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Waters of the United States

Once again we need your help to reverse the onerous “waters of the U.S” rule that was recently finalized by the EPA and Army Corps (the agencies). You were instrumental in the passage of H.R. 1732 in the House of Representatives in May, and again we need you to help pass companion legislation in the Senate, S. 1140. Please ask your senators to pass S. 1140, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act, sponsored by Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and Senator Joe Donnelly (D-IN).

The agencies finalized expansion of the Clean Water Act (CWA) will interfere with the ability of individual landowners to use their property and negatively impacts economic growth. The rule will dramatically increase the cost and time needed to obtain a wetlands permit prior to home construction, which will greatly impact the fledgling housing recovery.

  1. 1140, will force the agencies to withdraw the final rule, address many procedural flaws associated with the rule and re-propose a rule that incorporates sound science and important stakeholder input.

For more information on S. 1140, please review these talking points.

Call to Action

  • Write or call your senators
  • If you are a member of NAHB, call – (866) 924-NAHB (6242)
  • Urge your senators to PASS S. 1140, the Federal Water Quality Protection Act

Posted in: building, environmental issues, EPA, land development, pending legislation, Waters of the United States

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Five Ways to Implement Universal Design in Your Home

Whether you’re raising a young family or beginning to enjoy an empty nest, the design of your home should meet your changing needs. Families looking to customize their homes to suit their lifestyles both now and in the future can easily implement universal design techniques.

Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design at a later point in time. Universal design enhances traditional design by incorporating elements that offer comfort, convenience and ease of use.

Multigenerational families and first-time home owners alike will appreciate the often simple and inexpensive changes that make homes livable for all household members, regardless of age or ability. Homes with universal design are more user-friendly, require lower maintenance and complement an easy-living lifestyle.

Here are five ways to implement universal design in your home:

  1. Widen your doorways and hallways to accommodate strollers or relatives who might use a wheelchair. This allows everyone and everything to move more easily in and out of the house, and from room to room. Experts recommend 36-inch wide doors and 42-inch wide halls and stairways.
  2. Build a stepless porch entry that will increase access and convenience without compromising aesthetics.
  3. Install non-slip surfaces on floors and bathtubs to help everyone stay sturdy on their feet
  4. Install handrails on steps and grab bars in bathrooms to provide more support for household members of all ages. 
  5. Use lever door handles. This easy-grip hardware allows family members and guests to more effortlessly open and close doors. Plus, you can switch out your faucet and drawer handles with C-shape or D-shape hardware for even greater ease of use.

Home building and remodeling professionals who have earned the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS), Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR) or Graduate Master Remodeler (GMR) designations have received training on how to build or renovate a home so that the occupants can live in the home safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of their age or ability level. They have been taught the strategies and techniques for designing and building aesthetically pleasing, barrier-free living environments.  Chuck Miller is a Graduate Master Builder (GMB). a Certified Graduate Remodeler (CGR), and a Certified Aging-In-Place Specialist (CAPS).

You can find more information on Universal Design and Aging-In-Place, including our video “Make You House a Home for a Lifetime”, on the Aging-In-Place page on our website.

Contact us at (208) 229-2553 or by emailing chuck@chuckmillerconstruction.com to schedule a preliminary design consultation to discuss your project.

Posted in: Aging-In-Place, Remodeling, Universal Design

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Millennial Home Buyers’ Priorities

A recent survey of 503 Millennials (people ages 25 to 34 including 203 current homeowners and 300 individuals who plan to buy a house within 12 months) reveals that Millennial home buyers are interested in maximizing space and affordability while maintaining a level of community found in urban environments, and capitalizing on opportunities to customize and personalize their homes.

More than half of survey respondents (53%) are eager for a suburban lifestyle, and millennials are four times more likely to opt for more space over living in a populated community. However, urban benefits of being within walking distance to parks, grocery stores, schools, and work were high priorities for respondents.

Millennials named “desire to have outdoor space” the most important reason to purchase a home – more important than both financial and emotional readiness for homeownership.

