Masonry Magazine January 2005 Page. 51
News
Local, State and Regional
# Florida
The National Association of Home Builders 61 Annual Convention and Exposition will be held Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 13-16, 2005, at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando.
The International Builders' Show (IBS) features approximately 1,600 exhibitors displaying the latest in home and building products and more than 200 educational programs covering issues ranging from housing and the economy and home financing to cutting-edge design, innovative technologies and trends.
For more information, visit www.buildersshow.com.
Reported by the Orlando Sentinel, "Homeowners seek legal help for leaks, Nov. 18, 2004: Sections of wood floors have been ripped out of two rooms in Sandi Williams $211,000 house, revealing dried swirls of glue and the gray concrete foundation pad. She constantly checks for mold in her partially rolled-up carpeting and along the baseboards...
Like an estimated 2,000 or more homeowners in Central Florida, she discovered her house leaked most likely through the concrete-block walls when three hurricanes swept through last summer.
And like almost everyone else with wet interiors, she found no one was willing to help. The builder refused. So did her insurance carrier - which contended the seepage was the result of construction defects. And the government officials who license the builders and enforce the building code say they're powerless to act on the homeowners' behalf...
Williams is one of a growing number of aggrieved Central Florida homeowners banding together with an attorney to fight their builder...
The idea is to convince M/I, Ryland, Levitt or any other builder balking at repairs-that it is cheaper to fix the homes than go to court and defend against multiple lawsuits. "We want to give them a chance [to fix the houses]," Haggard said.
Water made its way through masonry walls of houses all over Central Florida during hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne.
# Indiana
The Manufactured Concrete Products Exposition (MCPX) will bring together the National Concrete Masonry Association and more than 5,000 manufactured concrete producers, suppliers, engineers and other industry leaders Feb. 11-13, 2005, at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
The show offers more than 100,000 square feet of exhibit space filled with suppliers offering thousands of products and services for various masonry and concrete manufacturing industries. There will also be product demonstrations, manufacturing industry-specific courses and more.
Register online at www.mcpx.org. For questions and other registration information, call MCPX at (877) 627-3976. The "Early Bird" registration deadline is Jan. 7, 2005.
# Wisconsin
Reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Hearths are hot in homes, Nov. 11, 2004: A growing number of American homeowners have a burning desire for fireplaces.
"A fireplace is standard in every new house these days-just like a dishwasher," said Mike Lotto, president of the Wisconsin Builders Association and owner of Lotto Homes LLC in Greenleaf, Wis...
Manufacturers shipped 1.6 million of what they call "hearth units" last year, 5% more than in 2002 and 108% more than in 1992, according to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association in Alexandria, Va.
At least 640,000 of the nearly 1.1 million homes built last year featured at least one fireplace 59% of the new-home market, compared with 58% in 2002 and 35% in 1970, according to the National Association of Home Builders in Washington, D.C.
# Virginia
Reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "A premier architect had some strong ideas for change, Nov. 22, 2004: Thomas Jefferson, who shaped much of the nation's architectural News continued on page 50
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