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For the thirteenth time since 1994, Timberlake is the cabinet-maker of choice for Te New American
Iome, the annual premier showhome of the National Association of Iome Builders in conjunction
with the International Builders Show. To see the newest, best and most innovative ideas in building
including ours take a tour in Vinter Iark, February 8-11.
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Circle no. 196 or http://builder.hotims.com
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GE Caf

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For more information visit
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appliances
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GE Caf appliances, are the perfect combina-
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With innovative features and a wide variety
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Thats why GE Appliances rank #1 among
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Youre Not Just Building Them
A KitchenYoure Opening Their
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available 2012
Circle no. 271 or http://builder.hotims.com
ADVERTISEMENT
Offer your customers an unexpected upgrade
with innovations from LiftMaster

, the worlds
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Battery Backup Gets Your Customers In
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Selected LiftMaster garage door openers
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Its the Brazilian hardwood
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Offer your customers an unexpected upgrade with LiftMaster

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With a Battery Backup system, it works even when the powers out.
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Residential Garage Door Openers s Commercial Door Operators s Access Control
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Circle no. 203 or http://builder.hotims.com
Huber Engineered Woods LLC. ZIP System, the accompanying ZIP System logo and design and AdvanTech are trademarks of
Huber Engineered Woods LLC. Huber is a registered trademark of J. M. Huber Corporation. Limitations and restrictions apply - visit
zipsystem.com for details. HUB 6206-12/11
DRAMATICALLY REDUCE
AIR LEAKAGE THROUGH WALLS
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Simply apply ZIP System

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Say hello to the future of energy-efciency, and good-bye to housewrap once and for all.
To get more information or to nd a retailer, please visit www.zipsystem.com/energyefciency/bid.
Circle no. 242 or http://builder.hotims.com
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 7
January 2012 /// Vol. 35 /// Issue 1
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Volume 35, number 1. Builder (ISSN 0744-1193; USPS 370-600) is published 12 times per year: monthly in Jan., Feb., March, April, May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. by Hanley Wood, LLC, One Thomas
Circle, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, D.C. 20005, for the National Association of Home Builders and printed in the USA. Copyright 2012 by Hanley Wood. Opinions expressed are those of the authors or persons quoted
and not necessarily those of the NAHB. Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited without written authorization. Single-copy price: $8.00 (except House Plans issues, which are $12.95). Periodicals postage paid at
Washington, D.C., and at additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to Builder, P.O. Box 3494, Northbrook, IL 60065-9831. Member: Business Publications Audit, American Business Media.
On the Cover A reconsidered classic
White Box of modern design, the 2012
New American Home shows off its
livable interiors through walls of glass.
Photography: James F. Wilson
American Dream Consumers have been
buffeted by the economy, but many still
wish to own their home. Page 96
Features
70 The New American Home 2012
The 29th annual New American Home is a
modern interpretation of the classic White Box
of the 60s and 70s.
90 Economic Forecast: Forecasters Push
Housings Recovery to 2013
Analysts and economists handicap the housing
industrys recovery.
96 The New Normal
Consumer survey results show that the desire
to own a home remains strong.
106 State of the Industry 2012: Making the
Best of Another Bad Year
Home builders survive on sheer effort and
pure determination.
18 Editors Notes
22 Forum
25 Sightlines
136 Ad Index
Foundations
33 Project of the Month:
Western home seamlessly
blends past and present
34 Field Report: Builder news
you can use
36 Dashboard: Investors help
clear out inventory homes
38 Iconoclash: Should more
builders go modular?
40 Design Details: Stunning
restored Art Deco door
42 Tactics: Chocolate bunny
ad campaign lures buyers
44 Game Changer: Concrete
home introduces new wall
system
46 Success Story: Reset
pricing helps sell homes
fast in S.C.
Products
51 Editors Picks
52 Make or Break: Baltimore
row house is both light-
lled and sustainable
55 2012 Product Preview:
A peek at new products
youll be seeing this year
Sound Off
62 Crowes Economy: A look
at economic conditions
from the NAHBs chief
economist
64 Point of View: Dallas
builder survives by
reinventing itself
Build Smart
117 Construction Detail:
Continuous load path
118 How-To: Keeping water
away is key to a well-built
deck
120 How-To: Lower
construction costs with
proper jobsite waste
management
122 Redline: Creating a light-
lled townhouse
126 Callbacks: Prevent bubbles
and curling seams in vinyl
ooring
NAHB
129 National Beat: News from
the NAHB and the NAHB
Research Center
Plan View
133 Home Plans: Smart plans
for prime inll locations
Next
144 Recycled glass can serve
as masonry material
8 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Whats New on
Comments, suggestions, and news for Builder online? E-mail Denise Dersin at:
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VIDEOS FROM
BUILDER
Mary Lou Denny
Gimmicks such as mea culpa
marketing are not long-term
or effective short-term
strategies. http://go.hw.net/
maryloublog
Boyce Thompson
Youd be hard pressed to find
a more eclectic collection of
architecture in a master plan.
http://go.hw.net/boyceblog
THIS MONTH ON
BLOGS
Local Markets http://go.hw.net/localmarkets
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Builder Online offers much more than
the monthly issue of the magazine.
Currently, it contains 7,140 articles,
509 slideshows, 220 videos, and 31
webinars. Approximately 75 new articles
are added each month.
STANDING
WEB FEATURES
survey
State of the Industry 2012
Posted January 2012
Download the complete results of this years State of the
Industry survey numbers. Surveys from previous years
are also still available so you can compare results from
past years with the newest responses.
http://go.hw.net/bol-state-of-the-industry-2012
builder tv
Hall of Fame Winners
Posted January 2012
In the latest installments of Builder TV, Editorial
Director Boyce Thompson interviews the newest
members of the Wm. S. Marvin Hall of Fame for Design
Excellencearchitects William Devereaux and Michael
Pyatok and builder William Davidson. The 2011
inductees talk about highlights from their long and highly
regarded careers. www.builderonline.com/buildertv
apps for ipad
Builder Expands Virtually
Posted January 2012
The digital edition of Builder is a 21st-century take
on an old-school experience. Using the free app
at http://go.hw.net/BOLitunes, you can read issues of
Builder on your iPad wherever you go. In addition to
reading each months print stories in the virtual edition,
you can also immediately access videos and click on
live links throughout the text.
slideshow
Bright White
Posted December 2011
Though a white kitchen may read neutral, its anything
but bland. White feels fresh and cleanimportant
concepts in kitchen design right now. For a slideshow of
great-looking white kitchens, visit http://go.hw.net/
bol-white-kitchens.
ENERGY WATER INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Registered trademark//TM Trademark of Whirlpool, U.S.A., KitchenAid, U.S.A. Jenn-Air, U.S.A. or Maytag Corporation or its related companies. 2012. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
Our portfolio of brands. Your key to success.
The Inside Advantage team connects you to something
quite powerful: a portfolio of brands that are highly
recognizedand that offer appliance and product designs
covering the full spectrum of todays wants, needs and
lifestyles. Call 800-952-2537 or visit insideadvantage.com.
Circle no. 279 or http://builder.hotims.com
Building a great reputation is easy. Start by concentrating on a single
customer and providing them with advanced Digital TV, Internet, and
Digital Home Phone services, as flawlessly as possible, over an extended
period. Then, just repeat the process a few million times. At least, thats
always been our goal. You expect nothing less. Time Warner Cable delivers.
To learn more about partnering with Time Warner Cable, simply contact
Joanne C. Luger at 703.345.2749 or email joanne.luger@twcable.com
2011 Time Warner Cable Inc. All rights reserved, Time Warner Cable and the eye/ear logo are trademarks of
Time Warner Inc., used under license.
Your home buyers already know whats in our name.
Circle no. 268 or http://builder.hotims.com
A : C a r r i e r
Carrier never stops moving forward. Our improved 80% furnace line
is a perfect example:
Installation Flexibility 33
1
/3 in height, 4-way multi-poise and 13 different
venting options mean installation ease even in small spaces.
Efciency Our 58PHA/X model offers up to 1.5 points of SEER boost.
*

A sealed blower compartment minimizes air leakage to 2% or less.
Customer Satisfaction 10-year parts limited warranty your homebuyers
will love comes standard with timely registration.
**
Quality and Value Superior Carrier engineering at a competitive price.
For more information about Carrier products, call 1-800-946-2930 or
visit carrier.com.
Q: Who thinks great just isnt
good enough when it comes
to 80% furnaces?
CARRIER CORPORATION 9/2010.
A unit of United Technologies Corporation
family. Stock symbol UTX.
* As compared to the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Institutes standard coil only rating.
** Limited warranty period is 5 years for parts if not
registered within 90 days of installation. Jurisdictions
where warranty benets cannot be conditioned on
registration will receive a 10-year limited warranty.
Circle no. 187 or http://builder.hotims.com
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THE MAGAZINE OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
OF HOME BUILDERS
SoftPlan 2012 available now
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Boyce Thompson, editorial director 202-736-3455
Denise Dersin, editor in chief 202-736-3341
Gillian Berenson, design director 202-729-3624
Deborah Leopold, managing editor 202-736-3380
Amy Albert, senior editor 202-736-3339
Teresa Burney, senior editor 352-735-0287
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construction 202-736-3328
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construction 202-380-3766
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hanley wood business media
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published by hanley wood, llc
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& analysis
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Circle no. 237 or http://builder.hotims.com
2011 Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. TRUSS10
Simpson Strong-Tie continues to look for ways to simplify the installation of wood and cold-formed steel trusses.
Our new line of spacer restraint, diagonal bracing and hip-end purlin connectors are designed to eliminate steps
that add time and expense to the job. The adjustable AHEP connector is a structural purlin that also serves as
lateral restraint. It attaches at the leading edge of step-down hip trusses and eliminates the need for drop top
chords and llers. The TBD22 diagonal truss brace offers a time-saving alternative to traditional diagonal bracing.
The TSBR and S/TSR truss spacer restraints capture the on-center spacing of wood and cold-formed steel truss
chords and webs, and laterally restrain truss members, allowing quicker, easier and safer installations.
For more information about the AHEP, TBD22, TSBR and S/TSR connectors and all of our truss solutions,
call (800) 999-5099 or visit www.strongtie.com/truss.
Its easy
to show some
restraint.
TBD22
TSBR
S/TSR
AHEP
Circle no. 192 or http://builder.hotims.com
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OF HOME BUILDERS
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HOME SMART HOME
Bringing innovation to the surface. is a trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.
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Circle no. 217 or http://builder.hotims.com
ADVERTISEMENT
The 2012 Brand Use Study leader in quality, A. O. Smith is the
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The Cirrex

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Circle no. 154 or
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Brand Used In Past Two Years
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NEXT Hybrid

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Cirrex

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18 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Editors Notes
Denise Dersin
editor in chief
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While the average person
in the U.K. uses 40 gallons
of water a day and an
average Chinese person
uses 22 gallons, the
average American family
of four uses 400 gallons.
Water,
Water ...
It may seem ubiquitous to many
of us, but in some areas of the
U.S., it is already in extremely
short supply.
Y
ou may have seen
lately that actor
Matt Damon and
other celebrities
have been publiciz-
ing an important
causea global wa-
ter shortage that
now afects one out
of every three people worldwide. The crisis has
reached dire proportions in Africa, where Da-
mons Water.org foundation has focused much
of its attention. But few Americans realize that
there is a water crisis in the U.S., as well.
According to the EPA, 36 states will expe-
rience water shortages by 2013, even under
non-drought conditions. And a study by the
National Resources Defense Council says
that 14 of those states will face extreme
shortages by 2050. But, that study says, no
state will be completely unafected. Counties
in all 48 contiguous states are at risk.
Part of the reason we are running out of
water is due to the countrys growthour
population doubled between 1950 and 2000.
But during that same period, the demand for
water more than tripled. Why? Our lifestyle
has changedmore homes have dishwashers
and clothes washers and we use them more
often. While the average person in the U.K.
uses 40 gallons of water a day and an average
person in China uses 22 gallons, the average
American family of four uses 400 gallons.
Think you dont use that much? Research
shows that by the time we leave the house in
the morning for workafter showering,
brushing teeth, making cofee, etc.weve
each already used more than 30 gallons.
Heres how daily usage breaks down: 70 per-
cent of residential water use happens indoors,
and 30 percent goes to outdoor activities, such
as watering the lawn and washing the car.
Indoor use further breaks down this way: toi-
lets, 27 percent; clothes washers, 22 percent;
showers, 17 percent; faucets, 16 percent; leaks,
14 percent; and other uses, about 5 percent.
We can all use a little less water in our
homes. Simply turning off the water while
youre brushing your teeth can save up to eight
gallons of water a day. But as home builders,
youre in a position to do much more. Youve
already made tremendous strides in your
homes energy ef ciency. Why not take one
more step toward water ef ciency? Decreasing
residential usage can really make a diference.
Nearly half (48 percent) of all metered water
consumption is used by single-family homes.
The great thing about conserving water is
that taking small steps reaps big rewards. The
biggest benefits result from scale. Many
homes using 15 percent less water produce
more benet than a few homes achieving net-
zero usage. Its not necessary to put compost-
ing toilets in your homes. Just by using
ef cient xtures, you can cut graywater pro-
duction to about 16 gallons per person per day.
Much of that graywater (water that goes
down the drain from tubs and sinks) is a re-
sult of inef cient hot water delivery systems.
Shorter plumbing runs from water heaters to
points of use would make a huge diference.
Hands-free fixtures keep water from con-
tinuing to run when its not needed. There
are simple things that can be done outside, as
well. Sprinkler controllers and rain sensors
can keep overwatering to a minimum.
More information can be found at the
EPAs Watersense website. Much like Energy
Star, Watersense is a voluntary partnership
and labeling program. Since 2006, it has cer-
tied thousands of faucets, toilets, and show-
erheads, and 53 million of these products
have been installed, saving 125 billion gal-
lons of water and $2 billion in water bills.
If we learned one thing during the move
to energy-ef cient homes, it was that change
was easier to accomplish if new products of-
fer something better than the status quo. To
that end, Watersense labeling requires that
products must ofer equal or superior perfor-
mance while using 20 percent less water.
The best news is that many buyers are al-
ready on board. A J.D. Power survey showed
reduced water use was No. 2 in consumers top
ve reasons to buy a green home. So, go for it.
Lets not let it become Hollywoods next cause.
Write back to: ddersin@hanleywood.com
Whether its remodeling or replacement, Marvin has a solution. The broadest range
of products combined with the most energy efficient options available means
theres no better partner for exceeding your clients needs. Its all part of four
generations of innovation and craftsmanship backed by an unwavering commitment
to service and support from local retailers. Get a closer look at our extraordinary
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Only at pros.myMarvin.com/catalog
201 2 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. Registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors. 1-800-268-7644
Circle no. 185 or http://builder.hotims.com
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Circle no. 231 or http://builder.hotims.com
Forum
Comments posted in the Builder LinkedIn Group.
anthony lococo, traditions home im-
provement service: In many markets
modular homes will [become more prevalent].
We are still in a transitional mode as many
builders, buyers, and salespeople think that
simply tweaking the McMansions and prod-
ucts from the past will bring back true produc-
tion levels. I have been saying for years that a
smaller, smarter, open, and greener product is
on the horizon. ... I feel the median average by
2020 will be somewhere between 1,400 and
2,000 square feet. We will see a lot more multi-
use spaces that blend into each other. We will
be trending toward anything over 3,000 square
feet [being] a one-of custom product as pro-
duction builders will not have a protable mar-
ket for them. Pre-crash, all of the production
builders I knew of were getting all of their
trusses prebuilt with all of the exterior walls
coming from a panel shop and arriving via at
bed. So we are arguably halfway there, as a
modern home is a big puzzle that a semi-
skilled carpenter can assemble. The days of
cutting in a roof, like I did in my younger
years, are over for the most part.
Response to Forward Thinking, The Evolution of
the Future of Housing posted in the Builder
LinkedIn Group by Anthony LoCoco.
randy dugan, zeta communities: [In] the
BIM Handbook, Chapter 1, pages 8 and 9,
there is a graph that indicates inef ciencies in
construction as compared to other industries
since 1964. It is a fascinating read. All other
industries trend upward on the chart. Con-
struction is flat-lined, basically saying the
construction industry keeps doing the same
thing over and over and expecting a diferent
result. With the industry itself in turmoil, I
suggest that now is the time to analyze and
learn that the modular form of building can
and will be more efective for [general contrac-
tors]. Also it is not always about how much
per foot. There are many other benets that
contribute to the IRR of a project and not just
how much. My comments here relate to the
true modular industry.
Selected responses to Rich Binsaccas article Pipe
Leaks, (November 2011, page 74).
mike crosen, crosen homes: I am a big
believer in trying to pump the house up to test
before the house is sheetrocked. Most of the
leaks I have had are from rough-in subs. I also
mark every plumbing wall with blue spray
paint so the drywall and trim contractor are
Circle no. 274 or http://builder.hotims.com
BETTER PLANNING.
FROM THE GROUND UP.
How do you build a
better business?
Planning. And with Bradco,
youll fnd everything you need to
plan and build better. From roofng
to siding, decking to doors, we offer
the convenience of one-stop shopping
for Americas top brands. And we
deliver on time every time, on the
ground or ten stories up with the
products and services you need to
succeed. Well help you build better.
Plan on it.
ROOFING | SIDING | WINDOWS | DOORS | DECKING | METAL | TOOLS
able to look down and see where the pipes
align. Simple things to do [that] take ve min-
utes per house and can save a lot of money and
head scratching later on.
tom mcgowen: I concur with Mike on pres-
sure testing plumbing supply lines and Freon
lines, as well as marking with paint prior to
drywall. I usually color-code mark with paint
for HVAC supplies, exhaust fans, and primary
drain lines with one color (black); all plumb-
ing manifolds including drain and vent pipes
(blue); and all electrical outlets and audio con-
nections (green). It helps the drywall, trim,
and cabinet installers once they know what to
look for. It does take more time depending
upon the size and complexity of the homes but
also works for positive marketing to custom-
ers in terms of attention to detail; and we get
it right the rst time, minimizing repairs dur-
ing construction. ... It may seem a little over
the top to many, but every little thing helps
these days to keep costs down and keep build-
ing times shorter.
Response to Are fully furnished and decorated
model homes going away? posted in the Builder
LinkedIn Group by Michael Kruszynski.
elise platt, e.a. platt & co.: It has been my
experience (30 years plus) that merchandised
models come under re at every downturn.
They should not. They are still the absolute
best sales and closing tool ever ... .
Anytime we have done a no-model neigh-
borhood, our extra dollars drop in half.
The nationals will not stop doing models, so
if they are in your market, you are behind the
eight ball if you dont. I am a big proponent of
virtual models as long as they are custom and
match your future merchandised models. The
trick is to get your model merchandiser at the
beginning of your home planning stage ... . Use
your special trim package in the virtuals, use
your cabinets, use your hardwood.
Once the sticks start to go up for the houses
you have sold, you need to build a model, pref-
erably merchandised or at least partially so.
Once houses are up, the virtuals are best used
to show specic diferences in plans.
callback In our December issue, the photo
credits on pages 53 and 55 were reversed. We
apologize for the error.
Do you have a comment or
question? E-mail Denise Dersin at
ddersin@hanleywood.com.
Circle no. 258 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 269 or http://builder.hotims.com
sits on top of the worlds largest salt flat, Salar
de Uyuni, in the southwestern part of the
country. For $133 per night, guests can stay
in a double room, furnished with two salt beds.
I love it when visitors come to this place for
the first time, tour guide Pedro Pablo Michel
Rocha told The Daily Mail. They cant get over
the fact that everything is made out of salt,
and Ive even seen a few people lick the
furniture to make sure.
Free House,
Assembly Required
One mans trash is another mans treasure
and then yet another mans house, and not a
bad one, at that. When Argentinas economy
collapsed in 2001, Alfredo Santa Cruz of
Puerto Iguazu, Argentina, was forced to try to
eke out a living looking through garbage heaps
for anything he could sell. Inspired by the
seemingly unlimited supply of discarded
plastic bottles, Cruz decided to put them to
use; 24,000 bottles later, he had an entire
house built of recycled plastic containers.
Thanks to an interlocking method that Cruz
developed, the bottles create sturdy,
waterproof exterior and interior walls, stairs,
and even furniture. To boost the structures
fire resistance, many of the bottles are filled
with water or sand. Since completing his
home, Cruz has started a crusade against
homelessness by teaching free courses on
building plastic bottle homes, which he
estimates have been attended by some
20,000 people.
For the Birds
Whats in a name? Well, that depends on who
you ask. In the case of Turkey, Texas, town
residents will tell you that their towns named
pays homage to the wild birds settlers found
there. But as the nation
white, for cost reasons, Braaten says. In my
dads eyes, painting wood is a big time no-no.
Fashionable Foliage
Milan may be one of Europes fashion capitals,
but the well-tailored city is also one of the
most polluted on the continent. Appropriately,
architect Stefano Boeri has found a way to
mitigate the areas environmental woes in
fabulous style. His Bosco Verticale, a
27-story residential tower, will essentially rise
as a vertical forest. The towering structure
will be encased on all sides with minimalist,
geometric balconies filled with trees and
plants. The greenery will not only help to
absorb the citys CO
2
and scrub the air of dust
particles, but also will serve residents directly
by shielding the building from radiation and
noise pollution. In addition, the tree-lined
patios will provide passive solar benefits, as
the plants will shade units during the summer
months, and then shed their leaves to allow
light to stream in during the winter. And, the
in-house landscaping will be supported by a
system that filters and reuses the buildings
graywater.
Salt, Please!
Looking for a flavorful spot for your next
vacation? Stop by Bolivias Hotel de Sal
Playaa 15-room hotel made entirely from
salt. And we really mean entirely. Everything
from the walls its made of to the furniture
guests sit on to toilets and light fixturesis
made of blocks of the popular seasoning and a
cement-like compound made of salt and
water. The structure was built in 1993 and
Sightlines
H
e
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t
h
e
r

