Tax Credits = Free Money for New Therma-Tru Doors

This is a great time to invest in a new Therma-Tru Door. We all know the energy-saving, storm-proofing and home security benefits of a Therma-Tru entry door. And now there is an unprecedented opportunity to have this great improvement.

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act makes homeowners eligible for a 30% tax credit up to $1,500 for qualifying products used for energy-efficient home improvements. For more information and qualifications for this opportunity, please visit www.thermatru.com and www.energystar/taxcredit.

Once you’ve decided that now’s the time and this is too good a deal to let pass, please contact us at Timber Truss and we’ll be glad to help you with a beautiful investment- the Therma-Tru Door that makes a great first impression every time.

Cascades Pointe – July 2009 Update

Information was posted last month on this project but here’s an update of the progress from the job site. Building #2 was framed and dried-in very rapidly with roof and floor trusses, and wall panels from Timber Truss. Further construction has progressed as shown in these photos.

Cascades Pointe Condominium with sheathing applied

Cascades Pointe Condominium with siding applied

Timber Truss Providing Components for new Funeral Home

The new Conner-Bowman Funeral Home is taking shape between Rocky Mount and Boones Mill, Virginia. It is located just off Route 220 at the Wirtz Road intersection. The new facility is just over 10,000 square feet and being built by Marlen Davis. Construction is moving along rapidly and completion is expected in the very near future. Timber Truss Housing Systems provided the wall panels and roof trusses and is proud to be the provider for this very nice facility.

New Conner-Bowman Funeral Home

Cascades Pointe Condominiums

These condos offer a lot of luxury at an affordable price. This community features newly renovated condos and also some brand new facilities are in the process. That’s where Timber Truss Housing Systems is involved. Two new condo buildings are currently under construction. Timber Truss is supplying floor trusses and sub-floor, wall panels, roof trusses, windows, doors, lumber, siding, roofing, trim, and more. These condos are a low-maintenance design and are conveniently located close to Virginia Tech and downtown Blacksburg. Cascades Pointe Condominiums are your chance to invest in yourself, whether you’re a renter searching to buy your first home, or a parent of a Virginia Tech student looking for an alternative to renting. Affordability, great location, and quality construction help to give a clear path to financial independence. Progress on the new construction has been fast, thanks to the dedicated staff and crew of builders and also the dedication, expertise, and quality of Timber Truss. In less than a week, the first building was framed and completely dried-in. Following are some photos of the progress to this point. More photos will be shown closer to completion.

Cascades Pointe Condominiums

$8,000 tax credit enhanced by VHDA loan program

VHDA loan program enhances $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers

Recently, several housing finance agencies in other states created special short-term second loans by “monetizing” the new $8,000 first-time home buyer federal tax credit to assist home buyers needing down payment and closing-cost assistance.

The Virginia Housing Development Authority looked at the idea of “monetizing” the new homeownership tax credit, but decided a program it already has in place – the FHA PLUS program – provides better value for borrowers without the hassles.

FHA PLUS is a program designed to assist qualified borrowers who need down-payment and closing-cost assistance. A second mortgage (the PLUS) is added to an FHA first-mortgage loan. Because VHDA is quasi-governmental, it was grandfathered under the recent FHA regulation changes and allowed to continue offering down-payment and closing-cost assistance. The program is one of the few available that allows borrowers to exceed a 100 percent LTV.

The program offers several benefits to borrowers. First, it’s flexible because FHA PLUS is based on 5 percent of the sales price. Using VHDA’s average sales price of $160,000, a home buyer could borrow up to $8,000 for down payment and closing costs, the same amount available through the new tax credit. But while the tax credit is limited to $8,000, VHDA customers could borrow more than that amount for higher sales prices. For example, someone purchasing a home in a higher-cost area for $250,000 could borrow up to $12,500 using FHA PLUS.

The $8,000 federal tax credit can then be used to fund home improvements, furniture and so on. Home buyers also have the option of using their $8,000 tax credit to pay off or pay down their FHA PLUS second mortgage next year, with no prepayment penalty. By using this new government benefit to reduce their debt, borrowers will have the opportunity to put themselves in a stronger financial position.

FHA PLUS also offers the same term for both loans – 30 years – which allows for smaller monthly payments and the interest can be deducted. By contrast, the new down-payment assistance programs in other states have terms as low as 10 years, thereby doubling the monthly payments for the second loan.

