• Sensible GREEN Building - with you in mind!

Green building contributes toward the preservation of your family, your community, your environment, and the future. At Design Tech Homes, we have the flexibility to build a 100% green home utilizing everything from solar power to bamboo flooring—but some of these choices do not always make economic sense. So, we’ve chosen to take a more balanced, cost-effective approach that blends quality design and construction with eco-friendly products and building methods.  We call it—Sensible Green Building.

Through this common sense approach, we’re able to bring together the latest products and home building technologies to give you a home that fits your life, your family and your budget. Your new home is built in a way that conserves natural resources, uses energy wisely and produces a healthier indoor environment for your family. These important elements and our sensible way of thinking are what set us apart.

At Design Tech Homes, we take a three-prong approach to green building:

I. ECO-FRIENDLY CONSTRUCTION
Your new Design Tech home is built with an innovative construction system that defines the structural core of green building.  These eco-friendly construction techniques produce a cost-efficient, well built home using products designed to conserve precious natural resources. 

II. ENERGY EFFICIENCY
How do you know if your home will be truly energy efficient? Don’t take the builder’s word for it. At Design Tech Homes, we require independent inspections to certify that your home meets the stringent requirements of the Energy Star® program. Design Tech Homes is one of the largest custom home builders in Texas to comply with, and exceed, the national Energy Star® program on every single home built.

III. INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (IEQ)
Providing comfort indoors means addressing several key factors:   proper ventilation, limiting emissions from materials used inside the home and moisture control.  At Design Tech we believe in building a home that enhances people’s lives and gives them a sense of control over their own indoor experience.

For more details, ask one of our New Home Consultants!

• Designing with Cutting-Edge Technology

It looks good on paper, but how will it really turn out? With the aid of innovative technology, Design Tech Homes makes it easier for your dream home to become a reality. VisionREZ by Ameri-CAD is an architectural program that allows us to quickly and efficiently create computer-generated 3D models of your plan. Initial design concepts and ideas on paper will spring to life before your eyes.

In addition, this technology aids in the estimating and purchasing process. It provides us with solutions for working more efficiently while maintaining lower costs. But what does all of this mean for you? Design Tech Homes has the expertise and the tools to build your home just the way you want it, and at the best price possible.

Ask one of our New Home Consultants for a demonstration today!

• Now is a Great Time to Build a New Home

For conveniences and amenities, it’s hard to beat a new home. Today, new homes are safer, more efficient, and more packed with popular amenities than ever.

Safety. Technological advances mean that today’s homes are safer, because new homes take advantage of breakthroughs in building science. Homes now have advanced electrical systems, hardwired smoke detectors, and fire-resistant construction details. Windows in patio doors and near stairways have tempered glass, which makes them less likely to cause injury if they break.

Efficiency. Home builders also have an ever-expanding array of products and materials to choose from to enable them to make a house more resource-efficient and water-thrifty. Many home builders participate in programs like ENERGY STAR®, promoting energy-efficient appliances, and WaterSense, promoting water efficiency. Green building is another new trend that’s getting legs as builders return to age-old practices like siting a home to take the best advantage of sunlight and shade, and recent innovations like solar shingles (not just solar roof panels), light-conserving windows, and insulation made from recycled materials. Innovation and consumer demand are combining to produce a "leaner" home. Technology has changed, and so has the market.

Lifestyle. Today’s new home plans reflect what today’s home buyer wants: larger kitchens for family gatherings, bigger closets, ample storage space, and more bathrooms. Consumers are seeking greater ceiling heights, more—and bigger—closets, walk-in showers with multiple heads, three-car garages, and outdoor entertainment spaces with fireplaces and grills. And builders are responding with designs that provide these features.

In fact, that’s a big reason why people seek new homes. Consumers want value, but they also want choices. They want to pick their carpet colors, their cabinet styles, their light fixtures and other design elements that help make a house a home.

The decisions shouldn’t be about whether it’s a good time to buy a home, because homeownership remains the American Dream, despite occasional highs and lows in the market. The decisions should be about personal choice: finding the home that’s right for the buyer. Choosing a new home helps make it a perfect fit.

• Design Tech Homes Built for Strength

The first part of our System-Tech Construction™ that aids with protection against hurricane force winds is our frame. While many homebuilders have an engineer review their standard frame plans, few go the extra step of obtaining an engineer’s stamp on every home built. An engineer’s certification on each Design Tech home signifies that our plans meet or exceed construction standards, and that your home will be structurally sound in any area of Texas that it is built. Second only to our engineered foundations, we feel that the strength of your frame is the most important factor in your home’s structural quality.

For those homes located in a windstorm area, first we brace the house to keep it from racking by wrapping the exterior of the entire home with oriented strand board known as OSB, plywood, or fiber brace. Then, hurricane straps and clips are used to strap the rafters so that the structure is braced all the way down to the bottom plate of each wall. And finally, shingles are fastened by using 5 nails per shingle rather than the standard 3. In some of the windstorm areas it takes up to 6 nails per shingle to meet code. For added measure, homeowners may purchase specially designed windows or shutters that can withstand very high winds and impacts, but they are very costly. Or you may purchase plywood, cutting to fit each window and numbering them so that during a hurricane you can quickly install them for protection.