B
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a
a
t
e
n
Foreclosure Farming
As if Las Vegas didnt have enough problems
thanks to the housing bust, Sin Citys latest
nightmare comes from a group that has found
a way to make money from the seemingly
endless supply of distressed properties:
marijuana growers. As it turns out, the dark
windows and lack of activity that accompany
foreclosed homes make for ideal growing
areas for the illegal plants. And in many
places, bank repossessions have disrupted
communities to the point that they no longer
have neighborhood stalwarts that know the
usual comings and goings of residents and
would notice suspicious activity. As a result,
big-time growers have bought distressed
properties on the cheap and converted them
into greenhouses, sometimes with timed
lights in the front rooms to make it appear as
though the home is inhabited. Last year,
Nevada authorities shut down 153 indoor
growing operations and seized 13,000
plants, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Thats compared with only 18 growing sites
and 1,000 plants found in 2005.
Miniature Mansions
Looking for new design ideas with plenty of
attention to detail? Check out the awe-
inspiring creations of Seattle-based home
builder Heather Braaten. LEGO home builder,
that is. But while her houses may be made out
of plastic toy blocks, her jaw-dropping
thoroughness has the mark of genius.
Throughout her designs, tiny closets are
fitted with folding doors and filled with plastic
clothing on small hangers; refrigerator doors
and drawers open and close; and even the
laundry rooms toy washing machine is
outfitted with a little box of soap. The designs
are so elaborate that a single project can take
up to three months to build. Much of the
inspiration for her designs, she says, comes
from things built by her woodworking dad,
who apparently also instilled a deep-rooted
concern for authentic use of materials. I
always feel a little guilty when I make the trim
work or wood paneling in my miniature homes
See a video about the
plastic bottle house on
your smartphone.
Instructions on page 8.
(see page 27)
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 25 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
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Built-in design can be landscaped
for further visual enhancement
was gearing up for Thanksgiving last
November, PETA decided that this was an
opportunity too good to pass up. The animal
rights group asked the little town to change
its name to Tofurkey, the meatless turkey
substitute. In a letter to the towns mayor, Pat
Carson, PETA explained its rationale for the
request, citing the birds living conditions in
factory farms and the manner in which
theyre killed. As further enticement, PETA
offered to serve the entire town a vegan-
friendly Thanksgiving dinner if they agreed to
the name change. Introducing vegan cuisine
to your residents would help improve their
health, PETA said. The offer failed to
persuade the towns citizenry, however. And
some residents were downright annoyed. I
believe in everybody having their own
opinion, said one resident, according to
CNN. But theres a bumper sign that you can
get any place in Texas at tourist bureaus. It
says, Dont mess with Texas. My theory is,
were going to make a new sign: Dont mess
with Turkey, Texas.
Fold-Out Apartment
Space in New York City comes at a high
premium, so Eric Schneider, a third-grade
teacher in the city that never sleeps, decided
Sightlines
to stick with a tiny apartment but turn it into
premium space. After buying a 450-square-
foot studio, Schneider turned to architects
Michael Chen and Kari Andersen of New
Yorkbased Normal Projects Architecture .
Initially we were looking at different ways
that we could kind of subdivide the space into
smaller spaces, Chen says in a video tour
posted on YouTube. But pretty quickly it
became clear that there wasnt really enough
room to get a real bedroom in here, and if you
did then there wasnt room to have a real living
room area. So instead, the team designed a
large custom cabinet that allows the open
apartment to unfold into separate designated
spaces as needed, providing a private
bedroom area (with closets!), home office, and
living area/guest room. The large blue
structure is outfitted with vertical aluminum
bars that add visual A
l
a
n

T
a
n
s
e
y
(see page 29)
Circle no. 283 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 264 or http://builder.hotims.com
2011 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserved. Registered trademark of Marvin Windows and Doors. iPad is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. this Offer is by Integrity and is not afliated with Apple Inc.
No purchase necessary. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning. Open to individuals who are employed as a professional builder, remodeler or architect. Entrants must be legal residents of the United States (excluding residents of
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Sightlines
interest while functioning as hand-holds by
which panels in the cabinet can be operated.
When entertaining, Schneider can close the
unit up and use the drop-down panel that
normally functions as the home offices desk
as a bar. All together, the project cost
$70,000, which included a renovation of the
apartments kitchen area and bathroom.
While acknowledging that operating in such
tight quarters means he has to pick and
choose what he acquires and keeps,
Schneider says he wouldnt want it any other
way. I like everything being meaningful, and in
this type of space, everything is meaningful,
he says in the video. I like having everything
for a purpose and not just bringing things in
because I have it or I can have it. I get
overwhelmed by too much.
The 99 Percent vs.
Building Codes
While in many cities, protesters for the
Occupy movement have run up against tear
gas, pepper spray, and police batons, the
movements Washington, D.C., outpost ran up
against the citys building code. In December,
the occupiers decided to build a Peoples
Pentagon, a 17-foot-tall, barn-like structure
that they hoped would protect protesters
from the cold and serve as a venue for
meetings. The volunteer architects that
worked on the plan even designed it to take
advantage of passive solar heating and
incorporated a rooftop hydroponic irrigation
system. But then the plan got stuck between
a rock and a hard place. While the National
Park Servicewhich owns the land on which
the Occupy DC encampment sitsdoes not
allow permanent structures, Washingtons
building code requires that all buildings
include a foundation. In an effort to stay on
the Park Services good side, the protestors
thoughtfully designed and framed the
structure without a floor so that it could be
lifted and moved every few days in an effort to
protect the grass. But when the Park Service
and the D.C. fire department asked a building
inspector to come in, determining that the
structure didnt meet code reportedly took
only 30 seconds, according to a miffed
occupier providing updates on Twitter. The
structure, which never made it past framing,
was torn down. claire easley
See a video tour of
the unfolding apartment
on your smartphone.
Instructions on page 8.
Circle no. 180 or http://builder.hotims.com
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SERVICE DESK CIRCA 1985
ENHANCED DELIVERY SYSTEM WAREHOUSE CIRCA 1985
DELIVERY CIRCA 1983
WIDE VARIETY OF EXTERIOR PRODUCTS
KNOWLEDGEABLE, EXPERIENCED STAFF
PARTNERING IN YOUR
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Circle no. 257 or http://builder.hotims.com
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 33 JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 33
Building Blocks of Home Building /// www.builderonline.com/foundations
Field Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 34
Dashboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Iconoclash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Design Details . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Game Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Success Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
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PROJECT OF THE MONTH
Modern Face,
Old Soul
A house that takes cues from its Old West railroad town
environs seamlessly melds past and present.
T
his home appears modern, and it
is. But a closer look reveals a per-
fect union of past and present.
Sited in historic Basalt, Colo.an
old railroad village once called
Fryingpan Town for its smelting kilnsthe
house has a soul thats rooted in the early
1900s, and it maintains a proud connection to
the natural and man-made elements that
came before it.
The lot, which abuts public land, was once
part of a homesteading property lled with
sage and pion. The site fell into disuse, and
invasive weeds took over. It was probably of-
putting to some, but the buyers loved the areas
heritage. To build their
34 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
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Upstairs Downstairs A corrugated alumi-
num element at the entry is the master bath-
room wall extending through the ceiling. It
helps tell the story of the house, says Cottle.
house, they drew inspiration from Basalts
scrufy roots and eclectic attitude and even
from an abandoned cabin and trailer on site.
Basalt is a collection of cottages, bunga-
lows, mail-order Victorians, and old com-
mercial buildings. Its a collage, says
architect John Cottle, who gathered design
cues from Old Town Basalt. At the homes
north elevation, he stuck a gabled roof on
two stories and then superimposed a curved
roof and galvanized steel faade for the ad-
joining single story, calling to mind both
Basalts houses and its smelting kilns.
Cottle reinforced a sense of place by using
as much salvage as possible to build the
home. Concrete walks from the original
property were broken up and remade into
flagstone-style patios and walkways that
encourage drainage. The loose sandstone
foundation from the sites old cabin was sal-
vaged for reuse in the new homes walls.
Where reclaimed materials werent possible,
unabashedly industrial ones stand in. One of
the living rooms support beams is white-
75,00 000000 ,00 ,00 0000 00 00
4 Colorado Springs, Colo.
number of homes that most likely wont be
built
FIELD REPORT
Jets for Dubai and Japanese
Cars Made in America
Midwest home prices rise, and Denver home lots become oil-gas fields.
For more information on
local markets, go to
www.builderonline.com/
local-markets.
News You Can Use Builder, with the
help of Hanley Wood Market Intel-
ligence, scans news across the nation
each month for interesting, informa-
tive, and useful items, choosing a
handful of the most significant for this
Field Report.
00 000 00 0000 110 10
3 Lincoln, Ala.
number of new jobs at the
Honda plant
1.2 million 11 $1111 $1 $1 $
2 Baltimore
spent per year on boarding up vacant
properties
23.7 23 23 3.7 3.7% 77
1 Grand Rapids, Mich.
increase in the median home-
sales price $18 bi illio illio billio billion on on
5 Everett, Wash.
value of Boeing 777 airplanes ordered
Weve had properties that we boarded, and literally
the next day well get another service request.
Celeste Amato, public works spokeswoman, Baltimore
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 35
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Hungry for more? Visit http://
go.hw.net/bol-modern-face-old-
soul to see additional photos.
washed resawn glulam; another is an of-
the-shelf wide f lange column from a
steelyard. A wall of local brick on the bed-
room wing is inspired by Old Towns false-
front commercial buildings and brick streets,
says Cottle.
But with its energy smarts, this house is
also forward-thinking. The homes main ori-
entation is south, so almost 50 percent of the
home gets direct solar gain . In the summer,
the bedroom wings brick wall helps bufer the
intense, southwestern sun . An energy recov-
ery ventilator heats and cools the space, and
an evacuated tube solar panel provides energy
for almost 70 percent of the hot water. Eco-
friendly materials abound: galvanized steel
and HardiePlank exteriors, glulam framing,
engineered walnut oors, low-VOC particle
board kitchen cabinets, and low- and no-VOC
paints and nishes throughout.
The house is as much about reclaiming
the site its on as it is about repurposed mate-
rials. During construction, the owners were
able to preserve all but two of the fruit trees
from the orchard that once stood on the
property. Theyve planted sage and native
grasses, and local wildlife (foxes, wild tur-
keys, and coyotes, among others) is coming
back. One more aspect of living here thats
old-timey in the best way: Work, food shop-
ping, and the towns main street are all a
half-mile walk from home. amy albert
Rising Rust Belt
Four Midwest cities post biggest home
price gains.
1
Home-sales prices rose
23.7 percent in Grand
Rapids, Mich., during the
third quarter of 2011, the larg-
est percentage increase in the
nation, according to the National
Association of Realtors . The
three other Midwest cities are
South Bend-Mishawaka, Ind.,
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman,
Ohio-Pa., and Green Bay, Wis.
But you could argue prices
had to go up in those markets
because its hard to imagine they
could fall further. In Youngstown,
for instance, the median home
price was $68,300 after a 13.1
percent increase.
Repeatedly Hammered
Boarding up vacant Baltimore homes
costs big bucks.
2
Baltimore builders who
have no new houses to
build might find work
boarding up some old ones.
The city has 16,000 aban-
doned buildings that need to
be secured. According to the
Baltimore Sun, the citys public
works department has boarded
up 5,236 vacant houses in the
city already, at an annual cost
of $ 1.2 million, with the costs
billed to the buildings owners.
And it does not appear that the
work will run out soon since
many of the buildings must
repeatedly be resealed.
Weve had properties that
we boarded, and literally the
next day we ll get another
service request, public works
spokeswoman Celeste Amato
tells the Sun. There are prop-
erties boarded repeatedly over
time. That is not unusual.
More Hondas From Lincoln
The Japanese auto maker ups its
Alabama investment.
3
Its been 10 years since
Honda began making cars
in Lincoln, Ala., and the
company just gave the local job
market an anniversary gift
100 new full-time jobs, an $84
million investment. Thats on
top of new jobs added earlier in
2011. Altogether, the company
invested a total of $275 million
to create 140 jobs in the town
east of Birmingham.
The investment will go
toward adding the Acura MDX
luxury SUV to the plants line,
which already includes the
Honda Odyssey minivan, the
Honda Pilot SUV, the Ridge-
line pickup truck, and the V-6
engines that power them. The
investment will increase the
factorys capacity by 40,000
units to 340,000 vehicles. In
2010, 87 percent of all Honda
and Acura products sold in the
U.S. were built here.
Got Gas?
Colorado land once slated for homes is
sold for energy exploration.
4
Back in 1988 the city of
Colorado Springs expect-
ed that one day 75,000
homes full of new residents
would live on the 18,000 acres
of Banning Lewis Ranch it an-
nexed into the city limits. Thanks
to the housing bust, it looks as if
new oil or gas drill rigs are now
more likely than new citizens.
Ultra Petroleum recently
bought the 18,000-acre former
housing development out of
bankruptcy for $20 million,
winning approval from the court
to drill three exploratory wells
to determine if oil or gas can
be produced on the site. But
before the rigs arrived, the city
of Colorado Springs suspended
the drilling until it can make sure
it has the right rules in place to
regulate the exploration, ac-
cording to the Denver Post.
Two California companies
that owned the ranch put the
land in Chapter 11 bankruptcy
in 2010 saying they owed more
than $242 million. Another
2,400 acres of the original
piece were sold to KeyBank
National Association , which was
owed $65 million by the devel-
opers, for $24 million.
Flying High
Boeing books record 777 orders.
5
Boeing took its single
largest commercial airline
order ever from Emirates
Airline at the Dubai Airshow
in November, $18 billion for
50 Boeing 777-300 extended
range planes and options for
20 more later. The order made
2011 the best-selling year ever
for the 777, with 182 of the jets
sold by the middle of November.
Orders like the historic ones
at the Dubai Airshow are the
reason were increasing
production on all of our airplane
lines, says Boeing company
spokesman Doug Alder. All
the new jobs will be in Everett,
Wash., where the 777 is built.
In the first 11 months of 2011,
Boeing added 9,708 jobs.
teresa burney
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
36 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
STATS
Illustration By Alex Nabaum
For more analysis and data, visit
Hanley Wood Market Intelligence at
www.HousingIntelligence.com.
Of the largest 100 MSAs in the country, 10
markets counted at least one-third of their
new-home closings in 2011 as purchased by
investors (data through September 2011).
NEW-HOME MARKETS
DEPENDENT ON
INVESTORS
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Investors
preferred existing
homes. Investment
activity was on the
rise in 2011 for all
sale types except
new homes.
I
nvestor was a bad word back in the boom
when ippers helped pump up the de-
mand for new homes. Back then, the
downside to investors was their short-
term horizon and their propensity to
buy the cheapest homes available. Even to-
day, many argue that a home purchased by
an investor is merely shadow inventory wait-
ing to reenter the market at some point, and
therefore not desirable. But the investor
share (which includes homes whose buyers
do not live there full time, such as second and
vacation homes) of all purchases was higher
in 2011 than in 2005, and has served to clear
much of the oversupply of existing housing.
In 2011, 40 percent of all bank sales of fore-
closed homes, 28 percent of resales, and 13
percent of new-home sales were to such in-
vestors. Just think how bad the year would
have been without this activity.
New homes have not been as appealing to
investors lately. The investor share of new-
home closings is much lower than for REO
sales and resales, and the share is lower in
2011 than it was in 2005. Which markets
proved to be most attractive to investors
wishing to buy new homes in 2011? Gener-
ally, markets where investment activity is
high for all home-sale types, markets that
sufered signicant distress (Michigan), of-
fered attractive second-home destinations
(Hawaii and Florida), or large urban markets
with plenty of condominiums at relatively
low prices (New York) jonathan smoke
DASHBOARD
Investors Boost Demand
Theyve helped clear out the oversupply of existing housing.
2005 2007 2006 2008 2010 2011 2009
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Investor Share of Home Purchases
REO Sales All Home Sales Regular Resales New-Home Sales
% of New Homes
Market Bought by Investors
Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI 79%
Detroit-Warren-Livonia, MI 73%
Chicago-Naperville-
Joliet, IL-IN-WI 53%
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY 45%
Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL 43%
Myrtle Beach-North Myrtle
Beach-Conway, SC 42%
Naples-Marco Island, FL 38%
New York-Northern New
Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA 38%
Honolulu, HI 37%
Wilmington, NC 36%
Top Builders by
Investor Share Share
Castle & Cooke 36%
The Related Group 35%
Villages of Lake Sumter 31%
ST Residential 20%
Robson Communities 19%
EPCON Communities 18%
Minto Communities 17%
William Lyon Homes 17%
Dan Ryan Builders 16%
McBride & Son 16%
The list below shows the country's top 10
builders with the largest proportion of
investor buyers. The companies, all
production builders with at least 150
closings as of September 2011, had shares
of investor purchases ranging from 16% to
36% of total sales.
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38 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
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Illustration by David Senior
Thirteen years ago, Anthony Zarrilli read an
article about modular construction. At the
time, his familys company, Zarrilli Homes,
in Brick Township, N.J., was strictly a stick-
built outt. But he was intrigued enough to
contact all 21 modular manufacturers that
were delivering to his market.
He heard back from six, and eventually
went with Westchester Modular in Wing-
dale, N.Y., which supplied the modules for
Zarrillis rst modular home, which he built
on spec. He delivered his second modular
spec in a snowstorm and was amazed at how
tight the building was. And from that mo-
ment on, he hasnt looked back. Modular
construction accounted for 90 percent of the
three dozen homes Zarrilli Homes completed
in 2011.
At rst, he had to convince his older cli-
ents that modular was diferent from a man-
ufactured house. But over the past several
years, hes received little resistance to modu-
lar, probably because hes been able to show
customers they would be paying less for a
better-built house.
It depends on the layout and the plan,
but I can bring in a modular house for 10 per-
cent to 12 percent less than a stick-built
house, he says, if the comparison includes
advanced framing, truss roofs, and higher
insulation R values. In fact, hes found that
the larger the house, the greater the savings:
Last fall he was working on a 10,200-square-
foot modular home in Red Bank, N.J., that
will cost between $1.25 million and $1.75 mil-
lion. I know the customer priced it out with
stick builders, and it would have cost $2 mil-
lion. He builds the occasional stick-framed
house, but only because some customers are
more comfortable with it or because some
municipalities still wont allow modular in
their communities.
Pepperwood Signature Homes completes be-
tween six and 12 semi-custom and custom
homes each year, ranging from 2,000 to 6,000
square feet, on its customers lots. As the
market has gotten smaller, Chris Tsonton
says his company has had to rene our game
plan and how we compete, which has meant
building more homes using systems-built
construction. Hes also tried modular con-
struction and likes that he can deliver a
house at a lower price than a comparable
stick-built home. Thats the beauty of it.
However, he doesnt get much demand
for modular homes, nor do many of his com-
petitors. Tsonton, president of his local
HBA, says, Some of the nationals have
dabbled in it, but none of our real active
members are doing it.
Why? Because modular, according to
Tsonton, doesnt give customers the leeway
they often want to make changes to their
house plans late in the construction process,
which is why they hired a custom builder in
the rst place.
Tsonton says that a modulars wall and
oor plans are pretty much laid out, and
therefore arent accommodating enough for
clients who may want to move windows and
doors around. It would be very complicated,
[whereas] with stick-built houses, youd just
pull apart the framing and do it over.
He concedes that some modular manufac-
turers would argue that their house plans are
customizable. But based on my experience,
exibility at the 11th hour is the issue. B
No. Modular just
isnt flexible
enough for late
adjustments.
Christopher Tsonton owns
Pepperwood Signature Homes
& Remodeling in Cleveland.
Yes. Demand is
rising, and modular
homes cost less to
build.
Anthony Zarrilli owns Zarrilli
Homes, a modular builder in
Brick Township, N.J.
ICONOCLASH
Cost vs.
Custom
Should more builders use
modular construction?
edited by john caulfield
We believe todays homes are built to be safe.
But we also understand how devastating fire can
be. One of our relatives lost their entire home to a
fire caused by a candle. The fire spread quickly and
they were lucky to get out.
Even with that experience, we never thought
about fire sprinkler systems in single-family homes
until we were required to install them in an entire
development. At first we were concerned about the
added cost and what they would look like. Once the
development was complete, the sprinkler systems
increased the value of the homes and our buyers
insurance rates were lower. The sprinklers are
concealed, so you really dont notice them.
We use the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalitions free
educational material during our open houses
and when we do our final walk-through with our
buyers. Some of our homebuyers worry that if their
smoke alarm goes off when cooking in the kitchen,
it will set off the sprinklers. The HFSC materials
help us inform our customers that each sprinkler is
activated by heat, not smoke, and it takes a real fire
to activate one sprinkler.
If we build another home for ourselves, we plan to
protect it with a home fire sprinkler system.
Bill and Janet Hall
Goad & Hall Builders, Pleasant View, TN
A Word From
A Builder Who Knows
2012, Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition
The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) is a nonprofit and
noncommercial educational organization that offers FREE
information to homebuilders and their buyers. HFSCs BUILT FOR
LIFE video provides homebuilders with details about the design
and installation of home fire sprinkler systems. Builders can
request the LIVING WITH SPRINKLERS video for people living in
sprinklered homes.
For more information about HFSCs free information, visit
HomeFireSprinkler.org.
VISIT US AT THE
INTERNATIONAL
BUILDERS SHOW
BOOTH #W909
Circle no. 260 or http://builder.hotims.com
ADVERTISEMENT
40 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
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Project Gracie Square
Maisonette, New York
Architect Deborah
Berke & Partners,
New York
Builder Sweeney +
Conroy, New York
C
o-op buildings in Manhattan are
rarely known for their intrigu-
ing doorways, but this entrance
is a glowing exception. Like any
good front door, it fullls its ob-
ligations as an accessible entry and exit,
and reliable barrier. While these simple at-
tributes are key, a door isnt normally re-
quired to be a head-turner.
Yet as doors go, this ones a babe. Its scar-
let color stands out on the streetscape, and
the original 1929 Art Deco grillwork (by
famed muralist Arthur Watkins Crisp, who
developed the property with architects Ro-
sario Candela and George B. Post and Sons)
is a beautiful historic ourish that evokes
the past with a kind of quiet bravado.
Granted, nding an antique door with its
original details intactlet alone one that
ts the specs for any given projectusually
isnt a viable option. But this door ofers
inspiration. The unlikely pop of color con-
trasts with the buildings neutral, cast-con-
crete faade, boldly announcing itself as the
entryway. The fanciful iron grillwork reads
No. 5, the original address. (Restorers say
the grille was probably originally plated
with copper or brass, and then silver.) Not
just a delightful embellishment, it afords
privacy and security, and it lets light in, too.
The door has a twin that leads to another
apartment; together they ank the build-
ings main entrance.
Surprisingly, the apartment thats be-
hind the door is as streamlined as its grill-
work is elaborate. Inside are white walls,
DETAILS
Grand
Opening
Art Deco grillwork makes this
front door a stunner.
modern art, and mid-century furnishings.
Yet the apartments owners treasure their
stylish entrance. It connects us to the
history of the building and the creative tal-
ents of its original design team, they say.
A bright spot on a sedate Upper East Side
side street, the door also ofers its owners
direct access to the streetanother New
York rarity. amy albert
1?A8