It’s important to note VHDA, as with all state housing finance agencies, has maximum income limits on its loan programs. These income limits vary from those required by the new tax credit, sometimes substantially. Therefore, some borrowers may be eligible for the new tax credit but ineligible for VHDA’s FHA PLUS program.

VHDA’s income limits can ve found at www.vhda.com

For more information about VHDA’s FHA Plus program, visit www.vhda.com or call (877) 843-2123. VAB

From the May 2009 issue of “Virginia Builder” magazine.

Energy Star Adopts Tougher Window Standards

In an effort to keep its Energy Star label relevant, the Department of Energy is tightening Energy Star criteria for windows, doors, and skylights. Beginning in January 2010, these products will need to meet more stringent standards for the rate of heat loss (U-factor) and solar heat gain (solar heat-gain coefficient, or SHGC) to qualify for an Energy Star rating. For example, the maximum U-factor for qualifying windows in the northern climate zone has been lowered from 0.35 to 0.30 (see chart, below). In the southern zone, the extensive current SHGC trade-off menu for windows with different U-factors has been simplified to a one-size-fits-all maximum value of 0.27.

The Department of Energy has simplified the qualification standards for Energy Star windows across its four climate zones. Choices in the northern zone would allow building designers to balance slightly larger U-factors against increased solar heat gain, though it is not clear whether windows with the higher SHGC values will be widely available. New standards for skylights and glazed doors can be found at energystar.gov.

While Energy Star was originally intended to provide above-code guidance for choosing windows and doors, more than 28 states now have energy codes that meet or exceed its existing standards. “Energy Star barely beats the code in many states,” says Richard Karney, the program’s products manager. The new standards are designed to be more stringent than the 2009 version of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), the model energy code that states seeking a share of $3.4 billion in energy assistance grants under the federal stimulus package are required to adopt.

Indeed, the overhaul is meant to realign Energy Star criteria with the stimulus package’s tax credit requirements for energy-efficient windows, says Karney. But the Obama administration’s plan actually jettisons Energy Star’s four climate zones and climate-specific standards and instead requires that all windows in all zones have both a U-factor and an SHGC of 0.30 or less to qualify for the 30 percent Section 25C IRS credit. Calling the “30/30” standard “arbitrary,” Window and Door Manufacturers Association president John Stoiber says his organization is lobbying Congress to amend the law to reference the newly released Energy Star standards.

Most manufacturers will be able to meet the new requirements by offering different glass packages with inert gas fills and low-E coatings, according to the DOE. Meanwhile a more robust multiyear study and overhaul of Energy Star standards is also in the works, which the DOE expects to roll out in three or four years. Industry experts believe that those standards will require extensive product re-engineering and predict wider use of triple glazing, especially in northern climates. — Andrew Wormer

Wall Panel Advantages

Whether you are a developer looking to save valuable time on your next project, a framer looking to minimize mistakes and expensive callbacks, or a homeowner looking for the highest quality home you can build, wall panels have advantages for you.

Panelized Home under construction

Listed below are just a few of the many advantages that you can count on by using wall panels on your next project.

• Easier to construct – The labor intensive part of framing is done in our facililty under controlled conditions reducing the chance for mistakes in the field.

Wall Panel assembly line

• Build a “greener” structure – Wall panels can use “green” friendly building techniques such as insulated headers, two piece energy corners, and engineered lumber for header material.
• Reduced Waste – Wall panels produce far less jobsite waste than conventional stick building. This can drastically cut down expensive dumpster fees.
• Reduce Cleanup – Wall panels mean that your framing crew can spend more time getting your structure under roof and less time cleaning up the waste of your jobsite.
• Time Savings – Structures can be dried in much faster, reducing harmful exposure to weather. We can also factory apply house wrap to your wall panels saving you even more time in the field and providing another layer of early weather protection.
• Build a structurally sound home – With wall panels supplied from the same manufacturer as your floor and roof trusses, you can all but eliminate mistakes. Everything from critical bearing locations for large concentrated loads, properly sized structural members, correct window and door rough openings, and errors in architectural drawings can be found and accounted for ahead of time in our facility, reducing unproductive time from your framing crew.
• Avoid unnecessary delays – According to a study called “What We Learned by Framing the American Dream” wall panels can reduce your wall framing time by significant amounts (26½ man hours with wall panels compared to 93 man hours stick framing on a 2,600 sq ft house).

