Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

In honor of Energy Awareness Month, Realty Times writer Peter L. Mosca reported on weatherization programs aimed to help reduce energy costs. As both a St. James Plantation, NC Green home builder and existing home remodeler, Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands that now is the time to prepare for winter through energy-efficient upgrades. Contact us for your next home addition and we encourage you to read the excerpt from the RealtyTimes.com article below. To read the complete article, click here!

“Weatherization is a term to describe various improvements made to buildings and homes to optimize energy efficiency. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), on average, weatherization reduces heating bills by 32 percent and overall energy bills by about $350 per year at current prices. Through an evaluation known as an energy audit, homeowners are given a detailed report identifying problem areas in the home. Typical energy improvements include air sealing, insulation, ventilation systems or installation of green appliances approved by Energy Star. ‘As consumers become aware that our energy resources are depleting and costs are rising with each year, energy efficiency is becoming a relevant topic in home improvement projects,’ said William E. Carter, president of NARI.

Even though each state provides slightly different programs with a variation of incentives, all of them provide the same benefits to homeowners. ‘Homeowners notice their return on investment instantly after making energy upgrades in their utility bills. The other benefits are the rebates, the increase in home value from making the improvements, increased performance and durability and helping out the planet by conserving energy for future generations,’ added Parsons. It’s important to make upgrades now because soon most of the country will be entering the time of year when most of a home’s energy consumption occurs. The DOE estimates that 56 percent of the energy use in a typical U.S. home comes from heating and cooling, making it the largest energy expense for most homes.”

Mark Johnson Custom Homes invites local Wilmington, NC government officials to learn about sustainable building techniques

Brunswick County, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes was recently featured in the Greater Wilmington Business Journal highlighting an open house for their Energy Star Home in Wilmington, NC. Local Wilmington, NC government officials were invited to learn more about sustainable energy and Green technologies in hopes to generate the building of more Green homes in New Hanover County. Below is an excerpt from the article by Alison Satake and Valerie Carr, and to read the complete article, click here!

“After attaining the highest LEED ranking for Green building, the new Birkdale home in Landfall may set a precedent for more Green building incentives.

…Local representatives from the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority, the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, and New Hanover County commissioners [were] invited to the new home to hear how incentives, such as a rebate on permits for Green homes, could spur Green building in the area.

In June, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 52, which allows all North Carolina cities and counties to develop incentives for buildings that reduce energy consumption. Wilmington and the surrounding counties met last week to discuss preliminarily what would work here.”

In a recent Realty Times article by Kenneth R. Harney, Harney discussed the passage by the House last week extending the $8,000 home buyer tax credit next year for military, diplomatic and intelligence personnel serving overseas. As a Jacksonville, NC new home builder, Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited about the possibility of not only building for military personnel but also the chance that Congress will extend or expand the tax credit program. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

“Congressman Charles Rangel, chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee, sponsored the one-year extension of the credit for military and other personnel serving overseas, and is reported by aides as favoring an extension for the entire program.

The White House has not publicly committed to an extension, but has confirmed that the President is seriously examining that option.

An unexpected development that emerged following last week’s White House meeting was the possibility of opening up the credit to a broader group of buyers next year – people who sell their current homes and buy a replacement home.”

Jacksonville, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes utilizes an Internet-based tool to keep clients up-to-date on the progress of their home building via an electronic concierge. To view the Client Progress Portal of our Energy Star home in Wilmington, NC, click here and enter the Username 51 and Password 2009.

Mark Johnson Custom Homes, a family-owned and operated business, takes an innovative approach to the complex process of home building. The company’s Internet-based tool, the Client Progress Portal, allows homeowners to log on to the company’s website to receive full access to the progress of the building of their home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This client-focused website, developed in collaboration with Provis Media Group, LLC, serves as an electronic concierge to homeowners and prospective clients.

“We are very excited about our Client Progress Portal,” said Mark Johnson, President and Founder of Mark Johnson Custom Homes. “We believe that the tool’s innovation and creativity will set the experience of building a new home with our company apart from other builders. Our company relies on the efficiencies of technology to keep our customers and trade partners up to speed on our progress. In our dynamic industry, change is constant and updates need to be communicated to the homeowners. Streamlining the vital aspects of the home building process will keep our projects on schedule.”

