Building Business

Survey: 64% of Remodelers Expect Business to Increase in 2011

By all accounts, 2010 was a year of mixed signals for brands in the housing, construction and the building products sector. Despite conflicting indicators, remodelers are viewing the immediate short-term with renewed optimism. According to a new survey from Housingzone.com, 64 percent of remodelers expect business to increase during 2011, and only 15 percent expect it to decrease. This survey, conducted annually, found more optimism today than any point since the height of the housing boom! While acknowledging the uncertainty surrounding foreclosures, Housingzone.com states that positive economic indicators such increasing consumer confidence and slowly decreasing unemployment are playing strong roles in remodelers’ rosy outlooks. 

@NeilAndrewJames

The Coolest, Most Innovative Green Building Products of 2010

Winning market share in the building products industry isn’t that heard. Just converge stunning design, innovative thinking, strong utility and sustainable efficiency into a value unmatched by your competitors. Pretty easy, right? It was for these 16 products identified by Preston Koerner in the article for Jetson Green, 16 Green Building Innovations of 2010. Our favorites? PowerPly solar panels by Lumeta, Inc. are backed with an adhesive and are applied directly to the roof, reducing installation time and material costs. Plumen 001 light bulbs by Hulger last eight times longer than regular incandescents and saves 80 percent on energy bills. Especially cool is the eMonitor whole house energy monitor by PowerHouse Dynamics which provides electricity use, cost and carbon footprint information in real-time. 

@NeilAndrewJames

Green Builders Ignoring Recession as Business Soars

No different from any other industry, the construction sector overall has been affected by the current recession. Despite this fact, the green building market is on the rise - in a big way. As Earthandindustry.com reports in a new article, Despite Recession, Green Building Soars in U.S., green building represented 25 percent of all new construction activity in 2010 and that the value of green building construction starts was up 50 percent. And the growth spurt still expected to rise. Not only is it positive to know that green companies are thriving in this market, it will be a tremendous benefit to our environment. 

@JoniArtz

Seven Green Building Predictions for 2011

With each year, not only have green technologies grown, but so has consumer demand for sustainability. So where is green going next year? Mitchell Funk and the team at Green Building Pro has released their second annual list of green building predictions in the article Green Trends in 2011. Among their predictions, Green Building Pro foresees strong growth in Building Information Modeling (BIM) which provides designs for more sustainable buildings and helps optimize construction practices for efficiency. In addition, Green Building Pro predicts a wider variety of options for builders to finance energy efficient improvements, including new tax credits, utility rebates and state grants. 

@NeilAndrewJames

Is Your Building Products Brand Niche Enough?

You can’t be all things to all people. If you stand for everything, you stand for nothing. The sheer number of clichés articulating the pitfalls of mass appeal should serve as a warning to every marketer dismissive of specialization. Mark Buckshon expands on this notion in an article for Construction Marketing Ideas, Construction Marketing: The Mass and the Niche. Buckshon argues the appeal of specialized services and niche interests is paradoxical in that, compared to mass appeal, there is more opportunity for growth and development. Although messaging designed to appeal to larger audiences may be easier to understand, it is far more difficult to cut through the clutter and engage prospects in a meaningful way. Buckshon implores marketers to better understand the needs of their target market to discover the unique niches that appeal to their heart, emotions, and most importantly, their wallets.

@NeilAndrewJames

Sell Relationships, Not Services, at Association Networking Events

Each year, the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association publishes an internal newsletter, Impact!, which promotes new members and provides a subtle networking platform for businesses.  However, in an article for Construction Marketing Ideas, Association Engagement and Marketing, Mark Buckshon writes that he has “rarely seen any that fully use the opportunity to show what they share rather than sell.” It’s proven difficult for businesses to use their membership to share knowledge and wisdom; most just try to sell their services right out of the gate. The main objective in this networking platform is to develop business relationships where new opportunities arise naturally and easily, rather than as a forced expectation. Once a business understands this delicate balance, they will be able to utilize the association membership to its full advantage; consistently bringing new business in the door.

@JoniArtz

Wall Street Journal: Builders Failing at Green Building

Sustainability. LEED. Net-Zero. These terms, alien to the building products industry a decade ago, are now fixtures in the industry’s lexicon. With all the emphasis on green practices, initiatives designed to reduce the environmental footprint of homes surely have been successful, right? Hold the phone, says Dawn Wotapka in an article for the Wall Street Journal, Home Builders Lag in Building Green. According to Wotapka, innovation hasn’t been the problem. Builders are introducing more eco-friendly features than ever before. Where they are lacking, Wotapka says, has been in stimulating consumer demand and effectively communicating the benefits of going green, overcoming price objections. Despite industry shortcomings, Wotapka notes however, mega-builders such as KB Home and Pulte have maintained a strong commitment to efficient, economical and eco-friendly homes.

@NeilAndrewJames

Few Believe Completely Green Homes Are Affordable

Consumers and builders alike believe in the importance of and the benefits to green building. The disconnect is occurring when the waiter brings the check. And although nearly everyone believes that green homes are affordable to live in, a new survey, as chronicled in an article for ApplianceMagazine, Green Homes Seen As Affordable to Live In, Expensive to Build, found that only high-income respondents believed a completely green home would be affordable to purchase. These opinions were not exclusive to homebuyers. A similar builder survey found that 30 percent of builders felt that green homes were too expensive for middle-income families. Sixty percent builders felt the same about green homes and low-income families. 

@NeilAndrewJames

Green Building Starts Represented One-Quarter of 2010 U.S. New Construction

The growth of green building is saving our environment. Can it save our economy as well? A new report from McGraw-Hill Construction, Green Outlook 2011: Green Trends Driving Growth, outlines the dramatic post-crash growth of green building and offers several promising predictions. According to the survey, the value of green building construction starts grew 50 percent over the past two years from $42 billion to $55-71 billion. In addition, 25 percent of all new construction activity in 2010 was comprised of green building construction starts. The growth of green is not merely resulting from residential consumer demand. McGraw-Hill projects the value of nonresidential green construction to triple over the next five years, representing $120-141 billion in new construction.

@NeilAndrewJames

Weak Employment Spurring Rental Market

For every loser, there’s got to be a winner, right? We know the foreclosure industry has been a satiated vulture in the wake of the housing crash. As John Caulfield reports in an article for Builder Online, the rental market’s not doing so bad either. According to Caulfield, the National Association of Home Builders Reports that even at the level of multifamily production, currently between 300,000 and 400,000 units, demand is outpacting supply. Furthermore, the National Multi Housing Council reported that in Q3, same-store rent charges turned positive for the first time in two years! Inflated home prices are a strong contributing factor, with real estate website Trulia.com reporting that renting is makes more exonomic sense in several large cities including New York, Seattle and San Francisco. In addition, younger adults in particular have had difficulty picking up the housing market’s slack as 2.2 million moved back in with their parents between 2005 and 2009.

@NeilAndrewJames