Home 2.0 Blog Archive

Saturday, February 28, 2015

END OF STARTER HOMES: PART 2

Are New Starter Homes History? 

Builder Magazine recently posted a follow-up article to the one published earlier this month titled 'The Rise and Fall of the Entry-Level Home: Is the lowest tiered new-home on a fast path to extinction?', with the headline, 'Are New Starter Homes History? Since World War II ended, builders lured buyers with new houses priced to vie with resale, but better built. They may now be extinct.' This article delves much deeper into the economic realities and challenges of building new starter homes for the same affordable price points they have had in the past, using $200,000 as the target sales price. Keep in mind, land costs, soft costs and profit need to be subtracted from this number to arrive at the target construction cost for builders, which makes this an even more challenging proposition. The article points out that homes can be built at this price, but they are going to need to be built deeper into the suburbs and outlying areas with cheaper materials, neither of which appeal to the millennial market they are trying to capture. The piece concludes with the following. 

Ironically, given the need for new housing stock and the means of society, new entry-level housing is where most of the home building business could be, but it’s also where the market can be its riskiest, as was abundantly clear in the past decade.

“Realistically, you won’t see a lot of builders go down into this price point for a variety of reasons,” East says. “One, operationally, they can’t make money on it. They don’t know how to run that [production] process. Two, they don’t have the sales process. Three, they’re not a spec builder. So, I don’t think we’ll see everyone heading for below $200,000.”

Others are more optimistic. Palacios argues that the sub-$200,000 level buyer is ready to come back to the market. And, with lower FHA premiums and gas prices and easier underwriting, they can make their dollar stretch about 15% more.

Brad Hunter, chief economist for Metrostudy, the research arm for BUILDER’s parent company, agrees, suggesting that no matter how daunting it appears now, builders eventually will figure out how to meet this high-volume below-$200,000 market.

“I do see certain builders who are actively serving the under-$200,000 segment,” Hunter says. “Express Homes is expanding aggressively into this segment, and meeting strong demand. LGI Homes is also actively serving this segment. I expect this segment to grow rapidly in the next year or so. The under $200,000 segment is a huge underserved market, so builders who can profitably serve them will have a ready set of buyers.”


In that case, maybe the starter home is math, political science, and geography—but not history.

My ultimate goal with the Starter Home 2.0 project as it expands beyond the first initial build is to find ways to effectively deal with this great challenge and opportunity facing the next generation of home builders and home buyers.

Original Levittown House, Circa 1948


Thursday, February 26, 2015

MILLENNIAL HOUSING TALK

Millennial Architecture: Designing for Young Buyers

I found an interesting video on BuilderOnline.com yesterday (posted below) featuring two Non-Millennials talking about what Millennials want when it comes to housing. I think they make some valid points, but as someone that is a Millennial (born after 1982) it would seem more credible if there was actually a Millennial involved in the discussion. 

PERMIT STATUS

Plan Review Comments Update

Last week I posted about some of the early plan review comments that had been posted for the Starter Home 2.0 project and it has now come to the point where all the plan review comments from the City of Cincinnati Building and Zoning Department, Fire Department, Metropolitan Sewer District and Water Works have been posted online and sent to me in letter form for my responses. The full list of comments is public record and can be found online here. My hope is pick-up the majority of the comments over this upcoming weekend in a series of response letters and drawing revisions, which I will review with the surveyor and contractor next week for their input before forwarding them on to the plans reviewers for what I hope is final permit approval. Once permit is in hand, I will be looking at an early-mid March construction start.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

THE HALL

Hallway Design Fundamentals

I recently came across an article posted on Houzz.com that outlines some basic 'Hallway Design Fundamentals', and it reminded me of the approach I took to designing the second floor hallway in the Starter Home 2.0, which was to design it to not come across as a closed hallway, but an open room. This was achieved by adding a large window in the space and utilizing an open railing to divide the room, rather than a half or full-height wall.

