Maine Modular & Custom Home News

When Paul and Cathy Bickford bought a new Schiavi home they knew it came with guaranteed workmanship, but they never thought they would have to live through a tornado to find out how well their home was built.  Touching down in their back yard the tornado, so rare in Maine, caused about 20 trees to be blown over.  Luckily for the Bickfords their new home was fine.  We at Schiavi Home Builders are thrilled that the Bickfords are safe and pleased that their home escaped damage.  There was never a doubt in our mind that they purchased a quality home and we are glad that it stood up to the unusual winds in this crazy storm system that passed through Oxford County.  You can read more about the storm at the Sun Journal.

Mother Nature Network has a great blog article about manufactured housing: A to Zeta.  It shows just how far sytems built technology has come with efficient green building.  Pay attention to the list of green features.  What it shows is that it is available – if not the norm – yet.  Modular building is all about making your home what you want it to be.  If you are looking for an energy efficient green building, ask for that and voila, it’s in there.  If you want more closet space – ask for that and like magic, it’s in there.  Your new home should be everything you want it to be.  The energy conscience townhouse seen in this blog may be just what you have in mind.  A country ranch might be more to your liking – we can do that, too.  If you’ve never watched a modular home craned onto a foundation be sure to watch the short You Tube video of the townhouse being set into place at the bottom of the blog post on Mother Nature Network.  It’s fun to see it done in a mere 4 minutes with the men scurrying around so quickly.  Of course it takes longer than that in the real world, but it is still a much faster process than stick building on site.  If you’ve never considered a modular home before I encourage you to consider it now.  Call us to find out how it would work out for you!

In this economy where we are all looking to save money and energy, these products found at ThisOldHouse.com make a lot of sense.  Some of them might seem a little pricey, but if you factor in the energy savings, the net cost can be zero in just a matter of months.  My favorite item is the washer and dryer that can complete a clothes cycle in 30 minutes.  The energy saved in two years pays for them, but if I included in my time value – conservatively saying $30 per hour – with the amount of laundry to do in my house, I figure they could pay for themselves in six months.  Now, if This Old House would find a way that every item is folded and pressed when I open the dryer door, that would be priceless.

The July 2009 Builder Magazine published results from their recent survey in an article titled Brave New World. They have taken a good look at what the home builders of the future will be expecting in the housing market.  There are  three distinct markets that will drive these expectations according to the newest information.  Immigrants will still be dreaming about being able to build a home big enough for extended family, Baby Boomers will be looking to downsize without giving up quality, and the “Millenials” will be looking for urban, uncluttered and well designed homes.  All three groups will be looking at affordability due to economic constraints that were not there in the past.  The builders of the future will need to accommodate a variety of expectations and keep the cost down.  This is where sytems built technology has a head start.  Design, affordability and meeting expectations have always been the foremost concerns in a modular building process.  As we look to the future we can expect that modular building will be in a prime position to help anyone build the home they are looking for.

Solar roof collectors are often considered an eyesore and therefore don’t get the consideration they deserve.  Now, Velux, which has been making skylights for many years, has made a solar collector panel that blends right in with their  oversized skylights.  Velux offers the complete package for solar collecting; including a pump station, a controller, a mixing valve, an air separator, an expansion tank and propylene glycol to charge the sytem.  Now your roof will look like you have ordinary skylights, but you will be the happy consumer of renewable energy.  The best news is that this package  qualifies for energy tax credits.

Roger Valdez wrote this great article: Does Green Building Have to Break the Bank? Valdez explores the intuitive feeling we get when we are building green that it is going to cost us a whole lot more money.  There are several links to good articles in his post that validate the idea that green building doesn’t have to be impractical – it just feels that way.  He also brings up a definition of what green building is according to the Federal Reserve Bank.  It is a much more workable definition than we are use to.  If you want to look at the practical side of green building, read Valdez’s article and click on the links he provides.  There is a lot of useful information that will calm your fears about how you can afford to build green.  As always, if you want some additional information on green building, contact one of our housing specialists here at Schiavi Home Builders.  We will help you find answers to your questions.

If you still aren’t convinced to build a new home check out the National Association of Home Buyers brochure that will answer a multitude of questions.  This brochure is available as a .pdf download and has information on income tax savings for a home owner, the new tax credit for home buyers and the adantages of building your wealth through home ownership.  Making  a decision such as building a new home is hard at any time, but even more so in times of economic uncertainties.  Schiavi Home Builders can help walk you through the process and alleve your building worries.  Folks who are making the decision to build new homes now are reaping all the usual benefits, plus some really great bargains in the process.  Contact one of our home specialists now to find out how much you can save by building a new Schiavi Home.

I found this blog post on the Best Green Tips site that has so much information it was too good not to share.  This post is broken into three sections:

• Cons of remodeling green
• Pros of remodeling green
• Pros of Building or Buying a New Green Home

Each section lists pros and cons with multiple links for more information.  It is a great one stop look that helps you make a more informed decision about your building project.  If you have any additional questions after reading all of this information, call one of our Home Specialists to help you decide what your best course of action is.

Have you wondered if all this talk about green will wither away when the hype settles down and the economy is strong once again? That’s what I thought would happen until I read the 10 Trends that Will Keep the Green Economy Growing. It was easy to jump on the green bandwagon when it all began, and like others I’ve found it easy to fall right off again. I have been “greened out” and I don’t even want to hear the term green again. All that aside, I do believe that change is here to stay, it is too beneficial to cast away. As I was reminded when I read Glenn Croston’s post, fossil fuels are expensive and will continue to rise in price, carbon emissions come with a price tag, and water is incredibly valuable. Life as we know it has changed

Not sure where to start when looking for “green” products? Natural Home Magazine has compiled a 2009 resource guide with over 500 vendors that can meet your needs. The list is arranged alpabetically by topic so you if you need an appliance look under the A’s and all the vendors that sell appliances will be grouped together. It’s a handy place to start shopping without ever leaving home.