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Circle no. 222 or http://builder.hotims.com
Visit us at IBS 2012 and at the Hanley Wood
Builder Concept Home
42 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Builder Imagine Homes
Location San Antonio
Tactic An advertising campaign
designed to differentiate product
Medium Model-home
demonstrations, print brochures,
website
Price range $250,000 to
$275,000
Impact Sales up in 2011 and
expected to double in 2012
related to campaign and new
communities
E
verybody wants to see the choco-
late bunnies in the attics of Imag-
ine Homes models. Realtors,
particularly, like to take their cli-
ents up the stairs to special plat-
forms where they can marvel at the
miraclechocolate Easter Bunnies up in the
rafters, not a droopy, melted ear among them
despite spending more than half a year in at-
tics in San Antonio.
The bunnies in Imagines attics, which are
sealed and insulated with spray foam insula-
tion, help show buyers how the companys
homes are diferent from foreclosed homes
and its competitors products. They also spark
conversation about other energy-ef cient fea-
tures included as standard in the homes.
A picture is worth a thousand words, says
Jim Bastoni, an owner of Imagine Homes.
And having the customer experience how
comfortable its homes attics are in the dead of
summer is worth a lot of words, too.
Nobody else shows you the attic, Bastoni
says. We ask them, How long do you think
the bunny would last in your attic? And they
can touch the foam [insulation] and imagine
how hot it is on the other side.
Bastoni took the bunnies beyond the attic
in an advertising campaign that shows an
intact bunny in the Imagine Home attic with
a thermometer that shows 80 degrees along-
side a photo of a melted-into-a-blob bunny in
the attic of a competitors home with a ther-
mometer showing 130 degrees.
We sneaked into the attic of a competi-
tors home and installed the bunny to get
the photo, explains Bastoni. It only took 10
minutes for the mercury to climb and the
bunny beside it to melt. The advertisement
has helped dispel the idea among consumers
that all homes are the same, and that the
only diferentiator is price, he says.
Imagines salespeople also explain how
its homes energy-ef cient features translate
into smaller utility bills. Sometimes the
company ofers to prepay the buyers utility
bills for two years to bring attention to how
small those bills are likely to be. That gets
buyers thinking about how much less money
every month they will be spending, leading
them to consider spending that extra cash on
more options in the home.
We did better this year than last year,
and we attribute it in no small part to the
bunny and also that San Antonio is a healthy
market with job growth, Bastoni adds. He
expects those factors will continue to help
sales in 2012, too, but new neighborhoods
will play into that as well. Imagine is open-
ing ve new communities with higher price
points, from an average of $250,000 to
$275,000 now to about $325,000. He expects
the company will come close to doubling
business next yearfrom the 70 to 80 house
range to up to 150. The banks are very sup-
portive of us, Bastoni says. We are a small
company, but we are protable.
Imagine is dreaming up more ways to
show, rather than tell, how different its
homes are. It has a new campaign that also
demonstrates the impact of sealed, insulated
attics. It shows the frosty roof of one of its
homes on a cold morning next to a competi-
tors house on the same morning, with no
frost. The point is to show that the competi-
tors house is leaking heat.
Then theres the one explaining that
you dont shop for a car anymore with ns
that gets six miles per gallon of gas, or a
black and white television, like your
grandparents did. Yet people still buy hous-
es with the same components in their
grandparents homealuminum windows
and fiberglass insulation. This aint
your grandfathers house. Announcing
spray foam insulation in every home, the
ad says.
Its about education, says Bastoni. And
the rst part of education is to get the custom-
ers attention and focus. teresa burney
TACTICS
Bunny Business
Chocolate bunnies tell a quick tale of how Imagine Homes is better
than its competition.
Illustration by Barry Falls
To nd a Kichler Representative near you, or for
more information, please call 888.659.8808.
kichler.com
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national sales support network and
unmatched product delivery, Kichler
meets the needs of successful
production builders ... and has
for over 70 years.
Circle no. 202 or http://builder.hotims.com
44 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
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Rising Up The TransForm system allows
construction of higher insulated walls.
GAME CHANGER
Too Big to Fail
A gigantic concrete mansion aspires to be the ultimate energy saver.
Green Bay, Wis. , a 17-year-old manufacturer
that Huf acquired and serves as chairman.
For this project, TF developed a form sys-
tem called TransForm, a hybrid between in-
sulated concrete forms (ICF) and removable
forming systems. What makes TransForm
unique, explains TFs CEO Kirk Brown, is
that it fully insulates the outside of the con-
crete wall with a thick layer of foam while
coating the inside of the wall with only a
-inch layer. This exposes the thermal
mass of the concrete to the inside of the
structure while isolating it from the outside
temperature extremes, Brown says.
He adds that the thermal mass of the con-
crete acts as an energy storage battery re-
sulting in extreme reductions in energy
consumption. And a water/antifreeze mix
running through tubes embedded in the
concrete allows for active core management
using geothermal and solar for primary heat-
ing and air conditioning.
The house has internal walls over 30 feet
tall held in place by plastic studs and external
A
72,000-square-foot chateau be-
ing built on 550 acres in the Mis-
souri Ozarks is doubling as a
laboratory for a concrete form-
ing system whose manufactur-
er and the homes owner believe could have
broader applications for disaster-resistant and
energy-ef cient construction.
The concrete colossus, called Pensmore, is
located in Highlandsville, Mo., between
Branson and Springfield and near Joplin,
which last May got leveled by an E-5 tornado.
The house, which has received extensive
press coverage, is the brainchild of 60-year-
old Steven Huf, who made his fortune sell-
ing software for medical, defense, and
intelligence applications.
Huf wants the homewhere his family
will live once its completed in 2013to be
nothing less than a model demonstrating the
value of long-term durability and life-cycle
cost efectiveness. He is collaborating with a
number of green construction companies, one
of which is TF Concrete Forming Systems in
walls over 80 feet tall held up by steel frames.
Those heights, says Brown, arent achievable
with block-based ICF systems. Helix wire -
bers, provided by a company called PolyTorx ,
fortify the concrete mix while making the
walls more pliable and resistant to earth-
quakes, blasts, and tornadoes.
Construction, which began in 2008, is tak-
ing a long time to complete because Huf is
only employing a single crew and has been
experimenting with diferent things, says
Brown. He notes that the recent construction
of an 8,000-square-foot church in Nevada took
only two weeks to lay in the TransForm walls.
Brown is reticent about costs, but esti-
mates payback from energy bill savings to be
in the ve-year range, and the annualized
return on investment after 10 years at 10 per-
cent to 15 percent. john caulfield
To see a slideshow on Pensmore
and the TransForm wall
system, go to http://go.hw.net/
bol-too-big-to-fail.
with the doors that customers want, and the
support you need.
Satisfy your customers Build your business
Whether you need one door or one thousand, Therma-Tru
provides you with the type and style entry door system you
need to satisfy your customers tastes. Backed by a team of
technical experts to assist you in reducing callbacks, while
offering a variety of warranty-backed* doors, you can rely on
Therma-Tru to help you please even the most choosy
customer every time. Open more doors to more business.
Therma-Tru. Built by prosfor pros.
2011 Therma-Tru Corp. All rights reserved. Therma-Tru is a registered trademark of Fortune Brands, Inc.
*Visit us at www.thermatru.com for
more details on our warranties.
Visit us at The International
Builder Show
Booth W2571
Feb. 8-11, 2012
Orlando, Florida
Circle no. 194 or http://builder.hotims.com
46 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
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Project The Cottages at
Johns Island
Location Charleston,
S.C.
Builder The Mungo Cos.,
Irmo, S.C.
Date opened for sale
August 2010
Unit size 1,369 to
2,135 square feet
Price range $159,900
to $195,900
Sales to date 54
Total units at build-out
64
Charleston Charm Tall, skinny houses at
reset prices sell well in the Low Country.
SUCCESS STORY
Sea Island Sells
Reset prices help an island cottage community move fast.
tential bargains in a good location, went
shopping for some distressed assets on the
island, says Lee McLoud, the companys divi-
sion president for Charleston, Myrtle Beach,
and Savannah, Ga.
Mungo targeted a development called The
Cottages of Johns Island where the developer
was left with a stalled subdivision after other
builders had backed out of lot-buying deals.
We chased it, says McLoud. We found
it and probed and prodded and probed and
prodded and nally, through a personal con-
nection, got to the developer.
Mungo bought the 64 remaining lots in the
community and started selling skinny, deep,
tall homes there in August 2010. By the end of
October 2011 it had sold 54 houses, a pace of 3.6
a month in a market where most builders
have been happy selling two a month, says
McLoud, adding that the community was
A
handful of years ago, before the
housing fall became the hous-
ing crash, only the fairly well-of
could aford a home on Charles-
ton, S.C.s Johns Island.
A quarter of an hour or less across the
Intracoastal Waterway from historic
Charlestons downtown, and minutes to the
beaches of Kiawah, the barrier island has
both location and Southern charm dripping
from the wide-spreading branches of its
historic oak trees.
Its in an area where nobody would have
built anything even remotely afordable, and
everybody had big ideas about what their
land was worth, says Steven W. Mungo,
principal of The Mungo Cos. , an Irmo, S.C.
based builder.
Then home sales in the area nearly
stopped, and Mungos leaders, smelling po-
likely to be sold out by the end of 2011.
The company was thrilled, he adds, to get
that kind of sales pace in a niche situation
like that, where we were able to provide a
product and a price point that hasnt been
seen in that submarket in a while.
Because Mungo was able to buy the lots
for less, homes in The Cottages start at
$150,000 and were closing at about $186,000
on average after upgrades. Before the market
meltdown, builders were hoping to get
roughly $225,000 for each home there.
The new price point made the units af-
fordable for the many buyers who hadnt
had an option for new construction within
a quick commute to Charlestons down-
town. The only other desirable new-home
options are out in the Summerville sub-
urbs, a 30-plus minute commute, says
Mungo. We got all these people who want-
ed to live near downtown but couldnt af-
ford it, he says.
But the houses ofer more than location
and price point. The designs are a functional,
appealing take on the cottage. Their narrow,
deep footprints are pure Charleston, where
historic homes were often narrow for several
reasons, including the fact that property
taxes were based on the width of lots.
Mungo had already been selling the plans
at The Ponds, a master planned community
in the Charleston suburb of Summerville.
The designs started life as attached town-
homes in its Raleigh, N.C., market. When the
company moved the designs to South Caro-
lina, it gave the faades a Charleston Low
Country look and detached them.
The six oor plans stretch from 1,368 to
2,135 square feet with base prices from
$159,900 to $195,900. However, most buyers
are opting to nish out the third-oor attic
space on several of the models into a bonus
room, a sizable upgrade, helping to boost the
sale prices.
Three of the models feature detached,
single-car garages in the back reached via
old-fashioned dual concrete strip driveways.
Three others, on lots that arent wide enough
to allow a driveway, have the garage built
into the front of the homes.
The Cottages helped Mungo attain the
rank of fourth largest builder in the Charles-
ton market, behind three national builders.
When we can duke it out with the nationals
with all the capital theyve got, we are doing
well, says Mungo. teresa burney
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Dubbed A Concept for the Ages, the
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multiple generations. And Uponor creates
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those homes.
With a 20-year history in residential and
commercial applications, Uponor AquaPEX


is the proven plumbing product building
professionals have come to rely on for
high-quality and durability. Uponor AquaPEX
is exible, so it eliminates unnecessary
connections and potential leak points. It will
not pit, scale or corrode like copper and
resists freeze damage that can plague rigid
CPVC. And because it is made free of metals,
Uponor AquaPEX naturally conforms to
upcoming lead-free plumbing requirements,
so you can feel condent that the homes you
build will be safe and healthy for the people
who will live in them.
Couple Uponor AquaPEX with the innovative
DMAND

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you have a smart plumbing system that
will offer water and energy efciency with
long-lasting durability. The DMAND system
delivers hot water to the tap in seconds no
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features a user-activated pump, so hot
water is only delivered when it is needed
eliminating the waste of timed recirculation
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an Uponor Logic Plumbing layout can save
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ADVERTISEMENT
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AN EXCITING APPROACH THAT SPOTLIGHTS NEEDS AND PRIORITIES ACROSS MULTIPLE GENERATIONS
2012 Uponor, Inc.
Formerly Wirsbo
Uponor AquaPEX tubing continues to set the standard for quality and reliable plumbing
systems. With more than 14 billion feet of tubing installed, Uponor is the proven system
that building professionals have come to depend on.
To learn more, call 800.321.4739 or visit www.uponorpro.com.
Visit booth W1329 at IBS 2012.
A plumbing system that delivers quality drinking water from inlet to faucet.
Thats Uponor Logic at work.
Uponor offers a complete
line of lead-free brass and
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Circle no. 270 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 262 or http://builder.hotims.com
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 51
The Latest Products /// Edited by Nigel F. Maynard /// www.builderonline.com/products
Make or Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
New Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2012 Product Preview . . . . . . . . . . 55
Flower Power
A new addition to the
Perlamarmi Collection,
Chrysanthemum is a
mosaic tile featuring
petals of polished
Calacatta Gold marble
and white natural
rivershell waterjet-cut
inserts. Its offered in
the companys eight
showrooms or through
authorized dealers.
Artistic Tile. 212-727-
9331. www.artistictile.
com. Circle no. 1.
52 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
NEW PRODUCTS
HOME MEDIA
SERVERS: AN
ENDANGERED
SPECIES?
If 2011 was the year of streamed
media, 2012 will be the year of
the Cloud, and one staple of
digital home entertainment
hardware might get lost in the
shuffle. The home media server,
one of the Consumer Electronics
Associations five Technologies
to Watch in 2005, will get a lot of
competition from cloud-based
storage this year.
Manufacturers are watching
the trend, but arent too
concerned yet. The cloud may
remove the need for local
storage as it replaces that with
music and movies delivered
through the Internet, concedes
Joe Lautner, director of product
planning at ELAN Home
Systems, but adds, The market
will always need amplification,
speakers, and an interface to
hear and to control the content.
CEDIA senior director of
technology Dave Pedigo believes
hardware servers will remain the
choice for high-end home
theaters because 1080p and
higher resolution demands so
much bandwidth. But, he
expects cloud media storage,
which lets homeowners access
their content from anywhere, will
grow like wildfire.
Builders should look into new
media-server technology, such
as the Streaming Blu Media
9800 series, which combines
cloud access with the ability to
rip and locally store from BluRay
and other disc media. Company
president Jeff Asherbranner
says, Data is going to the cloud,
but homeowners will still want a
familiar interface. dan daley
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MAKE OR BREAK
Light Bright
A Maryland firm brings both sustainability and light to a
Baltimore row house.
W
hen Susan and Rich Wal-
ther decided to retire in a
walkable urban neighbor-
hoodinstead of the sub-
urbsthey bought an
1,800-square-foot row house in Baltimore.
The couple wanted an energy-ef cient, green
home with tons of light, but they also re-
quired that the technologies and features be
integrated seamlessly into the house. The
older home, of course, didnt have any of
these features, so the duo hired Ellicott City,
Md.based Alexander Design Studio to make
their dreams a reality.
To accommodate the owners entire wish
list, the architects chose a variety of prod-
ucts, materials, and systems that were in-
strumental in giving the clients the green
home they wanted . One of the most impor-
tant was the insulation, says architect Eric
Lewis, a senior associate at the rm.
Closed cell spray foam insulation, from
Dow Building Solutions , has become an in-
valuable tool for us when creating new proj-
ects within existing masonry building
shells, Lewis says. The insulation elimi-
nates inltration and works within the wall
system to achieve very high R-values.
The firm also specified four Samsung
mini-split mechanical units , which are so
efficient the homeowners seldom have
more than one of the four in use at a time,
says Lewis. Each unit is incorporated into
the architecture where they are almost
invisible.
Because row houses are dark by their na-
ture, the architects employed a variety of
clever ways to make the space bright. They
used a skylight above the main staircase to
do a lot of the work, but they also designed a
series of chases and installed T5 adjustable
lamps from Jesco Lighting . Lewis says the
lamps were able to accomplish a lot, because
the fixtures are extremely small, very
bright, and can be installed in tight coves
and reveals. nigel f. maynard
Better Beam
LSB

is on average 40% lighter than


engineered wood or hot-rolled steel
beams with the same load-bearing
capacity. Plus there are no special tool
requirements to cut, drill or fasten LSB.
Giving you quicker, easier installation
and lower installed cost, LSB may be
your best structural solution.
Tell your pro-dealer you need to know
about LSB.
Visit www.LiteSteelbeam.com to
download our LSB Installation Guide
and free specication software.
Simplify your project with LiteSteel

beam.
LiteSteel beam is a trademark and LSB

is a registered trademark, and are used under license by LiteSteel Technologies America, LLC. US Patent Numbers 5163225, 5373679, 5401053, 10-561185, 11-570937, 11-570942.
2011 LiteSteel Technologies America, LLC
LiteSteel Technologies America, LLC is a OneSteel Group Company
Use your smartphone
to see a video on LSB.
Basement Beams
Garage Beams Long Span Headers
Structural Beams
Strength meets versatility
for a variety of applications.
Visit LiteSteel on Facebook
IBS 2012
Come See Us At
BOOTH #W4186
Circle no. 189 or http://builder.hotims.com
See new ones at IBS, booth #W4001
www.TheTapcoGroup.com
Solutions are here.
A HEADWATERS COMPANY
Circle no. 245 or http://builder.hotims.com
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 55 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
2012 PRODUCT PREVIEW
Great Expectations
A sneak peek at products youre likely to hear about this year.
J
anuary is a wonderful time of the
year. It represents new beginnings,
hope, and optimism. For builders,
architects, and contractors, it also
raises the hope that this year might
bring to light some truly innovative prod-
ucts and materials that can be incorporated
into their homes. Weve done some digging
and found a number of selections that hold
some promise.
The economy is still oundering, so re-
search and development eforts have been
few and far between. But some companies
are still moving forward. Kolbe & Kolbe Mill-
work is introducing its Ultra Series Terra-
Span lift-and-slide doors, which measure 10
feet tall. The doors, ofering a design pressure
rating of 45, meet wind zone 4 testing stan-
dards. Akzo Nobel Paints, which produces
the ubiquitous Liquid Nails brand, has added
an acoustical sealant that reduces sound
transmission in various types of wall sys-
tems. And Hurd Windows and Doors debuts
its new Ultra-R direct-set window that uses
Heat Mirror technology to achieve an im-
pressive center of glass R-value of 20; the
windows total unit R-value is 9.
A few of the products listed will be at this
years International Builders Show in Febru-
ary; weve included their booth numbers.
Check them all out, though, to see if any of
them will make your year a little brighter.
1
1. Outside Slider
Ultra Series TerraSpan lift-and-
slide doors measure 10 feet tall,
but they still meet impact testing
criteria Level D, wind zone 4
testing standards, and offer a
design pressure rating of 45.
Doors are made with extruded
aluminum exteriors and a range
of interior wood species. They
can be ordered with a maximum
of 10 panels in widths up to 6
feet. Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork.
715-842-5666. www.kolbe-
kolbe.com. Booth no. W3729.
Circle no. 2.
56 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
4. Reflex Action
The companys Arbor kitchen
faucet features the Reflex pull-
down system, with a resistance-
free hose that easily extends and
retracts. Offered in a transitional
design, the unit has a multi-
function wand, a high-arc spout,
and a 1255 Duralast cartridge
that provides a smooth feel for
the life of the faucet. It also
comes with a pause button for
performing tasks outside the
sink. Moen. 800-289-6636.
www.moen.com. Circle no. 5.
2. Guard Duty
AvantGuard entry doors may
appear to be made of cherry
wood, but they are a weather-
resistant, man-made product.
The manufacturer uses a digital
printing process that applies an
authentic wood look to pre-
textured fiberglass slabs. Doors
are finished with an automotive-
style coating that offers five
years of maintenance-free
protection. Masonite. 800-895-
2723. www.masonite.com.
Booth no. W3701. Circle no. 3.
2
5
3
4
5. Evolutionary Chain
Inspired by products that are
commonly found in Europe, the
Evolution Series 9000 tilt-and-
turn aluminum window offers the
dual-action functionality of a
hopper and a casement. The tilt-
in feature provides a 4-inch
opening at the top for indirect
ventilation, and the swing-in
casement operation provides
full-opening ventilation and easy
access. Crystal Window & Door
Systems. 718-961-7300. www.
crystalwindows.com. Circle no. 6.
3. Diamond Life
Part of the Diamond Series, this
4-inch light is the newest
addition to the manufacturers
line of LED recessed downlights
for new construction and retrofit
projects. It has a deep-set,
2-inch lens and offers 530
lumen output. The Energy Star
rated product provides up to
50,000 hours of performance
and can be installed in any
manufacturers housing. Nora
Lighting. 800-686-6672. www.
noralighting.com. Circle no. 4.
See a video
about the
Diamond
Series of
lights on your
smartphone.
Instructions
on page 8.
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service ooring resource committed to helping you build a positive reputation and a thriving businessand avoid expensive
screw-ups. We partner with you to give you solid solutions, not imsy excuses.
Stand on Mohawk. Because you dont have a budget for wrong.
For more information, visit mohawkooring.com/builder or call toll-free 877-275-6642
C A R P E T | WO O D | L A M I N A T E | T I L E | R E S I L I E N T
Circle no. 276 or http://builder.hotims.com
58 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
6. Water Saver
Allia is a new fireclay dual-flush
toilet line that complies with
various stringent water-use
standards across the country,
including California. Offered
with coordinating sinks, the two-
piece toilet (shown) features a
traditionally inspired look. Its
outfitted with an oak hardwood
cover and seat and has an
elongated bowl and a gravity-
fed, siphonic-jet flush. ROHL.
800-777-9762. www.rohlhome.
com. Circle no. 7.
7. Seal Tight
The Seal Grip family now
includes a primer/finish for
multipurpose interior needs. A
low-VOC product, the primer
offers good stain-blocking
properties, dries in about an
hour, and sands easily. Its also
resistant to chips, peels, and
blisters, and wont crack over
caulk. It cleans up with soap and
water. PPG Architectural
Coatings. 800-441-9695.
www.ppgpittsburghpaints.com.
Booth no. W3417. Circle no. 8.
8
9
6
7
8. Value Proposition
The Ultra-R direct-set window
uses Heat Mirror film technology
by Southwall Technologies to
achieve a center of glass R-value
of 20. The film is coated with
nanoscale metal particles that
reflect heat back to its source,
improving insulation, blocking
UV rays, and reducing noise.
With a total unit R-value of R-9, it
is 33 percent lighter than triple-
pane products. Hurd Windows
and Doors. 800-433-4873.
www.hurd.com. Circle no. 9.
9. Sound Off
Well-known adhesive brand
Liquid Nails adds an acoustical
sealant to its lineup of products.
An elastic sealant designed to
reduce sound transmission in
various types of wall systems,
the product is made with low-
volatile organic compounds, has
low odor, and can be cleaned up
with water. Its nonflammable
and adheres to most surfaces.
Akzo Nobel Paints. 800-634-
0015. www.liquidnails.com.
Booth no. W5648. Circle no. 10.
Circle no. 238 or http://builder.hotims.com
ADVERTISEMENT
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To make selection even easier, the DAP Spec Line prints Performance
Facts right on the product, similar to the layout of a nutrition label. The
Performance Facts include the amount and coverage per cartridge,
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Another innovation can be found on DAP

