2022 HOBI Building Connections

Darien (Flagship Yard)

Lewisboro, NY

Building Connections is a monthly digital magazine produced and published by the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Fairfield County. Inside you will find the latest association news, legislative updates, upcoming events, and featured articles about the industry.

Contact Us: hbra@buildfairfieldcounty.com www.buildfairfieldcounty.com @hbraffc (203) 335-7008

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2022 OFFICERS

Immediate Past President

Kim DiMatteo Cross Insurance

President: John Hertz Hertz Construction

Senior VP: Rob Michaud Michaud Group

VP: Brian Kurtz Interstate Lumber

Treasurer: Steven Roth Elevator Service

Secretary: Karen Bradbury

Closet & Storage Concepts

2022 DIRECTORS

Alex Shook Pella Windows

Bonnie Paige Bonnie Paige Interiors

Chris Shea Domus Constructors LLC

George Pusser

Cornerstone Contracting

Lisa Heldwhite Breakwater Development

Peter Sciaretta

Hemingrway Construction

Stephen Gidley

Stephen C. Gidley Inc.

Tori McBrien

McBrien Interiors

LIFE DIRECTORS

Joanne Carroll

JMC Resources

Jerry Effren

The Greyrock Companies

Gary Fanali City Carting

Peter Fusaro

Preferred Builders

Michael Palumbo

ERI Building & Design

Peter Gaboriault Bear Paw Builders

Terrence Beaty

William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty

Chris Steiner Steiner, Inc.

Anthony DeRosa DeRosa Builders

DIAMOND

TITANIUM

AUTHENTIC TO YOUR DREAM

Andersen ® A-Series windows and doors are based on the style of home you want. Whether it’s a stately Queen Anne, a bold Modernist design or anything in between, you can now create it with the best-performing, most energy-efficient products Andersen has ever offered. Don’t just imagine your dream home, build it with Andersen.

Andersen is proud to support the Home Builders and Remodelers Assn. of Fairfield County and its members.

Congratulations to all of the 2022 HOBI Winners

HOME FINANCING

Best Construction Permanent Custom Home Loan Best End Loan for a Community Liberty Bank

SALES &MARKETING

Best Hartford County Sales Team

Calcagni Real Estate for the Yorkshire at Farmington sales team Brandon DAngelo &Juanita Champagne

Best New Haven County Sales Team

Calcagni Real Estate for the Pierpont sales team Bridie Bradbury & Kristin Daly-Murphy

Best Middlesex County Sales Team

Calcagni Real Estate for the Arbor Meadows sales team Daniela Volo & Maryam Taylor

Sales Team of the Year Denise Walsh & Partners

New Home Sales Person of the Year Penny Gitberg, Berkshire Hathaway Home Services

Leasing Agent of the Year – Peter Grant Wellbuilt Company for Stillwater in Stamford

Best Video

Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Best Marketed Rental Community Berkshire Hathaway for the Grand Luxury Apartments in Granby

Outstanding Special Promotion Calcagni Real Estate for the CT Home Show booth

Best Product Showroom for Home Design Center EG Home

Outstanding Small Lighting Showroom

Tidewater Lighting & Design for Madison showroom

Outstanding New Haven County Showroom Torrco for Design Center in Waterbury

Outstanding Showroom Under 3,000 SF Closet Factory, Wood Grains & Drains Unlimited for Post Road Home Center in Darien

Best Mudroom Closet Factory

Best Product Showroom Over 10,000 SF Floor & Décor for West Hartford Showroom

Best Interior Design - Under $5 Million Home McBrien Interiors for Greenwich home filled with love & art

