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Harnessing the Sun for Affordable Housing
Sun Country Connection
August 19, 2008
By Peter Bridge
Are you considering a photovoltaic system for an upcoming 9% project, located in one of the areas served by SDG&E, SoCal Electric, or PG&E? The combination of...
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Personal Success Story - Meet the Franco Kids
Sun Country Connection
August 15, 2008
Angie remembers what it felt like when her home was raided for drugs, and her kids were taken away.
“I’ll never forget when my little ones were pulling on my shirt. That’s when I knew it ...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES - Building the Ark
Sun Country Connection
August 15, 2008
In the year 2016, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in the United States
The Lord said, "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh b...
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Apartment Rehabilitation Projects
Sun Country Connection
June 18, 2008
It’s often said that a construction project takes on a “personality” from the very beginning. Nurturing that personality can be a major factor in how the project turns out.
Un...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES - In the cemetery
Sun Country Connection
June 15, 2008
A large family, with seven children, moved to a new city.
They were having a difficult time finding an apartment to live in. Many apartments were large enough, but the landlords
objected to...
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Personal Success Story - LeAnn
Sun Country Connections
June 15, 2008
HOMELESS WITH CANCER
Encinitas mother of three faces the battle of her life
Meet LeAnn. She's been living at Solutions for Change for only a few months, but already her life has started to ...
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Bush Names SBA Administrator Steven Preston to HUD
CLPHA Weekly Report
April 23, 2008
Who is Steven C. Preston? That’s a question many in the affordable housing community were asking last week when President Bush named the 47-year-old administrator of the Small Business Administra...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES - This and That
Sun Country Connection
April 15, 2008
Seen on an electrician's truck: Let us remove your shorts.
======================
A woman saw an electrician walking up her drive. She rushed to the door. "Why have you come today?" she barked....
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Managing the SOLARA Challenge
Sun Country Connection
April 15, 2008
The question “What if we go green all the way with this one?” became the genesis point for a project that would pull from every known aspect of sustainable design and redefine the way affordable ...
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Personal Success Story - Nellie
Sun Country Connection
April 15, 2008
Meet Nellie, Mother Of Five
"I was a single mother of 5, working as a Night Auditor at a hotel, in a studio apartment."
Nellie lived the life of addiction. When she was only 14, a friend intro...
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Green Building Saves $$$
Affordable Housing Finance
April 01, 2008
Green Building Saves $$$ Developers open their books to show low operating costs at green properties <br>
BY BENDIX ANDERSON <br>
AFFORDABLE HOUSING FINANCE <br><br&...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: Construction Definitions
Sun Country Connection
February 15, 2008
Contractor - A gambler who never gets to shuffle, cut or deal.
Bid Opening - A poker game in which the losing hand wins.
Low Bidder - A contractor who is wondering what he/she left ou...
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Avoiding class action suits
Sun Country Connection
February 15, 2008
Avoiding class action suits
Ted Kimball
Partner, Kimball, Tirey & St. John LLP
A significant legal concern in 2008 is the continued proliferation of unfair business practice and class actio...
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Personal Success Story - Cyndie Schubert
Sun Country Connection
February 15, 2008
It's FAR too easy to write off a drug addict who's doing jail time.
"That was me a few years ago" recalls Cyndie Schubert. "I was addicted to drugs. I'd been busted twice. And my future was bl...
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Your Residents as Maintenance Inspectors?
Sun Country Connection
February 15, 2008
By Daryl McFarland
As a general contractor specializing in rental apartment housing, Sun Country becomes involved in most of the maintenance issues faced by asset and property managers durin...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: It's the plumber
Sun Country Connection
December 11, 2007
A lady was expecting the plumber; he was supposed to come at ten o'clock to fix the sink. 10:00 came and went; no plumber; 11:00, noon, 1:00. Still no plumber. She finally concluded he wasn't com...
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Maximizing Relationships
The Sun Country Connection
October 16, 2007
“Mixed use transportation centers are the way of the future” says Rod MacDonald, Director of New Construction for KDF Communities of Newport Beach. “We need to spend more time and energy ...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: Three men and a genie
The Sun Country Connection
October 15, 2007
A project manager, a superintendent, and a field engineer are in Ft. Lauderdale for a two-week period helping out on a project.
About midweek they decide to walk up and down the beach dur...
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Walk on a Good Man
The Sun Country Connection
August 09, 2007
Success comes in many forms - carpet, vinyl, wood, ceramic, rugs and window treatments, to name just a few.
"No, success comes from doing what you say you're going to do" says Denis Royer, p...
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Avoiding Cost Overruns in Affordable Housing
The Sun Country Connection
August 09, 2007
Many common project cost overruns can be avoided by developing a mutual understanding of project design and specification parameters as they relate to budget constraints in the early planning sta...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: Just Rewards
The Sun Country Connection
August 09, 2007
While walking down the street one day, a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to heaven," says St....
