February 2002
Column
Home buyer stats [1]
Although 81% of buyers say they intend to recommend their builder to friends and family, only 67% actually make those recommendations.
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We’ve all heard it or even said it: “You get what you pay for.” Increasingly in the new home business, that means paying employees — salespeople, construction managers, warranty service representatives, etc. — for delivering high customer...
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Feature
For the many builders who view New Urbanism as a passing fad, evidence to the contrary is pouring in.
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As if cost-side pressure on margins was not high enough, builders this year face higher insurance premiums, exclusion or denial of coverages offered in their previous policies, and in some instances policy termination.
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Now more than ever, builders must cater to the cultural needs, practices and preferences of emerging consumer groups, and two new reports are shedding more light on the subject.
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An Energy Star [6]
During the energy crunch that began in the spring of 2001, consumers saw their monthly utility bills increase by leaps and bounds within months.
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If you think Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are interested only in peppering the landscape with re-created 19th century villages, guess again.
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The American Planning Association’s Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook could prompt states to review and change planning and land-use laws.
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They have a big story to tell, and they tell it without benefit of a celebrity spokesperson, a big media presence or the lavish fund-raising events that enhance awareness of many charitable organizations.
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Swedish-bred Claes Fornell, director of the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan, exhibits little of the reserve often attributed to his countrymen.
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The effort to merge the three major building codes — BOCA (Building Officials and Code Administrators), ICBO (International Conference of Building Officials) and SBCCI (Southern Building Code Congress International) — under one umbrella, the...
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Home building is a unique business. Consider the assets most other producers list on their balance sheets: physical facilities, manufacturing equipment, warehouses, etc. Now do the same exercise for most home builders.
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Good News Up [13]
Not long ago, I heard a speech by the president of a large building company at a building industry forum. I listened as he extolled the virtues of the company.
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A group of building company presidents explains how they retain their top performers.
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Remember “Wayne’s World” from Saturday Night Live? Wayne and his buddy Garth did an underground television program from Wayne’s basement, and Wayne frequently offered half-baked ideas that prompted Garth to tell him, “You’ve got to live in the...
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In My Communities [16]
Jim Previti, founder and chairman of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.-based Forecast Homes, sold the 30-year-old company to New Jersey-based Giant K. Hovnanian Enterprises in January.
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Calling himself a forensic engineer, Joe Lstiburek has done more work than he’d like finding problems and fixing failed buildings.
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Third-generation builder/developer John Knott is used to being told that what he wants to do can’t be done. It’s the mantra skeptics always attach to projects that challenge conventional development guidelines, and those are the only kind Knott...
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Most of Leslie Dashew’s clients are not home builders, but a lot more probably should be. For 28 years, she has advised families with businesses how to handle the transition of ownership and/or management from one generation to the next or to an...
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Compared with people in the rest of the world, Americans are among the best housed. Still, a startling number of Americans do not have decent, affordable housing.
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Online Typesetting [21]
Web sites are a company’s clearest link to not only new customers, but also its staff in the field. At least one builder has found a way to enhance that link.
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Relentless focus on buyer behavior has been a 20-year devotion for New York-based consultant and author Paco Underhill. Like a naturalist observing the wild, Underhill and a staff of correspondents follow shoppers through stores and capture their...
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Among a small but growing group of developers who build lifestyle communities, an unusual land-visioning process is taking root.
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Wherever you go in America, strip malls are part of the landscape. That is the beauty of Randy Jackson’s proposed housing solution for land-strapped Orange County, Calif. If it works there, it probably will work in many other places.
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It’s hard to imagine a retiree with more influence on the direction of production home building management methods than Jack Robinson.
Read More [25]
So you just did everything right in hiring a new employee: identified hard and soft skills, evaluated potential, and orchestrated a carefully executed interview process — all resulting in an ideal employment decision.
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Setting Stone [27]
As we walked toward the back of the vast storage yard, I must have been in something of a zone.
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Smooth Sailing [28]
Sailhouse is not a story about traditional neighborhood development and New Urbanism, even though this recently opened neighborhood in Corona del Mar, Calif., has been touted as such.
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This spring, glassmakers will offer builders and window buyers another feature to consider: self-cleaning glass.
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Striver Drivers [30]
Despite conventional wisdom, Generation Xers are more like the rest of us than anyone suspected. As of last year, more Xers than baby boomers planned to buy homes, says American Demographics magazine.
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Sun-Powered Slabs [31]
Concrete construction and solar power are proving to be a potent combination. Near Chico, Calif., a home built with insulated concrete forms (ICF) and powered by solar panels might never have a utility bill, general contractor Steve Ferreira of...
