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May 31, 2007
Resources for Green Building
Heather, a small-business owner, wrote asking for info about green buildings. She has several aspects of her business that she'd like to "green up." So here are three of my favorite sources for green info:
If you have any other good sources you'd like to share, please pass the info along. We're all learning about this rapidly evolving industry.
Good luck, Heather, and congratulations on making the decision to go green!
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 9:02 AM | Comments (2)
May 29, 2007
Immigration Bill a Hot Topic with Builders
Last week, the NAHB expressed strong opposition to the immigration bill under consideration in Congress. With Latino workers comprising an estimated 20% of the labor force in the industry, their concern is that severely limiting immigration would have devastating results in a business that is already hurting for qualified labor.
However, a large percentage of the general population is squarely in favor of just such restrictions, citing concern about immigrants (from all countries) taking over jobs that could be filled by American citizens.
What's your take on this controversy? It's a tough question, I know. I'm not even sure what I think about it. Nothing's ever simple. Let me know what you think.
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 10:54 AM | Comments (37)
May 18, 2007
Green Building Goes Mainstream
Hardly a day goes by that I don't get a press release about green building. According to NAHB, about half of all builders are using some kind of green-building technique or products. I wonder, though, how much interest there is among homebuyers.
What do you see in your market? If you consider yourself at least somewhat green in your work, is it because you are interested in green building personally? Or is the demand coming from your customers?
Let me know, too, what state you're in. I'd like to see if some parts of the nation are greener than others.
Thanks!
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 1:54 PM | Comments (23)
May 15, 2007
Kitchen & Bath Show Big on Color
I spent last week in Las Vegas at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. It took up all three halls of the local convention center, and folks, that's a lot of faucets and appliances! I noticed two big trends on the show floor: larger tile and more color.
Those beautiful glass mosaic tiles that were everywhere (wasn't that just last year???) seem to have given way to standard sizes in ceramic; those larger tiles in turn are often set to create mural-sized, three-dimensional patterns that really set the tone for a room. The Moroccan theme that's so popular also popped up repeatedly, including -- to my surprise -- a distinctively shaped tile from Walker Zanger that was right out of the '60s, but with much updated colors.
Speaking of color, it was everywhere! Aqua baths, cobalt-blue ranges, color-coordinated kitchen appliances from Dacor -- all great news for a color junkie like me!
What are you seeing with your own customers? Are they tiring of stainless steel and Tuscany neutrals? If this year's K/BIS is any indication, there is a colorful change in the works.
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 9:37 AM | Comments (7)
May 4, 2007
A Dirty Shame
Building season is in full swing here in Knoxville, Tenn. (Well, okay, it's always building season here, thanks to mild winters.) I've been watching "progress" on a couple of lots I pass on the drive to and from work every day. So far it has consisted of knocking down an old house and tearing out several trees, including a large Southern magnolia. And it seems that all the topsoil has disappeared, too!
I've lived in a lot of new houses, and I've struggled with trying to establish a lawn and garden without the benefit of topsoil. It ain't easy! What really bugs me, though, is knowing that whoever built the house hauled away "my" topsoil and sold it -- probably to someone else whose topsoil disappeared during construction of their house.
Can anyone explain to me why topsoil is so undesirable on a job site? Unless the lot is really small, it seems that the soil could be moved to the back of the lot, out of the way. Another construction site I pass daily has a virtual mountain of topsoil in the far corner of the lot. Now that builder (a commercial company, by the way) is one I'd like to deal with. But maybe he's waiting to sell it all after all.
Am I missing something here? I'd love to hear about your practice when it comes to topsoil. Do you haul it away? Replace it with topsoil from somewhere else when the house is done? That's not always a great idea, I learned upon reading The Dirt on Topsoil. Let me -- and others -- know how you handle this and why.
Thanks!
Posted by Marjie O'Connor, HGTVPro.com Staff at 2:34 PM | Comments (2)
