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Eight Habitat for Humanity homes in the District of Columbia will be the first the nonprofit has built with network wiring. Verizon's Jack Campbell says his company hopes to wire the first eight homes by the end of this year and will eventually outfit 53 of the D.C. chapter's projects with the $2...
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The result is the Decora Media system, which consists of Cat-5 wiring in a star configuration, with home-runs connecting wall-mounted send and receive plates to a central hub. The system requires dedicated runs of Cat-5 wiring.
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Will fiber-to-the-home like that on Daniel Island, S.C. really benefit homeowners? We asked David Waks, president of System Dynamics, a Morris Plains, N.J. consultancy that helps companies take advantage of broadband home technologies.
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In the August Tech Tips we looked at a fiber-to-the-home trial in which BellSouth retrofitted Atlanta-area homes with direct fiber optic connections. But while the telecom plans to expand the service over the next few years, some developers aren't willing to wait that long. One of these is the...
But it also serves as a family message center; monitors the home for dangerous conditions like CO2, fire, and flooding; and can even connect to a customized home page on the Internet. It can be accessed on the premises or remotely through the Internet or phone, and with a DSL Internet connection...
If you offer security systems as an option in your homes, your options are about to change. Verizon Connected Solutions joined with Vector Security in Pittsburgh to create a package of home networking infrastructure and security services.
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"What BuildNet did was a huge disservice to the entire home building industry," says Paul Schumacher, of Schumacher Homes in Canton, Ohio, which builds about 300 homes a year in the $175,000 to $300,000 price range. And not discouraged by the results of its previous buy out attempt, Michael...
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"Part of the discovery I've made is that people are very interested in domes from a technical, energy-efficiency standpoint," Crandall says, "but they think domes are ugly. With the domes inflated and the gear inside, Johnson moves his crews inside for the dirty work.
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The results: Traffic in models had dropped off from 10 percent to 20 percent, yet sales held steady. "Preliminary results of a large mail survey conducted at the end of September show some weakening of home buyer demand, as well as greater caution on the part of builders," Seiders explains.
With a solid economy and plenty of move-up dollars to spend over the past few years, move-up buyers said "si si" to Taylor Woodrow's courtyard-style, single-family homes at Fairbanks Highlands. The result was a near sell out, and an average pace of five homes per month sold during the busy seasons.
Our buyers here were not what we call 'traditional' home buyers," says Dana Craig, director of marketing for Colonnade Homes in Denver. Craig refers to the many single buyers, single parents, free spirits, and empty-nester move-downs who flocked to Quincy Place at Pinehurst in Denver.
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The El Paso Association of Builders, through the Home Builders' Care program, built Guadalupe Hingeley and her family a new home. Nearly 100 companies donated time, money, labor, and materials under the auspices of the El Paso Association of Builders.
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The U.S. economy was flirting with recession prior to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, and the housing sector was losing some momentum as well. But the chances for a substantial rebound in 2002 and 2003 are quite good, particularly for the housing sector where transactions lost in the short term...
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I've always been proud to be a home builder, and after seeing the amazing outpouring of support from members of the home building industry for the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, I'm prouder than ever before. And to further support this important effort, the NAHB donated $250...
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- The NAHB reports reassuring results of a telephone survey of the nation's 30 largest builders conducted just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
- NAHB members now have access to retirement, financial, and estate planning services.
- The Commerce Department reports nationwide decline in housing...
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While its seems that national economic forecasts are mostly doom and gloom since Sept. 11, the housing industry still is underpinning the economy. Sales have fluctuated and nearly every housing indicator was somewhat skewed in September.
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Combine 24-inch, on-center framing with R-19 fiberglass batts. Then blanket the whole structure with taped, caulked 1-inch EPS foam. Next, carefully install and seal your low-E windows and doors. Result: a house with a predictable microclimate. Which is exactly what engineer Joe Lstiburek of the...
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A new ordinance in DeKalb County, Ga., has vinyl siding manufacturers worried. Walter Hoyt, director of marketing for Wolverine Siding Systems, fears that other counties in the Atlanta area (which are now examining the ordinance) may create similar rules.
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Though the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington in September slowed the progress of legislation in the U.S. Congress, work continues on a proposed law to require disclosure of consumer credit scores. "Consumers have no idea whether they are getting a good deal from the lender to whom they...
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In May, Builder described how a lack of fresh water could threaten future development in areas out west, from Los Angeles to Dodge City, Kan. Already, developers like Del Webb have faced close scrutiny because of the impact their large developments might have on local water supplies. In Prescott...
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According to town architect Mark Sofield, the houses in Prospect are influenced by modern design, but are not necessarily modernist. His Woodside subdivision is an enclave of 10 bold, geometric houses perched on a wooded hillside, surrounded by mid-20th century cottages.
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Published by Three Rivers Press (a division of Random House), The Brand-New House Book is a compelling compendium covering everything from doorknobs to big picture issues. Written by syndicated online and newspaper columnist Katherine Salant, the book is a rewarding resource including industry...
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Issaquah, Wash., is among the places nationwide, where water or rather the lack of water is drying up growth. A new pipe system is slated to add to the water supply, but until the new tap is turned on, the growth faucet is off.
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The nonprofit Center for a New American Dream, in Takoma Park, Md., found that nearly two-thirds of Americans would conserve energy if they knew it had measurable effects. The Center's "Turn the Tide" Web site program demonstrates benefits of nine simple everyday actions using a real-time online...
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ReStore is Habitat for Humanity's home improvement store stocked with donations that would have clogged landfills. In Detroit, the Masco Foundation partnered with ReStore to build two new Habitat homes.
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One of the most contentious battles over waterfront protection is expected this autumn in Maryland. Governor Parris Glendening is pushing for new restrictions on new development along Maryland's coastal bays, including 10-foot buffer zones from shorelines.
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Six years ago, architect Mark Humphreys specified carbon monoxide detectors for multifamily homes with attached garages that he was designing. Though not required, "I felt there could be a danger if someone left their car running in a garage and, as a result, it killed someone inside," says...
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The housing industry has weathered all sorts of economic storms in recent years--the dot-com meltdown, a series of interest rate increases two years ago, and negative growth in manufacturing for much of this year. Few new homes were bought during the middle of September, as would be fully expected.