Edward D. Nikles

I recently completed the 3 required courses for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB ) Certified Active Adult Specialist in Housing ( CAASH ) Designation prior to the 2009 IBS Show in Las Vegas . The first course was Designing for the Active Adult , the second course was Selling to Active Adults & finally the last course was Trends & Research Methods to Define the Active Adult Lifestyle. I received notice yesterday , June 18th , that my application was approved by NAHB as one of only 6 select and qualified industry professionals in the State of Pennsylvania & 81 in the entire Country to earn this new NAHB designation !

The active adult market is the fastest-growing segment of the housing industry today and into the foreseeable future . The Certified Active Adult Specialist in Housing ( CAASH ) designation gives housing professionals serving this rapidly burgeoning market the essential knowledge , tools , and skills that will help them succeed - from conducting initial research to design considerations and features to servicing the customer . I look forward to putting the CAASH & the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist ( CAPS ) designations to good use in servicing the needs of the 55+ market here in Pike County PA .

Edward D. Nikles CAASH , CAPS , CGP , GMB , CGB , CGR

website http://www.ednikles.com blog http://blog.ednikles.com

website http://www.greencountryhomes.com blog http://blog.greencountryhomes.com

Hooray , we just signed our 6th Plan Design Agreement in last 5 weeks in a nearly dead new home market ! Our latest Plan Design Agreement , was signed up last Saturday , May 30th , by my new home salesperson , Pat Cordova CGP , after working with these customers for 18 long months ! We were actively bidding against 2 other local builders , but we got the job because the other 2 builders poopooed Green / Energy Star building and didn't offer a 12 year Insured RWC Warranty ! We showed our customers the benefits of Green / Energy Star building and told them we plan on designing their home to score minimum Gold Level Green under the newly approved National Green Building Standards through the NAHB Green Building Program . Last December , we completed our 1st Gold Level Green home under the previous NAHB Green Building Guidelines and we're getting our 2nd Gold Level Green Home certified next week by an independent 3rd party verifier .

At Ed Nikles Custom Builder , Inc. & Green Country Homes , we obviously know Green / Energy Star building isn't a fad , but we're glad our local competition thinks so ! When the Pike County Builders Association offered the Certified Green Professional (CGP) certification courses a year ago , neither builder bothered to attend the 3 days of classes ! Don't they understand how important Green / Energy Star building is to today's consumer ? Did they forget when gas was over $4.00 per gallon just a few short months ago ! Didn't the other builders notice gas prices just went up , again , over 20% in the past few weeks ? Why did they tell the customer Green / Energy Star isn't a big deal and that they build efficient (non-verified) homes too ! Why didn't they talk about indoor air quality when the customer works in the health industry ? We'll probably never know for sure , but we're glad they are just happy building to the minimum IRC code ! What advantages are you seeing in your markets from builders who offer Green / Energy Star building as an option or as a standard practice ?

Keepin' it Green ! Edward D. Nikles CGP , CAPS , GMB , CGB , CGR

view my website at http://www.ednikles.com or blog at http://blog.ednikles.com

view my website at http://www.greencountryhomes.com or blog at http://blog.greencountryhomes.com

Yesterday , I was notified by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) that I officially received my Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) Designation ! I wasted no time founding the group Aging-in-Place Specialists in ActiveRain . This designation is especially important to me as my 7 year old son , Colin , has Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy & is Wheelchair bound . A couple years ago , I added an Accessible Ramp from my garage into my mudroom to allow Zero Threshold access to the main floor living areas . I purchased an Accessible Van with ramp to allow us to keep Colin in his wheelchair as we transport him . I know I will have to make Further Modifications to my own home as my son gets bigger & heavier ! My 4 year old 2 story office building is already fully accessible with Elevator & Ramps , as well as 3 Accessible Baths .

My 100 year old Maternal Grandmother , who lives with my parents ( Elder Care) , has severe osteoporosis & cataracts and uses a Walker to get around . She has a Hospital Bed in her 1st floor Converted Den/Bedroom & needs special Grab Bars in the bathroom . My 87 year old Paternal Grandmother . who Lives Independently in an Active Adult apartment complex nearby , also uses a walker to get around .

As a Father , Grandson , Custom Builder , Remodeler , & Realtor I look forward to your design & marketing ideas , product information , input & support as I continue on my journey to learn as much as I can about Aging-in-Place , Accessibility & Universal Design . I will be incorporating these Smart Design ideas in my own home & clients homes in the near future . Thanks in advance ! Edward D. Nikles CAPS , CGP , GMB , CGB , CGR

Some Lenders pretend to offer "Energy Efficient" Mortgages with expanded ratios for Energy Star & Green Homes ! However , these same lenders will not recognize the "Green" adjustments made by Appraisers vs. non-green & non-energy star homes ! It costs more to build Energy Star & Green ! The benefits are documented by HERS Raters & Green Verifiers and utility cost savings can be calculated by computer programs ! Yet another Green Paradox - we want you to build Green , but it just won't Appraise ! Wake up people ! There are very few Energy Star & Green comparables sold as Resales ! If we can't appraise the ones we build , then how are we supposed to build more ? Is Green only for the wealthy or high downpayment clients ? I hope not ! I'm looking for ideas - What do you think ? Keepin' it Green !

We've been building custom homes for over 45 years & are always looking for ways to improve our overall quality without stretching the budget . The Green Building Revolution is rapidly bringing new products to the market to make our houses better & save energy costs. I've always hated looking up & seeing those ugly attic access panels and kneewall access doors in the 1/2 walls . The other problem is that no matter how much weatherstripping you put around the casing & how carefully you put the insulation on top of ths sheetrock panel - it leaks heat ! I know we're also constantly repainting the sheetrock panel from all the Plumber's & Electrician's fingerprints . At the 2008 IBS Homeshow we finally found a product that solves these problems ! Skuttle Tight ( www.skuttle-tight.com ) is an all-in-one attic entry system . The ceiling access ( Model ST-100 ) door & frames are made out of high impact plastic , is paintable , comes with internal weatherstripping & the EPS foam gives you an R-40 insulating value ! The kneewall panel ( Model ST200-SW ) is similar but has 2 built-in latches & the EPS foam gives you an R-19 ! The other nice feature is that you can install them with the drywall so you can spackle them right in with no ugly casing ! I used it last summer in my 1st Certified Energy Star / Green Home (which scored GOLD ) & watched with amasement as the thermal imaging camera went over the access panel & it barely looked any different from the R-50 Fiberglass insulation next to it . The Green Verifier / Energy Star Rater said he was so impressed he was going to put one in his own house ! Today , I just replaced my own 2 sheetrock attic access panels with 2 Skuttle Tight units & I'm now using them as standard in all my homes ! Please let me know what new Green Products you're seeing out there ! Keepin' it Green !