Monday, February 23, 2015

STARTING WITH WHY

The Starter Home 2.0 Why

This past Friday, I spent the day at FRCH Design attending Session #3 of the 2014-2015 AIA Cincinnati Vision Program focused on Advocacy and Presentation Skills. One of the most interesting takeaways from the day was Inspiring Action by Starting with the Why, a concept popularized by Simon Sinek, whose 'Golden Circle' graphic and TED Talk on the subject is featured below. The main point being the vast majority of companies and leaders sell What they do, but the truly inspiring, from Apple to Martin Luther King, sell Why they do what they do. So I asked myself, 'What is the the Why behind the Starter Home 2.0 project?' 

The Starter Home 2.0 Project Golden Circle
Why: To enrich the quality of domestic life for individuals and families within the home and in the surrounding community
How: Create safe, comfortable dwellings in diverse community networks
What: Build contemporary, affordable residences in the context of established walkable neighborhoods, close to jobs and entertainment centers.




Sunday, February 22, 2015

PRE-CON TEAM

Pre-Construction Team

With construction set to begin on the Starter Home 2.0 project in the next few weeks, I thought I would take some time to acknowledge the different players that have been involved with the project leading up to ground-breaking. Everyone I have worked with so far has done a fantastic job and I'm hoping that will continue through the duration of construction.

Owner-Developer-Architect | Mike Benkert, AIA: As the owner, developer and architect for the Starter Home 2.0 project my task is to decide what to build, where to build it, how it will be built and who will build it. I am also responsible for developing the drawings and specifications that will be used to build the house.

Legal Counsel | Strauss Troy: Going through the process of purchasing a lot to build a home on for the first time, I wanted to have an attorney review the purchase contract supplied by the seller's Realtor to ensure the proper safeguards were in place should I discover anything during the inspection period that would prohibit me from building a house on the site. I ended up choosing Strauss Troy to review the contract based on a connection I had with one of the partners at the firm, Frank Klaine, who was on the Cincinnati Housing Partners Board, when I was there as an assistant construction manager there in 2010-2011.

Geotechnical Engineer | Alt & Witzig Engineering: During the 30-day inspection period I had after signing the purchase contract, I hired a geotechnical engineer dig test pits around the property and prepare a subsurface report outlining the soil conditions and recommending a foundation type based on the soils found on-site. 

Title Company | Security Title & Guaranty Agency: A sister company of Strauss Troy, Security Title & Guaranty Agency was brought onto the project team to ensure that the property had good title, prepare all the documents needed for the transfer of ownership, and conduct the closing on the property. 

Lawn Service | Exterior Property Management: My cousin has a small landscaping business and I decided to hire him to maintain the lot and keep it looking nice so it doesn't become a blight on the neighborhood like a lot of vacant lots.

Surveyor | Greg Koopman: The City of Cincinnati requires plot plans prepared by a licensed surveyor before issuing any building permits so I went to Angie's List and did a search for recommended land surveyor's in the area. Greg Koopman was far and away the most highly rated on the site, so I decided to reach out to Greg for his services.

Site Clearing | AJ's Tree Service: When a large tree limb fell on my property this past fall that I needed to get removed, I made the decision to go ahead and clear the entire site so that it was 'construction ready.' I once again went to Angie's List to look for tree removal companies and one of the things that stood out to me about AJ's Tree Service, was that they had the capacity to not only service trees, but perform additional landscaping tasks that weren't offered by the other tree service companies I talked to.

Builder | Mike Brown Construction: The most important thing for me in selecting a builder for the Starter Home 2.0 project was finding someone I could trust. Trust that they would build a quality home at a fair price, trust that they would be someone I could learn from and have fun working with, and trust that they would have my best interest in mind throughout the project. I am confident Mike Brown Construction is just that and look forward to working with them over the next several months as we see this project through completion.

Lender | Guardian Savings Bank: I was referred to Greg Capannari at Guardian Savings bank by Mike Brown construction as someone who they have had a lot of success working with in the past. In comparing Guardian Savings Bank with the other lenders I was considering, Guardian had more experience in new home construction lending and lower rates than anyone. Combine this with the successful relationship they already had in place with my builder, it just made sense to utilize them to finance the Starter Home 2.0 project.

As you can see, just getting a project to the point where it is ready to break ground is quite a team effort with a collection of different professions and personalities involved. I have learned a lot from each individual I have dealt with and look forward to continuing to grow my network as the construction process gets underway in a few weeks.