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simple by indicating the color right on the label with an actual swatch and
a list of matching exterior building material colors from key manufacturers.
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or hanging drywall, theres a simple way to be sure the job is being
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of leading manufacturers.
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For more information visit
www.dapspecline.com.
Circle no. 156 or
http://builder.hotims.com
Brand Familiarity
Brand Used in Past 2 Years
Brand Used Most
caulks & sealants
EVERY JOB
HAS A NUMBER.
Not only are there specs for the work you do, the jobs come right out and tell you
what they are. Manufacturers of everything from siding to drywall provide very clear
specications for the sealants and adhesives required for proper installation. So DAP
developed a very clear way to ensure theyre met. Introducing the DAP Spec Line, the
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sure the jobs done right has never been easier.
Scan this tag with the Microsoft Tag
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Circle no. 253 or http://builder.hotims.com
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
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The recovery will be just
as different from place
to place and segment to
segment as was the
collapse.
David Crowe
chief economist
nahb
washington, d.c.
dcrowe@nahb.com
I
s 2012 the year that housing will nally
show its muscle or will we continue to
idle along at a barely perceptible pace?
From a national perspective, the most
likely outcome is somewhere between
the two extremes. From a market seg-
ment or geographical perspective, the
outcome will have considerable varia-
tion. The recovery will be just as difer-
ent from place to place and segment to
segment as was the collapse.
The most significant predictor for this
housing recovery is employment. Housing
consumers need assurance that their jobs
and incomes will remain steady. Underlying
housing conditions are ripe for a recovery.
Mortgage interest rates are at record lows,
house prices have fallen back to 2003 levels
and have stopped their dramatic declines.
Mortgage rates will remain low because the
economic recovery will not be strong enough
to push them up. House prices have already
recovered in some markets, and that trend
will continue as more localities work of fore-
closures. A pent-up demand of over 2 million
households waits for stronger, consistent
economic health signs. And the demograph-
ics of household formations are very positive
as the large cohort of Echo Boomers reaches
the time to move into their own homes.
Nationally, single-family production will
edge forward to about one-half million
starts, which is a 17 percent improvement
over the expected 2011 level. But 2012 single-
family production will still be only one-third
of the way to a demographically driven 1.5
million homes per year. The modest, rst-
time buyer or rst move-up home will be the
most active as many longtime homeowners
decide to remain in place. The best places
will be the cities and states that had the least
fall from normal production and have some
underlying economic strength returning.
The NAHB/First American Improving Mar-
kets Index has been steadily growing as one
indication of where the recovery will show
the most change.
States in the center of the country will im-
prove rst while the four poster children for
excessive house price acceleration (California,
Arizona, Florida, and Nevada) will lag behind.
Except for Georgia, Southeastern states will
move a little faster than the nation as a whole
as will most of New England. States in the
Rust Belt will be some of the last to recover.
Multifamily rental construction will con-
tinue on its much-improved path to recovery.
Since 2005, all the 3.5 million household gain
has been renters. But in that same period, the
industry completed construction on 1.5 mil-
lion multifamily units. So far, the additional
two million rental homes came from the
multifamily vacancies and single-family
rentals. However, multifamily rental vacan-
cy rates have fallen from over 12 percent in
2009 to just over 10 percent. As the economy
improves and rst-time job entrants nd em-
ployment, the need for multifamily apart-
ments in urban settings will continue to
increase. The NAHB forecasts multifamily
production nearing the 200,000 annual lev-
els by the end of 2012, which is more than
halfway to the stable production levels of
300,000 to 350,000 a year.
Remodeling spending has been a bright
spot in the housing arena as more house-
holds modernize instead of move and from
the tax incentives for energy conservation
improvements. The tax incentives were re-
duced in 2011 and are uncertain for 2012 but
the trend toward remodeling as a substitute
for moving will continue. Another less wel-
come but nevertheless substantial force be-
hind remodeling has been repairing and
upgrading foreclosed homes in order to re-
turn them to the market. At least another
two to three million homes will see foreclo-
sure, and many have not seen maintenance
for several years. The NAHB expects a
healthy 12 percent increase in remodeling
owner- and renter-occupied homes in 2012.
After four years of rapid housing produc-
tion decline and two years of bouncing
around historic lows, the industry is poised
for improvement. Progress will be spotty in
place and building type but barring unan-
ticipated international shocks housing will
see slow but positive advances in 2012. B
Whats
Ahead?
Expectations are that housing
will improve, slowly, in 2012.
Crowes Economy
62 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
A R E E X I S T I N G H O M E S K I L L I N G Y O U ?
In a market loaded with existing homes at
bargain prices, new construction is a tough sell.
At least until homebuyers understand the danger
and cost of Heat Bleed the loss of energy to
structural gaps and cracks. Since theres no
easy or affordable way to ght Heat Bleed
in an existing home, houses built with the
easy-to-install Knauf Insulation EcoSeal

System have a competitive advantage.


Let Knauf Insulation help you sell more homes.
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LEARN HOW AT THE I NTERNATI ONAL BUI LDERS SHOW
BOOTH W2900
STOP HEAT BLEED. SAVE ENERGY. SELL MORE HOMES.
Circle no. 261 or http://builder.hotims.com
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Point of View
Chuck C. Shinn Jr. Ph.D.
president/owner
builder
partnerships
cshinn@
builderpartnerships.com
A
n
j
e

J
a
g
e
r
/
a
g
e
n
c
y
r
u
s
h
.
c
o
m
[In Dallas], half of the
builders either failed or
left the market.
I
n 2007, at the beginning of this housing
recession I was conducting survival semi-
nars and often said the recession would
yield once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for
builders that reacted early in the cycle and
made hard decisions.
Grand Homes, under the leadership of
Steve Brooks, not only made the hard deci-
sions (and is now celebrating 96 consecu-
tive quarters of protability) but positioned
itself to take advantage of unique opportuni-
ties as the market recovers. Steve had sur-
vived the housing recession of the late 1980s
in the oil patch states. Three of the lessons he
learned then were to maintain strong nan-
cials with plenty of cash, achieve very low
debt-to-equity, and work with multiple nan-
cial institutions. Having a strong nancial
position allowed Grand Homes the exibility
to react to the changing market early.
In 2006, Grand Homes was ying high
with three divisions in the Dallas market
selling more than 1,000 homes a year. The
company got soft and complacent and bloat-
ed with staf as the management systems
were taxed by the volume of sales. These were
the same issues most builders experienced
after 15 years of an expanding market.
At our Benchmark Builders group meet-
ings, Steve was forewarned about the sever-
ity of the housing recession. In 2006, he had
his whole upper management team attend
our Survival seminar since none of them
had ever experienced a housing recession.
The recession hit Dallas very hard in 2008
with housing starts declining from 50,000 to
15,000 units annually. Half of the builders
either failed or left the market. From August
to December, Grand Homes only sold two
homes and both contracts were cancelled. Its
sales dropped to only 328 homes that year.
As the housing recession gripped Dallas,
Steve took immediate action for a complete
corporate makeover. We had to remake our
company, he says. It substantially reduced
housing prices to stimulate sales and cash
ow. And it implemented cost-cutting deci-
sions by consolidating three divisions into
one centralized operation, reducing staff
from 330 to 214 in 2010. Currently, the com-
pany has 129 full-time employees. To empha-
size the importance of cost reduction, Steve
suspended his own salary for 18 months.
At the peak of the market, Grand Homes
sufered from poor customer satisfaction due
to stressed processes and systems. To im-
prove customer experience, Steve looked to
Southwest Airlines for guidance to change its
culture to an employee- and customer-cen-
tric organization. The company adopted a
People Matter philosophy to treat employ-
ees, customers, and trade contractors with
respect and dignity.
Grands home designs, floor plans, and
merchandising were adequate in the strong
market but had become dated. By 2009, the
company had completely redesigned its prod-
ucts, and reengineered and resized them for
cost-efectiveness. Energy ef ciency, of little
concern during the boom, became a major
component of the redesign, and Grands
homes now outperformed its competitors.
Open oor plans made the smaller homes
live bigger, while stressing the living trian-
gle of the kitchen, family room, and eating
area. The living and dining rooms were re-
duced and every plan incorporated a flex
space, which Steve called Life Spaces and
which can be congured for 18 diferent uses.
The company also remerchandised with light-
er and more vibrant color schemes. The new
homes have sold extremely well. This year,
the company will sell 500 to 600 homes.
As soon as the market turned, Steve di-
rected his son, Beau Brooks, to restructure all
of Grands land contracts. Beau also began
looking for A land positions in each of
Grands submarkets. Grand was the only
buyer in the market to acquire land from
builders leaving the market or scaling back,
as well as distressed properties from build-
ers, developers, and nancial institutions.
With quick, decisive action, Grand Homes
has been able to survive a 70 percent drop in
housing activity, maintain its protability,
and position itself to take advantage of some
once-in-a-lifetime opportunities available as
the market recovers. B
Grand
Position
for
Recovery
Builder heeded warnings, and
then took action with a
complete corporate makeover.
64 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
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CHALLENGE
Help Architekton design and build Grand
Canyon Universitys Recreation Center in
just 14 months. The budget is tight, delivery
dates critical and the nished project must
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SOLUTI ON
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The industrys largest portfolio of panel
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RESULT
Metal Sales panels added renement to
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design to another level.
John Kane,
Design Principal,
Architekton, Tempe, AZ
s o l v e d
Circle no. 265 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 228 or http://builder.hotims.com
ENERGY WATER INDOOR AIR QUALITY
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Circle no. 282 or http://builder.hotims.com
Te Lubrizol Corporation is a global leader
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BlazeMaster

Fire Sprinkler
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Te New American Home features
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Te MULTIPURPOSE re sprinkler
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Circle no. 160 or http://builder.hotims.com
MODERN
The White Box contemporary
returns with an abundance of glass
and a priority on performance.
By Rich Binsacca ///
Photography by James F. Wilson
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 71
MARVEL
THE NEW AMERICAN HOME 2012
72 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
ou see its interior before you even enter the
house. In a clever contemporary twist on a
distinctly Southern vernacular, visitors
walk the length of a deep, covered lanai to
the front door, passing full views of the
family room, kitchen, and dining room
through oor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors
akin to the display windows of a downtown
department store.
Except that these full-height windows
slide wide open on most Central Florida
days, blurring the lines of indoors and out-
doors and providing alternative routes into
the house so that the actual front doora
checkerboard of warm, rich wood that de-
liberately contrasts with the predominant
gray stone and glass of the houseserves as
an art element as much as a point of entry.
Welcome to The New American Home
2012, celebrating a 29-year collaboration be-
tween Builder and the Leading Suppliers
Council of the NAHB in conjunction with the
annual International Builders Show (IBS).
The homes public face to the street is no
less impressive and certainly more exposed
than a traditional porch approach. Derived
from the classic White Box model of modern
design in the mid-20th century by archi-
tect-builder Phil Kean, the front of the ap-
proximately 4, 200-square-foot house
features several expansive windows, one
framing an open-riser stone staircase with
a clear glass balustrade that almost disap-
pears during the day but is dramatically
displayed at night.
I tend to lean toward modern design, but
its more challenging than traditional styles,
says Kean. If you miss, it really looks bad.
Theres nowhere to hide your mistakes.
The oor plan and interior nishes fol-
low the modern moves of the exterior and
are equally exposed and awless. Straight,
clean lines and hard, geometric surfaces
create the perfect canvas for colorful art ele-
ments, area rugs, and soft furnishings. A
stone oor that appears at rst glance to be
bleached wood planks extends into every
space of the main level, including the cov-
ered courtyard entry.
And yet the house is far from cold or im-
personal. Flush, dark-wood cabinets add a
measure of warmth and provide welcome
contrast. But the abundance of windows
Y
The New American
Home 2012
Location
Winter Park, Fla.
Size 4,181 square feet;
bedrooms: 2; baths: 4;
powder rooms: 2
Builder/Architect
Phil Kean Design Build,
Winter Park
Interior designer CRT
Studio, Winter Park
Landscape designer
Redmon Design Co.,
Maitland, Fla.
Green building
consultant/verifier
NAHB Research Center,
Upper Marlboro,
Md. (NAHBGreen
certification)
Furnishings/
Merchandising
Furniture Brands Builder
Services, Conover, N.C.
Technology integrator
ZIO, Winter Park
Structural designer
FDS Engineering
Associates, Maitland
Surveyor Henrich-
Luke & Swaggerty,
Lake Mary, Fla.
Site work Southern
Fields, Windermere, Fla.
Electrical contractor
Y2K Electrical Systems,
Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Producer NAHB,
Washington, D.C.
Media partner Builder
magazine, Washington
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 73
Floor Plan Unlike a lot of
residential architects, Phil
Kean works from the inside
out, crafting spaces best
suited to the lot conditions
and orientation instead of
conjuring a front faade
and working inward. That
approach is reflected in how
this plan blocks the western
sun with the back wall of the
gallery (1) and the three-
car garage (2) and puts the
hub of activity in an interior,
north-facing courtyard to
keep it private and cool. The
main level is mostly public
space, save for a guest suite
(3) and secluded office (4).
Upstairs is all for the owners,
including a trio of balconies
and a cleverly concealed
laundry room (5) within the
master bathroom.
Loft
17 x 11
MBR
17 x 12
Mechanical
room
Laundry
Workout
room
17 x 13
Gallery
15 6 x 41 6
SECOND FLOOR
FIRST FLOOR
5
G
D
14 x 17
F
20 x 18
Lanai Pool
Patio
Deck
B
15 x 12
Home
office
15 x 12
Studio
11 x 15 6
E
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
2
3
4
1
74 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
reecting daylight of the white surfaces
from multiple angles, throwing it deep into
each room, makes the home comfortable
and livable.
For times when solar heat gain is a con-
cern or, more likely, privacy is a priority,
sheer fabric screens and darker solar shades
roll down behind and in front of the win-
dows, respectively, to compensate. Its a
very open plan, but it lives very privately,
says Kean, noting the clever entry court-
yard that is a main hub of activity and yet
completely shielded from public view. It
was an ideal solution for this lot and
location.
But will it sell? Modern single-family
isnt exactly mainstream, and a buyer who
can aford the $3.5 million price tag of this
house represents a relatively small pool to
the majority of builders.
Yet the homes walkable proximity to
downtown Winter Park (a historic commu-
nity just north of the IBS 2012 host city of
Orlando, Fla.), its perfect proportions and
similar scale among its neighbors, and its
high level of nish, as well as its higher level
of energy and resource ef ciencies, enhance
its sales potential.
In his market, in fact, Kean and his
team have carved a successful if not high-
volume niche with mostly modern homes.
They expect that an empty-nester or other
childless couple, perhaps from overseas or
seeking a seasonal retreat, will nd their
way to this one.
The design reects a segment of the mar-
ket that appreciates what this house ofers
and has the lifestyle for it, says project man-
ager Alex Hannigan. I dont think there will
be a lack of buyers for this house.
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
FLOORING
Originally intended for
terrazzo tiles, the floor of
the main levelextending
from the false entry
of the front elevation
through the lanai and into
every interior spaceis
made up of 4-inch-wide,
vein-cut natural limestone
planks that perfectly suit
the clean, straight lines
of the homes modern
design. The stone sections
are installed to duplicate
the look of wood , with
slight variations along
the surface and seams,
while their natural veining
and marbling deliver
subtle color variations
and piece-to-piece and
linear movement across
the floor expanse.
Specs: Manufacturer:
Daltile ; Model: Chenille
White Vein-Cut Natural
Limestone; Dimensions: 4
x 36 x ; Circle no. 11.
TK
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 75
Staircase The homes open-riser
stone staircase is a signature
element, appreciated from inside
and out. A transparent glass
balustrade makes it appear to
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
float in space, while the stairs
location at the edge of the family
room keeps it from intruding on
the open floor plan and traffic
patterns. Its also an iconic and
ironic counterpart to an adjacent
elevator, a contemporary must-
have for aging owners. A series
of niches at the base of the stairs,
which are reminiscent of the
front-door design, display colorful
art elements.
76 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
S
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k

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t

C
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e
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y

