4 Steps to Future-proofing Your Home Designs
Make sure your home designs meet the latest code requirements and green standards by applying these simple rules.
Number Crunch
17
The number of consecutive months in which foreclosure filings exceeded 300,000, according to RealtyTrac. In July alone, more than…
Lean Building
Building Lean? Beyond Value Engineering
Builders rightly obsess about cost reduction, but there's a revolution brewing under the banner of Lean operations. On the surface, it resembles traditional value engineering, but there are crucial distinctions
Voice of Reason
In 2004, I wrote a column marveling at the effectiveness and exceptional liquidity of the mortgage market in the United States.
What To Do When Banks Come Calling
The scenario is all too familiar to builders that have lived through multiple economic recessions: The moment the housing market dives, banks and lending institutions come calling.
Mastering Mixed-use Housing
Mixed-use residential development is on the upswing, particularly in urban areas. But before jumping into this market, home builders need to consider the risks versus rewards.
Isn’t That Swell?
New pointSIX Flooring from Ainsworth features a patented tapered-edge technology whereby a thin layer of the highly compressed fiber along all four edges of the OSB panel is milled off, removing the part of the subfloor that’s most prone to swelling.
The Future of Builder Financing
As banks shut off access to AD&C money, new vehicles begin to emerge. But alternative financing methods have their pros and cons.
Just a Moment
Simpson Strong-Tie has expanded its line of Strong Frame ordinary moment frames with a 16-foot-tall column and 14-, 18- and 20-foot-wide beams.
Braced For New Heights
iLevel’s Shear Brace prefabricated shear panel has received ICC-ES 2009 IBC/IRC code compliance verification for tall walls (up to 20 feet) and two-story applications.