Millennial homeowners are mostly focusing on purchasing a home as their primary residence. But millennials are a demographic that’s dealing with more diverse living situations than previous generations. While many millennials will choose to start families, we also know from Census data that single-adult households are on the rise. Meanwhile, millennials’ retiring parents could add another twist to the question of household composition—especially if those grandchildren come along. So, millennials are looking for flexible living spaces, and 71% say the ability to customize a new home is somewhat or very important. Nearly 4 out of 5 respondents (78%) said a children’s play space was important or a must-have in their home design, and 74% said the same when asked about having a separate living suite. Other flex spaces, including finished basements and office areas, also ranked high in importance, but more respondents were willing to compromise on those spaces.

A full 75% of respondents said they’re looking to purchase a home because they’re tired of renting, and 84% said they feel “financially ready” to purchase a home. The same amount said they’re interesting building personal financial equity through a home purchase. In order to achieve the level of flexibility and location amenities they’re looking for, millennial home buyers plan to spend about a fifth of their budgets on renovations and customizations.

Are you a Millennial considering buying a house? What are your priorities?

Posted in: building, home buyers, homeownership, Millennial Home Buyers, real estate

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Buying a Home Now Could Save You Over $200,000

According to

Realtor.com’s Chief Economist, Jonathan Smoke

, buying a home now could save you more than $200,000 over the next 30 years.

But buying a home costs money – the down payment, the monthly mortgage payment, the taxes, the insurance, and the maintenance. It enough to make you put off the house hunt and sign that yearlong lease with your landlord even though he upped your rent 25% and will likely do the same next year. But even with all of those costs, you still stand to save more than $200,000 over the next 30 years if you buy right now.

At a national level, the 30-year financial benefit of owning today is $217,726. Conversely, there is a financial penalty—for every single day you pay your landlord instead of your mortgage company. Waiting just one year and and you’re losing out on an estimated $18,672 in savings. Delay for three years, and that figure jumps to $54,879.

The penalties are so high because mortgage rates are forecast to increase and because home prices are rising quickly. The economist figures don’t take into account the qualitative advantages of home ownership which many potential home buyers would argue are equally, if not more, important when deciding whether to take the plunge – advantages such as more control over your living situation, flexibility with pets, and, generally, more options

“We’re at a critical juncture: Rents, home prices, and mortgage rates are all expected to rise significantly over the next several years,” Smoke says. “That means the cost of delaying homeownership will go up even more sharply, if you wait three years or even one. It’s much like the decision to start contributing to a 401(k). Delay contributing, and you lose out on the compounding returns.”
Smoke and his team even stacked the deck against owning. For instance, they assumed that any money saved by renters would be invested, and that the investment would enjoy a compound annual growth rate of 5% – consistent with conservative long-term expected market returns. But how many renters are actually saving and investing?

Nationally, it’s currently cheaper to buy than to rent, home prices are expected to appreciate, and, while renting is subject to inflation, homeownership costs are locked.
Strong economic drivers such as job growth, population growth, and household growth in your local market cause both rent and home prices to skyrocket driving the savings even higher.

In order to realize a positive financial benefit from buying a house, owners have to wait for “break-even time periods”—when the transaction costs of buying and selling cancel out. Nationally, that wait time is just over three years.

Smoke says: Nearly 90% of the markets (335 of ‘em) produce a financial benefit of at least $100,000 from owning over 30 years. In addition, almost a quarter of the nation’s markets reap a financial return greater than the national average.

Posted in: economy, homeownership

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Prices Of Newly Built Homes Are On The Rise

Prices of newly built homes are on the rise again, illustrating that home builders are grappling with the same supply-and-demand problems bedeviling the existing home market.

New-home prices, which appeared to lose momentum over the past year, actually have caught a second wind of late.
New Commerce Department figures show that, after four consecutive months of slight declines, the median price of a newly built home in the U.S. rebounded by 4.1% in April to $297,300. That puts it back within striking distance of the all-time high of $302,700 set last November.

Some economists say demand simply is exceeding the pace at which builders can construct homes. Builders have started construction of 7.6% more single-family homes in the first four months of this year than at the same time last year, according to Commerce Department data, but they’ve sold 23.7% more than a year ago.