Outstanding Interior Design Under $5 Million Home

Stephanie Rapp Interiors for Modern family home in Westport

Best Interior Design Over $5 Million Home for South End Project in Southport

Best Home Staging $5-8 Million Home for Hamptons project

Best Home Staging – Over $8 Million Home for Del Mar Project LTW Design

Best Home Staging $3-5 Million Home for 40 Lincoln Street

Best Home Staging $1-3 Million Home for 39 Vestry, N.Y.C. Iconic Modern Home

Best Interior Design for an Apartment for Brim & Crown apartment in East Norwalk

Best Home Office for Westport home

Best Library for Ridgefield home Hogue Interior Design

Best Walk-In Closet

Closet & Storage Concepts for New Canaan home

Best Powder Room for Weston home

Outstanding Primary bath for modern bath in Stamford

Best Home Gym for gym and meditation room

Design by the Jonathans

Best Playroom

Greenwich Play for the Dewart Project

Best Home Elevator for Ridgefield home

Best New Product/Construction Technology for Flex Step Elevator Service Company

Best Remodeled Kitchen & Best Kitchen

Hemingway Construction for New Rochelle estate

Outstanding Kitchen by a Supplier

Karen Berkemeyer Home for South Florida kitchen

Outstanding Entry Foyer

Beth Krupa Interiors for Wilton home

Best Home Technology

Innerspace Electronics for Westport home

Best Single Family Home Landscape Design

Torrison Stone & Garden for Essex home

Best Community Landscape Design for The Vue in New Canaan Karp Associates

SPEC HOMES

Best Spec Home $500,000-750,000

Wilmatt Development for 11 Griswold Drive, West Hartford

Best Spec Home $750,000-1 Million for 10 Iris Court, Cromwell Carrier Inc.

Best Spec Home $1-2 Million for the Lillinonah in Southbury Hills

EG Home

Outstanding Spec Home $1-2 Million for The Suffolk farmhouse in Fairfield

Outstanding Pool House DeLaurentis Developments

Best Design Build Spec Home

Best Spec Home $2-3 Million

Best Master Bath Best Entry

Riverside Design & Build for 963 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan

Outstanding Design Build Spec Home

Laura Michaels Design & FNR Luxury Homes for 27 Skylark Road Greenwich

Best Spec Home $3-4 Million

Outstanding Kitchen

Bluewater Home Builders for Compo Beach home in Westport

Best Spec Home $5-6 Million

Simple Plan Home Builders for 280 Compo Road South, Westport

COMMUNITIES &PRODUCTION HOUSING

Best Large Cluster Community for Arbor Meadows, Cromwell

By Carrier Inc.

Best Mid Size Cluster Community

Toll Brothers Inc for the Enclave at Daniels Farm, Trumbull

Best Small Cluster Community for The Preserve in Norwalk

Best Community Website for The Preserve in Norwalk

Best Marketed Single Family Community for The Preserve in Norwalk

Denise Walsh & Partners & Silver Heights Development

Best Large Single Family Rental Community for the Grand Luxury Homes in Granby Krown Point Capital & Connecticut Realty Trust

Best Small Single Family Rental Community

Best Active Adult Community

Greyrock Homes for Cottages at Richards Avenue in Norwalk

Best Multifamily Rental Community

Best Multifamily Rental Unit

Outstanding Community Service for street arts festival & mural

Wellbuilt Company for Stillwater in Stamford

Best Single Family Home $1-2 Million for the Highland model at Old Mystic Estates

Best Detached 55+ Home for the Grant model at Chatfield Farms

EG Home

Best Townhouse

Michaud Development Group for Halley Commons in Fairfield

Best Luxury Condominium for B21 at 20 Church Street, Greenwich

Best Commercial to Residential Conversion for A4 at 20 Church Street, Greenwich TREC

Best Single Family Home $400,000-600,000 for Torrington Chase

Best Single Family Home $600,000-800,000 for Suffield Chase

Best Single Family Home $800,000-1 Million for Gledhill Estates T&M Building Company

CUSTOM HOMES

Best Out of State Custom Home for Pokahoe Drive, Sleepy Hollow N.Y.

Best Green Energy-Efficient Custom Home Under 5,000 SF for Stamford home

Best Green Energy-Efficient Home Over 5,000 SF for 81 Campbell Avenue, Stamford Construction Management Group

Best Modern Custom Home Over 3,000 SF for 44 June Road, Stamford Construction Management Group

Outstanding Green Energy-Efficient Custom Home BPC Green Builders for Guilford home

Best Modern Custom Home Under 3,000 SF for New Canaan home Best Pool House for New Canaan pool house Hobbs Inc.

