Energy Efficiency & Green Building
HBA Parade of Homes Boasts Variety, Illustrates Importance of Home Building
The 2012 HBA Parade of Homes (June 15-17 and June 22-24) features a strong mix of both custom and spec homes in a number of price points. “Builders continue to offer incredible craftsmanship, value and innovation in both design and construction in our area — and they can do it in every price point,” said…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: The Sound of Green is Free
You have to love words that don’t go together, words like “sound”, “green” and “free”. Placed in a sentence as in this title, they don’t appear to make sense. The confusion is that you first have to know what the sound of green is to understand why it is free. If you are thinking “green”…
Read MoreGreen Home Building to Increase as Much as 38% by 2016
A new report produced by McGraw-Hill Construction and released during the National Green Building Conference and Expo in Nashville this week estimates that the green homes share of the construction market will rise 29% – 38% by 2016 after having accounted for about 17% of the market in 2011. The “SmartMarket Report – New and…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: Can You Hear Me Now?
Remember those old “tin can” phones connected with a string that we all played with as kids? “Can you hear me now” was always the question and the answer was seldom related to that question. Communication was mostly noise, and we all pretended that we understood. It’s a lot like “green” conversations that we hear…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: 30.78 Acres of Trees
It is not too often that I get to brag about the building industry that I work in, but bragging proof came in the mail yesterday. ENERGY STAR notified me that I had rated 38 houses that were certified as ENERGY STAR Qualified in 2011. I knew this, but they added some information I did…
Read MoreKY3: Does Your Contractor Carry Workers Comp Insurance? You Need to Know!
On Wednesday, March 28, Contact KY3‘s Jay Scherder highlighted the need for consumers to do their homework when hiring a contractor. In Missouri, construction businesses are generally required to carry workers compensation insurance for the protection of employees, businesses, and consumers. Active and current workers compensation insurance is a requirement for membership in the Home Builders…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: HVAC – the Vast Unknown
We all love to untangle a mystery, and building “green” can be a mystery. But things are changing. In the last ten years Building Science and applications in the field have come together so that the buying public knows many of the right questions to ask. They know about Blower Door tests, HERS ratings, R-values,…
Read MoreBuilders Circle Blog: Thirty-Nine and Still Counting!
Jack Bennie, the famous comic from years ago, always claimed to be 39 years old. Year after year he remained 39. I like the idea of not aging, but some things need to grow in number. We just received the official certification for the HBA-led Habitat for Humanity house in Builders’ Circle Subdivision from the…
Read MoreBuilders Circle Blog: Football, Golf and HERS Ratings
The HERS energy rating on a house is more like golf than football. Football is loud, rough, and high score wins. Golf is quiet, skillful, and low score wins, with the typical championship golf courses having par values of 72. The official HERS rating for the HBA’s Habitat house is in…and the final ENERGY STAR…
Read MoreProtect Your Home Investment: Designations Make A Difference!
Quality workmanship, knowledge and experience matter, especially when you will be investing a significant amount of money with a home builder or remodeler as you build a new home or update your current one to fit your lifestyle. Choosing a building professional with a designation can help ensure you are hiring a builder or remodeler who…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: It Is Official—Springfield Is Number One!
How does it feel to be number one? Springfield is number one, according to WIKI. I found out accidentally when, with no special reason in mind, I Googled the question, “What city has the most varied weather?” That’s right, Springfield, Missouri is listed as having the most varied weather in this country. I really was…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: If You Don’t Know Where You Are…
How do you know you are going in the right direction if you don’t know where you are? Haven’t we all, on occasion, made a wrong turn in some large, unfamiliar city? We did not think we were lost, but we never got to where we wanted to be. That never happens to me now,…
Read MoreHBA Home Show Opens Friday: See it ALL in One Place!
The Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield will open the doors to its annual Home Show in just one week, promising a big helping of what’s new, along with the tried and true favorites. The 2012 HBA Home Show has everything to inspire your next home improvement or building project – all under one roof. Attendees…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: How Low Can You Go?
Low is not always something we like to think about. To lower your driving speed when you are late for a doctor’s appointment, to get there just in time so he can tell you to lower your cholesterol and lower your weight, tends to give us a low, negative feeling. The doctor’s advice continues to…
Read MoreBuilders’ Circle Blog: Green Comes in Many Colors
I don’t know whose idea it was or why Mom thought it was cool, but she did. This idea could be classed in the same league as “bell bottoms”, and likewise, never improved with time. Oh yes, it was green, but not the “green” we refer to today. This green was only skin deep, and…
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