Saturday, February 21, 2015

PLOT PLAN UPDATE

Plot Plan Modification

As I mentioned in a previous blog post on plan review comments, the City of Cincinnati Fire Division has required me to revise the plot plan to indicate the location of the nearest fire hydrant on the drawing in order to prove that the building structure is within 400 feet of a public hydrant. A few days ago I received an updated plot plan from my surveyor showing exactly that, so I am hoping now that the Fire Division has this new information, they will approve the plot plan so I can focus my attention on addressing some of the other plan review comments that have since come in from other divisions.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

SH2.0 PRESENTATION

Starter Home 2.0 VISION Presentation

This Friday as part of the AIA VISION program I am involved with, this year's candidates have been tasked with making an 11x17 poster of a project they have worked on that they will be presenting to the group for feedback. Among those in attendance will be a professional presentation coach, who will evaluate the candidates' presentation skills and offer up suggestions for improvement. I have chosen to present the Starter Home 2.0 project and below is the updated 11x17 poster I will be presenting.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

DEVELOPMENT NEWS

Pleasant Ridge Neighborhood Development Plans

On the heels of the news of Nine Giant Brewery moving to the Pleasant Ridge Business District this summer, UrbanCincy.com posted another article titled, 'Pleasant Ridge Neighborhood Leaders Hoping to Build on Current Momentum' outlining some bigger picture plans for the neighborhood with several proposed developments that include modifications to Parkview Avenue that would position the Starter Home 2.0 projects to be one of the most walkable single family residences in the city. The plans and renderings in the article date back all the way to 2007 prior to the recession, but it seems like some momentum is starting to build to make this happen, which has a lot of people in the area excited.


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

VANITIES

Bathroom Vanity Options

A couple weekends ago I started the process of gathering information on selections, finishes and appliances for the Starter Home 2.0 project with bathroom vanities being among the many items I looked at. While visiting IKEA, Home Depot and Lowe's I took numerous pictures of vanities that caught my attention as being possible fits for the project and posted a few of them below (I'm a big fan of the black base/white top combo if you couldn't tell). I have since been referred to local suppliers with additional selections at lower prices that I will be contacting and visiting in the upcoming weeks, but it was helpful to get a feel for what all was available. 










Monday, February 16, 2015

END OF STARTER HOMES?

Is the new starter home on a fast path to extinction?

A recent article in Builder Magazine titled 'The Rise and Fall of the Entry-Level Home: Is the lowest tiered new-home on a fast path to extinction?' Poses the question, is the new "starter" home history? 

Reminiscing of the past when Entry-level was the "there" that many people worked and worried and dreamed of getting. The article points to new entry-level, starter homes being so scarce right now, that if not extinct, they are at least an endangered species, with three big forces making this a plausible idea, Lots, Fees and Preference.

Lots: The lots that have sold and been brought into service during the first part of the recovery in the past 30 months or so have mostly been finished lots of "A" quality, with relatively little attention being paid to B and C and D lots that need development and marketing. 

Fees: Sticker shock for would-be new, starter home buyers comes from local entitlement and permit fees that effectively "ward off" entry-level neighborhoods from already established communities. Fees and charges that get baked into the price of a new home can add 20% to 25% of the cost of a new home, all in the name of underwriting new infrastructure and schools and expanded support services.

Preference: Many of today's typical "entry-level" candidates don't want an "entry-level" or "starter" home. They've waited longer to form households, pay down student debt, hook up with significant others, and amass their "ability to repay" profile, and now they're not going to settle for a mere deed that gets them a ticket out of monthly rental payments.


Builder Magazine wraps up the article suggesting that millennials' that wait for homeownership may fundamentally change what the first-time buy is all about. They may not—in a general way—ascribe to typical "starter" home purchase as a stepping stone toward a more permanent family residence. Concluding the starter home may, in fact, be dead.

