The keynote speaker at the NAHB Management Team Conference in Orlando, Fla., was Mark Sanborn of Sanborn & Associates Inc.

Resource-efficient construction and sustainable building make sense from every angle. Applied together, they result in new homes that last longer, cost less to operate and maintain, and most importantly, appeal to buyers.

An increasing demand for new homes in America’s cities has had a similar impact on land prices in urban areas - they’ve increased significantly and show few signs of abating anytime soon.

Stainless steel mesh keeps even super-aggressive Formosans in the ground, out of protected buildings.

With the growing demand for energy-efficient heating solutions and hardwood floors converging, it is essential that builders, radiant heating designers and system installers work together to meet new home buyers expectations.

One of the most inspiring stories coming out of this year’s National Green Building Confer-ence is that of Casa Verde Builders.

March 2000 total housing starts were at a seasonally-adjusted annualized level of 1.604 million units, after exceeding 1.8 million units (annualized) during February. This was the lowest monthly level recorded since June of last year.

The Labor Department’s construction materials composite price index rose by 0.4% between February and March of this year. This brought the March 2000 composite index to a level 2.4% above its reading for the third month of 1999.

The Conference Board’s composite Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) fell for the third consecutive month during April, and is now at a level 5.4% lower than its record-high set during the first month of the new year.