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Appealing to the Crowds
Many design firms concentrate on decorating model homes, using furniture and accessories that draw the line between traditional and contemporary to attract buyers from all walks of life. The designers work to impress certain features in the memories of the prospective buyers. A number of builders even consult designers before construction begins and are willing to reposition windows, doors, closets and walls to make the job easier. "We want prospective buyers to fall in love with the fantasy we've created, to feel they can get it if they live in the house," says Carlyn and Company Interior Architecture & Design President Holly Polgreen, who says the goal is to create "house lust." Builders often buy design services and furnishings as a package deal, either reusing the furnishings in future models or selling them to the model's buyers or other home owners in the development once the model closes in two or three years' time. (www.washingtonpost.com)
Washington Post (06/12/03) P. H1; Dietsch, Deborah K.
Bill Aims to Avoid Consumer Lawsuits
A bill ready for passage by South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford requires home owners to inform builders of construction defects 90 days prior to filing a lawsuit and give them 30 days after notification to remedy the problem. Though home owners can submit complaints with the S.C. Residential Building Commission to avoid litigation altogether, lawmakers agreed that mandatory mediation was necessary to minimize the number of costly, time-consuming court cases. The measure also makes it more difficult for home owners associations to sue builders. The S.C. Association of Realtors® supported the legislation. (www.thesunnews.com)
Myrtle Beach Sun News (06/07/03) P. D1; Bailey, Issac J.
Builders Dish on Construction Flaws
Dogged by a spate of litigation and a squeeze in insurance coverage, builders are pursuing improved quality in single-family and multifamily housing alike. To that end, renowned construction expert Stan Luhr will discuss how builders can actually increase their profits by adopting strategies that have been shown to produce higher quality while avoiding risk. Luhr's insights will be delivered during two separate programs at PCBC The Premier Building Show in San Francisco, which is being sponsored by the California Building Industry Association. One session will showcase the best and worst examples of production housing in this country, offering explanations for why some products fail miserably in certain climates and why energy-efficient residences can create extra construction problems. In a second seminar, Luhr and a co-presenter will speak on the challenges of high-density, multi-story buildings, which are becoming an increasingly popular resource for satisfying urban demand for homes. (www.inman.com)
Inman News Features Online (06/12/03)
Builders: More Homes Per Acre Will Cut Sprawl
The Building Industry Association of Southeastern Michigan hopes to pass legislation requiring local governments to permit eight homes per acre, rather than a single dwelling per acre. The goal of the measure — which would apply only to heavily populated counties where water and sewer infrastructure is accessible — is to minimize urban sprawl and facilitate the construction of the 400,000 housing units needed over the next three decades to meet demand. Association Executive Vice President Irvin Yackness blames one-home-per-acre laws for creating sprawl by forcing developers to look elsewhere. Milford Township Supervisor Don Green opposes such legislation because it would eliminate the large lots preferred by many buyers. Meanwhile, the new Michigan Land Use Leadership Council, established by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, is expected to formulate solutions to urban sprawl later this year. (www.detnews.com)
Detroit News Online (06/12/03) King, R.J.
Building a Hurricane-Proof Home
Coastal building specialists agree that hurricane-proof dwellings are solidly constructed, but they emphasize that current standards are merely guidelines for the minimum amount of protection. Depending on their needs and preferences, the experts say, home owners may want to go beyond code. For example, deeper pilings than are required could lower federal flood insurance in some areas, according to Spencer Rogers of North Carolina Sea Grant. Other additional, but not required, safeguards against hurricane-strength winds include breakaway walls free from wiring and also properly installed hurricane shutters. Jacksonville, FL-based Blue Gem Construction owner Phillip O'Hara, meanwhile, says oceanfront homes also can be built using Lego-like insulated concrete forms, which can hold up against 200-mph winds. Rogers urges home buyers to consult a structural engineer beforehand and hire a builder experienced in coastal construction. (www.chicagotribune.com)
Chicago Tribune (06/08/03) P. 5N; Sherrill, Mike
Demand Remains for Old Skills
Plasterers have been pushed aside since the advent of drywall, which offers professionals and do-it-yourselfers a low-cost alternative. Though the presence of older homes, churches and buildings makes it unlikely that plaster will become obsolete, many professionals have been relegated to restoration projects. Many of today's jobs involve cracks caused by moisture or the deteriorated wood or brick under the plaster. Despite the shift, the skills of plaster craftsmen will remain valuable as long as homes that pre-date drywall continue to stand. (www.philly.com)
Philadelphia Inquirer Online (06/08/03) Heavens, Alan J.
