Wood, stucco, brick…just some of the regular materials that regular houses are made of. Of course, shelter and home can come in any number of forms. MSN Real Estate recently listed a few. Here are our favorites.

Converted churches: Soaring ceilings and gorgeous light.

Airplanes: According to MSN, the owner of this airplane/home bought it for $2000, moved it for $4000 and renovated it for $24,000. Not too bad!

Shipping containers: Save the “living in a box” jokes. These homes, made out of old freight boxes, are stylish and comfortable.

What’s the most interesting place you’ve ever built or renovated for your customers to live in?

Photos courtesy of MSN Real Estate.

Replacement Housing Services specializes in full replacement and renovation of homes for move-up buyers who value urban living. Each project is supported by extensive research and analysis covering everything from the selection of the building site to the architectural fit within the neighborhood and community, as well as the current and future lifestyle needs of the homeowners. An example of this process at work is the Cape Cod-style new construction at Rutledge Avenue in Edina, Minnesota – a home that brings value to the homeowners, neighborhood and community at large.

The theme for the interior, exterior and landscape of the residence are carefully crafted to suit the historical fabric of the neighborhood and to maximize homeowner value. The combination of high-quality building materials, finishes and traditional design makes for a home with strong character and high appreciation potential, yet one that also conveys a sense of individuality, strength and permanence for the homeowners.

As a part of the inclusive design process of Replacement Housing Services and to remain consistent with the architectural design standards of the project, Integrity windows were selected for their exceptional quality and value at a competitive price-point. The clean, sharp lines of the windows align with the unique architectural design and detailed trim of the home. In addition, the windows enhance the livability of the indoor environment by providing plenty of natural light and well-ventilated spaces for improved air quality.

Please let us know which sites you find the most informative, and feel free to post any of your favorite blogs or twitter accounts in the comments section!

Twitter Accounts:

NAHB Green –  “The National Green Building Program offers resources & tools to help builders, remodelers, home building associations, and homeowners learn how to build green.”

NAHB Remodelers –  The National Association of Home Builders has its remodeling experts keep you up-to-date on what is new in the remodeling industry.

Green Intel – Christine Costa, Sustainability Practice Leader, tweets on environmental issues. Check out her blogs as well!

Sarah Susanka -  Architect and best-selling author of “The Not So Big House” comments on architectural trends, the homebuilding industry and why bigger isn’t always better.

Blogs:

Construction Informer – This blog, geared toward the construction industry, is an excellent place to find quality information and discussion about building. Topics covered range from products to processes, finance to industry news.

Build Intel – “Marketing experts [with construction/homebuilding industry expertise] share their views on the building industry.”

Matt Rinsigner’s Blog –   Homebuilder Matt Risinger writes a very informative blog with his first-hand experience in the business.

Constructonomics -  “[This] blog covers everything in the architecture, engineering, construction and real estate industry and focuses on economics, leadership, and management. Constructonomics tries to provide readers with valuable and useful content that is also quite fun to read. ”

Ebuilders -   “From flooring to roofing and everything in between, find valuable technical advice and design ideas to ensure your success and boost your pride of ownership.”

The Handy Guys Podcast -  Two avid DIYers share their experiences working around the house. Q&A, tool tests, how-to’s, the works!

A Design Makeover for Affordable Housing
NY Times – Real Estate
“A design revolution has taken place in affordable housing since the 1980s, when the federal government essentially stopped building income-restricted apartments. The featureless red-brick monoliths are gone — replaced by stylish buildings that resemble market-rate condominiums, with expensive finishes, attractive lobbies and landscaped grounds.”

Are Forestry Groups Talking to the Wrong People About the Green Wood Certification Fight?
ProSales Online
“The forestry community is scoring headlines from its campaign enlisting governors, members of Congress, and ordinary citizens to persuade the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to open up its LEED wood-certification standards. But that effort raises a so-far unanswered question: Why spend so much money and effort persuading people who don’t have a say on the issue and focus instead on the people who do-USGBC members?”

Affordability Remains Housing’s Biggest Challenge
Builder Online
“The rate of job growth will determine the pace of recovery for a housing market whose prosperity could also depend on how it provides more affordable and sustainable options to the diverse buyer segments likely to drive the industry in the next decade.

That is the familiar refrain that the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University reiterated on Monday morning at the Ford Foundation in New York City, where it presented “The State of the Nation’s Housing 2010,” its annual analysis of where America’s built environment was, is, and might be headed.”

Green Homes Sell Faster, But Harder to Appraise
HGTV Pro – NAHB (Nation’s Building News)
“While official statistics may be lacking, many builders attending the NAHB National Green Building Conference in Raleigh, N.C., on May 16-18 said that they have been able to sell sustainably built homes considerably faster than the traditionally built new homes that have been languishing in today’s tough market.

Green builders, however, have little immunity from the tight financial conditions that have been plaguing the housing market and imposing difficulties for both home buyers and sellers. And the widespread problem of low appraisals — driven largely by a glut of foreclosed properties and a slow market — has been doubly frustrating for green builders because the vast majority of appraisers are unable to recognize the value that green features add to the home.”

