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The benefits of modular construction become more pronounced when attempting to build high-quality homes, year-round, at elevations between 3,000' and 4,900'. At these elevations, weather can be a formidable opponent. Hauling maximum legal-size modular units a mile-and-a-half up both lanes of a windy road with grades in excess of 15% and curves with radii less than 55' may unsettle many land developers. But for the development team at Mountain Air (Burnsville, NC), it’s all in a day’s work.

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Vermont native Chris Nichols’ background was varied before he turned to new home construction, renovation and remodeling. “I got into the business a bit by default. After college, I moved to Wyoming to work as a carpenter for a few years. Then when I moved back to Vermont, I sold real estate for five years. I started renovating specs on the side when business was slow. Finally I decided I had to make a choice,” recalls Nichols. “Was I going to be one of those carpenter-contractors wearing a belt… Continue

The Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) recently announced the winners of the sixth annual Building Excellence Awards. The awards competition recognizes green homes and commercial buildings constructed with structural insulated panels (SIPs).


To be eligible, all entries used energy-efficient SIPs for a minimum of 50% of the building envelope. SIPs are used to provide a well-insulated building envelope for a variety of different applications in the competition’s entry categories:… Continue

Jumping into log home construction requires different tools and 
special preparation.


With this slowdown, let’s say you’ve decided to go after a niche market. To your surprise, it is working and you’ve lined up a client who wants a log home. What kind of tools and preparation will you need for this new kind or project?


For answers we turned to Dan Mitchell, award-winning log home builder and owner of Eagle CDI (short for Contracting, Developing, with Integrity) in Seymour, TN. Fo… Continue

Because of the tightened lending, mounting foreclosures and falling prices in many areas, the single-family housing market continues to weaken. According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s midyear forecast, 2008 will see the single-family market decline 28% in dollar volume and 31% in dwelling units from the previous year—a steeper drop than what occurred in 2007 over 2006.

The good news? Commercial and multi- family building witnessed further expansion in 2006 and 2007, which carried over into the… Continue