It's Time to Build!

Almost every day I ask myself why more people are not taking advantage of this crazy building market.  By crazy I mean this is a ridiculous buyers market.  The answer seems to be fear.  We can't seem to get away from all the bad news.  Just turn on your tv or your computer and you get nailed with it.  I cannot say if the fear is justified or not.  Each persons situation is unique, and so it is up to them to determine for themselves.  But I can tell you that right now there are some really good opportunities for those that choose to pursue them.

If you have been thinking of building a new home or remodeling your existing one I suggest seriously pursuing it.  If not, you may just be missing the opportunity of a lifetime.  I have been in this industry for more than a few years now, and I cannot remember any time that the market has been more favorable for the buyer / client.  Here are a few of the big reasons:

• Interest rates are ridiculously low.
  
• Contractors and subcontractors are highly motivated.  In many cases they are working with little or no profit just to keep their good people busy.  And since they are not that busy, they have the time to dedicate to your project.  An associate of mine has had a flood of very high quality contractors practically begging to bid on a bathroom remodeling project.  I have had numerous local contractors request to bid on a project that is several hours outside of our traditional building area.
• Lot costs have plummeted.  Developers are looking to unload.  Indeed the banks now own quite a bit of really nice land.  Call up a few of your local banks and ask for their property listings.  You might find a great deal by buying directly from the bank.
• Many material costs are at 10 year lows.  Since no one is building demand is very low and inventories are up.  Classic over-supply and under-demand.
• Everyone in the process is open to negotiation.  Realtors, Land Owners, Architects, General Contractors, Sub-Contractors, Suppliers, etc.  

Seriously this feels like the perfect storm - as in the perfect buyers market.  A great opportunity to do a beautiful project at the best possible value.  

How long will this last?

Nobody seems to know.  But statistics are beginning to show an improvement in the sales of existing homes and once inventory is diminished construction costs will begin to rise again.  Nobody knows how long this "window" will be open, but we all know it will not be open forever.  

Don't Feel Guilty!  

It is true that the current market allows the buyer to take advantage of the situation.  But at the same time the builders, vendors, designers, realtors that are surviving are truly appreciative of the work.  And if you pick the right team they are going to give you their best.  

Build Smart!

If you decide to proceed with a project, make sure you do it smart.  For instance "McMansions" have a bad name right now and the builders cannot seem to give them away.  This might not be the type of home that will be in great demand even after the turnaround.  Folks are starting to look for a more modest, smartly designed and quality constructed home.  The type of homes as seen below designed by Ron Brenner Architects.

Be Smart!

Utilize the expertise of your professionals (architects / designers, general contractors, realtors, etc.).   Don't try to design and construct the project yourself.  You will get a better outcome and will carry less burden if you have a good team around you.  And besides, right now you are practically getting their services for free!

SIMPLY ELEGANT HOME DESIGNS

Interior Design with Sketchup

Simply Elegant Home Designs is now using Google Sketchup to better describe the interior design elements of their house plans.  

Ron Brenner of Simply Elegant had this to say.  "Better visualization of the product results in more thorough understanding of design intent and better translation by the builders.  We have been using 3d visualization for some time to illustrate building exteriors, and have discovered how valuable that visualization is.  It seems a logical next step to illustrate the interior design elements of a home with 3d.  Nowadays Architects have so many good tools to work with, and so why not use them?  The idea is to use the tools available to us to create a better product and a better service.  I think that some day we may not be issuing 2d plans, sections and elevations, but we will be issuing 3d virtual models.  And some day builders may have a television monitor at the job site in lieu of a plan desk."

The animation below illustrates the interior cabinetry and millwork elements of "The Stillwater", a house plan offered by Simply Elegant Home Designs.

The Mudroom

The mudroom has become an increasingly important space in home design. This space has transitioned over the years from nothing more than a small hallway with a coat closet into a zone that serves multiple needs. I now spend much time thinking about the function of the mudroom zone in our home designs.

Here are a few of the potentially important features of the mudroom zone:

1. A Bench - Where you can sit down and put on your boots.
2. Lockers - A place where you can quickly drop off your coat and hat.
3. Dump Desk - A storage space for dropping off the mail or briefcase.
   
4. Powder Room - The mudroom zone is a great place for the powder room because it is a more "discreet" location and convenient on your way in or out of the house.
5. Laundry Area - The mudroom zone is a great place for the laundry. This space is convenient to the activity areas of the house, but since it is "around the corner" it is a bit more acoustically separated. Hanging storage for the laundry can sometimes double to serve as a coat closet area.
6. Second Entry - The mudroom zone typically will function as the space you enter from the garage. If the plan layout allows it can also serve as the primary "family entry" from the outdoors. This way the kids don't have to open the garage door to come inside, or worse yet use the front door.
7. Windows - The mudroom zone is an important space, so access to natural daylight here is as important as any other room.
8. Beauty - The mudroom does not to be a "utilitarian" space. It is an important space, so why shouldn't it look as good as the rest of the house?

