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Sunday, May 27, 2007
Six Ways to Minimize Concrete Cracking
Concrete is placed into a form in a wet condition. Through a process called hydration, the water in the mix makes the cement harden. Water is released during hydration, causing the concrete mass to shrink. In fact, on average the concrete shrinks dimensionally about 1/16 of an inch in ten feet (0.4 centimeters in 3 meters). Depending on the shape, size, and other factors, any concrete mass may visibly show cracking due to shrinkage.
Generally, concrete shrinkage and cracking is minimized by reducing the water in the concrete mix, protecting the fresh concrete during the first seven days from excessive temperatures and water evaporation, and reinforcing it. Note that reinforcing does not stop concrete from cracking; it keeps small cracks from getting bigger.
Anyone who thinks concrete is inferior because it has cracked does not understand that all concrete cracks because it shrinks as it hardens. The best strategy is to figure out how to minimize cracking and control where it cracks since it is going to anyway.
Talk to your home builder about how he intends to control or reduce cracking of concrete in your new home. Here are six ways:
• In concrete slabs, consider using “fiber mesh” or installing wire (or bar) reinforcing horizontally in the middle third (between the top and bottom).
• Reduce the amount of water in the concrete mixture and/or increase the cement content.
• Protect fresh concrete from excessive wind, sun, and freezing for the first seven days.
• Use water curing methods or apply a liquid membrane curing compound.
• Make sure the ground or subgrade under concrete is firm and relatively dry.
• Weaken the concrete along specific lines with some type of control joint so it cracks where you want it to.
Generally, concrete shrinkage and cracking is minimized by reducing the water in the concrete mix, protecting the fresh concrete during the first seven days from excessive temperatures and water evaporation, and reinforcing it. Note that reinforcing does not stop concrete from cracking; it keeps small cracks from getting bigger.
Anyone who thinks concrete is inferior because it has cracked does not understand that all concrete cracks because it shrinks as it hardens. The best strategy is to figure out how to minimize cracking and control where it cracks since it is going to anyway.
Talk to your home builder about how he intends to control or reduce cracking of concrete in your new home. Here are six ways:
• In concrete slabs, consider using “fiber mesh” or installing wire (or bar) reinforcing horizontally in the middle third (between the top and bottom).
• Reduce the amount of water in the concrete mixture and/or increase the cement content.
• Protect fresh concrete from excessive wind, sun, and freezing for the first seven days.
• Use water curing methods or apply a liquid membrane curing compound.
• Make sure the ground or subgrade under concrete is firm and relatively dry.
• Weaken the concrete along specific lines with some type of control joint so it cracks where you want it to.
Home Design Rules Of Thumb
Recently a friend asked me to help him figure out the proper size for a family room addition he was designing for himself. He was looking for a rule of thumb that would guarantee a comfortable, "architecturally-correct" space - a short cut to a good design. He wanted access to the magic formulas that we apply in our practice. "C'mon," he said, "let me in on the secrets."
That got me thinking about how a blank sheet of paper ends up with a house design on it, and how we assure ourselves that what we've drawn turns out as we expect it to when it's built.
That's a scary prospect for a client - how are they ever sure that the representations they see on paper, on the computer screen, and in model form will really end up as their dream home?
Buying a car or an existing home is far less risky - you can test drive a car first and you can walk through an existing home. But it's quite a leap of faith to commit to the design and construction of a new home. You just don't know exactly what you've got until you've got it.
For those reasons I've great respect for the people who walk through our door. They're usually crossing into uncharted territory, are willing to turn over control of their dream to someone they barely know.
But what about those rules of thumb - the ones that we design professionals keep secret from the public? The truth is that although there aren't any hard-and-fast, black-and-white architectural edicts, there are a number of important concepts that help in determining the comfort and utility of most residential projects.
The first of these is research. And this is, perhaps, a bit of a secret. Before any meaningful design work can begin on any kind of architectural project, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the problem. It starts with documenting the physical context - the site, existing structures on and near the site, the views, the climate, slope of the site, solar orientation, etc., because really good architecture responds to its environment. The project budget and schedule are likewise thrown into the mix.
The other part of the context is less tangible, the context of the client's dreams and desires. And although some clients bring to the table great volumes of information about what they want, most need some nudging to help express and articulate what's been bouncing around in their heads.
So Rule Of Thumb Number One is: Good research leads to good design. Profound? Not really, but certainly essential and often underutilized.
Rule Of Thumb Number Two: Start Slow. This can be an agonizing prospect for the client who's been thinking about their new home for months - planning, dreaming, collecting ideas, visiting other homes and generally gearing up to get started on the design.
But the potential danger is in arriving at a solution too soon. As a design begins appearing on paper, it becomes more "real" and, in the client's eyes, more difficult to change or even discard completely. A slow start means keeping the design "loose" and deferring any irrevocable decisions until a number of different possibilities have been explored.
Rule Of Thumb Number Three: Design From The Inside Out. This is a big one, and perhaps the most often abused. Good design fits the use, not the other way around. This can be something as small as making sure that a bedroom fits a king-size bed, or as large as deciding whether you really need a dining room, living room, and other "formal" spaces in the house. The intended use of space and particular manner in which the occupants will use it should be the primary consideration in the designing the shape and character of any house.
Whether you're working with a design professional, or trying your own hand, keep Rule Of Thumb Number Four in mind: Ask Questions Early and Often. Part of the Architect's job is to be sure that the design drawings adequately communicate the intent of the design to you, but you've got to let him know what you don't understand. There are a lot of design tools available to help make the design more "real" including computer models and physical models, and the more you make use of these, the more you'll understand the design and be able to predict what the "real thing" will be like.
