Newsroom

This is our final Shannon's 60, as Shannon Affholter is leaving the MBA after four great years.

There are three approaches to home remodel design: you can use design software to create your own model, hire an independent designer or architect, or use the services of a design-build remodeling firm. Let's take a closer look at each of these approaches.

Bellevue, Wash—October 4, 2017—The Puget Sound area's housing market is in crisis. The demand for housing in our region continues to significantly outpace residential housing supply, making it difficult to purchase reasonably priced homes near job centers. In response, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) has identified a 10-point action plan to help provide attainable housing for our growing population.

Missed our 2017 Built Green Conference? Check out this exciting panel on inclusionary zoning featuring Seattle mayoral candidates Cary Moon and Jenny Durkan, Seattle City Council candidate Teresa Mosqueda, the founder of Sightline Institute Alan Durning, and moderated by Aaron Fairchild, the CEO of Green Canopy Homes.

Looking at the three-county Seattle Metro Area, Pierce is the only county to see permit activity rise through July 31 of this year, compared to the same period last year. The latest permit data from the U.S. Census Bureau show single family permits rose 13 percent and multifamily permits doubled in Pierce County.

Most builders pursuing Built Green certification quickly realize that the energy model of their project is one of the keys to achieving a given star-level. Almost all Built Green star-levels for nearly all certification types require an energy model. How does this work? Why is this the case? Let us explain.

Studies have shown that the average American spends up to 45 minutes a day just looking for their stuff. What if you could save 20 of those 45 minutes per day? Twenty minutes a day adds up to 10 hours a month. That's like saving a whole day's work every month, just by being more organized.

Over the past 18 months, five King County cities have adopted a building moratorium, temporarily putting the brakes on new home construction. While a moratorium is legal, it does not mean it is good policy. At a time when demand for housing is far outpacing housing supply, which drives up both home prices and rents and makes housing less attainable, building moratoria certainly are not good for housing.