Builder Books Can Boost Your Business!

The housing market is recovering and builders' confidence continues to rise for newly built single-family homes. Click here to read the press release.

Did you have the opportunity to take advantage of this year's best-selling publications from NAHB BuilderBooks. These publications will help you prepare for the recovery and enhance your company's efficiency.

• Green Building Strategies: From Plan to Profit
• Internet Marketing: The Key to Increased Home Sales
• Jobsite Safety Handbook, Third Edition, English-Spanish
• Scheduling for Home Builders w/Microsoft® Project, Third Edition
• Social Media for Home Builders 2.0: It's Easier Than You Think
• Survive and Thrive in Building: Fundamentals of Business Management
• The Cost of Doing Business Study, 2012 Edition

Go to www.BuilderBooks.com to stock up on these helpful resources now!

Also, if you prefer the e-Book versions, click here to go to the BuilderBooks e-Books website or download the NAHB BuilderBooks App to your iPad or iPhone.

Remember before you buy, take the BuilderBooks Survey and get your 10% discount code to use with your purchase.

Have you registered for the NAHB International Builders' Show® in Las Vegas, Jan. 22-24, 2013? The NAHB International Builders' Show® is the largest annual light construction show in the world, with the latest and most advanced building products and services ever assembled. Go to www.BuildersShow.com to learn more.

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NAHB BUILDERBOOKS—BOOKS THAT BUILD YOUR BUSINESS

Emerald Certification Awarded to Advanced Insulation

A new, highly energy-efficient home built by Advanced Insulation Systems of Traverse City has received Emerald Certification, the highest possible green building standard created by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  The home is only one of three in Michigan to achieve this level of certification to date.

The Advanced Insulation home which was featured in this past summer’s Parade of Homes is 54% more efficient than is required by current building code.  The annual heating bill for the 3,468-square foot home is projected to be less than $400 while the air conditioning is estimated to cost less than $60 per year. 

NAHB Emerald Certification is only awarded after a qualified third party inspects the project to verify that the home meets the required standards in lot design, preparation and development; resource, energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and builder owner education.  Emerald is the highest possible ranking. 

According to the US Dept. of Energy, half of American families spend one-fifth or more of their household income on energy-related expenditures.

 

What Does It Mean to Build a Green Development?

What does it mean to build a green development? It can mean different things in different settings.

The NAHB Site Design and Development chapter in the National Green Building Standard, the guideline for certification of green building projects, lays out the criteria for qualifying a development as green. It addresses a wide variety of possible aspects that a green development might embody. 

As with any green project, the most basic principle is value. No amount of green trimmings is going to sell property if it’s not a really attractive place to live at a decent price. There simply is not a clientele that is looking for a green lifestyle at the expense of comfort, accessibility, quality, and a sense of home. Bruce Frost, the green building educator from Central Michigan University is fond of saying that green building at its most basic level is simply building with integrity. So it is with development.

When I proposed the Cedar Valley Ridge development in 2002, I had no idea that it would become Michigan’s first NAHB green-certified development, or that it would become the first development in the United States to be certified at the Four Star level, the highest certification offered by NAHB. I wasn’t interested in building a green development. “Green” wasn’t part of the language of the marketplace at the time. I merely intended to build the type of development that my wife and I would want to live in. That meant, among other things, a place that would foster relationship with nature, that would provide easy access to ways to exercise and stay fit, and that would provide a strong sense of community.

There are many other attributes, though, that can contribute to making a development green. One of the primary characteristics for some certification agencies is density. Good use of land resources calls for reducing sprawl. The certification requirements under some green program demand a level of density that almost require a development be urban. As a matter of fact, I doubt that Cedar Valley Ridge would even qualify as a green development under some of the other standards. However, I believe there is a place for rural green development. More about this later.

In general, green development under the NAHB Standard means:

·         Selecting an appropriate site. Preference is given to infill or greyfield/brownfield sites.

·         Assembling a team with a mission statement and goals, and providing education and guidelines to all members of the development team, including subcontractors.

·         Designing the site to protect the environment and enhance the natural features and resources of the site.