That got me thinking about how a blank sheet of paper ends up with a house design on it, and how we assure ourselves that what we've drawn turns out as we expect it to when it's built.
That's a scary prospect for a client - how are they ever sure that the representations they see on paper, on the computer screen, and in model form will really end up as their dream home?
Buying a car or an existing home is far less risky - you can test drive a car first and you can walk through an existing home. But it's quite a leap of faith to commit to the design and construction of a new home. You just don't know exactly what you've got until you've got it.
For those reasons I've great respect for the people who walk through our door. They're usually crossing into uncharted territory, are willing to turn over control of their dream to someone they barely know.
But what about those rules of thumb - the ones that we design professionals keep secret from the public? The truth is that although there aren't any hard-and-fast, black-and-white architectural edicts, there are a number of important concepts that help in determining the comfort and utility of most residential projects.
The first of these is research. And this is, perhaps, a bit of a secret. Before any meaningful design work can begin on any kind of architectural project, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the problem. It starts with documenting the physical context - the site, existing structures on and near the site, the views, the climate, slope of the site, solar orientation, etc., because really good architecture responds to its environment. The project budget and schedule are likewise thrown into the mix.
The other part of the context is less tangible, the context of the client's dreams and desires. And although some clients bring to the table great volumes of information about what they want, most need some nudging to help express and articulate what's been bouncing around in their heads.
So Rule Of Thumb Number One is: Good research leads to good design. Profound? Not really, but certainly essential and often underutilized.
Rule Of Thumb Number Two: Start Slow. This can be an agonizing prospect for the client who's been thinking about their new home for months - planning, dreaming, collecting ideas, visiting other homes and generally gearing up to get started on the design.
But the potential danger is in arriving at a solution too soon. As a design begins appearing on paper, it becomes more "real" and, in the client's eyes, more difficult to change or even discard completely. A slow start means keeping the design "loose" and deferring any irrevocable decisions until a number of different possibilities have been explored.
Rule Of Thumb Number Three: Design From The Inside Out. This is a big one, and perhaps the most often abused. Good design fits the use, not the other way around. This can be something as small as making sure that a bedroom fits a king-size bed, or as large as deciding whether you really need a dining room, living room, and other "formal" spaces in the house. The intended use of space and particular manner in which the occupants will use it should be the primary consideration in the designing the shape and character of any house.
Whether you're working with a design professional, or trying your own hand, keep Rule Of Thumb Number Four in mind: Ask Questions Early and Often. Part of the Architect's job is to be sure that the design drawings adequately communicate the intent of the design to you, but you've got to let him know what you don't understand. There are a lot of design tools available to help make the design more "real" including computer models and physical models, and the more you make use of these, the more you'll understand the design and be able to predict what the "real thing" will be like.
Roof Design
When I was a kid, the attic of our house was a scary and exciting place. All sorts of adventures waited there for anyone who dared to part the cobwebs and crawl into the dusty darkness. It was a mysterious, secret realm, reached only through a tiny panel in the top of my parent's closet. I wasn't supposed to go into the attic, but what kid can resist exploring a hidden room in the house?
Here in the Midwest, lots of kids have similar memories. The pitched roofs that shed our summer downpours and winter snows creates that space under the rafters that we call the attic. It's a storage space, or an extra bedroom, or it may not be used at all, but the space exists out of architectural necessity. The image of a roof, in fact, is synonymous with shelter; the pitched roof and the attic underneath it are a part of our culture.
The roof of a house is obviously a major component of the construction and a key element in the overall architectural composition. It shelters the interior of the building from the weather, protects the sidewalls and windows from sun and rain, but has an equally important role in determining the character of the design. Home styles, in fact, are usually strongly identified with a particular roof style. The New England "salt box" is easily recognized by its asymmetrical gable; Prairie style is characterized by deep overhangs and very low sloped, often flat roof forms. Victorian homes are well known for steep pitches, complex massing, and elaborate detailing. And the roofs of many Southwestern Adobe-styled homes are completely hidden behind parapet walls.
How does an architect choose a roof style and construction for a home? The first consideration is always the climate of the site. In northern climates roofs must shed heavy snowfalls and insulate the interior during the winter months so they tend towards steeper, thicker construction. Several very innovative construction techniques have been developed to "superinsulate" residential roofs against long, cold northern winters and prevent the ice-damming problems that can occur in that climate. In the arid Southwest, the relentless sun can quickly overheat the interior of a house if it's allowed to shine directly in through the windows. Deep overhangs, like those popularized by many of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses, allow the sun into these homes for only a few short hours of the day. The overhangs help keep the interior cool while allowing large expanses of glass to capture views of the surrounding desert. Lighter colored roofing materials also reduce the daytime heat build-up in hot climates.
Particularly vulnerable to the weather are the roofs of seaside homes. Salt spray and strong winds cause many roofing materials to degrade more quickly. In Florida, better homes sport metal or concrete-tile roofs, materials that can last 70 years or more. Again, lighter colors predominate, lowering the temperature of the roof surface and extending its lifespan. New England seaside homes may have traditional wood shingle or shake roofs that, when properly maintained and allowed to weather naturally can last the life of the house.
