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February, 2012
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Feb. 17, 2012 Sent Friday, February 17, 2012 The Current ...Flex = Universal Design... As I've written recently, the design-build renaissance has begun. Here's another example of universally designed homes being marketed differently, as flex houses. We describe ours as Lifetime Homes but it's the same, houses which adapt to satisfy your life stage needs and wants. Each of these concept homes in Orlando essentially have the same features just arranged and promoted […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Feb. 10, 2012 Sent Friday, February 10, 2012 The Current ...Just remember EASY... I see the tide changing, even among builders. Consumers and housing industry professionals are beginning to understand universal design. Proponents of UD will have arrived when it's expressly requested. When we decided over two years ago to reposition our company, we struggled to express to people what we do, our universal design specialty. The problem is the word itself, which is […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Feb. 3, 2012 Sent Friday, February 3, 2012 The Current ...These REALLY Old Houses... Our nation's houses are flat out old, much older than people perceive coming off the housing boom. The median (mid-point) age of our nation's houses is 35 years, and more than 40% of the owner-occupied units are at least 40 years old. Same in our neck of the woods, just a little over half of the City of Charlottesville's houses have been built since 1981. Imagine these houses, […]
January, 2012
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Jan. 27, 2012 Sent Friday, January 27, 2012 The Current ....Any house can be a Lifetime Home.... Please don't read this as a sales pitch. (Don't go away until I make my point-ha.) I released last week our first revision of the Lifetime Home Survey (LTHS) and I hope, make that BEG, everyone to review, save and share because we feel it's that IMPORTANT. Even if you never use us for a thing, we feel strongly this is something you should understand if you want to live […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Jan. 20, 2012 Sent Friday, January 20, 2012 The Current ....We're expensive.... Three weeks ago I wrote about planning a project and that construction done properly is expensive, which led to the question, Is BuilderFish® expensive? Yes, we are and can be no other way because of our business philosophy. Why do we cost more? Construction in general is expensive because of the truism, you get what you pay for. Every task by anyone involved in construction consumes time […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Jan. 13, 2012 Sent Friday, January 13, 2012 The Current ....Oh so close to getting it.... In Missouri, David and Thuy Smith are building the first Active House in the U.S. patterned after a method developed in Denmark. Active house construction combines energy efficiency, healthy indoor air and a design that takes advantage of the prevailing sun, shade and breezes. So far a dozen of these homes have been built in Europe and the University of Missouri's Center for […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Jan. 6, 2012 Sent Friday, January 6, 2012 The Current ....Planning New Projects in the New Year.... Happy New Year. I begin my third year writing this newsletter with tips about planning projects the right way. By right, I mean the correct, cost effective way. Everybody wants value for their money, nobody says, Charge me extra and make sure it's junk! I'll start with THE MOST IMPORTANT, don't comparison shop your house project. Your home is not a can of soup. Look […]
December, 2011
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Dec. 22, 2011 Sent Thursday, December 22, 2011 Happy Holidays! Thank you loyal readers, clients, trade partners and professional teammates. We not only survived 2011 but are thriving heading into 2012 and looking forward to working together next year. I decided to skip work stuff for this final newsletter of 2011. I'll resume the regular fare January 6th. Like trains? This will blow your mind regardless. Hamburg, Germany hosts the world's largest model railway, the Miniatur Wunderland. […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Dec. 16, 2011 Sent Friday, December 16, 2011 The Current >>>Universally GREEN<<< I participate locally in two committees and one project team, each concerned in general with home function, design and efficiency. I feel all three are missing the forest staring at individual trees. One group deals with the livability goals of our community. So far members can't agree on the definition of livability. You can imagine how pleased I was when accessibility was excluded because […]
- The Current BuilderFish newsletter Dec. 9, 2011 Sent Friday, December 9, 2011 The Current Cool your Top to Save Energy Roofing is another aspect of home building going through rapid innovation. Back in the day builders merely slapped on an asphalt roof and called it a day, but demand for cool roofs is increasing because we now know better. Even dark colored, cool roofs can remain more than 50 degrees cooler in identical conditions because of newer materials and coatings. Ironically, one of the coolest […]