Page 15 - HBNews_March 2013

HBApdx.org

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March, 2013

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BUILDING YOUR BUSINESS

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HBA HOME BUILDING NEWS

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13

HBA

pdx

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org

Sustain

Ability

GREEN & SUSTAINABLE BUILDING, DEVELOPMENT & EDUCATION •

March, 2013

A home tour is a great way to

increase the appeal of your prod-

uct and your profile as a builder.

The benefits increase even more

if you build with energy efficien-

cy in mind. In Oregon, there are

a variety of tours that can help

you put your high-performance

homes on the map.

Ultimate Open House is a great

example. This popular tour show-

cases builders in the Portland

area and highlights which tour

homes are certified as energy ef-

ficient. These high-performance

homes appeal to the keen senses

of today’s smart homebuyers

who are increasingly likely to fac-

tor energy performance into their

search. They want homes built to

last, with innovative design and

efficient features that provide

superior comfort and savings. If

your homes match that descrip-

tion, this tour and others like it of-

fer a prime opportunity to catch

the attention of a very attentive

audience.

On top of the extra exposure,

there are also financial benefits.

Energy Trust of Oregon offers in-

centives of up to $1,000 per home

(max $2,000 per year) to builders

who open a model or tour home

and give potential buyers the op-

portunity to experience energy-

efficient features. The incentives

are tiered and available for homes

that receive an EPSTM and meet

or exceed specific energy perfor-

mance standards. For more infor-

mation about participating in the

Ultimate Open House, contact

the HBA at (503) 684-1880.

EPS, brought to you by Energy

Trust, is an energy performance

score that measures and com-

pares homes based on energy

costs, consumption and environ-

mental impact. It’s a great tool

for showing homebuyers the hid-

den value of high-performance

homes. Plus, builders of new

homes that qualify for an EPS can

earn cash incentives from Energy

Trust. EPS was first introduced at

Ultimate Open House in 2009. Its

presence in the marketplace and

at home tours throughout the

region has grown significantly in

the years since.

Get on the map

Ready to make your homes

stand out? Energy Trust offers

cash incentives and a host of

resources to builders looking

to model energy-efficient new

homes. For more information, vis-

it

www.energytrust.org/nhresourc-

es

or call Energy Trust’s trade ally

coordinator at (877) 283-0698,

option 1.

Turn your energy-efficient homes into tour highlights

Presented by

and

By Jordan Palmeri,

Oregon DEQ

On December 5, 2012, Portland

City Council voted unanimously

to extend the waiver of System

Development Charges (SDCs) on

Accessory Dwelling Units until

July 31, 2016. The current waiv-

er, which avoids about $12,000

worth of SDCs, has been in place

since 2010 and was set to expire

in June 2013.

Prior to 2010, the City of Port-

land, on average, permitted

about 25 ADUs per year. In 2010,

therewere 72 units permitted, 119

permits in 2011, and 130 permits

in 2012. The waiver has certainly

been successful in increasing the

number of permitted ADUs in the

City of Portland, which was the

original intent of the waiver and

why City Council easily approved

another 3 year waiver.

ADUs are secondary and fully

independent living units allowed

on any residential property in

Portland and all other Metro area

cities. Metro regional govern-

ment actually requires that all

25 Metro cities allow ADUs but

the zoning requirements are dif-

ferent for every city. By in large,

Portland has the most liberal zon-

ing policies regarding ADUs. For

Portland, ADUs can be located

inside a home (basement, attic),

attached to the home or garage,

or a detached structure in the

backyard. They are limited to 80

square feet or 75 percent of the

size of the main dwelling, which-

ever is smaller.

Their surge in popularity can

be attributed to a number of fac-

tors. First, ADUs built in areas with

high rental demand can have

very good returns on investment

(5-8 years) and provide a substan-

tial source of supplemental in-

come for homeowners and even

single family investment proper-

ties. ADUs also provide a wide

range of flexible living arrange-

ments for the changing needs of

families. Our family needs change

over time – why can’t our homes

change too?

Most ADUs (about 90 per-

cent) are being built on proper-

ties with existing homes. Some

ADUs, however, are being con-

structed in conjunction with new

infill building to maximize the lot

potential. This infill trend is likely

to continue since demand from

homeowners is rising and cost

efficiencies of building an ADU

in conjunction with new single-

family construction are quite

favorable towards the builder’s

profit margin.