The image below illustrates a custom cabinet that provides lockers with bench and cubby storage on one side, and provides hanging storage for the laundry area on the other side.

The image below illustrates a typical new multi-functional mudroom designed by Ron Brenner. The bench area is outfitted with hooks above for coat hanging, storage drawers below and cubbies above. A taller cabinet serves as a "dump desk". A powder room is discreetly located behind the storage area. Durable slate tile flooring is installed. The family entry door is just out of view to the right, also washing the mudroom with natural light. A separate stairway leads to a "private getaway" located above the garage. You can also see the kitchen is conveniently located around the corner.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans

Update to top 10 house plan sites

Some time ago I posted my opinion of the top 10 web places to find good house plans.  I have now updated that posting by dropping in one new name.  LaMiDesign has been inserted into the number 4 position.  It is a great place to find truly modern house plans.

Please check out the revised top 10 list.

Top 10 House Plan Websites

Its the Energy Stupid!

I ran across this criticism of Architects and the green movement the other day.  http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-007-prioritizing-green2014it-s-the-energy-stupid/?full_view=1

It was written by Joseph Lstiburek; a renowned building science expert and royal smart ass.  Many Architects and Engineers do not like Mr. Lstiburek because of his criticisms.  I think mostly because he is all too often right; and he always has facts to back his claims up.

Lstiburek's basic criticism is this.  Architects and Engineers are creating "Green Monuments".  Buildings that are hailed Green and win awards; and yet they statistically are not saving any energy over their non-green counterparts.

I tend to agree with many of his criticisms.  I have felt for some time that we get caught up in all the new exciting technology - so much so that we forget the basic principles of good environmental design that the Ancients knew, and that Edward Mazria re-taught us over 30 years ago.  This is why I try to focus on the basics - see http://simplyeleganthomedesigns.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-10-green-things-to-do-when-building.html

I think our industry should be open to criticisms like his.  If we really want to do good, then we should verify that we really are doing good; and just not convincing ourselves of it.

Green Links

I just wanted to pass on an FYI that I have now posted links for various green resources along the sidebar of the Simply Elegant Home Designs Blog.  Over the next weeks I will be refining the listings.  Since there are so many green resources available to us I want to try to edit the list down to provide useful "common sense green" information, and to eliminate as much redundancy as possible.  I will also be adding a links page to my Simply Elegant Home Designs website.

Again, you can see the links along the right sidebar of the Simply Elegant Home Designs blog.  And by the way, I welcome your suggestions.

Architect vs. Builder

Architects and Home Builders seem to have a bit of a dysfunctional relationship.  Looking through my lens as an Architect it seems that many builders look at us as a necessary evil; and something to be avoided.  Most builders today still utilize their own in house staff or an outside house plan drafting service in lieu or working with an Architect.  The result is a lack of creativity and variety.  The evidence?  Take a drive through the suburbs and you will see thousands of homes that look remarkably similar, yet constructed by many different builders.  This cannot possibly be a good situation for the builders, because it forces them to compete mostly by price alone.  Not a good way to make a profit.

It seems clear that if the builders want to stand out and get more demand for their products; then one great way to do that is to offer great creative, unique and functional designs that stand out from the competition.  In other words they should create a design niche.  And the best way to do this might be to work with a competent Residential Architect / Designer.

So why does the builder avoid the Architect?  At Ron Brenner Architects I have bumped into many builders over the years and I can pretty much tell you why.

• Time – Builders don’t make money until they start construction of the home.  Sometimes they don’t make money until construction is completed.  It drives them crazy having to wait for the design process to be completed.
• Money – Going through the traditional architectural design process costs money.  Builders are constantly trying to manage escalating construction costs – and Architects represent another cost control issue.
• Attitude – Many Architects look down on the builder; and it shows.  Our field likes to put down the housing industry, yet offers little in the way of assistance.  So why would a builder want to work with us if he thinks we don’t respect him?

There is clearly a huge market share that Architects are not currently tapping into because of the above.  I believe we can gain market share by doing the following:

1. Try to gain a better understanding the builders’ point of view.  We also need to give them a better idea of who we are and the value that we bring to projects.  We need to get out and start talking with them and learning from each other.  With understanding comes mutual respect.
2. Modify our process and deliverables for builders to save time and money.  I am not arguing that we should give our services away.  Our services are extremely valuable.  I am only suggesting a modification of our services and deliverables to bring more value to the builder.

At Ron Brenner Architects we a bit of experience with item 2.  I’ll try to expand a bit on that in a future posting.

Simple,Unique, Creative and Green House Plans