In a continuing effort to offer our customers the best value in a Deltec, we are very deliberate in selecting products that become part of our homes. Typar by Fiberweb is one of those products that enhances energy efficiency, wind resistance, and moisture exclusion.

Deltec Homes is proud to be a certified installer of Typar’s ‘Weather Protection System’, which includes their extremely durable house wrap and window flashings; all with a ten year warranty. During our March 2008 Extreme Makeover Home Edition projects in New Orleans, Deltec was the first to use Typar’s StormWrap system.

Deltec Homeowners John and Kathy Guerin were featured in the media this week. They built a second home in Del Haven, NJ. and wanted to share their story with others.  Thank you, John and Kathy, for sharing.

The 10th Annual Southern Environment & Energy Expo (S.E.E.E.) at the WNC Agricultural Center had a great turnout this past weekend, Friday through Sunday, Aug. 20th -21st.

The S.E.E. Expo is the largest and longest running sustainable technology and green building event in the South.

It provides opportunities to talk with leading regional businesses (in one location!) that offer cutting edge technology systems, legitimate ‘green’ building services and a host of products for sustainable living. Learn about the many conservation organizations and their efforts to protect our environment and boost the economy, and better yet, join a few!

There were presentations by Deltec Homes experts:

Green Building Tax Incentives
Harnessing the Power of the Sun
Micro-Hydro Systems
The Philosophy of Sustainability
Saving Energy & Water in Your Home
Designing a Green Home

This past May, a group of 10 builders from across the country came to Asheville, NC  to learn just how easy it is to build a Deltec. In just four days, they built a 2000 square foot Windsor home. They learned first hand the high quality of the building materials we use and the engineering precision that goes into every Deltec.  Plus, they quickly realized they can build a Deltec without previous experience with our design.

“As far as quality of structure, they are overbuilt if anything..Awesomely solid.” -Ian Lione, LRL Construction

Thanks to all the builders who attended! Our next builder training class is this Sept.

Enjoy the video of the May 2010 builder training!

MIAMI — The Colorado State University hurricane forecasting team on Wednesday maintained its 2010 Atlantic hurricane season forecast at 10 hurricanes, five of them expected to be major.  So far the season has produced three tropical storms, one of which grew to hurricane strength. But the season is just approaching its traditional busy phase, which runs from mid- August to October.

The team said there was a 49 percent chance that a major hurricane would hit land along the Gulf of Mexico between Florida and Texas, a region still cleaning up from the BP spill. Read the full story here.

Many Deltec homeowners live in hurricane prone areas and after having their conventional homes destroyed, they chose to rebuild with a Deltec.  What we hear from homeowners is that they don’t want to make the same mistake twice. Why put a home design in an environment where it will most likely fail?

Deltec still standing after Hurricane

“Everything around us was destroyed as the eye of Ivan passed directly over us. Damage around us was unbelievable. Our family stayed in the home during the hurricane. There weren’t even any shingles gone from the roof, but the trees outside were completely twisted apart.” – Gregg H., Butler, AL

Read more Deltec homeowner testimonials.

In 2007, Deltec Homes installed the largest privately-owned solar electric array in North Carolina on the roof of our manufacturing facility, helping us achieve the goal of building all our homes with 100% renewable energy.  While the honor of the largest system has since changed hands, we are proud as our system continues to make electrons flow day in and day out.

How many electrons is that, you ask?  Simply click here to see our power production live.  You can explore how much electricity is produced each hour or each day here at our plant.  And perhaps you can even imagine whether the skies are cloudy or clear.

Whether you’re new to Deltec or your home is being built next week, we invite you learn more about how sustainability is at the core of our company.  As always, Deltec’s green building department is available for any questions you have about the sustainable attributes of the Deltec Home and beyond.  Feel free to call us at 1-800-642-2508 or email us.

In June, the NAHB published their “Ten for 10″ list of essential ideas that will transform the home building industry in the next ten years.  Second on the list: prefabricated building systems will go mainstream.

The top ten list supports one of Deltec Homes’ key philosophies since the company started in 1968: factory-built homes simply perform better.

The NAHB suggests that panelized systems which help cut the time of building a house and improve the quality are destined to become more popular.  When you combine this with the inherent green benefits of panelized homes, such as waste reduction and reduced exposure to the elements, the choice to build in the factory looks even smarter.

Here’s the full top ten list:

1. The house will function as a system

2. Prefabricated building systems will go mainstream

3. Air sealing becomes easier

4. Water usage becomes critical

5. Solar becomes accessible

6. High R-value windows become the New Energy Star

7. Hybrid water heaters heat up.

8. Agricultural waste comes home.

9. Energy monitoring affects behavior.

10. Energy modeling software shows us the way.

Each of these important ideas help to support the overall sustainability of the homes we build.  Deltec’s in-house green building department can help you integrate ideas such as these into your dream home.

This is a common question Steve Linton, Deltec’s Director of Sustainable Technologies, gets  when people begin designing a new home.  “It’s sort of like asking a grocery shopper how much they paid for a bag of groceries without seeing the contents” says Linton.  If you spend a lot of time planning and integrating various aspects of the design of our home, then building a sustainable home can be achieved on a reasonable budget.

To read more about the article Steve wrote for Building and Construction Northeast Magazine, check out the link on our news page here or click the B&C logo below.  Steve will be doing a monthly column in this magazine on the many aspects of green building. Stay tuned.  All of the columns will be posted here with links to the full article.

There aren’t many good things that can be said about housing market over the last two years.  But as the industry begins to strengthen, an interesting paradigm shift is starting to occur.  This shift is well overdue, and something that Deltec has understood since 1968: factory-built homes simply perform better.

Here’s a quick analogy.  Think of the last car you purchased.  More than likely you did not have the car custom built by hand, piece by piece, outside in a parking lot.  Nope.  You bought a car that was built in an advanced manufacturing plant with careful attention to detail, exacting tolerances, excellent quality control, and, oh yes, it was built inside.

Now think of how most homes are built.   The differences are quite poignant.  Why build outside in the rain?  Why build with great tolerances and a high degree of variability?  Why leave quality control up to chance?

Here are a few examples of the benefits of building a panelized Deltec home:

1) Durability. A Deltec home never sees the elements until it is unloaded at your job site.  A typical home can be dried in less than a week, and with some luck, your structure may never see bad weather.

2) Waste Reduction. Deltec homes produce 78% less waste than conventional homes.

3) Repeatability. Our trained workforce are experts in their role in the construction process.  Working in a comfortable, well-lit environment means that their work is consistent and exacting.

4) Quality. From purchasing high quality material to checking the accuracy of each component built, the ability to control quality in a factory setting far exceeds that found on a jobsite.

5) Precision. Using computed aided saws, squaring tables, and repeatable processes allows Deltec’s homes to earn the label “precision engineered”.

6) Speed. Once the home arrives on the job site, the time saved in erecting the shell can save weeks or more in the construction schedule.

The other great benefit to panelized construction is that it easily and quickly adapts to new advances in home builing products and design.  So what’s the next new thing?  We invite you to share your thoughts with us below.