Outstanding Modern Custom Home Cornerstone Contracting for Rye N.Y. home

Best Design Build Custom Home Outstanding Kitchen by a Builder Altamura Home for 26 Leeuwarden Lane, Darien

Best Vacation Home for Hamptons home Hobbs Inc.

Best In Town Custom Home for 3 Maplewood Avenue, Westport VAS Construction

Best Not So Big House for 76 Shore Road Pool House Braydan Construction

Best New Old Custom Home Prutting & Company for Silvernails

Best Designed Custom Home Sepot Architects for Shepaug River House

Best Green Energy-Efficient Custom Home by an Architect Leigh Overland Architect for 110 Shoreham Terrace, Fairfield

Best Custom Home Under 3,000 SF

East Coast Structures LLC for 21 South Beach Drive, Belle Island

Outstanding Hartford County Custom Home 3,000-4,000 SF Nordic Builders of Tolland LLC for12 Castle Hill, Manchester

Outstanding Fairfield County Custom Home 3,000-4,000 SF Beachwalk Homes for 399 Riverside Drive Fairfield

Outstanding Litchfield County Custom Home 3,000-4,000 SF for Kent home Ground Breakers

Best Custom Home 4,000-5,000 SF

Best Exterior & Interior Features & Outstanding Home Office Gatehouse Partners for 37 Byram Shore, Greenwich

Outstanding Custom Home 4,000-5,000 SF for Middle Haddam Riverfront home Petra Construction Corporation

Best Custom Home 5,000-6,000 SF for 285 Fair Oaks, Fairfield DeRosa Builders

Best Custom Home 6,000-7,000 SF HSL Building Company for 10 West Branch Road, Westport

Outstanding Custom Home 6000-7,000 SF

Fletcher Development Christopher Pagliaro, Architects for 70 Turkey Hill Road, Westport

Best Custom Home 7,000-8,000 SF Tom Fredo Enterprises for Farmington home

Best Custom Home 8,000-9,000 SF Outstanding Special Purpose Room Guiltec for 11 Meadow Lane, Purchase N.Y.

Best Custom Home 9,000-10,000 SF for Washington, CT home Hobbs Inc.

Best Custom Home 10,000 -15,000 SF RR Builders for 203 Long Neck Point Road, Darien

Best Custom Home Over 15,000 SF for Greenwich estate Hobbs Inc.

Best Special Purpose Building Ryan Carrier By Carrier Inc. for Woodbury Horse Barn

REMODELED HOMES

Best Design Build Remodeled Home Acadia Design + Build for Fairfield home

Best New Old Remodeled Home Bonnie Paige for 1850s Southport farmhouse

Best Historic Rehab Koushouris Construction for 29 Swifts Lane, Darien

Best Remodeled Home $100,000-250,000

Outstanding Special Purpose Room DeLaurentis Developments for Fairfield home

Best Remodeled Home $250,000-500,000 Uccello Development for 32 Lobb Lane, Deep River

Outstanding Remodeled Home $250,000-500,000 for Bantam home Ground Breakers

Best Remodeled Home $500,000-750,000 Palette Pro Painting & Renovation for Armonk, N.Y. home

Best Designed Remodeled Home RD Studio for Armonk N.Y. home

Outstanding Remodeled Home $500,000-750,000 Braydan Construction for 46 Highview Avenue, Old Greenwich

Best Remodeled Home $750,000-1 Million DeRosa Builders

Emilia Ferri Architecture + Design for Fairfield Modern transformation

Best Remodeled Home $1-2 Million for Compo Beach home in Westport

Best Special Purpose Room for wine room & bar in Compo Beach home Bluewater Home Builders

Best Remodeled Home $2-3 Million Cole Harris Homes for Wakeman Place transformation in Westport

Best Spec Remodel Under $3 Million Van Brodt Estates for River Lane Westport

Best Spec Remodel Over $3 Million CCO Habitats for 8 Mayflower Parkway, Westport

Best Remodeled Home $3-5 Million Newquist Building Company Kemper Associates Architect for Scarborough Street home in Hartford