The architectural heritage of the region and the context of the immediate site may also influence roof choices. Many new homes have roofs designed to blend seamlessly with the styles already prevalent in the area. Historic neighborhoods often establish guidelines to help homeowners design roofs that are in character with the local architecture style. If a home design is of a particular style it is very important to consider the appropriate form, materials, and detailing of this very dominant element.
When usable space in the attic is desired, roof design, space planning, construction technique, and zoning and building code requirements all collide in a complex jumble. Designing usable attic space is a truly three-dimensional problem, especially in remodeling work. Properly done, however, a room up under the rafters can be a very special place; a private area for meditation, or a bedroom with great views over the neighboring homes. Dormers may puncture the roof plane to add character and detail to the exterior and allow light and air into the "attic". That was the case in my first home office, in the attic of an 1890's era home in a historic district. I had to duck to clear the rafters at the top of the 26 steep stairs up from the street level, but once at my desk, I had a wonderful view of downtown skyscrapers only a few blocks away.
Here in the Midwest, lots of kids have similar memories. The pitched roofs that shed our summer downpours and winter snows creates that space under the rafters that we call the attic. It's a storage space, or an extra bedroom, or it may not be used at all, but the space exists out of architectural necessity. The image of a roof, in fact, is synonymous with shelter; the pitched roof and the attic underneath it are a part of our culture.
The roof of a house is obviously a major component of the construction and a key element in the overall architectural composition. It shelters the interior of the building from the weather, protects the sidewalls and windows from sun and rain, but has an equally important role in determining the character of the design. Home styles, in fact, are usually strongly identified with a particular roof style. The New England "salt box" is easily recognized by its asymmetrical gable; Prairie style is characterized by deep overhangs and very low sloped, often flat roof forms. Victorian homes are well known for steep pitches, complex massing, and elaborate detailing. And the roofs of many Southwestern Adobe-styled homes are completely hidden behind parapet walls.
How does an architect choose a roof style and construction for a home? The first consideration is always the climate of the site. In northern climates roofs must shed heavy snowfalls and insulate the interior during the winter months so they tend towards steeper, thicker construction. Several very innovative construction techniques have been developed to "superinsulate" residential roofs against long, cold northern winters and prevent the ice-damming problems that can occur in that climate. In the arid Southwest, the relentless sun can quickly overheat the interior of a house if it's allowed to shine directly in through the windows. Deep overhangs, like those popularized by many of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses, allow the sun into these homes for only a few short hours of the day. The overhangs help keep the interior cool while allowing large expanses of glass to capture views of the surrounding desert. Lighter colored roofing materials also reduce the daytime heat build-up in hot climates.
Particularly vulnerable to the weather are the roofs of seaside homes. Salt spray and strong winds cause many roofing materials to degrade more quickly. In Florida, better homes sport metal or concrete-tile roofs, materials that can last 70 years or more. Again, lighter colors predominate, lowering the temperature of the roof surface and extending its lifespan. New England seaside homes may have traditional wood shingle or shake roofs that, when properly maintained and allowed to weather naturally can last the life of the house.
The architectural heritage of the region and the context of the immediate site may also influence roof choices. Many new homes have roofs designed to blend seamlessly with the styles already prevalent in the area. Historic neighborhoods often establish guidelines to help homeowners design roofs that are in character with the local architecture style. If a home design is of a particular style it is very important to consider the appropriate form, materials, and detailing of this very dominant element.
When usable space in the attic is desired, roof design, space planning, construction technique, and zoning and building code requirements all collide in a complex jumble. Designing usable attic space is a truly three-dimensional problem, especially in remodeling work. Properly done, however, a room up under the rafters can be a very special place; a private area for meditation, or a bedroom with great views over the neighboring homes. Dormers may puncture the roof plane to add character and detail to the exterior and allow light and air into the "attic". That was the case in my first home office, in the attic of an 1890's era home in a historic district. I had to duck to clear the rafters at the top of the 26 steep stairs up from the street level, but once at my desk, I had a wonderful view of downtown skyscrapers only a few blocks away.
Here's To Being At Home...On Eco-Friendly Terms!
There is no question about it. "Going Green" is in. No matter where you are or what you do, you have probably heard the buzz on global warming, conservation, or at least the words, "reduce, re-use, re-cycle". As neutral a topic as the weather, most people are interested in at least discussing anything eco-friendly. In fact, nine out of ten Americans are interested enough to choose a more energy efficient home over a lesser one, yet eight out of ten Americans said no one talked about energy efficiency during the buying process, according to a survey by energypulse.org. Two out of three Americans surveyed were also willing to pay a premium for homes that have solar systems installed. So for your next party conversation or your next real-estate foray, listed below are the most basic of eco-friendly terms to be a savvy real estate buyer or just somebody "in the know":
A green home: A green home is designed to conserve the environment – whether it is energy, water, building materials and land. Equipped with one or more renewable energy systems, a green home uses alternative resources for heating and cooling - solar electric, solar hot water, geothermal, bio mass or any combination of these.
Green remodeling: Green remodeling is an upgrade where the goal for builders and architects is to use as much as the older structure and materials as possible. A green renovation can cost 5 to 20 percent more than a normal one, however, it also means that there will be reduced energy costs and reduced maintenance costs durability.
Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely, and trap the heat in the atmosphere instead of reflecting it back towards space. This causes temperatures to rise and form the atmosphere known as the Greenhouse effect.
