WOW HOUSE
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What can a 10,023-square-foot Caribbean-style Florida
mansion possibly have in common with a more modest new home that's perhaps
one-fifth the size and one-tenth the price?
That's a major question for home builders and remodelers after touring the
New American Home 2006 last week in Orlando, Fla. They're wondering what
building and design nuggets can be plucked from the showcase home and displayed
in their smaller, less expensive models.
For the 23rd consecutive year, the New American Home was the showcase of
the International Builders' Show, a trade event that annually attracts more
than 100,000 construction industry professionals. In addition to the official
opening of the showcase home, the event - a cross between the Olympics and the
Super Bowl of new construction techniques and materials - featured more than
1,600 exhibitors at the city's Orange County Convention Center.
Everything - and we mean everything - from roofing shingles to carpet
squares is on display.
But it's the New American Home that often furnishes the show's "wow"
factor. This year's two-story structure, which hints of a British Colonial,
could be an exterior set for the next "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie.
Nearly 3,000 square feet are dedicated to two loggias, outdoor
entertainment areas with miniature kitchens, plasma televisions and
weatherproof furniture that overlook Lake Burden in southwest Orange County.
The home is expected to sell for $4 million.
"This home is like the exotic vehicle at a car convention," said John
Orgren, the project's lead designer and an architect at WCI Architecture & Land
Planning, a Florida development company. "Like the exotic car, which is not
something many people will drive, the show home has all the bells and whistles
in one package.
"We're saying to the industry, 'Here in one home are all the new and most
interesting products and a lot of ideas that are going to make it into
production, sooner or later.'"
Features of the future
So what's new? How about a coffee bar and mini-laundry room in the master
bedroom suite? Or an automated wireless electric system that allows the
addition of outlets and switches without running wires inside walls? Or an
air-conditioning system that beats minimum efficiency standards by more than 60
percent?
"This home - wow," said Ray Accettella, an executive with Jarro Building
Industries, an East Meadow remodeling firm, and the Long Island Builders
Institute. "It's incredibly big and has so many things to offer." Accettella
was among 80 or 90 construction professionals from Long Island attending the
show, said builders institute executive president Bob Wieboldt.
For Accettella, one intriguing component was the house's wireless
electronic system. The wire-free technology by Pennsylvania-based Lutron
Electronics uses radio frequency to control lights and electronic devices.
"From a remodeling standpoint, that's an unbelievable advantage," Accettella
said. "You can add outlets virtually anywhere without tearing out walls to run
wires."
Both Accettella and fellow builders institute executive, Victor Irizarry,
owner of Whitford Homes in Ronkonkoma, appreciated the use of outdoor space.
"Because of our weather on Long Island, such outdoor space would be more of a
seasonal feature," said Irizarry, whose new homes typically sell in the
$500,000 to $800,000 range. "From May through September, I could see the
appeal, but more in high-end homes."
Another attraction is the combination main laundry room/hobby room. At
about 100 square feet, the room - one of three laundry rooms in the home -
combines counter space, shelving and storage for an area where ironing as well
as pottery-making could take place. Such a multifunctional room would play well
on Long Island or in Peoria.
Irizarry also said he liked the home's use of narrower and longer
impact-resistant windows by Loewen. The windows, which meet wind ratings for
hurricane areas, also contain specialized coatings to let in sunlight while
restricting the loss of indoor air. They, too, could make a dent in the Long
Island market, especially in remodeling and construction along the shorelines.
"Because we like outdoor light but are concerned about keeping heat or cool air
indoors, depending on the season, I can see where we could put these windows
to use," he said.
Maximum amenities
One concept most impressed Irizarry during his tour: attention to detail.
"We typically deliver new homes with white paint on the walls and a couple of
flooring surfaces," he said. "This home specializes in the amenities, which we
know consumers want."
With high-end attractions like a game room, a lakefront spa room and a
guest suite, there is an admitted over-the-top extravagance, said Orgren, the
lead designer. But there was an emphasis on using environmentally responsible
products and reducing energy consumption.
Appliances, including the water heater, and high-efficiency heating and
cooling systems meet standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy
Star program. The home is "certified green," or environmentally friendly, by
the Florida Green Building Coalition.
But Irizarry expected a little more emphasis to energy concerns. For
example, the home doesn't use solar power to either furnish electricity or hot
water. "We don't see it on Long Island, either," he said. "Buyers don't ask
about energy usage or insulation; they want the countertops and floors."
