December UPBA news

Upper Peninsula Builders Association Newsletter

December 2011

President's Message

LR Swadley, President

Season's Greetings! Our annual holiday dinner was held on December 9th and it was great to see such good turnout. Thanks to everyone and a special thanks to our Secretary and Board Member, Kathy Feit for her hard work organizing the events and gifts. Also I want to thank our past officers and Board of directors and past President Mark Pynnonen for their leadership and services in what has been one of the toughest years in our UPBA history, and it's only because of their hard work and the general membership's support, that our Association is intact.

It is because of this spirit of service that our organization was founded in 1978. At our core, we are a grassroots organization from the bottom up. We are Builders, Contractors, Suppliers, Lenders, Realtors, Insurance Agents, and many other professions that support housing and commercial construction in the UP.

We are dedicated to the belief that as professionals, we owe something back to our profession and community as individuals to make things better for all. We are the Voice of the Housing Industry!

The UPBA also has a rich history of service to our community on behalf of our profession over the last thirty plus years.

We have given: Thousands of dollars in scholarships to support the NMU construction management course program.

We have given our time and money to build many homes for habitat for humanity, including the first home by that group and it was actually built in a day. A very long day...

We received a National Park Service award for our employee housing initiative for the national park at Isle Royale that was spearheaded by Doc Hicks.

Just a few years ago, we met monthly with the local building codes department and county commissioners to improve their customer service, over the better part of three years. Improved communication and better service resulted, including a prompt 72 hour inspection mandate.

We have co-sponsored the UP builders show for over twenty five years now.

Many of our members have served and continue to serve in countless commission boards in local government and as state and national directors in the constant legal and legislative battles to protect Home Ownership in our country.

Many, many other charitable organizations have benefited over the years from our members dedicated professional skills. They knew they could count on us if nothing else to lend a helping hand, and while we were often short on money but rich in commitment with our time and skills.

On the education front at the local level, we have provided the opportunity for countless training seminars in workplace safety, green building technology, and continuing education certifications.

Your New Board has gone right to work and has formed active committees for general membership meetings, bylaws, personnel, and builders show to start. Stay tuned for more updates.

We've taken a lot of hits over the last four few years as a nation, especially as a state, and even in our local area. We know all this too well in construction. This is the third economic downturn we have weathered as an organization. Given the cyclical nature of housing it probably won't be our last. But that means there is a coming upside.

There are indications that conditions are showing signs of improving. We appear to have a housing-friendly government in Lansing. We already have historically low interest rates, and reasonable prices. We just need confidence that the economy is improving, and people are going to have their jobs. Once we get those conditions in place, we will see a healthy recovery in housing. Furthermore, there are positive forces at work in our local economy setting the stage for growth.

I believe that we will slowly see improvement in the local economy over the next couple of years. We have to be ready and get out of our survivalist mindset and remember that we are fortunate to live in one of the best places in the country, and we have turned the corner.

I'm proud of the legacy the UPBA has in our community, and am grateful for the fact that many of you are resolved to carry the responsibility for that reputation forward. Our association depends on our members at every level and I ask you to encourage others to participate and get involved. Get involved.

Home Ownership, the American dream is central to our way of life. It's our place to raise families, and it creates stronger communities and neighborhoods. The home is a shelter for our people and we have the honor and privilege of being the ones to build them. Our Association is like the rebar that strengthens the foundation of homeownership and we need each other to keep us strong. I hope you take full advantage of the services all three associations provide, and get involved!

Thank you for the honor and privilege to serve as your President in the coming year.

LR Swadley

President

UPBA Welcomes New Board Officers!

The Upper Peninsula Builders Association announces its new officers for the 2012 board of directors. LR Swadley of Sunrise Builders has accepted nomination as president. Chris Pesola of Pesola Custom Homes will be continuing his duty as treasurer and will also be taking on the responsibilities of vice-president. Kathy Feit of Range Telecommunications has been reelected as secretary.

The announcement follows the organization's annual holiday party celebrating the previous year's association and board members.

Incoming President LR Swadley had this to say " Homeownership is the central investment in America's future, and it provides more jobs and a stronger economy. Fully 15% of the US economy relies on housing. I'm proud of the legacy the UPBA has in our communities, and am grateful that there are so many dedicated builders, contractors, suppliers, and other trade associates in our organization who actively support our efforts as the voice of the housing industry "

Future home designs are still in the concept stage but with new materials and new technologies we are reshaping the way we build. Floor plans are also changing to accommodate the changing patterns of our life styles. And yes, many architects and designers are also drawing upon ancient materials and building techniques. So, what will the homes of the future look like? I recently read about the top 10 trends in home design and wish to respond to those trends.