New Lead Paint Laws Updated
Charles & Hudson
“The new lead paint rule instituted by the EPA that requires special handling when remodeling all pre-1978 homes has now been slightly altered.”

Home-Efficiency Program Takes Hit
WSJ – Developments Blog
“White House-backed effort to encourage home-energy improvements was dealt a blow Tuesday after a federal regulator said the program posed significant risks to mortgage lenders and investors. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, suggested the mortgage finance titans should avoid participating in the program or should tighten their lending standards where the initiative moves forward.”

The project was to be a challenging one, seeing as much of the structural integrity of the residence had been compromised over the years. However, the homeowners stood by the fact that they wanted to remodel, not rebuild their home.

The homeowners used a designer for certain decisions, such as selection of colors, textures and some elements of interior design, but W.A. Bernard handled the majority of the details. The scope of the project involved renovating the kitchen, master bath and living room areas by replacing windows, siding and interior trim. However, the project was much more than a simple remodel: The plumbing was sub-code, the heating system ancient and the foundation deteriorated. After the necessary structural repairs were made, new electric, plumbing and energy efficient HVAC were installed.

Although much was updated, the homeowners had loved their original home and fought to preserve its unique qualities at all costs. They wanted windows that added to the overall character of their residence while keeping with the original time period. Integrity proved to be the perfect fit. Not only is the value equation one of the best in the industry, but Integrity’s sustainable Ultrex construction and ENERGY STAR-qualified products delivered the long-term environmental performance demanded.

A mix of Wood Ultrex double hung and casement windows were chosen in Stone White with SDL for their aesthetic beauty and traditional style. They serve as a focal point within the home while creating a connection to the great outdoors, providing a panoramic view from the living room. With careful attention to detail and experienced craftsmanship, W.A. Bernard was able to blend old and new details seamlessly turning the historic house into an energy-efficient home to be enjoyed for many years to come.

And for many people, a kitchen remodel serves as a unique chance to up the “green” quotient on their homes.

Via Trends Ideas, this kitchen remodel, led by architects David Webber, AIA and Tim Derrington, AIA of Webber + Studio, had the dual goal of being truly green and truly beautiful.

Integrity’s windows, with Low E II glass were installed to help cut energy bills. These windows’ materials (wood and super-tough Ultrex) give a classic look with extremely high performance. And since Low E II helps with energy efficiency, the home’s owners didn’t have to skimp on their dream of having lots of windows to let in natural light.

Architect Webber says:

I think that living sustainably means appreciating the surrounding environment and interacting with nature as a part of daily life. So being able to enjoy plenty of sunlight and open up the windows and turn off the air conditioning is a huge part of that sensibility.

To complete this green kitchen, the design team looked for energy efficient appliances, chose cupboards made of fiberboard (not hardwood) and installed a heating system for hot water when needed, without the need to have it heating all the time.

Images courtesy of Trends Ideas

The Wall Street Journal recently covered this phenomenon. The recession has moved homeowners from seeing their homes as a bank account and towards seeing them as homes, places to build lives in.

How will you plan on coping with this change of thoughts? Are you expanding the remodeling portions of your business? Learning new skills? Or aggressively marketing your previously un-promoted remodeling business? Are customers interested in hearing about a cost value analysis of major remodeling projects vs. moving? Or are you seeing more small projects?

Check out the Wall Street Journal article for some differences between remodeling jobs in the “old” and “new” economies, and leave your thoughts in the comments!

Homes from the early 1900s tend to be more compartmentalized, with dark, narrow hallways. For the remodel, the owners wanted to expand the existing home to allow more light and better support the needs of a modern family.

To achieve this, a visual corridor replaced the physical one between the family room and kitchen. The result is a series of rooms — family room, dining room, and kitchen — that, although separated from each other, have been opened up, flooding the whole first floor with abundant light. One advantage of replacing rather than remodeling was being able to position all of the systems and supporting infrastructure such as internet and cable access, as well as heating and cooling, where they can best support the lifestyle of the owners, says Johnson [the architect].

Double-hung windows by Integrity allow natural light to pour into the house and provide sufficient airflow throughout.

The kitchen, relatively open to the rest of the house, includes Amana and Thermador appliances and Kohler fixtures.

As part of the owners’ determination to recreate the Craftsman integrity inherent in the original dwelling, particular attention was paid to the detail work. The angled trim over doors and windows, the chair rails, wainscots, and crown molding are faithful period reproductions that help establish the home’s authenticity.

Johnston says the success of any remodeling project comes down to the ability to recognize the character and charm of the previous house and a determination on the part of everyone involved to preserve those aspects in the new home.

Read more and see more photos at Trends & Ideas.

See if you can guess what decade each kitchen is from:

The decades are, from the top: 2000s, 1970s, 1960s, 1990s, 1950s and 1980s. Take a look at the rest of the kitchens in the slideshows. The more things change, the more they stay the same…maybe you will find yourself taking a cue from the past for your next kitchen project!

Images courtesy of MSN Real Estate.