(Updated March 15, 2021) Following meetings by GHBA members with Mayor Turner, City Council Members and other City of Houston officials, new detention requirements for single family lots have been modified by the City of …
Understanding Land Use Updates in the 2020 National Green Building Standard
Source: National Association of Home Builders The ICC 700-2020 National Green Building Standard® (NGBS), released in spring 2020, updated two key sections that should be bookmarked for home builders engaged in land use and housing …
CenterPoint Slab Requirement Change
After a thorough review of CenterPoint Energy’s current policy requiring a slab prior to the installation of the joint trench, the company will no longer consider a home start as a prerequisite for a final …
GHBA Announces New Executive Vice President and CEO, Aimee Bertrand
The GHBA is pleased to announce that Aimee Bertrand has been named the new executive vice president and CEO of the association, effective January 4, 2021. She will oversee the executive management and daily operations …
Contact 811 Before Building That Fence
Did you know that fence builders are required to contact 811 at least 48 hours (excluding weekends and holidays) prior to installing a fence? While the common misconception about 811 is it’s only for large-scale …
Texas Adopts 2020 National Electrical Code
On June 30, 2020 the Texas Commission on Licensing and Regulation adopted the 2020 NEC as the electrical code for the state of Texas and established it as the “minimum standard” for all electrical work …
HOME-PAC Election Recap
While the race for the presidency is still undetermined, we do have positive results for a number of races that were of great importance to HOME-PAC and our Houston region. With a highly anticipated blue …
USACE Releases Buffalo Bayou Study Interim Report
Last month, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released an interim draft of its Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the current conditions of Buffalo …
Soaring Lumber Costs Affecting Home Prices
With lumber prices at historically high levels, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has calculated that this rise in costs has caused the price of an average new single-family home to increase by $16,148 …
Harris County Announces New Flooding Task Force
In late July, Harris County announced it would be reorganizing the existing Flood Control Task Force into the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force in an effort to “reflect a broader approach to the …
Member Newsmaker: Lisa Clark
Lisa Clark is the senior vice president and general manager of Ryko Development, Inc. She is a decorated trailblazer in her field. To speak of Lisa Clark is to speak a list of firsts. The …
Contact Your Member of Congress on Soaring Lumber Costs
NAHB is seeking prompt action from President Trump and the Administration regarding soaring lumber prices (80% increase since mid-April) and supply shortages that are harming the housing industry. But to support this effort, we need …
New Coastal Building Code Effective September 1
Starting September 1, the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) will require that builders adhere to the 2018 windstorm provisions of the International Residential Code (IRC) if they are building in coastal areas. TDI adopted the …
Primary Election Runoff Review
Last month, the Republican and Democratic primary runoff elections were finally concluded and all candidates for the November general election were decided. Due to COVID-19, this process took nearly five months from the beginning of early …
City of Houston to Require Floodplain Identification on General Plans
Starting on July 24, 2020, the City of Houston Planning Department will require that the 100-year, 500-year floodplains and floodway be identified on all general plans submitted to the department with the Plat Tracker application. …