Energy star appliances: Every one knows that energy star appliances save energy, but it is a little known fact that it saves as much as 20% annually of your energy costs. These appliances help you get the most out of the products you purchase and also meet all the efficiency guidelines set to prevent greenhouse gas emissions.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL): Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) is the one-step of going green that is the easiest to do. These may seem three times as expensive compared to incandescent bulbs but last approximately ten times as long and use one-fifth of the energy.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels or Solar Heating: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels or Solar Heating refers to the technology for harnessing solar power or usable energy from sunlight for practical applications from heating to electrical power generation, usually good for domestic and light industrial applications. Passive Solar Design: Passive solar building design involves the modeling, selection and use of new technologies to maintain the building environment at a desired temperature in a way that minimizes the use of energy.
Xeriscape gardening: Xeriscaping gardening is where plants are specially selected to suit their environment, creating a landscape that makes the most of watering. Plants are grouped by their water needs, while mulch and drought tolerant plants are integrated to conserve water usage.
Low-emittance (Low-E) windows: L-E windows are coated with thin metal or metallic oxide layers, which are almost invisible. These coatings reflect radiant heat originating from indoors back inside, keeping heat inside in the winter, and infrared radiation from the sun away, keeping it cooler inside in the summer.
Geothermal heating/cooling: Geothermal heating/cooling is a method of heating and cooling a building, using the earth’s temperature. Pipes are drilled deep into the earth, where temperature is around 55 or 60 degrees. Water, antifreeze or other transfer fluids are circulated and a heat pump uses these as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer.
Now that you’re at home on eco-friendly terms, here are a few points again that you have probably gathered. If you are looking for a green home, it will always appear to be more expensive compared to others. However, it is designed to save your energy costs over several years besides giving you bragging rights. If you are adding green elements to your home, it is a value-added upgrade. You will be able to add to your asking price too since there is no question that “going green” is the movement of our times.
A green home: A green home is designed to conserve the environment – whether it is energy, water, building materials and land. Equipped with one or more renewable energy systems, a green home uses alternative resources for heating and cooling - solar electric, solar hot water, geothermal, bio mass or any combination of these.
Green remodeling: Green remodeling is an upgrade where the goal for builders and architects is to use as much as the older structure and materials as possible. A green renovation can cost 5 to 20 percent more than a normal one, however, it also means that there will be reduced energy costs and reduced maintenance costs durability.
Greenhouse gases: Greenhouse gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely, and trap the heat in the atmosphere instead of reflecting it back towards space. This causes temperatures to rise and form the atmosphere known as the Greenhouse effect.
Energy star appliances: Every one knows that energy star appliances save energy, but it is a little known fact that it saves as much as 20% annually of your energy costs. These appliances help you get the most out of the products you purchase and also meet all the efficiency guidelines set to prevent greenhouse gas emissions.
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL): Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) is the one-step of going green that is the easiest to do. These may seem three times as expensive compared to incandescent bulbs but last approximately ten times as long and use one-fifth of the energy.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels or Solar Heating: Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Panels or Solar Heating refers to the technology for harnessing solar power or usable energy from sunlight for practical applications from heating to electrical power generation, usually good for domestic and light industrial applications. Passive Solar Design: Passive solar building design involves the modeling, selection and use of new technologies to maintain the building environment at a desired temperature in a way that minimizes the use of energy.
Xeriscape gardening: Xeriscaping gardening is where plants are specially selected to suit their environment, creating a landscape that makes the most of watering. Plants are grouped by their water needs, while mulch and drought tolerant plants are integrated to conserve water usage.
Low-emittance (Low-E) windows: L-E windows are coated with thin metal or metallic oxide layers, which are almost invisible. These coatings reflect radiant heat originating from indoors back inside, keeping heat inside in the winter, and infrared radiation from the sun away, keeping it cooler inside in the summer.
Geothermal heating/cooling: Geothermal heating/cooling is a method of heating and cooling a building, using the earth’s temperature. Pipes are drilled deep into the earth, where temperature is around 55 or 60 degrees. Water, antifreeze or other transfer fluids are circulated and a heat pump uses these as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer.
Now that you’re at home on eco-friendly terms, here are a few points again that you have probably gathered. If you are looking for a green home, it will always appear to be more expensive compared to others. However, it is designed to save your energy costs over several years besides giving you bragging rights. If you are adding green elements to your home, it is a value-added upgrade. You will be able to add to your asking price too since there is no question that “going green” is the movement of our times.
How To Choose A House Plan - Part 1 of 10
House Plans are 2D; Houses are 3D
Does this statement seem a little obvious? Of course it does, and yet it's at the root of the dissatisfaction of the buying and building experience of many house plan purchasers.
The drawings that you see on house plan websites and in plan books aren't well suited to describing the design of the house to you. They're really just marketing diagrams - at a very small scale - that tell you a little bit about how big rooms are and which rooms are next to each other, and not much else.
The Design Process
Architects and home designers are "three-dimensional" thinkers; they draw on paper in two dimensions what they see in their heads in three. Architects can look at a "2D" drawing and accurately imagine what it looks like in "3D" because they do it every day. It's a learned skill and one that you probably don't have (yet!). You've probably said to yourself while you looked at a house plan, "This is so frustrating - I just can't visualize it!"
So why don't home designers prepare drawings that show more about the "third dimension" for consumers? Well, they do - during the design process - you just never get to see them! The design process involves lots of 3D sketches, computer modeling, interior elevation sketches, detail studies, and 3D "massing models". But these are tools for the designer, not information to be presented to you, the consumer (unless you've hired an architect for a custom home design). Once the design is done, the 3D information is coded into the construction drawings to be interpreted by the builder.
