One of the most frequently asked questions for the National Association of Home Builders is the question of how space is distributed in a new home. To answer the question, the NAHB surveyed its members that build single-family homes, and found an average percent distribution of the new homes being built by their members. They […]
Amid Cutbacks, Construction Inspections are on the Rise
A recent survey of the builder members of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that the average single-family home requires eight separate inspections before it can be considered complete and delivered to the buyer. Seventeen percent of the builders polled reported as many as fifteen separate inspections. What’s more, forty-five percent of the […]
How the Government Shutdown Could Affect Housing and Home Building
Whether the government shutdown is wrapped up (relatively) quickly or extends over an even longer period of time, it will affect home builders and the housing market. A shorter shutdown will have mostly minor affects, but a long shutdown could have a significant impact on things like the accessibility of mortgages which could result in […]
Ridge Beams and Ridge Boards: Modern Structural Solutions for A-Frames
A prominent feature of Pacific Northwest modernism is the design choice of exposed roof framing, which reveals the structure of a building and gives it a sense of warmth by drawing on the natural characteristics of the exposed wood. The A-frame structure, or gable roof, is the focus of this article, though it is but […]
Five Ways to Deal with Crawl Space Air
There are several options on how to handle the foundation type of a home with a crawl space, whether you own one currently, or are thinking of buying/building one. Generally, crawl spaces are vented to the outside, but more recently, over the last decade at least, more energy efficient homes have been encapsulating the crawl […]
Michigan House Envy: 7 Tips for Successful Home Remodeling
In the most recent Ann Arbor Remodelers Home Tour, Michigan House Envy asked builders for advice on remodeling. They got a wide range of answers, but this article provides some highlights. The first tip is not to rush the design stage of a remodel. A lot of people get antsy after making the decision to […]
Interesting Facts from the Housing Recovery
The Survey of Construction (SOC) is conducted by the Manufacturing and Construction division of the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Since construction and housing starts naturally occur before completion, surveys such as the SOC can indicate changing trends before they fully manifest in the housing […]
Five Most Valuable Green Building Lessons Shared by “Godfather of Green” Jerry Yudelson
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) fellow Jerry Yudelson has recently published a book on green building titled The World’s Greenest Building: Promise vs. Performance in Sustainable Design. Some of the lessons he seeks to impart in that text can be found here, beginning with the lesson that any building project should be able […]
New Home Sales Rebound
New home sales jumped 7.9 percent in August to an annual level of 421,000, likely in response to an unexpectedly low report in July that may have been prompted by a consumer reaction to increasing interest rates on mortgages. While the August numbers are a nice rebound from July, they are still well below the […]
Pending Home Sales Continue Slide
The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is an index reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) whose purpose is to look toward the future based on the amount of signed contracts for new homes. The PHSI is up year over year by about 5.8 percent, but has been trending downwards for the last three […]