Vinyl View: 23.2 million vinyl windows were sold in 2001, making them the most popular windows. Once a frame type has been selected, the firm can build a window to meet a specific STC requirement by combining heavier glass, laminated glass, or differing glass thickness. The windows, available in...
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Washington, August 16 — In line with expectations, the pace of nationwide housing starts slowed 2.7 percent in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.65 million units, the Commerce Department reported today. "Builders were finally able to take a breather following the breakneck speed...
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The only systems that approach selections from both ends of the process are proprietary ones, such as Shea Homes' E-Vision and Beazer Homes' Online Sales System. At that point, however, they have to schedule an appointment with a sales associate, and from that point forward, access to options data...
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Rather than make design decisions in a sales office, today's buyers are likely to visit a showroom. Instead of simply selecting carpets, countertops, and the color of appliances, they're confronted with a dozen different walk-in kitchen and bath vignettes, half a dozen fireplace surrounds, and a...
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"The average consumer expects to be treated like a VIP whether or not they're wealthy," says Barbara Caplan, a partner at Yankelovich, the market research firm based in Chapel Hill, N.C. "They have this level of control in the marketplace and expect to have a dialogue about their options."The trend...
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Toll Brothers offers buyers about 1,000 options these days, significantly more than 10 years ago. "Time deficit cuts across all markets," says Sandra Kulli, a marketing consultant based in Malibu, Calif. "If the options experience can be a respite, like the sorbet between dinner and dessert, that's...
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Sometimes a merchandising idea seems like a good one, but it just doesn't work out. For example, design director Karen Richardson at Kathy Andrews Interiors, who works with David Weekley Homes, vividly remembers a beautiful star-burst tile inset that took nine months to get. That made it...
Brian Hutt, director of design studios for U.S. Home, says the industry has gotten smarter about showing off its products, both in models and in design centers, which has contributed to bumping up margins, including his company's. In 1997, U.S. Home had five design studios and the average spent on...
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Trying to corral runaway options selections into a strict production schedule? Technology holds the key. Here is a list of off-the-shelf tools that will keep you on schedule.
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The time involved in building a customer's dream home presents all-too-frequent opportunities for a builder to disappoint. Midland Builders, in Madison, Wis., prides itself on connecting with customers during the final leg of the home building cycle.
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In some markets, notably areas of California, designers are in position to pick and choose their builder clients. Because familiarity with each other's style saves time, costs, and headaches, many are latching onto a handful of key builders who know and trust them.
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In-depth market study is one way to be sure all those merchandising dollars are well-spent. For Color Design Center (CDC), an interior design and merchandising firm in Pacific Palisades, Calif., careful research is essential to the design process.
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One day, Sarah Reilly got quite a surprise when she visited the jobsite of a model for which she was doing the design work. "It was a one-story house all of a sudden," says Reilly, a partner in The November Group, in Austin, Texas.With experiences like that, it's not surprising that Reilly and...
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Somewhere, amid the winding lanes and cul-de-sacs of suburbia, you'll find Debby Drive. "We were coming up with street names for a new development and we needed one more and somebody said, 'Debby Drive.'"
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The Ryland Group, Toll Brothers, John Laing Homes, and Centex Homes all put a distinctive spin on programs offered to those who sell options and upgrades.
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The process that new home buyers go through to select options and upgrades has evolved over years of practice. "So far this year, 30 percent of our profit comes from our design centers," says John Rymer, vice president of sales and marketing, Morrison Homes in Atlanta.
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Customization in home building is not only here to stay, it's an inevitable and increasing precondition for doing business. Why? Americans are better off economically than ever before.
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Builders Care's ultimate goal--eradicate substandard housing. There are between 45,000 and 60,000 substandard dwellings in Jacksonville, Fla., and The Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) is doing something about them.It is an outgrowth and evolution of Habitat Resources, which began...
