Glimpsing back at the skiing connection between early Davis and Canaan

A few posts back I published part of an interview with Riley Worden, taken by WVU researchers at the Worden Hotel in downtown Davis in 1958. This nice little piece (below) about Eddie Worden, the grandson of Worden's owner, shows us an example of the deep connection between Davis and the Canaan ski scene. Eddie Worden talks about the department store run by his grandfather across from Worden's, called Belmonts. I am not certain, but I believe Belmont's stood on the lot I own across from the old Worden's lot.

Sometimes it is too easy to see Canaan skiing as the activity of outsiders, and Davis life as the activity of locals. There is a common ground and we celebrate it.

His life tells story of skiing in West Virginia

The Green Premium

Professional Builder magazine researchers reported recently that 26% of those they surveyed said they would pay no premium for a house certified as green (eg Energy Star or LEED certified). 35% said they'd pay 1-2% more, ie less than the price of a good road or mountain bike. 25% said they'd pay 3-6% more than for a typical house. And only 11% said they'd pay 6-10% for green certification. 2% said they would pay more than a 10% premium.

That would suggest that if our houses were more than about $8K higher than a similar looking non-Energy Star house with the same square feet, that there wouldn't be much of a market. From what I'm learning so far working with the modular vendors, this looks doable. ...more to come on exactly what measures we will take to meet the Energy Star new construction criteria in Davis.

Ready when you are...

Well, not quite ready yet... But we're putting together base pricing, options, and terms so that we can offer new home construction in the old Davis grid. Looks like there will be three models offered, several lots to choose from (some lots limited to certain models) and a finite list of options/upgrades. This is not the market to build spec houses and see what happens and when. That said, we have an attractive design and can deliver elegant and energy-savvy homes at impressive savings compared to the Valley. We are attempting to carve out a middle ground, where the house has wood floors, granite counters, 9ft ceilings, 3 baths, real tile, hardi plank siding instead of vinyl etc -- ie of a quality you'd find in new construction in the Valley or in the city -- but the price is much lower than those found in the Valley. Starting in April there will be a marketing campaign with signage, email, brochures and advertising. There are many (I mean many) people who voice support, who think it is great to build quality homes in Davis. There are some who kid or badger me about schedule. This is not a project that is watched as a spectator sport. This is project that entails having a buying public, and for the moment, no one is buying much of anything in Canaan Valley or Davis. The exceptions for the most part are sacrifice sales, sales under duress, short sales, auctions and bankruptcies.

If the market is not ready to move, you won't see one of these being built, but I think this Spring/Summer is a good time to make the offer. I would like nothing more than to see a happy family step through the door of a new house on Thomas Avenue or one of the other available streets.

Affordable Housing

For decades there has been near zero new construction in Davis. In the Davis annex created by Pocahontas Land Co the new construction was often manufactured homes (ie high end mobile homes) that meet HUD standards. These homes have a metal chassis underneath and can be hauled away, though many are built in with foundations and additions. It might cost $45-55 per square foot for one of these, not including the lot.

Average home values in Davis are probably in the $90K range if you net out the shells or near-shells that go for 35-65K (and the shells are often unstable or akimbo). A well-kept and complete small house on a standard 40ft lot might cost $110K. These older, reasonably maintained, homes might sell for $60 per square foot, not including the lot. The per square foot rate will drop as the house gets larger, but most Davis homes are small.

Standard Davis lots (not on corners) are 5,200sft and are worth from $20-24K today -- though you won't find many, if any, on the market. Standard Corner Lots in Davis go for $40-45K and are 7,900sft. The Davis Annex lots are larger (1/3 acre) but generally not thought of as being very desirable since they are not architecturally interesting and are not layed out in the compact format of old Davis.

Affordable housing is something that alot of locals talk about. There are banks and government entities focused on subsidizing the financing and price point of housing in order to provide rental and ownership opportunities for those making some amount less than the average income in Davis. For example, the Randolph County Housing Authority can consider programs for a 1 or 2-person family making $22k or less...now that is alot of folks in Davis. They help prospective buyers figure out what they can afford and then build or find townhouses and single family homes to suit.

Some percentage of the 60+ residences I will eventually build in Davis should be more affordable to buy. They will still be Energy Star and low maintenance. They will still be consistent with the lumber boomtown sytle venacular. But they will be a bit smaller, sit on the smaller lots, and may have laminate instead of stone counters, for example. The Davis housing market could have a future of healthy price diversity. There should be room for a $300K, 4,000sft classic Victorian, a $185K, 1,800sft premium Vic, and a $110k, 1,400sft basic "Katrina cottage" style Victorian. Hopefully, the comparables and appraisal market will develop in sophistication enough to recognize that there can be several categories of new construction in the same village.