Digital Design Help
Innovative software programs allow home owners to view changes in the color or floor plan of their new residence before committing to a project. Benjamin Moore and Glidden, for example, are among the paint companies offering inexpensive CD-ROMs that let home owners see their homes in various shades using a digital or scanned picture and their mouse. Although the colors show up brighter on the computer screen, home owners can envision the finished product. They also can create a virtual model home via 3D Home Architect, Total 3D Home or the Punch Home Design Architectural Series 18 by keying in measurements and placing doors, windows and stairways wherever they choose. These computer-aided drafting programs range in price from $40 to $130 and require computers with plenty of speed and memory. (www.pbs.org/wgbh/thisoldhouse)
This Old House (06/03) Vol. 8, No. 5, P. 110; Donio, Paul
Fed Tackles Affordable Housing Barriers
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development plans to review federal, state and local affordable-housing regulations in an effort to weed out procedures and policies that are redundant, contradictory or burdensome. The new initiative is part of HUD's new focus on making homes more affordable as demand continues to grow. "By breaking down regulatory barriers at all levels of government, we are creating an environment to increase minority homeownership," according to HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. To this same end, HUD a year ago announced the creation of a Web-based forum — the Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse — that builders and developers could use to address their concerns about state and local development restrictions that impact the cost of housing. (www.inman.com)
Inman News Features (06/10/03)
Government Campaigns for Stronger Home 'Safe' Rooms
After the recent tornadoes, many home owners discovered that their basements were not strong enough to protect them from damaging winds. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has jumped at the opportunity to promote concrete 'safe rooms,' which can stand up against 250-mph winds. These basements or central rooms feature concrete walls and ceilings as well as steel reinforcement bars — unlike the collapsible wood ceilings that cover most basements. FEMA estimates the price of such safe rooms at $2,500 to $6,000, but Overland Park, KS-based builder Mike Brown figures they cost as much as $9,000 just 10 years ago. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KN) has introduced legislation that would set aside research funds to develop ways to make homes more wind-resistant. American Association for Wind Engineering Past President Michael Gaus believes that just $500 in improvements could sufficiently safeguard a home. FEMA urges builders to go beyond current building codes by securing walls to foundations and roofs with brackets and also by strengthening masonry walls. (www.chicagotribune.com)
Chicago Tribune (06/07/03) P. 2; Murphy, Kevin; Sherry, Mike
Housing: Still About Demand
With the help of attractive interest rates and strong home-price appreciation, the housing market has weathered a slump that is pounding most other industries and the economy as a whole. Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft also attributes the sector's success to robust demand — much of it coming from immigrants — as well as the ability of the housing finance system to lure capital from all over the globe. Nothaft anticipates a 1.3% annual gain in the number of new households over the next decade and a jump in the nationwide homeownership rate from 68% to 70% by 2010. This demand, as well as the steady flow of overseas capital that has held mortgage rates down and made homeownership more affordable, makes a housing bubble unlikely. (www.realtor.org/rmomag.NSF/pages/economyjune03?OpenDocument)
Realtor (06/03) Vol. 36, No. 6, P. 20; Nothaft, Frank
How to Deflate Overblown Fears of Deflation
The perceived threat of deflation — a steady decline in price levels that subsequently curbs consumer and business spending — is riding largely on fears that the housing market currently is under 'bubble' conditions and is moving toward an inevitable burst. In a Wall Street Journal editorial, however, Columbia University economics and finance professor R. Glenn Hubbard insists this scenario is unlikely to unfold. While strong residential property values softened the blows coming from the stock market and kept consumption up, Hubbard says it was not a bubble — but rather movement by the Federal Reserve to lower the cost of housing to users, increased immigration in the 1990s, and a shortage of land for new housing in some markets — that boosted the fundamentals for the real estate sector. Moreover, he points out, a key indicator or bubble conditions — the ability to buy an asset and then quickly resell it for a higher price — is not present in the housing market, due to the high transaction costs associated with purchasing and selling property. (www.wsj.com)
Wall Street Journal (06/09/03) P. A18; Hubbard, R. Glenn
Intuit Boosts Payroll and HR Offerings
More efficient management of payroll and human resource tasks is now available to small- and medium-sized businesses from Intuit, maker of QuickBooks; the new products include Complete Payroll for QuickBooks Online Edition, E-File & Pay for QuickBooks Do-it-Yourself Payroll and Intuit Payroll Services Complete Payroll HR Assistant. Intuit meets the growing demand from small business owners for products that are user friendly and flexible. Complete Payroll for QuickBooks Online Edition updates both QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online Edition with information so it can be accessed from any location with an Internet connection. E-File & Pay for QuickBooks Do-it-Yourself Payroll helps manage payroll and ensures compliance with tax laws. Complete Payroll HR Assistant manages employee information to remain in compliance with state and federal employment laws. (www.sbcmag.net)
Small Business Computing Online (06/03)
Is the Living Room Extinct?
