Nick on The Rewards of Reducing Job Site Waste
Lesley LEED AP on If You Build It, You Can Recycle It: Job Site Waste Part 2
If You Build It, You Can Recycle It: Job Site Waste Part 2 … | Online Recycled Renovation Products on If You Build It, You Can Recycle It: Job Site Waste Part 2
Beyond the Blue Bins: Recycling For Homeowners | HomeIntel on If You Build It, You Can Recycle It: Job Site Waste Part 2
If You Build It, You Can Recycle It: Job Site Waste Part 2 | BuildIntel on The Rewards of Reducing Job Site Waste

April 30th, 2009

Association Members Only

These days, professional remodelers, contractors, builders, architects and product manufacturers alike are all trying to get a leg up on the competition. They’re looking for those differentiators that make potential customers choose them over the long list of competitors. A professional association is one of the best ways to do this. Sure it might be an expensive commitment, but if you do the work, the returns are far greater than the investment.

nari_logo No matter how niche your business is, there is most likely an association out there for you. One professional association that has done very well is the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). Despite economic conditions, NARI continues to grow and provide fresh tools to their membership like marketing programs and a host of internal educational resources.

“NARI recently began a national marketing campaign that aims to drive homeowners to member Web sites and also has taken affiliation with other associations to provide remodelers with the best information possible,” said Renee Rewiski, National Chairman of the Board, NARI.

NARI also works with independent homeowner/service provider matchmakers and has online member resources like The Learning Center that offers virtual study groups and Tuffen’ It Out, a member program for sharing best practices.

Overall, associations, no matter what field or specialty, are the perfect way to gain useful industry insight, promote/grow your business and continue to learn about advancements in the field.

When considering professional association, here are a couple things to keep in mind:

What do they do to raise the profile of the trade and member services?
Does the group offer meetings, conferences or other opportunities for networking?
Is continuing education or other industry certification offered?
Can you promote your company through any member outlets?
How do they support the community and local businesses?

Large or small, make sure the association serves your business/career needs. And if you’re not sure, ask your peers, or go online and see what others are saying. Believe us when we tell you that there are plenty of people willing to talk.

Tags: association, NAHB, NARI, professional association, The National Association of the Remodeling Industry
Posted in Commercial, Green, Remodeling, Residential
Permalink

April 27th, 2009

Is the Stock Market a Good Indicator of Housing Recovery?

Beazer Homes shares jumped as much as 37% Monday, and have more than doubled in the past 3 months. On the coattails of last week’s cautious, but positive projections, we’re hoping that this is another sign of an imminent start to the housing market recovery.

Credit markets are starting to thaw and stock prices are rising. Other home builders that traded higher Monday included:

Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. up 13% to $2.68
Standard Pacific Corp. up 10% to $2.03
Ryland Group Inc. up 5% to $24.35
Lennar up 3% to $10.25

And the iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction Index Fund is up 30% so far in April.

It’s certainly good news to hear the word stable when associated with a home builder, or for that matter, the word home. Last week, Moody’s increased its outlook on Lennar to stable, making it the only builder to have that rating. It might be a good time to buy a home, but is it time you to start buying in to home builders? We shall think and observe.

Novinite Ltd. File Photo

Tags: Beazer Homes, builder, home builders, housing market, Lennar
Posted in Residential, Trends
Permalink

April 24th, 2009

Weekly Intel: Top Links of the Week

1013-45_banner_build_weeklyintel2

Home prices going back to 2002. Coincidentally, things weren’t that cool back then.