Starter Home 2.0 Takeaway: Comparing the new entry-level starter home mentioned in the article to the Starter Home 2.0 is like comparing apples and oranges. The big 3 forces driving the downfall of traditional new starter homes, are of no consequence to the success of the Starter Home 2.0 project. The scattered site infill lots on which Starter Home 2.0 projects are built require no new infrastructure development to be brought into service, which means no unnecessary fees and no unnecessary charges. Starter Home 2.0 projects are also designed to accommodate the preferences of a family looking to go beyond a stepping stone house, towards a more permanent family residence with the amount of beds, baths and usable living space provided. So don't let the name full you, the Starter Home 2.0 project has all the sustainable drivers be thriving, not dying in the years to come. 





Sunday, February 15, 2015

PERMIT COMMENTS

Plot Plan Modification


Oftentimes in the permit review process for projects, the plans reviewer will require revisions to the drawings prior to issuing permit. This was the case this past week when I received a call from Mike Brown Construction that the city is requiring the plot plan produced by the surveyor to indicate the nearest fire hydrant to the property. I called the surveyor to make the plan revision, so I'm hoping to get an updated drawing in the next few days to pass along for approval. An explanation of this requirement can be found on the City of Cincinnati ez-Track online permit center website. I don't really see why showing the hydrant should be a plot plan requirement, but it speaks to the point that in order to be successful architect, developer and/or construction manager, you need to recognize there are always going to be unexpected problems that pop up during the building process and be willing and able to make the necessary plan and schedule modifications to keep the project moving.

Friday, February 13, 2015

FILL IN THAT FITS IN

A Modern House in Toronto Finds Common Ground

I came across a really interesting article in Custom Home Magazine recently about an infill project in the Moore Park neighborhood of Toronto surrounded by 1920's era homes, very similar to the context of the Starter Home 2.0 project. The challenge being to design a contemporary home that plays nice with its neighbors and leaves the urban fabric stronger than they found it. I believe the Moore Park project does exactly that and it is great to read about the architect's design approach. Here is a link to the full article as well as a slideshow of the home.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

PORCH SELECTIONS

Porch Decking and Railing

While at McCabe Lumber this past weekend, one set of selections I was able to evaluate was the porch railing/decking combination. The two schemes that were taken into consideration were the black railing/grey decking combo and the bronze railing/brown decking combo. In the end, the black and grey combo was agreed upon by the sales team at McCabe and myself as the most desirable look. The image below shows the Black Fortress Railing and TimberTech Silver Maple Decking along with Hardiboard Monterey Tuape siding.


Wednesday, February 11, 2015

UPDATED RENDERINGS

Updated Interior Renderings

Following up on yesterday's blog post about the interior railing modifications, I have posted some updated renderings featuring the new railing style.




Tuesday, February 10, 2015

INTERIOR RAILINGS

Wood and Iron Railings

One of the selections I focused on while visiting different suppliers this past weekend was interior hand/stair railings. After initially considering cable railing systems (which were too expensive), and aluminum railing kits (which were to cold and commercial looking), I landed on a combination of a wood railing with iron balusters, which will be used for the main interior stair and the second floor hall. I feel that this solution is warm, yet contemporary, and it the most cost effective of all the options. Below are some images that show this particular railing system.



Monday, February 9, 2015

IKEA VISIT

Furnishing Options

While in the West Chester, OH area on Saturday, I stopped by IKEA to explore some furniture options for the Starter Home 2.0 project. It will be a while before any furniture purchases will need to be made, but it was helpful to get some ideas. Below are some pictures of different furnishings, finishes, and layouts that I found interesting.







Sunday, February 8, 2015

FLOOR SELECTIONS

Wood Flooring Options

This weekend I made trips to McCabe Lumber, Lumber Liquidators, IKEA, Floor & Decor, Home Depot, and Lowe's to start the selections process for the Starter Home 2.0 project. I looked at everything from railings, to appliances, flooring, to cabinets and countertops with the intention of trying to narrow down the potential selections to a few options for each. With regards to flooring for the first floor, my primary options at this point are 'Select' grade Maple and Red Oak, which has a much more consistent look than the 'Natural' grade Maple and Red Oak floors that allow for a large range of variation between boards and more imperfections in the wood. The images below show the difference in variation between the two grades with 'Select' in the top image and the 'Natural' in the bottom images (please note the color/tone of the images are significantly off due to the flash). Whether the 3/8" engineered wood floor or 3/4" solid wood floor will be selected, will be determined by price and the material selected will also be used as the stair tread material.

