Salim Khalil, CGP

SALIM I. KHALIL AWARDED

CERTIFIED GREEN PROFESSIONAL (CGP) DESIGNATION

Lexington SC, October 1, 2008 - Salim I. Khalil of Master Plan Homes Inc. recently became one of the select group of professional builders nationwide who have earned the Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation, identifying him as someone with knowledge of the best strategies for incorporating green building principals into homes.

The CGP program is administered by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) University of Housing and sponsored locally by the Greater Columbia Home Builders Association.

The CGP curriculum incorporates training by leading building industry practitioners and academics on a range of topics, including strategies for incorporating green-building principles into homes using cost-effective methods of construction, and how green homes provide buyers with lower maintenance and good indoor air quality. Techniques are also discussed for competitively differentiating your home products with increased indoor environmental quality as well as energy and resource efficiency.

Green Building for Building Professionals

A few months ago I mentioned that I attended a green home seminar at the Home & Garden Show. Last week I was able to further my green building education by attending the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) University "Green Building for Building Professionals".

The course was offered here in Columbia through our local Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia and was attended by both local and out-of-state professionals in the home building industry.

The instructor for the course was Tom Stephani of Custom Construction Concepts Inc. of Crystal Lake, IL.



The main topics of the course included building science principles, site development and design, building envelope and durability, resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water efficiency, indoor air quality, remodeling considerations, effective operation and homeowner education, & marketing and selling green. Each of these topics was discussed in detail. Here are a few highlights I noted:

• The "whole house" approach means every system must be considered in relation to every other system in a house to build an efficient, more comfortable, safer, and more sustainable home.


• Energy efficiency is one of the biggest components of green homes under the NAHB Green Home Building Guidelines. A third-party review plan is required during construction to verify design and compliance of the energy efficiency guidelines.


• The typical household spends over $1,500 per year on energy bills. ENERGY STAR appliances can help homeowners save up to 30%.

And speaking of ENERGY STAR, a few stats:

1. ENERGY STAR clothes washers use 50% less energy
2. ENERGY STAR does not label clothes dryers because most dryers use similar amounts of energy.
3. ENERGY STAR refrigerators use at least 20% less energy than required by current federal standards and 40% less energy than conventional models sold in 2001.
4. ENERGY STAR freezers use at least 20% less energy than required by current federal standards.
5. ENERGY STAR dishwashers use 25% less energy

Hosted by the Green Building Council of the Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia, the Green Building course provided me with another level of compentence within this growing field of the building industry.

You can contact me at 803-260-7546 or by email to find out more about green building in the Columbia & Lexington areas of South Carolina.

.

Building Your Home Green

Today is St. Patrick's Day, a day that is synonymous with green. We wear green today to avoid being pinched for some reason... St. Patrick himself used a green three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish of his time.

What does that have to do with building a green home? Nothing. But I had to mention it considering today is St. Patrick's Day.

I did go to the "Build Your New Home Green" seminar this past Friday at the Home & Garden Show. This seminar was presented by Michael Strong of Brothers Strong, Inc. and GreenHaus Builders, Inc. from Houston, Texas. He is a Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR), Graduate Master Builder (GMB), and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS).

The two gentlemen seated behind him in this picture are Mark Bostic of Square One Design Service and Joseph Gilmore of Gilmore Consulting Services.

During this seminar, Mr. Strong facilitated a conversation about how green home construction is defined. At the meeting were homeowners interested in building green, homeowners interested in remodeling green, and a couple of builders including myself. Topics included site placement, reducing landfill waste during construction, radiant barrier sheathing, insulation, more efficient hvac systems, dual flush toilets, non-potable rainwater systems, tankless water heaters, buying material within a 500 mile radius to reduce greenhouse gases, low-VOC paint, solar energy, etc.

Mr. Strong pointed out that the system in place in Houston is very similiar to the Build Green Greater Columbia system. The program is based on the NAHB Green Home Guidelines which uses a checklist with points assigned to different areas. Some homes can be "greener" than others so there is a Bronze, Silver, and Gold designation based on the total number of points. Strong also pointed out that homeowners in Houston realize building green could cost them more upfront, but they will also save on utility bills for the life of the home - not to mention they will be making a more positive impact on their environment.

Green homes are becoming more talked about - and they are being built right here in South Carolina. Just yesterday, Megan Sexton of The State paper wrote an article titled "A Green Dream" about a new green home in the Lowcountry. This home is the first green home built by HGTV and it achieved a Gold certification. Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, even created a Dilbert strip just for the Green Home!