COMMERCIAL

Best New Commercial Under 2,500 SF Hertz Construction for Hollow Tree Wine Vault in Darien

Best New Commercial Over 2,500 SF for Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y. Best Commercial Rehab for Knollwood Country Club in Elmsford, N.Y. Murphy Brothers Contracting

Outstanding Commercial Rehab for JCC Pre School Education Learning Center

Best Residential to Commercial Conversion for 63 Park Street, New Canaan Karp Associates

Best Adaptive Reuse Under 10,000 SF for Saint Thomas More Corp. renovation Petra Construction Corp.

Best Adaptive Reuse over 10,000 SF Horton Group & Davenport Properties for Overland Lofts in Springfield MA

JOB BANK

AVAILABLE JOBS:

These opportunities are offered by the HBRA members listed in the specific advertisement. Please do not contact the HBRA regarding these listings.

DHD Windows And Doors

JOB TITLE: Delivery Project Coordinator

EMPLOYER: DHD Windows & Doors, LLC.

DEPARTMENT: Operations

REPORTS TO: Operations Manager

EFFECTIVE DATE: 2/10/2022

SUMMARY: Initiates, coordinates, and executes administrative and other project support to Sales Manager/team including providing Customer Service to the Company’s Customers.

DHD Windows And Doors

JOB TITLE: Warehouse Supervisor

EMPLOYER: DHD Windows & Doors, LLC.

DEPARTMENT: Warehouse

REPORTS TO: Warehouse Manager

EFFECTIVE DATE: 9/15/2022

SUMMARY: Directs the activities of warehouse personnel involved in the receiving of various products into the facility, movements of product within the facility, and the picking and loading of product shipping out of the facil ity; ensures that all policies and procedures are followed.

Single-Family Housing Contraction Continues in October

Elevated mortgage rates, high construction costs for concrete and other building materials and weakening demand stemming from deteriorating affordability conditions continue to act as a drag on single-family housing production.

Overall housing starts decreased 4.2% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.43 million units in October, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The October reading of 1.43 million starts is the number of housing units builders would begin if development kept this pace for the next 12 months. Within this overall number, single-family starts decreased 6.1% to an 855,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate. Yearto-date, single-family starts are down 7.1%. The multifamily sector, which includes apartment buildings and condos, decreased 1.2% to an annualized 570,000 pace.

“Mirroring ongoing falloffs in builder sentiment, builders are slowing construction as demand retreats due to high mortgage rates, stubbornly elevated construction costs and declines for housing affordability,” said Jerry Konter, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Savannah, Ga.

“This will be the first year since 2011 to post a calendar year decline for single-family starts,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “We are forecasting additional declines for singlefamily construction in 2023, which means economic slowing will expand from the residential construction market into the rest of the economy.”

On a regional and year-to-date basis, combined single-family and multifamily starts are 2.9% higher in the Northeast, 1.5% lower in the Midwest, 2.6% higher in the South and 5.1% lower in the West.

Overall permits decreased 2.4% to a 1.53 million unit annualized rate in October. Single-family permits decreased 3.6% to an 839,000 unit rate. Multifamily permits decreased 1.0% to an annualized 687,000 pace.

Looking at regional permit data on a year-to-date basis, permits are 2.8% lower in the Northeast, 0.2% higher in the Midwest, 1.1% higher in the South and 4.0% lower in the West.

Multifamily units under construction climbed again in October to 928,000, the highest tally since December 1973.

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Do You Stand Out to Prospective Customers?

Having an online presence is essential for any successful business. But standing out from the competition requires more than just having a website. Those who build and maintain a distinguished company brand through effective marketing and social media will be more likely to attract new business. So, what steps should you take to stand out in the increasingly competitive home building industry? Two live online courses will help you engage with your target audience and ultimately achieve your business goals.

