In honor of today’s Great American Eclipse, BUILDER editors took a look at what was trending in home building the last time an eclipse was viewable from the U.S.
The last total eclipse in the United States–visible only in Hawaii–occured on July 11, 1991. That year, the Hubble telescope sent back its first images of Jupiter, operation Desert Storm wrapped up in Kuwait, and Ted Turner was named Time Magazine’s Man of the Year. Terminator 2 reigned at the box office and the number of Internet users in the U.S. reached 1 million.
Back then, BUILDER’s July 1991 issue was a “Special Report” on green home building. A few of the topics and trends covered in the magazine that month included:
–Product reports on Philips compact fluorescent light bulbs, an undercounter appliance that grinds plastic bottles for easier recycling, a low-flow fitting that screws on to a faucet to conserve water, and a Blanco sink with a trapdoor leading to a recycling bin.
–Stock prices of the publicly traded home building firms, which had risen over the past six months. Centex hit $38 a share; Hovnanian Enterprises climbed to $8.
–Floor plans that touted formal dining rooms, kitchen islands with snack bars, bayed breakfast nooks, angled tubs, oversized bay windows, double-height bathroom ceilings with skylights, whirlpool tubs, Palladian windows, living room columns, curving staircases, wet bars, and breakfast rooms.
–The 10 most affordable housing markets, with the top area being Quad Cities, Iowa, which had a median home price of $56,000.
The July 1991 issue of BUILDER included a writeup about a plastic bottle recycling appliance.
–Design trends such as tile, laminate, and butcher block countertops; simulated divided lites in windows and doors; brass hardware; an upswing in golf course communities, and increasing interest in cluster development.
–A story about the importance of wetlands that said trees are in, and “slash ‘n’ build” is definitely out.
–The NAHB’s new indoor air quality subcommittee aimed at raising awareness of IAQ issues among NAHB members.
–Three federal agencies’ proposal to relax the definition of wetlands and reopen millions of acres of land to development.
–Florida builder Taylor Woodrow’s commitment to recycle papers and cans and prints its stationery on recycled paper.
–The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s plan to add 11.6 million acres to the 3 million acres of northwest forests set aside for spotted owls. The plan was predicted to cut U.S. softwood supplies by 30 percent and spark “volatile lumber prices.”
–A how-to story on building a green house with features including nontoxic carpet, low-flow toilets, eave and ridge ventilation, and xeriscaped landscaping.
