The SVBA is presenting the 2011 Parade of Homes on October 22 – 23. Open house times on Saturday are 10 am – 4pm and Sunday 1 pm – 4pm. This annual event gives you a chance to see the latest innovations in home building, learn from the builders what it takes to...

It is a difficult balance to know how to best use your resources. We want to be able to live freely and to the fullest, but what if your usage of _______ prevents someone else from having access to ________. (feel free to substitute water, air, money, food in the blanks). I was...

When you go to purchase a car what are the most important factors in your decision. Do you look just at aesthetics or do you also consider cost, function, performance, and value? I can look back over the cars I have owned and see an obvious progression from aesthetics being most...

Going green is not a political statement, it is not more expensive, and it is not complicated. Renovating a home to green standards is healthy, it lowers maintenance costs, and it saves you money. There is a lot of bad information circulating by those that do not understand green...

The power of good design is overwhelming once you have experienced it. Anyone that has cruised the open road with a Harley Davidson under them knows what I am talking about. However, not as many have seen and experienced it in their homes. With so many builders doing spec homes...

Spend some time collecting your yard waste this fall in a pile / compost bin / compost barrel. This pile will start to decompose over the winter (if you can keep the pile for two years it will be very good compost). You can then use this material to mulch your flowers in the...

It is not all about design when talking to an architect

On this day we look back and remember those that passed on 9/11. Some were just trying to do their jobs to get a paycheck to support their families. Some were cleaning the building. Some were sitting at their computers checking Facebook. Some were having conversations. Some were...

It has been too long since the last Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) national conference. I am looking forward to getting together with many of my friends from across the country to catch up on how they are doing and to learn the latest trends in the industry....

JMU is ranked as the 20th Happiest School in the country by Newsweek & the Daily Beast in a poll just released. The poll looked at six categories, weighted equally using a measure of how close or distant each school is to average: dining, housing, nightlife, number of sunny...