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JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 77 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
S
t
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A
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C
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e
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i
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H
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Gallery Confronted with
a west-facing elevation
that must deal with harsh
afternoon sun and a four-
story condo across the
alley, Kean recalled a client
who wanted an art gallery
designed into his house and
used that idea to inspire
this space. Its cool without
being too cool, he says.
Its not trying too hard
to be anything more than
what it is. An atypical first
impression as you enter
the front door, the gallery
also offers a wet bar and
powder room at its far end.
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
STONE
Even behind $300,000
worth of donated artwork,
the stone veneer of the
gallery walls stands out.
Recalling mid-century
Prairie-home design, the
custom-fabricated cut
and color of the stone was
developed specifically
for this house. While most
prominent on the walls
of the gallery, its also
featured on the exterior
faade to effectively
break up the white-and-
glass mass and identify
the entry to the lanai. The
summer kitchen, privacy
walls, and a few interior
walls also benefit from its
dimensional feel among the
otherwise smooth-finish
surfaces of the house.
Specs: Manufacturer/
Installer: Environmental
Stoneworks ; Model:
Osceola Prairie Stone;
Circle no. 12.
78 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 79 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
SOLAR ARRAY
An innovative thin-film
system to generate
solar electricity adheres
directly to the EverGuard
TPO roof from GAF ( circle
no. 14), which eliminated
bulky metal frames
and fastener penetrations
through the roof deck.
But renewable energy,
including flat-panel solar
thermal collectors from
HTP ( circle no. 15) on the
homes top-most roof, is
just the icing on a superior
building envelope. The
main level is built using
insulated concrete forms
from Logix ( circle no.
16), while engineered
structural framing by
Nordic Engineered Wood
( circle no. 17) frames
the upper level. Metal
connectors from Simpson
Strong-Tie ( circle no. 18)
create a continuous load
path through the frame,
while Icynenes ( circle
no. 19) open-cell spray-
foam insulation delivers
air-sealing and thermal
resistance. Solar array
specs: Manufacturer:
United Solar ; Model:
PVL-68; Dimensions:
2849mm long x 394mm
wide x 3.3mm thick;
Rating: 68 watts per
section, 80% power
output. Circle no. 20.
Owners Retreat The entire
upstairs is devoted to the
owners. The stair/elevator
landing leads to a workout room
(complete with a full bath) and a
comfortable private loft, which
serves as a transition to the
master bedroom beyond (left).
Engineered hardwood floors from
Mohawk Industries ( circle no. 13),
formulated to eliminate emissions
from urea formaldehyde
adhesives and finished with a
Scotchgard coating, replace
the stone planks of the main
level, delivering a similarly sleek
but slightly warmer, natural
walnut surface.
Loft What may appear to be
wastedor at least gratuitous
living space (above) actually
serves a very practical purpose
in the grand scheme. At the head
of the stairs, the loft buffers the
master bedroom from the public
spaces below. And its adjacent
balcony shields the array of thin-
film solar collectors on the south-
facing roof from street view
while providing easy access for
their occasional maintenance.
80 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Inside Out The key to Keans design
was a seamless transition between
indoors and outdoors, especially on
the main level where public spaces
could easily expand and flow into
the lanai and beyond. He found what
he wanted with the 10-foot-tall
sliding glass doors with telescoping
panels that create wide-open
expanses and unobstructed views.
The dining room, shown above, also
showcases Keans ability to create
well-defined uses within an open
floor plan.
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
GLASS
DOORS
Almost everywhere you
look along the lanai, youll
see these doors. Standing
floor-to-ceiling and fitted
into flush-mounted floor
tracks, they almost
disappear. And even more
so when theyre open, as
the 4-foot-wide panels
telescope into each other
to create openings of
almost 20 feet across.
The perpendicular panels
of the corner unit
enclosing the dining room
(left) securely lock into
each other, and their
metal frames and impact-
resistant insulated glass
can withstand the
elements. Specs:
Manufacturer: WinDoor
Inc. ; Model: Series 8100,
90-degree pocket bypass
sliding glass door;
Dimensions: 4x10;
Circle no. 21.
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 81 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT SPLIT-SYSTEM HVAC
Drawing duct work to the studio from a conventional central forced-air system proved problematic, so
Keans team turned to a self-contained, mini-split system to condition and ventilate the indoor air. Usually
specified to allow tenants of high-rise buildings to manage their own indoor climates (and costs), the sleek,
ceiling-mounted unit relies on a small, quiet outdoor compressor concealed behind a wall on the far side of
the studio. It delivers a high level of pollutant filtration, dehumidification, and both fast-acting and energy-
efficient cooling. Specs: Manufacturer: LG ; Model: VRF Air Conditioner; Dimensions: 1200mm square;
Capacity: 5500 BTU/hr cooling, 6100 BTU/hr heating. Circle no. 23.
Separate Spaces Outside the
main floor plan, Kean created
a studio (below left) designed
to contain an artists mess or
keep the clients of an at-home
business from intruding on the
main house. Its full bath also
can be accessed from the pool.
The summer kitchen (below
right) provides a full range of
appliances, headlined by a
barbecue grill with nearly 800
square inches of grilling surface
from the Fire Magic line by R.H.
Peterson ( circle no. 22). The view
back toward the lanai shows the
balconies serving the master
bedroom (above the lanai) and
the workout room (left, above the
studio). Their north- and east-
facing elevations help keep them
comfortable year-round.
82 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 83 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Master Bath This space is
deceptively narrow. At both ends
of the bath, a custom closet
system from Closet Factory
( circle no. 24) reveals a wealth
of storage space that expands
the capacity of the Timberlake
cabinets ( circle no. 25). One
set of closet doors leads to a
full-size laundry room. A narrow
Mechanical Room Normally, a
homes mechanical room is a tight
closet in the garage or a humid attic,
but this one earns mention not just
for its size (176 square feet) and
finish, but because its the homes
nerve center. A conditioned space
accessed through the master
bath, it contains the bulk of the
key components to the efficient
operation of the house while giving
service techs ample space to work.
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
MECHANICALS
Thanks in large part to
an airtight and insulated
building envelope,
including a rainscreen
barrier from Pactiv
behind the stucco to shed
incidental moisture and
ventilate vapor ( circle
no. 27), the homes
mechanical systems are
able to optimize their
intended efficiencies.
The centralized system,
contained in a conditioned
space, features a
pair of Lennox high-
performance forced-air
furnaces supplemented
by the companys energy
recovery ventilator and
PureAir air filters ( circle
no. 28). The space
also contains a high-
voltage load center and
structured wiring control
hub from Eaton ( circle no.
29) and an impressive
tower of components for
the myriad electronics
that help run the house,
among other gear.
band of south-facing clerestory
windows above the dual vanity
delivers daylight to mitigate
lighting energy demand (albeit
from efficient LEDs), while the
tub and shower operate entirely
from electronic touchpads from
Kohler ( circle no. 26), featuring
programmable light scenes and
music (right).
84 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
PRODUCT
SPOTLIGHT
SOLAR
SCREENS
There are times of the
year (or day) when the
north-facing lanai needs
a break from the heat
and humidity. Motorized
rolldown solar screens,
fitted into each bay of
the lanai and in front of
the gallery windows,
block up to 41 percent
of the daylight and UV
light and fully enclose
the insulated lanai to
maintain its comfort level
as a usable living space.
Whats really cool is
that, from the inside, the
screens enable nearly 60
percent visibility through
the mesh to maintain
the view of the pool.
Specs: Manufacturer:
Phantom Screens ; Models:
Executive series Twitchell
SuperScreen 17/17
and E-Screen 7510 Mesh.
Circle no. 32.
Front row (seated; l-r): Phil Kean,
president, Phil Kean Designs, Winter
Park, Fla.; Brad Grosberg, vice
president, Phil Kean Designs. Back
row (l-r): Marc Krebs, site manager,
Phil Kean Designs; Rob Turner,
president, CRT Studio, Winter Park;
Jeff Bankert, executive producer,
NAHB Digital, Washington, D.C.;
Mark Pursell, senior vice president,
Exhibitions, Marketing & Sales,
NAHB, Washington; Tucker Bernard,
director, NAHB Leading Suppliers
Council and The New American
Home, Washington; Bill Nolan, TNAH
2012 task force vice chairman; Alex
Hannigan, construction manager,
Phil Kean Designs; not pictured:
Chuck Edwards, TNAH 2012 task
force chairman.
To learn more
about this home,
go to www.
buildersshow.
com, and click on
The New American
Home 2012 link on
the home page.
Poolside Dining While
motorized solar screens can
be drawn down to preserve
the comfort of the lanai and
the gallery during extreme
conditions, the deckplanks
formed from a heat- and
water-resistant rice husk
composite by RESYSTA
(circle no. 30)remains cool
enough for an outdoor eating
experience served by the
summer kitchen (see page
81). Propane-fired heating
towers from Napoleon (circle
no. 31) also provide light to
create an attractive ambience
in the evening hours.
TNAH 2012 Project Team
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 85 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
The New American
Home 2012
Sponsors and
Contributors
LEADING SUPPLIERS COUNCIL
Products supplied by members
of the Leading Suppliers Council
of NAHB are selected by the
project team to reflect the latest in
technology and style.
American Gas Association
(natural gas services/support)
Broan-NuTone (ventilation, central
vacuum, ironing center)
BSH Home Appliances (built-in
coffee maker)
Closet Factory (custom closets)
CMHC International
Napoleon (patio heaters,
fireplace)
Nordic Engineered Wood
(structural engineered lumber)
DuPont Building Innovations
(solid surfaces)
Eaton Corp. (load centers and
circuit breakers, high-voltage and
structured wiring, A/C disconnects,
standby generator, spa panel, surge
protection, energy management
system, electric vehicle charging
station)
Environmental Stoneworks
(stone veneer and installation)
GAF Corp. (TPO roofing)
HPBA
R.H. Peterson Co. (outdoor
kitchen)
Icynene (spray-foam insulation)
InSinkErator (waste disposers, hot
water dispensers, water chiller)
JELD-WEN (interior doors)
Kohler (plumbing fixtures)
Lennox (solar-powered and
conventional HVAC equipment)
Lubrizol Corp. (CPVC plumbing
system, fire sprinkler piping)
Lutron Electronics (lighting
controls)
Mohawk Industries (flooring)
Daltile (natural stone and
porcelain tile)
Overhead Door Corp. (garage
doors and openers)
Pactiv (rainscreen/air barrier,
window and door flashing, synthetic
roofing felt)
Phantom Screens (pest/solar
screens)
PrintComm (printed material)
Progress Lighting (interior and
exterior lighting)
Rinnai (tankless water heater)
Schneider Electric/Renewable
Energies Business (solar PV
inverter)
Sherwin-Williams Co. (interior and
exterior paint)
Simpson Strong-Tie (metal
framing connectors)
Timberlake Cabinetry (cabinets,
built-ins)
Tyco Fire Suppression & Building
Products (fire suppression system)
Whirlpool (appliances)
Gladiator GarageWorks
(garage storage system)
Jenn-Air (kitchen appliances)
Maytag (laundry equipment)
LOCAL CONTRIBUTORS
The New American Home would
not be possible without the support
and hard work of local suppliers,
installers, and consultants.
Acme Glass
Aggressive Appliances
A&L Craftsmen
All Star Concrete & Masonry
American Door & Millwork/
American Builders Supply
Architectural Elegance
Atlona Technologies
Bluworld
Brads Painting Plus
Capri Cork
CEDIA
Charlotte Pipe & Foundry
Clare Controls
Collis Roofing
DEDON
The New American Home 2012 is open for free guided tours during
exhibit hours of the International Builders Show, with free round-
trip shuttle service from the Westwood Entrance of the West
Concourse of the convention center. Parking is severely limited so
driving is discouraged.
Digital Projection
Doors in Motion
Draper
Dynamic Epoxy Coatings
East-West Pavers
EcoSmart Fire
Elevator Solutions
Elk Products
Emtek Products
Energy Technology Services
Fiberstars
Firefly Design Group
FireRock Fireplace
Florida Association of Native
Nurseries
Florida Home Carpet
Florida Native Plant Society
ForeverLawn
Four Seasons Gas
Garner Window & Door Sales
Garys Quality Mirrors & Glass
General Motors
Girem Tile Work
Gunite Works
Gutter King
Hanson Hardscapes
Harmar
Hart & Cooley
Heat Transfer Products
Holloway Plumbing Co.
iPort
Keller Outdoor
Kleen Sweep
Krown Lab
Logix Insulated Concrete Forms
Maschmeyer Concrete/
Block/Steel
Massey Services
MC Construction Resource
Group
Milestone AV Technologies
Millenia Bath
Mobotix AG
Orange County Environmental
Orlando Pools By Design
Pentair Pool Products
Premier Roofing
R.K. Edwards
Regency Fireplace Products
Residential Building Supply
Residential Renovations
RESYSTA North America
Robin Wade Furniture
Schluter Systems
Signature Art Glass
Simplex/Grinnell
Sonance
South Central Pool Products
Southern Window Design
Speakercraft
SportsArt Fitness
Stark Construction
Stewart Filmscreen
Stone Crazy
StrucSure Risk Management
Group
SurgeX
Tecno-Glass Corp.
TECO Peoples Gas
Thomas Lumber
Triad Speakers
Trinity Tile Group
United Solar
Universal Engineering Services
Universal Limited Art Editions
Walk on Wood
WatersEdge
WinDoor Inc
Ziegler Air Conditioning Sales
& Service
TAKE THE TOUR
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veneer so you have one point of responsibility
from start to nish for all your projects.
For this reason, Environmental StoneWorks
was selected as the stone veneer provider of
choice to complete the aesthetic vision of
Te NAHB 2012 New American Home.
Environmental StoneWorks collaborated
with the projects architects and designers to
create a stone veneerunique in both shape
and colorthat simply did not exist in the
market before this project.
Osceola Prairie Stone was created and
manufactured in Atlanta, GA, one of
Environmental StoneWorks ve national
manufacturing facilities and installed by its
own local, highly trained, and skilled craftsmen
whose installation techniques ensure complete
satisfaction and maintain a safe job site. No
matter how beautiful the stone may be, if its
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only did Environmental StoneWorks exceed
the architects manufacturing and installation
expectations, but architectural plans were
redesigned to include additional internal and
external walls to showcase the beautiful stone.
Simply The Best Choice
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Environmental StoneWorks continued
investment in technology, safety programs,
equipment, and people makes it the best
choice for any project. With bonding
capabilities up to $4 million and over 30
years of industry-leading experience,
Environmental StoneWorks is a reliable
partner for any general contractor, builder
or architect. In addition, all products are
ICC-ES certied and conform to the latest
AC-51 specications.
Environmental StoneWorks products are
regionally designed and manufactured, which
reduces cycle times and delivers excellent
customer service and support from start to
nish. Regional coverage also helps builders
to earn valuable LEED credits.
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and actively supports the industry through
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associations.
Be sure to visit Booth W3014 at the
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For more information visit www.estoneworks.com
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ADVERTISEMENT
A key aesthetic feature to The 2012 New American Home is the
exterior stone facade. Manufactured specifically for this project, the
stone provides a very modern feel even though its design was inspired
by stone used in the classic architecture of the 60s and 70s.
The same Osceola Prairie Stone was used on the built-in
BBQ and kitchenette as well as the surrounding 6' perimeter
wall, which acts as the perfect canvas to highlight the
texture of the plants and foliage.
The exterior stone was expanded into the gallery/dining area. The
stones color variations and texture provide a wonderful backdrop
for the artwork.
90 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
ECONOMIC FORECAST
STILL WAITING
FOR THE V:
FORECASTERS
PUSH
HOUSINGS
RECOVERY TO
2013
BY JOHN
CAULFIELD
S
ince 2008, handicapping the
housing industrys recovery has
been mostly wishful thinking.
Predictions about the markets
rebound were dutifully made,
results came nowhere near expectations, and
then projections got nudged forward 12
months in an article of faith that housings
battery would eventually recharge.
As a new year begins, hardly anyone be-
lieves that housingwhose portion of the
GDP is less than half of what it has been his-
toricallycan carry Americas economy on
its shoulders. But the predictive pattern lives
on, as several forecasters now see 2013 as the
magic year when starts and sales nally real-
ize substantive growth (see charts, page 93).
There was cause for optimism that condi-
tions were improving a few months ago, as
builder confidence rose in November on
news of upward bumps in starts, sales, and
residential permits the previous month. The
latest data also showed the countrys unsold
and shadow housing inventory receding.
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
But the market has made teasing gestures
toward recovery several times before, only to
disappoint again. And seeing brighter days in
2013 requires some mental gymnastics when:


Home sales in 2011 were expected to plum-
met to record lows;


One-quarter of 25- to 34-year-oldsthe core
of the rst-time buyer cohortis living with
parents, 15 percent cant nd work, and many
are drowning in college loan debt, which at
$859 billion in November exceeded Americas
total credit-card debt; and


The nations unemployment rate is likely
to hover above 8 percent two more years.
The housing market will get a little better
next year [2012] and a lot better in 2013, but
thats not saying much, says IHS Global In-
sights U.S. economist Patrick Newport, be-
cause 2011 [had] some of the worst numbers
weve ever seen. Robert Curran, Fitch Rat-
ings lead home building analyst, notes that
many of the soothsayers who are hopeful
about 2013 predicted the same thing for 2009,
2010, and 2011. Im a big believer in pent-up
demand and that people who want to buy
homes eventually will. But economists are
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 91
Unemployment Rate (%)
PMI Group Macroeconomic Advisors Federal Reserve
(reports forecasts as a range) National Association for Business Economics
Fitch Ratings Wells Fargo Securities
10%
9.5%
9%
8.5%
8%
7.5%
7%
2011 2012 2013
Gross Domestic Product (% change)
Metrostudy Freddie Mac Federal Reserve (reports forecasts as a range)
National Association for Business Economics Wells Fargo Securities
Fannie Mae
4%
3.5%
3%
2.5%
2%
1.5%
1%
2011 2012 2013
92 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
looking for a V-shaped recovery when a jaw-
toothed recovery with some modest improve-
ment is more likely.
Nevertheless, some forecasters can envi-
sion GDP growth thats just strong enough to
stimulate job creation to where consumers
get back into the home buying arena, and
builders start building again in less-anemic
numbers. A gravy boat, with its gradual undu-
lation and narrow spout, is the vessel that
symbolizes these analysts projections.
SIGNS OF LIFE
Many factors could derail whatever fragile
recovery path the U.S. economy is on right
now: Europes financial turmoil, Chinas
manufacturing slowdown, ongoing conict
in the Middle East, political gridlock in
Washington, D.C. Analysts and economists
acknowledge these uncertainties, as well as
their own past forecasting ubs. But many
still believe improvement in housings for-
tunes is in sight because:


Selling conditions are
normalizing.
In late 2011, existing-home prices were still
falling, and 70 percent of homes sold last year
were in the afordable to median-price range,
estimates NAHB Chief Economist David
Crowe. But there have been signs that prices
in general are leveling of. Were righting
the wrongs of the past, and house valuations
have mostly been resolved, asserts Mark
Zandi, Moodys Analytics chief economist.
What remains unclear is the extent fore-
closures will continue to disrupt supply and
demand, or how a rising clamor for rental
housing will impact prices. Instead of [new-
home] construction being a leading force
driving economic recovery, this time it will
likely be the caboose, says Jonathan Dien-
hart, director of published research for Han-
ley Wood Market Intelligence .
Yet, overall inventory is shrinking. Were
seeing significant recycling of distressed
property, states Doug Duncan, Fannie Maes
chief economist. Unsold inventory in Central
Florida, for example, is down to eight
months supply, from 33 at the recessions
nadir, says Gregg Logan, managing director
for Robert Charles Lesser & Co. (RCLCO) .
Logan notes that in Naples, Fla.the
worst market of under 1 million people for
foreclosuresLennars Heritage Bay commu-
nity sold 200-plus homes in 2011. When prices
are stable, buyers lean toward new homes, say
industry watchers, which can be a bonanza
for builders in markets where new product is
scarce. The Census Bureaus annualized esti-
mate for new unsold completed homes nation-
wide stood at 162,000 in October, a record low.
In California, only 21,500 single-family homes
were built in 2011 (versus 24,500 multifamily
apartments), according to the states Con-
struction Industry Research Board .
This supply shortage is widening the
price gap between new and old homes. At
some point, the disparity will become too
hard for builders to resist, predicts Richard
deKaser, deputy chief economist for Boston-
based The Parthenon Group , and co-author of
the National Association for Business Eco-
nomics (NABE) annual economic outlook .
VLADIMIR: ONE CAN BIDE ONES TIME.
ESTRAGON: ONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT.
VLADIMIR: NO FURTHER NEED TO WORRY.
ESTRAGON: SIMPLY WAIT.
VLADIMIR: WERE USED TO IT.
Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Indeed, Robert Dietz, NAHBs assistant vice
president of forecasting and analysis, calcu-
lates that new-home construction will reach
42 percent of normal activity by the fourth
quarter of 2012, and 61 percent by the fourth
quarter of 2013.


Household formation is getting
back on track.
During the recession, Americas population
grew at an annual rate of around 8 percent.
But household formation fell of a clif, to be-
tween 400,000 and 500,000 per year. Job and
income insecurity often lead people to con-
serve money by doubling up, observes Brad
Hunter, chief economist for the market re-
search rm Metrostudy . But household for-
mation is bouncing back; Hunter predicts it
will increase by nearly 7 percent to 800,000
in 2012, and to 1.1 million in 2013.
Newport and Duncan insist that demo-
graphic forces will inevitably pull housing
out of its funk. And Crowe believes demand
for housing could average 1.5 million per year
over the next decade. Starts need to ramp
up, says Duncan.


Federal policy will favor
homeownership.
The consensus is that the Federal Reserve
will, in deKasers words, keep the pedal to
the floor, and sustain its accommodative
monetary policies for at least two years. Joel
Prakken, cofounder of Macroeconomic Ad-
visers , expects the Fed to hold the prime
lending rate at zero percent through at least
2013. Normally, this would be good news for
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 93 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
the housing industry. But Zandi isnt seeing
much evidence of a thaw in banks lending to
builders or home buyers. And where, asks
Duncan, will the urgency to purchase a
house come from if interest rates stay low
and home prices keep falling?


The job market will improve.
More than one-quarter of employed adults
recently surveyed by Fannie Mae feared los-
ing their jobs in the next six months. That
uncertainty, though, masks the fact that the
U.S. has been adding jobsalbeit at an erratic
and mediocre pacefor more than a year.
Analysts hang their starts and sales projec-
tions on expectations that the economy will
strengthen enough to consistently generate
at least 150,000 new jobs per month. Their
arguments were buttressed by a drop in the
unemployment rate to a two-and-a-halfyear
low of 8.6 percent in November, driven by
private-sector hiring. By [2012], we should
see the strongest expansion of job growth in
years, asserts David Berson, chief economist
for PMI, a private mortgage insurer.
Once more people start returning to work,
consumers are going to feel more secure, and
their condence will go up, says Frank Noth-
aft, Freddie Macs chief economist.
MANY CAVEATS
While this recuperative scenario is enticing,
not everyone buys into it yet. As Builder
prepared this article, California-based John
Burns Real Estate Consulting lobbed a bomb
into the party with its forecast that home-
ownership would fall to 62.1 percent of all
households by 2015, and not get above 67 per-
cent for another decade.
A month earlier, Jay Brinkmann, chief
economist for the Mortgage Bankers Associa-
tion , wrote that the odds of a more robust
housing market accelerating the economys
overall growth are very low, and that the
nation would endure another year of frus-
tratingly slow economic growth and stub-
bornly high unemployment.
Even the optimistic Zandi says all bets
are of for housings recovery if GDP growth
stays below 2 percent. At our current
[growth] rate, dont expect banks to be exu-
berant about lending to real estate, warns
Richard Wobbekind, associate dean at the
University of Colorados Leeds School of
Business and co-author of NABEs outlook.
Wobbekind and other industry watchers
foresee an uneven housing recovery. Colora-
do is forecasting 15 percent growth in home
starts for 2012, he says. But the housing mar-
ket in Floridawith its 10.3 percent unem-
ployment rate and still-signicant overhang
of unsold homescould take longer to sort
itself out. Were one of the poster children
for what went wrong, laments Sean Snaith,
director of Central Florida Universitys Insti-
tute for Economic Competitiveness .
Logan of RCLCO cautions that the nations
housing sector wont truly be xed until some
real things get resolved, such as what the sec-
ondary mortgage market is going to look like
(Duncan and Nothaft dont think there will be
any decisions about Fannie and Freddie until
after the next presidential election); and
whether the country is actually moving away
from being an ownership society.
If were adding one or two million house-
holds per year, and theres increasing pent-up
demand and immigration growth, where
will those people live? asks Logan. His fel-
low prognosticators, no doubt, are trying to
gure that out, too. B
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
0
Sales (in thousands of units)
New Existing
PMI Group
11 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13 13
Fitch Ratings Mortgage Bankers
Association
Moodys Analytics Fannie Mae
Housing Starts (in thousands of units)
Single-family Multifamily
(As of Nov. 30, 2011)
1,500
1,200
900
600
300
0
Moodys
Analytics
11 11 11 11 11 12 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 13
IHSGlobal
Insight
NAHB FannieMae
HanleyWood
Market
Intelligence
FitchRatings
13 11 12 13
Stop by the NAHB Education booth in the West Concourse,
Lobby Level at the NAHB International Builders Show .
INFORMS
Join the Consveration
For more information, visit
www.nahb.org/greenbuildingconference
REEVALUATE
What works in the new economy
REFOCUS
On home owner preferences
RECOMMIT
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96 BUI LDER MONTH 2011
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 97
HOMEOWNERSHIP SURVEY
THE
NEW
NORMAL
Record foreclosures
and unprecedented home price
deflation may have
tarnished homeownership.
But the desire
to own remains strong.
By Boyce Thompson /// Illustrations by Mario Wagner
98 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
lation is in the same boat. Lots of people
would be buying homes right now, if they
had steady work, enough savings for a down
payment, and/or a cleaner credit record. But
thats asking a lot in an economy marked by
high unemployment, depletion of net worth,
and tighter underwriting standards.
Seven out of 10 people responding to our
survey said its a very good time to buy a
home. They see that home prices have de-
clined, mortgages are cheap, and lots of bar-
gains are available. But many people dont
have the money, the credit, or the inclination
to go out and participate in what could be the
housing market of a lifetime.
Our focus groups turned up many people
who bought a home during the boom who
wish they hadnt. Im angry because I own
a home now and we are upside down, said
one San Diego focus group participant,
speaking for the 25 percent of our survey
respondents who owe more on their home
than its worth. Back in 2006, I should
have stayed renting. I bought at completely
the wrong time.
The focus groups turned up a ton of re-
sentment toward banks and brokers who
convinced people to buy more house than
they really needed or could aford. They also
unearthed a lot of hostility toward greedy
friends and neighbors who bought more
home than they could aford, or who kept
borrowing against their home as it escalated
A
s a freelance real
estate photogra-
pher working his
way through col-
lege, John had a
birds eye view
of the housing
boom. Four years
ago I wouldnt
have bought a
house even if I had been in a position to buy
one. Everything was really expensive.
Now, however, the only thing preventing
John (not his real name) from buying a home
is a more permanent job. Still working as a
part-time photographer, among other odd
jobs, he notes that Seattle has turned into a
buyers market. If I could get a full-time job
with a decent salary, Id buy a house.
Our nationwide Housing 360: Insights
into Homeownership survey of more than
3,000 Americans, coupled with six focus
groups, indicates that a big slice of the popu-
in value, then brought down values in the
whole neighborhood with a foreclosure.
Americans have a conicted view toward
housing today, to be sure. The survey nd-
ings show that a full 72 percent of the coun-
try still believes that owning a home is an
important part of their familys dream and
the American economy. And in our focus
groups most people concurred that achiev-
ing homeownership says something about a
familys success and stability.
Acting on the dream of homeownership
in todays economy is where the results get
sobering. Our quantitative survey turned up
remarkable apathy toward making a move.
A lot of people out there are shellshocked
and waiting, says Kent Colton, the former
executive of cer of the NAHB whose Colton
Group conducted the report for Hanley Wood,
LLC, publisher of Builder. Their sense of
urgency is gone. They are just waiting.
Here are the major takeaways from the
survey and focus groups:
Newly built home Existing home
No preference
Newly built home Existing home
No preference
Are you considering a new or existing home?
OWNERS RENTERS
29%
12%
34%
41%
37%
47%
My current
home is fine
I have no
urgency to
buy now
I cannot
affordthedown
payment
I need to
pay off my
loans first
My job
situation is
unstable
I may not
qualify for a
mortgage
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
What is keeping you out of the home buying
market? (top six reasons)
Owners Renters
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 99 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Most people
are perfectly
happy where
they live.