At least one critic, Kevin Ireton, editor of Connecticut-based Fine
Homebuilding magazine, said he believes the home was built with good
intentions. "On the positive, this is the first home in the series that was
built green," said Ireton, who has attended 12 consecutive shows and about 15
overall. "But it's way too big. Everything that was gained in terms of energy
savings has been offset by the size. In this day and age, a 10,000-square-foot
house sends the wrong message."
Of course, the amenities got to Ireton, too. "There's a plasma TV in every
room," he said. And a coffee bar and laundry room in the master suite means
"you never have to leave your bedroom."
The outdoor loggia off the family room seemed, at first, a little too much.
"I thought, who needs a plasma TV in the wall of an outdoor room?" he said.
"But then I could see myself going out there in the mornings with my coffee to
watch the 'Today' show."
Green enough?
It's just that a little more thought could have gone into energy reduction,
he said. "The front entrance and the swimming pool use propane torches for
light," he said. "Why not energy-saving compact fluorescent bulbs instead?"
Wieboldt, the Long Island Builders Institute executive who has been to all
23 of the trade shows, said he believes there has been more of an effort to
build green and energy conscious in recent showcase homes. The drawback often
is money; because of less consumer demand, green products frequently remain
more expensive than traditional materials. "We have to figure out how to go
green and energy-efficient and do it in the smaller, more affordable houses,"
he said.
Ireton agreed. So he'd like next year's showcase home to be a little
smaller, a little more realistic, more in touch with the average new-home
buyer. "I heard someone on the tour say that this showcase home is a marriage
of opulence and a general concern for the environment," Ireton said. "If that's
the case, then it's a marriage that won't last."
A NEW HOME, AND LOTS OF IT
The New American Home 2006, by the numbers:
Square feet: 7,367 of air-conditioned, indoor living space.
Bedrooms: 4 to 6 (a home theater and a spa also can double as bedrooms).
Bathrooms: Four full and two half-baths.
Fireplaces: Five (three indoor, two outdoor).
Laundry rooms: Three, with the main doubling as a hobby room.
Garage: A three-car, plus a one-car unit that can be used as a workshop.
Loggias: Two, one on the ground floor and another on the second floor. Each
has a mini-kitchen.
Swimming pool: Inground, 18-by-44 feet.
Elevator: One.
Outdoor living space: Nearly 3,000 square feet. Because Florida's climate
allows for living outdoors year-round, exterior space includes two outdoor
kitchens, an entertainment area with a plasma television and a pool court.
Interested? For more on the New American Home 2006, go to www.nahb.org or
www.buildersshow.com.
WHERE�S THE SOLAR POWER?
Conspicuously absent from the New American Home 2006 are photovoltaic cells, or
modules that generate electricity. These PV devices, often attached to
rooftops, convert rays from the sun into electricity that can be used by
businesses and residences.
Going without a PV system was a decision made by Alex Hannigan, builder
and owner of Hannigan Homes, Inc., said John Orgren, an architect for WCI
Architecture & Land Planning and the lead designer for the project. PV cells
would clash with the roof design, Orgren said. "The modules are still kind of
obtrusive," Orgren said.
Kevin Ireton, the editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine who has attended 12
consecutive International Builders' Shows, disagrees: "It's short of criminal
not to include solar technology in the construction of this home," said Ireton.
"In this day and age, and in Florida, where the sun shines so often, they
should have found a way to do it. If the sight line of the roof is a concern,
then the PV panels could have been installed on the back of the house."
The home was built with other energy-saving and water-conservation
features, including a gutter system that collects rainwater to irrigate
landscaping, a cross-ventilation layout that invites outdoor breezes indoors
through large window screens, and mulch made from recycled construction
materials.
Also featured are Energy Star-rated appliances, foam insulation and a
heating-and-cooling design that uses 61 percent less energy. The house is
"certified green," or environmentally responsible, according to the standards
of the Florida Green Building Coalition. The group rates energy-saving building
practices and techniques in several categories, and houses that earn a minimum
of points achieve the certification.
To reduce cooling costs, air ducts were run through conditioned spaces to
minimize leaks, and a high-SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio)
air-conditioning system was installed. The result is a cooling system that is
50 percent more efficient that the standard building code.
- GARY DYMSKI
WRITE TO: Gary Dymski, 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville, NY 11747-4250 or e-mail
Gary.Dymski@newsday.com
