NBN Online for the week of April 4, 2005

(Plain Text Version) for full graphical version, click here.

In This Issue:

Front Page
• Pervious Concrete Helps Control Storm Water Runoff
• Production Builder Offering Zero-Energy Homes in California
Layouts for Living
• Floor Plans: Affordable Home Makes Maximum Use of Space
President's Message
• NAHB Is Your Business Partner
Politics & Government
• Coalition Examines Causes of Pennsylvania’s Slow Economy
Economics & Finance
• FHA Elderly Home Builders Sought for Online Survey
• HUD Increases Adjustment Caps on Five-Year FHA ARMs
Business Management
• Tax Tips: Use the Right Construction Codes
Seniors Housing
• There's a Market for Affordable Seniors Housing
Education
• National Designation Month Draws 1,700 Participants
• Education Calendar
Research
• PATH Surveying Builders, Consumers on Innovative Homes
Regulation
• New Videos Educate Texas Builders on Storm Water
Tips
• Builders’ Tip: Cutting Engineered Joists
Sales
• Know Your Prospects and Their Commitment Will Follow
Legal
• Conference to Address Alternative Dispute Resolution
Labor
• Project CRAFT Scores a Decade of Success in Florida
Building Products
• Recaptured Gypsum Used in Concrete Floor Underlayment
TV
• NAHB’s Newest TV Production, ‘Rock Solid’ Debuts on DIY
• 2005 International Builders’ Show on HGTV
Coast to Coast
• Definition of ‘Ditch’ Is Muddy at Best
Builder's Engineer
• Cactus League, Here I Come!
Association news
• IBS Headed for Las Vegas Eight Times Through 2020
• NHE Grantees Receive Common Ground Award
• Tulsa Resource Campaign Raises Non-Dues Income
• Jacksonville Builders Help Fund New Homeless Shelter
• Five Inducted into Northern Nevada Housing Hall of Fame
• New Look for NAHB Web Site Coming Soon
• NAHB Spring Board Meeting Set for April 11-17
• Robson Seeks Office of NAHB Vice President and Secretary
• Get GM Discount on More Than 80 Vehicles
• Subscribe Your Employees to NBN for Chance to Win a Digital Camera
• Help Tsunami Survivors Rebuild Their Homes
• Calendar of Events
NAHB Career Center

Top Story

Pervious Concrete Helps Control Storm Water Runoff

Used by developers in Florida and other Southeastern states since the 1970s to control runoff, erosion and flooding, pervious concrete attracted a good deal of attention at last month’s NAHB Green Building Show among attendees looking for solutions to address environmental regulations for more stringent storm water management practices.
[MORE]

Lumber Prices Provided by Random Lengths
Framing Lumber Composite $ 423 up $ 3
OSB Composite $ 413 down $ 21
Southern Pine Plywood Composite $ 522 no change $ 0
With Permission from: RandomLengths.com

Layouts for Living

Floor Plans: Affordable Home Makes Maximum Use of Space

The Avalon ― CHISPA
(www.chispahousing.org)

Emphasis on Affordability: With 1,211 square feet, the Avalon — one of six winners of NAHB’s 2004 Innovations in Workforce Housing Award ― makes maximum use of space to give home buyers three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage and a comfortable living area.
[MORE]
 

Production Builder Offering Zero-Energy Homes in California

Continuing to differentiate itself from other production builders in California and Nevada through the environmental features in its homes, Pardee is now starting to offer its customers Zero Energy Home standards that yield at least a 60% savings in energy costs.

“We’re getting greener and greener as we go along,” Joyce Mason, the company’s vice president of marketing, told NAHB’s Green Building Conference in Atlanta last month.

[MORE]

Housing Snapshot
Interest Rates  
  30-Yr. Fixed: 6.04% 15-Yr. Fixed: 5.58% 5 Yr. ARM: 5.43%
  1 Yr. ARM: 4.33% Libor (3 months): 3.12% Prime: 5.75%
Housing Starts*  (February 2005)
  Total: 2.195 million Single: 1.775 million Multi: 420,000
Home Sales*  (February 2005)
  New: 1.226 million Existing: 6.79 million  
Median Home Prices  (February 2005)
  New: $230,700 Existing: $191,000  
* Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate

 

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