Americans feel significant apathy toward
moving today. When we asked people why
they werent buying, the top response was
My current home is ne, cited by 67 per-
cent, followed by I have no urgency to buy
now, checked by 40 percent. No wonder the
trade-up housing market remains in the
dumps: People are content to stay put until
the storm clears.
Many households would like to recover
some of their lost paper equity before they
move on. Nearly half the survey respondents
(47 percent) expressed concern about selling
their current home for a fair price. And since
a quarter of the household population is un-
derwater on their homes, they would have to
write the bank a check at closing.
Renters are much less satisfied with
where they currently liveonly 25 percent
say their current home is ne. But 45 percent
said they have no urgency to buy either. Why
dont they move? The top reason was that
they dont have the money for a down pay-
ment (55 percent), and they are afraid they
wont qualify for a mortgage (38 percent).
Also, about one-third of renters said they
would have to pay of other loans and land
better jobs before they would move.

New homes need
to really stand out
to sell.

Builders really have their work cut out for
them today, considering that more people
prefer existing homes over new homes, and
that those existing homes are perceived to
be much less expensive. Even so, 29 percent
of current homeowners would prefer to buy
a new home , if they bought another. What
do people like best about new homes? Ev-
erything is new was the top response, cited
by 82 percent of current homeowners.
Stuck and Out
of Luck
The housing market has dealt
Jesse Kline a double-whammy.
His home has lost so much
equity that he and his wife have
postponed downsizing. And,
hes stuck with a condominium
he inherited from his father
three years ago that hes been
unable to sell and that is
costing him $300 a month in
community fees.
Feeling trapped, a year ago
Kline, 52, and his wife set out to
refinance their home to get a
better interest rate and pull out
some equity to remodel their
kitchen so that they can enjoy it
now, with the hope that it will
help the house sell quicker when
the market does turn around.
He also spent several
thousand dollars to spiff up the
condo he inherited so it could
better compete with a dozen
other identical units for sale in
its 55-plus community. A couple
of buyers were interested until
they discovered it sits on leased
land. Who knew it would take so
long to sell, he says.
Recently, Kline lost his job as
a manager at a major department
store.
We love Tampa, Fla., but,
unfortunately, its not a
good job market, he says. But
with two houses to sell in this
market, the option to move is
not a good one.
I have got to keep my chin
up and keep going, Kline says.
We just hope it changes soon.
teresa burney
Everything
is new
There is less
maintenance on a
new home
Newhomes
aremoreenergy
efficient
I cancustomize
thehome
The floor plan is
up to date
I want to live
in a new-home
community
A new home
may be a better
investment
opportunity
Why do you prefer a newly built home?
(Among those who prefer new homes)
Owners Renters
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
New homes are
more affordable
100 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 101 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
New homes have some practical advan-
tages as well. Our survey shows that the next
hottest buttons are low-maintenance and
energy-ef ciency. People are drawn by the
opportunity to save precious time spent on
home repairs, and they understand that a
more ef cient home will have a better chance
to retain its value due to lower operating
costs. Its signicant that these attributes
nished higher than traditional drivers of
new-home purchasesfresh oor plans and
the ability to customize the home, though
those nish high on the list, too.
Builders probably need to cover all these
bases to get the sale in todays environment.
They not only need to ofer the most energy-
ef cient home possible, but they also need to
be flexible when it comes to customizing
their plans. It almost goes without saying
that oor plans need to be as compact and
livable as possible. No builder can aford to
create the impression of wasted space.


The desire to
own a home stands
up even in the
hardest hit
housing markets.

The survey was big enough that the results
could be crunched by states, even by indi-
vidual markets in some cases. In states hit
hardest by the housing recession, California,
Nevada, and Florida, for instance, most peo-
ple still view homeownership positively.
They think that owning a home is still im-
portant to their family and the economy.
After the birth of their rst child, Cynthia
and her husband moved from a condominium
high-rise in downtown San Diego, where they
barely knew their neighbors, to a home in the
suburbs. Explained the 30-year-old, college-
educated Native American: For me, owning a
home is a mark of stability in my life where I
am set, grounded, and able to grow roots and
let my kids be grounded and grow roots.
Remarkably, most people still think
homes are a good investment choice, even
though home prices have fallen 35 percent
nationally in the last several years. When
asked about their home as an investment,
most focus group participants didnt see any
better investment alternatives. Some people,
such as Colleen, a single 36-year-old African
American professional who owns her home
and two investment properties in the Wash-
ington, D.C., market, saw a big opportunity.
Give me the right deal and Im in, she
said. If the housing market goes down and
even if youre upside down on your mortgage,
you still own somethingyou have a roof over
your head or you can rent it out. It is some-
thing very tangible that doesnt disappear. If
your 401(k) goes to zero, you start all over again
and you have nothing. Zero cant grow.
Things may be tough right now, says
Colton, but if builders can just hold on, they
can look to a far better future. The study
shows that for most Americans homeowner-
ship remains an important objective.
Hanley Wood, LLCs Housing 360 survey was partially funded by a grant from Masco
Corp. It was conducted during the summer of 2011 by The Colton Housing Group,
founded by Kent Colton, a senior fellow at the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
The research consisted of an online survey of more than 3,000 homeowners and renters
across the U.S., along with focus groups conducted in six cities.
102 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Tight mortgage
qualification
standards and job
insecurity are
holding back sales.

The survey paints a sometimes bleak pic-
ture of the typical Americans ability to af-
ford a home right now. Not only are people still
feeling insecure about their job prospects, but
many think mortgage lenders overreacted to
the housing crisis by making it too dif cult to
qualify for a mortgage. Only about one-quar-
ter of our respondents, for instance, said they
could aford a 20 percent down payment.
I think that the whole system was broken
for years, said a Des Moines, Iowa, homeown-
er, and they were just giving away money
because they were going to sell the mortgage
... . There was no accountability. Now the pen-
dulum has swung the other way, and it is re-
ally hard for kids to go out and buy a home.
Renters in particular face some big hurdles
to homeownership. When asked what needs
to change to get them to move, 51 percent of
renters said they needed to get a better-paying
job. Twenty-three percent of owners said the
same thing. The survey and focus groups
turned up a reluctance to take a chance on a
bigger, better home. I would never sell what
I have and move up to a bigger, more expen-
sive house, said one focus group participant.
I am safer where I am.


A large
percentage of
Americans are
doubling up.

One of the more puzzling questions in the
housing market today is getting a good grip on
how many families are doubling up to cut ex-
penses and ride out the recession. Judging
from the results of this survey, says Gopal
Ahluwalia, a principal of the Colton Group
who conducted the research, the number ap-
pears to be high.
A full 30 percent of our respondents were
living with multiple generations at home.
Adult-age, college-educated children without
paying jobs are coming home to live with
their parents. Grandparents are living with
their grown children. And multiple families
are living together because someone lost a
job or their home.
The response to another question indi-
cates that much of this doubling up may be
short-lived. We asked about future plans to
live with adult children or parents. Only 12
percent of owners, and 9 percent of renters,
reported that their children would live with
them. And only 13 percent of homeowners
and 9 percent of renters reported that one or
both of their parents would live with them.


Some people
have delayed plans
to move after
retirement.

Another big unanswered question in the
housing market is how losses of equity and
employment will afect retirement plans.
About one-third of the population (31 per-
cent) said that the economic situation had
changed their plans to retire. Even so, peo-
ple expect on average to retire at 66.
More than half of homeowners, 53 per-
cent, have experienced some or substantial
What needs to change for you to enter the market
and buy a home? (top five reasons)
The housing
market
needs to
improve
I need to
get a better-
paying job
Down-
payment
requirements
needtobe
lowered
Qualifying
for a
mortgage
needs to be
easier
I need to
improve my
credit score
Owners Renters
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
How important is homeownership to the well being
and stability of your household?
Owners Renters
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Very
important
to somewhat
important
Not very
important
to not at all
important
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 103
A Reluctant
Renter
Michele Gale would prefer that
people dont know that her
family rents the home where
they have lived for nine years.
I find it very embarrassing
that we have been married for
17 years, and we dont own a
home. Its sometimes hard to
sleep at night thinking that we
have paid them $130,000 of our
money to pay for somebody
elses house. ... Its a bitter pill to
swallow. I dont feel successful.
The fact that her husband is
a lawyer, a profession that
people automatically assume
equals success, makes the
embarrassment that much
keener for the 39-year-old,
stay-at-home mother who
homeschools three daughters.
Still, she is grateful because if
it had not been for a last-minute
case of cold feet, her family
would be in worse shape, among
the ranks of people who lost their
homes to foreclosure. During the
peak of the housing boom a
Realtor convinced the family that
they could afford to buy a home
with an interest rate that would
be low at first and then increase
in two years, nearly doubling the
mortgage payment.
The Realtor was so sure that
we would be able to refinance
the house in two years, but it
just didnt feel right, Gale says.
So the family backed out of the
deal at the last minute.
She believes the family
dodged a bullet because the
house lost value and they would
not have been able to refinance
the loan.
We would be out on the
street right now if we had signed
that paper, Gale says. It would
have been foreclosed on. t.b.
decline in home prices in their area during
the last year.
Some older Americans no doubt want to
recoup some lost equity before they move,
since they dont have to move right away. One
in ve of all owners (21 percent) stressed the
need to recoup some of the lost value in their
current home before reentering the market.
Retirement housing plans vary. Slightly
more than half of respondents (54 percent)
expect to stay in their current home for their
entire retirement. Another 18 percent want to
stay in their current home rst then move
later, and 13 percent plan to move to another
home, or their second home, upon retirement,
or had already done so.


Renting appears to
be in vogue.

When it comes to attitudes toward renting, the
research results were tough to interpret. In
focus groups, many renters professed to enjoy
the freedom and exibility of renting. One par-
ticipant told us that he thinks theres a genera-
tion gap when it comes to attitudes toward
homeownership. For younger people. its not
a symbol [of prosperity] anymore. Its a loser.
Thats not what our quantitative research
showed. Only 22 percent of renters think
that renting makes better nancial sense
than owning. Most renters still aspire to-
ward homeownership. More than half
agreed that this would be a good time to buy.
Young renters were signicantly more posi-
tive about home buying conditions, with 65
percent of renters under 35 saying it is a good
to very good time to buy.
The problem, as builders who cater to this
group of potential buyers has found, is that
many renters dont have the money for a
down payment. Less than 20 percent said
they could make a 20 percent down payment.
Most also said they dont have the credit
scores or job security to buy a home.
For that reason, most renters (62 percent)
are resigned to the idea that their next home
will be another rental. Even so, most people
who rent dont like where they live. Only 23
percent of renters are happy with their cur-
rent residence. B
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
Substantial decline to some decline
No change Some increase to substantial
increase
How do you expect home
prices to change in your market
area during the next year?
27%
40%
33%
Stay in current home for entire retirement
Stay in current home first, buy another home later
Move to a different home (brand new
or existing) before retiring/or did buy after retiring
Move to my second home before retiring/or
did move after retiring Sell current home, move
to rental property Other
What plans do you have
for a home now that you are
retired?
54%
18%
10%
11%
4%
3%
To read the executive summary
of the Housing 360: Insights
into Homeownership research
report, go to http://go.hw.net/
bol-the-new-normal.
Subscribe today!
www.HousingEconomics.com
HousingEconomics.com
The Economics Publication
for Americas Housing Industry
Data
YOU CAN BUILD ON
Get historical data, industry analysis,
and all of the latest forecasts including State
and Metro at your fingertips. The in-depth analyses,
detailed downloadable Excel tables, overviews, and much more
found at HousingEconomics.com will help you support your
business decisions.
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106 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Making
the Best of
Another
Bad Year
STATE OF THE INDUSTRY 2012
Builders are
surviving
through sheer
efort and
determination.
By Ted Cushman
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 107
S Shiftin ng D Doow wn
Builder Bob
Henderson has
fallen back
on remodeling
and commercial
work.
J
o
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n

G
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s
s
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m
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M
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m
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n
t
108 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
A
t the dawn of 2012, the U.S. economy shows
signs of a tful recovery. But home building is
still mired in a multi-year slump. The bottom
line looks bleak, with housing starts near an
all-time low. But fall brought glimmers of
hope: an uptick in builder optimism, a modest
rise in single-family starts, and even a drop in
the unemployment rate.
At years end, the responses to Builders
annual State of the Industry survey reect
that mixed outlook. The 345 readers who re-
sponded represent a hard core of survivors,
united by a resolve to carry on.
The Numbers: Creeping Upward
Resolveand a smidgen of good news.
The share of builders who see market con-
ditions getting worse has diminished, from
a whopping 74 percent in 2008 to just 39 per-
cent this year. Likewise, fewer builders see
their own business prospects worsening,
while a larger segment sees better times
ahead. One telling sign: Just 1 percent of our
sample expects to go out of business in 2012
the lowest gure in four years.
Business measures show similar gains. In
2008, just 10 percent of readers reported an
increase in closings; 60 percent said closings
had declined. Over four years, the balance
has shiftedin 2011, more builders nally
saw closings increasing (28 percent) than
decreasing (23 percent).
Hiring and layofs t the pattern, too. In
2008, 57 percent of respondents had cut their
workforce, while just 3 percent had beefed it
up. By 2011, only 34 percent had laid people of,
and 15 percent had taken on help.
Coping Strategies
As usual, our survey asked about how builders
have changed their practices to cope with the
challenging market. This years answers are
in line with years past: Builders continue to
value-engineer, build smaller, or try out new
market segments or product types.
Asked about other tactics, builders list a
range of adaptations. Many have turned to
remodeling, and everyone is tightening their
belt. Wrote one small builder, I do all the
work: sales, bills, marketing, management,
and eld work. Sixteen-hour to 18-hour days
just to pay the bills. NO PROFIT. Wrote an-
other, Nobody gets a salary any more.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Improving Stable Deteriorating
How would you rate current market conditions?
2008 2009 2010 2011
Stopping the Slide More builders still see conditions
getting worse than see improvement. But a growing segment
views the situation as stable.
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 109 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
D
a
n
i
e
l

S
h
e
e
h
a
n

U Unnder
CCo ontrra act With
five custom
homes in the
works, life is
busybut
not easyfor
Mike and Abbie
Andersen.
Some builders noted that upscale mar-
kets look stronger than mid-range and start-
er markets, where price pressure is erce
and nancing is scarce. One private builder
wrote, We have abandoned the starter-
home market due to lack of credit to qualify
and slack demand.
One small custom builder sees promise
in a wealthier niche: We build in upscale
neighborhoods where active retirees want
to be. The homes are totally complete so buy-
ers can move in, along with extensive land-
scaping. For the past two years we have sold
everything we have built at asking price in
a very short time.
Small builders are leaning on their biggest
advantage: one-on-one contact with clients.
One phrased it this way: Frequent on-site
presence daily, with total attention to detail.
But bigger operators have their own edge: the
means to buy cheap land. We are buying lots
in bulk at discounted prices, wrote one.
Touching Base
For several years, Builder has contacted a
few survey respondents for follow-up inter-
views. This year, we decided to get back in
touch with some builders weve spoken to in
years past.
By 2008, husband-and-wife team Mike
and Abbie Andersen had laid of four employ-
ees, and the company was down to Mike on
site, and Abbie in the of ce. From building six
specs a year, Andersen Homes, based in Gig
Harbor, Wash., had shrunk to a one-man re-
modeling outfit. And the Andersens were
stuck with three permitted lots and two com-
pleted spec houses (which they had decided to
lease). To add to their challenges, their bank-
ers were being sticky about rolling over the
construction loans on the leased properties.
I thought 2009 was going to be bad, says
Abbie, and it was bad. But 2010 was worse. By
the middle of 2010 we had completed the ma-
jor remodels and additions that we had in the
works, and the second half of 2010 was just
chasing after leads. Exploring a new niche,
Mike started to take on insurance work.
But this year, things are looking up: An-
dersen Homes is back to building. Were un-
der contract right now for ve custom homes,
says Abbie. Three are already in progress. The
other two will start within eight weeks. The
Andersens have hired a project manager to
help Mike run jobs, and if things keep improv-
ing, they may add another employee.
But will things keep improving? Abbies
cautious. We feel very fortunate that we have
some work, she says. But there is still not a
feeling of stability in our area. I get calls every
day from people who are still out of work. And
I ask the subcontractors, in particular, wheth-
er they think things are getting better. And
sometimes the answer is nothey think its
getting worse. So Im trying to gure out if
were just lucky right now? Or is this truly the
beginning of a recovery?
And these days, Mike says, building houses
is less fun. Everybody wants to ne-line you,
he says. Customers are smart, they know the
conditions of the market. With many clients
paying out of pocket, the scrutiny is intense:
Youre spending a lot of time pricing and re-
pricing, says Mike, and you have to work a
lot harder to make a living.
These are custom homes, says Abbie,
and none of them is under $700,000. But with
every single light bulb, the price is scruti-
nized. People know that the industry is bad,
and they want really good deals on every-
thing. They expect it. But she says, We un-
derstand that side of the fence, too. I felt the
same way last year when we did some work on
our own home. These people are spending
their own money to build a house for $700,000
thats really only worth $500,000 on the mar-
ket. Every penny counts.
In Mequon, Wis., an affluent suburb of
Milwaukee, builder Bob Henderson feels the
same pressure to cut costs. But unlike the Se-
attle area, he says, his market shows no sign
of bouncing back. When we talked to Hender-
son two years ago, he had sold his last spec
house and was working on a whole-house
makeover. New construction had stopped, but
remodeling was taking up some of the slack.
Today, Hendersons business is surviving
but its still tough. The dollar volume has
continued down, he says. In 2004 and 2005
we had $4 or $5 million in sales, and most of
that was new homesless than a million was
remodels. For 2011, were doing about a million
Are we just lucky right now? Or is this truly the beginning of a
recovery? Abbie Andersen, Andersen Homes
110 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
two in sales, and half of that was one $575,000
custom home. The rest is all remodeling.
The half-million-dollar home represents
Hendersons traditional niche during good
timesone-of-a-kind custom homes. But that
sale was an odd occurrence, he saysbuyers
with equity and savings who were able to
quickly sell, and who could finance a new
home only because they bought their lot out-
right and brought more than $100,000 cash to
the table for the new house.
Our target buyer has always been the
move-up buyer, moving into their second or
third home, and wanting a unique home,
says Henderson. But that market is dead in
the water, because the buyers who want to
move cant sell their existing homes, and they
cant get nancing for a new house either. Ap-
praisals are really hard right now, because the
comparable sales are being fed by prices that
are on a downward spiralnot even a con-
stant level. Everything is down.
Remodeling, meanwhile, has been hand-
to-mouth. Last winter, we were doing $20,000
kitchens and baths, Henderson says. Those
arent our target jobswe want structural ad-
ditions, because were a design-build rm. But
we said, what else are we going to do?
Against that backdrop, networking and
reputation have been lifesavers for Hender-
sons company. Henderson is just wrapping up
a $300,000 commercial build-out, brought in
by a former client. Were trying to move into
more commercial work, he says. We just
signed a design agreement for a 6,000-square-
foot of ce building for a local ophthalmolo-
gistagain, work that came in through a
referral from a former custom home client.
Looking ahead, Henderson is pinning his
hopes on that kind of diversication. I dont
see anything changing that is going to bring
custom homes back into vogue in our area any
time soon, he says.
In the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area
in North Carolina, builder Wayne Holt is look-
ing at a brighter picture. When we rst talked
to Holt several years ago, he had gone from
spec builder to real estate agentbut with a
twist. Holt was partnering with an estab-
lished Realtor to nish and sell unnished,
bank-owned spec houses. Using that strate-
Were back to building new homes againwhich is what I really
want to be doing. Wayne Holt, Reward Builders
W Waarm mminng UUp
Spec markets are
coming back for
Wayne Holt. His
new problem?
Finding land.
D
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JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 111 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
gy, Holt had sold his own back inventory as
well as a number of projects started by oth-
ers, and had even begun to build and sell his
own projects again.
The real estate company is still doing
quite well, says Holt today. We are market-
ing one subdivision that has five different
product price points, and were marketing the
higher-end price pointfrom about $450,000
up to about $700,000. Were also selling quite a
few bank-owned new homes and a lot more
bank-owned lots for that company.
The construction piece with the banks is
pretty much over, Holt goes on. The local
banks have worked through all of their in-
complete inventory. I nished my last bank
job last July. So now were back to building
new homes againwhich is what I really
want to be doing. Weve built three this year,
closed two of them, and the third one will be
closing in a week.
In good times, Holt says, his company built
lots more. Our best year, we built 13, he says.
We are now on pace to get back where we
traditionally werebetween six and eight.
But honestly, were hoping to get up to eight
next year and, depending on how things cy-
cle, possibly to get up to as many as 10 or so.
Unlike the Andersens and Henderson, Holt
is building mostly specs, with just a couple of
custom homes in the mix. And Holt has
moved upscale: We used to build in the price
point up to around $550,000. Now our price
point starts at $500,000 and goes up to around
a million. The national players have taken
over so much of the $350,000 to $500,000 mar-
ket locally that I have stepped up to where
there are fewer buyers, but there is also less
competition and a lot less inventory.
Holts North Carolina market is a relative
bright spot nationally. But the areas strength
creates a challenge: competition from nation-
al builders with cash to buy developed lots in
quantity. For now, theres room for Holt, he
says: The nationals are buying into subdivi-
sions where they see 15 or 20 or more lots, but
theyre not as interested in going in for one or
two or ve stray lots.
But as national builders loom ever larger in
prime locations, buying out small developers
who need to liquidate, Holt is left with a con-
cern for the future: Over the next two or three
years, where are small custom builders going
to get our lots from, in the good areas? Because
right now, the developers who were putting
lots on the ground for us dont have the cash to
develop. In fact, a lot of them are out of busi-
ness, and the banks have taken them and sold
them of to the nationals. So whos going to
put those lots on the ground for us?
Most builders would probably prefer Holts
problem (tighter land supplies in a strength-
ening upper-end market) to Hendersons (a
scarcity of customers caused by downward-
spiraling prices and frozen lending). But what
will turn frozen markets like Mequon, Wis.,
into thawing ones like Cary, N.C.? In Gig Har-
bor, Wash., Abbie Andersen ofers the same
prescription we heard from many survey re-
spondents: People need jobs.
Overwhelmingly, the message from build-
ers this year is: Fix lending and x employ-
ment, and home building will recover. But
until that happens, builders are focusing on
their own simple goal: staying in business. B
Increase Decrease Closings consistent Dont know
(no data from 2008)
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Will your company increase, decrease, or keep closings consistent?
2007 vs. 2008 2008 vs. 2009 2009 vs. 2010 2010 vs. 2011
What is the outlook for your company next year ?
2008 2009 2010 2011
Improving Same as the year before Deteriorating I do not expect my
company to
be in business through
next year
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
35%
30%
25%
40%
Closing Deals Closings are holding steady, or even increasing,
for a growing fraction of industry survivors.
Surviving by Striving The four-year trend shows an
improving outlook for more companies. Only a tiny fraction now
expects to quit the business.
Green Building Essentials
GREEN MODELS FOR SITE DEVELOPMENT: APPLYING
THE NATIONAL GREEN BUILDING STANDARD
TO LAND AND LOTS
NAHB Land Development
This book will help builders and developers capitalize on existing desirable land features when
planning and designing projects under the National Green Building Standard. Through ve com-
prehensive case studies, builders will see how other builders and developers earned the highest
green ratings and home buyer approval. Included are the actual scoring sheets from the National
Green Building Standard Commentary.
From BuilderBooks, 2011, 100 pp/Soft-cover, full color
Item 00285 ISBN 978-0-86718-674-1
Retail $19.95 NAHB Member $16.95
National Association of Home Builders
INFORMS
Use this CD to quickly and accurately develop your homeowner education manual. The CD pro-
vides step-by-step instructions to customize the template for your unique needs and to create
a comprehensive homeowner education tool. It also includes the entire National Green Building
Standard Checklist. Youll nd customizable text on all 20 of the components listed in Section
1001.1 of the Standard.

