Accredited Master Builder
Sean is one of a very few Accredited Master Builders in Western North Carolina.
Top Ten Design Flaws – building new and remodeling
Click on the microphone to listen to this podcast! Guest: John Petri, Petri Architecture In part from “Patterns of Home” by Max Jacobson, Murray Silverstein and Barbara Winslow, with eye of adjustment towards resale. Ignoring Site Characteristics (trying to force preconceived ideas or plans) Insufficient programming (thinking/talking it through) Over building (too much square footage can weaken design integrity) Poor Circulation (function of space and relationship to neighboring space) Indoor/Outdoor relationships (underused) Lacking sufficient light Layering spaces (when to – when not to) and Creating Spaces In Between Proportions (functional & aesthetic) & Curb Appeal Materials & Colors (stay neutral/classic w/o professional assistance) Resale … remember resale!! (design for yourself yes, but consider 2nd owner)The Biggest Threat To Your Home: Water Invasion!
Click on the microphone to listen to this podcast! 1) Proper sloping grades, decks, driveways, roofs use of gravel and grade drains 2) Gutters Most hazardous homeowner project is cleaning gutters: simple to do, but dangerous important but most often neglected Clogged gutters result in rotten fascias and mold in walls Clogged gutter drains result in leaky basements and moldy foundations size, type, guards 3) Waterproofing Exterior foundation Interior systems 4) Drains/Drainage Run gutters away from house If you don’t use gutters, you can use grade drains 5) Mold Where it can happen What to do if you get it 6) Dehumidifcation techniques Dehumidification system on HVAC unit, Portable dehumidifier, Heat pump, heat pump water heater 7) Rain Gardens A rain garden is a planted depression or a hole that allows rainwater runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas the opportunity to be absorbed. This reduces rain runoff by allowing stormwater to soak into the ground (as opposed to flowing into storm drains and surface waters which causes erosion, water pollution, flooding, and diminished groundwater).[1] They can be designed for specific soils and climates.[2] The purpose of a rain garden is to improve water quality in nearby bodies of water. Rain gardens can cut down on the amount of pollution reaching creeks and streams by up to 30%.[3] Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they generally do not require fertilizer and are more tolerant of one’s local climate, soil, and water conditions, and attract local wildlife such as native birds. The plants — a selection of wetland edge vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges, rushes, ferns, shrubs and small trees — take up excess water flowing into the rain garden. Water filters through soil layers before entering the groundwater system. Root systems enhance infiltration, maintain or even augment soil permeability, provide moisture redistribution, and sustain diverse microbial populations involved in biofiltration.[4] Also, through the process of transpiration, rain garden plants return water vapor to the atmosphere.[5] A more wide-ranging definition covers all the possible elements that can be used to capture, channel, divert, and make the most of the natural rain and snow that falls on a property. The whole garden can become a rain garden, and each component of the whole can become a small-scale rain garden in itself. Construction related water issues: 8) Erosion Control Erosion control is the practice of preventing or controlling wind or water erosion in agriculture, land development and construction. Effective erosion controls are important techniques in preventing water pollution and soil loss. 9) Impervious Surfaces Impervious surfaces are mainly artificial structures—such as pavements (roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots) that are covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, and stone--and rooftops. Soils compacted by urbandevelopment are also highly impervious. 10) Stormwater Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system. Stormwater that does not soak into the ground becomes surface runoff, which either flows directly into surface waterways or is channeled into storm sewers, which eventually discharge to surface waters. Stormwater is of concern for two main issues: one related to the volume and timing of runoff water (flood control and water supplies) and the other related to potential contaminants that the water is carrying, 11) Low-Impact Development LID is an approach to land development (or re-development) that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible. LID employs principles such as preserving and recreating natural landscape features, minimizing effective imperviousness to create functional and appealing site drainage that treat stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product. There are many practices that have been used to adhere to these principles such as bioretention facilities, rain gardens, vegetated rooftops, rain barrels, and permeable pavements. By implementing LID principles and practices, water can be managed in a way that reduces the impact of built areas and promotes the natural movement of water within an ecosystem or watershed. Applied on a broad scale, LID can maintain or restore a watershed's hydrologic and ecological functions. LID has been characterized as a sustainable stormwater practice by the Water Environment Research Foundation and others.Robust Improvement for Housing is Lifting Economic Growth
