Builder - August 2008 - (Page 19)

BMAIL A Call for Change a relief to finally F inally! Whatmagazine really admit see Builder that the building industry must reassess the way they do business. I joined our local builders association about 10 years ago and regularly suggested that we as an industry can’t just continue to charge ahead building, building, and building, with no regard to the future. The organization claimed it was their right to build, regardless of the consequences. The local organization is constantly ﬁghting with municipalities, towns, and villages on zoning issues that are clearly for the reasonable protection of the environment and appropriate use of the land. “Fill in the wetlands,” “build a bigger house,” “sell for bigger dollars” with little, if any, increase in the actual quality of the home. Too much ego, not enough common sense. NAME WITHHELD UPON REQUEST Responding to Market Demand and I received my I just amazed. Has aJuly edition was builder publication been taken over by radical environmentalists? Although some mentions were made about today’s reality for builders, most of the magazine was one-sided and blaming the builders. A few successful projects were mentioned, but not one project where the developer tried to go green and paid a heavy price because the public would not buy into it. Capitalism: responding to the demands of the market and meeting those demands proﬁtably. Some farmers went organic because they were convinced by the media that the market was demanding it. Many of them went broke; I know a few. If builders go green and the market is not accepting (which in most areas, it is not) those builders will go (and are going) broke. The rest of you may say, “Well, that’s just part of the transformation that we have to go through,” but I insist that there are real people and real families behind those companies that must take care of their families. Don’t misunderstand, I am all for green building. I just don’t want the propaganda to try to push me into it. Get the public at large to buy into it and we’ll all respond to that demand. As for me, I will not sacriﬁce my family at the altar of environmentalism. That’s especially true when we cannot ﬁ nd one solid shred of evidence that global warming is being caused by mankind. DWAYNE EDDE LP® SmartSide® Trim President Seven Springs Development Powder Springs, Ga. Via e-mail The Smart Way To Finish Every Home Made with engineered wood, LP® SmartSide® Trim delivers the beautiful look of cedar in consistent boards that contain no knots or voids. Thanks to our proprietary SmartGuard® process, LP SmartSide Trim products resist fungal decay and termite damage. Plus, they’re silica-free and pre-primed for easy painting. And a variety of lengths, widths and thicknesses means you have all the options you need to finish any home in style. Right-sizing understand. Builder magazine I don’tout an interesting issue talking puts about the future of home building and energy reduction. But then, in the very same issue, out of the 20 new home plans, 15 are more than the average of 2,500 square feet and eight are more than 3,500 square feet. Do you not believe in your own information? Maybe it still comes down to money; get green on the cover, stay big in the back. DONALD KOOP Owner Bearing Point Builders Kalamazoo, Mich. Via e-mail DO YOU HAVE A COMMENT OR QUESTION? E-M AIL DENISE DERSIN AT: ddersin@hanley wood.com LPCorp.com/now | Circle 406 or http://builder.hotims.com W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM © 2008 Louisiana-Pacific Corporation. All rights reserved. SmartGuard is a registered trademark of Louisiana-Pacific Corporation and S-T-N Holdings, Inc. All other trademarks owned by Louisiana-Pacific Corporation. http://LPCorp.com/now http://LPCorp.com/now http://builder.hotims.com http://www.builderonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Builder - August 2008

Builder - August 2008 Contents Editor’s Notes Bmail Book It Inside Story Success Stories Top Shelf Green House Sales Strategies Products Digital Home National Beat Seiders' Economy Trade Secrets: Staying Afloat Sign of the Times Missing Links Ad Index Last Word

Builder - August 2008

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