LSC Receives Honors at AHBA Christmas Gala
On December 12, 2008
Living Stone Construction was recognized in a big way at the Asheville
HBA Christmas Gala.
Frank
Turchi was recognized with an Outstanding Service Award for his
overseeing of the Habitat For Humanity Build that LSC sponsored in the
month of June. The special guest of the evening was the NCHBA President
Frank Weisner. Frank Weisner, also the Chairman of the NC Builder
Institute, presented Sean Sullivan with his Accredited Builder
designation. This designation is held by less than 1% of Builders in
the state of NC. Sullivan was also recognized for his many services to
the association over the past year, but
was
most honored when he was given the title of “2008 Builder of the Year”!
Sullivan Earns One of First Accredited Builder Designations
The following member of the Home Builders Association of Asheville has completed 72 hours of course work to meet the requirements for the Accredited Builder (AB) designation.
November/December issue of Builder/Architect Magazine
Custom-home building can mean endless compromise. For many, decisions become a question between style and substance. The answer for customers of award-winning Black Mountain-based Living Stone Construction is a resounding, satisfying “both.” Since 1995, the company has been on a mission to build beautiful, highly functional homes that surpass expectations: Craftsman-style custom homes in some of the region’s finest developments and seamless renovations of established homes for select clients. In the process, they have built a reputation for excellence and innovation that attracts clients near and far.
LSC Wins Multiple Awards at the 2008 Parade of Homes
On Thursday, October 16, 2008, LSC
was honored at the AHBA Parade of Homes Banquet. In the biggest Parade
in AHBA history, LSC competed against 62 other builders for the
distinction and won the “Viewer’s Choice Award”. This vote is tabulated
by the amount of votes submitted online by viewers after visiting the
various entries. LSC also won the most prestigious member award, the
“AHBA Motto” Award. This goes to the Builder who used the most members
in the construction of the house.
LSC To Be Featured in Builder/Architect Nov/Dec 2008 Issue
On Friday, September
19, Sean met with Builder/Architect magazine publisher Jim Joly and
photographer Jeff Miller to take a picture tour of some of LSC’s latest
homes. In the upcoming feature article, the following residence’s will
be displayed: the Flaherty’s, the Ammerman’s, the Green’s, and the
Craftsman Cottage in the Village of Cheshire. This is LSC’s second
appearance in Builder/Architect magazine and was last featured in
September/October of 2005.
LSC and AHBA Win Multiple Awards at NCHBA Stars
On Wednesday,
September 10 2008, LSC was honored at the NCHBA Stars Awards Program.
In their first-ever entry, LSC took away “Outstanding Achievement” in
their category of homes over $1,000,000 and under 5,000 hsf. The
featured property was William & Elizabeth Green’s home located in
The
Settings of Black Mountain. Also, under Sullivan’s leadership as AHBA
President, the Asheville HBA took away two awards – “Best Website” and
“Best Newsletter” out of 69 State Associations.
AHBA Legislative Committee Meets With Rep. Shuler
On Wednesday, August
20th 2008, the AHBA Legislative Committee invited Congressman
Heath Shuler to their offices to discuss his support of the building
industry and local, state and national issues. Before leaving the
meeting, Sean Sullivan presented a Build-Pac check to the Congressman in
support of his national campaign. From left to right in the picture are
Mike Butrum (Director of Political Affairs for MCAD), Greg Spicer
(Legislative Chairman), Congressman Heath Shuler, Sean Sullivan (AHBA
President), Thomas McClain (AHBA 1st Vice President), and
Caroline Sutton (AHBA Executive Officer). Also present was Jessica
Hayes, Director of Political Affairs with NCHBA.
Turchi Leads 6-Day Habitat Home Building
On Friday June 20th 2008, the
Asheville HBA
started the framing of a Habitat Home in Enka, NC. Led by Frank Turchi
of Living Stone Construction and Kevin Abercrombie of Home Sweet Home,
the home was practically completed in six days. With just a foundation
to start, the Asheville HBA framed, sided, roofed, plumbed, wired, ran
HVAC, insulation and drywall in less than a week. The interior trim was
also pre-stained on site and porches completed. The Asheville HBA is
having their trim team go back and install cabinets and trim when they
are ready to be installed. The home (which already has a family to move
in) will be Energy Star rated and entered into the Asheville HBA Parade
of Homes in October!
NCHBA Legislative Reception Hosts State Lawmakers
Leaders
of the AHBA traveled to Raleigh in mid-June for the NCHBA Legislative
Day and meetings with state law makers. Pictured at left is the
Asheville delegation meeting with State Senator Joe Sam Queen (K.C.
Hart, Ardienne Franklin, Sen. Queen, Caroline Purcell, Thomas McClain,
Sean Sullivan). Sen. Queen discussed the importance of what he
calls the "three-legged stool" concept, i.e., a good education, a
stable job, and home ownership. Not pictured was State
Representative Bruce Goforth, a fellow builder and friend of the
industry.
Sullivan Lobbies Washington on Behalf of the AHBA
Sean Sullivan
traveled to Washington DC in the last week of April, 2008 with Greg
Spicer, the President of Math
Insurance, Associate VP of the AHBA and the Legislative Chairman. On
April 29, Sean, Greg and other NCHBA members met with U.S. Congressman
Heath Shuler, Senators Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole to discuss both
national and local building and real estate issues. Rep. Shuler met
privately with Sean and Greg afterward and discussed possibly attending
this years AHBA Christmas Banquet. (Also shown is
Mike Gerber of Builders Mutual Insurance Co.)
LSC featured in the Spring edition of Green Business Quarterly
A feature article on
Living Stone Construction appears in the publication,
Green Business Quarterly, in their Spring 2008 edition (on the news
stands now). The article
focuses on how we approach our customers and how they react to the
"green building concept." We discuss how we build "green" in a
practical sense and still meet the strict DRB guidelines found in
upscale developments. Finally, we describe how we address health
concerns for those with allergies moving to the
mountains.
"Ignore the Headlines," excerpt from Time Magazine
Except this one. Sure, housing's in a hole. But there's a potent case for buying now, whether it's real estate or stocks
Asheville Happiest Place in America (ABC's 20/20)
'20/20' explores the myths and
misconceptions about this essential emotion, including why Asheville was
recently named the happiest place in America by journalist Eric
Weiner in his novel "The Geography of
Bliss."
Asheville #9 on MSNBC List of Hottest Real Estate Markets
The nation's hottest housing markets include cities in Washington, Utah and Texas, according to the latest government figures. North Carolina markets also have moved onto the chart.
