Calling Lawton, Ardmore, Enid, Tulsa, etc.

If you’re an OSHBA member with your own crew of subs, you’re needed in Moore, South OKC, El Reno, Carney, Shawnee, and other areas.

The tornados and storms have finally left, but while they were here they caused a lot of destruction and grief. Rebuilding is underway and the limited number of reliable subs in affected areas is making the recovery harder and slower for all builders.

In visiting with the Moore HBA, they have received calls from builders around the country wanting to come in and help.  More builders contacting the local subcontractors will not help.  What is needed are those builders who can come in with the necessary subcontractors and materials.

To facilitate the recovery, OSHBA is assembling a list of member builders who are qualified to help in the rebuilding efforts and can bring crews and materials into affected areas. If you are equipped to meet these criteria and want to be included on the list, please send us your name, company name, email, and phone number.  Do not put your name on the list if you cannot supply your own subcontractors and materials. As is the State Policy, we will recommend Certified Professional Builders first, then other members alphabetically.  We will only list active members and will update as members join the effort.

Builders in every recovery area are working overtime to move their projects forward, but they need help. Builders from other parts of the state can help the local builders and survivors as they all work together to keep Oklahoma Strong.

The list is available at http://www.oshba.org/pages/tornadorelief.

Countdown to Our Annual Convention

Our annual convention is a little more than a month away. Mark your calendar and make your reservations. We’ll be meeting in Grapevine, Texas!

When: July 18-20

Early Bird Registration:        Before July 1 | $249 (spouse included)

Regular Registration:            After July 1 | $309 (spouse included)

Get Relaxed

The Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center provides a family friendly fun and relaxing experience. Hotel guests rated the getaway 2011’s #1 Top Aquatic Resort by Waterparks + Resorts Today.

Guests look over items at silent auction that helps fund scholarships at local technology centers.

You and your family will enjoy the Gaylord Texan’s western-themed 10-acre resort pool and lazy river complex. The family lagoon features a 27-foot-tall winding waterslide, two horseshoe-shaped hot pools and a toddler pool.  Shopping, dining, indoor gardens, a day spa and fitness center and our own silent auction are calling your name …so mention you are with the Oklahoma State Home Builders Convention to get signed up. Rooms are $179 per night. Be sure to reserve your room online soon or call (866) 782-7897. The OSHBA room block is filling up.

Get Smart

We’ve been working hard to make sure your time is packed with great sessions. Learn about everything from energy efficiency, to soils and foundation design, to the latest in geothermal technology to extended warranties. Visit the calendar tab on our website for the full convention agenda. This is your opportunity to learn about the latest in our industry. You won’t want to miss out!

Get Motivated

This year’s keynote speaker is sure to inspire you. Dave Mitchell will share with us about the Power of Understanding People. He’ll provide insight into understanding diverse communication styles. His laugh-out-loud humor and audience interaction will keep you engaged. Dave takes great pride in using proven principles in applied performance and cognitive psychology and delivering a high impact training experience that is also incredibly entertaining.

Get Certified

As a Certified Professional Builder, you’ll be at the top of the Oklahoma home-building industry. By attending the convention, you can earn a year’s worth of continuing education needed to qualify as a CPB.

A Certified Professional Builder voluntarily commits to a set of industry best practices. These include carrying workers compensation and general liability insurance, building to required code standards and taking continuing education classes to stay at the top of your field, among other requirements.

All Certified Professional Builders must obtain nine hours of continuing education each year to ensure they are current on industry best practices and new regulations – and this is a fun, educational and easy way to get those hours.

Get Going

Hope to see you there. This year’s convention has a lot to offer!

Editor’s Note: In light of the recent tornadoes, we thought this might be handy for your customers to know.

1. “Why don’t we have basements in Oklahoma?”

Cost? Something to do with the soil? The lay of the land?
Your assumption is correct in that cost is one of, if not the biggest, overriding factor.  They are expensive and require a lot of engineering, excavation, waterproofing etc.  Plus, from my old assessor days I can tell you they don’t return the value that you put into them.  The market here is not big on basements.  The land is flat here compared to back east, so excavation is a lot more expensive.  Also, I had this conversation yesterday with Curtis McCarty, our representative on the UBCC, and what makes it easier in the North and East is the fact that the footings have to be so deep due to their frostlines.  If you have to build to a depth of 6 feet compared to only 18-24 inches, it makes it a whole lot more cost effective to build a basement.

2. How come some of the older houses in historic neighborhoods have full basements?
First we have to remember how young of a state we really are and that early builders in Oklahoma learned their building techniques in the East.  Also, prior to the modern HVAC systems, shallow basements were a good way to add heating and air to a home.   My first home in Edmond was built in 1920 and had a basement.  It wasn’t what I would call a full basement and it was only good for the HVAC system, storing canned goods, and adding humidity to the house!  I will try to find the resource from Texas Tech, but basically a basement provides no extra benefit if it doesn’t have a fortified ceiling (floor) as it will collapse during a direct-hit tornado.

