The National Green Building Standard and What I Can Do for Green Renovations on Historical Homes and Buildings

Historical homes are important to our housing market. Renovations on historical homes can be challenging because of surprise damage, regulations and preservation. Take this challenge and top it with making an older home green. This is where National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) comes in handy.

The National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) is a guide to certification for green homes. Chapter 11 in this guide is dedicated to the "Certification for Existing Buildings." Building professionals can use this guide for a comprehensive, voluntary, above-code approach to design and construct residential and mixed-use properties and for land development.  Builders are able to take this guide and use it as a "roadmap for green renovation projects" and match it with historical preservation regulations

Many builders are taking old historic buildings and turning them into residential properties. Things they need to consider are how many units will they include in their design and how much energy and water the proposed property will use versus how much the post-rehab used.

This can be a difficult task however with the NGBS these types of projects have more flexibility. Under the NGBS mandatory, historically designated buildings with historic designation restrictions are exempt from NGBS mandatory practices for unaltered portions. Cargill Falls Mill in Putnam, Connecticut is a great example.

Cargill Falls Mill is located on the Quinebaug River and is deemed a historical building. The property was turned into over nine acres of residential space with 125 units.

Karla Butterfield, NGBS Green Master Verifier, of Steven Winter Associates noted: “As a historically registered landmark, the complex was under strict renovation requirements. The NGBS remodeling program was the only residential tool that allowed the project to quantify the energy and water savings while addressing the great efforts made by the project team to reduce material and resource consumption, improve indoor air quality, address sustainable site strategies, and promote health and wellbeing for residents.”

Old buildings, especially in urban areas, are perfect projects to make into residential space. To learn more about the process visit the National Association of Home Builders site where NAHB’s Sustainability and Green Building efforts are explained. You can also find tips on water efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and other building science strategies.

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New Homes Constructed With Central AC Are More Common in Some Regions Than Others

Ninety-five percent of new single-family homes built in 2020 were built with central air conditioning (AC) systems according to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC). Homes with central AC have been increasing since 2000 when there were only 85.5%.

The percentage of new single-family starts with central AC is different in the nine Census divisions. In West South Central, South Atlantic and West North Central divisions 100% had central AC installed, in East South Central 99%, and in East North Central 96%, in New England 83% and the lowest in the Pacific with 80%.

Ninety-nine percent of new single-family homes were built with an air or ground source heat pump or a forced-air system for the primary heating source of the home. As for each division, in the East South Central 77%  air or ground heat pumps were used, in the South Atlantic 75% and in the West South Central 20%. Air or ground heat pumps are primarily used in warmer climates because they are less efficient in colder regions. As for fuel, 50% of new homes built in 2019 used natural gas while only 45 used electricity.

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A Spike in Four or More Bedrooms in New Single Family Homes

The housing market is strong and both resale and new homes are strongly in demand. According to the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Construction's (SOC) 2020 new single-family homes with four or more bedrooms increased. This trend could be because of more homeowners having to live work and play in their homes due to the pandemic.

The SOC reported that across the country 45.2% of new single-family homes started in 2020 had four or more bedrooms. This was up from 2019's report of 42.6%. Again this increase is due to the shift in buyers' desires in a home. The pandemic devastated the US economy in 2020 paving the road for record low interest rates. The low rates coupled with low housing inventory shot house prices up. First-time homebuyers who would purchase a home with less than four bedrooms were pushed out of the market.

This caused a shift in homes.  The 2020 SOC reduced share of new homes started with 2 bedrooms or less (9.7 percent vs 10.5 percent the previous year) corroborates the lowered presence of first-time homebuyers in the new home market that year.

The East North Central region was the only division that showed a decline in new single-family homes built with four or more bedrooms. Across the board, homes with less than 1,200 square feet had more homes built with fewer bedrooms.

If you are in the market for a new home, contact your local Realtor. A professional Realtor can help you through the whole process getting you what you want for the price you want.

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Awards for Spec Homes That Are Built As Healthy Homes

With a strong housing market and shortage of inventory, many builders have gone from building custom homes to speculative homes only. Builders do have to still target buyers. Smart homes and healthy homes are a way to do this.

The industry leaders report that buyers will pay a premium for energy efficiency, smart home tech and healthy homes. Once the pandemic began, health and energy savings have become even more of an important factor. In fact, former National Association of Home Builders Chairman Randy Noel has turned to building spec only.

Noel, from Reve, Inc., spent 30 years building custom homes only. He is now currently building a spec home for the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans' Parade of Homes. The home features products and materials that are efficient, resilient, healthy and smart home tech.

“You can, with a great deal of confidence, build a healthier home for your customers going forward,” Noel stated following the (WWYW) certification process.