How times have changed. With data in from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), it is becoming clear that home building is a leading source of economic growth for 2012. According to the BEA, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased at a 2% annualized rate during the third quarter. This was an improvement, albeit a small one, from the 1.3% rate of growth during the second quarter and matches the 2% rate for the start of 2012. GDP growth has only exceeded 2.6% for one quarter (the final quarter of 2011) since the start of 2010. As the overall economy has slowed, housing has generated an outsized share of the expansion. Home building and remodeling (residential fixed investment, or RFI) added 0.33 percentage points to the final tally of GDP growth, or 17% of the total. In the second quarter, RFI yielded 15% of net growth and 22% in the first quarter of 2011. These numbers are impressive considering that RFI remains only 2.5% of GDP as of the third quarter and housing starts remain half the size of a normal, healthy market. Of the three primary elements of the housing sector (new home construction, remodeling and existing home sales), new home sales continue to experience the largest gains, increasing in September 5.7% to an annual rate of 389,000, the highest level since the home buyer tax credit expired in early 2010. The three-month moving average of new home sales has increased steadily for more than a year as more housing markets begin to see rising home prices and improving consumer sentiment. The supply of new homes for sale fell to a seven-year low of 4.5 months as the pace of sales picked up, but the inventory advanced by only 2,000. The number of completed homes for sale and ready for immediate move-in remains at a record low of 38,000 as builders remain cautious about building ahead of the market and as credit access remains tight. In the remodeling sector, recent indicators suggest expansion after two years of moving sideways. For example, the NAHB Remodeling Market Index (RMI) climbed to 50 in the third quarter of 2012, up from 45 in the previous quarter. At 50, the RMI is at its highest point since the third quarter of 2005. In the third quarter of 2012, the major RMI component on current market conditions rose from 46 to 52, while the future indicators component increased from 44 to 49.Each of the major RMI componentsis now higher than it has been at any time over the past six years. The RMI reading for current remodeling activity was particularly strong in owner-occupied housing during the third quarter. The subcomponents of the current conditions index for owner-occupied housing were all well over 50, ranging between 55 and 60. Existing homes sales, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), decreased 1.7% in September month over month, but are up 11% from the same period a year ago. NAR reported that September total existing home sales were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.75 million units combined for single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums and co-ops. That compares to an upwardly revised 4.83 million units in August and 4.28 million units during the same period a year ago. The total existing housing inventory at the end of September decreased 3.3% from the previous month to 2.32 million homes for sale. At the current sales rate, the September inventory represents a 5.9-month supply, down from a revised 6-month supply in August and much improved from the 8.1-month supply of homes a year ago. NAR reported 24% of September sales were foreclosures and short sales sold at deep discounts. This level was up from 22% in August, and down from 30% a year ago. In September 2012, all cash sales increased to 28%. Investors accounted for 18% of home sales, and first-time buyers accounted for 32% of sales, according to NAR. Despite the September decline, there was good news for future existing home sales. The NAR Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, increased 0.3% in September to 99.5, up from 99.2 in August. The September PHSI was 14.5% higher than the same period a year ago. Year over year, the PHSI has increased for 17 straight months. Further, there was more good news for housing prices. August data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency indicate house prices increased nationally 0.7% from July levels on a seasonally adjusted basis. This brings the cumulative gain for 2012 to 4.6% after being essentially flat through 2011. All nine Census divisions followed the national pattern with a relatively flat performance in 2011, but the year-to-date gains in 2012 have been somewhat uneven, ranging from a low of 0.9% in the Middle Atlantic division to a high of 10.4% inRead More
The Virtuous Circle of Home Building and Employment
The Virtuous Circle of Home Building and Employment Home building creates jobs. In fact, for every 100 single-family homes built, enough work is generated to create 305 full-time jobs. With about half of those jobs created in the construction sector alone, home building has the potential to help transform a sluggish economic recovery into a more robust expansion. It's also true that a faster pace of job creation will in turn support demand for both rental and owner-occupied housing. But an anemic labor market has held back housing demand. As a result of this chicken-and-egg problem, the Great Recession and its aftermath have suffered from a vicious circle in which declines in home building resulted in lost jobs and a weak labor market held back demand for home building. However, recent housing and economic data suggest that a virtuous cycle is beginning to take hold. Growing optimism among home builders is leading to higher levels of residential construction, which suggests better times ahead for job creation and housing demand. In particular, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for October increased one point to 41, the sixth consecutive monthly increase. Two of the index's three components remained the same: current and expected sales, while the traffic index rose five points to 35, the highest in more than six years. The index, however, remains below the tipping point of 50 where an equal number of builders see better conditions as see poorer conditions. Nonetheless, consistent with the positive October reading of the HMI, September housing starts and permits registered large gains. Overall starts increased 15% to an annualized rate of 872,000, the highest since July 2008. Single-family starts increased 11% to 603,000.