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T H E E - M A G A Z I N E O F T H E H B R A O F FA I R F I E L D C O U N T Y - J U N E 2 0 2 1

UPCOMING

FEATURES

BUILD-PAC Golf Tournament GMM at the Beach HBRA Golf Outing

Member News COVID-19 Resources Latest Updates

MEMBER BENEFITS mynpp.com NAHB Benefits

Your Monthly Newsletter Building Connections is a monthly digital magazine produced and published by the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Fairfield County. Inside you will find the latest association news, legislative updates, upcoming events, and featured articles about the industry.

hbra@buildfairfieldcounty.com www.buildfairfieldcounty.com @hbraffc (203) 335-7008

2021 2021 OFFICERS President Kim DiMatteo

DiMatteo Insurance

Sr. Vice-President John Hertz Hertz Construction

Vice President Rob Michaud

The Michaud Group

Secretary Michael Wood

Wood Builders Inc.

Treasurer Steven Roth

Elevator Service Company

Immediate Past President Anthony DeRosa DeRosa Builders

PWB Chair Stephanie Rapp

Stephanie Rapp Interiors

2021 DIRECTORS Luigi Altamura Altamura Homes

Propane Pete Battaglio Hocon Gas

Max Bender Bender Supply

Karen Bradbury

Closet & Storage Concepts

Ken DeLeo

Doherty & DeLeo

Brian Kurtz

Interstate Lumber

Peter Sciarretta

Hemingway Construction

Alex Shook

Pella Commercial

Lisa White

Breakwater Renovation

LIFE DIRECTORS Joanne Carroll JMC Resources

Michael Palumbo ERI Building & Design

Jerry Effren The Greyrock Companies

Peter Gaboriault Bear Paw Builders

Gary Fanali City Carting

Terrence Beaty William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty

Peter Fusaro Preferred Builders

Chris Steiner Steiner, Inc.

2021.

L ET T ER F RO M TH E EXECUTIVE OF FICER

Hello Members, I hope everyone is having a safe and fun summer so far! We were so happy that we were able to host our Annual Awards on June 9th. I’d like to congratulate our winners again! We are looking forward to seeing everyone again in the fall. We have both our GMM at the beach and our Annual Golf Tournament in September. Sponsorships are now available-don’t miss out! I look forward to getting back to our normal schedule and seeing everyone again for both networking and educational events for the remainder of the year! Be sure to keep our online membership directory in mind whenever you are looking for a business: www.buildfairfieldcounty.com/ directory. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can do anything for you or your business. kerry@buildfairfieldcounty.com Kind Regards, Kerry Brunn

Do you have news, project photos, or press releases to share? Please send an email to hbra@buildfairfieldcounty.com so they can be shared in upcoming newsletters.

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MEMBER RESOURCES

HEAT RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS OSHA’s heat stress information on OSHA.gov was updated this year to include indoor and outdoor heat exposures. The prevention concepts are fairly similar regardless of whether you are indoors or outdoors, acclimatization, water, rest, shade, air movement, training, first aid and medical treatment. See CDC’s fact sheets at the link below. 1. Youth Worker Safety in Restaurants eTool | Cooking - Heat Hazards (osha.gov) 2. Heat Illness Prevention Campaign | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov) 3. Heat - Overview: Working in Outdoor and Indoor Heat Environments | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov) 4. Administration (osha.gov) 5. COVID-19 Guidance on the Use of Cloth Face Coverings while Working Outdoors in Hot and Humid Conditions. OSHA, (September 2020). COVID-19 Guidance on the Use of Cloth Face Coverings while Working Indoors in Hot and Humid Conditions. OSHA, (September 2020). 6. OSHA Technical Manual (OTM) - Section III: Chapter 4 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration

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MEMBER N EWS

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2021 AWARD WINNERS

FOR MORE PHOTOS PLEASE CLICK HERE

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P W B MEMBER SPOTLIGH T Get to know the Professional Women in Building Council better. Each month we will be highlighting members who are active participants in PWB, the council where women in the building industry connect with each other through networking, education and peer support.

Krystal’s career started 8 years ago as a sales assistant which led her to quickly fall in love with home remodeling and design. From there she became a sponge for knowledge and soaked up as much as she could from anyone around her. She was eager to learn! With all the newfound expertise she gained from her peers she entered plumbing sales and continues this path until current day. She has remodeled countless of homes from one powder room to larger custom home projects. Each project she has been given the opportunity to work on brings her new excitement and challenges which she tackles head on. Krystal’s true passion is looking at a renovation as a blank canvas and creating a beautiful kitchen or bathroom. She enjoys every remodel for its unique style that is personalized to the client.

Krystal Stone

Bender 203.663.0272 EXT: 769 kstone@benderplumbing.com

Krystal has met so many incredible people along the way, from colleagues, clients, and designers to builders, architects, and plumbers. Everyone comes together from all areas of the industry to make a house feel like home. In addition, she has been able to meet so many incredible people from being a member of HBRA and PWB. From networking events she was able to create great relationships to expand the horizon of her business. Krystal looks forward to various new remodels in the future as the industry grows, we are busier than ever!

