Builder - December 2008 - (Page 7) V O L U M E 3 1 I S S U E 1 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 60 F E AT U R E S No Stone Unturned As new-home starts and sales continue to shrink, home building companies are scouring the countryside for new opportunities in commercial construction and remodeling. Though builders traditionally do not cross the line into the very different paradigm of commercial work and the smaller scale and tighter margins of remodeling jobs, many builders are now looking at these options as not only a lifeline in a cash-strapped market, but also as a long-term diversification plan. With the future of home building still in turmoil, this may be just the right time for a new business model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60 66 74 Manifest Density Everything about today’s housing market cries out for attached homes. Whether your goal is to get more use out of a difficult plot of land, cater to a downsizing boomer wave, put your homes within reach of entry-level buyers, or go green, the answer lies in replacing sprawl with small. But the success of space-restricted projects relies on design that makes the most of every inch. We found four projects designed so thoughtfully they can squeeze into a tight spot without their buyers ever missing the square footage of a detached home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Only Game in Town The FHA has been in operation for close to a century, relied upon by lenders and home buyers as a prudent choice. But when the boom hit, home prices skyrocketed, FHA loans looked less attractive, and many borrowers opted for riskier mortgages requiring less documentation and lower initial payments. Clearly, times have changed. FHA’s market share has risen sharply as its policies have become more competitive and other mortgage options have disappeared. But its quick growth has left critics wondering if we’re just inflating another bubble to be popped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Volume 31, number 14. BUILDER (IS SN 074 4 -1193; USP S 3 70-600) is published 14 times per year: monthly in Jan., Feb., May, June, July, Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., and Dec. and semimonthly in March and A pril by Hanley Wood, LLC, One T homas Circle, N.W., Suite 600, Washing ton, D.C. 20005, for the National Association of Home Builders and printed in the US A . Copyrig ht 2008 by Hanley Wood, LLC. A ll rig hts reser ved. Opinions ex pressed are those of the authors or persons quoted and not necessarily those of the N A HB. Reproduction in whole or in par t prohibited without writ ten authorization. Sing le-copy price: $12.00 (except House Plans issues, which are $12.95). Periodicals postage paid at Washing ton, D.C., and at additional mailing of fices. Pos tmas ter: Send address changes to BUILDER, P.O. Box 3532, Nor thbrook, IL 60065-3532. Member: Business Publications Audit, A merican Business Media. W W W.BUILDERONLINE.COM de c e m ber 2 0 08 BUILDER ■ 7 http://WWW.BUILDERONLINE.COM
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.