Healthy homes are recognized under the pilot the Wellness Within Your Walls (WWYW). There is a list of Healthy Home Features which include:

• Maximizing natural light,
• Detaching the garage from the home and connecting it via a breezeway,
• Installing locking cabinets for pharmaceuticals and garden chemicals,
• Controlling humidity for the outside fresh air being brought into the home and reducing stress on the heat pump,
• Removing contaminants from the incoming utility water through reverse osmosis water filters,
• Installing automatic faucets to reduce touch points,
• Incorporating an electromagnetic field (EMF) control cabinet — the interior of which is painted with a special electromagnetic wave-blocking paint — for electronics charging,
• Integrating automatic vents in the bathroom to exhaust damp air from the home,
• Installing a non-combustible, electric fireplace and induction cooktop,
• Incorporating a kitchen herb wall.

If you are interested in seeing a healthy home, the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans' Parade of Home is located in Ashton Plantation in Luling, LA. The home has been given the 2020 Best in American Living Gold Award for Healthy Home and was a finalist for the 2020 NAHB Global Innovation Award International Home the Year.

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Mandeville Will See the Girod Street Stroll This Fall

Typically held in the spring, the Girod Street Stroll has been postponed due to COVID-19 and will now be held in the fall. The event is held annually by the Old Mandeville Business Association.

This year the Girod Street Stroll is presented by Resource Bank and will take place on September 25, 2021 from 5pm - 9pm in Old Mandeville. The activities take place starting at Girod Street at the Mandeville Trailhead and following along to the Lakefront. Live music and entertainment will be by 10th Street Brass.

Patrons will be able to stroll to over twenty stops and enjoy small bite plates by local Mandeville chefs and cocktails. Participants of the event can vote for the best small plate and cocktail. There will also be a raffle of a live painting that will be created by artist Andrew Wilkie.

"It is one of Mandeville's most popular annual events, as it showcases our local businesses and restaurants, our artists community, and our vibrant culture," OMBA Board Member Andre Judice said.

The Old Mandeville Business Association (OMBA) is a non-profit that is made up of both businesses and residences of Old Mandeville. The goal is to serve and support the local commerce while preserving and promoting the charm and beauty of the community.

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Housing's Growth According to NAHB's Eye on the Economy

 

June 2020 saw a small decline in single-family new home sales to around 6.6% according to the National Association of Home Builders Eye on the Economy. The annualized rate fell to 676,000. Although the past several months have seen a small monthly decline, the new home sale is still 13.5% higher on a year-to-year basis from 2020.

The small decline according to some industry professionals is from the lack of inventory and the higher construction costs while other industry leaders believe it is caused due to the higher new home prices. New home prices have risen 10% since January 2020.

The new home inventory is down by 44% which is a little over 34,000 homes over the last year. Supply factors including the material, labor and lots are holding builders back. The survey also indicated that today's buyers are not happy with housing affordability. In fact, the share of buyers who can afford less than half the homes available for sale worsened from 63% at the end of 2020 to 71% by midyear.

Although the market is still going strong, those who did not purchase during the second quarter of 2021 was due to pricing. The higher construction cost and development costs have hindered housing prices. The GDP growth for the second quarter was at a low of 6.5%. The good news is that NAHB is predicting an overall growth rate of just under 7% for the whole year. This will be the best rate seen since 1984.

This is still a good time to buy as mortgage rates are still reasonable. If you are in the market for a home, contact your local Realtor.

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New $150 Million Retirement Community To Be Built in Mandeville

 

Al Copeland Sr. who is famous for starting Popeyes Chicken and is native to Louisiana is a big part of a new retirement community coming to Mandeville. Copeland Sr, who passed away in 2008 owned a 29-acre tract of land in Mandeville that the family recently donated to LSU Health Foundation.

Al Copeland Jr. said the family was honored to donate the land in his father's name. The land, worth $7 million is the largest donation LSU Health Foundation has ever received. The site, across from Mariners Village, will house the $150 million mixed-used development which specializes in retirees. This will make the project the first retirement community that is connected to a university in Louisiana.

The multi-use restricted retirement community will feature restaurants, a marina, a hotel and apartments along with health care services. The health care services will be serviced through LSU Health Sciences Center and the center's students. The development will not only aid in training future medical professionals but will also provide revenue for cancer research.

“The partnership, growth and symmetry between the LSU Health Sciences Center and the LSU Health Foundation absolutely shines through this project,” LSU Health Sciences Center Chancellor Larry Hollier said in a prepared statement. "Having the ability to help train students in geriatric health care while providing new funding for faculty research in fighting cancer, not to mention building a beautiful place for LSU alum (and the public) to retire and enjoy life in a wonderful community is the best of every world."

The project will bring training opportunities and jobs to the Northshore. The revenue earned will go towards cancer research in honor of Al Copeland who died of a rare form of cancer. All in all, over $20 million from the land lease will be dedicated to cancer research funding for the next 40 years.

"While the project is only at the conceptual stage, we look forward to working with the LSU Health Foundation through our planning and zoning process once a formal application has been made,” Mandeville Mayor Clay Madden said.

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