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At the height of the dot-com and e-commerce manias, leading thinkers predicted a day when knowledge workers would stay home for work. But now come data showing that from 1997 to 2001, the number of full-time telecommuters stayed roughly the same...
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The Big Get Bigger [33]
Home building is and probably always will be a local operation in which strong personal connections matter most.
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The Crisis Scenario [34]
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed life and business as we know it. Today, CEOs across America are taking the time to learn a skill few ever thought they would need: how to handle a crisis.
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Enthusiasm is more contagious than the common cold, and a whole lot more pleasant.
Read More [35]
We never spend enough time ensuring that the language we use to describe our individual companies communicates our message clearly.
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The Lowdown on Lots [37]
A phone call, a fax and a drive out to the site are the usual ways builders commonly track the progression of land development.
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Thought Leaders [38]
After you have the right people in place, understand your market’s desires and deliver the highest-quality product, you’re left with only one missing element — killer ideas.
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In an era when some of the biggest home building companies are consolidating, the founders of one privately owned company made a very different decision.
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Trail Blazers [40]
Each of the 2002 Professional Builder Achievement Award winners casts a wide net in the new residential construction industry.
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As the clock chimed midnight and the old year gave way to the new, you probably resolved: “I will grow my business in 2002.”
Read More [41]
Construction loan debt is typically variable and tied to the prime rate, so the big drop in interest rates during the past year has benefited many builders and developers.
Read More [42]
Architect William McDonough is a radical. He also is lauded as a pioneer in sustainability, representing ideals admired by green builders.
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Product Review
Andersen Windows [44]
The 200 Series Narroline gliding patio door has narrower door panels for a larger glass area. Offered in two panel configurations to fit six rough-opening sizes, the product also features a clear pine interior and Perma-Shield exterior cladding...
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Cemplank [45]
Beaded cedar lap siding is designed to combine the look and feel of natural-cedar siding with the performance characteristics of fiber-cement.
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CertainTeed [46]
The company’s new sliding patio doors offer various design choices, including a standard rail for maximum viewing area and a French rail for a traditional look.
Read More [46]
Delta Faucet [47]
Venetian Bronze is a nonglossy finish available on both the Delta Victorian and Delta Select Providence Classic and Williamsburg Classic lines.
Read More [47]
DeWalt [48]
Available in two models, one for driving clipped-head fasteners and the other for full round-head fasteners, the company’s 7.5-pound framing nailers are constructed with magnesium and titanium to minimize weight and add durability.
Read More [48]
DuPont [49]
With nine new colors for 2002, Corian solid surfaces now come in 100 colors.
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General Motors [50]
Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty pickups are available in 1500 and 2500 regular- and extended-cab models, with short or long boxes, two- or four-wheel drive, and a variety of trim levels.
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Georgia-Pacific [51]
Dens-Shield tile backer installs in half the time as conventional cement board in typical tile installations, the company says, citing an NAHB Research Center time-and-motion study.
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Heat-N-Glo [52]
The Crescent fireplace is designed for the kitchen. It features an arched front design and six ceramic fiber logs with an extended pan burner for glowing embers.
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Kohler [53]
The Marcato stainless steel sink, shown with the Fairfax pullout faucet, has double basins that are 8 inches deep.
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LP [54]
TechShield radiant barrier sheathing prevents up to 97% of solar radiant heat from entering an attic, reducing attic temperatures by up to 30 degrees and cutting energy consumption for home cooling by up to 20%, the company says.
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The clear pine interior and solid brass handles of the outswing French door activate a concealed multipoint locking system
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Merillat [56]
The Seneca Ridge line of raised-panel cabinetry now is available in cherry. Two finishes are offered: Paprika, for a deep, rich look, and Cider, for a natural, warm feel
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Milgard Windows [57]
WoodClad windows are custom-built to your size and shape specifications, with various glazing options available. The windows have vertical-grain Douglas fir interiors and fiberglass exteriors.
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Moen [58]
The ivory finish for faucets, previously available only on the company’s pullout kitchen models, now is offered on several one- and two-handle kitchen and bar styles.
Read More [58]
Pella [59]
The company offers a line of windows and doors certified to be hurricane-resistant by Dade County, Fla. A polymer interlayer not only meets strict code requirements, it also enables larger unit sizes (up to 50 square feet), higher design pressure...
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Simonton Windows [60]
Simonton Metallure windows feature real-metal Metallon finishes - copper, brass, bronze or nickel - on the vinyl frames and sash.
Read More [60]
Velux [61]
The Electric Venting Skylight offers one-button, remote-control access to light and air for homeowners, and one-wire installation for builders.
Read More [61]
Weather Shield [62]
The company now offers laminated glass as a specification option in various product lines.
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