I have often noted that if left alone, Davis would gravitate toward "shelter" homes -- cheap, manufactured, one story, unattractive homes that cost $50sft or less and have no interest to 2nd home buyers or active retirees seeking to buy in the area. Along with this trend would be the deterioration of the existing, often dilapidated, housing stock, toward a negative value impact on the underlying land. When lots are too cheap they are left vacant or with derelict buildings, or with collected junk. If lots remain too cheap they become sites for used mobile homes. If lots are just expensive enough, they are only purchased by consumers who will build something that meets national building codes, and with luck, is reasonably fitting for the town. This is one reason that I am glad to see the value of Davis lots double over the 7 years I have been following them.

Still, the home sites -- while relatively hard to find on the market -- are as cheap as they come anywhere. The challenge will be to set design trends that result in affordable housing that looks good, functions well, has low costs of ongoing ownership, and that fits in with houses twice the price. The promise of village life at the doorstep of Canaan Valley is not just for workers, not just for artists and athletes, not just for retirees, and not just for weekenders from Pittsburgh or DC. It will work for a diverse and fun mix of all these people.

The snow grenade and the blame game

Canaan usually sports around 160 inches annually, and I think it is re-snowing its usual annual right here in front of me tonight. Really, I wouldn't be surprised if we booked 300 inches this year. Downtown Davis has piles of snow as large as small houses, and they're crammed between buildings. Rock and Laurel in Timberline has 3.5ft on the roof and I'm having to shovel away from windows and doors. Yesterday I spoke to the principal plower in chief for downtown Davis and he hasn't had 8 hours of sleep in weeks. He is wearing out his equipment, he is tense, and any pushback could prompt him to bust out that can of woopass. And I don't blame him.

People don't understand. And they don't want to understand either, because understanding will cost them money for no good reason other than: ma nature says so. Our snow plow contractors are presently banished to "snowblivion," doomed to plow the same driveways daily while enduring a peppering of phone calls from homeowners. Why is it more? Why aren't you here right now? This was a fixed price deal! Why is my bill so high?

I am fond of saying that misunderstandings are usually to the benefit of the misunderstander. Well, here we go. Bad news is here and the poor guy in the truck with a plow is here to bring to you.

People on the receiving end of snow inconvenience and damages will need to reset their expectations button.

Fixed price snow plow contractors are hating life -- many contracts in the Valley are fixed price -- one price for the season. Imagine the extra costs being incurred by the plow contractors as they try to keep hundreds of driveways clear. Ok, so last year they collected and scarcely had to show up...there was so little snow, but no one likes it when what goes around actually does come around. I gave my Timberline snow plow guy a pretty big tip today because his truck is dented, his face is drawn, and he isn't sleeping. Let's take care of these plow guys. They are busting hump and don't think for a minute that they're making out. Everyone at the table is taking a hit.

DC gets an object lesson in the perils of unconsidered roof design

Canaan property ownership, winter roof leaks, and related design work has schooled me in the issues that bear on ice damming. Most people don't even know what it is. This is because they do not live in or visit an area with wintery conditions, or because they are house-science-ignorant (which is fine until you are shopping houses or considering major attic or roof work). DC area residents see a few inches of snow annually, so a DC winter that is delivering 50+ inches in a series of bigtime dumps has meted out more than a few object lessons about ice damming. This is so prevalent that it warranted an article in the Post on the subject (below).

What is ice damming? Ice damming occurs when the roof surface temperature is sufficiently warmer in some areas (typically over the living spaces) than in others (typically over the roof overhangs (soffits). Ice damming is the formation of ice or snow-ice, usually near soffits and in the roof valleys, which in turn holds back water or slush. The result is that areas of the roof experience submersion (unlike a rain storm) and water finds its way into the house.

Canaan and Davis are full of houses with ice damming challenges. I'll run through what I see as the lines of defense:

1. House design - mimimize valleys (sloped troughs created when perpendicular roof slopes intersect). Note that if you place roof ridge lines perpendicular to prevailing winds (from the West by Southwest in Canaan), there will be spindrift accumulation on the lee side of the ridge. Knowing this, you don't want to place gables with windows close to the roofing, nor do you want a roof valley on the lee side of a ridge if you can help it.

The roof temperature needs to be regulated by the design and insulation choices in your roof construction. A traditional unconditioned, ventilated, attic allows the roof to stay cool, but often the area of the roof that crosses over the exterior walls and hangs out from the house (soffit) is even cooler, making the traditional ventilated attic a marginal defense against ice damming. Another way to regulate roof temperature is to directly insulate the roof sheeting. This can be done by foaming with icynene open or closed cell foam from below; foaming must cover both the areas of roof over the attic or living areas as well as the areas of roof over your soffits (roof overhangs). Another approach is to sheet the outside surface of the roof with rigid insulation, or better yet, structured insulated panels (SIPs) that integrated foamboard with plywood. The R-value of one of these solutions will drive the ability of your roof to stay cool in winter. Whether or not to ventilate the attic or rafter cavities below this solution is a separate consideration. Most foaming solutions would suggest closing up the ventilated attic and conditioning the attic. Aside from avoiding ice damming, the benefits include: lower energy bills, cooler Summer afternoons in the house, less sound infiltration from airplanes, and if the attic is closed up and insulated you now have additional storage.

