Professional Builder (1993) articles from September 2008

Professional Builder (1993) archives from September 2008

Earth (and builder) Friendly.
September 1, 2008... Staff Encore, Encore! Staff Peace of mind with particleboard? You can have it with SierraPine's urea-formaldehyde-free Encore particleboard. Made for cabinetry, wall paneling, countertop and other applications, the Encore emits...

Go Ahead and Vent.
September 1, 2008... Staff A Steamy Affair Staff Anyone who suffers from asthma will tell you effective humidification and dehumidification systems are essential. Honeywell's new TrueSteam models provide efficient humidification separate from the air...

Novel Ideas.
September 1, 2008... Staff Stayin' Dry Staff You've seen deck drainage systems, but not one that has the surface boards supported by the same structural design to create a waterproof deck joist support system. Both the company and product go by the...

The Sun Shines on Solar.
September 1, 2008... By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor Has solar power finally reached the tipping point? After some four decades of existence, solar power may finally become an accepted, economically viable alternative to grid power sources. The United...

Cottage Bliss.
September 1, 2008... By Sara Zailskas, Assistant Managing Editor The Cottage Series at Forest Creek features spacious single-family homes on micro-lots -- at prices that turn heads. In the summer of 2007, Pat Neal, president of Neal Communities, had the...

The Hot Seller in Silicon Valley.
September 1, 2008... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design California's high electricity rates are spurring consumer demand for solar-powered homes at a community in San Jose, Calif. Along with other energy-saving features, solar photovoltaic (PV) roof modules...

Prefab-ulous Green.
September 1, 2008... By Felicia Oliver, Senior Editor Modular is increasingly recognized as a green way to build because the factory built process saves time and energy. Linthicum, Md.-based modular builder Haven Custom Homes has taken prefab green a step...

Project Proves Net-Zero is Attainable.
September 1, 2008... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor Perhaps the ultimate green development is an enclave of eight single-family homes now under construction in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell, Georgia. Weatherford Place is a semi-custom neighborhood where a 2,500...

Green Builders Lives Up to Its Name.
September 1, 2008... By Jennifer Powell, Staff Writer The Alder model has a long list of energy-efficient features, including recycled lumber and recycled carpet, in every home in the Georgetown Village community. Green Builders' selling point is the Icynene...

ICFs Seal this Home for Energy Efficiency.
September 1, 2008... By Mark Jarasek, Senior Editor, Electronic Media It's the construction methods, particularly the use of insulated concrete forms (ICFs), that help make this 4,200-square foot-home in the Foxbury Hills subdivision in Slinger, Wis., a solid...

Green Science.
September 1, 2008... Paul Deffenbaugh, Editorial Director The science of green building is building science. Reluctance to learn green techniques is tantamount to reluctance to learn how to build. There are immutable truths about different industries, and...

Think about it.
September 1, 2008... Staff 40 The Los Angeles Times reports that 40 employees are left at Barratt American, down from 140. The company is surviving the downturn by doing reconstruction work in fire-damaged parts of San Diego and creating a custom homes...

The Power of Green.
September 1, 2008... By Paul Cardis, Avid Ratings Green design and construction can help your bottom line. Sales of hybrid automobiles are at record highs, and even people who can easily afford soaring gas prices are opting for hybrids to show their...

Getting to Green.
September 1, 2008... By Felicia Oliver, Senior Editor This year's national survey asked builders about the challenge of going green, of educating their staffs and the features they are most likely to include in a green home. Take note. It's been a year...

Turn Your Business Around.
September 1, 2008... By Alan Parrow, Bull Free Solutions Take a look at how you're managing, and it will help you move your company in the right direction. Most private home builders and a few public ones are struggling just to keep their doors open. With...

The High-Performance-Home Pitch.
September 1, 2008... By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor We sold our customers on hearth, home and the American Dream. Now eco-consciousness has forced builders and sales teams to pitch a high-performance home new to home buyers' minds. To sell energy...

Are Your New Sales Agents Prepared For Success?
September 1, 2008... By John Rymer, New Home Knowledge High turnover is common. Find time and resources to make every sales agent a true professional. A consequence of the current new home sales environment is high turnover among sales professionals....

How to Deliver on Dreams.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... By Daniel Andersen, D. Andersen Consulting The greatest challenge in developing unique outdoor living spaces that meet a client's dreams, desires and budget is to wholly understand the client. Each project reflects a distinct synergy of...

Get A Life!(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... By Tom Stephani, Custom Construction Concepts Even in the best of times, a custom home-building business is time-consuming, stressful and risky. In a tough economic climate, the problems can be overwhelming. The pressures of trying to...

