
March 1, 2009... Paul Deffenbaugh, Editorial Director We all talk about the increase in infill construction and a back-to-the-city lifestyle, but recent research suggests people in the 'burbs are happier. The good news: Americans have wanderlust. The...

Number Crunch.
March 1, 2009... Staff Think about it 8 Mortgage applications reached an eight-year low after a 24 percent week-over-week decrease was reported by the Mortgage Bankers' Association. $275 billion President Obama's new housing rescue plan...

It's Cheaper to Own!(house prices)
March 1, 2009... By John Rymer, New Home Knowledge Do the work for buyers by showing them how easy today's rates make affording a new home. I have carried a mortgage payment rate-calculator card with me every day for the last 20 years. Printed payment...

When Builders Go Virtual.
March 1, 2009... By Sara Zailskas, Assistant Managing Editor Whether by personal choice or forced by the economy, some builders and developers are breaking down cubicle walls and taking their companies virtual -- and they're loving it, too. It's August...

One of a Kind Redefined.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
March 1, 2009... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design The 2008 Best in American Living Award judges singled out these custom homes for their creative interpretation of authentic architectural styles; unique details and use of materials; and success in...

Collaborate with Your Architect.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
March 1, 2009... By Joel M. Karr, Group 41 I'm often asked how I'm able to operate so comfortably in two territories: high-design architecture and real-estate development. It amazes me that many of my architect colleagues think developers are the lowest...

Terrific Custom Trim.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
March 1, 2009... By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor You have to leave the plain, old production-home-style stock pieces behind when it comes to dramatic interior trim work. Here is where the carpenter still reigns supreme; custom trim requires the kind of...

The Winner's Circle.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Best in American Living Awards)
March 1, 2009... Susan Bady, Senior Editor There's always an element of subjectivity in judging a design competition such as the Best in American Living Awards. We try to minimize it by assembling a jury that is diverse in expertise, experience and...

Warm Welcome.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Susan Bady This 6,250-square-foot, Tuscan-style home welcomes visitors into a private courtyard and a stone pathway crowned with plastered groin vaults. A sense of permanence emanates from the hand-forged, custom iron door pulls and arched...

12 Things We'd Change!(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
March 1, 2009... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business We asked custom builders across the country what they'd do differently if they were starting over from scratch to launch a business today. Here are a dozen of the best ideas. 1 Bring More Cash ...

If I Knew Then What I Know Now.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Column)
March 1, 2009... By Tom Stephani, Custom Construction Concepts There's an old saying that goes, "Know how to avoid making mistakes? Experience. So how do you get experience? By making mistakes." Experience can be a great teacher, but it can also be...

Windy Solar.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Canadice Construction )(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Nick Bajzek Dick Gammell is the owner of Canadice Construction in Springwater, N.Y., and he's built and employed a new wind/solar generator on his job sites to curb his gas and diesel generator use. Canadice Construction's Solar/Wind...

5 Ways to Punch Up Generic Home Designs.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Susan Bady If you're stumped for ways to add pizzazz to your designs, consider the advice of Al Burrell and Kurt Donnelly, principals of Dahlin Group Architecture Planning in Pleasanton, Calif. At the 2008 Custom Builder Symposium, Burrell...

3 Steps to Long-Lasting Attachment.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Susan Bady More than 1,000 years old, timberframe construction is based on the mortise and tenon, a method of connecting timbers without metal plates, nails or bolts. The mortise is a pocket or recess cut into the wood; the tenon is the...

A Shipping Container That's a Custom Home.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Jennifer Powell The client had a budget of $150,000 and wanted to build a two-bedroom, two-bathroom custom home alongside the James River in Webster County, Mo. The designers from theworkshop 308, based in Springfield, Mo., had a lot of...

BALA Shows Where Home Design is Headed.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
March 1, 2009... Susan Bady Each year, the judges of the Best in American Living Awards identify key design trends exemplified by the entries. In 2008, one major development they noted was the continuing evolution of outdoor living spaces (think...

Awesome Onyx.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
March 1, 2009... Jennifer Powell Alan Evans, a custom home builder, wanted a "Mountain-Western" home with the latest amenities and impeccable finishes. The powder room has a vase-style hand basin overlaid with an onyx stone in a metal frame. Low-voltage...

Negotiating Dos and Don'ts.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)(Brief article)
March 1, 2009... Sara Zailskas Joe Pusateri isn't just the owner and president of Elite Homes; he also coaches people on their negotiation skills. Pusateri offered these tips to International Builders' Show attendees in his session, "The Art of the Deal,"...

Key Accountability.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Martin Brady)
March 15, 2009... Felicia Oliver Category //Sales Manager of the Year Gold Winner //Martin Brady, Vice President of Sales, The Marketing Directors, New York "To be on our sales team, you must be accountable!" Martin Brady writes in his application...

She Made Cyber Sales Soar.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Kelly Kenton Fink)
March 15, 2009... Felicia Oliver Category //Marketing Director of the Year Gold Winner //Kelly Kenton Fink, Regional Marketing and Internet Director, Bowen Family Homes, Duluth, Ga. Kelly Kenton Fink became Bowen Family Homes' regional marketing...

Selling Well, Despite the Odds.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 15, 2009... Felicia Oliver Category //Sales Team of the Year -- Urban Gold Winners //Debbie Cosic and Mira Tomljenovic, Principals; Peter Vukojevic, Director of Sales; Danielle DeVaal and Michelle Ozimec, Sales Representatives; and Ivana Cosic and...

A Focus on Lifestyle and Value Wins the Day.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 15, 2009... Felicia Oliver Category //Sales Team of the Year -- Suburban Gold Winner //Ashley Wilson and Jenn Nowalk, Certified Sales Professionals; and Brenda Simpson and Ann Gowarty, Builder Representatives; Coldwell Banker-Howard Perry and...

The keys to sales success.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
March 15, 2009... Felicia Oliver We interviewed some of the Nationals' gold winners after the January awards ceremony in Las Vegas to learn what they attribute for their success. Listen to Cheryl Byrne; Kelly Kenton Fink (:44); Martin Brady (1:22); Debbie...

Trail-Blazing Sales.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Brief article)
March 15, 2009... By Felicia Oliver, Senior Editor Who says no one's buying homes? These sales professionals are tracking leads and closing deals. It's been a tough few years. But falling interest rates and lower home prices are coaxing some buyers out...

Green with Optimism.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Richard Sackmann)
March 15, 2009... Felicia Oliver Category //Sales Person of the Year Gold Winner //Richard Sackmann, Sales Associate, The Marketing Directors, New York Price range of homes //$680,000 to $5.25 million Net sales //25 Richard Sackmann's...