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Tampa Bay Business Journal -
September 27, 2004
IN DEPTH: RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE
From the September 24, 2004 print edition
Strong alternatives in home construction After hurricanes,
manufacturers study the latest methods
Ken Salgat, Staff writer
To manufacturers who specialize in alternative building construction
techniques and materials, change is a good thing.
To these companies, making the construction process better means
making walls stronger and more energy efficient for the consumer and
more profitable for the contractor, said Matt Ross, president of
Sarasota-based Eco-Smart Inc. and a principal with Florida House
Learning Center, an extension of the University of Florida.
The Florida House Learning Center demonstrates alternative design
strategies and technology for living in southwest Florida. The
project is a joint venture of the Cooperative Extension Service for
Sarasota County, the Sarasota County Technical Institute, the
Southwest Florida Water Management District and the non-profit
Florida House Institute.
"The shortage of cement-based products, such as concrete, has been
widely reported in the past several months, but reports are mixed as
to whether conservative homebuilders are turning to alternative
methods and materials as a way to ease the shortage," said Ross.
"Regardless of real or perceived shortages, I've begun to see an
increased interest from the public in the wake of this year's
storms."
Ross and other manufacturers of the alternative products, such as
Sarasota-based Efficient Wall Systems of Florida LLC, say the main
benefits over traditional construction are increased strength,
increased energy efficiency and shorter construction time.
Herman Guevara, communications director for Efficient Wall Systems,
also known as E-wall, said the company offers a panelized wall
system that is lowered in place rather than built from the ground up
in separate sections.
"It's our marketing strategy to be cost-competitive with concrete
block," said Guevara. "Ours is a stay-in-place form system. We cut
the window and door openings at the facility so we can hold the
tolerances tight, which is an issue now with the new building code."
The company has tested its system and had an outcome of being able
to withstand winds in excess of 250 miles per hour -- 120 miles per
hour above the building code requirements in Sarasota and Manatee
counties.
E-wall, originally based in Detroit, moved its headquarters to
Sarasota three years ago. Guevara estimated that the additional
construction cost associated with using the E-wall system compared
to traditional concrete construction adds about 1 percent to 2
percent.
What's it made of?
An E-wall consists of a fiber-rock exterior form, foam insulation
inside and concrete poured into the form over horizontal steel rods.
Made of structural-steel studs with two inches of extruded
polystyrene on the interior wall, the pre-insulated panels are
assembled at the factory, drywall- and stucco-ready. Once installed
on site, the panels are filled with concrete for strength.
Ross attributes increased interest partly to the cement shortage as
well as increases in prices of steel, wood, concrete and even
concrete blocks.
"Another influence in the past several years has been mold
liability," he said. Concrete-block and wood-frame houses are much
more susceptible to mold than the alternative systems, Ross said.
"Most builders by nature are conservative and slow to change," he
said. "But the hurricanes coming through the state really raises the
issue of awareness. Once people learn there are some different
things available, they tend to make decisions based on long-term
investment -- and it is hard to put a value on safety and health."
Ross said his team has estimated that buyers incur an increase of 5
percent to 8 percent when using more energy-efficient materials such
as hurricane-resistant windows, energy-saving water heaters and
additional insulation. He added, however, that the materials
increased energy efficiency in the average home by 80 percent.
Currently, only about .5 percent to 1.5 percent of all homes in the
United States are built with alternative wall systems.
Who's interested?
Nancy Angel, executive director of the Economic Development Council
of the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce, said she believes it will
be buyers, not builders, who direct the change.
"Right now, I think homeowners are going to start looking at what
they can do differently," said Angel. "It is going to be very much
consumer driven. As people become more aware of the alternatives,
they will begin to demand some changes. I'm also certain that the
state of Florida will go through an analysis of the damaged areas
and realize which houses weathered the storms better than others.
The Florida House is as much an efficiency group as an
alternative-construction group, but I think they'll all fit in
well."
Some local builders already have signed on to use some of the
systems.
U.S. Home Corp's Sarasota-Manatee area President Rob Allegra said
buyers want an affordable wall system that will offer strength and
energy efficiency.
"We've built only one home so far with E-wall, but we've been pretty
happy with the results," said Allegra. "We're actually going to use
the system in an entire community in North Port this fall because we
think it is a nice alternative to what we've used in the past."
Allegra said the added strength the system offers should keep the
builder ahead of the game if building codes change again. "We
already built our homes to be able to withstand winds of 130 miles
per hour," said Allegra. "But if those requirements go higher, we
think we'll be able to meet them with the E-wall."
Cynthia Besio, Tampa Bay area regional sales manager for
Minnesota-based R-Control Building Systems, a company that
specializes in panelized-system home construction, agrees with Ross
that there has been increased interest in alternative-style homes
since the advent of the cement shortage and spiraling costs.
"Homes built with our system could save a mortgage payment a year in
energy savings, which applied to a 30-year mortgage, would cut years
off the life of a mortgage loan," said Besio. "Our system is gaining
a little more attention, and I think people are now viewing the
additional costs as more of an investment than anything."
ksalgat@bizjournals.com | 813.342.2477
© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.
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