Construction Drawings
When a plan service purchases the rights the sell a house plan, they receive a full set of "construction drawings" from the designer. Construction drawings are engineered for use in the field and should contain all the information needed to get a building permit.
But all that detail gets in the way of selling house plans - it clutters up the drawings and it "gives away" too much information; information the plan service doesn't want you to have until you purchase the plans. Some of that information describes the "third dimension" of the spaces in the house.
So house plan services "clean up" the construction drawings; all of the notations and details are stripped out before they're placed in the plan book or on the website. The only part of the house that's represented to you in 3D is the front elevation (that nice color rendering we talked about earlier).
Finding The Hidden 3D
But if you know where to look, there's still some 3D information in the plans - maybe enough to give you an idea of what the spaces are like. Here's how to ferret it out:
Find the "stacked" rooms In a two-story plan, some rooms are going to be "stacked" above others but this isn't always immediately obvious. Find a common "reference point" on both floor plans - a stair is good for this - and look at where the rooms on each floor are located relative to the stair. You should be able to see that some rooms can only be "one-story" spaces, while other are or have the potential to be raised or two-story ceilings.
Compare the plans and the elevation Two-story spaces will often have taller windows, or windows "stacked" above others. They're usually in the larger living spaces - family rooms, living rooms, etc. Sometimes they're next to stairs. Look for these kinds of windows on the elevations and line them up with the rooms they're in on the floor plan.
Look for "ceiling breaks" on the plan Ceiling breaks are places where the flat ceiling intersects with a sloped ceiling or where two sloped ceilings intersect. Ceiling breaks are (or should be) indicated on the plans with a dashed line; usually fairly close to the wall. You'll want to know how tall the ceiling is, how steep the slope of the roof is, and how tall the wall is. Sometimes the elevations will give you a clue if the room with the ceiling break is on an outside wall.
Understand ceiling profile terms The terms for common ceiling shapes aren't common at all. It isn't unusual for different builders in the same market to call the same ceiling profile by several different names. Occasionally, designers will include notes on the plans that describe the ceiling profile and/or height.
Complexity of roof shapes Finally, the exterior of the house can tell you a lot about what the rooms inside are like. Sloped ceilings are sometimes reflected in the slope and shape of the roof. If you can put the roof shape, window height, and ceiling break lines together in the same room, you'll have a great start on understanding the character of the space inside.
The list above is intended as a reference to be used while you're looking at plans. The most important this to remember is this: don't assume that what you're looking at on paper is what you think you see in your head - take the time to find exactly what the "third dimension" of the spaces are before you commit to a design.
Does this statement seem a little obvious? Of course it does, and yet it's at the root of the dissatisfaction of the buying and building experience of many house plan purchasers.
The drawings that you see on house plan websites and in plan books aren't well suited to describing the design of the house to you. They're really just marketing diagrams - at a very small scale - that tell you a little bit about how big rooms are and which rooms are next to each other, and not much else.
The Design Process
Architects and home designers are "three-dimensional" thinkers; they draw on paper in two dimensions what they see in their heads in three. Architects can look at a "2D" drawing and accurately imagine what it looks like in "3D" because they do it every day. It's a learned skill and one that you probably don't have (yet!). You've probably said to yourself while you looked at a house plan, "This is so frustrating - I just can't visualize it!"
So why don't home designers prepare drawings that show more about the "third dimension" for consumers? Well, they do - during the design process - you just never get to see them! The design process involves lots of 3D sketches, computer modeling, interior elevation sketches, detail studies, and 3D "massing models". But these are tools for the designer, not information to be presented to you, the consumer (unless you've hired an architect for a custom home design). Once the design is done, the 3D information is coded into the construction drawings to be interpreted by the builder.
Construction Drawings
When a plan service purchases the rights the sell a house plan, they receive a full set of "construction drawings" from the designer. Construction drawings are engineered for use in the field and should contain all the information needed to get a building permit.
But all that detail gets in the way of selling house plans - it clutters up the drawings and it "gives away" too much information; information the plan service doesn't want you to have until you purchase the plans. Some of that information describes the "third dimension" of the spaces in the house.
So house plan services "clean up" the construction drawings; all of the notations and details are stripped out before they're placed in the plan book or on the website. The only part of the house that's represented to you in 3D is the front elevation (that nice color rendering we talked about earlier).
Finding The Hidden 3D
But if you know where to look, there's still some 3D information in the plans - maybe enough to give you an idea of what the spaces are like. Here's how to ferret it out:
Find the "stacked" rooms In a two-story plan, some rooms are going to be "stacked" above others but this isn't always immediately obvious. Find a common "reference point" on both floor plans - a stair is good for this - and look at where the rooms on each floor are located relative to the stair. You should be able to see that some rooms can only be "one-story" spaces, while other are or have the potential to be raised or two-story ceilings.
Compare the plans and the elevation Two-story spaces will often have taller windows, or windows "stacked" above others. They're usually in the larger living spaces - family rooms, living rooms, etc. Sometimes they're next to stairs. Look for these kinds of windows on the elevations and line them up with the rooms they're in on the floor plan.
Look for "ceiling breaks" on the plan Ceiling breaks are places where the flat ceiling intersects with a sloped ceiling or where two sloped ceilings intersect. Ceiling breaks are (or should be) indicated on the plans with a dashed line; usually fairly close to the wall. You'll want to know how tall the ceiling is, how steep the slope of the roof is, and how tall the wall is. Sometimes the elevations will give you a clue if the room with the ceiling break is on an outside wall.