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Big Builder's first list of financial services for builders will appear in our October issue. Twenty-five years after starting to work with Toll Brothers, first as an Ernst and Young consultant and then, for the past 18 years, as CFO, Joel Rassman is becoming the company's executive vice president.
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Manufacturer efforts that home builders find most helpful.
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After four years of sharing office space with the Fort Myers division, Beazer's Tampa operations have a new address in Tampa.
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Four years after first approaching Nationwide Homes about a possible deal, manufactured-home builder Palm Harbor Homes (NASDAQ/NM: PHHM), based in Addison, Texas, is acquiring the modular manufacturer based in Martinsville, Va.
Although Lennar will build almost 30,000 homes in the suburbs of California this year, the builder thinks downtown may be the place to be. Still in the final stages of approvals, Bressi Ranch starts construction later this year, with the grand opening scheduled for early 2004.
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Six of the top 10 largest home builders are using a new method of termite treatment that, they say, cuts cycle time. The mineral-based product, called Bora-Care, is sprayed on wood during the dried-in phase of construction.
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Fortress will soon cease to exist. On June 17, Lennar acquired a controlling interest in the company. Soon after, the Miami-based builder commenced a $3.68-per-share tender offer for the remainder of Fortress' common stock, which at press time was scheduled to expire on July 22 unless extended.
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Meritage Corp. will purchase the home building assets of Hammonds Homes, a privately held Houston-based builder that operates in 40 Texas communities. Meritage, a public builder located in Scottsdale, Ariz., and Plano, Texas, just last May announced its goal of acquiring building companies this...
The selections process isn't what it used to be, and I mean that in a good way. Once a seeming afterthought, with carpet samples propped up against a garage wall and photocopied images of refrigerators stuffed into a well-worn plastic binder, the process left a lot to be desired.
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Americans may soon consider broadband access a birthright.
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Recent grant money and corporate support suggest that Indian housing may finally gain the momentum needed to grow. The sorry state of Native American housing, both on and off tribal lands, has been well documented. Most estimates put the need for new Indian housing at about 200,000
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Good fences make good neighbors, especially on compact infill lots or in TNDs. Americans realize that a little separation is a good thing and are investing in fences in record numbers. According to U.S. News and World Report, Americans spent $2.3 billion on fencing products in 2001, up from $1.5...
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In a news cycle where the headlines continually announce the latest scandals in the formerly vanilla world of accounting, the last thing a company wants to reveal is a problem with its books. "We had reasons to be questioning their results," says David Weiss, Beazer's CFO.
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The DOE (directed by the Bush administration) has gained the political thumbs up it needs to roll back seasonal energy-efficiency ratings (SEER) on new central air conditioners and heat pumps. "In Florida, 12 SEER is already pretty much standard," Prindle adds.
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Home insurers reeling from investment and claim losses are mining claims databases to justify policy denials, new fees, and higher premiums on existing homes. Insurers are definitely scrutinizing resale homes, says Mary King, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker, in Roseville, Calif. King has lost deals...
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The creative class dresses casually, values diversity, and works nontraditional hours in fields such as science, engineering and the arts.The hottest housing markets: San Francisco, San Diego, Washington/Baltimore, and Atlanta, just to name a few.
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Technological improvements, new palettes, and easier color selection processes have moved paint into the new millennium.Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams' latest introduction is a new color palette that includes over 1,000 original hues that are "cleaner and fresher than what has been available,"...
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In a recent national study, the market research firm NFO WorldGroup concluded that a more attractive front entrance can increase the perceived market value of a home by about $25,000. "When prospective buyers walk up to a home, the first thing they see and touch is that front entrance," says Jeff...
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Ask Manny Schatz about sales managers and builders, and you'll get an earful. "You lose at least $100,000 when a salesperson turns over, and more when it's a sales manager," says Tom Richey of Richey Resources Co. in Houston.