While all of these steps cannot guarantee the safety of your home, if done correctly they may be able to minimize storm damage. However, without your home getting a true inspection and certification, you cannot get insurance at a reasonable rate. If your property is located in a windstorm area, you can qualify for Texas Windstorm Insurance (TWIA) coverage once your home passes inspection and meets certain windstorm-resistant standards. For more information about windstorm coverage visit http://www.twia.org For information about the windstorm inspection program, visit http://www.tdi.state.tx.us/wind/index.html

Homeowners and commercial property policies specifically exclude coverage for damage from flooding from rising waters. To protect yourself from losses caused by most flooding, you’ll need to purchase a separate flood insurance policy from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For more information about flood insurance, visit http://www.fema.gov/nfip/

• Call-in Radio Show Allows Listeners to Learn Helpful Tips

Mike Feigin, owner and CEO of Design Tech Homes, is co-host of the Better Home Show. This energetic and incredibly informative, call-in radio program "delivers the truth" about building and remodeling your home. The weekly show is also hosted by Dale Phillips, President of DPIS Inspection Services, and John Wisenbaker, owner of Wisenbaker Builder Services. Tune in every Saturday morning from 8 - 11 a.m. in Houston on KSEV 700 AM or in San Antonio on KTSA 550 AM. You can also hear the show live when you log onto betterhomeshow.com.

• Celebrating a Decade of Homebuilding

January, 2007 will mark the beginning of a year long celebration for Design Tech Homes – 10 great years of being in business.  Design Tech Homes started out in the dining room of Mike and Barbara Feigin and a total of four employees.  From this, it has grown to two locations with design centers and model homes - one in Houston and one in San Antonio- and over 60 employees. 

With solid backgrounds in home building (Mike) and accounting (Barbara) and a driving ambition to be one of the best build-on-your-lot builders in Texas, Design Tech Homes hit the ground running and has never looked back.  Over the past 10 years both Barbara and Mike admit there were a lot of 24 hour days and seven day weeks in there, but it has all been worth it.  We have designed some outstanding homes, hired some incredible employees, met some remarkable homeowners, and made some exceptional friends along the way. 

As both Barbara and Mike stress over and over to everyone Design Tech Homes works with, we are solidly committed to making improvements in the way we design and build homes each and every day.  Looking back over the past 10 years keeps us humble; looking ahead at the next 10 years inspires us.   There is so much ahead for us to accomplish and we hope that each and every one of you will join us on this marvelous journey.

DTH Team Members enjoyed a company-wide Anniversary celebration:

• David's Dream Run A Huge Success!

More than 1000 participants, including generous sponsors and volunteers, were involved in coordinating and/or participating in the 2006 David's Dream Run. The 5K Run & Walk which took place May 13th in The Woodlands, raised over $25,000 for the David Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. Design Tech Homes was a GOLD Sponsor of the event.

David Vetter was twelve years old when he died of SCID, severe combined immune deficiency. This little boy was known to the world as “the Bubble Boy”. In honor of his memory, the annual David’s Dream Run was established to help raise money for the David Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. The Center, which is part of the hospital’s Allergy and Immunology Clinic, provides diagnosis and treatment to children with allergy, asthma and primary and secondary immune dysfunction, including HIV/AIDS. "I'm overwhelmed with pride," says David’s mom, Carol Ann Demaret. "I appreciate the effort that goes into creating the event and am thankful the community has always been receptive of anything pertaining to David and his memory."

For more information go to www.davidsdreamrun.org

• Texas Veterans, ENERGY STAR�, and Design Tech Homes � A Winning Combination

As a certified ENERGY STAR® homebuilder, Design Tech Homes is pleased to be helping homeowners save money on their monthly utility bills and also help the state of Texas meet its EPA air quality requirements. And now just recently, the Texas Veterans Land Board (TVLB) is requiring all new-construction homes in its Veterans Housing Assistance Program to obtain the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® certification as an energy efficient home. By instituting this requirement, the TVLB is cementing its longstanding commitment to the principles of energy efficiency and environmentally friendly building practices.
How ENERGY STAR® Makes a Difference:
• 40% of the nation’s pollution comes from the fossil fuel needed to power commercial and residential buildings. Americans with the help of ENERGY STAR® saved enough energy to power 20 million homes and reduced greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 18 million cars, while saving $9 billion in energy costs.
• Lower ownership costs and higher re-sale value.
• Quieter homes with more evenly distributed temperatures.
• Improved indoor air quality.
• Participating builders report a dramatic drop in callbacks from customers related to quality.
Below Market Rates from the Texas Veterans Housing Assistance Program combined with An Energy Star Rated Home can save Texas Veterans thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. Contact Criterion Mortgage for current program rates and details.
www.CriterionMortgage.com
Houston • 281-355-6716 , San Antonio • 830-980-5344

• Design Tech Homes Donates Toys to Texas Children's Hospital

Design Tech Homes recently donated about 100 toys, games, videos and books for the Texas Children's Hospital Cancer Center. In 2003, reality of childhood cancer hit home when Co-Owner and CFO Barbara Feigin's 7-year-old nephew, Jacob, was diagnosed with stage III kidney cancer. The day he was diagnosed, his parents flew him to Texas Children’s Hospital for his surgery, radiation and start of chemotherapy. Barbara said she will never forget the helplessness she felt seeing all those sweet children fighting such a dreadful illness. But at the same time, these children wanted to be "kids." With all their IV’s, monitors and bandages, they still managed the strength to walk to the toy room to play with all the games and toys. For those confined to their rooms, requests were made for any toy or game to be delivered them. Those toys were a comfort to many of these children and a hope to their parents that their child would be "normal" again. This is the second year for Design Tech Homes to be involved in the toy drive. After Jacob’s illness last year, many of the company's Team Members asked what they could do to help. That’s how the toy drive came to be. And as for Jacob, he is doing great! His prognosis looks very good and all due to the wonderful care he received at Texas Children's Hospital. For more information on donating to Texas Children's Hospital, go to www.texaschildrenshospital.org/WaysToGive