2. When Reroofing. When reroofing in Canaan, it is recommended that you use self-sealing, waterproof, roof wrap as the secondary barrier beneath the shingles or other roofing material. This prevents any breach of the roofing material from becoming a water issue INSIDE the house. Roofing materials should consider the high winds in certain areas of the Valley. Cedar roofing is not recommended because of the high precipitation, wind and temperature variations of the Valley. It is an old-fashioned solution based on the idea that cedar is robust in all conditions, but it is wood -- it does not perform as well as modern roofing materials. Not to mention that forests are never far, and wooden roofs catch fire. Minimize or completely eliminate gutters unless there are foundation drainage issues in conflict.

3. Snow Breaks. These are expensive, let me tell you. They hold snow on the roof rather than allow it to slide off. The strategy here is to hold snow back from the soffits, where ice damming is most prevelant. This holds off the gravitational pressure of snow-ice sliding down the roof toward the soffits. The second reason for snow breaks is to prevent sudden 'calving' of large blocks of snow or ice...a safety consideration with some building designs. In general, the most elegant functional design would eliminate the need for snow breaks by positioning pedestrian areas away from roof driplines and ensuring that the roof is so cool and regulated that it does not experience ice damming.

4. Heat tape. For existing homes that have ice damming issues. This is the best solution. Heat tape elements come on at freezing temps and keep a drainage area open at all times. This does not stop the formation of large ice formations but it keeps drainage areas open to gutters or elsewhere, thus preventing water from backing up through the roofing material and into the house.

Why care? Most don't when they are looking at the kitchen or the master suite. What do they know? It is summer, they have no idea what the implications of roof design entail for winter, or for lifetime ownership costs. But they should, particularly in Davis and Canaan. We are specifically designing the site orientation, roof lines, gable locations, and porches to perform their best. Then we are offering water barriers, insulation solutions, and roof materials that will have our roofs looking smart in the dead of winter, and you will know you were smart when you get your energy bill. You will be feeling even smarter 20 years hence, when the roof is holding up better than your neighbor's.

The DC blizzards have presented more than the obvious inconvenient truth of global climate change. Increasingly, home buyers in DC and in the second home market will look at the cost of ownership, not just the pattern in the kitchen's granite. I think that when it comes to notions of luxury and comfort, buyers will start to consider that it is comfortable not to have soaring cathedral ceilings; it is luxurious not to be worrying about your gutters; and it is downright sumptuous to be cool on the second floor on an August afternoon -- without the AC on.

D.C. area homeowners struggle against melting snow

By Jura Koncius

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 14, 2010

Do you know where this is?

The houses don't exist yet but the location does. This is the newly completed rendering of our architectural plans for single family homes and 'side-by-sides' for the infill lots in downtown Davis. This is the north side of Thomas Avenue (across from Doc's Guest House). The house on the right sits in front of an existing garage apartment at the back of the lot. The other two units are side by side in that they are built against each other at the first floor. There are 15+ other locations to choose from in the existing Davis grid. Davis Riverwalk homes will be similar but their final designs are not completed. The Davis Victorian homes will be on crawl space foundations and will have their own sidewalks and steps intersecting the community sidewalk. Floor plans for the house on the far right are found in an earlier post. Floor plans on the two others are found here. The houses will be Energy Star rated. Exterior materials are all James Hardi cement board and sheet metal. We are estimating that these houses will deliver in the high $100ks. Options will include basements, in-floor radiant heat, foamed insulation and solar panels.

Builder Concept Home 2010

Builder Concept Home 2010
It was interesting to see and hear the key design points of this archetypal design for a ~2,500sft traditional house. Most of the design decisions foot with the designs we have drafted for infill lots in Davis. Eliminate grand foyers and separate dining. Integrate kitchen and living/dining. Use science as well as aesthetics to design profiles and window placements. Invest in better ventilation, hot water, cooking, heating and utility solutions. Use transom windows over doors to spread light. Use closets or insulation for noise barriers. Eliminate or make functional any hallways. Make certain rooms multifunctional with little or no remodeling. Use self-sealing roof and house wraps, and flex flashing around window/door installations. Build homes that stand the test of time literally and in terms of resale with little or no remodeling. Build homes that cost drastically less to operate on an annual basis. Purchase homes based on their total cost of ownership and this new notion of resale value that is not simply based on square footage and number of bedrooms/baths.

Immediate considerations for Davis versions: larger and more ruggedized outdoor toy storage and transition areas; greater ratio of stone or other 'bomb-proof' flooring to hardwood flooring; foam-insulated roof sheeting; radiant heat option; foamed walls option; larger garage out back with alley entrance and optional rental suite on top.

Builder Concept Home 2010

WV Living Magazine

A new WV magazine is out there now, called WV Living. It is a quarterly and makes a fine piece for the coffee table of a Canaan Valley vacation home. I'm running an ad for Rock'nLaurel in the Real Estate Marketplace section of the Spring issue.