HOST: I'm a builder; you're a builder, just a little different markets. (BLDR: Sure.) In this slowdown, have you changed your marketing strategy or doing business a little different?
BLDR: We are. We're not building any specs, as we say, right now. There's a lot of inventory in the Chicagoland market. Nationally, you're looking at eight- to twelve-months of inventory that is there. Obviously, it'll be being sold off in the next eight-to-ten months. (HOST: Yes.) There are still some custom, high-end homes being built. I've got a contract for almost a two-million-dollar structure in Chicago. So they are still -- There is still construction going on.
(HOST: Right.) You know. With regards to the slowdown, Scott, we've changed our marketing slightly. We've been in the green end of it, but green is very prevalent. You can see by my shirt and NAHB, today is green day. (HOST: Right.) Um --
HOST: Have you -- ? Is going green -- ? Are you finding more customers or is it just a marketing -- maybe separate you from the other builders a little bit?
BLDR: Well, you know, back in 2000, 2001, our firm built the first Illinois American Lung Association Health House. Now, that wasn't per se green, but it was high energy-efficiency, indoor air quality.
HOST: Indoor air quality. Very big in green.
BLDR: Yeah. Yeah. And that's part of green. You know, green is a word that takes into account many items, as you well know. (HOST: Very well.) It's more of a buzzword today that we didn't have ten years ago. So, yes, we are marketing more the green aspect, but it's many of the technologies we've been using for years.
HOST: Right. And you were telling me earlier about a family that you just finished a house for. Will you tell me a little bit more about that?
BLDR: My partner Mike Nagel and I built a home for a family that has two children with cerebral palsy. Their -- The one child is wheelchair-riddled for the rest of his life. And that gentleman's name is Sam. He's a young man. He's thirteen-years-old. They're twins actually. They were injured at birth. We built a CAPS, which is a Certified Aging-in-Place accessible home. It also is -- that the model green guidelines from NAHB, it goes into the platinum division as a green-built structure also. This is very important for this family, Scott, because the one child is very, very aware of noise.
Can't sleep very well in their regular home, so we used a Pella window, triple-insulated glass with blinds. Very quiet product, very energy-efficient product. We used all efficient equipment in the house so that the family's bills would be less over the years. We used some sprayfoam insulation, some new technology that's out there, and we did some blower-door testing and requirements that met the Energy Star. There's an Illinois tax rebate on energy. It went really well.
HOST: Great. And here at the builders' show -- If you're like me, I love to see all these new products. (BLDR: Yeah.) Are there any of the high-performance, green products that have really intrigued you while you're here?
BLDR: You know, some of the new shingle products, for example -- I was at a booth earlier today -- uh Carlisle Echo Stat of some type --
HOST: Okay, they're not going to pay you for that, you know? [LAUGHS]
BLDR: That doesn't matter. But they -- But it's a shingle product. (HOST: Right.) They're making it out of the leftover product from the diaper industry--the plastic diapers that never disintegrate. They take and grind it up, put pigment with it, and they make a Class C fire-rated, fully -- It's like ninety-two-percent recycled product that's guaranteed sixteen years.
HOST: Those are post-consumer recycled, which is awesome.
BLDR: It's incredible. That's the thing that's really cool, and to understand, Scott, the many companies now that never told us how they make the product and how -- how the stewardship in their plants and facilities are. (HOST: Uh-huh.) And that's what's different about what you're seeing with green today that we didn't see ten years ago.
HOST: Right. Well, it's been great talking to you. In Chicago, I hope the market is on the upturn. (BLDR: It will be.) I'm thinking positive in my market. So and I think with the green building, we're going to attract a couple of new customers, (BLDR: Sure.) save the planet, and save time.
BLDR: It's great -- a great thing to do. Thank you, Scott. Thank you so much.
HOST: Thanks for being here. [END]
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