While we would have liked to see the program as a whole extended for the same period of time, we do applaud the members of Congress who pushed this scaled down version through. The homebuyer tax credit incentive, combined with other incentives our company ran in the past year have helped our company increase Single-Family Sales 30% year over year!!!

We definitely encourage our builders that have customers under contract to inform those customers that there is still time to qualify for the $8,000 tax credit!

If you need more information, please don’t hesitate to contact any of the Account Executives here. Hurry though, time is running out!

If you’d like more information on the industry as a whole from mortgages to housing starts information, please visit www.housingwire.com.

Source: Jacob Gaffney, www.housingwire.com    July 1, 2010

Yes, these numbers are staggering, but why? Neither the housing market nor the economy as a whole is showing any real signs of rapid expansion. So where’s the demand? Turns out the industry is creating its own demand by closing down plants and slowing production thus reducing the availability of materials. It is frustrating for all of us, especially given the fact that even the smallest increase in price knocks many people out of the market.

Here at Signature Building Systems we have been able to work through much of these price spikes by prudent planning and buying.  Unfortunately, if this trend continues through the summer we will need to initiate an adjustment. I would like to think this trend will reverse itself, but at this time, it looks doubtful.   We will continue to monitor and report.

Information on composite pricing can be found at: www.randomlengths.com

The law provides qualified service members who served on official extended duty outside of the United States for 90 days or more at any time between Jan. 1, 2009, to April 30, 2010, another year to buy a home and claim the credit. “Qualified service members” are defined as a member of the uniformed services of the United States military, a member of the Foreign Service of the United States, or an employee of the intelligence community.

Qualified service members who are eligible for the home buyer tax credit now have until April 30, 2011, to sign a sales contract, and until June 30, 2011, to settle and close on the home. Both the $8,000 first-time and $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credits are included in this rule.

For married couples, only one spouse, not both, needs to be a qualified service member who served the required amount of extended duty outside the United States.

In many cases, the rule that requires buyers to repay the credit if they move out of their home within three years has also been waived for service members. If the home owner or their spouse receives government orders for qualified official extended duty service and have to sell their home, they do not have to pay back the credit. This applies even if they have to sell in the same year they purchased the home. The new place of duty must be at least 50 miles from the principal residence being sold.

The IRS also made sure that soldiers and other service members who are wounded overseas, or have to return to the United States for other medical reasons, are not denied the credit if their time spent overseas ends up less than 90 days.

For more information on the home buyer tax credit, go to: www.FederalHousingTaxCredit.com

When water is flowing into a washing machine then is suddenly shut off, the energy of the flowing water reverses direction and must be dissipated. This energy is initially reflected back through the plumbing system in a direction opposite to the original flow, creating an oscillating shock wave. Depending on the extent of the shock wave, a loud banging or rattling sound can be heard as pipes expand and move as the shock wave dissipates.

An effective way of dealing with this problem is to install water hammer arresters at key areas in the system. We found the ideal answer in equipment by teaming up with Sioux Chief. At Signature Building Systems, we install Sioux Chief water hammer arresters at clothes washers, dishwashers and ice makers as a standard practice.

In addition we have made some other improvements in our water distribution systems using two additional products from Sioux Chief. At the tub/shower area, we changed the pipe coming off the top of the mixing valve leading to the showerhead and the lower section of pipe leading to the tub spout. They are both now mechanically fastened. This significantly reduces the chance of future leaks and improves the lifetime maintenance costs in this area.

We understand that it’s the small stuff that makes the biggest difference. 

Don’t worry if you missed out on our March 6th event. We are in the process of planning our next Open House for May 8, 2010! We will be posting details as they become available or you can contact Brittany Minello at BrittanyM@SignatureBuildingSystems.com to be added to the email list to receive updates.

