Exterior Construction

During the exterior phase of construction the interior can also be under construction, we will address interiors next week.

Garage doors can be installed before the concrete flooring is poured, but most door installation professionals would prefer the flooring intact first. All drywall should be hung, but not finished, thus allowing for a much smoother paint job later. Keep in mind that your garage doors are a very important aspect of your home, especially during bad weather. All DV Wise custom homes demand a smooth and obstacle free door installation project for our sub-contractor, because when the weather is at its worse, your garage doors are too.

The brick used for your home is a major aesthetic point for your home. An unprofessional job here will haunt you forever. We use seasoned, local professionals only for all our brick and stonework. Good or bad brickwork will greatly affect the curb appeal, resale value, and be a constant reminder of a job well done or a few dollars saved. Brickwork can not be repaired without a major renovation. Doing it right the first time applies greatly here.

Our siding contractor will be installing the siding, soffits and gutters. Contractors rarely enjoy working behind someone that does the same work they do. Again, a penny saved may be many dollars lost.

Stucco is applied best during spring and summer conditions. Patience pays off well waiting a month or two for better conditions. Applying stucco is done in phases, with the color applied in the final step.

We consider your driveway and garage flooring long before its time to pour. The day when the concrete truck is scheduled to arrive, we ensure all needed personal are aware, prepared and on site ready to install your driveway. This too is a step not to be taken lightly, mistakes here can be costly and unappealing. You should wait with finishing the concrete, until all the heavy trucks and equipment are finished with their jobs. Try to make this one of your last projects, especially when it is not done on the original soil. Your driveway should be reinforced with rebar, although it is almost impossible to eliminate all cracks, rebar helps greatly.

Decks should be constructed after the stucco and/or siding is completely finished. Railing is required for all decks 2 feet or more off the ground on all NC homes. Various forms of railing are available, aesthetics again should be greatly considered. The railing should be very stable and attractive.

Landscaping is nearing the final stage of the building process, indeed it is an exterior aspect, but should be done after the interior of the home is complete.

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Framing a Home

Everything that is stable must have a solid foundation or footer, and then focus is on the framework of the structure.

The frame of a DV Wise home is carefully constructed to exceed all state and local codes. We feel that although their regulations will guarantee a solid frame, we are convinced it can be better.

Our framing contractors are seasoned veterans that we have worked with for nearly a decade. This experience ensures every aspect of the frame meets or exceeds requirements. Extra attention is paid to all load bearing areas of the frame, meaning the homes doors will always open and close properly. Stairs and hardwood flooring will stay stable and not squeak or settle over time.

The roofing consists of top quality materials only. The sheathing, sealant, paper, shingles and all materials used on the roof are durable and applied to withstand the weather and climate of the homes area for decades.

Sheathing is used to protect and secure the exterior framing. This man-made material is composed of wood, glue and fiber, enabling it to be stronger and more durable than plywood. The sheathing and home wrap is the base for weatherproofing a home. Each element of the exterior walls is equally important as the other and applied to maximize the comfort inside the home.

Framing a structure is the first step to a square and even home; every board is specifically cut to size and secured exactly in its place. No liberties are ever taken when framing a DV Wise home, thus all our homes are level, and built spot on square.

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“The fact that both starts and permits for new housing production rose last month is a good sign that we’re headed in the right direction, albeit slowly, on the road to a housing recovery,” said Joe Robson, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “That said, the November improvement was primarily on the multifamily side, and poor job markets and other economic factors are still keeping many potential buyers on the fence for the time being.”

“Home builders remain very cautious about starting new homes, and overall housing production is still down on a three-month average basis,” noted NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Understandably, it will take some time for the newly extended and expanded home buyer tax credit to start boosting sales in individual markets – just as it did the last time such an incentive was enacted. However, the fact that permits increased in November is a hopeful indication that the desired impact of the tax credit on housing demand may be forthcoming early in 2010. In the meantime, credit for new housing production remains extremely difficult to come by, posing significant obstacles to builders with viable projects.”

Single-family housing starts made up some of the ground they lost in October, posting a modest 2.1 percent gain to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 482,000 units in November. Meanwhile, multifamily starts rebounded from an all-time record low in the previous month with a 67.3 percent gain to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 92,000 units in November.

Gains in housing production were registered across all regions of the country in November, with a 16.4 percent increase in the Northeast, a 3 percent gain in the Midwest, a 12.3 percent increase in the South and a nearly 2 percent gain in the West.