Understand ceiling profile terms The terms for common ceiling shapes aren't common at all. It isn't unusual for different builders in the same market to call the same ceiling profile by several different names. Occasionally, designers will include notes on the plans that describe the ceiling profile and/or height.
Complexity of roof shapes Finally, the exterior of the house can tell you a lot about what the rooms inside are like. Sloped ceilings are sometimes reflected in the slope and shape of the roof. If you can put the roof shape, window height, and ceiling break lines together in the same room, you'll have a great start on understanding the character of the space inside.
The list above is intended as a reference to be used while you're looking at plans. The most important this to remember is this: don't assume that what you're looking at on paper is what you think you see in your head - take the time to find exactly what the "third dimension" of the spaces are before you commit to a design.
How To Choose A House Plan - Part 3 of 10
Almost every house plan site offers to change their stock drawings to suit your specific requirements. That's a valuable service - but be careful, some seemingly small changes can be expensive to make, and even more expensive to build.
One Change - Lots Of Drawings
There was a time when changes to house plans were done in the field with no documentation at all. If you wanted to make the house a little bigger, you only needed tell your contractor - and you didn't have a plans examiner and a building inspector looking over your shoulder.
But as we'll learn in Chapter #4 "A Set Of House Plans Isn't Enough", building codes across the country are getting tougher and plans examiners are looking at house plans more closely. When a change is made to a set of drawings, that change must be as well documented as the original plans, regardless of the size or complexity of the change. Sometimes that's not a big deal but sometimes it requires quite a few changes to the set of drawings and expensive changes to the house itself.
Consider for example, a theoretical two-foot extension of a family room at the back of a two-story house with a basement. If you're working with a typically complete set of plans, your two-foot extension will require a change to all of the following drawings in order to be accepted by your local building department:
Foundation plan
First floor plan
Second floor plan
Roof plan
Left side elevation
Right side elevation
Rear elevation
Main building section
Those are just the "architectural" drawings - you'll also need to have structural changes made, which may require review by a Registered Architect or Professional Engineer. And in areas that require compliance with energy codes, those calculations will have to be redone.
Don't let this scare you away from considering altering your design - just be sure you get a firm quote on all of the work needed to get your drawings completely ready to submit for permits. Or better yet, find a plan that doesn't need these changes.
Some plan services have popular "pre-designed" additions and alterations with all of the necessary drawings already completed. If one of those designs meets your needs, that's a much more efficient and cost effective way to go.
Consider The Impact On The Rest Of The House
If you find that the change you want to make isn't offered as a pre-design, you may want to have a custom alteration made. But don't get caught up in major changes - the trick is to avoid doing so much modification that you'd have been better off choosing another plan, or designing a custom home from scratch.
Every day, my staff counsels homeowners who have gotten their home design almost done - and then added just one more room. Too often we find that final room (frequently a screened porch) is difficult or impossible to blend seamlessly into the design.
If they don't consider the entire design from day one, they risk "cobbing up" a perfectly good home plan.
The same concept applies to pre-designed house plans. Don't buy one that has almost everything you want and assume that your other rooms can be easily added. That one more room could mess up everything you fell in love with about the house plan in the first place.
Adding rooms to a completed plan can sometimes start a chain reaction of changes - the new room blocks a bedroom window; the window can't be moved without moving a wall; the moved wall makes the bath too small...etc.
Instead, take advantage of the "study plans" that most services offer. Buy a study set of the plan that's closest to what you want, and have the plan service or your design professional evaluate it for the feasibility of the change you want. Study sets aren't cheap, but they're a lot cheaper than having to rework an entire plan.
Architects Can't Stamp Plans
It's written somewhere on every plan service website: "You may need to have your house plans reviewed and stamped by a local engineer or architect."
Unfortunately, that's against the law in many jurisdictions - for Architects. By statute, Architects must prepare or supervise the preparation of architectural drawings before they can affix their seal or stamp to them. To do otherwise is called "plan stamping" and is a practice than can cost an Architect his license.
It's a bit of a catch-22; you have permission from the plan's author to alter the plans, but not from your state's Architect licensing board.
An Architect can - in some instances - stamp a set of plans he didn't prepare if he's made significant alterations to them. What's considered "significant"? That's for your Architect and his State Board to decide. If you're making lot of changes to the plans, you're probably in the clear, although there's no accepted legal threshold for what are "significant" changes. But what if the design you've found is ok as is, and you simply need to get it ready to submit for permits?
Ironically, a "non-architect" - a residential designer, drafter, or structural engineer - might be a better choice in this situation. As an Architect myself that's tough to say, but the law is the law!
For structural review the answer is easy - find and hire a local structural engineer to review the plans, size the structural members, and place his stamp on the set. An experienced structural engineer might catch a few "non-structural" code issues along the way, too.
For non-structural issues you may be able to have an Architect provide a sheet of standard notes that you can attach to the drawings - without the need to stamp the drawings. You may also be able to get this information from your builder, or from a residential designer or drafter.
But then again all this might be moot - since very few jurisdictions in the country require an Architect's stamp on single-family home construction drawings!
So check with your building department first - but don't assume an Architect can always "stamp" your pre-designed plans.
Minimum Code Compliance
Plan services sell plans that conform to the code that was in effect in the location the house was built, and at the time the house was built.
In the United States, local building codes are based on one of four current "model" codes. Each of those codes share similarities, but each has its differences, too. Each code goes through periodic revision, so they're constantly changing.