Some of those homes sold so far this year are speculative homes built at the end of last year. But others just haven’t gone under construction yet. Once builders get threatened with falling behind schedule, many opt to raise prices in a bid to temper demand.
“There just aren’t a lot of homes out there for sale,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics. “The market looks like it’s going to get even tighter because the level of construction remains very low compared to improving demand. I sense that, until builders can start ramping things up more significantly, pricing is going to be strong.”

In the resale market, the inventory level had held at about 4.6 months in the first quarter before rising to 5.3 months in April, meaning it would take that long at the current selling pace to burn through the available inventory of existing homes for sale. A balanced market, in which buyers and sellers are on roughly equal footing, is typically 6 to 7 months of supply.
Tight inventory in the resale market has resulted in prices close to the all-time high set nine years ago. In April, the median resale price reached $219,400, up 8.9% from April 2014. That increase likely will help to create more supply by pushing up home values and thus fattening homeowners’ equity cushions. However, the downside is that it makes buying a home more expensive, especially for first-time and entry-level buyers.

Posted in: building, cost of building, economy

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Desire for New Amenities Remains Top Reason to Remodel

According to remodelers polled in National Association of Home Builder’s Remodeling Market Index (RMI), the number one reason customers remodeled their homes in 2014 was a “desire for better/newer amenities.” On a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 indicates never or almost never, and 5 is very often), the average rating on desire for newer amenities was 4.4 in 2014.

In second place with an average rating of 4.2 was a “Need to repair/replace old components”. A “desire for more space,” another fairly traditional reason, came in third with an average rating of 3.8; “To avoid moving or buying another home” was fourth at 3.3.

Desire to be able to age in place” (3.0), “increasing the value of the home as an investment” (2.8), and “energy efficiency/environmental concerns” (2.6) while significant factors in the remodeling market, were less powerful than the simple desire for new things and need to replace old things.

Do you fall into any of these categories? If so, Chuck Miller Construction Inc. can assist you. Contact us at (208) 229-2553 or by email to chuck@chuckmillerconstruction.com

Posted in: energy-efficient remodeling, green remodeling, Remodeling

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Clark Attic Transformation

Gwen and Ryan Clark need more living space for entertaining and for out-of-town guests. But they loved living in Hidden Springs and did not want to move. They even considering buying another home in Hidden Springs but that would mean they would have to sell their existing home. Then they heard about the attic transformation we did for Dave and Shelley Baldiga and called us.

Posted in: Featured Projects, Remodeling

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2003 Parade of Homes – Pumpkin House

Our 2003 Parade of Homes entry – a 2,499 square foot 3 Bedroom 2 1/2 Bath home includes a 428 square foot Bonus Room – affectionately referred to as the “Pumpkin” house by residents of our community.

This two-story charming Craftsman styled home is an incredible floor plan. Like all of Chuck Miller Construction’s homes, this home was designed and built following the Building America Systems Engineering Approach to Home Building. That means it will use 30 50% less energy for heating and cooling.

The base plan is 2,071 square feet with 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths. The kitchen has an angular island that doubles as a snack bar. The breakfast nook is enclosed by windows, making meals feel alfresco. The open concept kitchen, nook, great room, and the dining room defined by impressive columns and beams offer ample space for quiet evenings at home or entertaining friends.

The private study is furnished with an optional built-in desk. Upstairs, the master suite features a compartmentalized bath with an elegant tub and separate shower. The optional 422 square foot Bonus Room above the garage is perfect for a studio, playroom, or even another bedroom and bath. The two-car garage offers an area at the back for storage of a third car, bikes, mower, and sports equipment

Posted in: Featured Projects, home building

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Fanter Kitchen Remodel

The Fanter’s have lived in their home since 2000. It was Hidden Springs Building Company’s Parade Home that year.

The countertops and backsplash were dark brown granite tile which was extremely popular in 2000. The Kitchen featured a large island – approximately 7′ x 7′. It was fine while the Fanter kid’s were small. But it became a problem as they got older. See why and how we solved the problem. — at Hidden Springs.

Here are the before and after images.

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Posted in: Featured Projects

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