Around the world, the green building marketplace is accelerating, according to a new study recently released by McGraw-Hill Construction in partnership with United Technologies at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in San Francisco. The study indicates a shift in the global construction market, now viewing green as a business opportunity rather than a niche… Continue Reading
A recent Yahoo survey about the American consumer’s evolving view of housing provides interesting and strong evidence of a definite market trend. According to the Yahoo survey, energy efficiency is a top hallmark of the “dream home” – more consumers cited energy efficiency as a desirable attribute than any other feature. (The Yahoo survey can… Continue Reading
Read this article posted on HousingZone.com conserving water without sacrificing design and performance! Now is the time for remodelers and designers to outfit their design/selection centers with high-efficiency plumbing products and to start advising their clients on how they can save water in their homes when undertaking kitchen and bathroom projects without sacrificing performance and… Continue Reading
The August issue of Professional Remodeler features the 101 Best New Products of the Year, along with their annual Buyers Guide. Click here to see the 101 Best New Products, listed alphabetically and by category. You can also view the digital edition of the entire issue, including the Buyers Guide, by clicking here. Courtland Building… Continue Reading
Green homes have many advantages-for builders and consumers as well as the environment. For builders, they offer the ability to differentiate your homes from others on the market, reduced callbacks, and the potential for increased profit. For consumers, they offer better indoor air quality, lower operating costs, reduced maintenance, and higher resale values. For the… Continue Reading
According to the Appraisal Institute, environmental features can add considerable value to a building. But in real estate, a higher perceived value often fails to translate into a higher appraised value, complicating financial transactions and limiting incentives for owners to invest in green. The Appraisal Institute (AI), the most prominent U.S. membership organization of appraisers,… Continue Reading
It sure can, according to Abhinand Lath, who was exploring an abstract idea about bamboo for his graduate architecture thesis at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor when he invented a revolutionary surfacing material called SensiTile. Lath puts it in simple terms, “the product bends and plays with light by incorporating fiber optic–like matrices… Continue Reading
1. Old bricks, worthless? No, those bricks can be recycled, and are very valuable to some people! 2. Use reclaimed wood for your next project at home. Use your own, or find some on freecycle, Craigslist, at your local transfer station, or recycle.net. 3. There are many places you can exchange or recycle your old… Continue Reading
Four innovative homes ignore conventional wisdom in this article by Jenny Sullivan of the The Builder. Credit: Courtesy Connor Homes/Jim Westphalen Photography This prim home’s symmetrical façade is the spitting image of the Wells Thorn House in Deerfield, Mass., which was built between 1711 and 1780 and is considered one of America’s finest specimens of… Continue Reading
It’s hard to predict what products, technology, and systems will be important in the next 10 years, but green experts say the looming energy crisis can give us a pretty good idea. The best way to predict the future is to create it. ~ Peter F. Drucker Sometimes all you have to do to see… Continue Reading