| Make Homes More Energy Efficient While Remodeling |
[20 Dec 2010|01:26pm] |
According to the National Association of Homebuilders, Americans spent approximately $215 billion remodeling their homes in 2005. So if you're planning to renovate, you may want to remember one point: It can pay to make your home more energy efficient while you remodel.
"Homeowners are putting extra emphasis on energy cost savings when remodeling their homes," explains Danny Lipford, homebuilding expert and host of the television show "Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford." "Projects that provide more energy efficiency have proven to help reduce heating and cooling costs, in some cases by up to 15 percent."
Lipford says that homeowners would be wise to seek every possible way to keep their homes energy efficient and resistant to moisture. He recommends that early in the remodeling process you should ask the contractor plenty of questions. Find out where he thinks you can maximize energy savings, where energy can be lost during a renovation, how to protect against potential weather damage and if he plans to use innovative products such as DuPont Tyvek Weatherization Systems Products that can help save energy while protecting your home.
The three key zones Lipford identifies as those to focus on to cut energy costs are:
ZONE #1: The Attic
Attic insulation can result in significant energy savings, reducing heating and cooling costs by using innovative building materials like DuPont Tyvek AtticWrap. "Some of the most effective solutions that help make homes more efficient are the ones you can't see and are important to focus on early in the remodeling process," says Lipford.
ZONE #2: The Walls
During construction, contractors can use a house wrap-such as DuPont Tyvek HomeWrap, which meets ENERGY STAR standards-under the siding. The wrap protects the house like a windbreaker, forming a protective skin around the walls, doors and windows. Installing house wrap can help lower heating and cooling costs by keeping outside air and water out while allowing moisture to escape. Without a quality house wrap, homes are more vulnerable to exterior deterioration, air and water infiltration and possibly mold.
ZONE #3: The Windows
Vinyl windows have become one of the most popular choices for superior energy efficiency and moisture management, especially when flashed correctly and installed with insulated glass panels.
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| Passive Solar Problems – Too Much Heat |
[20 Dec 2010|01:26pm] |
Solar energy presents one of the cleanest renewable energy platforms we have available to us. Sometimes, however, it works to well and can turn your house into a scorcher.
Passive Solar Problems – Too Much Heat
Although you probably do not realize it, your home is heated using passive solar as the energy source. No, we are not talking about solar panels here. Instead, passive solar simply refers to the heat produced when sunlight inherently enters you home through windows and starts to produce heat by warming up floors, furniture, carpets and so on. In some instances, savvy people intentionally orient their house to take advantage of passive solar, but most people don’t have a clue it is happening.
The sun is extremely powerful. Obviously, it is the basis of all life on our planet. Most people don’t realize how much energy is contained in sunlight. For example, how many times have you left a vehicle in a parking lot only to come back and find it blazing hot inside? This is passive solar at its finite best. The sunlight penetrates through the windows and heats up the interior of the vehicle. Now you understand passive solar and, ironically, one of the potential problems with it.
When it comes to passive solar heating in a home, it can work to well. Regardless of whether you are intentionally or unintentionally pursuing passive solar, you know how hot a home can get. During the summer, it can be downright brutal. There are, however, simple steps you can take to mitigate this problem.
The first problem has to do with intrusion. Simply put, too much sun is penetrating into your home. You already know the answer from a common sense perspective – shading. In this case, you need to pull the shades over windows on the south facing side of the house. In the northern hemisphere, the south side of your home will always get the most sun. If you don’t want to put shades up, close the door to the room in question to cut off the heat circulation. You can open it later in the evening when things start getting cool and you could use a bit of heat.
If you are intentionally designing for passive solar, there is a landscaping trick you can do to maximize passive solar production in winter, but limit it in summer. In this case, we are talking about trees. Specifically, you should plant trees that grow a heavy leaf canopy in the summer, but lose all their leaves in the winter. Put in front of large windows, these trees will act as a natural temperature regulator for your passive solar system.
Ultimately, the key to beating too much heat in your house during the summer is to simply understand where it is coming from. If you can block the ingress of the sunlight, you can cut the heat to manageable levels.
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| The Beauty Of Remodeling |
[20 Dec 2010|01:26pm] |
You enter a narrow corridor. Flanking the walls are two glass-paneled cabinets. The air is still. The path is stark. You perceive a wider space at the end of the hall. The effect is almost ethereal. But something must be changed, according to the request of the owner of the house.
The architect found it amusing that he was essentially remodeling his own work. Just as well, he contended, because this was a project he had done years before, and he candidly admits that as the years go by, aside from the fading of colors, tastes change, and trends evolve, too. He said that it is natural to find what we once thought as cutting edge to be outdated years later.
That is what remodeling is all about. People do not just merely want to remodel their house just because they have to. There are instances wherein remodeling is deemed necessary because some people thought that they wanted something new, something that would create a new aura around the house.
Surveys show that the average American households are inclined to remodel their houses after 10 to 20 years has elapsed. There are times that the house still looks good as new but because the house owners wanted remodeling, everything was changed.
So when people want to modify. Rectify, enhance, or simply replace, or correct anything that is wrong with the house, they could always seek the help of a person who knows what remodeling is all about.
The Impression it Creates
In remodeling, there are times that people wanted to make use of neglected space on the ground floor. With this process, you can even extend the living area up to the outside garden.
Remodeling can also add cleaner lines and illusion of space. And if you want to structurally place the house in a complete change, the walls has to be knocked down, alter the layout, and modify the roof and façade. Even the location of the stairs can be changed.
Here is a list of the things that you can change while on the process of remodeling:
1. Windows
Opting for bigger windows is a good idea. If you think that your house needs remodeling, try to consider changing your windows into bigger outlines that would enable the entry of more light and establish picturesque sights.
2. Roof
Create an illusion of a bigger space by lifting the roof.
3. Add-ons
Remodel the whole house by adding some embellishments at the front. You can even add an obscured entrance for a more dramatic effect.
4. Landscaping
Through this process, you can inevitably create a more panoramic view by adding some trees on the pathway. Landscaping is usually taken into account if you want to create an illusion of nature’s touch or simply to alter the “focal point” of the house.
5. Façade
You can change the look of your house’s façade by changing the height of your deck, porch, or veranda. If your house lacks some of it at the front, try to build one. The look will be very enticing to look at.
All of these things are boiled down to the fact that the designer or the architect’s attention to the details should not be lost all throughout the house. With remodeling, the theme of the house should go with the furnitures to be used and the colors to be embedded at every wall, adding richness and opulence to an otherwise subdued modern home.
The point here is that remodeling should bring back the pieces of the house in such a way that it creates new dimensions and disciplined illusions of artistic and creative construction. That is simply the beauty of remodeling.
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