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Customer relationship management, or CRM, is a hot topic among home builders. Two of them, Shea and Beazer, recently added CRM functionality to their Internet presence.
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In May, Toronto-based Cogency Semiconductor (www.cogency.com) unveiled its design for a USB-HomePlug Wall Adapter. The design, which it is showing to manufacturers, is meant to turn any wall outlet into a network port.
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Sharp Corp. has decided to make its solar cells, modules, and systems available in North America. The Osaka, Japan, company, which claims to have "supplied solar energy systems to more than 50,000 Japanese residences," will sell them through Sharp Electronics Corp. of Huntington Beach, Calif., the...
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Builders who use interactive floor plans say that while there's no measurable effect on sales, they do strengthen the company's brand.A number of builders are putting interactive elevations and plans on their Web sites. The leading provider of the technology is Media Lab in Tampa, Fla. The...
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Shattered homes left in the wake of a Maryland super tornado point out both the strengths and shortcomings of modern building codes.On April 28, some of the residents of La Plata, Md., discovered the answer to that question, when a monstrous Category F4 (to F5) tornado cut a 24-mile swath through...
When customers go to a builder's Web site to choose options, their choices trigger a chain of behind-the-scenes actions. Instead, different applications from different vendors can do the job together like members of a framing crew raising walls and roofs.
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The Fed has been a friend of housing since the beginning of last year, when the central bank kicked off a dramatic process of monetary easing that brought down short-term interest rates by nearly 5 percentage points. It's highly likely that the economic recovery still will be struggling during the...
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For consumers, real estate investment is the one positive performer in their investment portfolios. Recently, the NAHB Remodelors Council launched a new professional designation program to link homeowners of all ages with contractors trained to make home modifications that will allow them to age in...
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- The myth that building a low-income apartment housing community drains resources from a metropolitan area just doesn't hold up to scrutiny, says the NAHB.
- The General Accounting Office report shows that the five largest insurance carriers combined have 75 percent or more of the market share...
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By Carolyn Weber. Photo: Jeffrey AronJudges 2002: (from l to r) Jeff Slavin, Cinnamon Forest, Irvine, Calif.; Bill Kreager, Mithun, Seattle; Jill Shannon, Parker Development, El Dorado Hills, Calif.; Rob Steinberg, The Steinberg Group, San Jose, Calif.; Peter Mayer, Peter M. Mayer Productions, Alta...
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Best Attached Project--over 30 du/acre Designing a super dense 43-du/acre infill project in an exclusive hamlet like Carmel could be tricky, but this one fits in seamlessly. Builder/Developer: Lexor Builders, Los Gatos, Calif.; Architect/Land planner: McLarand Vasquez Emsiek and Partners, Irvine...
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Best Single-Family Detached Home--1,800 to 2,300 square feet (small lot) This 2,245-square-foot, alley-loaded plan packs a lot of features into a small package. Builder: Warmington Homes California, Costa Mesa, Calif.; Developer: Ladera Ranch, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.; Architect: Hove Design...
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Home of the Year; Best Single-Family Detached Home--4,001 to 4,500 square feet Desert living is all about comfort and ease, and the wide-open design of the Home of the Year fits the bill. Builder: Price Woods, Carefree, Ariz.; Developer: Lyle Anderson Co., Scottsdale, Ariz.; Architect/Land planner:...
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Enron may be gone, but baseball and the recently constructed Astros Field (formerly Enron Field) are going strong in Houston. Builder/Developer: The Hanover Co., Houston; Architect: Wallace/Garcia and Associates, Houston
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Best Single-Family Detached Home--2,301 square feet and over (small lot) Finally: A front-loaded garage that doesn't offend. Builder/Developer: Centex Homes, Irvine, Calif.; Architect: Bassenian/Lagoni Architects, Newport Beach, Calif.; Land planner: EDAW, Irvine
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Best Residential Detached Project--over 9 du/acre; Best Single-Family Detached Home--under 1,700 square feet (compact lot) (Plan One); Best Residential Site Plan This 14-unit-per-acre cluster community was designed to meet the needs of single professionals. Builder: California Pacific Homes, Irvine...
