Information & Resources

Universal design features are concepts that will become important as your family transitions through life's many stages. Safety, convenience, and adaptability are key components. You should consider them regardless of your abilities.

Which lifestyle features are most requested by customers building homes like yours? Here's a few that are frequently discussed.

With the adoption of the 2014 version of the code, only minor adjustments were made to the energy efficiency options which are provided to further enhance building energy performance. The code first prescribes a basic set of energy requirements in the form of thermal ratings and construction methods, and then provides a list of “additional measures”, from which two choices must be made. These choices range from relatively simple to those that are more complex, costly, or involve energy modeling or performance testing.

When selling a home, plan your staging for the season. Here we offer helpful interior and exterior staging tips for sellers.

Proportion, rhythm, creating a focal point—these are the kinds of considerations that interior designers and architects obsess over in a home plan. Today we’re covering a universal and timeless design tenet: Unity between interior and exterior styles.

A home plan’s layout is more important than home location for most buyers. Find out what house plan features are influential factors in the home buying decision.

When the Rivolis began the homebuilding process, the LEED for Homes program was still evolving from criteria originally intended solely for commercial buildings. The Rivolis had quite a few questions that lacked clearly defined answers, and they found it challenging to navigate the LEED requirements and checklists.

This article is a brief explanation of what 3D printing of floor plans is and how they help homeowners better visualize their house plans.

When choosing home plans, homebuyers want to be able to visualize what it will look like. Here are a few good formats to help them understand their floor plans.

We are proud to let all our clients know that our home plans are designed and printed in the USA. At first, you might think that "Made in USA" is just a slogan promoted to capture patriotic spenders, but the truth is that there are many reasons to consider supporting and buying American-manufactured goods. Here's a few of our reasons:

Home builders are often more talented than clients give them credit for. Look at these amazing carvings created from carpenters' pencils! With such attention to detail, one can only imagine what a full house will look like! :-)

With the adoption of the 2011 version of the code, a number of new energy efficiency options have been provided to further enhance building energy performance. The code first prescribes a basic set of energy requirements in the form of thermal ratings and construction methods, and then provides a list of “additional measures”, from which two choices must be made. These choices range from relatively simple to those that are more complex, costly, or involve energy modeling or performance testing.

Registered Realtors gain instant access to our library of pre-formatted images for listing on the MLS. Simply register for your Mascord ID and download MLS images from link provided on our plan pages.

When evaluating systems to incorporate into your green home, it is easy to get caught up in direct cost comparisons of similar products. For instance, it is easy to compare the costs of an 80% and 90% efficient gas furnace. There are up-front costs, and then there are operating costs. Even though the 90% furnace will undoubtedly cost less in the long run, the extra up-front costs can often be disillusioning.

Increasing incentives and product options abound, so solar thermal water heaters offer one of the fastest paybacks in the solar world. Of the may types available, implementing different technologies, one of my favorites continues to be vacuum tube type systems, like this kit from Kingspan.

Short sale marketing can be a tough call for an in experienced person. He/she may even be bombarded with informative tips and suggestions from friends and well-wishers. To generate great short sale marketing leads one need to put their myriad ideas into action.

This is an example of the embedded search pages that Mascord Partner Program Members can put in their own websites.

When You see the TrusJoist logo displayed on a plan page it indicates that a TrusJoist Floor System is pre-designed and available for immediate delivery with your construction document package. Simply let us know you would like the TrusJoist layout for your home when you order the construction documents, and we will include the layout and specifications for the home.