ProRemodeler Innovations - Industry News

• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Reclaimed Wood Flooring is the Ultimate Green Choice
  When it comes to flooring options, everyone knows that wood is a green flooring choice, but for the ultimate in green flooring, consider using reclaimed wood.
• Mini-Kitchens in Many Places
  Secondary kitchens are starting to make their way everywhere from the master bedroom to the basement. Here’s a look at examples where a secondary kitchen is desired and why.
• Scaled Down Appliances with Upscale Features Allow Small Space Living
  One outcome of the declining real estate market has been a move to building and offering smaller homes, which call for smaller appliances.
• Boomers Update Homes for Safety's Sake
  This Dallas couple, who are in their early 60s, have remodeled their 1980s-vintage master bathroom and kitchen so that they can use both more easily as they grow older. Here's what they've done.
• Foreign Drywall Makers Targeted
  Not surprisingly in the wake of the Chinese drywall debacle, bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that aims to help victims of tainted drywall as well as hold foreign manufacturers more accountable for their defective products.
• Tools for Construction Trade Put to the Test
  Thousands of electrical products go into the average home or building. But how do you know they're safe? The answer often is that they've been tested and given the seal of approval by Underwriters Laboratories. Here’s an inside look at how they do it.
• Green Home in Many Ways
  The home nestled on the back of this island, next to the Folly River, might look at first glance like any other spacious beach house. But the home is noteworthy because it's green - in both the literal and figurative sense.
• Improving Economic Picture Bumps Energy Pprices
  With the economy recovering, energy prices have been rising.
• 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.
• Overseas Work May be Risky, but Rewarding for Architectural Firms
  Seeking design or engineering work in another country isn't new. But as the recession continues, and architects become antsy, there's disagreement on whether now is the best or worst time to look for work outside the U.S.
• Survey Finds Remodeling Projects in the Plan
  Good news: Consumer Reports latest poll on home remodeling reveals that over the next 12 months, 54 percent of homeowners are planning a remodeling project. Not as good news: The recent economic downturn has forced 67 percent of homeowners to rethink their plans. Take a look at more details from the survey.
• Bathtubs Whirl Back to Basics
  Plenty of questions surround housing today, but none is as vexing as the question of the whirlpool tub. A staple since the late 1980s, the massive tub, complete with jets and other bells and whistles came to be standard equipment in upper-end homes. But something was discovered in the past 20 years: No one uses them. Here’s what some custom builders are starting to do instead.

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