Sneak Peek of the 2025 IBS Exhibit Home: Innovations in the Walls

Experience Innovation with The New American Home 2025 at IBS

The New American Home 2025 will be the fourth showcase that Sun West Custom Homes has built for the International Builders’ Show (IBS). However, even with all that experience, the build team must continually find creative ways to deliver an extraordinary home within a relatively tight timeframe.


“This is my second [time overseeing a] New American Home, and it is absolutely challenging,” said project superintendent Mark Schlachter. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts going on here — we’ve got all mechanicals going, we’ve got a roofer on, we’ve got the outside Henry [Blueskin] product being installed on the walls, trying to get the house dried in, we have the window installer here … It’s consolidated, and it’s a fast-moving ship.”


Despite the scope and complexity of The New American Home 2025, Schlachter and his team are managing to keep the project on schedule. Completion is expected in October 2024, and the official unveiling of the home will take place Feb. 25-27 during the 2025 IBS.


IBS attendees who tour the home will see an expansive living space of 9,423 total square feet, including five bedrooms, a large multipurpose/game room and an in-law/guest casita. Other unique features include an interior courtyard, two garages (a three car and a two car), and an 800-square-foot underground wine cellar and lounge.


In addition to incorporating innovative products and designs, The New American Home program prides itself on continually achieving the highest ratings for performance — and the 2025 home will be no exception. Ultimately, the home is expected to achieve Emerald certification from the National Green Building Standard, as well as certification from ENERGY STAR, Indoor airPLUS and the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Ready Home Program.


The following video offers a sneak peek at how the project is progressing and some of the innovative products being used.

SHARE

HUD Announces 14 Regulatory Changes to Help Lower Housing Costs

By Jami Clevenger • July 8, 2026
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced 14 policy changes to its Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Single Family mortgage insurance program aimed at lowering costs, easing regulatory burdens, and improving affordability for Americans using FHA-insured mortgages. The updates remove outdated requirements, cut administrative burdens, and make FHA financing more efficient for home buyers and lenders. The changes affect FHA policies from mortgage origination through servicing and quality control, including: Streamlining Appraisal Field Review Requirements , reducing quality control requirements that average $425 per field review. The change is expected to save industry partners about $3.3 million annually while better aligning FHA with other programs. Expanding Flexibility under the Limited 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program , by allowing more contractor draw requests and making home rehabilitation projects easier to complete. Modernizing FHA Mortgagee Approval and Quality Control , including a permanent exemption for early payment defaults caused by natural disasters from required quality control review samples. This will help reduce mortgage costs, expand borrower access, and support smaller lenders’ participation in the FHA program. Eliminating the Duplicative Requirement for Lenders to Use the Important Notice to Homebuyers Form 92900-B , simplifying the closing process. Clarifying Loss Mitigation Requirements Governing Trial Payment Plans , to protect the FHA Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund, prevent abuse, and ensure proactive borrowers are not penalized.

Use NAHB Resources to Protect Workers from Heat and UV Exposure

By Jami Clevenger • July 8, 2026
As NAHB recognizes UV Safety Awareness Month in July, it is important for home builders and general contractors to educate workers about the potential risks associated with ultraviolet (UV) radiation and have plans and resources in place to keep them safe on the jobsite.

Harvard Housing Study Shows Affordability Hitting Demand for Home Purchases

By Jami Clevenger • July 1, 2026
While supply concerns are still weighing on housing affordability, a combination of soaring prices and economic uncertainty is dragging on housing demand, according to the annual State of Nation’s Housing report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS).
Show More