Permit issuance, which can be an indicator of future building activity, rose 6 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 584,000 units, its highest level in a year. Single-family permits rose 5.3 percent to 473,000 units, while multifamily permits rose 8.8 percent to 111,000 units.

Three out of four regions posted gains in housing permits for November, with a 4.7 percent increase reported in the Northeast, a 10.7 percent increase posted in the South, and a 2.7 percent gain registered in the West. The Midwest posted a 1.9 percent decline

Source: www.nahb.org

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In a speech Tuesday morning at a Home Depot in the suburban Washington, D.C. area, the president called on Congress to extend energy-efficiency tax credits for home owners as part of an $8 billion effort to reduce energy use.

“This is the kind of thinking that is going to get America back to work – and make a big difference in many home owners’ monthly utility bills,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a builder and developer in Tulsa, Okla.

NAHB estimates that 11,000 jobs, $527 million in wages and salaries, and $300 million in business income are generated by every $1 billion in new remodeling and home improvement activity. “That’s a huge impact just in the short run.  And in the long run, the energy savings for participating home owners can be quite significant,” Robson said.

 ”This also bolsters a very important message and something we have been saying for years: If we really want to make an impact on the nation’s energy use, we need to take significant steps to make the existing housing stock more efficient,” Robson said.

He pointed out that state and local home builder associations affiliated with NAHB can be instrumental in the effort to weatherize older homes and make them more energy efficient.

For example, the Builders Association of Minnesota served as the conduit for federal stimulus program funds provided to the state for its energy-efficiency programs. The association trained nearly 1,000 remodelers and other residential contractors and funneled the money to 1,300 Minnesota home owners to help them make needed improvements.

Minnesota home owners got extra incentives for choosing projects like attic insulation, which some consumers don’t do because it’s something that’s not immediately visible, but when combined with incentives can bring a payback on utility bills within a year or two, depending on the climate.

 ”President Obama is right that these kinds of projects don’t seem ’sexy,’ but saving money is very attractive, and so is providing jobs,” Robson said.

 ”These are efforts that the Administration should consider on a much larger scale,” he continued.  “They provide employment, stimulate the economy and help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels – that’s three great outcomes.  NAHB can help make this happen all over the country.”

Last month, the White House Council on Environmental Quality invited NAHB to explain how home builders, product manufacturers and remodelers can be part of the Administration’s “Recovery Through Retrofit” solution with programs like Minnesota’s.

 ”We’re anxious to help with these efforts,” Robson said. “It’s what our members do, and do well – and they all want to get back to work.”

Source: www.nahb.org

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The designation requires 24 hours of NAHB-approved training, and additional continuing education every three years. Subjects covered in training discuss how green homes provide buyers with lower energy costs and higher value, and will include strategies for incorporating green-building principles into homes without driving up the cost of construction.

The designation curriculum requires completion of the Green Building for Building Professionals two-day course and either the Business Management for Building Professionals one-day course or having another current NAHB professional designation. Class schedules and course descriptions are available from NAHB.

Upon successful completion of course work, submission of a graduation application and signed Code of Ethics is required to graduate. The CGP designation recognizes a high degree of professional competence, and is awarded to individuals only.

Courses are offered at local home builders association and at NAHB national events. For a complete list of course offering and dates, visit www.nahb.org/courses.

For more information about the Certified Green Professional designation, visit www.nahb.org/cgpinfo or call the NAHB at 800-368-5242.

Source: www.nahbgreen.org

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“The severe lack of available credit for acquisition, development and construction (AD&C) financing constitutes a significant threat to thousands of home building and development companies, as well as to the immediate and long-term future of the housing industry,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. “Given the current situation, an innovative approach was called for to help our members find new sources of debt and equity financing while reinvigorating the traditional sources of housing credit, and that is the aim of the Partnership Pavilion.

“NAHB members build roughly 80 percent of all new housing in this country every year, and about 95 percent of them are the key decision-makers within their business – including presidents, CEOs, owners and managing partners,” Robson continued. “Many of them are already planning to travel to the International Builders’ Show (IBS), which is the largest and best-attended annual building industry tradeshow in this country. It just makes sense to provide a confidential setting within that venue for such professionals to meet one-on-one with potential new backers for their projects.”