1. Earth-Friendly Home Design: Today we are increasingly sensitive to the environment. This has lead to the "Green Build" concept that we all know about.

2. "Prefab" Home Design: Factory-made prefabricated homes have come a long way from flimsy trailer park dwellings. The first modular homes were simply rectangular box designs. Today the prefab has all the design elements of a stick built home. Recently, TV-6 featured a segment on this and they interviewed two of our builder members and each listed the pro's and con's of prefab versus Stick-built.

3. Adaptive Reuse in Home Design: New buildings are not always entirely new. Historical architecture, older buildings, conversion of outdated factory structures, empty warehouses, or an abandoned church have all been converted into housing units. I recently took on a redesign of our family farm in Illinois in that I converted the barn into a home for my bachelor brother. He has the coolest "hay-loft" with all the modern trimmings. I kept a lot of "farm" motif as decorative design items.

4. Healthy Home Design: Some buildings can literally make you sick. The use of synthetic materials, chemical additives, paints, plastics, laminates, formaldehyde underlaymnent and carpeting all have the potential to create unhealthy environments. The Green technology has lead to improving on the use of such products. Remember the Chinese Drywall!!!

5. Storm-Resistant Home Design: Every home should be built to withstand the elements, and engineers and code officials are making steady progress to improve on these issues. Hurricane, earth quakes, and snow loads are all a part of the design details required to be incorporated in today's homes.

6. Flexible Floor Plans In Home Design: Changing lifestyles calls for changing living spaces. Items such as sliding doors, pocket doors, and other types of movable partitions allow flexibility in living arrangements. Dedicated living rooms, dinning rooms, and kitchens have been replaced with open-combined living-dining-kitchen "Great Rooms". Also, assisting in this design trend is the cost of housing which leads to downsizing which leads to combining spaces.

7. Accessible Home Design: Forget about spiral staircases, sunken living rooms and high cabinets. We are now looking towards the future of aging in place. Family members with physical limitations are requiring "universal designs" such as wider halls and doors etc.

8. Outdoor Rooms In Home Design: The yard and garden become a part of the floor plan when sliding glass doors lead to patios and decks. These outdoor rooms may even include kitchens with sophisticated sinks and grills. While these spaces are predominately found in California and areas with southern climates we Yoopers do have a bit of summer. I have designed features with gazebo's sometimes enclosed as "three-season-rooms", fire pits etc. just to extend the outdoor living for our area.

9. Abundant Storages In Home Design: Closets were scarce in Victorian times, most only had wardrobe cabinets. Newer homes feature enormous walk-in-closets, spacious dressing rooms, and lots of easy-to-reach cabinets. Garages are also getting bigger to accommodate our U.P. toys such as snow blowers, ATV's etc.

10. Eastern Ideas In Home Design: Feng Shui, Vasu Shastra, and other Eastern philosophies have been guiding builders since ancient times. Today these principles are gaining respect in the West. We use sliding pocket doors and moveable partitions to create open combined spaces.

What will the homes of the future look like? Will we continue to see Cape Cods, Bungalows, and assorted "McMansions"? Or will tomorrow's houses seem very different from those being built today?

Carol (Doc) Hicks
Hicks Technologies

Upcoming

Our next General Membership Meeting will be held January 11th at Wahlstrom's. Doors open at 5:30pm and we will be having a special guest speaker at 6:00pm. The guest speaker will be Greg Andrews, Director of Governor Snyder's Northern Michigan office. He serves as the Governor's eyes and ears for Northern Michigan so that our voices don't go unnoticed in Lansing. We encourage everyone to attend and bring a friend to hear what Mr. Andrews has to say.

Admission is $5.00 and includes complementary hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

MAHB Update

The Michigan Association of Home Builders has released a document detailing many of the important legislative and regulatory actions taken by the association this past year. The document also lists many of the valuable benefits offered through membership in the association. Take some time to look them over and get the most out of your membership!

Check them out here!

Promising economic outlook for some sectors in the U.P.

The economy in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is expected to grow by a faster-than-average 3 percent, while the unemployment rate should drop to 9.4 by the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, according to the 2012 economic outlook from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

Construction throughout the region remains stagnant, dropping a little over 1 percent from 2010 to 2011 whereas manufacturing has increased almost 2 percent in the same time.