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Best Single-Family Detached Home--3,001 to 3,300 square feet Although it sounds like a new salad dressing, French Ranch is really a 532-acre development with a 472-acre agricultural preserve in Marin County, Calif. The 31 new homes are sited carefully to ensure that they blend in with the...
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Best Single-Family Detached Home--2,200 to 2,600 square feet Density with dignity describes this eight pack of single-family detached homes overlooking a glorious golf course. Builder: Baywood Development, Newport Beach, Calif.; Architect/Land planner: Scheurer Architects, Newport Beach
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Sensitivity to the land and the community were the keys to this top award winner, an infill project on a well-known historic estate property in Northern California. The traditional colonial facade of Anoakia's 4,935-square-foot Residence One is in harmony with the architecture of the surrounding...
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Storybook architecture with tall towers, cutesy details, and swoopy roofs didn't fare well in this year's Gold Nugget contest. And if the winners of the 39th annual Gold Nugget Awards are any indication, a couple of definite trends hover on the horizon.
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Pent-up Detroit-area demand for well-appointed, move-down homes that live large are the key to Treyborne's success.
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These beautifully detailed but modestly sized homes include everything a buyer needs.These are also Energy Star homes, so buyers save even more money with lower utility bills compared to less energy-efficient homes.
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San Marino gave local residents a chance to move up without moving out of a neighborhood they loved. Homes with very flexible plans bring historic California architectural styles reminiscent of Pasadena and old San Marino to the semi-rural community.
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In real life, Peter Nelson builds spec homes in Seattle, doing two infill projects each year. But Nelson, a carpenter by trade, is quickly becoming better known for the work he does on the side: treehouses.
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One-level living is red hot in the Southwest.It makes sense in those states, which attract masses of empty-nesters looking to avoid stairs, but the easy-living plans are also hitting the first-time buyer market in California, where 40 percent of homes built in the last year were on one level.
It was the type of Supreme Court case that makes everyone involved in land development--builders, developers, planners--very nervous.Property owners (represented largely by an association called the Tahoe-Sierra Preservation Council) sued, claiming the agency's action had deprived them of the...
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Triangle Laboratories, based in Durham, N.C., has announced a new technology for testing dioxin levels in former industrial sites, farmlands, and other "at risk" land parcels. J. Ronald Hass, Triangle's CEO, urges developers to adopt his new product, so they can do a greater number of assessments...
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Windy City builder Neumann Homes is heading West to the Mile High City. In May, Neumann established a new division in Denver in its first venture outside Illinois.
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Much to builders' dismay, mold lawsuits continue to spread. "This is a homeowner maintenance issue on a nine-year-old home," says Bob Hawksley, Fischer's president.
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Introducing the first BUILDER/CUSTOM HOME Kitchen and Bath Awards. The winners will be featured in the March 2003 issues of BUILDER and CUSTOM HOME.
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Thanks to energy uncertainties and a growing international market, photovoltaic solar cells have finally gone mainstream. In mid-June, Bekaert ECD opened a new mass production plant in Detroit.
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Lennar is expanding on both coasts.In July, the Miami-based builder added three companies to its fold: B. Andrews and Co. of Bel Air, Md.; Cambridge Homes of Fresno, Calif.; and, as previously pending, Pacific Century Homes in Temecula, Calif. Lennar paid cash for the three builders, but did not...
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Since mid-June, 22 major fires burned in seven Western states consuming nearly 800 square miles--and the fire season had just begun. Seven California fires raged, some near Los Angeles, Ojai, and Sacramento.
Imagine a world where you couldn't even consider building attached housing because of the legal risk. Enterprising attorneys are bringing construction defect claims against every project they can find.