We found out how green building works

Architectural Billings Index for March - construction and design work could finally be experiencing a spring thaw

General Services Administration officials gave lawmakers an Earth Day gift on Wednesday

Talk about drilling your message…

And in case you missed it yesterday, we got a glance at the new NAHB brand during the Spring Construction Forecast Conference.

new-nahb-logo1

Tags: architectral billings index, Earth Day, forecast conference, General Services Administration, green building, home prices, housingzone, NAHB, Weekly Intel
Posted in Weekly Intel
Permalink

April 23rd, 2009

Green Roundup: Stats on Green Construction

The team is constantly pulling stats on green product penetration in consumer spending habits. Because it’s the numbers that always get people thinking, we thought we’d put together a little roundup of stats from all across the internet that made us stop and say, “Wow, there’s progress.”

Complements of Oasis Wall

In the United States alone, buildings account for (According to USGBC):

72% of electricity consumption
39% of energy use
38% of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
40% of raw materials use
30% of waste output (136 million tons annually)
14% of potable water consumption

U.S. Demand for Green Building Materials to Hit $80 Billion by 2013 (According to Green Building Materials to 2013, 2009)

According to a report presented by NAHB and McGraw-Hill 40% of builders believe green is a market differentiator. (Green Builder, January 2009)

NAHB and McGraw-Hill predict residential green building will double to $40-$70 Billion by 2012. This will account for 12-20% of the entire market.

The green building products market is projected to be worth $30-$40 billion annually by 2010 (Green Building Alliance 2006).

Between 40% and 50% of the homes built in 2010 are expected to be green (NAHB, March 2007).

NAHB reports approximately 115,000 homes were certified and inspected to local green building codes in 2008. This was an 18.6% increase from 97,000 homes in May 2007 (Residential Design & Build, October 2008).

As of April 2009, the NAHB has registered more than 2,700 Certified Green Professionals, a designation issued by the group’s University of Housing (EcoHome Magazine, April 2009).

Forty percent of those homebuilders surveyed by McGraw-Hill said that the down market has made it easier to market green homes, and 16% said that the housing slump has made it much easier.

To learn more about green building, 90% of builders are most often using print sources, followed by home building Web sites; home building product manufacturers; and NAHB trade shows, conferences and workshops (Nbnnews.com, June 2008).

The green material options receiving the most responses for use were high-performance, engineered wood products, allergen-free and chemical-free building materials; recycled building materials, such as those used in decks and sheds; alternatives to wood products; and certified sustainably harvested lumber (Nbnnews.com, June 2008).

NAHB Consumer preferences Upfront costs consumers are willing to pay to save on utility costs. (NAHB 2007 Consumer Preference Survey)

51% - $5,000-$10,999
32% - Less than $5,000
16% - $11,000 or more

With so many stats pointing toward continued growth, Green should be a mainstay in corporate values and, therefore, the marketing mix. Smart marketing that incorporates the FTC’s Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, in addition to other industry best practices is the surest way to tap into that growth.

Want more? Visit Home Intel where the list goes on…

Tags: Add new tag, building revenue, Building stats, construction forcasting, green building, green revenue, home builders, NAHB, USGBC
Posted in Green, Marketing, Remodeling, Residential
Permalink

April 23rd, 2009

Economists are Optimistic about the Future of the Housing Market

1013-45_banner_build_livecoverage

Even though existing home sales fell in March, the consensus among the speakers here at the NAHB Spring Construction Forecast Conference is that things are looking up for the housing market.

The group of economists, many of whom would consider themselves pessimists, are overwhelmingly optimistic about the future outlook of the housing market. Their projections and assessments of the market are all pretty consistent, give or take a quarter.

David Crowe, Chief Economist for NAHB, gave some convincing evidence as to why the recovery is imminent, as we’re currently at trough for single-family housing starts:

Low mortgage rates
Strong pent up demand and demographics
Significant fiscal stimulus
Some movement on practical foreclosure prevention
Significant monetary policy, traditional and balance sheet
Falling material prices
Very, very small positive signs in spending, incomes, stock market

NAHB

Here are a few of the other highlights, some things you might have already known, or guessed yourself:

