Facts and figures about the use of information technology in the housing industry are interesting, but often builders' comments are the best source for understanding how IT can make a difference in a construction company's success.
Most high school seniors take the money they get in graduation cards and use it to help pay for college, outfit their dorm room, or take a great summer trip. Ashley and Ashton Carthans had a different idea. They bought a house.
Bob Mckelvey, a third-generation home builder, had been running the company his grandfather founded in 1898 for nearly 40 years when he decided it was time for a change. But his children weren't involved in the business, and the prospect of selling out to a large, national home builder didn't sit...
Richmond, Va.–area developer Bob Atack doesn't waste a second considering where to take a visitor who asks him to show off the property that makes him proudest. The pair jumps into his 2007 black Chevrolet Tahoe and motors past the year-old Henley community, where elegant single-family homes sell...
In the 1920s, John Crosland Sr. struggled to build a thriving real estate and lumber business in Charlotte, N.C., only to lose it all—as millions did—in the Great Depression. But perhaps most painful for him was losing his own house and having to depend on his mother to shelter his young family.
The Insync home could not have been built without the support of its many sponsors, a select group of building product manufacturers and suppliers that contributed to this innovative endeavor.
It's amazing how a house just feels good when all of its parts work in concert. Chores become more efficient, clutter disappears, and stress suddenly goes by the wayside.
A synchronous house would not be complete without recharging areas for body and soul. This home's five bedrooms and 5 ½ baths satisfy that human need without skipping a beat—and that means nurturing not only physical, but also emotional needs for comfort and repose.
Some would argue the true test of a home's functional bandwidth is a party, and the InSync Home is built to handle even the biggest of blow-outs. Distributed audio, mood lighting, and professional-grade kitchen wares notwithstanding, the physical environment is conducive to socializing in every...
Of course, a harmonious existence cannot be achieved solely through technology. Enlightened homeowners will attest that a thoughtful floor plan can also work wonders—particularly when it comes to alleviating traffic congestion, minimizing trips up and down stairs, and aggregating utility space to...
With its warm woods and decadent finishes, this upscale residence offers proof that a high-tech home needn't be sterile to get its groove on. The ideal home-automation system is so seamless that it's nearly invisible, and can happily coexist with any style of interior design, including one that...
The Spanish eclectic abode at the corner of New Broad and Juel streets doesn't look like a high-tech house. Its undulating arches and trademark campanile could have just as easily been conceived during the classical revival period of the 1920s and 1930s, or as an even earlier homage to...
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Modern life moves at warp speed, and each day is an exercise in controlled chaos. The desire for a simpler existence is ever present in our juggling of personal, family, and business commitments. Home is sought out as a spot for refuge and rejuvenation—the place we go to recharge our batteries and...
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Stories about water shortages usually emanate from the Southwest, desert climates such as Phoenix, Tucson, Ariz., and Las Vegas. That's why it's so interesting to hear that the HBA of Maryland is working closely with officials in Carroll County, west of Baltimore, to solve the county's water crisis.
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Legend Homes recently sold the last of 85 homes it built within a subdivision in Portland, Ore., called New Columbia. And because some of those houses are on land owned by the Portland Community Land Trust (PCLT), buyers could purchase them at prices 40 percent below market rate.
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When Joe Massaro bought Petra Island, an 11-acre patch of heaven across the water from his main residence in Lake Mahopac, N.Y., he imagined it as the perfect spot for a summer cottage. What the retired contractor ended up building—a 5,000-square-foot dwelling based on sketches by Frank Lloyd...
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- In a case involving some of Detroit's largest residential developers, a federal jury finds the defendants not guilty of copyright infringement and unfair competition.
- A recent study by the Consumer Federation of America reports that women are buying homes in greater numbers than ever.
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Many builders consider auctioning off their standing inventory a sign of absolute distress and avoid them at all cost.
The terms “design” and “modular homes” are rarely uttered in the same sentence. But modular manufacturers say they're finally trying to upgrade the look of their houses to lure more buyers.
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Lennar Corp. announced Wednesday that, beginning immediately, all of their new communities constructed in the greater San Francisco Bay market will be equipped with a roof-integrated solar electric system from PowerLight, a subsidiary of SunPower Corporation, as a standard feature. The launch...
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The National Association of Home Builders announced the five winners of the Workforce Housing Awards Friday morning at the International Builders' Show in Orlando.
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New products from Hitachi, Dewalt, Senco and more...
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PROSALES Managing Editor Katy Tomasulo and Associate Editor Stephani Miller return today giving us their product picks from the second day of the 2007 International Builders' Show in Orlando. This audio report focuses on tools, entry doors, door hardware and housewrap and features products from...
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More product previews from the 2007 IBS Show in Orlando.
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As expected, there were plenty of great new products and innovations on display during Day 1 of the Builders' Show. Here are a few of the highlights from my first day.
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Continuing Hanley Wood's comprehensive coverage of the 2007 International Builders' Show, PROSALES Magazine Managing Editor Katy Tomasulo amd Associate Editor Stephani Miller bring you the inagural PROSALES Podcast, covering the leatest and greatest products from the trade show floors in...
Hanley Wood's product editors pick standout new products from the 2007 IBS Show.
Hanley Wood's product editors pick standout new products from the 2007 IBS Show.
Hanley Wood's product editors pick standout new products from the 2007 IBS Show.
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The writers and editors for BUILDER, BIG BUILDER, REMODELING, and other Hanley Wood magazines and web sites were out in full force during the just completed 2007 International Builders' Show in Orlando, looking for the best new products, services, breaking news, and general buzz from the floor. The...
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U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson unveiled the Bush administration's 2008 budget $35.2 billion request on Monday as the agency seeks to expand homeownership, promote affordable housing, and assist homeless individuals and families.
When you ask people in their communities about John Crosland Jr. and Bob Atack, you'll first get a big smile, followed by a statement that goes something like, “Where do you want to start?” For it seems that the two men can't stop themselves from finding and fixing problems.
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This 104-acre project offers the best of both worlds for active 55-and-over seniors. It combines the relaxing pace of small-town living with easy access to Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis, Md.
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The Mercury is the only luxury high-rise in Koreatown, a hot part of downtown Los Angeles that's just minutes from Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. It's been a huge hit with both Koreans and Korean-Americans.
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Bower & Bailey's market research showed that there was a “gap need” for entry-level housing in this market. The trick was coming up with plans that fit onto small lots (averaging 4,000 square feet) but feel large inside. The builder currently outsells its competition by a 5-to-1 ratio.
Beyond empty billboards, lonely highway overpasses, and overgrown vacant lots is Ferry Street, a block of renovated historic brick Victorians in the heart of Detroit. Well-kept lawns and shade trees adorn this neighborhood two miles north of the Detroit River, mostly because of the work and...
How often do buyers enter a splendidly appointed model home and say, “I want that,” but are frustrated because the cost of those furnishings would bust their budgets, or they have no way of purchasing the products? Apparently too often for D.R. Horton, which is why the industry's largest builder is...
I'm considering a house ventilation system that pulls fresh air from outdoors into the air handler of my heating and cooling system. Do I have to include some kind of powered exhaust vent also, to compensate for the incoming airflow?