·         Providing building sites that will facilitate implementation of green features in the structure.

·         Planning the landscaping to build on the local ecology instead of replacing it, and to keep the use of energy, water, fertilizers, and herbicides/pesticides to a minimum.

·         Protect existing wildlife and plant life.

·         Use natural materials and re-use existing materials on the site.

·         Provide as many dwellings per acre as possible and/or cluster the building sites.

·         Minimize damage to the environment during construction.

·         Implement innovative practices to bring new ideas in design, construction, materials use, zoning, etc. to the marketplace.

That list is good as far as it goes. Clearly, based on the objectives for Cedar Valley Ridge, I would add to that list the building of community among the owners after the lots are bought. For a development to fulfill the intent of building green, it has to be more than just a green facility. The purpose of building a green development or a green home is ultimately to protect the planet – to save energy and to prevent destruction of the environment. If we build buildings or developments that are designed to do those things, but don’t educate the buyers or convey that vision to them, the building or development will not fulfill its intent. I can live in an energy efficient house, but if I leave the doors and windows open in Winter, it’s still going to waste energy. If a community doesn’t buy into the concepts behind a green neighborhood, it’s not going to be a green neighborhood for long.

Part of the education – the vision-sharing process – can be built into the restrictions in the master deed. The most essential part of the process, though, is the developer’s responsibility to follow through with educating buyers and fostering a sense of green community after the sale. It isn’t typically considered normal for a developer to be involved in a community after the sale, but I think it’s essential for the health of a green neighborhood. It’s also good business. Providing a clear and accomplishable vision of maintaining a neighborhood that fosters relationship with nature and with green living concepts is a great way to help build community spirit, and a strong and cohesive community is one of the primary qualities that attracts potential buyers.

Marketing a green development is no different than marketing any development. While a green label may bring in some free media exposure – which can represent some of the best advertising you can get – the green label in itself is unlikely to bring potential buyers to a project. “Green” generally appears to be way down the list on most buyers’ list of priorities. What is high on the list of priorities is what green represents in a project: access to nature – especially here in northern Michigan, a strong feeling of neighborhood, and the quality of lifestyle that a green project can provide. Those are strong selling points, and they are an essential part of what green development represents. As I’ve made presentations around the US on green development, it’s clear that this is a direction that is going to be a strong part of the development market in the coming years. Developers are beginning to see the potential in this market, and prospective buyers are asking for these characteristics. Incidentally, market surveys have shown that the most attractive selling point in a green development is the existence in the project of a system of nature trails.

The Cedar Valley Ridge project consists of thirty-five lots clustered on one hundred seventy acres. As I mentioned earlier, in some green certification protocols, this development wouldn’t even qualify for consideration because of the low density. We have a unique situation here in northern Michigan. We have an excellent and active land conservancy community that has preserved thousands of acres. We live in an area that will experience dramatic growth in the coming decades. We could end up with pockets of natural area surrounded by subdivisions. Doesn’t it make more sense to develop in a way that preserves land and at the same time allows people to live there? Cedar Valley Ridge represents this kind of transition between conservation land and urban living. The thirty-five lots are clustered on forty-five acres, leaving the remaining approximately seventy-five percent of the land in a permanently protected, private nature preserve that can never be developed. This protects some beautiful, environmentally sensitive land and allows an opportunity for people to live close to nature. It also can also help maintain wildlife corridors.

There are now many green developments around the country, representing a number of different approaches. The first NAHB green-certified development in the US is The Village at Burns Harbor, just across the border in Indiana. It’s an urban development that artfully brings together a sense of neighborhood and nature. Many other subdivisions exhibiting a wide range of interpretations of green development have been certified in the last four years. And no description of green development would be complete without looking at the work of Ross Chapin, whose book Pocket Neighborhoods was recently published by Taunton Press. Ross has worked for decades with Sarah Susanka, the author of the Not So Big House books. Pocket Neighborhoods are small developments, usually no more than a few acres, with an average of twelve to sixteen not-so-big houses, that are a remarkable expression of beauty, good use of resources, and vibrant community. You can learn more about Pocket Neighborhoods at http://www.pocket-neighborhoods.net/.

