July 13, 2007: After a six-year wait, Town & Country settles a lawsuit with The Rottlund Co.; the troubles of the mortgage market is causing a ripple effect on Wall Street; another public builder, D.R. Horton, is reporting big sales losses; and foreclosures are up 87 percent from June '06. BUILDER Online catches you up with the news you might have missed. More
It took nearly six years, but a copyright infringement lawsuit brought by the Rottlund Co., against Town & Country Homes (a subsidiary company of Hovnanian Enterprises) and the architecture firm Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects & Planners of Iowa Inc. settled for an undisclosed amount of money. Tuesday's settlement announcement comes just days before the case was going to be heard again for the third time in a courtroom. In an interview with BUILDER Magazine, Rottlund Homes' attorney Craig Krummen, a shareholder at the Minneapolis law firm Winthrop & Weinstine, explained how this settlement sets a new legal precedent. More
Late last week, the Senate gave the proposed immigration legislation new life. The bill's revival comes on the heels of pressure and urging from President George W. Bush and various pro-immigration groups. According to Senate Minority Leader Mitchell McConnell (R-Ky.), the bill will be debated in the coming weeks. "Well, it's a mixed picture. There are good things in the bill and not so good things in the bill," McConnell said on Face the Nation this past weekend. "For example, the most controversial part is the Z-Visa, which critics of the bill believe amounts to amnesty. I'm among those who voted to get rid of that portion, but that amendment failed. So that's a disappointment to many in my party." More
Builders worry that a state supreme court ruling could leave them open to more lawsuits. More
Bernard "Bud" Rotter, who helped create The Rottlund Co. in Minnesota, Florida, and Iowa, died Monday after a long bout with cancer. The St. Paul, Minn., native, who was 64, is described as a "pillar" among builders. More
WINDOW MANUFACTURER Pella has unveiled a new Web site that the company says is designed to help builders, contractors, and other trade professionals increase their profit potential. In addition to the typical product information, the site offers design and installation resources as well as materials to help provide better customer service. More
This bath used to have the blahs. It was cramped, disorganized, and outdated until architect Randy Brown stripped it and an adjacent walk-in closet back to the studs to make a fresh start. More
THE MCMANSION IS dead! Long live the Jewel Box! Or so the housing industry tea leaves read to those looking beyond the next gated community. Whether driven by rising construction costs, shrinking lot sizes, increased urban infill, or aging baby boomers demanding high style in smaller footprints, the average size of a new home is holding steady at 2,400 square feet ... and is expected to pretty much stay there through the next decade. More
