By noon on October 19, 2003, the sun had melted through some of the thick, gray clouds that were blanketing the sky all morning, and was shining in patches on the several hundred people gathered in the Summerset at Frick Park community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The group applauded the city’s mayor and members of the community’s development team as they cut the ribbon to officially open Crescent Park. Crescent is the first of several public parks in the community, all of which will include trail heads to the city’s popular public park, Frick Park. Among those gathered were the families that live in the community’s first 52 homes constructed, and a number of the hopeful buyers who signed up for the next building phase lottery.
While conveniences like having access to an extensive public park system are important to homeowners, a key ingredient in the community’s success is the quality of the homes being built.
The 710 homes to be built in three phases over seven years will have innovative housing technologies and quality construction practices, like being 30% more energy efficient than homes comparable in size. New, more durable building materials are being used. Improved construction practices, like integrated flashing, wall drainage planes, and water management systems at the foundation, contribute to effective moisture control. And carefully considered mechanical system designs help to ensure proper heating and cooling airflow distribution and improved occupant comfort.
While each of the builders had their own unique growing pains (some builders had to learn a completely different way of thinking, while others were familiar with the ideas but still had to work hard to ensure the design strategies were implemented well in the field), their payoff is the strong sales resulting from high customer demand for quality homes. The innovative technologies and construction practices mean the Summerset homes perform better than many of their Pittsburgh counterparts—and customers are willing to pay for the quality. More than 400 potential buyers signed up for the next building phase lottery, in which 65 lots will be sold. With such high demand, lucrative sales for the builders are guaranteed.
While these homes are better than most, several Summerset builders want to take their construction quality to a higher level to cater to a niche market that wants upgrade packages. These builders are working with IBACOS through the Department of Energy’s Building America program, and their homes’ performance has been exceeding Summerset’s standards. For a case study of one such builder, see our article on Jayar Construction.
Another builder, Montgomery & Rust, is constructing a Green Demonstration Home, which will build on the high performance platform by incorporating more sustainable interior finish materials. The builder will use this home to determine the feasibility of offering “green” upgrade packages to those consumers who desire it.
Melissa Titus, Project Manager for EQA Landmark Communities, one of the dev-elopment partners, says, “All the homes built at Summerset are so much better than typical new houses built today because they have to comply with our performance standards. But there are some customers who want to go to an extra level, and this Green Demonstration Home will promote green upgrades to those people.”
With the first construction phase complete and the next beginning, Summerset builders are realizing that the quality of the homes is closely tied to the homeowner’s satisfaction, which impacts both customer referrals and, ultimately, the builder’s reputation. And while the road to quality isn’t easy, the customer demand at the end of the journey has been well worth it. Read more about customer satisfaction in this article.
For more information on Summerset, read “Who Says Quality Doesn’t Sell?” in the May 2002 issue of the Quality Home® newsletter. |
