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ProBuilder Innovations - Industry News

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  • 55-Plus Poised to Drive the Home Building Market
    In the Rochester, N.Y. housing market, they are taking note of the “Silver tsunami” surge of buyers that are expected to dominate the housing market. Find out what the surveys say that baby boomers will be looking for when it comes to their home for the golden years. It’s a trend that could be coming soon to a housing market near you.
  • Home Builder Goes Carbon Neutral
    Hamptons Luxury Homes reports that it has been able to offset 100% of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the company and all of its subsidiaries. Find out how they did it, and how they were able to even figure out how they did it.
  • Galley Kitchens Regain Popularity
    When the kitchen in this home that is located in a historic district was renovated, the designers were faced with three challenges. They had to maintain some measure of historical accuracy, adapt to the needs of modern caterers, and work within the confines of a long, narrow space.
  • EPA Honors Green Building Challenge Winners
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently honored innovative green building design ideas that reduce the environmental and energy impacts of buildings. Here’s who won and what they did to take the honors.
  • Interior Design Realities for Lean Budgets
    It's a new world out there for interior designers. As the recession continues to paint a bleak landscape in most retail segments, homeowners are spending less on luxury items. For designers, that means smaller projects, but not necessarily less business.
  • Stark Realities of Chinese Drywall Liability Set In
    Chinese drywall manufacturers have more or less ignored litigation thrown at them in the U.S., and here's how consumers, home builders and government representatives are reacting. 
  • Building Materials Costs Slide on Weak Demand
    The good news is building material prices have been falling amid a decline in global and local demand. The bad news is that home builders aren’t able to take advantage of the current deals because they aren’t able to build homes.
  • Recession Chips Away at Granite Kitchen Tops
    Not long ago, it was a home-improvement rule seemingly set in stone: a new or upgraded kitchen had to have granite countertops. Now, 21 months into this recession, granite countertops seem to be relics of a fizzled-out housing boom. Here’s the reason why, and a look at what consumers are starting to choose instead.
  • An Extreme Green Home Example
    This farmhouse-style house rising in an old field in Maine will likely become that state's most energy-frugal home, using 90 percent less of it than a typical new home. The structure is so airtight and heavily insulated, and so well oriented to the sun that the builders are leaving out any real heating system. And thanks to solar panels on the roof, the owner won't pay anything for heat or hot water. Not ever. Take a look for yourself.
  • Homebuilders vs. Firefighters Over Sprinkler Rules
    Firefighters and safety advocates say they could triumph over the "last bastion of America's fire problem" the family home if officials require sprinklers in every new home. However, homebuilders warn it's not that simple and could prove a risky decision during a recession. Here’s the latest on the home sprinkler debate.
  • Lender Pilots Low-Cost Green Home Equity Loan
    Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank is testing a new home-equity loan and line of credit program in Colorado that offers customers a three-eighths percent rate reduction for qualified "green" home improvement projects. Check it out.
  • 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.
  • Return of the Home Flippers
    A new report for the Arizona State University’s Realty Studies Department has found that flippers have returned to the Arizona Valley home market. But this time around they’re paying cash for the goods.
  • 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.
  • TVA Tests Energy-efficent Technology
    The Tennessee Valley Authority has developed three homes where showers come on by themselves, lights mysteriously turn off and on, and refrigerator doors open and close without a soul in the kitchen.

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