It's very likely that the house plan you buy will need some changes to bring it "up to code".
More importantly, however is the idea that the plan you buy will at best be only minimally compliant with the building code. That will get your plan past most building departments but will leave quite a bit of the specifications and details of the house undecided.
That's the case with most single-family construction drawings, even the ones you get from an Architect. It's your job to work with your builder and maybe your interior designer to address all the details you need to build out the interior and exterior finishes.
Check your plan service's list of drawings - some services include more detail than others. The plans are a good start, but you might still have a lot of work yet to do!
One Change - Lots Of Drawings
There was a time when changes to house plans were done in the field with no documentation at all. If you wanted to make the house a little bigger, you only needed tell your contractor - and you didn't have a plans examiner and a building inspector looking over your shoulder.
But as we'll learn in Chapter #4 "A Set Of House Plans Isn't Enough", building codes across the country are getting tougher and plans examiners are looking at house plans more closely. When a change is made to a set of drawings, that change must be as well documented as the original plans, regardless of the size or complexity of the change. Sometimes that's not a big deal but sometimes it requires quite a few changes to the set of drawings and expensive changes to the house itself.
Consider for example, a theoretical two-foot extension of a family room at the back of a two-story house with a basement. If you're working with a typically complete set of plans, your two-foot extension will require a change to all of the following drawings in order to be accepted by your local building department:
Foundation plan
First floor plan
Second floor plan
Roof plan
Left side elevation
Right side elevation
Rear elevation
Main building section
Those are just the "architectural" drawings - you'll also need to have structural changes made, which may require review by a Registered Architect or Professional Engineer. And in areas that require compliance with energy codes, those calculations will have to be redone.
Don't let this scare you away from considering altering your design - just be sure you get a firm quote on all of the work needed to get your drawings completely ready to submit for permits. Or better yet, find a plan that doesn't need these changes.
Some plan services have popular "pre-designed" additions and alterations with all of the necessary drawings already completed. If one of those designs meets your needs, that's a much more efficient and cost effective way to go.
Consider The Impact On The Rest Of The House
If you find that the change you want to make isn't offered as a pre-design, you may want to have a custom alteration made. But don't get caught up in major changes - the trick is to avoid doing so much modification that you'd have been better off choosing another plan, or designing a custom home from scratch.
Every day, my staff counsels homeowners who have gotten their home design almost done - and then added just one more room. Too often we find that final room (frequently a screened porch) is difficult or impossible to blend seamlessly into the design.
If they don't consider the entire design from day one, they risk "cobbing up" a perfectly good home plan.
The same concept applies to pre-designed house plans. Don't buy one that has almost everything you want and assume that your other rooms can be easily added. That one more room could mess up everything you fell in love with about the house plan in the first place.
Adding rooms to a completed plan can sometimes start a chain reaction of changes - the new room blocks a bedroom window; the window can't be moved without moving a wall; the moved wall makes the bath too small...etc.
Instead, take advantage of the "study plans" that most services offer. Buy a study set of the plan that's closest to what you want, and have the plan service or your design professional evaluate it for the feasibility of the change you want. Study sets aren't cheap, but they're a lot cheaper than having to rework an entire plan.
Architects Can't Stamp Plans
It's written somewhere on every plan service website: "You may need to have your house plans reviewed and stamped by a local engineer or architect."
Unfortunately, that's against the law in many jurisdictions - for Architects. By statute, Architects must prepare or supervise the preparation of architectural drawings before they can affix their seal or stamp to them. To do otherwise is called "plan stamping" and is a practice than can cost an Architect his license.
It's a bit of a catch-22; you have permission from the plan's author to alter the plans, but not from your state's Architect licensing board.
An Architect can - in some instances - stamp a set of plans he didn't prepare if he's made significant alterations to them. What's considered "significant"? That's for your Architect and his State Board to decide. If you're making lot of changes to the plans, you're probably in the clear, although there's no accepted legal threshold for what are "significant" changes. But what if the design you've found is ok as is, and you simply need to get it ready to submit for permits?
Ironically, a "non-architect" - a residential designer, drafter, or structural engineer - might be a better choice in this situation. As an Architect myself that's tough to say, but the law is the law!
For structural review the answer is easy - find and hire a local structural engineer to review the plans, size the structural members, and place his stamp on the set. An experienced structural engineer might catch a few "non-structural" code issues along the way, too.
For non-structural issues you may be able to have an Architect provide a sheet of standard notes that you can attach to the drawings - without the need to stamp the drawings. You may also be able to get this information from your builder, or from a residential designer or drafter.
But then again all this might be moot - since very few jurisdictions in the country require an Architect's stamp on single-family home construction drawings!
So check with your building department first - but don't assume an Architect can always "stamp" your pre-designed plans.
Minimum Code Compliance
Plan services sell plans that conform to the code that was in effect in the location the house was built, and at the time the house was built.
In the United States, local building codes are based on one of four current "model" codes. Each of those codes share similarities, but each has its differences, too. Each code goes through periodic revision, so they're constantly changing.
It's very likely that the house plan you buy will need some changes to bring it "up to code".
More importantly, however is the idea that the plan you buy will at best be only minimally compliant with the building code. That will get your plan past most building departments but will leave quite a bit of the specifications and details of the house undecided.
That's the case with most single-family construction drawings, even the ones you get from an Architect. It's your job to work with your builder and maybe your interior designer to address all the details you need to build out the interior and exterior finishes.