Housing prices should hit bottom at the end of the year
According to Maury Harris, Chief US Economist for UBS, real GDP will begin to grow at a moderate annualized rate starting in Q3 of 2009
Fed fund rate should not rise again until mid-2010
Home sales should rebound before the unemployment rate peaks
The National Income Accounts saving rate statistic is a key factor in predicting recovery. Harris believes people are saving enough right now to aid recovery.
There should be no immediate fear about inflation. In fact, as Jim Glassman with JP Morgan pointed out, “it’s below where we want it to be.”
Housing’s drag on the GDP will slow down
Opening the credit markets is key to recovery
Mark Zandi, Chief Economist with Moody’s, believes that home sales are at the bottom and that inventories have peaked. We will work off the inventory over the course of the next 18-24 months.
The job market will stabilize this summer
Zandi projects that foreclosures will peak in the first quarter of 2010, assuming there is a lot of help that is expected

In other news, still related, NAHB showed off their new brand, with no fanfare.

Tags: construction forecast, GDP, home sales statistics, housing market data, housing prices, housing starts, NAHB, NAHB Spring Construction Forecast Conference
Posted in Live Coverage, Residential
Permalink

April 22nd, 2009

The Social Network Conversations are Getting Louder

Everyone is being very social these days, and with good reason. There’s a lot of people talking right now, and it’s not just on Twitter and Facebook (although they still rule supreme). With this recent explosion of social networking activity, there are more opportunities everyday to create new customers and a way continue to serve your most loyal.

Adam Ostrow with Mashable (great social media resource) highlighted some significant new social site developments from March:

Ning, which recently announced that more than one million social networks have been created using its service, is currently the 2nd fastest growing social networking property. Its traffic is up 283 percent year-over-year, and it now reaches a total of 5.6 million people in the US.

Bebo, which we recently reported saw a one month surge of nearly 50 percent on the heels of a redesign and AIM integration, has grown 148 percent in the past year, and now reaches more than 6.1 million people in the US.

LinkedIn continues to be one of the quickest growing social sites and has more than doubled its size in the past year. It now reaches better than 15.8 million people in the US, ranking it 3rd in total size behind Facebook and MySpace. It’s no doubt being buoyed by the weak economy and high unemployment as people turn to the site and their connections to find work.

This doesn’t mean that because there are several popular options you join them all. Each one separately serves different demographics. Do your homework. There are a lot of resources that profile each network’s membership, like Quantcast for example. And spend some time on the different networks getting to understand how your audience could benefit from your involvement. Companies like Home Depot and Lenar and have been recognized for their accomplishments. Briggs & Straton is giving it a try now too.

Jason Falls with the Social Media Explorer reminds us that it takes a commitment, both time and money, and consistency to be successful with social media. With Word of Mouth marketing comes a lot of responsibility. Dipping your toe in the water is refreshing, but if you splash the other person be prepared to get in the water.

Read Adam’s complete post at http://mashable.com/2009/04/20/the-fastest-growing-social-sites/.

Tags: Briggs & Straton, get started with social media, Home Depot, Lenar, Mashable, Social Media Explorer, social networking activity, social networks, word of mouth marketing
Posted in Trends
Permalink

April 21st, 2009

Research Reveals Keys to Reaching Hispanic Market

Good news for all building product manufacturers: The Hispanic demographic is highly active online so strategies for selling Home & Building products should be, too.

Here’s what we know:

Hispanics will and do participate in online communities

77% of U.S. Hispanic Internet users have accounts on a social networking site

U.S. Hispanics over-index non-Hispanics in all categories of user-generated content, especially social networking and online product research (prior to purchasing)
2006 Hispanics Survey conducted by Media Screen

Spanish-only environments see less activity

Second-generation Hispanics participate less in Spanish-only forums than their less acculturated, first-generation counterparts

63% of Latinos ages 13 to 35 spend 4+ hours per day online, with Google and Yahoo! topping the charts—not Google Espanol and Yahoo! Telemundo

Other Hispanic Internet usage patterns:

Downloading: Hispanic Internet Users are avid downloaders. They are more likely than the average Internet User to download numerous types of online content.

