Green Building Leads to Increased Home Sales

By: Superior Walls of America, LTD | 0 Shares 118 Reads

October 26, 2011 // Franchising.com // ST. JOSEPH, MI - Despite a challenging economy, builder Greg Powell has experienced growing success in constructing his Cottages at Harbor Shores Hideaway development on the shores of Lake Michigan. With seven units now completed and sold, and seven more under construction, Powell believes his determination to feature only high-performance, low-maintenance products in the homes has led to the project's success.

"We will have 58 homes and a clubhouse in this Jack Nicholas Signature Golf Course community on the Paw Paw River when it's completed," says Powell, owner of Powell Construction Services, LLC out of St. Joseph, MI. "Every one of those homes will feature high-performance Simonton ProFinish® Brickmould 600 windows and patio doors. Many of the entry doors are ENERGY STAR® qualified fiberglass door systems from Therma-Tru. And, the home foundations feature energy-efficient Superior Walls® pre-cast concrete wall panels reinforced with steel and insulated with DOW® StyrofoamTM to create a permanent barrier against sidewall water penetration.

"I've selected the products I would want in my own personal home to assure that the residents here have the ultimate living experience."

Every home in the Cottages at Harbor Shores Hideaway community is being constructed to the NAHB Green Building Standard. The homes are third-party certified Green Built Homes with a Gold Rating, which exceeds the ENERGY STAR Five-Star Plus certification. Powell Construction homes are certified through Green BuiltTM Michigan and follow the national Model Green Home Building Guidelines. The NAHB Green Approved Superior Walls foundations used in the homes are the only foundations approved to contribute points toward certification of a structure under the National Green Building StandardTM.

"Creating an energy-efficient, high-performance home is all about the products you select for the home and the construction practices you employ," says Powell. "These homes are constructed to be just as comfortable during our rough Michigan winters as they are during our perfect summer weather.

"As much as performance is a key goal of ours, aesthetics is also critical when designing and constructing these cottage-style homes. Using the Simonton products with the integral brick mould created as part of each window frame gives us a consistent, stylized look throughout the entire community. Then, complementing those windows with shutters and entry doors that are architecturally appealing with unique accent colors helps us make these cottages stand-out. The glass and color options we selected in the Therma-Tru doors also add to the curb appeal of the home while providing interior accent designs."

The Hideaway Cottages neighborhood developed by Harbor Shores and being exclusively built by Powell Construction is located along the north shore of the Paw Paw River and close to Lake Michigan. Spanning 530 acres and located in Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and Benton Township, the Harbor Shores development is the first beach and signature golf resort community in southwest Michigan. Cottages in the development (which include the lots) range in price from $350,000 to the $600,000's.

"Maintenance-free living is a key feature of this community," says Powell. "The homeowner association fees cover community maintenance along with landscaping and snow removal. There's so much to do here during every season that homeowners don't want to spend time on the mundane chore of maintaining their home exteriors. On any given day, residents can play golf, enjoy the neighborhood clubhouse, swimming pool, fire pit, or canoe and kayak on the river. We've created a ‘community for life' that truly enhances the lives of its residents."

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