Ask the Builder Q: How do draw schedules work? A: Lenders don’t want to pay for work that isn’t done yet. If it’s a big job and the contractor can’t complete it for some reason, the lending company will want to protect itself. Most lenders require that construction loans include a draw schedule that ensures […]
Category Archives: Designer Builders
Ask the Builder Q: What is the difference between pre- and post-consumer recycled content? A: An increasing number of building materials, such as flooring, contain some amount of recycled (instead of “virgin”) content. Pre-consumer content is material that is recovered from a manufacturing process, such as sawdust from a lumber mill; post-consumer content is material […]
Ask the Builder Q: What is an escalation clause? A: This is where the customer agrees to pay for product price increases that happen between contract signing and the start of construction. Escalation clauses tend to appear when there’s high price volatility for a given building material (such as lumber). The decision to sign or […]
Ask the Builder: Q: What does housewrap do? A: The housewrap, or weather-resistant barrier (WRB), is applied to the wall sheathing before the doors, windows, and siding are installed. It acts as a secondary line of defense if any water gets behind the siding, while also keeping unwanted drafts out of the home. But while […]
Social distancing—a term you can bet will be added to Webster’s next year and a concept that has abruptly altered behaviors. Our good friend ended up in tears after a quick trip to the grocery store. She described normally friendly, warm exchanges had been replaced with masked faces unwilling to make eye contact or even […]
It would be hard to argue against the fact that the process of homebuilding unites people of all backgrounds, ages, and gender. Businesses that do not evolve with new technologies or do not produce a quality product, usually do not last. Todd recognizes businesses today must have a user-friendly, modern website and an engaging social […]