'Select' Grade Maple (left) and 'Select' Grade Red Oak (right)

'Natural' Grade Maple

'Natural' Grade Red Oak

A secondary option I am considering is bamboo, which has a consistent look at an affordable price point, but I am going to need to run that by Mike Brown Construction to see what the pros and cons of bamboo flooring are.

Bamboo






Friday, February 6, 2015

DESIGN LAB #2

Design LAB Class Visit #2

Yesterday I made my second trip to Nativity Catholic School in Pleasant Ridge to visit the 1st Grade Class I am working with for this year's Design LAB project, themed 'Dwelling'. We started the session by brainstorming about the different spaces of a home and what is needed in rooms such as the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The second activity involved a survey of their school building (shown below next to the church) for which we talked about the building's form, materials, surroundings and usage. To keep things fun, I made use the classroom smart board by drawing pictures of all the kids' responses, which got them really excited and kept their attentions for the hour I was there, which isn't always easy when dealing with a class full of six year olds. I look forward to going back again in two weeks and seeing how the students progress with their projects. 

Thursday, February 5, 2015

THROWBACK THURSDAY

2008-2009 UC Habitat for Humanity Project

As a student with previous involvement on UC Habitat for Humanity projects and having just completed a co-op where I was a sustainability consultant on Brad Pitt's Make it Right Project in New Orleans, I saw a great opportunity to integrate some affordable green building strategies into UC's Habitat for Humanity program and decided to make a presentation to some of the different stakeholders involved stating my case. They were very much on board with the idea and it led to a scholarship and GA position where I helped oversee the design and construction of UC's first ADA accessible, student designed, Habitat for Humanity project incorporating affordable green building strategies such as passive solar design, natural ventilation, and daylighting. Below are some images of the project completed during the 2008-2009 school year.



Wednesday, February 4, 2015

WALKTHROUGH VIDEO

Revit Walkthrough #1

Below is my first attempt at creating a walkthrough video in Revit, so I apologize in advance for the poor resolution and if it makes anyone nauseous. I plan on posting some higher quality versions in the near future once I've had a chance to become more familiar with all the settings and features available.




Tuesday, February 3, 2015

HABITAT PROTOTYPE

Kansas City Habitat for Humanity House

Architects and architecture schools often get involved with Habitat for Humanity projects and the results are somewhat a mixed bag in terms of the overall success of the projects. I know from past experiences that there can be a lot a of personal, political and institutional hurdles that come into play when straying away from Habitat's standard set of plans (not to mention the fact that volunteers need to actually be able to build the design), so it's great to see successful collaborations like the one between El Dorado and Heartland Habitat featured in this article from 'Architect' Magazine. I think it also does a good job of playing well with the surrounding neighborhood, which I'm a big proponent of.



Monday, February 2, 2015

20 KITCHENS

20 Most Popular Kitchens on Houzz

With construction set to start on the Starter Home 2.0 in less than a month, one of the current tasks at hand is making selections for the kitchen cabinets, counter tops and appliances. I recently came across an article on Houzz.com highlighting their 20 Most Popular Kitchens, so I thought I would see how they compare to what I had in mind for my project. One design that caught my attention as being very similar to what I am envisioning is #16 (shown below),which is a 1920's era home remodel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with the dark cabinets and light counters. 

Sunday, February 1, 2015

ENERGY TRUSSES

Raised Heel Roof Trusses

One of the greatest sources of heat loss in many homes is through the roof, where gaps in insulation due to lack of coverage, especially at the eaves provide opportunities for heat to escape the building envelope. Not only does this cause heating bills to rise for the homeowner, but it also can result in ice damming, which has the potential to cause significant water damage in a home (see diagram below). To combat this problem, the Starter Home 2.0 project makes use of 'Energy Heel' or 'Raised Heel' roof trusses, which provide additional room for insulation at the roof eaves as well as space for air to flow above the roof insulation, which is a key factor in combating ice damming, moisture problems, and high heating bills.