by Sean | Jan 21, 2013 | Accreditation, Building Green, Green Building, Recognition
The U.S. green building market continues to accelerate, according to McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2013 Dodge Construction Green Outlook report. The value of green building has seen growth from $10 billion in 2005 to $78 billion in 2011. In 2012, the total market — non-residential and residential — is expected to be worth $85 billion, and by 2013, overall new green building is projected to rise to between $98 billion and $106 billion. By 2016, this number is expected to reach $204 billion to $248 billion.
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by Sean | Jan 11, 2013 | Building Green, Energy Efficiencies, Energy Efficient, Green Building
Things that all people need to know whether you are building, buying, or renovating.
Listen to the podcast here!
(1) Enhanced insulation
(2) Air sealing (this keeps pests out too!)
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by Sean | Jan 10, 2013 | Building Green, Green Building
The RESNET HERS Index is the industry standard by which a home's energy efficiency is measured. The HERS or Home Energy Rating System was developed by RESNET and is the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home's energy performance. Certified RESNET Home Energy Raters conduct inspections to verify a home's energy performance and determine what improvements can be made to increase it. For more information click on RESNET HERS Index Across the nation state and local governments are adding a HERS Index Score target as a performance compliance option to their building energy code. The reasons why a HERS Index Score is being tied into energy codes include: The inspection and testing protocols are established in RESNET's national home energy rating standards. RESNET is a national not-for-profit membership standard setting organization. It is accredited by the American National Energy Standards Institute (ANSI) as a Standard Development Organization. The professionals that undertake the inspection and performance testing are certified following RESNET's standards stringent training and testing procedures. All certified RESNET home energy raters are subject to RESNET's quality assurance oversight procedures. The RESNET national home energy rating standards are recognized by the federal government (U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Internal Revenue Service) and the mortgage industry. The HERS Index is a trusted measurement of the energy performance of a home. Over one million homes have been issued a HERS Index Score in the US. Every home that Living Stone Builds is certified through the Home Energy Rating System to save YOU money.
by mike | Jan 1, 2013 | Craftsman Floor Plans, Floor Plans & Design Ideas
All of our semi-custom plans are fully customizable to create your ONE OF A KIND home.
Price: Starting on your lot at $662,000
Contact: Sean Sullivan 828.669.4343
Features: Energy Star Certified, Healthy Built Home, Universally Designed plan
The Woodhaven is a universally designed home that not only boasts a more rustic craftsman architectural feel, but also incredibly energy efficient construction. This floor plan works well for families of all sizes and ages. Click “read more” to see more photos, floor plans and more!
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by boomer | Dec 13, 2012 | News
How times have changed. With data in from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), it is becoming clear that home building is a leading source of economic growth for 2012. According to the BEA, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased at a 2% annualized rate during the third quarter. This was an improvement, albeit a small one, from the 1.3% rate of growth during the second quarter and matches the 2% rate for the start of 2012. GDP growth has only exceeded 2.6% for one quarter (the final quarter of 2011) since the start of 2010. As the overall economy has slowed, housing has generated an outsized share of the expansion. Home building and remodeling (residential fixed investment, or RFI) added 0.33 percentage points to the final tally of GDP growth, or 17% of the total. In the second quarter, RFI yielded 15% of net growth and 22% in the first quarter of 2011. These numbers are impressive considering that RFI remains only 2.5% of GDP as of the third quarter and housing starts remain half the size of a normal, healthy market. Of the three primary elements of the housing sector (new home construction, remodeling and existing home sales), new home sales continue to experience the largest gains, increasing in September 5.7% to an annual rate of 389,000, the highest level since the home buyer tax credit expired in early 2010. The three-month moving average of new home sales has increased steadily for more than a year as more housing markets begin to see rising home prices and improving consumer sentiment. The supply of new homes for sale fell to a seven-year low of 4.5 months as the pace of sales picked up, but the inventory advanced by only 2,000. The number of completed homes for sale and ready for immediate move-in remains at a record low of 38,000 as builders remain cautious about building ahead of the market and as credit access remains tight. In the remodeling sector, recent indicators suggest expansion after two years of moving sideways. For example, the NAHB Remodeling Market Index (RMI) climbed to 50 in the third quarter of 2012, up from 45 in the previous quarter. At 50, the RMI is at its highest point since the third quarter of 2005. In the third quarter of 2012, the major RMI component on current market conditions rose from 46 to 52, while the future indicators component increased from 44 to 49.Each of the major RMI componentsis now higher than it has been at any time over the past six years. The RMI reading for current remodeling activity was particularly strong in owner-occupied housing during the third quarter. The subcomponents of the current conditions index for owner-occupied housing were all well over 50, ranging between 55 and 60. Existing homes sales, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), decreased 1.7% in September month over month, but are up 11% from the same period a year ago. NAR reported that September total existing home sales were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 4.75 million units combined for single-family homes, townhouses, condominiums and co-ops. That compares to an upwardly revised 4.83 million units in August and 4.28 million units during the same period a year ago. The total existing housing inventory at the end of September decreased 3.3% from the previous month to 2.32 million homes for sale. At the current sales rate, the September inventory represents a 5.9-month supply, down from a revised 6-month supply in August and much improved from the 8.1-month supply of homes a year ago. NAR reported 24% of September sales were foreclosures and short sales sold at deep discounts. This level was up from 22% in August, and down from 30% a year ago. In September 2012, all cash sales increased to 28%. Investors accounted for 18% of home sales, and first-time buyers accounted for 32% of sales, according to NAR. Despite the September decline, there was good news for future existing home sales. The NAR Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts, increased 0.3% in September to 99.5, up from 99.2 in August. The September PHSI was 14.5% higher than the same period a year ago. Year over year, the PHSI has increased for 17 straight months. Further, there was more good news for housing prices. August data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency indicate house prices increased nationally 0.7% from July levels on a seasonally adjusted basis. This brings the cumulative gain for 2012 to 4.6% after being essentially flat through 2011. All nine Census divisions followed the national pattern with a relatively flat performance in 2011, but the year-to-date gains in 2012 have been somewhat uneven, ranging from a low of 0.9% in the Middle Atlantic division to a high of 10.4% in
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