From BuilderBooks, 2011, CD
Item 00284 ISBN 978-0-86718-673-4
Retail $39.95 NAHB Member $35.95
YOUR NEW GREEN HOME AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF IT:
HOMEOWNER EDUCATION MANUAL TEMPLATE
National Association of Home Builders
NATIONAL GREEN BUILDING STANDARD
International Code Council and National Association of Home Builders
The National Green Building Standard is the rst ANSI consensus standard on sustainable green
building for residential construction. The Standard provides the green practices that can be in-
corporated into new homes including multifamily buildings, home remodeling and additions, hotels
and motels, and the sites upon which the green homes are located.
From BuilderBooks, 2009, 166 pages/Soft-cover
Item 00260 ISBN 978-0-86718-641-3
Retail $35.95 NAHB Member $31.95
Order Today!
www.BuilderBooks.com
T 800 223 2665
In addition to 5% everyday savings*, NAHB
members can save an additional 2% now
through 12/7/2012** when you use your Lowes
Accounts Receivable card.
Plus, get free delivery on purchases of $500 or
more now through 12/7/2012.
* Exclusions apply, discount taken at time of purchase, see store for details.
**Offer valid now through 12/7/2012. To be eligible for the 2% discount, you must
register your NAHB membership by 11/1/2012 and make a purchase with your
Lowes Accounts Receivable by 12/7/2012. Allow one complete billing cycle for
your registration to be processed and for your discount to appear on your billing
statement. Offer and discount provided by Lowes, and not GE Money Bank.
Excludes Lowes Business Account Card, Lowes Consumer Credit Card, Lowes
Project Card, Lowes Visa Accounts, Lowes Business Rewards from American
Express Card and all Lowes Canada Credit projects. Offer not valid on purchases
made prior to registering NAHB membership at LowesForPros.com. All purchases
subject to credit approval. 2012 Lowes Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lowes and the gable design are registered trademarks of LF, LLC.
A Special Offer for NAHB

members only.
To register, and nd out more information about
these offers, visit LowesForPros.com/NAHB or
call 877-435-2440.
Learn
Three homes. Three diferent generations. One community.
Welcome to the new economy of suburban planning, where
homes for baby boomers, Gen Xers, and millennials exist
side-by-side to serve the specic needs of their owners and
create more diverse neighborhoods, steadier sales, and long-
term value. Forget the one-house-ts-all approach; this is the
new way to design, build, and sell homes in todays market.
Gain greater insight, see the concept in action, and pre-register
for a virtual tour of the Baby Boomer house at
builderconcepthome2012.com.
Your XYBs
FOUNDATION
Plumbing xtures
Cabinets and built-ins
Appliances
Windows
SUPPORTING
HVAC and
thermostats
Solid surfaces
Flooring
Entry doors and trim
PERFORMANCE
Hearth & Home
Technologies
Fireplaces
Owens Corning
Insulation and roof
underlayment
Schlage
Door hardware
Sherwin-Williams Co.
Paints and stains
ALLIANCE
A.O. Smith
Water heaters
Broan-NuTone
Ventilation
Eagle Roong
Products
Roong
Eaton
Corporation
Electrical and low-
voltage systems
Eldorado Stone
Veneer stone
Electrolux Central
Vacuum Systems/
Beam
Central vacuum
Fiberweb/Typar
Housewrap and
ashings; landscape
geotextiles
Gladiator
GarageWorks
Garage storage
system
IAPMO R&T
Plumbing
certications
JELD-WEN
Interior doors
Kohler Home
Generators
Standby generator
Nisus Corporation
Earth-friendly
pest control
Oldcastle, Inc.
Pavers
Phantom Screens
Pest and solar
screens
Propane Education
& Research Council
Propane
Uponor
Plumbing system
Wayne-Dalton
Garage doors and
openers
WinDoor, Inc.
Patio doors
2012 SPONSORS
Circle no. 272 or http://builder.hotims.com
Design and Construction /// Edited by Rich Binsacca /// www.builderonline.com/buildsmart
How-To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 118
How-To . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
Redline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Callback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
S
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s
:

S
i
m
p
s
o
n

S
t
r
o
n
g
-
T
i
e

a
n
d

t
h
e

I
n
s
u
r
a
n
c
e

I
n
s
t
i
t
u
t
e

o
f

B
u
s
i
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&

H
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Illustration by Pete Sucheski
Continuous Load Path
You dont have to live in a
high-wind or seismic-
prone area to benefit from
a continuous load path.
Properly applying a variety
of metal framing
connectors from roof to
foundation enhances the
quality, durability, and
energy efficiency of your
homes and the safety of
your buyers.
1 Truss to Top Plate MTS12
metal straps are specifically
designed to connect the trail
of a roof rafter or plated truss
to the top plate to mitigate
truss uplift.
2 At Openings Properly
fastened, CS20 metal straps
tie the header to the cripple
stud and wrap the first king
stud to the top plate to bolster
a window or door opening
against lateral and shear
forces.
3 Mudsill SP4 stud-to-bottom
plate straps are rated for up
to 110-mph wind speeds with
10d nails. Threaded hold-
downs can be spaced 4 feet,
6 inches along the mudsill,
more than a foot wider than
standard anchor bolts.
1
2
3
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 117
118 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
For more construction technology
articles, go to www.builderonline.
com/construction.
4. Notch the Planks
Cut 2-inch-square, -inch-deep notches into
the underside of the first deck plank (offset
from the deck joists) to provide a secondary
and incidental drainage avenue. Set the first
plank(s) inches away from the house to
allow drainage and ventilation. To avoid
moisture wicking and an extra bit of drainage
and ventilation, fasten the exterior cladding
-inch up from the top of the deck planks.
3. Install the Ledger Board
Through-bolt a one-piece ledger board so
that its bottom edge rests on the lower
Z-channel and its upper edge meets the
underside of the drip edge. Make sure the
bolt heads will not intrude into the bottom
edge of the drip edge. Bend the upper drip
edge to at least a 90-degree angle, and tape
the end-slits of the housewrap flap, allowing
the length of the flap to rest unsecured over
the drip edge.
2. Add the Edges
Fasten a continuous galvanized Z-channel
under and along the entire length of the lower
flap of housewrap. If you have to piece the
channel, overlap the two sections at least 8
inches and caulk the joints. Use flashing tape
to cover and seal the vertical end slips. Fasten
a continuous 6-inch-wide, L- or Z-shaped
galvanized metal drip edge 3 inches under
and along the entire length of the upper flap
(overlap and caulk joints, if necessary).
1. On the Side
Install housewrap and/or another air-
moisture barrier (and perhaps a layer of self-
adhering bituthene behind it) to create a first
line of defense against water intrusion. Snap
a chalk line to mark the top and bottom edges
of the deck ledger board. Slit the housewrap
along those lines and up a few inches at each
end to create narrow flaps that will overlap
the drip edges.
T
heres a reason so few builders and
deck contractors properly flash
deck ledger boards: Its a pain. Not
only do home buyers rarely in-
quire about or inspect such a spec,
but by the time any latent defects from water
and moisture penetration crop up (if they
ever do), the builders warranty has long
since expired.
If thats your rationale, then good luck.
But if you want to build to a higher standard,
one that not only protects you from the cost
of callbacks but also delivers a quality-built
and durable house, then it might be worth a
little extra time and training to get this de-
tail right.
The goal is to divert runof over the top of
the ledger board instead of allowing water
to get behind it. Like all ashing details, it
requires a layered approach designed to
shed water away from the homes structural
elements. rich binsacca
HOW-TO
Deck Ledger
Flashing
Keeping water away is the key to
a well-built deck.
Illustrations by Harry Whitver
Inside. Outside.
All Around the House.
More than moulding. More than plywood.
Discover the world of ARAUCO value-added
building solutions, this year at IBS Show Village.
ARAUCO
Atlanta, GA
Telephone: 770.350.1627
sales@arauco-usa.com
www.arauco-usa.com
Circle no. 254 or http://builder.hotims.com
120 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 Illustrations by Harry Whitver
4. Salvage
The lingering recession is boosting
teardowns, but theres gold in them thar
homesif you spend the time to
deconstruct them for salvage or recyclable
material. Experts in the field recycle up to 80
percent of an older homes wares, from brick
to windows to plumbing fixturesand may
earn a tax credit and/or a few extra bucks for
their efforts while all but eliminating
dumpster rentals and tipping fees.
3. On-Site Recycling
In more remote recycling markets, consider
C&D processing on site. Small-scale grinders
for wood, drywall, and cardboard (the third-
largest waste contributor) are a larger
investment in a jobsite recycling effort, but
might well pay for themselves by eliminating
hauling and dump fees. A wood chipper can
also create landscape mulchand perhaps
create a side business serving other builders
to further offset the investment.
2. Source-Separate
In sophisticated C&D recycling markets,
builders who separate recyclable materials
rather than commingling make it easier and
less expensive for recycling centers to
process the waste. The key is to match the
size and number of containers to the waste
being collected, and to each phase of work, to
make it simple for crews and subs to support.
Putting multiple and mobile containers where
the waste is being generated also is efficient.
For more construction technology
articles, go to www.builderonline.
com/construction.
HOW-TO
Waste
Management
Reducing C&D waste can also
lower your construction costs.
1. Reduce
The best way to manage C&D waste is not to
create it. To that end, its critical to know
what materials make up the bulk of the
waste. By weight and volume, wood and
drywall alone account for more than 60
percent of all jobsite waste. Practices and
products, including advanced framing and
engineered components and detailed
framing and panel layouts on 2-foot modules,
can reduce miscuts and unnecessary scrap.
R
esidential construction and de-
molition (C&D) waste comes to
nearly 60 million tons annually
in the U.S., more than 10 percent
of the total domestic waste
stream. Upstream, about 40 percent of the
raw materials consumed in the U.S. are used
in construction. One result: Increased tip-
ping fees at a landll near you.
Builders looking to save some money
and perhaps even generate some revenue
have committed to waste management
practices that address how much material
comes on the jobsite (and in what form), how
it is used, and whats done with the scrap.
And its not just for those going for green
building certification, where a baseline
waste management plan is required and a
little extra efort can earn additional points.
Even if a waste management plan isnt pre-
scribed, its still easy to implement and de-
livers tangible benets, says John Peavey of
the NAHB Research Center in Upper Marl-
boro, Md. rich binsacca
DTV Prompt
TM
and
WaterTile

Round
ECO version available
FAUCETS
FIXTURES
APPLIANCES
LIGHTING
COUNT ON US
1,350 locations. All 50 states. 300 showrooms. 17,000 associates.
59 years in business.
At Ferguson, its true that our inventory is huge with thousands of your top items in stock every day. And we ll
your orders accurately and right away. But there is one thing we supply that building professionals have come to rely on
again and again for over 59 years - our people. Our associates make certain you can count on Ferguson - where friendly
service, expertise, and a willingness to go the extra mile are never in short supply.
Nobody expects more from us than we do

2012 Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved.


FERGUSON.COM
Circle no. 198 or http://builder.hotims.com
122 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
C
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S
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A straight property
line with a traditional,
rectangular plan limits
window placement to
front and rear walls only.
A centrally located
kitchen and straight stair
anchored to the wall
create a long hallway
and divide the house into
separate sectionsfront
and rear.
The front door is placed
in a recessed alcove on
the lower level. In turn,
it leads to a foyer and
enclosed stair, letting in
very little natural light.
A fireplace on the
rear wall of the house
produces one less place
to put windows.
REDLINE
Lighten Up
Attached row homes can be
bright and airy if youre willing to
challenge the status quo.
S
ay attached row home, and
dark may well be the next
thought that comes to mind.
There are good reasons why. The
typical plan allows for few entry
points into the house (a front door and maybe
a garage). Theres a small amount of exposed
wall (front and back). Sightlines from the
house and within the home are limited. A
long, narrow lot provides barely enough
space to design rooms that make sense. The
row house ends up dividedfront to back, or
side to sidemaking it hard for light to travel
through it. Standard-sized
In the Dark The typical plan is space
efficient, but it blocks light and prevents it
from traveling through the house.
(see page 124)
Lower Level Main Level
Circle no. 266 or http://builder.hotims.com
2O12 CALL FOR ENTRIES
EcoHome presents the 3
rd

annual EcoHome Design
Awards, honoring the best sustainable
homes for innovative design, green building
features, environmental performance, and
integration with their sites and communities.
Award winners will receive in-depth
editorial coverage in EcoHome (print and
online) in July/August, and will be honored
at the Builders Choice dinner in October.
Enter your sustainably built projects
today for the chance to share your work
in the #1 source for green products and
technologyEcoHome.
DEADLINES AND FEES
Entry form and fee due:
March 30, 2012
Complete electronic entry packet due:
April 23, 2012
The fee for each entry is $125
QUESTIONS
Call 208.288.0399 or e-mail
cserlin@hanleywood.com
See website for entry requirements,
eligibility, and judging details.
ECOHOMEDESIGNAWARDS.COM
124 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012 WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
C
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M
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a
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S
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h
The fireplace is located
on an interior wall
so windows can be
positioned all along the
rear wall.
An open-plan stair lets
light travel through the
house from a centrally
located glass front door.
A few steps up, the door
offers good sightlines.
Shifting part of the wall
over creates an entry
courtyard with a side
wall of windows on two
levels, letting light into
the foyer. It also gives the
impression of a detached
home.
Elevating the library
rather than enclosing
itadmits more light into
that room, and it gives a
sense of privacy, too.
At the rear, large glass
doors let the outside
in. Replacing mullioned
windows with simple
plate ones is another way
to admit more light.
windows with a traditional mullion design
dont help.
But attached row homes neednt be dark
and cave-like. The plans above show tricks
weve learned to make row houses feel and
live as much like detached houses as possi-
ble, while taking advantage of the space-ef -
ciency typical to a row house plan.
On this project, we got lucky. We had the
good fortune to work with a developer who
listened when we presented a plan that
veered from the traditional rectangular lot,
jogging the property line to create a side el-
evation where there can be windows (rather
than an adjoining homes wall). Structural
engineering was involved, too: rooms with
10-foot ceilings, a sliding glass door and tran-
som windows at the rear, and positioning the
study over a lower-level garage (this ended up
being a double threat, providing more light,
plus additional entry courtyard space that
makes the house feel more private).
Sure, making the modications involved
spending a little money. But the payof has
been big: lovely, light-lled townhouses that
are selling nicely, too. B
Guest builder Doug Smith is a
principal and Patti Wynkoop is vice
president of product development
at Miller and Smith in McLean, Va.
www.millerandsmith.com
T
o
s
p
r
A
li
h
lo
A
o
S
o
c
w
le
t
im
h
E
r
it
t
A
d
in
w
p
to
Here Comes the Sun Jogging
the property line creates a side
elevation for windows.
Lower Level Main Level
Te 2012 New American Home at the
International Builders Show features
Sherwin-Williams ProMar 200 Zero
VOC* Interior Latex and Resilience
Exterior Acrylic Latex, products that oer
the excellent quality Sherwin-Williams is
known for.
Setting the professional standard for
superior quality for three decades, ProMar
200 Interior Latex is now available
in a zero-VOC formula. It is the rst
complete professional line that not only
has zero VOCs but is also available in
a primer, four sheens, plus every color,
including deep, vivid accents. ProMar
200 Zero VOC delivers maximum
productivity with outstanding durability
and touch up, and excellent hide. It also
meets the most stringent environmental
requirements, complying with LEED, MPI,
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute,
and other green guidelines and regulations.
ProMar 200 Zero VOC is a Sherwin-
Williams GreenSure-designated product.
Resilience is a premium choice and has
excellent hide and durability and easy
brushability. In addition, Resilience provides
exceptional resistance to moisture, up to
50% faster than traditional coatings, so you
can paint later in the day with condence
and less concern about dew and impending
rain. Resilience also meets or exceeds
stringent environmental regulations with
a low 50g/L VOC.
Setting The Professional
Standard For Three Decades
Visit sherwin-williams.com for more information.
For green solutions, visit swgreenspecs.com.
Circle no. 152 or http://builder.hotims.com
ADVERTISEMENT
*Some colors may not be zero VOC after tinting with conventional colorants
126 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Avoid It
Start with a flat and even slab or securely
fastened subfloor (glued and screwed) that is
not exposed to moisture intrusion that could
swell the panel edges and/or degrade the
floor adhesive. Apply adhesive liberally and
as you go (not all at once) and roll the entire
floor in multiple directions to work out
bubbles and spread the glue evenly and
thoroughly to the edges.
Fix It
For a bubble, use a sharp blade to cut an X
from the apex. Fill the void with recommended
adhesive and use a roller to secure it against
the subfloor. For larger bubbles and areas
that require a fix of the subfloor or slab, youll
have to remove and patch the affected area,
so retain or leave behind some remnants with
the owners.
Improper Install
Bubbles in resilient flooring are simply signs
of trapped air that wasnt pushed out during
installation or worse, a depression in the slab
or a nail popping up from the subfloor.
Curling edges indicate an inadequate or
improper application of adhesive across the
underside of the tile (for those without self-
adhesive backing).
For more construction technology
articles, go to www.builderonline.
com/construction.
R
esilient (or vinyl) flooring, in
both sheet and tile products, re-
mains the most popular floor
nish material on the market,
combining affordability with
durability and an increasing range of style
options. As tough as it is, resilient ooring is
not entirely resistant to some normal day-
to-day mishaps such as scufs and dents, and
(like any oor nish) is subject to more seri-
ous damage if exposed to long-term mois-
ture or water intrusion.
But those are issues and costs for home-
owners to manage long after the warranty has
expired. Where a builder might be called
comes much sooner, when the owners notice
a bubble or two in the oors surface or a curl-
ing seam along the edge of a tilethe tell-tale
signs of an improper installation that can
crop up within months of move-in.
Fixing those problems is typically neither
time-consuming nor expensive for a builder,
but it does cut into his prot margin some-
what and, more important, deates the po-
tential for a positive referral. Avoiding an
errant bubble or pesky seam seal is even eas-
ier, requiring a little more attention to detail
and setting expectations with installers to
adhere to the manufacturers recommended
methods and materials. rich binsacca
CALLBACKS
Bubbling Up
A bubble or upturned seam in a
resilient floor signals a problem
beneath the surface that may
crop up within the warranty
service window.
Illustrations by Harry Whitver
Problem
Solutions
Circle no. 275 or http://builder.hotims.com
Generation Brands
TM
More than a pretty face
Sea Gull Lighting LED technology
Sea Gull Lighting, recognized for its commitment to offering the best in energy
efcient technologies without sacricing performance or style, unveils its most
extensive LED offering to the marketplace in 2012. LED bulbs, under cabinet
pucks and tape, join the recently released LED festoons, under cabinet task lights
and the Traverse LED downlight together nearly 85% of the Sea Gull Lighting line
will be available with LED products in 2012!
To nd out more visit SeaGullLighting.com or call Customer Care at 800.347.5483
Live Life Illuminated
Exceptional quality

