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How Society Impacts The Evolution of a Building’s Use
In this article, local architects and a historic resources coordinator examine the evolution of notable buildings in their city of Albany, Ala. “Throughout a building's evolution, its purpose may change from its original intent, but that's what makes it interesting,” says one architect.
Design Elements of a Pet-Centric Home
Attention home builders: Sixty-two percent of households have at least one pet, according to the American Pet Products Association. Half of them consider their pets "just as much a part of the family" as others in the household, according to a 2009 Roper poll. So including pet-friendly home features makes sense. "My dogs are my partners, so when we talked to our builder about what we wanted in our house, they were a big consideration," says Jennifer Voss, who hired Orren Pickell Designers & Builders in Lincolnshire to build her Hinsdale house in 2007.
Banks Trim Borrowing from Emergency Fed Program
Banks borrowed less recently from a Federal Reserve emergency lending program designed to combat the financial crisis, a sign the institutions are having an easier time getting credit from private markets.
Contractors' Records Catch OSHA's Attention
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is drafting rules that make record-keeping audits an agency priority, and builders should get ready for inspectors who want to study injury logs when following up on worker complaints or investigating projects. Here’s the scoop.
Architects Bring Artistry to High-end Homes
The architects and builders who work on high-end custom homes get a double dose of creativity in each project — they exercise their own artistry while bringing to life the imaginative concepts of their clients. Here’s how.
Lots of Empty Lots
Salt Lake County, Utah, as well as its neighboring counties are awash in vacant single-family lots, some of those have been going for a discount of a third to 50 percent from what they were selling for at the market's peak in 2006 and 2007. Great time for bargain hunting? Not unless you have ready cash.
Green Building Practices Focus of Certificate Program
Green practices in residential building are the focus of the Green Homes Certificate Program offered by Colorado State University this fall at the CSU Loveland Learning Center. The accelerated evening program provides a comprehensive overview of green residential building, new construction and remodeling.
Making Home Affordable Program on Pace
Here's an update on the government's Making Homes Affordable program
Pace of Stimulus Spending Picks Up
One-hundred-sixty-eight days after the $787 billion bill passed, Americans have been wondering: Where are their new bridges, their new sewers, their extra police officers, the solar panels on the government buildings? Most of all, where are the new jobs? For Ohio, like other states, it's a mixed answer.
Builders Shy Away from Foreclosed Homes
In Milwaukee, and most likely in other cities across the U.S., there's money to be made renovating cheap, foreclosed homes, but hard-to-get loans are keeping contractors out of the market. This is how some builders are viewing the situation.
Expert: Roommates Represent the Wave of the Future
Here’s an emerging trend that home builders might want to keep an eye on. A recent university study on "multigenerational cohabitation” has found that increasingly large numbers of people who aren’t related to one another are sharing living accommodations. Wonder what that might do to traditional floor plans.
Homebuilder's Survival Strategy – Stimulus
Here’s a look at how one homebuilder is looking to Uncle Sam, not for a bailout, but for a piece of the economic stimulus pie. Find out how he has put his creative strategy in place to keep his business going.
New Laws Proposed to Boost Home Sales
Political leaders are proposing new legislation to help solve housing and mortgage problems for families who have experienced a job loss or other serious financial difficulty. Such proposals are often good politics, good for troubled families and good for the country. One proposed bill would create a $2 billion loan program for unemployed homeowners who don't qualify for other mortgages because they no longer have a steady income. The proposal, introduced by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., resembles a 1975 program that provided credit to Americans who had lost jobs so they could keep their homes, reports DSNews.com.
Spec Homes Making a Return Appearance
Home builders are becoming a bit more optimistic about future demand for their products, so much so that some are starting to build spec homes again. Find out what’s happening Missouri’s St. Charles County and elsewhere in their metropolitan area.
Nooks, Crannies with Character Built In
They were mighty hard to find in the barren McMansions of the 1980s and 1990s. But, now, say builders and architects, they're baaack. Built-ins. Nooks and crannies. Niches. Cubbies. A number of social trends are contributing to the return of the built-in, say trend-spotters.

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