Page 21 - Green Builder May-June 2020 Issue

Gravity first. Although a cloud of
"disappointment" and fear lurks in the
background, the most prevalent emotional
state during the first 90 days of COVID-19
lockdowns was expressed in grateful and
"thankful" terms.

When the first bailout bill from Congress industries, by and large, differ dramatically It’s possible, as real estate expert John
passed, he explains, the company took the from that of the general public. We know Burns suggests, that the crisis could boost
lifeline and ran with it. “It’s extremely hard this, because we used our in-house data dis- home sales by giving millennials the push
to build a good team,” he says, “but so far, covery service, COGNITION Smart Data, to they need to abandon rental living and buy
we’ve been able to hold onto them. probe public sentiment, mentions and mood into the shelter dynamic of their parents. As
Myers says two things helped Thrive about their future housing options. a result, they’ll be looking for single-family
Homes as high-performance builders: “First, What we found is that, by and large, homes with outdoor play space, the tradi-
we’ve seen renewed loyalty from trades in Americans gradually circled inward psy- tional neighborhood model developed post
Denver, with a high level of engagement chologically for the first few weeks. This World War II.
and care,” he notes. “Every framer on the wasn’t always the case. Early on, as COVID- Of course, that cultural shift could create
jobsite this morning was wearing a mask. 19 lockdowns took hold, talk about remodel- new problems in terms of our footprint on
The partnership we’ve built [over the years] ing, building and buying new homes saw an the planet. Denser populations tend to con-
is serving us well. awakened burst of interest. The lockdowns sume far fewer natural resources per capita
"Secondly—I think we'll talk about this didn't take place until end of the month in than their rural counterparts. If housing
more, but—we've been focused on health... China and mid March in the U.S., meaning does spread out into the fields and forests,
it’s not always easy but now we’ll be able they would have had no effect on housing growth patterns and housing performance
to have that message resonate much more starts in January. need to be managed carefully. Net zero-plus
strongly as a building block for rebuilding homes with fossil-fuel-free energy sourc-
our business.” ing and low impact transportation are
To get a better barometer of where the A FAST-CHANGING SITUATION both possible and essential to our future
industry at large is headed in the aftermath By early May, conversations had dwindled survival.
of the pandemic—assuming it will come on the topic of new home purchasing and As the death count from COVID-19 in
eventually—our staff at Green Builder remodeling, as households hunkered down the U.S. surpasses more than double the
reached out to many builders, architects and and the nation began "opening up" out of American lives lost in the Vietnam War, it's
manufacturers, looking for a general mood lockdown mode. clear that nothing is certain.Instead, we have
and what we all might expect over the com- This re-opening, considered highly risky entered a “limbo” period where politics often
ing months and years. by medical experts, will likely determine trumps science, and dangerous social experi-
whether the shelter industry can avoid a ments happen in real time. Can we return to
full-blown recession. It will test the pub- “normal,” now that the soft underbelly of our
A TALE OF TWO REACTIONS lic’s capacity to take an existential threat health care system lies bare, not to mention
We’ll share the results of our questions and in stride, yet still pursue the conventional our fragile global economics and even our
interviews in this article. But before we do so, American Dream of home ownership and ability to sift the truth from lies? Is normal
it’s important to note that the views of these family. the best we can do?

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