Energy efficiency

Style
Circle no. 273 or http://builder.hotims.com
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 129 Illustration by Sirichai
First Out of the Gate
News From the National Association of Home Builders /// Edited by Deborah Leopold
By Bob Nielsen
chairman of the board, nahb
washington, d.c.
Women in Building
With women influencing
91% of home sales and a
key to boosting business,
this years IBS will present
a new educational pro-
gram on how to market to
women buyers, Sister
Act 2: The Laws of At-
traction. The session
teaches attendees how to
attract women through
websites, social media
marketing, and on-site
demonstrations and pro-
vides a fundamental un-
derstanding of the
marketing, products, and
sales styles that resonate
with women as they as-
sume more roles at work,
home, and in the commu-
nity. The speakers will dis-
cuss the difference
between advertising to
women using social media
and really interacting and
engaging with them to
build relationships. The
IBS session will provide
insights into where wom-
en shop, how they think,
and what makes them
purchase. It will also focus
on what women want
when they go to websites
and how to use search en-
gine optimization to bring
them to a particular site.
50+ Housing
Learn how home builders
and developers in active
adult and senior communi-
ties surviveand thrive
in todays market during
two forums at IBS 2012
When an industry goes through the
kind of major upheaval that we have
seen in home building in recent
years, it emerges transformed. Old
rules and expectations may no lon-
ger be relevant, and success goes to
those who are best prepared to work within a new busi-
ness model.
Now that some individual housing markets are be-
ginning to show some initial signs of recovery, its time
for everyone in the home building industry to start
honing their skills and preparing for a new
paradigm.
I cant think of a better way to get ready for the
future than to attend the NAHBs annual convention
and exposition, which will be held in Orlando, Fla.,
from Feb. 811. With more than 165 incisive education
programs, acres of product exhibits, networking
events, dazzling show houses, entertainment, and
more, the International Builders Show (IBS) con-
denses a years worth of value and opportunity into
just 96 hours.
And at a time when all eyes are on the economy, one
of the highlights of the IBS will be a presentation by
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, who
will share his unique perspective on housings role in
the economy and insight into the events that have
dominated the headlines in recent years.
Another highlight of the show will
By attending IBS 2012, youll have
a productive head start into the
new year.
(see page 130)
130 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Its time to pick your
favorite Peoples Choice
nalist for the 2011
EnergyValue Housing
Award competition.
Voting Now Open
The NAHB Research Center Corner
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
in Orlando, Fla. Even
though many Baby Boom-
ers and seniors have de-
layed their decision to buy
new homes, a number of
50+ builders continue to
be successful while their
competition struggles. In
the first session, national,
midsized, and small build-
ers from across the coun-
try will discuss changing
consumer attitudes and
preferences, product de-
sign, marketing, sources
for construction financing,
revamping business oper-
ations, and developing
strategies for continued
success. In the second
session, builders of small-
scale 50+ lifestyle com-
munities will discuss how
they have carved out a
niche in this market seg-
ment, its risks and re-
wards, how they got
started, and how they
continue to thrive in a vola-
tile marketplace. For more
info, call Ann Marie Mori-
arty at the NAHB, at 202-
368-5242 x8350.
Green Features
The NAHB Research Cen-
ter is adding new features
to the National Green
Building Programs web-
sitewww.nahbgreen.
orgto make it easier for
home buyers and home-
owners to search for
green builders and remod-
elers. The Find a Partici-
pating Builder tab has
been replaced by Find
Your Green Home. The
Single-Family Homes and
Remodelers sections are
now complete, allowing
consumers to choose the
state where they want to
buy or remodel a home,
and select from among
those program partici-
pants listed on the site
who have had projects
certified by the NAHB
Research Center.
showcased in climate-appropri-
ate areascold climate winners
in the ICEBAR, which stays a
chilly 27 degrees; hot climate win-
ners in the toasty Fire Lounge,
heated to 72 degrees; and moderate
climate winners in the ambient
Polar Patio area.
The evening will be punctuat-
ed with live musical entertain-
ment from Soul-R-Energy, an
acclaimed Florida duo. The event
will provide fun surprises and
great food and beveragesinclud-
ing ice luges with specialty drinks.
For tickets to the Feb. 8th cere-
mony, visit www.nahbrc.com/
evha/banq_tickets.aspx. To make
your selection for the EVHA Peo-
ples Choice, visit www.nahb
rc.com/evha/peopleschoice.
aspx.
For information on spon-
sorship opportunities still
available for this unique
event, email program man-
ager Debra Sagan (dsagan@
nahbrc.com), or call her at
800-638-8556 x6210.
Vote for your favorite among this
years 17 EnergyValue Housing
Award (EVHA) naliststhe vot-
ing site for the Peoples Choice
award is up and running.
Once on the page, click on
photos of the nalists homes and
get an energy snapshot of the de-
sign and construction features
included. When youve reviewed
the highlights for each nalist,
make your selection by clicking
the Pick Me button under your
favorite.
Only one vote can be submit-
ted from a single computer. The
deadline to vote is Friday, Feb. 3,
2012, at noon Eastern Time.
The winner of the Peoples
Choice award will be announced
during the 2012 EVHA ceremony
on Feb. 8 in Orlando, Fla. If you
plan to attend the International
Builders Show, tickets are still
available for this years celebration
that is sure to be the shows coolest
eventit will be held at ICEBAR on
International Drive, a few short
blocks from the Orange County
Convention Center.
The unique venue for the cele-
bration will allow nalists to be
be the exhibit oor, which provides a matchless show-
case for thousands of innovative and exciting new
products and services. No matter what the product, if
it goes into a new home, you will nd it on the show
oor. Moreover, representatives from every exhibitor
will be on hand to demonstrate products, answer
questions, and help you select the items that will best
suit your company and customers.
The IBS is also known for great education pro-
grams and will continue that tradition of excellence
in 2012 with more than 165 programs in 13 diferent
tracks ranging from remodeling to green building,
custom building, multifamily, and more. These valu-
able programs will help provide the information and
insight necessary to move forward in 2012.
As a special bonus, a paid full registration to the
IBS also includes a complimentary one-year subscrip-
tion to the online library of recorded education ses-
sions from the Builders Show (excluding student,
spouse, and exhibitor registrants).
Now in its 29th year, The New American Home is
the of cial show house of the IBS and a perennial fa-
vorite among attendees. The New American Home is
sponsored by the NAHB and Builder, and showcases
many cutting-edge products provided by members of
the NAHB Leading Suppliers Council. Its purpose is
to provide home building industry professionals with
an opportunity to see design trends, construction
techniques, and materials that can be used in any
new or remodeled home. The New American Home
2012 is very energy and resource ef cient, and will
achieve Emerald status, the highest level of achieve-
ment under the NAHBs National Green Building
Standard. It also meets the criteria for certication
under several other federal and state green certica-
tion programs.
There are countless networking opportunities at
the IBS, including the Centrals, which focus on spe-
cic aspects of the home building industry. The Cen-
trals offer workshops, activities, and educational
materials that will facilitate networking and allow
people to share information. There will be Centrals
for sales and marketing, custom building, remodel-
ing, apartments and condos, design, and 50+
lifestyle.
There are a number of registration options for the
IBS, and spouses pay just $20 for the same attendance
option as the primary registrant. For more informa-
tion, visit www.BuildersShow.com where you can
register online until Feb. 5. Beginning Feb. 6, you
must register on site in Orlando.
I hope you will plan on joining us in Orlando for
the IBS. Theres no better way to get 2012 of to a pro-
ductive start.
The ODL Solar Powered Dimmer, with simple to operate three button
remote control, allows for the control of natural light, day or night.
www.odl.com
TUBULAR
SKYLIGHTS
Patented Solar Lens Dome Optics
Patented reex optic technology gathers sun-
lighteven during low-light hours in the morning,
late afternoon, or winterto maximize light into
the tube.
Leak-Proof Roof Flashing
ODL Tubular Skylights feature durable, one-piece
seamless roof ashing.
Mirror Finish Tubes
ODLs mirror nish skylight tubes optimize light
reected through the tubular shaft.
Dual Lens Diffuser
The dual lens diffuser spreads soft, natural light
throughout interior spaces.
Solar Powered Dimmer
ODLs exclusive Solar Powered Dimmer controls the
amount of natural light throughout the home.
It reduces moonlight in the bedroom, dims light in
the nursery, and eliminates glare in the media room.
Featured in the New American Home at IBS. Visit us in Booth #W-2920
Bring Sunlight To Any Room.
ODL Tubular Skylights offer an eco-friendly daylighting solution
that maximizes natural light and reduces energy costs.
Circle no. 281 or http://builder.hotims.com
ADVERTISEMENT
When it comes to engineered wood siding, LP
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is ranked #1 by readers in BUILDER magazines
annual Brand Preference survey.
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The LP SmartSide family of engineered wood
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fascia and soffit. This lineup gives homeowners
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2011 Louisiana-Pacific Corporation. All rights reserved. Build With Us. LP and SmartSide are trademarks of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation.
*
JANUARY 2012 BUI LDER 133
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COMMUNITY PLANNING
Traditional
Neighborhood Design
Take advantage of prime infill locations with these smart plans.
New House Plans From the Nations Leading Designers /// Edited by Aurora Zeledon /// www.builderhouseplans.com
WORD AROUND TOWN
Builders are still
unsure how to serve
the graying Baby
Boom generation,
perhaps the biggest
opportunity going
forward . It
probably involves
smaller, low-
maintenance
homes in phased
communities in infill
locations. But
few are being done.
Boyce Thompson, Editorial
Director, Builder group
A
re you building in an estab-
lished neighborhood, or hoping
to create the feeling of one in a
new development? These de-
signs are a great t for a tradi-
tional community, with historically
inuenced exteriors and buyer-friendly open
layouts. Slim dimensions (none are wider
than 50 feet) make them suitable for building
on narrow lots, with garages tucked away in
back to preserve curb appeal and allow for al-
ley entries. Some have no garage at all (but
you can add one from the garage plan collec-
tion at www.BuilderHousePlans.com). Mod-
est square footages and minimal decorative
elements help with afordability. Get more
great ideas and see thousands of plans at
www.BuilderHousePlans.com today.
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,616 Sq. Ft.
Main Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,447 Sq. Ft.
Second Level . . . . . . . . . . . 1,169 Sq. Ft.
Bedrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . 45 - 4 X 80 - 0
Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Slab
5 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $745
8 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $806
Repro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $935
CAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,870
PDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $935
Colonial With Open Layout
Plan #HWB1390002
Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,512 Sq. Ft.
Main Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,015 Sq. Ft.
Second Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497 Sq. Ft.
Bedrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . 30 - 0 X 43 - 0
Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crawlspace
5 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A
8 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A
Repro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $615
CAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,500
PDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $600
Eye-Catching Columns
Plan #HWB1390001
Main Level
Main Level
Second Level
Second Level
Main Level
WWW. BUI LDERONLI NE. COM
134 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
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Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,691 Sq. Ft.
Main Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,313 Sq. Ft.
Second Level . . . . . . . . . . . 1,378 Sq. Ft.
Bedrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . 34 - 0 X 63 - 2
Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Crawlspace
5 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A
8 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A
Repro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,346
CAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,422
PDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,346
Abundant Porches
Plan #HWB1390003
New and Improved Website
Free Ground Shipping
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Additional Items for Sale: Call for Prices
Materials List
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HWB139
Buy More, Save More: Get up to 15% off with the
Builder Advantage Program
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By Phone: 1 800 634 4773 u.s. toll free
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Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,004 Sq. Ft.
Main Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,077 Sq. Ft.
Second Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . 927 Sq. Ft.
Bedrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Bathrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0
Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . 50 - 0 X 80 - 0
5 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $925
8 sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,000
Repro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . N/A
CAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $2,045
PDF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,185
Rear-Loading Garage
Plan #HWB1390004
Main Level
Main Level
Second Level
Second Level
G
O
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T
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I
B
S
?
for
Norm Abram
Master Carpenter
Meet
Meet Vanilla Ice of
The Vanilla Ice Project
on the DIY Network
C
ommercia
l
Vo
l
ume
Who
l
esa
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P
rices
Come see us at
Booth
#
W1559
February 8-11, 2012
Booth #W1559
S
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(
at unheard of
p
rices
)
Circle no. 267 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 184 or http://builder.hotims.com
Dont miss
an issue
Subscribe Now
www.omeda.com/bldr
1-888-269-8410
Free subscriptions of home
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FOR MORE PRODUCT I NFO, PLEASE GO TO HTTP: //BUI LDER. HOTI MS. COM 136 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
Marvin Windows & Doors 19 185
Metal Sales 66 228
Milbank Manufacturing 127 275
MiTek Industries 59 238
Mohawk Industries 57 276
NFPA 135 267
NAHB 94, 104, 112, 113, 139, 140
Nissan 24 269
Nisus 66, 123 265, 266
Norbord 28 264
ODL 131 281
Panasonic 95 212
PERC C4 226
PPG 15 217
Progressive Foam 20 204
Rheem 50 262
Schneider Electric 30-31 161, 280
Sea Gull Lighting 128 273
Sherwin-Williams 125 152
Simpson Strong-Tie 13 192
SoftPlan 12 237
The Chamberlain Group 4-5 155, 203
The Tapco Group 54 245
Therma-Tru 45 194
Timberlake Cabinetry C2-1 196
Time Warner Cable 10 268
Typar, HouseWrap 41 222
Uponor 48-49 153, 270
Whirlpool 9, 67 279, 282
ZipSystem by 6 242
Huber Engineered Woods
AdvanTech by 37 200
Huber Engineered Woods
A.O. Smith 16-17 154, 255
ABC Supply 23, 32 258, 257
Arauco 119 254
BEAM 86 159
Bilco 27 283
Calculated Industries 12 ---
Carrier 11 187
CEDIA 87 278
Cummins Onan 21 231
DAP 60-61 156, 253
Eaton 88 263
Environmental StoneWorks 89 151
ExakTime 14 ---
Ferguson 121 198
General Electric Appliances 2-3 157, 271
Heath/Zenith 65 259
Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition 39 260
Honda 105 244
ICC 47 214
Integrity from Marvin 29 180
Icynene 116 272
In-O-Vate 22 274
Kichler Lighting 43 202
Knauf Insulation 63 261
Kwikset 26 ---
Lennox Industries C3 277
LiteSteelbeam 53 189
LP SmartSide 132 158
Lubrizol BlazeMaster/
FlowGuard Gold 68-69 160, 223
Lumber Liquidators 135 184
Advertiser Pg number RS number Advertiser PG number RS number
AD Index
*Issue mailed in regional editions.
Advertisers: To update your listing, contact Emma Inwood at 202.736.3461 or
send an email to einwood@hanleywood.com
Residential and Commercial projects or developments that were open for
sale, lease or rental any time after January 1, 2010 located in the United
States as well as projects or developments in any international countries of
the world are eligible.
PCBC June 27-28, 2012
Gold Nugget Awards June 28, 2012
4:00pm - 6:00pm Moscone Center San Francisco
DEADLINES
Online Entry Process opens January 1, 2012
Entry Application Deadline April 4, 2012
Entry Materials Deadline April 18, 2012
All materials submitted online
Judging - Week of May 1st
Announcement of Finalists May 15
For more information or to enter visit the ocial website www.goldnuggetawards.com or call 800-658-2751 or 909-987-2758
2012 Gold Nugget Awards
CALL FOR ENTRIES
Presented by PCBC and Sponsored by Builder Magazine
THE 49th ANNUAL GOLD NUGGET AWARDS
OPEN TO BUILDERS, DEVELOPERS, ARCHITECTS AND LAND PLANNERS WITH PROJECTS
IN THE UNITED STATES AND ALL INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES.
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growth through
I NNOVATI ON
The willingness to change how you do business. The ability
to recognize and capitalize on new opportunities. Those key
attributes have separated builders who survived the longest
housing recession on record from those who havent, and
they will continue to do so.
The Housing Leadership Summit, now in its 26
th
year, unites
Americas most inuential home building executives for three
days of unparalleled discussion about key issues tied to your
companys future.
HousingLeadershipSummit.com
May 1416, 2012
The Waldorf-Astoria
New York, NY
BUILDER 100 Charter Sponsor
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ibs time
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JANUARY, 2012 BUI LDER 141 FOR MORE PRODUCT I NFO, PLEASE GO TO HTTP: //BUI LDER. HOTI MS. COM
SPECI AL ADVERTI SI NG SECTI ON HP & D/Builder's Best Resources
RESIDENTIAL DESIGNERS 6901 NORTH ROBINSON OKLAHOMA CITY, OK 73116
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141 BUI LDER JANUARY, 2012
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complete line of wood and clad
wood windows and doors.
Visit Marvin.com or call
888-537-8266 for information.
2011 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserverd.
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details our complete line of wood and
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2011 Marvin Windows and Doors. All rights reserverd.
Circle no. 79 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 80 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 81 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 82 or http://builder.hotims.com
Circle no. 83 or http://builder.hotims.com
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144 BUI LDER JANUARY 2012
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Lowering the Temperature Envitrums
VitroBrick acts like a masonry material but
takes 60 percent less heat to produce.
REUSING SOLID WASTE
Shattering Roadblocks
Two doctoral candidates find new way to recycle more glass.
ing process that converts crushed 100 per-
cent post-consumer glass into a material
called VitroBricks. The process isnt that dif-
ferent from the way traditional masonry
bricks are made, except that the heat need-
ed to re the form-pressed glass is about 60
percent less than for masonry, although
Prabhaker notes that the heating schedule
for VitroBricks could have as many as 10
temperature phases.
VitroBricks is one of those if at rst you
dont succeed discoveries. The duo had
experimented unsuccessfully with sinter-
ing, a technique for fusing powderized ma-
terials. Turning crushed glass into 3D print-
ing didnt pan out, either, according to Sus-
tainable Industries magazine . But in 2010
Envitrums manufacturing process won the
$10,000 grand prize from the University of
Washingtons Environmental Innovation
Challenge. And Waste Management report-
edly is paying Envitrum to take a portion of
the mixed-color glass it collects.
As they work toward their Ph.D.s, Prab-
haker and Marchelli have received Small
Business Research funding from the Nation-
al Science Foundation. They envision their
products being used for what Prabhaker calls
rainscreen applications that envelop resi-
dences and commercial buildings. While
glass additives tend to make building prod-
ucts more brittle, Envitrums process is one
of the rst to use glass as the main ingredient
without compromising the strength of the
nished product. Prabhaker doubts, though,
that Envitrums products will ever replace
structural materials such as concrete blocks.
In October, the company had a patent
pending, and its principals were networking
to raise money and establish procurement
and sales relationships. The partners are also
talking with architectural firmsone of
which, Seattle-based Perkins+Will , is on En-
vitrums advisory boardabout installing
demonstration pieces of VitroBricks. Theyd
like to have an actual product ready within
the next 12 months, with the goal of licens-
ing the process. john caulfield
T
hree million tons of glass were re-
cycled in 2009, four times more
than in 1980, according to the
EPAs latest estimates. But thats
only about one-quarter of the glass
that ends up in the countrys solid-waste
stream. And of the total that gets recycled, 90
percent is used to make containers, with the
rest becoming part of road aggregate, kitchen
tiles, countertops, and wall insulation.
Current recycling technology is very in-
efficient, explains Grant Marchelli, a
29-year-old graduate engineering student at
the University of Washington. Only the pur-
est, non-colored glass is used for containers,
which eliminates much of whats available.
Marchelli and Renuka Prabhaker, 37, a
fellow graduate student, think theyve come
up with a way to recycle more glass, regard-
less of color or contaminants. Their nascent
Seattle-based company Envitrum (Latin for
out of glass) has developed a manufactur-
Current [glass] recycling
technology is very
inefficient. Grant Marchelli,
cofounder, Envitrum
2012 Lennox Industries Inc. Lennox dealers include independently owned and operated businesses.
SOLAR POWER IS NOW FOR EVERYONE UNDER THE SUN.
I N N O V A T I O N N E V E R F E L T S O G O O D .

Introducing the new SunSource

-enabled 14 SEER Merit

Series air conditioners and heat pumps, which offer solar power without the
premium price tag. Not only do they save money on energy bills, but when the HVAC system is not in use, power is generated for other
electrical needs throughout the home. Add the fact that these homes are solar-ready upon installation, and you have the most affordable
solar-powered equipment available. To learn more, call 1-800-9-LENNOX and ask about the new 14 SEER SunSource-enabled products.
Circle no. 277 or http://builder.hotims.com
Train Right. Build Better.
Scan this code to connect to training.
Need a code reader? Download one at ScanLife.com.
Many efcient and stylish
options are available in propane
cooking. Did you know propane
cooktops provide greater heat
control than electric burners?
High-efciency
direct-vent
propane replaces
have, on average,
ve to six times the
heating capacity of
electric replaces, which
allows them to add more
heat to the living space.
Propane clothes dryers can save over
20 percent in energy costs compared
with electric in the Propane Energy
Pod analysis.
A propane tankless
water heater has
an hourly hot
water delivery
rate triple that
of electric
units.
Research shows that upgrading
to a high-efciency propane
furnace produces payback in
just one year.
The Propane Energy Pod.
Its a Whole New Bundle of Energy.
Research proves that incorporating the Propane Energy Pod is a truly efcient solution for new construction. The
Propane Energy Pod combines ve key propane applications bundled together to become an innovative and energy-
efcient package that includes space heating, water heating, cooking, replaces, and clothes drying. Together, these
products deliver measurable value to new home construction. For more information about the research comparing
the Propane Energy Pod appliances with traditional ones, go to buildwithpropane.com/energypod.
Thinking about building with propane? See a full list of free, online training courses, including those listed below,
at propanetrainingacademy.com.
{
A Comparative Analysis of Residential Heating Systems
{
Go Green with Propane: An Overview of Propane Gas Systems for Green Residential Construction
{
An Energy and Environmental Analysis of Propane Energy Pod Homes
Visit us at Booth W3129 at the 2012 International Builders Show
February 811 in Orlando, FL.
Circle no. 226 or http://builder.hotims.com

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