Robin is Director of Design and Residential Construction for KARP Associates, a luxury developer and high-end builder based in New Canaan, Connecticut. A passionate problem solver who knows that there are many ways to achieve an ideal result, Robin moved to KARP in 2013 after having run her own residential design build firm in Greenwich, bringing her valuable knowledge of the full construction process to a new portfolio of projects and clients. Her knowledge of construction is only part of what sets Robin apart in this field. “Having a clear vision of the entire scope of a job and the ability to understand the full spectrum of design and constructability to create a comfortable, aesthetically pleasing environment, are qualities I find valuable in my jobs,” says Robin. A woman in a predominantly male field, Robin’s stellar communication and organizational skills when working with clients, subcontractors, and KARP team members, greatly facilitates the very layered, detail-orientated business of building. After receiving her B.S. degree in Design from Arizona State University and her master’s degree in architecture from Georgia Institute of Technology, Robin worked for a commercial architecture firm designing town centers and mixeduse developments around the country, where she created and saw her designs through from concept to completion. “Every project is a fresh palette to explore new ideas and improve on past work I’ve done,” says Robin. “I love my job because working with people on their homes is such a personal experience that I really get to know them and have formed many lifelong friendships through the process. There is great joy in completing a project and seeing our work visibly transform the lives of our clients.” Robin is currently serving on the executive board of the Professional Women in Building as Secretary/Treasurer.

Robin Friedman Carroll KARP Associates

(203) 972-3366 www. karpassociatesinc.com Instagram: karpassociates Facebook: Karp Associates Inc

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HAVE YOU SEEN OUR COVID RESOURCES PAGE? Visit https://buildfairfieldcounty.com/covid-19-local-and-national-updates/ for the latest news

- Do you have news about your business that you would like to share with the HBRA membership? Email design@buildfairfieldcounty.com to coordinate an instagram story or a newsletter feature.

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N AH B N EWS

Podcast: NAHB Chief Economist’s Midyear Building Alternatives to Help Navigate Elevated Report and Forecast On the latest episode of NAHB’s Housing Developments podcast, Lumber Prices CEO Jerry Howard and guest host Senior Vice President of Communications Paul Lopez sit down with Chief Economist Robert Dietz to hear his midyear economic report, forecast and advice to NAHB members on how to weather the upcoming “perfect storm” of high material prices, increased inflationary pressure, rising interest rates and regulatory challenges.

As lumber prices remain higher than normal, builders may be eyeing alternatives to wood and different construction methods to help mitigate the impact material costs and supply-chain disruptions To view Dietz’s outlook from the beginning of 2021 and see how are having on their businesses. his predictions held up in the first half of the year, click here. Members and partners of NAHB’s You can subscribe to Housing Developments wherever you listen Building Systems Councils have recently been spotlighted for their to podcasts and also listen to previous episodes on nahb.org. impact and innovations in the homeRead More building industry, including updates to modular construction processes and resilient building materials, which could provide potential solutions. Read More

Proud to partner with the HOBI Project of the Year For the residences at 66 High Street, the Horton Group elevated the art of kitchen and bathroom design, winning both the HOBI Project of the Year and Best Luxury Condo Development. “Working with Bender is amazing,” says KC Horton. “From a huge product selection to their quick responsiveness and total flexibility, Bender makes our job easy and our clients smile.” No wonder the great craftsmen and women of Connecticut come to Bender to create their next masterpieces.

KC Horton Horton Group

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N AH B N EWS

Building with Universal Design Concepts Enables Aging in Place Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. People who have different needs can all enjoy the same home, even when their needs change. Many concepts of universal design support ‘aging in place.’ Designing a new home or providing a remodel that incorporates these strategies to accommodate changing abilities can provide a marketing advantage to your business. The number of people ages 65 and older in the United States has increased steadily during the past century, and growth has accelerated since 2011, when baby boomers first started to turn 65. Between 2020 and 2060, the number of older adults is projected to increase by 69%, from 56 million to 94.7 million.

New Home Prices Squeeze Buyers Out of the Low End New data released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, combined with recent NAHB survey data, show that home buyers in the bottom one-fourth of the market have been squeezed entirely out of the market for new construction due to a mismatch between actual prices of new homes and prices that buyers expect to pay. As a result, these buyers have been forced to look exclusively in the stock of existing homes –

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N AH B N EWS

Generations Cite Their Must-Have Kitchen and Bath Features Home buyer preferences for kitchen and bath features can vary significantly by generations, according to survey results from NAHB’s recent study, What Home Buyers Really Want, 2021 Edition. For instance, some bath features are significantly more popular among younger buyers. The leading example is dual toilets in the primary bath, a feature rated essential or desirable by 48% of millennials (born 1980 to 1996) and 50% of Gen X (born 1965 to 1979) buyers, but only by 20% of the older group of baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964).

NAHB Chairman Urges Congress to Boost Lumber Production from Federal Lands

The To help resolve lumber supply shortages and rein in elevated prices, NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke today called on Congress to increase domestic lumber Similarly, while at least half of the younger two generations want to production from federal lands, have “his & her” baths, a skylight in the primary bath, and a bidet, the both as a means to improve housing affordability and address share of boomers interested in these features only ranges from 25the resilience of our national 35%. forests. Read More Read More

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Have a sales question? Email Ed at ed.schultek@sandler.com.

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