To Steel or Not to Steel
For many home builders, wood framing is standard protocol when framing a house. It's durable, it's easily available and it has history in the residential building industry. Enter steel framing. Although used in construction for more than 50 years, steel framing is new to many sectors and regions in the residential construction market.
Storm-Resistant Roofing
It only takes a moment for a hurricane or tornado to peel the roof off a house. And once the roof is incapacitated, the house is a sitting duck for further damage, if not total destruction. Your best defense: fasten the roof securely to the house and include multiple layers of moisture protection.
Indoor Air Quality
Something's in the Air
Home builders need to be keenly aware of how the construction process can affect home indoor air quality
Price Negotiation Customers
All customers want a good value when purchasing a home. Yet some customers are overly fixated with negotiating a price. It is not unusual for these customers spend more time working on a special deal than in choosing the floor plan or homesite. How do you deal with a customer who wants to over-negotiate price? Is it possible keep control of the process and still keep control of the process and still keep a positive attitude with your customer?
Retention Tune-Up
These days, there are many more job opportunities in home building than quality candidates. The best ones are being courted and wooed on an almost daily basis. What keeps employees attracted and loyal to their company?
Quality and Versatility Made Simple
With the coastal counties of California approaching build out, there's been increased growth in the Inland Empire. Located east of Los Angeles and known for its dairy farms, orange groves and vineyards, the Inland Empire has become the place to go for a large, move-up home. Lake Elsinore-based Castle & Cooke took a different approach.
The Touchpoint Trap
Touchpoints, commonly defined as any direct employee interface with the customer, have become the latest topic for builders who have grabbed a seat at the customer delight cafe.
BASF Demonstration Home does Double Duty
BASF has constructed a new Better Homes, Better Planet: Near Zero Energy home in Paterson, N.J., that not only utilizes energy efficient and sustainable building practices, but also incorporates elements of universal design — features that make a home functional for its inhabitants regardless of age, physical mobility or other individual concerns.
Hostile Customers
Customer service is the cornerstone upon which successful businesses are built — including those in the home building industry. Exemplary service, however, isn't always enough to ward off the bane of many businesses, commonly known as customers from hell.
Tech House Meets Green Standards
Vision Homes, Sarasota, Fla., teamed up with the Home Builders Association of Sarasota County to built its futuristic "Tech House," which has been certified by the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC) to educate the public on the benefits of green building to ones health and overall lifestyle.