As envisioned, the pavilion will be a centrally located forum with private office space and concierge services at the International Builders’ Show, which takes place Jan. 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Here, NAHB members will have the opportunity to discuss their funding needs with representatives of a variety of capital sources and financing advisors.

Builders and developers who are interested in participating in the Partnership Pavilion will need to qualify in advance of the show by providing specific information on their proposed projects via an online portal soon to be available on NAHB’s Web site. At that time, potential funding sources will review the information, and those who are interested in further exploring a given deal will be able to set up a meeting at the pavilion with the designated applicant. Additional information and a sign-up form for financing and investment companies who wish to participate are available at: www.nahb.org/partnership.

“At a time when credit for housing production is extremely difficult to come by, we hope that the Partnership Pavilion will provide a new channel through which home builders, developers and potential investors can communicate and conduct business while attending our industry’s most important trade show of the year,” said Robson.

Source: www.nahb.org

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If someone in your home has health problems or is ill, polluted indoor air can make them feel worse. For example, asthma is a lung disease that affects a growing number of children. Indoor air pollution can make it worse. insects and other pests can also be a real problem for people with asthma or allergies. For example, cockroach and dust mite droppings cause asthma attacks in some people. Pesticides can help fight these pests but they can be dangerous.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Mold grows in wet or damp places. It often smells musty. Many people are allergic to mold. Some kinds of mold are toxic, and coming in contact with large amounts of mold may cause health problems for you or your family.

Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that can come from appliances that burn gas, oil, coal, or wood, and are not working as they should. Car exhaust also has carbon monoxide. You cannot see, taste, or smell carbon monoxide.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Radon is another gas. It can come into homes from the ground below them. You cannot see, taste, or smell radon. Radon is found all over the United States. Radon can cause lung cancer. In fact, it is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. If you smoke and your home has high levels of radon, your risk of lung cancer is especially high.

Combustion appliances are one source of possible air pollution

Sometimes indoor air pollution comes from what people do in their home.

Tobacco smoking causes cancer and other major health problems. It’s unsafe for children to be around smokers. Second-hand or environmental tobacco smoke can raise children’s risk of ear infections and breathing problems. It can trigger asthma attacks too.

Many families have pets. However, furry pets cause problems for some people. Pets can make asthma and allergies act up, especially if you keep them in sleeping areas.

Hobbies and home projects sometimes involves sanding, painting, welding, or using solvent chemicals, like varnish or paint strippers. (A solvent is a chemical that can dissolve something else. Solvents are usually liquid.) Home projects can pollute the air with dust or harmful chemicals.

Sometimes indoor air pollution comes from what people have in their homes.

Some household products, especially those with solvents, can pollute the air if you don’t use them the right way.

New furniture, carpets, and building products may give off chemicals that were used in the making. Some of these chemicals can harm people, especially children.

If your home was built before 1978, the paint may have lead in it. Lead is very dangerous for young children.

There are simple, but important steps you can take to find our what is causing poor air quality. The questions below can help you find problems around your home. This section will give you ideas of what to do. Look at the chapters on asthma and allergies, mold, carbon monoxide to learn more about indoor air problems. Remember, making your home a safer, healthier place to live may mean taking several steps.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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Does anyone in your family have asthma or allergies?

Does a family member notice burning eyes, coughing, or sneezing that happens most often while at home?

Does anyone in your home have chronic bronchitis?

Radon

Have you ever tested your home for radon?

Do any of your neighbors have problems with radon gas? If so, you might also have a radon problem.

Living in a Healthy Home

Do some areas in your home smell damp or musty?

Have you seen cockroaches in your home?

Do you know how to safely run and take care of your fuel-burning appliances?

Do you allow smoking in your home?

Do you have pets in your home? In the bedrooms?

Do you read the label on household products, and follow the directions for using them safely?

Do you open windows or turn on fans when doing hobbies or projects that make dust or odors?

Do you try to do dusty or smelly projects outdoors?

Do you choose furniture, carpet, and building products that are made with non-toxic chemicals and materials? These are sometimes called green building products.

Does your home’s air ever smell musty, damp, smoky, or like chemicals?

Does your home seem stuffy or stale? Can you smell cooking odors the next day?

Do you have bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans — do you use them?

Action steps

Be sure to check the Action Steps in the chapters on asthma and allergies, mold, and carbon monoxide. You will find good suggestions for cutting down on pollution in your home and making the air healthier.

Source: http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov

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