[May 24, 2016]

Fine Homebuilding Introduces ProHOME: a Custom, Zero-Energy-Ready Home Designed to Educate Builders and Designers on Best Practices for Maximum Home Efficiency

Fine Homebuilding is the trusted industry leader in providing residential building and design information for professional builders, architects, and designers, as well as hands-on homeowners. Today, the company announces one of its most progressive initiatives to date, the first-ever ProHOME, a start-to-finish demonstration home located in East Greenwich, RI.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160524005614/en/

Fine Homebuilding's ProHOME (Photo: Business Wire)

ProHOME will focus on the decisions and techniques required to build a cutting-edge, zero-energy-ready house. Rob Yagid, editor-in-chief of Fine Homebuilding and GreenBuildingAdvisor.com, says, "Many look to us to keep pace with the ever-evolving home-building industry. With ProHOME, we are taking our 35 years of experience and knowledge and applying that to the construction of our first demonstration home, while emphasizing the "house-as-a-whole-system" building approach. Our goal is that ProHOME will be the most powerful tool for educating anyone who aspires to create a home that is beautiful, purposeful, and enjoyable to live in, while also achieving exceptional energy efficiency."

MORE THAN ANOTHER SHOW HOME

Fine Homebuilding's ProHOME fills a gap for the construction industry, documenting the "hows" and "whys" of the build, not just the finished product.

Yagid says, "Sam Rashkin, chief architect at the Department of Energy's Building Technology Office, has said that there needs to be a greater awareness and emphasis by the mainstream builder on the 'house-as-a-whole-system' approach to building. We share that concern, and we intend to use this program to empower builders and designers with the information they need to get up to speed. This building approach demands a clear understanding of how building materials behave in specific climates and in specific building assemblies. It also requires an understanding of how each aspect of the home-from the way it's framed and insulated to how it's conditioned to the finishes used-impacts its resiliency, efficiency, and healthfulness. Understandng how and why each product or material is incorporated into a home is imperative when building a true quality home today."

Yagid adds, "Many show-home projects are focused exclusively on finished results, and with inspiration being their sole intent. We have developed a deep understanding of the world's most progressive building standards, cutting-edge technologies, and most advanced building methods and assemblies. In our ProHOME project, we will bring our audience on-site, up close to every aspect of the build of this high-performance home, so they can confidently emulate what we are doing."

Today the building industry takes home performance more seriously than ever. The 2015 International Residential Code®, the latest iteration of the code put out by the International Code Council, demands improved airtightness measures in new-home construction, increased insulation values, and better-performing windows and mechanicals, which is also helping fuel a trend in durable, eco-friendly, and sustainable resources and materials.

HOUSING MARKET INDICATORS ARE POSITIVE

By keeping pace with industry research coming out of organizations such as the Urban Land Institute, the Home Improvement Research Institute, and Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, the Fine Homebuilding team tailored their design and building approach to support two massive consumer groups who are impacted in areas of home construction and home performance: millennials and baby boomers.

As a result, the ProHOME house will be designed with three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, and flexible areas for future expansion to accommodate a young millennial family, but it will also explore strategies for flexible and accessible living to accommodate baby boomers who want to age in place and who may have to do so on a fixed income. The project also will demonstrate how to build a home that makes the most of solar energy in response to extended federal tax incentives, as well as how to use multiple proven and practical construction methods to build a home as a system. Yagid adds, "ProHOME will have exceptional energy performance, durable and long-lasting features, and an economical and efficient layout, with specific purposeful spaces. We are partnering with the best to make that happen."

INNOVATIVE LEADERS WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD BETTER-PERFORMING HOMES

Fine Homebuilding has teamed up with builder Mike Guertin and designer Michael Maines. Guertin has been a professional builder for over 35 years and is an industry expert on building's best practices. He has written over 100 articles for Fine Homebuilding and has appeared in dozens of videos dedicated to this topic.

Maines comes to the project as a highly regarded residential designer with a background in carpentry, engineering, and high-performance design. He pays special attention to the practical, hardworking parts of a house, from sustainable and durable material selection to flexible and efficient spatial planning. For design inspiration, he draws on nature and traditional vernacular architecture.

Fine Homebuilding's mission is to showcase building education and elevate the knowledge of best construction practices, along with the products and processes chosen to fit the system of the house to achieve energy and overall performance goals. Industry leaders that are partnering with Fine Homebuilding for the ProHOME project include Integrity by Marvin (windows and exterior doors), Whirlpool (kitchen and laundry appliances), American Standard (plumbing fixtures), CertainTeed Insulation (home insulation), Weyerhauser (framing materials), Boral (siding), Huber (subfloor and sheathing), and Cor-A-Vent (rain screen and roof ventilation) among others.

"The ProHOME cross-platform initiative allows our partners to demonstrate their commitment and innovation in the progress of building," says Renee Jordan, senior vice president and publisher. "We're excited to provide them with this opportunity as well as to advance the conversation among experts across the board on everything that is imperative to innovating in this space." Jordan adds that in addition to the launch of the new ProHOME series, spring 2016 will see a newly expanded cross-platform for Fine Homebuilding, with a new website, greater mobile accessibility, improved user experience, and expanded content to include an expanded video library and more.

Beginning with the groundbreaking in mid-May, Fine Homebuilding will document every stage of the entire ProHOME build process on FineHomebuilding.com. Print coverage started in the June/July issue, which is on sale now. A variety of live events will culminate with a home reveal in early 2017 when the home is complete. To follow the project, visit FineHomebuilding.com/prohome.

About Fine Homebuilding

Fine Homebuilding is the most trusted and authoritative resource for the residential construction and remodeling community. We uniquely source our content from the job sites and design offices of the most qualified and talented builders and designers in the industry to empower a global workforce with the ability to create the most advanced homes possible. Driven by the ethos that exceptional homes are possible and that craftsmanship is an honorable and worthy pursuit, Fine Homebuilding has become the brand for skilled practitioners, deeply knowledgeable enthusiasts, industry influencers, and forward-thinking companies, who are collectively committed to shaping the way we build.

Fine Homebuilding is part of the Taunton Press family of media brands.

To find out more or to speak to a company representative, contact Tami McCarthy via email at [email protected] or via phone at 212.750.5755.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160524005614/en/

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