Instead of the traditional living room, a growing number of home owners are seeking great rooms off their kitchens to create large gathering spaces that meet the needs of a bustling lifestyles. NAHB finds that living rooms were absent in a third of the homes built in 2001, and 40% of buyers polled that year said they would purchase a home without one. Ellicott City, MD-based architect David Robbins notes that today's kitchens are bigger and feature center islands for food preparation and entertainment purposes as well as high-end molding and window treatments. Though more affluent buyers continue to prefer formal living spaces, Denver-based Architecture Matters President Karen Harris says the dining room fills that need. Meanwhile, home owners have moved their family rooms and great rooms to the back of the home, which is now frequently used as the entrance. Despite the added pressures of keeping the kitchen and family room clean for guests, Harris says centering their lives around the kitchen helps home owners create a comfortable, casual space in which to relax. She sees the trend as the next phase in the evolution of homes into larger and more casual dwellings that buffer families from the harsh realities of the outside world. (www.sunspot.net)
Baltimore Sun (06/08/03) P. 1L; Snodgrass, Lucie L.
New Home Owners' Big Beefs With Builders
According to a survey of almost 100,000 home buyers conducted by Eliant last year, most were content with their appliances and overwhelmingly found their builders to be courteous and knowledgeable. However, flooring, drywall and plumbing posted satisfaction ratings under 75%; while satisfaction with concrete driveways and walkways was rated at only 64%. Home owners ranked wall alignment and framing first in importance, but gave these elements a satisfaction rating of just 76%. Respondents also were dissatisfied with builder response times and the quality of the repairs themselves. (www.csmonitor.com)
Christian Science Monitor (06/09/03) P. 12
Space — the Fashionable Frontier
NAHB reports that upgraded kitchens and bathrooms, commercial-grade appliances, great rooms, master bedroom suites and high-speed Internet access were in high demand last year. Industry insiders in Dubuque, IA, say their market is no exception to those trends. “The big trend is open spaces and lighter, brighter spaces,” notes Dubuque Board of Realtors® President Brad Brissey. Mozena Construction's Joe Mozena agrees, noting that home owners want bigger kitchens and great rooms — which leave them little space for formal dining and living rooms. In the master suite, large bathrooms and walk-in closets are popular. Meanwhile, homes are increasing in size to accommodate three-car garages, offices and dens. Local architect Jean Evangelista says 2.5-car garages are standard in her firm's plans to give home owners enough space to store toys and other items as well as the family vehicles. (www.thonline.com)
Dubuque Telegraph Herald (IA)-- (06/09/03) P. A1; Greene, Kylie
Universal Housing Gains Momentum
"Universal design," a nationwide movement calling for builders to construct accessible homes for disabled people, is a hot topic in Arizona. Supporters of the movement take it beyond handicapped access, claiming that families lugging baby strollers; recovering surgical patients; and movers all benefit from no-step entrances as well as wider hallways and doorways. Pima County was the first in the country to institute an "inclusive-design ordinance," which requires at least one stairless entryway, 32-inch doorways, door levers and light switches under 48 inches high. Meanwhile, the Phoenix Mayor's Commission on Disability Issues wants to impose a law mandating no-step entrances and wider hallways and bathroom doors. Both the Home Builders Association of Southern Arizona and the Home Builders Association of Central Arizona oppose these laws because they keep home buyers from designing dwellings to their specifications. According to Home Builders Association of Central Arizona Deputy Director Rus Brock, "We're out there to satisfy the market, and if the market wanted it, we'd already be doing it." Brock adds that such laws will boost home prices because hundreds of standard plans would need reapproval. Even so, Arizona Bridge to Independent Living's Paula Grodecki says low-cost accessible housing is in high demand in the East Valley. (www.arizonarepublic.com)
Arizona Republic Online (06/11/03) Scott, Luci
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