The Smith House. Photo courtesy Farr Associates

Prefab Concrete Panels Enhance Green Dream Home

Dovetailing with a surge in consumer interest in green building and energy-saving technologies, a 9,200-square-foot dream house built by two airline pilots on a stunning site in Prairie Grove, Ill. illustrates how prefabrication is becoming an increasingly popular and effective choice for boosting the performance of residential structures.

In her new book, “Prefabulous — the House of Your Dreams Delivered Fresh From the Factory,” author Sheri Koones, describes how Steve and Jackie Smith's home used a concrete system called Solarcrete to provide a sustainable method of construction that at the same time allowed for modern interior design with a strong connection to the outdoors. ...

425 HBAs Now Signed Up for Membership Day on May 22

This year, membership analysts predict that NAHB’s upcoming National Membership Day on Tuesday, May 22 could bring in more than 10,000 new members. During the day, more prizes will be awarded to successful recruiters than ever before, thanks to Whirlpool, NAHB’s exclusive membership sponsor.

All the action that day can be seen live on the National Membership Day Webcast from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Members of participating local home builders associations that participate are eligible to win a Chill and Grill Travel Cooler, receive double Spike credits during the month of May and become eligible to rank in national membership competitions for recruitment, retention and participation.

To be eligible for these incentives, members must belong to a local association that:

• Has completed the “Commit to Call” and faxed it to NAHB by Friday, May 11.
  
  
• Calls between noon and 5:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, May 22 to report new member pledge totals for the month of May.

More than half of all the local HBAs — 425 — are registered to participate in NAHB’s annual membership drive. ...

The second phase of NAHB grant money is now available. Apply now.

$2 Million Just Released: Apply Now for ‘Buy Now’ Ad Grants

On April 27 the NAHB Executive Board approved the release of the remaining $2 million of the NAHB “Buy Now” Advertising Assistance Program. Launched in February, the program provides $3 million to assist local associations in an effort to bolster home sales in markets hit hard by the current housing downturn. The initial $1 million was quickly disbursed in grants to 51 HBAs.

Following the release, NAHB immediately began processing 35 additional applications — worth more than $600,000 — that had been approved and were awaiting funds from the program’s second phase.

In total, 86 local associations in 29 states have now applied for and have received, or been approved to receive, nearly $1.7 million in advertising assistance. Including the matching funds that the HBAs contributed, the total value of their advertising campaigns is $5.3 million. To see a list of the HBAs and the grant levels, click here.

With $1.3 million in funds still available, NAHB encourages HBAs that have not yet applied for advertising assistance to apply today. ...

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