Social Media Marketing for Your Business

Nov. 29 and Dec. 6, 13 | 1-3 p.m. ET

Instructor Carol L. Morgan, MIRM, CAPS, CSP, president of Denim Marketing, will discuss how to create a robust online presence using Facebook, Twitter and more. This course will help participants craft a marketing plan that integrates social media as a key component.

Some of the skills attendees will learn include:

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401 Westport Avenue, Norwalk, CT l 203 847 2471 l Aitoro.com Helping you lead a better life.

Trend Alert: Patios Increasingly Preferred Over Decks in New Homes

The share of new homes with patios increased for the sixth year in a row in 2021 to a post-2004 high of 63%. At the same time, the share with decks was trending in the opposite direction, declining for the fifth year in a row to a post-2004 low.

Of the roughly 1.1 million single-family homes started in 2021, only 17.5 percent included decks, according to NAHB tabulation of data from the Survey of Construction (SOC), conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and partially funded by HUD. This is the lowest point for new home decks since the 2005 re-design of the SOC and indicates that, over time, patios have been replacing decks in new homes.

The 2021 SOC data also indicate that decks and patios tend to function as substitutes for each other geographically, with the popularity of each outdoor option varying by region.

Read More

Business

Management

Strategies to Secure Your Bottom Line

As an economic recession looms, many in the housing industry are looking for ways to improve their business practices and maintain profitability. So how can industry pros set themselves up for success?

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Our Crosswater London collection combines inspired design and meticulous craftsmanship to create a bath space that will take your client’s breath away. From vanities and tubs to faucets, they’ll find a total bath solution that’s distinctively striking.

Join the many builders and remodelers who send their clients to Bender to create their next masterpiece.

Experience the entire curated collection at a Bender Showroom near you.

NAHB NEWS

Funding Available for Skilled Trades Training Programs

Home builders associations and NAHB members can help create or enhance construction trades programs at their local middle and high schools by encouraging school leaders to apply for the Schools to Skills grant, supported by the Home Builders Institute (HBI).

The Schools to Skills grant program, funded by The Home Depot Foundation (THDF) and the National Housing Endowment (NHE), allows schools to launch or enhance career technical education programs using HBI’s nationally recognized Pre-Apprenticeship Certificate Training (PACT) curriculum. PACT is one of only three national curricula recognized and approved by the U.S. Department of Labor and many state departments of education. The curriculum is also supported and endorsed by NAHB.

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HBI Military Students Help Repair Veteran Homes

Earlier this month, the Home Builders Institute (HBI) transitioning military students participated in Fayetteville Area (N.C.) Habitat for Humanity’s “Serve, Honor, and Build” Veteran’s Day Build Event.

HBI carpentry students from Fort Bragg, N.C., along with Habitat volunteers, worked on renovations and repairs for two homes owned by military veterans. The repairs were at no cost to the veterans.

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NAHB NEWS

Conforming Loan Limit Will Rise in 2023

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that the maximum baseline conforming loan limits for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2023 will rise to $726,200, an increase of $79,000 from $647,200 in 2022. The conforming loan limits are required by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) to reflect the percentage change in the average U.S. home price during the most recent 12-month or four-quarter period ending before the time of determining the annual adjustment. In 2023, the conforming loan limit will rise 12.21% because FHFA has determined that the average U.S. home value increased by that amount between the third quarters of 2021 and 2022.

Higher loan limits will be in effect in higher-cost areas as well. The new ceiling loan limit in high-cost markets will be $1,089,300, which is 150% of $726,200. The previous ceiling was $970,800.

In its news release, FHFA said that due to rising home values, the ceiling loan limits will be higher in all but two U.S. counties or county equivalents in 2023.

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NAHB, Other Trade Groups Urge Congress to Act on Transformer Shortages

NAHB, along with five other building and utility trade groups, recently sent a joint letter to leaders of the House and Senate appropriations committees urging Congress to allocate $1 billion to address the growing supply-chain crisis for electric distribution transformers.

The letter stated that “throughout 2022, the electric sector and representatives from residential and commercial building sectors have been calling attention to the unprecedented supply-chain challenges both industries have been facing in procuring equipment used to maintain and grow the electric grid.”

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