Susan Bady

Susan Bady has been writing about the housing industry for 20 years. She is currently senior editor of design for Professional Builder and Custom Builder magazines, and serves as lead editor of Custom Builder. Before re-joining PB in 2007 (following a seven-year absence), Susan held various positions at Consumers Digest magazine; Taylor Johnson Associates, a media relations firm; and Better Homes and Gardens’ Home Plan Ideas.

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Recent Posts

Consortium Aims to Build 12,000 Affordable Homes in Two Years

The American Sustainability Initiative (AmeriSus for short) recently announced that beginning in January 2010, it will place 12,000 affordable, sustainable homes in 15 states over the next two years -- and Whirlpool Corp. plans to be right there with its energy-efficient appliances.

According to the Whirlpool press release, Philadelphia-based AmeriSus is "a consortium of design and development professionals focused on providing creative designs and materials for energy-efficient homes that are within the price range of the average American home buyer." One of the ways AmeriSus is making the homes affordable is by utilizing the kit-home concept popularized by Sears about 100 years ago. I'm guessing that...Read More

More On the Custom Builder Symposium

Here are a few more nuggets I snapped up at the 2009 NAHB Custom Builder Symposium & Design Institute:

** Attendance was down significantly (no surprise there), but those who did make the trip were upbeat and hungry for information and ideas. The exhibitors, who included Cambria, Johns Manville and Kohler, reported a high level of builder interest.

** Keynote speaker Becky Robbins of Mark Kamin & Associates, an executive training/coaching firm, discussed how builders can position their companies for success. Takeaway: Leave the past in the past and make room for a future that you actively...Read More

Things Aren't Good, But They're Less Bad

Just returned from the NAHB Custom Builder Symposium & Design Institute in San Diego, a lovely place to hold a conference. Some quick thoughts:

** The industry still isn't in good shape, but it's "less bad," according to Florida builder Barry Rutenberg.

** Payne & Payne Builders of Chardon, Ohio (Cleveland area) was named Custom Home Builder of the Year. The family-owned and operated business was founded by Mike Payne Sr., who retired a few years ago. Brother Dave and sons Eric and Michael are carrying the mission forward. Find out what makes this company tick in the January 2010 issue of Custom Builder.

** We've been designing houses the wrong way for so long, we don't know what's right, says Karen Kassik, a residential designer based in Winter Park, Fla. But if we learn the fundamentals of class...Read More

Tax Credit Craziness Escalates

Have you heard the one about the four-year-old who claimed the first-time home buyer tax credit? Russell George, the inspector general for tax administration at the Internal Revenue Service, wasn't kidding when he revealed this nugget at a recent Congressional hearing about apparent tax-credit abuse. (The Wall Street Journal's "Developments" blog did a good job of summing up the story this morning.)

In addition to the youngest American ever to buy a home, Mr. George said that thousands of tax-credit claims were filed by people who had owned a home within the preceding three years. Others claimed it for homes they hadn't even purchased.

So why did all those fraudulent claims fall through the c...Read More

Great Kitchen Designs for Less

Home builders, remodelers, architects and homeowners now have a lower-cost option for quality kitchen designs -- Kitchen Design Online, or KDOL for short. Created by award-winning designer Jennifer Gilmer, CKD, KDOL is a Web-based resource for pros and consumers who are either doing a kitchen remodel or building a new custom home.

The concept is straightforward. Users log onto the site and select one of three levels of service, from one-dimensional floor plans and elevations to detailed plans and elevations, 3-D perspective drawings, color boards and countertop, cabinet and tile details. A professional designer from the KDOL stable reviews room dimensions and photos, then collaborates with the customer on the design. Turnaround ranges from 14 to 28 days, and the pr...Read More

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