Wall Panels being erected on site

• Reduce Construction Loan Interest – This drastically reduced time can also save money on interest paid on construction loans.
• Appraisal fees – Mortgage lenders are requiring that appraisals be completed within 120 days of permanent financing. Wall panels save precious time that may help avoid additional appraisal fees.
• Work out the “kinks” – Wall panel design software allows you to “see” the framing before it is built. This enables the wall panel designer to catch potential problems such as door sizes not fitting in the areas they are called for, incorrect measurements listed on the architectural drawings, conflicting window locations, and more. Working these problems out before construction begins can drastically reduce unproductive time from your framing crew.
• Building Codes – Codes on shear walls, lateral wall bracing, portal framing, nailing patterns, and tall wall applications are changing at a rapid pace. We can take these new codes into account with our precise engineering technology and controlled building environment.
• Reduce Theft – People are far less likely to steal wall panels from a jobsite than they are to steal loose framing lumber or sheathing.
• Limitless Possibilities – Timber Truss Housing Systems can build tall wall panels, sloping walls, short walls, 2×4 up to 2×8 walls, and walls with any specified stud spacing. We can also provide a variety of factory applied sheathing such as; OSB, plywood, foam, SIS, or gypsum.

Wall Panels - Ready for delivery

First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit

What a great opportunity for Home Buyers. And yes, this credit is for building a new home as well as buying an existing home. Check out this information at: www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com and start planning your new TrussMark Home. This is the perfect time and a great incentive. Below is a “Frequently Asked Question” taken from the website.

Instead of buying a new home from a home builder, I hired a contractor to construct a home on a lot that I already own. Do I still qualify for the tax credit?

Yes, For the purposes of the home buyer tax credit, a principal residence that is constructed by the home owner is treated by the tax code as having been “purchased” on the date the owner first occupies the house. In this situation, the date of first occupancy must be on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.

In contrast, for newly constructed homes bought from a home builder, eligibility for the tax credit is determined by the settlement date.

Salem Showroom Open Saturdays

Salem Showroom Home Planning Center

The normal showroom hours for the Timber Truss Showrooms and Home Planning Centers are 7:30am – 5:00pm Weekdays. Our branch offices are available for your convenience but during the slow housing market, you may want to make an appointment or check with that office/showroom to be sure someone will be available to assist you. The Salem Showroom is also open on Saturdays from 9:00am – 2:00pm. Other services are not available on Saturdays as the Salem Showroom only is open. No products or materials are available for Saturday sales, nor any design or engineering services. TrussMark Home plans are on display and the many products are displayed for choices and options available in a TrussMark or Custom Home package. A Saturday visit is great for assistance in picking or planning your new home and the options and products available.

20 “Green” Construction Techniques

20 ways to build your new home with “Green” construction Techniques under the NAHB Model GREEN HOME building guidelines

Timber Truss Housing Systems, Inc. has always employed many of the “Green Building Techniques” that are becoming so popular with today’s buying public and energy consci0us builders. Following are 20 simple ways to build green. This particular program and point system is based on NAHB’s Green Home program but almost all of the following building methods, if not all, will be recognized under any Green building program such as Earthcraft or LEED for Homes.

TrussMark Homes have used the modular sizing, framing layouts, detailed takeoffs, wall panels, roof and floor trusses, engineered lumber, energy corner options, raised heel options, covered entry options, overhang length options, prefinished product options, air infiltration barriers and water resistance barriers, ice flashings, FSC lumber options, and many more Green techniques. This is the very core of the design principles used in our homes and the way we have always designed them since we began providing home plans in 1975.

Below are listed many techniques that are not too radical or expensive to use in any new home project. Most of them are just common sense methods that are applied by any good builder to start with. These methods can be used in almost any home project. Remember new legislation just passed in Congress states that many loans have to be completed in 120 days after the permanent financing is fixed as stated in the following sentence., “Freddie Mac reminded lenders that an appraisal must be completed within 120 days of the permanent financing of the home for mortgages with settlement dates on or after Jan. 2, 2009. If the effective date of the appraisal is more than 120 days before the effective date of the permanent financing, then the seller must provide an appraisal update.”