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Via Roble Student Career Training Program
The Sun Country Connection
August 09, 2007
In May 2007 Trinity Housing Group was wondering what type of Summer Program to offer their residents at the Via Roble Apartments in Escondido. As a first time residential coordinator with a...
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SOLARA: Fully Solar-powered Apartment Complex
Ecofriend
July 20, 2007
Whenever we talk about alternate energy, solar energy is the thing that strikes the mind first. People are now looking forward to power homes with better energies than what were used a decade ago...
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More doors are opening for lower-income residents
San Diego Union Tribune
June 17, 2007
NOTE: SUN COUNTRY BUILDERS IS PLEASED TO HAVE BEEN A KEY PLAYER IN DEVELOPING BOTH RENAISSANCE AND SOLARA
By Lori Weisberg, staff writer
Low-cost housing for the county's...
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Giving back to the community
The Sun Country Connection
June 13, 2007
Sun Country Builders Team Members are always giving back to the Community.
On November 9, 2006, key team members of Sun Country Builders had the opportunity to cooperate with a speci...
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Robert Benicewicz’s Iron-Clad Quality
Sun Country Connection
June 13, 2007
Did you hear the one about the 19 year old Polish guy?
He and his bride were in Greece and took advantage of the US Embassy’s decision to send them to San Diego. Something about the weath...
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Solar-Powered Affordable Housing
Business Week
June 07, 2007
If you were hoping to get a coveted spot at Solara, a new energy-efficient apartment building in the San Diego suburb of Poway you’ve already missed your chance. The owners cut off the waiting li...
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First 100% Solar Powered Community In California
Metaefficient
June 06, 2007
Solara is the first apartment community in California to be fully powered by the sun. The 56-unit apartment community, which opened yesterday, has some pretty impressive green features. The commu...
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Poway's solar-powered apartments celebrated
North County Times
June 06, 2007
Poway's new solar-powered apartments celebrated
By: QUINN EASTMAN - Staff Writer
POWAY -- Residents at Solara, Poway's newest affordable housing complex, joined a host of city, state and b...
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Energy-efficient affordable housing
San Diego Union Tribune
June 02, 2007
Energy-efficient affordable housing
Eco-friendly units were designed for low-income families
By Lisa Petrillo, STAFF WRITER
For Abby Indiongco-Magtoto, what’s not to like about her new apart...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: A duck walks into a bar
Sun Country Builders
April 15, 2007
A duck walks into a pub and orders a pint of beer and a ham sandwich.
The landlord looks at him and says, "But you're a duck". "I see your eyes are working" replies the duck. "And you talk!...
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Poway housing project brimming with energy
North County Times
April 11, 2007
POWAY ---- The city's newest affordable-housing development received its first residents over the weekend, after being cleared by the city for occupancy late last week.
Escondido-based nonprofit...
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Never just a “one and done”
Sun Country Builders Newsletter
February 15, 2007
There’s an old saying that applies to Wm. M. Perkins Co. - one of the best, and most professional, painting companies in San Diego. The saying goes:
“Quality is like buying oats. If you want...
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Waiting for an ADA Claim
Sun Country Builders Newsletter
February 13, 2007
The Americans with Disabilities Act imposes accessibility requirements upon all buildings that are open to the public. Interpretive regulations are issued by the United States Access Board in the f...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: The White House
Sun Country Builders Newsletter
January 31, 2007
Three contractors were touring the White House on the same day.
One was from New York, another from Missouri, and the third from Florida. At the end of the tour, the guard asked them what t...
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Generate More Web Traffic
Pomerado Newspapers
January 18, 2007
For years I’ve witnessed many poorly developed web sites that either don’t change content or don’t consider the user’s needs. Both are critical mistakes!
Web sites are usually online broc...
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Hawaii's Housing Boom Takes a Toll on the Homeless
Wall Street Journal
January 11, 2007
Patrick Wong, 33 years old, and his family can't afford a place to live. Five months ago they left his mother's home, where he was paying $600 a month in rent. Faced with the steepest rents of...
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Is Single Family’s Loss Multi-Family’s Gain?
Sun Country Builders
October 12, 2006
It’s no secret that private residential construction, most notably single-family detached and condo, has slowed considerably. On a management level, we’re seeing considerable softening in the labor...
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10/12/06 Beige Book Report
Federal Reserve Report
October 12, 2006
Construction and Real Estate
Nearly all Districts reported that housing market conditions continued to soften, though several noted that activity increased in some markets. Most Districts reporte...
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LAUGHING AT OURSELVES: Noah in 2006
Sun Country Builders
October 10, 2006
In the year 2006, the Lord came unto Noah, who was now living in the United States, and said, "Once again, the earth has become wicked and over-populated, and I see the end of all flesh before ...
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