If you’re interested in learning more about green development, visit the NAHB website at http://www.nahb.org/page.aspx/category/sectionID=1801

Dan Paulson is the developer, with his wife Susan Sherman, of Cedar Valley Ridge, Michigan’s first NAHB-certified subdivision, and the first in the US to be certified at the Four Star level. Cedar Valley Ridge is eight miles west of Traverse City in Long Lake Township.

Don’t Miss Out on Great Green Remodeling Sessions and Keynote Speaker Mike Holmes of ‘Holmes on Homes’ at the 2011 National Green Building Conference

Taking place on May 1-3 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, the 2011 National Green Building Conference will be focused on “making the value connection” and communicating to prospective home buyers and others the value of green upgrades in their homes.

“Green building and remodeling creates value in so many ways,” said Doug Calvert, a builder from Gainesville, Ga., and chair of the National Green Building Conference and Expo Working Group. “This year’s conference will help housing industry professionals explain that value to home buyers, home owners, policy makers, appraisers, financiers and others whose decisions will shape the market.”

Conference organizers are also excited to announce that Mike Holmes, the host of "Holmes on Homes" and "Holmes Inspection" on HGTV, will be the keynote speaker at the opening session which will take place at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, May 2, at the Salt Palace Convention Center.

Mike Holmes

"Mike Holmes has a passion for high performance green homes," said Calvert. "He really connects with people with his message about the potential of green building."

Prior to the keynote, the conference kicks off on May 1 with a Green Building and Technology Tour of the latest applications of green building techniques in local homes and communities. Don't miss the high-end remodel that is featured on the tour. The home is located on a small lot in the heart of Park City, Utah and includes numerous green features including a geothermal system.

Another conference highlight, the National Green Building Awards, which includes an award for Project of the Year - Remodel, takes place the evening of May 2 at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center. Winners of the awards set the standard for sustainability in residential construction and remodeling.

The conference this year features a range of educational sessions to meet the needs of both relative newcomers and experienced remodeling and green building professionals.

A short sample of educational offerings for remodelers includes:

High Performance Renovations. As any good green remodeler will tell you, renovating older homes with antiquated systems to be more energy efficient and green is a tough a challenge. Hear how two builders approached green renovation in very different ways -- but both achieved very high performance and did it affordably.

Tax Reform and The Future of Federal Energy Efficiency Tax Credits. This session will review the available federal tax credits and deductions for energy efficient housing. We will also discuss modifications Congress may explore to the existing tax incentives as well as take look at what impact tax reform may have—both on these tax incentives and the housing industry as a whole.

Affordable Green Construction and Renovation. Want the answers for low-cost green? Explore affordable and efficient green construction methods and materials with a special emphasis on energy efficiencies, using the results of a 10-home demonstration project in St. Louis as the platform. Patrician Place is the collaborative experimental effort featuring the HBA of St. Louis Green Council, St. Louis County, USGBC, ENERGY STAR, Laclede Gas, and Ameren UE. This presentation discusses the results of a year's monitoring of home performance to determine the most cost-efficient construction using actual homebuilder hard costs. Potential methods for effective marketing of energy efficient green construction will also be explored also.

What Should I Do With My Windows? Home owners who are interested in making their home greener often choose to install energy-efficient windows as their first step. But with all of the options for windows – including improved energy-efficiency, reduced glare, privacy, thermal comfort, just to name a few – what ones should you be recommending to your customer? This session will help remodelers to compare and select window retrofit options based on the attributes the options can provide. Participants will come away from the session understanding the full range of window retrofit options, their attributes the options can address, as well as rationally compare the options and attributes in order to select the most appropriate window retrofit option for their customers.


For information about the conference, click here.

For more information, email Chad Riedy or call him at 800-368-5242 x8225.

For information about exhibiting at the expo, contact Chris Hood, x8684.

Those interested in sponsorship opportunities should contact Grante Wright, x8051, or Harris Floyd, x8208.