2008 Custom Builder Design Challenge: The Lake House.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor, Design If you had to design a second home on a wooded lakefront lot for empty nesters, what would it look like? We asked for speculative plans and elevations and picked the cream of the crop to spark your...

Concrete Solutions.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... By Jennifer Powell, Staff Writer Concrete is no longer gray and boring; it's a less expensive material that can be used throughout a custom home. A few custom builders are getting to know concrete as a flexible material to use instead...

Reclaimed Rewards.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... Mark Jarasek, Senior Editor, Electronic Media One custom builder takes aged and weathered wood salvaged from old barns, horse stables and other obsolete structures to give it a second life in custom homes. Drive along any given U.S....

Style and Substance.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... By Susan Bady, Senior Editor In my opinion, the real star of the 2006 film "The Lake House" wasn't Keanu Reeves or Sandra Bullock, but the house itself: a wonderful glass-and-steel structure that rose out of the water on stilts. It so...

Products: Entertainment Centers.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... Staff Built Invisible Staff The Built-Invisible home entertainment system from audio master Bose provides builders and installers with all the necessary wiring and amplifiers. The larger components can be completely hidden in...

Products: What's New.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... Staff Low-Flow is the Way to Go Staff The latest showerheads from Danze use only 1-1/2 gallons per minute of water, regardless of low or high pressure. Shown here is the 4-inch Victorian showerhead, which features 45 spraying...

Products: Hand & Power Tools.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... Staff Hit it on the Head Staff These nailers aren't messing around. DeWalt's 15- and 16-gauge nailers are designed to drive 1- to 2 1/2-inch nails into the hardest woods out there, even oak. Both models feature an internal piston...

Requesting Backup.(SUPPLEMENT: Custom Builder)
September 1, 2008... By Nick Bajzek, Products Editor Standby power generators might keep custom home buyers going. An aging power infrastructure and the influx of severe weather hitting our nation means power outages are more likely, and most custom home...

A Mid-rise Comeback?(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 10, 2008... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor Urban condos in mid-rise buildings looked like a hot product until the Roaring 2000s crashed, but a higher cost of living could bring them roaring back to life. As the movement of Americans back to the city...

Land Light: Aim to Emulate the NVR Model.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)(Just in time systems)
September 10, 2008... Michael P. Kahn, Michael P. Kahn & Associates 'Just-in-time' theories can help you stay the course It is very clear to me that once we're back to a more normal market environment the NVR Model will be the model most, if not all,...

News & Moves.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 10, 2008... By Jennifer Powell, Staff Writer Florida Is Ground Zero for Housing's Fall When Bonita Springs, Fla.-based WCI Communities filed for bankruptcy protection last month -- listing $2.18 billion in assets and $1.92 billion in debts -- it...

Recovery Plan: Use Technology, Drop Staff, Grow.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 10, 2008... By Tom Gebes, BuilderMT Texas builder uses integrated software to go completely paperless -- and reduce staff to prepare for growth. Managing a household of a family of four (like mine) is more complicated than it looks. There are...

Qualifying Buyers A Big Problem.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 10, 2008... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor Bill takes a look at how K. Hovnanian in South Florida balances closing sales with buyers' credit concerns. A recent Harris Interactive poll commissioned by the National Association of Realtors and more...

Noted Recognition.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 10, 2008... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor David Weekley Homes' Partners of Choice awards honoring favorite manufacturers has garnered a nationwide audience. A new home is a collection of thousands of products and material components. Producing...

Too Late?(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 24, 2008... By Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business When large builders rush into the same product lines -- including the sand castles of mid-rise condos -- the late-to-market effect sets in, and the industry overbuilds until profits disappear. In...

News & Moves.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 24, 2008... By Jennifer Powell, Staff Writer Centex Leaving Colorado Centex Corp. announced it will cease its Colorado operations because of the struggling housing market in Denver. The company plans to close by spring of 2009. Centex has been...

Stop Cracks in Post-Tension Slab Foundations.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 24, 2008... By Michael Dickens, BuildIQ Know how problems happen and follow these tips to avoid them. Slab-on-grade foundations are one of the most popular types of foundations in the U.S. They're quick and inexpensive to build and are great in...

Salespeople and Implications of GSE Takeovers.(SUPPLEMENT: GIANTS)
September 24, 2008... Bill Lurz, Senior Editor, Business The housing recovery is in buyers' hands -- and they need your sales agents to translate what's going on. Even as we are all still trying to understand the full implications of the U.S. Treasury...