Build Green with Arnold Homes

Local Builder Completes Intensive Building Certification Course

Pleasant Mount -  Peter Arnold, of Arnold Homes, was recently awarded the Residential Construction Superintendant (RCS) Designation by the Wayne County Builders Association (WCBA). Arnold completed intensive coursework on critical issues within the building industry.  The Residential Construction Superintendent Designation was developed by the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), in response to an outcry to bridge the skills gap that exists within the construction industry. In order to receive the RCS Designation, Arnold completed a set of 8 four hour classroom modules covering such areas as Planning & Scheduling, Customer Service & Homeowner Relations and Codes & Quality Control.

“This RCS designation is a demonstration of our commitment to staying abreast of critical issues within the building industry,” stated Arnold. “We feel very strongly about continuing our education and applying our knowledge and expertise to current projects.”

Arnold Homes

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Arnold Homes announces Grand Opening of New Virtual Design Center

By Jeanne Taylor

Pleasant Mount- Arnold Homes has announced the Grand Opening of their New Virtual Design Center. “We’d like to invite the public to come and see what a virtual design center is like and take a tour,” says Peter Arnold, owner of Arnold Homes. “We’ll have refreshments and music. A real celebration.”

When asked why the company chose to have a design center rather than model homes Arnold explains. “It’s all part of our effort to be and stay as green as possible. We feel model homes waste resources and have a negative impact on the environment. They (model homes) take up a tremendous amount of space – that takes habitat away from wildlife. The soil must be disrupted to create a space for them to sit and adds sediment to our water. The homes must be maintained. That means plowing and heating in the winter, cooling and mowing in the summer, using fuel we don’t have to use, wasting energy, adding pollution.  There’s no reason for them (model homes) any longer really,” Arnold continues. “Why walk through someone else’s model and try to puzzle out how you’d change it? Now you can choose what you want and take a virtual tour through your new home. And feel good about the environment. It’s win, win.”

“Our energy star qualified (HERS index 63) design center sits next to a pristine mountain lake, and a look out our windows won’t show you a highway filled with cars. Instead you’ll see a forest, wetlands, lake and bountiful wildlife.” Says Arnold. “And you won’t find salesmen here. Not one. We build homes. For people. For families. We understand decisions take time. When you make an appointment, your appointment for you and you alone. There’s no pressure to close, to choose, take as long as you want. What ever works for you. We strive to build the best, not the most. And that means not rushing - taking the time to see people.”

Peter Arnold holds a position on board of the Wayne County Builders Association, is a certified green professional, and certified residential construction superintendent.

Go Green—with Modular Building

By Jeanne Taylor

Pleasant Mount—In today’s building market where competition is stiff and it seems going green is becoming a marketing gimmick, how do you know you are getting the right information?

You ask Peter Arnold, certified green professional, and member of the board of directors serving the Wayne County Builders Association.

“Modular building just makes more sense,” states  Arnold, founder of Arnold Homes, a modular building company in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Why? “It’s a faster, less expensive way to provide people with quality homes.”

An added benefit?  “It’s greener than conventional building.”

Arnold Homes collaborates with two modular companies following energy star guidelines and employing green building techniques. Building a modular home makes it easier to get energy star certification on your new home. This certification can get you extra money to spend too.

“Most banks take energy star certification into consideration when they evaluate customers for loans,” says Arnold. “They understand when homeowners choose to build an energy star approved home, they will spend less on energy, leaving more left over for the mortgage.”

Additional benefits to building modular, adds Arnold. “They are built in a factory so there’s less room for budget errors. The entire home is constructed indoors in a dry environment with well stored materials. There is less concern about mold.”

Arnold works with local green guru Peter Vargo, the two often discussing how to incorporate wind power, solar, and geo thermal energy into the homes built by Arnold.

“Modular building creates less waste too,” states Arnold. “The extra material is recycled, rather than dumped into landfills at the completion of the project. Our job sites are eco-friendly too. We cut as few trees as possible and follow a strict water control protocol.”

“Come and take a virtual tour on our state-of-the-art software at our design center,” Arnold invites. “We believe having a design center is more eco-friendly than having multiple model homes, sitting unused, consuming valuable resources.”

Arnold continues “Modular homes can be built to just about any specifications. You can choose from the plans offered by the builder or design a custom home. The possibilities are endless.”

If you’d like to make an appointment for your free virtual tour, or just want to explore the possibility of building a modular home, call (877-448-55002 or 570-448-5000) or visit www.Arnold-Homes.com