Broadband: Hispanic broadband connectivity is increasing at the same rate as that of the total Internet population.

Mobile: Mobile devices are an important point of Internet entry for Hispanic adults.

Online Spending: Average Internet spending among Hispanic Internet Purchasers increased by about 6% since 2006.

Local Variations: Internet spending, broadband connectivity and overall online usage will vary depending on where Hispanic adults live.

Sources:
Hispanic Digital
AHAA
Ahorre.com
Hispanics Online
Scraborough Research

Tags: hispanic contractors, Hispanic Marketing, hispanic outreach, hispanic publications, hispanic trades, hispanics online, multi-cultural marketing
Posted in Commercial, Marketing, Remodeling, Residential
Permalink

April 20th, 2009

Call for More Aggressive Education on the Passive House

The 13th Annual Passive House Conference was held in Germany last Friday, and though the event and building strategy are highly recognized in Europe, they have been completely overshadowed by other green building standards like LEED in the US. With 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually released by buildings and 76% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants consumed by the Building Sector, the Passive House should be part of every building industry professionals’ vocabulary.

Complements of The Passive House Institute US

Why is the Passive House worthy of more attention?

The Passive House is the most stringent energy standard available, with the ability to reduce energy usage of a home by 90% compared to traditional homes. The widespread implementation of the standard in residential building has the very real ability to exceed Architecture 2030’s challenge to design all new buildings, developments and major renovations “to meet a fossil fuel, GHG-emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type.”

To date, over 30,000 passive homes have been completed in Europe
Friday’s conference called for greater efforts to educate Europe’s design community on the strategy’s benefits
According to attendees like Keeping the Lights On’s, Nils Davis, the event also made it very clear that, “We are way behind on energy efficient building here in the U.S. – in fact, essentially no one in the U.S. is doing this kind of building.”

These facts point to a real opportunity for U.S. organizations in our Building Sector. Read Nils Davis’ reports here.

Complements of Duke Research Blog

What is a Passive House?

The Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) defines a Passive House as, “a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc.”

Features include:
•    Airtight building
•    High R-value or low thermal heat Loss coefficient
•    Energy efficient window glazing and frames
•    Heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recover ventilator (ERV)
•    Hot water supply using regenerative energy sources
•    Energy efficient appliances
•    Incorporation of natural shade and lighting

“The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality,” states PHIUS.

Both USGBC and NAHB offer strong green building standards that pay off immensely when achieved, however the Passive House strategy deserves consideration and a first step here is to educate the right audiences – Architects being number one – on the many benefits of the Passive House.

Learn more:
Duke Research Blog
100K House
Passive House Institute
e-co lab

Tags: 100K House, airtight building, Architecture 2030, Duke Research blog, energy efficiency, integrative design, Passive House Conference, Passive House Institute, R-value
Posted in Green, Marketing, Residential
Permalink

April 17th, 2009

We sit down over a few Tweets with Lauren Hunter

More and more people are joining Facebook, Twitter and the many other social media/user-generated sites available on the Web. But who really leverages these “real time” tools and maximizes the wealth of information and ideas, especially from a professional standpoint, and more specifically, in the building trade?

Today we had the pleasure of conducting the first Build Intel “Twinterview,” as coined by industry expert and Hanley Wood Editor, Lauren Hunter. See the full transcript below to learn how she finds value in these sites…in 140 characters or less. And make sure you’re following Lauren, cause we are (clearly).