3. What about walkout basements? Aren’t they an option on the right kinds of lots?
Definitely an option given the right kind of lot.  I know a lot of builders that build them and like them.  Mike Gilles/Curtis McCarty are two good resources here.

4. Is this a tipping point? Might builders start offering basements now?
I don’t think so.  The latest trend is the safe room and the in the floor of the garage storm shelter.  Basements are not really the answer.  Builders will build them if that is what the customer wants.  Affordable housing will go out the window with basements.  There has not been a demand, you can’t get appraisals, and the financing would not be available.

5. What about safe rooms or storm shelters? Why is that even an option??? Why aren’t they as common as indoor plumbing?

I know it may sound funny, but there are some people that don’t want to pay the extra cost for a storm shelter or safe room.  (By the way, a safe room will cost more than a storm shelter).  Some don’t think they need them.  The market has not demanded them, that is why it is an option.  Recent storms will drive up the interest, but then it will wane.  Tax credits help push up the demand, but that is only temporary.  And by the way, indoor plumbing is common today, but it wasn’t in the 50′s and 60′s in rural Oklahoma.

Disaster has come to the community, but we are Oklahomans and we will move bravely
forward.

Members of the Builders Association of South Central Oklahoma have decided to press on with the annual Festival of Homes because they feel like the best way they can serve the community during this time is to provide people with homes.

BASCO is committed to rebuilding our community and staying Oklahoma strong. The 2013 Festival of Homes takes place June 8-16. The homes are open 1-7 p.m. daily. Some of the homes on the tour are located in Moore.

“Our normal policy is not to sell any homes entered in the Festival until after the Festival is over so they are available for viewing. But, because of the urgent needs for housing, we are selling homes as soon as they become available,” said David Caddell, BASCO Festival of Homes chairman.

We will make every effort to keep current information available about which homes are open for viewing and which homes are sold and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience.

“BASCO is committed to doing our part to help rebuild our community,” he said. “Ourthoughts are with our friends and family in Moore and the Moore Home Builders Association during this difficult time.”

For updated routes, and or road closures during the tour, check the Festival website at BASCO-Festival.com. You can find a copy of the Festival of Homes Design book in Norman-area 7-Eleven stores starting Friday (May 31). To map your route, visit BASCO-Festival.com. Pin the homes you want to visit, click on “My Tour” and off you go.

This year’s show home is 4427 Fountain View Drive, off Northwest 48th between Tecumseh and Rock Creek. 

Built by Custom Builders of Oklahoma, it is currently for sale and features four bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen with granite countertops, formal dining, outdoor living space with fireplace, and features a master bedroom and bath. Preview the home now at BASCO-festival.com.

Don’t let disaster strike twice!  (or again!)

Disasters like the tornados on May 19 and May 20 bring out the best in people. First responders, volunteers, neighbors and survivors are all working hard to start the rebuilding process in every city and area damaged in those storms.

Unfortunately, disasters bring out some of the worst in people, too. Price gouging, fraud, and misrepresentation are common as the areas are flooded with people claiming to want to “help” put your town, your home, and your life back together.

Tony Foust with DaVinci Homes in Norman is chair of the Certified Professional Builders committee of the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association. He advises consumers to be careful whenever they are considering building a home, but especially in the stress-filled days ahead.

“It is important in building to have an individual who will stand behind his work. Know who you are doing business with and know he will be there long after the job is done.”

As you start the process of rebuilding your home, do your homework. If you are considering someone who has approached you about handling your project, look beyond the quoted price for the job. Make sure this person is a qualified, reputable builder by contacting the Oklahoma State Home Builders Association for member builders, or going the website at www.oshba.org.

Ask to see proof of workers compensation and general liability insurance. Doesn’t have any? Pass on the offer.

While you are at www.oshba.org, link to the Certified Professional Builders page for the names and contact information for the 154 CPBs in the state. These builders are committed to high standards of professionalism, safety, fairness, progressive building techniques and ethics — the kinds of builder you want helping you replace some of what you lost.

In Oklahoma, home builders are not licensed – anyone can call himself/herself a builder. Go to www.oshba.org for a list of Certified Professional Builders, members who have taken an extra step to raise the bar for their profession. If a builder is a CPB, then he has:

• Workers Compensation insurance
• Liability insurance
• Has the mandate number of continuing education hours
• Has been fiscally sound for a specified period of years, among other requirements

If the person you are talking to isn’t on that CPB list, ask what home builders’ association you should check to see if he is a member. And if he/she is not a member of any association, find out why.

“Contractors” are soliciting business. Many are from out of state. And, many are not contractors but con artists who take advantage of people at their most vulnerable time. Be thorough, do your research, and pick a builder who will finish the job and stand behind it.