The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting an active 2012 tornado season in the Midwest. And on the heels of a widespread and very deadly 2011 season, we’ve already seen a very active tornado pattern so far this year. There is only so much a homeowner can do to prepare for a natural disaster, but a recent study released from the United States Green Building Council and the University of Michigan shows how the practices and principles use when building green homes can make them more resilient during floods, tornadoes, droughts, and other sever weather conditions.

The 200+page study shows how the conservation of natural resources, and the high performance building techniques, such as thorough water and air sealing, help to reinforce the home during severe weather events. The study goes on to include recommendations on building techniques that can help increase a building resilience focusing on the areas of

1. The home’s envelope,
2. Lot siting and landscape,
3. The systems for heating, cooling, and lighting,
4. Efficiency of water and waste,
5. Recommendations on equipment, and
6. Process and operation.

The report states that when building a home, “A ‘resilient’ strategy will allow a system to absorb disturbances such as increased precipitation or flooding while maintaining its structure and function.”

While the report is rather extensive, many of the techniques and recommendations included fall in line with the green building techniques that Hibbs Homes and other green builders are already incorporating many of these tenets into new construction and remodels. While we’ve been evangelizing the benefits and durability of high performance green homes, it is pretty interesting to comb through the different findings and recommendations the USGBC and University of Michigan have culled and how those directly translate in the harsh weather realities that homeowners have to face and how these findings are helping with the Gilf Coast reconstruction in particular.

You can download the report and look through the recommendations by visiting the USGBC’s website.

An exterior shot of a custom home Hibbs Homes built last year in Frontenac, MO.

We have been fortunate to work with a number of great families in the St Louis area to help them plan and build their custom home. Over the course of time we have seen that there is a big advantage for homeowners who are well informed about the home building process and are educated in selecting a general contractor. That is why we enjoy meeting with potential clients to give them a chance to get to know our company and compare us with other home builders in St. Louis before they make a decision on who to hire to build their new home.

To make the interview and decision making process easier, here are a list of questions and steps we recommend potential clients explore to help them compare services and companies before making a decision:

1. How long have you been building new homes?
2. What is your rating with the Better Business Bureau, and/or Angie’s List?
3. Are you provide documentation of licenses and insurance?
4. Who are your main subcontractors, and how do/did you select them?
5. How much experience do your primary subcontractors have?
6. Are your plumbing and electrical subcontractors licensed and certified?
7. Could you provide current references from the last two years?
8. What tools do they use to maintain communication with their clients keep them informed of progress, scheduling, choices, and decisions needed?
9. Who is your supervisor or site foreman, and how many years experience do they have?
10. Which professional organizations are you affiliated with locally and nationally?

Once you’ve had a chance to meet with your shortlist of potential builders to interview them and discuss your project, there are a couple of additional items to consider before making your final selection:

1. Did your potential contractor return your call or email promptly?
2. If applicable, did they prepare your bid in a timely fashion?  (Delays at this point are not a good indication of prompt, timely service to come.)
3. Is their bid professional, complete and comprehensive, or do you suspect hidden costs later?
4. Does their business operate professionally or from the back of their truck?

While most building and contracting work is based on referrals, using this questionnaire to compare each of your builder options side-by-side gives you a chance to take an objective look at what your options are and to make an informed decision about who you select to build your new home, addition or renovation.

Our construction supervisor, Dean Holtmeyer, meets with clients on site to discuss plans.

When working with a custom home builder, more than anything else communication is key to building your home on time and on budget. In fact, we recommend that you pay close attention to communication tools and methods when deciding which builder you chose for your new home construction project. Once you have chosen your builder and construction is underway, there are a few things that homeowners can do as well help make communication easier and help your project run smoother.

Stay Engaged in the Process
As construction moves along there are likely to be matters that arise that the builder needs to address, and this is especially true when it comes to a custom home as the plans haven’t been previously built. When a homeowner approaches their build with that expectation and stays engaged and in contact with their builder, these matters can be addressed quickly and reasonably with little to no impact on the project. Beginning with the an honest conversation about the project timeline, homeowners should expect regular conversations with their builder all the way through the process.

Make Time for Your Builder
The typical work day for a general contractor and his crew begins around 6:30 or 7 am and ends around 3:30 pm, while the average American works from 8 am until 5 pm and of course there are soccer games, volunteer meetings, and family events crammed into the rest of the time. To help facilitate the build it is a good idea to set up a weekly meeting or window to either meet on site or have a phone call to discuss the project during a time that works best for everyone, that way you can get all of your questions answered and your builder can do the same. Email and online communication is another great way to keep in touch with your builder through the process. For example, in addition to weekly meetings with clients and emails, Hibbs Homes has also added co-construct to our website to allow direct electronic communication with clients on timelines, decisions, etc.

With so many moving parts, an open dialogue between you and your builder is essential to making sure you end up with the perfect home with fewer headaches. That is why we consider communication a key service hallmark at Hibbs Homes. We encourage you to evaluate the communications tools and methods of your builder very carefully before deciding who you will break ground with.