You can learn all about this Green Home on HGTV's Green Home web site. A one hour special on the home will also be aired on HGTV at these times:

• March 23, 2008 9:00 PM ET/PT
• March 24, 2008 1:00 AM ET/PT
• April 04, 2008 10:00 AM ET/PT
• April 06, 2008 5:00 PM ET/PT
• April 22, 2008 10:00 AM ET/PT
• May 04, 2008 5:00 PM ET/PT

We'll keep learning more about green home construction and we'll be ready to build a green home for you when you're ready.

.

2008 Carolina Classic Home & Garden Show

The 2008 Carolina Classic Home & Garden Show is March 14-16 at the State Fairgrounds. This annual show (the 42nd one) is a great way to learn more about home building, remodeling, and gardening. There are over 300 exhibitors planned to be at the show along with a number of seminars offered throughout the weekend.




One of the big topics at the show will be Green residential construction.

Tickets are available at the gate for $5 per person - children 12 and under get in free. Friday the 14th is "2 for 1 Admission" day.

Show Hours:
Friday, March 14 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 15 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 16 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Maybe we'll see you there!

.

The Truth about the Housing and Building Market

We've heard a lot about the housing market and new construction from the media. Much of what we've heard may be true in certain areas of the country, but each market is uniquie. The Columbia/Lexington area does appear to have slowed down, but it is not at a stand still. At Master Plan Homes Inc., we recently started on a new custom home in Lexington and we are working with another individual who is ready to build in Columbia.

The Home Builders Association of Greater Columbia's Buy Now Build Now web site offers a few "myth busters" that I would like to share.

Myth 1: The Sky is Falling.

If the truth be told, housing has always been a very cyclical business. In the mid-1970s and early 1980s and 1990s, housing production and sales dropped by more than 60 percent in a matter of months. During those cycles, we confronted and overcame many of the same problems we face today – large numbers of unsold homes, skeptical and reluctant consumers, tight credit markets and shortages of money for certain borrowers, declining home values, and prospective buyers who had difficulty selling their existing homes. The important thing to remember is that over time the market corrected and we rebounded to production and sales levels that beat or matched the records of the previous cycle. The message is that housing is a very tough and resilient industry. We will be back – stronger and better than before.

Myth 2: There’s No Mortgage Money.

If you believed the headlines or the endless drum beat about subprime lending on cable television news, you would think that the pot of mortgage money has dried up completely. Nonsense! The vast majority of our buyers are seeking conventional, conforming mortgages at or below $417,000. These loans are purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and have the implicit guarantee of the federal government. While underwriting standards may be tighter for all loans, credit-worthy home buyers should have no problems in finding conventional, conforming mortgages at very attractive rates – slightly above 6 percent for fixed rate, 30-year loans. And with the latest moves by the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and increase liquidity, the availability of money for jumbo loans has also improved for credit-worthy borrowers, although rates on those loans are about one percentage point above conforming loan rates and down payment requirements are higher. Nonetheless, getting the word out that mortgage money is available at a very attractive price for credit-worthy borrowers is critical to boosting consumer confidence and traffic of prospective customers.

Myth 3: Foreclosure Rates Are Skyrocketing.

While foreclosure rates have increased in the past year, almost all American home owners are making their mortgage payments on time and are in no danger of losing their homes. Most foreclosures are concentrated in the once super-heated markets in California, Florida, Arizona and Nevada, and the upper Midwest states of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, which have been hit hard by job losses, plant closings and depressed local economies. In fact, in 34 states the foreclosure rate actually declined last month. We are concerned about the two million subprime loans that are due to reset over the next two years. That’s a major problem that needs to be dealt with. But it’s important to remember that 37 percent of all single-family homes are owned debt free – without any mortgage – and home owners nationwide have built up more than $11 trillion in equity that provides a good cushion against any decline in values. In addition, 97 percent of prime borrowers – the bulk of the market – are up-to-date on their mortgage payments. Also, a high number of defaults on loans to date have been among speculators or investors who were looking for quick profits and subsequently walked away from their investments when the housing market cooled.

Myth 4: Home Values Are in a Free-Fall with No Bottom in Sight.

Except for about 30 or so high-flying metro markets where home values doubled in four or five years, the correction in home values has been relatively modest. Over time, home values will stabilize and then edge upward with the next recovery. To argue that home values will continue to decline and will never recover, someone has to make a convincing argument that it will cost less to build a new home five years from now than it does today. That’s not going to happen.

.