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American Institute of Building Design (AIBD) - Professional Building Designer (PBD)

Building a home represents the greatest financial investment most people will make in a lifetime and few envision how complex the process is until they are entangled in a jungle of restrictive covenants, building codes, zoning ordinances, design options, vendor and contractor choices and so on. Yet, most states do not have a licensing requirement for residential building designers.

When a new home or addition is in your future, a specialist in the discipline of residential design is your best choice to guide you through the design/building experience. Accordingly, it makes sense to secure design services from a qualified, experienced source, a professional member of the American Institute of Building Design (AIBD).

Since 1950, AIBD has provided building designers with educational resources, and has developed nationwide design standards and a code of ethics for the building design profession. Today, AIBD is a nationally recognized association with professional and associate members in 48 states, throughout Canada and in Europe, Asia, Australia and the Bahamas. Its chartered state societies are active in their respective legislative arenas and work to promote public awareness of the building design profession.

AIBD is also meeting the challenge of the future by educating members about new and improved building materials and innovative technologies that will impact how we live in the future.

The home building industry coined the phrase green building in the late 1980s, turning a niche movement of resource-efficient homes into a quiet revolution – one that is increasingly becoming a preferred way to build and remodel.

Whether you're a home building professional looking to go green or a prospective green homebuyer, the reasons for going green are numerous. Green building means incorporating environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the home building and land development process to minimize environmental impact. It’s a practical response to a variety of issues that affect all of us – like increasing energy prices, waning water resources, and changing weather patterns. It means making intentional decisions about:

Energy efficiency improvements such as high levels of insulation, efficient HVAC systems, high-performance windows and energy-efficient appliances and lighting
Water conservation measures such as water-efficient appliances and fixtures, filtration systems, and drought resistant or low-maintenance landscaping
Resource conservation using materials and techniques such as engineered wood and wood alternatives, recycled building materials, sustainably harvested lumber, and more durable products
Indoor environmental quality considerations such as effective HVAC equipment, formaldehyde-free finishes, low-allergen materials, and products with minimum off-gassing or low volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
Site design planning such as minimizing disruption and preserving open space
Homeowner education through manuals and operating guides
Green business practices that adopt ideas from other industries for saving resources and money in the home office

The first official green home building program began in 1991 in the city of Austin, Texas. The movement has grown slowly but surely since then and today, new homes are significantly more energy and resource efficient than they were even 20 years ago. A past survey of NAHB members showed that more than two-thirds are incorporating at least some of these green features into the homes they build -- and that as the home building industry begins to revive, it will be significantly greener. With the 2009 ANSI approval of the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard, builders, remodelers, and homebuyers now have a clear definition of green residential construction and a credible certification to that standard by a qualified third party.

The Certified Green Professional™ designation recognizes builders, remodelers and other industry professionals who incorporate green building principles into homes— without driving up the cost of construction. Coursework leading to the designation provides a solid background in green building methods, as well as the tools to reach consumers, from the organization leading the charge to provide market-driven green building solutions to the home building industry.

Certified Age in Place Specialist (CAPS)
Aging in place is a term used to describe the act of living in the residence of choice as you age while securing the necessary support & services in response to your changing personal needs. It sounds simple enough, but for the millions of people who have (or will) choose to age in place, the reality can sometimes be anything but simple. Every person’s situation is different and the number of obstacles they might encounter can be daunting.

Universal design refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to both people without disabilities and people with disabilities.

The term "Universal design" was coined by the architect Ronald L. Mace to describe the concept of designing all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life. It emerged from slightly earlier barrier-free concepts, the broader accessibility movement, and adaptive and assistive technology and also seeks to blend aesthetics into these core considerations. As life expectancy rises and modern medicine increases the survival rate of those with significant injuries, illnesses, and birth defects, there is a growing interest in universal design. There are many industries in which universal design is having strong market penetration but there are many others in which it has not yet been adopted to any great extent. Universal design is also being applied to the design of technology, instruction, services, and other products and environments. Curb cuts or sidewalk ramps, essential for people in wheelchairs but also used by all, are a common example. Color-contrast dish ware with steep sides that assist those with visual or dexterity problems are another. There are also cabinets with pull-out shelves, kitchen counters at several heights to accommodate different tasks and postures, and amidst many of the world's public transit systems, low-floor buses that "kneel" (bring their front end to ground level to eliminate gap) and/or are equipped with ramps rather than on-board lifts.

Age in Place, Universal Design, Accessible Design, Barrier Free Design are all ways to express the fact that we are living longer and staying in our homes longer. Furthermore we do not want our homes to look like a medical facility or even resemble something odd. Good design will allow your home to mature with you or even accommodate an older parent if needed. All of our designs plan for the future. If this is the home you plan to retire in or even if you are a first time homebuyer, the principals are still the same. As a first time home buyer you want to be able to potentially sale the home later in life when your family situation changes, universal design allows you to market your home to everyone. If you are planning to retire in the home you want the home to be able to mature with you and adapt to the changing needs of your family. We design wider hallways and doorways that will

Todd Bottoms began his professional career teaching at Appalachian State University while simultaneously working with a local log home manufacturer and designed their homes as well as assisted in the management of the company. He then left the town of Boone, North Carolina after approximately nine years and moved to the coast in Wilmington, North Carolina. He worked with the largest producers of homes in eastern North Carolina where he devised Computer Aided Drafting systems that enabled the company to produce lot specific designs for over 350 homes a year. Additionally managing estimating, budgeting, all of the design services, engineering and coordination as well as all of the vendor contracts. He left the successful company and became a partner with a local architect firm and later started his own business while simultaneously working with a very prestigious custom builder. He managed all aspects of the business for the custom builder and added to his knowledge elements relating to design, implementation and construction of a entire sub-division, including roads, water, sewer, storm drainage and amenities. Sentry Drafting & Design, Inc.grew considerably and eventually required his presence full time to maintain the business. He retained all previous employers as well as several contacts as clients. The company has grown to be one of the strongest design firms in eastern North Carolina.

Nothing can be substituted for practical experience and with over 20 years of hands-on construction experience, Todd has physically been involved in every aspect of home building and remodeling. Additionally he has designed, estimated, and supervised the construction of thousands of homes. He has had the pleasure and opportunity of being closely involved with several large production building companies, extremely prestigious custom builders, and some of the most revered developers in the business. His personal experience is his best asset. He has experience with just about every type of residential construction including log homes, post and beam construction, large scale production homes, sub-division product and design, speculative homes, and elaborate custom homes that astonish even the most exclusive buyers. He can use them to assist a client of any kind on any project to be able to save money like a production builder by value engineering the plan, to generate beautiful designs that bring out the best in the design and amaze the viewer, as well as integrate structure that is not only stable but if exposed can add to the beauty of the design. Additionally his real world construction experience allows him to communicate the client’s wishes into the plans in such a way the builders, sub-contractors, vendors and material suppliers can easily and accurately estimate and produce the home. He also has the ability to communicate personally with the builders and sub-contractors to make necessary adjustments to the plans or derive at a comparable solution if any issues arise during construction. Our goal is to design cost effective plans that amaze the viewer, meet all of the client's desires and needs and exceeds their expectations.