The Builder In You

Skylights let natural light stream into your home, bringing warmth and a feeling of spaciousness. When properly selected and used, they can reduce your need for electric lighting and minimize your heating and cooling costs. There are also health benefits to this wonderful sunlight that shines on us.  

If you lack sufficient sunlight on your skin, you will suffer health effects. That’s because the human body was designed to be exposed to sunlight on a frequent basis. We evolved, after all, under the natural sun, not under fluorescent lighting. Our environment was one with plentiful sunlight. (more…)

When looking at one of these windows, doors and skylights, whether you are replacing old ones in your current home or buying ones for your new home, there are some factors you will want to take into consideration. These are called fenestration factors.

According to Wikipedia, fenestration is defined as, “Products that fill openings in a building envelope, such as windows, doors, skylights, curtain walls, etc., which are designed to permit the passage of air, light, vehicles, or people.” (more…)

Cooling your home involves air being circulated over a surface which has been maintained at a lower temperature. This surface may be in the space to be cooled or at some remote location with the air being ducted to and from the space. Usually water or a refrigerant is the cooling medium.There are three basic cooling technologies you may choose to use in your dream home. They are air conditioning, heat pumps and evaporative cooling. (more…)

With today’s modern technology there are many alternative products and techniques to build a home other than the traditional stick built home. One of the most popular alternatives is using Insulated Concrete Forms, also known as ICFs.ICFs are forms or molds with built-in insulation which accept reinforced concrete. (more…)

HVAC is the acronym for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. These three elements refer to the equipment, distribution network and terminals that either collectively or individually provide heating, air conditioning or ventilation for your home.Your HVAC system has a significant effect on the health and comfort of you and your family as well as your ongoing energy expenses. (more…)

There are two basic components to a window, the glass and the frame surrounding the glass.

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A building envelope is a combination of the foundation, wall and roof assemblies all working together to provide a safe and comfortable environment for you and your family while maintaining the structural integrity of your home. In other words, it keeps your home tightly sealed to prevent the outdoors from coming in. The more tightly sealed your home, the less energy loss you will have. (more…)

Vinyl and linoleum are both very resilient flooring materials and can provide you and your family flooring which is attractive, comfortable underfoot, easily cared for, and slip resistant. They both come in a large variety of colors and patterns, but are manufactured very differently. Vinyl flooring is made from polyvinyl chloride, a type of plastic made from oil. Linoleum is made from natural linseed oil, wood fiber, limestone, resins and some colored pigments, all compressed onto a layer of jute, a natural grass. Let’s look at these flooring choices in more detail. (more…)

Carpeting in all its various forms has been used in homes for decades. Today, there is a wider assortment of colors, patterns, textures and materials than ever before. Carpets will enrich the interior of your home while providing comfort and warmth for you and your family for many years to come. (more…)

Heating and cooling your home represents almost half of the money you will spend on energy every year. If your home is poorly insulated, those costs can be even greater. The amount of insulation as well as its effectiveness is key to your energy use.

By nature, heat flows from a warmer area to a cooler area due to the difference in temperature. So in winter, the warm air in your heated rooms will move to the cooler, unheated areas such as the attic, garage, crawl spaces, or outside. During summer, the warm outside air will transfer to the cooler interior of your home because of the higher temperature outside as well as the admission of sunlight. In either case, your HVAC system must work to replace or remove the heat lost or gained. The effectiveness of your insulation will directly impact how hard your HVAC system must work which then directly impact your energy costs. (more…)