Financing ADUs has always

been a challenge. Some recent

advancement in the appraisal

sector, however, hold promise

that ADUs are assessed at their

real market value. Some banks

offfer a “Rehab Mortgage” pro-

gram that can be used to finance

ADU construction on new pur-

chases or refinances. Loan prod-

ucts like this, which appraise

and lend on the future improved

value of the property, are allow-

ing those homeowners with in-

sufficient equity to finance these

smart investments.

You can learnmuchmore about

ADUs, the business opportunities

they offer, and other incentives

being offered (like the Energy

Trust of Oregon builder incen-

tives for ADUs) at the upcoming

April 18

EcoVative BuildRight

High Performance Building

Conference and Expo

. Look for

the “Build Small Live Large” track.

In the meantime, if you have

questions, please contact Jordan

Palmeri at (503) 229-6766.

Fees eliminated for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU)

Presentation topic:

DAMAGE IN RESIDENTIAL

WALLS FROM WATER INTRUSION

CAUSED BY CONSTRUCTION DE-

FECTS

Presenter:

George Tsongas,

Ph.D., P.E., Consulting Engineer

and Building Scientist

Who should attend:

Anyone

concerned with moisture dam-

age problems in residential walls,

including architects and engi-

neers, lawyers, builders, remodel-

ers, contractors, apartment own-

ers, managers, and maintenance

personnel, building inspectors, as

well as realtors, insurance person-

nel, and utility and low income

housing weatherization person-

nel.

Presentation description:

Learn from engineer and building

scientist, George Tsongas, who

has investigated numerous build-

ing failures relating to construc-

tion defects and resultant water

intrusion in residential walls, as

he offers an enlightening over-

view of such problems in housing

in the Pacific Northwest. George

will explore the main types of

moisture-related damage that

occur in wood-frame construc-

tion residential walls with wood-

based and other cladding, in-

cluding waviness and buckling of

siding, siding swelling, decay of

wall materials, and mold in walls.

He will discuss how, where, and

why water gets into siding and

walls, why the various types of

damage occur, key construction

errors, and wall locations that are

responsible for most customer’s

complaints and lawsuits. George

will draw on his experience with

inspecting many thousands of

residences, laboratory testing of

water migration mechanisms in

walls, and computer simulation of

the moisture performance of wall

components. He will conclude

with recommendations for spe-

cific approaches on how to best

avoid wall moisture problems

and any associated litigation. You

will hopefully learn everything

you ever wanted to know about

moisture problems in residential

walls, but were afraid to ask.

What you will learn:

By at-

tending this session, participants

will gain an understanding of:

1)

the main types of moisture-

related damage that occur in

wood-frame construction walls

with wood-based and other clad-

ding,

2)

water intrusion mechanisms

in walls, and

3)

wall construction approach-

es that will minimize water intru-

sion and resultant damage.

More about

George Tson-

gas:

George

Tsongas, Ph.D.,

P.E., is a private

consulting en-

gineer and a Professor Emeritus

of Mechanical Engineering at

Portland State University. He is a

building scientist with specializa-

tion in moisture, mold, and water

intrusion problems in buildings.

He has directed a number of field

studies of moisture and indoor

air quality problems inside exist-

ing and new residences as well

as investigations of ventilation

and dehumidification moisture

control strategies. He has un-

dertaken computer simulation

and numerous laboratory and

field tests to better understand

water intrusion and its effects in

residential walls as well as indoor

humidity conditions. He regularly

presents practical workshops on

the subjects of mold, moisture,

and indoor air quality, as well as

construction defects causing wa-

ter intrusion and damage in walls.

He was invited to be one of five

presenters for an ASHRAE-spon-

sored Satellite Broadcast/Web-

cast titled “Mold in our Building

Environment.” Over 22,000 peo-

ple from North and South Ameri-

ca viewed the three hour satellite

broadcast and webcast. He regu-

larly acts as an expert witness in

legal cases involving moisture,

mold, rot, and construction de-

fects and water intrusion in resi-

dences. He has inspected over

roughly 10,000 dwelling units

for moisture related problems

over the last 30+ years. As part of

those inspections he has opened

up over 1500 walls to inspect the

wall cavities for moisture dam-

age. He has specific experience

dealing with moisture, mold, and

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