• Light Refreshments
• Q & A Session
• Mortgage Consultant on-site  

 Here at Signature Building Systems we happily embrace our intrinsic duty to reinforce our industry. We encourage all of our employees to share their personal values and participate in industry events to support our trade. Recently, Vic DePhillips, President & CEO, and Charlie Kasko, VP of Business Development, traveled to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas, Nevada.  The NAHB is a trade association representing more than 200,000 members involved all aspects of the construction and housing industry. Known as “the voice of the housing industry,” NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country. The NAHB also organizes trade shows, the most impressive being the IBS. The IBS is the largest annual building industry tradeshow in the country. Each year builders migrate to the IBS to participate in workshops, network with peers, listen to speakers, and gain invaluable information that they can pass onto others to enrich their hometown industry. IBS offers more than 175 education sessions taught by industry experts.  

 While at the IBS Vic and Charlie received notable industry honors.

Vic has been selected to serve as the Chairman for the Building Systems Council of the NAHB and also as a 2010 NAHB Executive Board Member. He will continue to serve on the NAHB Board of Directors. As Chairman of Building Systems Council, Vic will represent the interests of the systems built producer members for the Log Home Council, Modular Home, Panelized Home and Concrete Homes in the country. Vic has been a National Director for the past 12 years for his local, the Lackawanna Home Builders Association. During that time he also served for 3 years as the President and 9 years on the Board of Directors. 

   Charlie was elected Secretary of the NAHB Research Center Board of Directors. He was also appointed to the Board of Trustees of the 50+ Housing Council. Charlie will continue to serve on the Federal Governmental Affairs Committee and on the Board of Trustees for Build-PAC. Charlie is a Life Director for the Board of Directors of the NAHB. Charlie has also served as the President of the Pennsylvania Homes Builders Association and his local association, The BIA of Northeast Pennsylvania.

Congratulations Vic and Charlie on these remarkable accomplishments and showing by example what it means to contribute and support our industry!

 Visit www.nahb.org for more information on joining the NAHB or your local Builders Association and to begin doing your part to improve the conditions within our sphere.

1. Most businesses’ health care packages are based on the best coverage they can comfortably afford.  Inherently, business owners and managers want to do right by their employees. Why should congress be able to tell a business owner that their affordable package isn’t enough?
2. In the bill, it uses the term “construction employer” to describe those affected by this provision. Does that mean XYZ builders, a company of 7 employees in Montana? Yes. Does it mean 123 Supply, a lumber supply company of 5 employees in Hawaii? We don’t know, but the assumption is that yes, yes it does. Essentially every small supplier, distributor, manufacturer, set crew, etc that you’re working with will have to add health care coverage.
3. Going on the last point, Congress and the Senate must not realize that “construction employers” already provide workers compensation insurance which already covers any workplace injuries and illnesses and also provides compensation for lost wages should an injury occur.
4. I stated “should an injury occur” for a reason. Did you know that according the Bureau for Labor Statistics (BLS) the construction industry has consistently reported fewer injuries and illnesses than the manufacturing, retail, and health care sectors over the past few years?
5. Better yet, the same BLS data cited above also states that companies with fewer than 50 employees (in any sector, not just construction) have a lower rate of injury and illness than companies with more than 50 employees.

So, in closing, we invite you to please call your representatives and voice your opposition to this provision of the bill. If he, she, or a staff member asks why [in addition to the reasons above], leave them with this thought: Our industry is currently running at 18% UNEMPLOYMENT and we’ve lost more than $200 BILLION in economic activity in the past 12 months.

Recently, Signature Building Systems has begun to witness a shift in the modular market. I’m referring neither to an increase nor a decline in interest overall, but rather a lateral move. We’re seeing a boost in interest in Cape-Cod style homes – “4-box” Cape-Cod style homes to be more precise.

“Traditional” Cape-cod style homes or “2-box” capes have always been a good seller. A traditional cape is delivered with an “unfinished” attic – this area is then completed by the builder to the customer’s specifications on-site after delivery. In the past, this was the road most traveled. Everyone knew there had to be an alternative, faster way to build a cape and began to search for a better way. With the goal of time savings in mind – the “4-box” cape was born.

A “4-box” cape is delivered with the “attic” completed to the same factory specifications as the first floor of the home. Essentially the factory construction is much like a two-story modular home. This coupled with Signatures standard practice of pre-fitting the boxes in the factory eliminates countless hours of on-site construction. Thus, allowing the home to be completed in a fraction of the time.