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Hi, Lauren. Thanks for taking part in the first Build Intel “Twinterview!” Where are you tweeting from this morning? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Morning! I’m in my home office in Columbus, OH while my toddler Abby “quietly” watches Sesame Street in the next room. :) #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Isn’t telecommuting great? How are things in Baltimore this morning? #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Nice. Well, today we’re interested in learning a bit about your Twitter experience. How long have you been tweeting? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel My first tweet was back in Oct 08. Felt like I was walking into a big party with a zillion conversations going on! #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW So you’ve been active for about six months. What made you post that first tweet? Professional or personal reasons? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Professional. Our sister pubs @EcoHomeMagazine, @ebuild, @builderonline and others had already joined … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel So I jumped on for Remodeling magazine, along with @LeahThayer, @silvernina, and @sfreed - our other eds. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel It’s been really valuable so far. Tons of new sources, story ideas, product info, and industry friends are Tweeting! #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Several of us have interviewed fellow Twitterers for upcoming articles, plus we’re always connecting with new people. #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Now it’s personal too! HW’s doing a great job with Social Media. How is Twitter helping your particular audience? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Tons of HW eds are on Twitter, plus hundreds more industry pros, which @builderonline catalogs here: http://cli.gs/prDHr7 #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel For remodelers in particular, I think several are still learning what it’s all about… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Some jump on and only post one or two items, while others announce company news, and share links and insight… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Lot of homeowners tweet about #remodeling too, so I imagine Twitter is an avenue for leads for some contractors. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Our readers who don’t tweet probably don’t realize that a lot of news and info we report is sourced from here… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel There’s an amazing amount of knowledge on Twitter - on any topic - if you just ask for it. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel I think it’s more that I’ve found a wealth of resources to expand on existing trends… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Obviously, “green” is huge, so I follow a lot of green Tweeters like @sustainablog, @LighterFootstep, and @GreenDecoder… #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Do you qualify resources? How? And are there other User Generated/SM sites that you use or are thinking about using? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Searching for pro contractors, @thompsontrio, @RoofInfo, @BurchBuilders, and @Design_Builder have been great sources… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Also had fun stories from @HomeSavvi (http://cli.gs/d5mUXZ) and others to reinforce the mag’s efforts to find good news. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Thanks! Bright Spots (http://cli.gs/tmYRDR) has gotten a great response, thanks to submissions from many Twitter users… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Remodeling also has a Facebook page(http://cli.gs/9pdDT6) - another social media outlet lots of industry pros are using… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel There seems to be something about the immediacy of social media that lets us all to stay “on top of things” more easily… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel E-mail is easy enough, but we get bogged down with long messages and huge attachments … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Twitter and FB let us all share what’s going on *now* and get feedback right away… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Even a 140-character note can prompt an interview and a longer story. … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel As far as what to expect for future social media experiments, who knows?! … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel I do know it will remain invaluable in both communicating Remodeling and HW’s efforts in the industry… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel And in harvesting ideas for us to further communicate with our readers. … #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel So much content goes online before or instead of in print. We can read something on Twitter and report it right away… #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel I think that “real time” reporting - especially in the era of the 24-hour news cycle - is what readers want and expect. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Plus, the beauty of social media is that it’s *social* too - not just news… #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Clearly no longer just a trend. The value in “real time” is immeasurable. #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel It’s great fun to see people’s lighter sides once in a while, expanding what used to be “strictly business” relationships. #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW I agree! This has been great, Lauren. Thanks for sharing your insight with us. Does Abby have her own profile yet? #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Ha! Not on Twitter (although she does have a lot to say these days!), but she does have a Facebook page! #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel This has been a fun Twinterview! I hope our followers have enjoyed it too! #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW It has, thanks again! We’ll post the transcript in a few minutes for anyone who missed it in “real time.” #imre

BuildIntel: @LaurenHunter_HW Enjoy the weekend…Spring has finally arrived in Baltimore. Hope the same for you in Columbus! #imre

LaurenHunter_HW: @BuildIntel Supposed to be lovely - looking forward to it. Same to you! #imre

Tags: Hanley Wood, imre, Lauren Hunter, remodelers on Twitter, Twinterview, Twitter interview
Posted in Interviews, Remodeling, Trends
Permalink