At the start of the building process, MJCH clients receive a unique user ID and password to access the Client Progress Portal, allowing them to be involved in every step of their new home or renovation project. The Client Progress Portal provides pertinent information to the homeowner, including construction schedules, current photos of the client’s home, change orders, site plans, plan design and a customer care request form.

Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ commitment to their clients does not end at the closing table.  Homeowners can continue to access the Client Progress Portal for warranty requests, documentation, and tips for home maintenance well after they have moved into their new home.

Dr. and Mrs. Richard Mahfood had this to say in regards to the Client Progress Portal: “The Client Progress Portal on Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ website was extremely valuable in the construction of our home.  Residing in Ohio and not being able to travel to Wilmington frequently, the website enabled us to see the continual progression of the house. Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ investment in the Client Progress Portal made the construction process a very enjoyable experience.”

Brunswick County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited to share that Wayne Faulkner of the Star News recently reported that the Wilmington, NC real estate market rose in September of 2009. For the first time in three years, home sales rose, giving locals hope that this may be the beginning of a turnaround. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

“Though the number of sales in September was 5.8 percent higher than a year earlier, the value of those sales was up 18.8 percent, according to WRAR data.

The dollar value of sales – the amount that commissions are based on – was $104.67 million last month, compared with $88 million in September 2008.

The average price of homes sold in September also rose, to $264,340 compared with $235,528 a year earlier.”

By Wayne Faulkner Published: Monday, October 12, 2009 at 1:33 p.m.
On Twitter.Com: @bizniznews

When St. James Plantation, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes built their LEED Platinum home in Wilmington, NC, they learned the LEED for Homes system first-hand. Developed and run by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED for Homes is a Green home rating system that ensures homes are designed and built to be energy and resource efficient as well as healthy for its occupants. (LEED Platinum is the highest attainable certification for a home under the LEED for Homes program.)

LEED for Homes is a detail oriented program and we would like to share this informative “Frequently Asked Questions” brochure from the U.S. Green Building Council. It answers everything from “What is a Green home?”, “How will the quality of LEED Homes be assured?” and “How can my organization be a LEED for Homes Provider?”

In a previous blog post, Jacksonville, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes introduced our readers to The Energy Detective and explained its role in tracking the energy efficiencies of our LEED Platinum home in Landfall in Wilmington, NC. Now information technology giant Google has signed up with Energy Inc, the maker of The Energy Detective, to make tracking the energy usage of your home even easier. Below is an excerpt from a recent article on BusinessGreen.com and to read the complete article, click here. To get The Energy Detective installed in your own home in Southeastern North Carolina, contact Electronics 2 You, Coastal Carolina’s finest home audio establishment, at (910) 397-0953 or visit their website!

“Aimed at consumers, the TED 5000 home energy usage monitoring device uses a gateway device that connects and stores energy usage data from a residential electrical panel. This data can then be beamed wirelessly to a display that can be carried around by the user, providing individuals with a constant reminder of how much energy they are using.

The system can also connect to a network, so that its data is also transmissible to Google’s servers. Google PowerMeter can then display a residence’s energy usage using a chronological chart, while also rating the house against other residences, so that users can tell how well they are doing compared to the average PowerMeter user.”

Brunswick County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes recently completed a LEED Platinum Home in Wilmington, NC. Receiving the highest certification available from the U.S. Green Building Council and building only the second LEED Platinum home in North Carolina was an extremely exciting achievement. While we have found that many people believe Green building to be extremely expensive, we would like to emphasize that it, in fact, doesn’t have to be. A recent study from the Urban Green Council revealed that building a LEED certified home can cost only four dollars more per square foot to build. To read the complete article, click here. To view the HD video of our LEED Platinum home, click here!

This July we were excited to blog that the town of Wrightsville Beach, NC kicked off its first Farmers Market. Now St. James Plantation custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is pleased to share that the market proved to be a huge success! Although the market is closed for the remainder of 2009, we look forward to its second year starting in March or April of 2010. For more information, read this Lumina News article.

Jacksonville, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands that building Green facilities and homes has more benefits than simply being eco-friendly and a lower utility bill – it’s also a healthier and more comfortable environment for their occupants. A recent study from the University of San Diego’s Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate and property developers CB Richard Ellis found that employees in Green office buildings not only took less sick leave, but also had a higher productivity level. Better indoor air quality, plenty of natural light and better ventilation are all key components for a more sustainable building for employees. To read the complete article, click here.