Appraisal updates can easily cost over $1,000 depending on your home and the area you are in. But, why cost yourself more money when you can save money and get a better, faster erected and “Green-built” home that will continue to save you money in the future with it’s built-in energy saving building techniques?

An easy way to build your new home using green techniques AND time saving techniques is building with structural wood components such as wall panels, floor trusses and roof trusses. The easiest way to prevent having to pay for a new appraisal is to use these structural wood components to speed the construction of your new home.

• Use building dimensions and framing layouts to maximize the use of resources and minimize cutting. The buildings can be modularly sized with the sizes of materials in mind when deciding on various exterior dimensions. Sizing buildings at 24” modules will accomplish this task. 6 points

• Provide detailed framing plans and detailed material takeoffs. This will avoid wasting materials and help insure that the provided materials are used in an efficient manner. 7 points

• Use materials that require no additional finish resources to complete finish procedures at the building site. Examples of this would be using Atrium vinyl windows, Weather Shield Aluminum clad windows, and the new fiberglass Weather Shield windows that are not yet even listed on their web site product lines. The fiberglass will become a much better insulator than the wood and aluminum that is now being used. 4 points

• Use the panelized wall framing techniques. This method of construction reduces on-site waste and provides a quicker finish date on your home. This method can also use state of the art usage of two piece energy corners, tee posts, and engineered lumber for headers. We can also factory install air infiltration barriers such as TYVEK or DOW wrap to save time at the job site. 6 points

• Use pre-manufactured roof trusses and floor trusses. 3 points each

• Provide covered entries at exterior doors. 6 points

• Use properly sized overhangs for different directional exposures. 7 points

• Install perimeter drains for all basement footings that lead to a positive outfall or “daylight” outfall. 7 points

• Install gutters and downspouts to divert water 5′-0” away from foundation walls to prevent water intrusion in basement. 6 points

• Divert water from all sides of building by sloping the grade away from the structure. 7 points

• • Provide a water-resistance barrier (WRB and usually the same as an air infiltration barrier) or a drainage plane system behind the exterior finish system or the exterior siding. These can be factory installed at timber Truss to save time at the job site. 8 points

• Install ice and water shield flashing at roof edge conditions. 5 points

• Employ and show on the set of architectural plans details to show flashing installed around the perimeter of windows and doors, valleys in roof systems, deck/house attachment juncture, roof/wall junctures, chimneys, dormers. At roof junctures to other items such as dormers or chimneys, always show and use stepped flashing techniques. Use drip cap flashings above windows and doors and other wall penetrations. 9 points

• Use materials that are manufactured from renewable resources such as engineered lumber for headers, OSB and enhanced OSB roof and floor sheathings, and wood structural component chords. 3 points

• Use certified wood for wood based components such as wall panels and trusses that are from credible third-party certified sources such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council). 4 points

• Use raised heel (stubbed) roof truss eave details to enhance building insulation performance of ceiling plane insulation. 2 points

• • Use advanced framing methods such as 2-piece energy corners, 2-piece energy tee-posts, and insulated headers. 6 points

• Use ENERGY STAR rated windows that are sized properly and glazed specifically for your local climate. These include Atrium, Weather Shield products or Silverline.  8 points

• Incorporate an air sealing package to your home to reduce air infiltration and air leakage into your home. You should use sill sealer at the sill plate and foundation juncture. Caulk the bottom of sill plates on your wall system before placing walls on sub-floor. Air seal all band joists or trusses between floors of your home. Caulk all electrical, plumbing, and duct penetrations between floors of the home. Air seal all attic hatches and knee-wall doors in Cape Cod style framing. Insulate and seal all window and door rough openings between framed opening and jambs/heads/sills of the windows and doors. Use air rated air tight electrical fixtures in recessed can lights. Use air ducted in to the inside of fireplace for combustion air supply in conjunction with glass doors to prevent conditioned air being used for the combustion process. 10 points

• Choose low or no VOC (volatile organic compounds in grams per liter) indoor paints for your indoor finishing. EPA’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program suggests the following:
- Interior latex coatings that are flat with a limit of 100 grams /liter.
- Interior latex coatings that are non-flat with a limit of 150 grams /liter.
- Interior oil based paints with a limit of 380 grams/liter.
6 points

These are all easy and mostly traditional forms of building. If you want to learn more about roof trusses, floor trusses, wall panels, and other green building techniques, please visit out web site, www.timbertruss.com.