Check your plan service's list of drawings - some services include more detail than others. The plans are a good start, but you might still have a lot of work yet to do!
Thursday, May 24, 2007
The Importancy Of Currency Exchange Rate When Buying International Property
Having found your dream home abroad you may now be in the position where you will need to transfer and pay for the property in a different currency to your own. The method you choose to change and transfer money and timing can have a huge effect on the price you pay for your property.
Firstly it is important to understand that exchange rates fluctuate daily. For example in the last 6 weeks the exchange rate of the Euro vs. Pound Sterling has dropped from 1.49 to 1.46. On the face of it this may not seem much, but if you are purchasing a 200,000 euro property, the price of the property in pounds sterling will have risen by GBP2,750.
Who you choose to conduct your money transfer and money exchange can also have a big impact on the price you pay for your property. Specialist currency exchange companies offer far more favourable rates than high street banks. A survey conducted last year by the Sunday Times found that you could save up to 4 percent on the value of your property. Again on a 200,000 euro property this is a huge GBP5,500 difference that otherwise you would just be handing to your bank to boost their profits.
Specialist money transfer companies can also help with exchange rate fluctuations. They provide advice on what they predict will happen to exchange rates and offer a service to allow you to fix the exchange so that you are protected from future fluctuations.
Although currency exchange is not often considered until after a property is purchased, it is worth considering at a much earlier stage when you start looking for property. The pound sterling is considered to be fairly strong currently, especially against a weak US Dollar. So buying a property now can potentially save you thousands of pounds.
Firstly it is important to understand that exchange rates fluctuate daily. For example in the last 6 weeks the exchange rate of the Euro vs. Pound Sterling has dropped from 1.49 to 1.46. On the face of it this may not seem much, but if you are purchasing a 200,000 euro property, the price of the property in pounds sterling will have risen by GBP2,750.
Who you choose to conduct your money transfer and money exchange can also have a big impact on the price you pay for your property. Specialist currency exchange companies offer far more favourable rates than high street banks. A survey conducted last year by the Sunday Times found that you could save up to 4 percent on the value of your property. Again on a 200,000 euro property this is a huge GBP5,500 difference that otherwise you would just be handing to your bank to boost their profits.
Specialist money transfer companies can also help with exchange rate fluctuations. They provide advice on what they predict will happen to exchange rates and offer a service to allow you to fix the exchange so that you are protected from future fluctuations.
Although currency exchange is not often considered until after a property is purchased, it is worth considering at a much earlier stage when you start looking for property. The pound sterling is considered to be fairly strong currently, especially against a weak US Dollar. So buying a property now can potentially save you thousands of pounds.
How to Use a New Home Builder's Design Center
If you choose to buy a new home from a homebuilder, the new home will, to varying degrees, have features in common with other homes. This gives those searching for a new home to buy the advantage of being able to compare existing models to the new home they are considering. However, most people want their new home to reflect individual tastes. That’s where the design center comes in. Because many higher-end new home builders offer custom design centers, this article seeks to explain how to use the design center – and how to finance your options and upgrades.
Homebuilders offer design centers for at least two reasons. One is that the homebuilder wants to offer those searching for a new home to buy the ability to customize a new home based on individual aesthetic preferences. The other is that, because the designing can be financed as part of the mortgage, the new home buyer is in a position to choose features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.
New home builder Orleans Homes has an award-winning design center and, because of the company’s reputation, their design center is used as a reference point for evaluating how to use a design center and finance new home design.
When you buy a new home from a quality homebuilder, you will be invited to browse options for enhancing your home. Some pre-priced home enhancement options will include carpet and flooring, lighting and sound, kitchen cabinets and appliances, doorknobs and stair rails, and windows and doors. Obviously, the selection can be quite extensive. When you sign on the dotted line, you will be invited to meet personally with design consultants to review your options. The advantage of personalizing the look of your new home before completing the purchase is that you can finance all of it as part of your mortgage – obviously a tremendous deal.
When you first meet with a design consultant, bring your options manual. As part of the new home buying process you will likely be given one, typically by a sales manager. Then, using the manual or viewing staged home interiors, you and the design consult will discuss options and pricing. Remember, you will typically have 45 days from your agreement of sale to complete all your selections for eligibility. When you go to the appointment, it is a good idea to bring fabric, pillows or even furniture drawers to coordinate furnishings with the new interior finishes of the new home. Then, when you make your structural selections, the decorative process begins. A deposit will be due as final decorator selections are made.
When meeting with the design consultants, come knowing what you like – and what you don’t – and remember that even though the financing is a good deal, you will owe the money at some point so don’t be talked into options you don’t like. And of course, if you are browsing new home builders, it may be wise to avoid homebuilders that don’t present options for personalizing your new home.
Homebuilders offer design centers for at least two reasons. One is that the homebuilder wants to offer those searching for a new home to buy the ability to customize a new home based on individual aesthetic preferences. The other is that, because the designing can be financed as part of the mortgage, the new home buyer is in a position to choose features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.
New home builder Orleans Homes has an award-winning design center and, because of the company’s reputation, their design center is used as a reference point for evaluating how to use a design center and finance new home design.
When you buy a new home from a quality homebuilder, you will be invited to browse options for enhancing your home. Some pre-priced home enhancement options will include carpet and flooring, lighting and sound, kitchen cabinets and appliances, doorknobs and stair rails, and windows and doors. Obviously, the selection can be quite extensive. When you sign on the dotted line, you will be invited to meet personally with design consultants to review your options. The advantage of personalizing the look of your new home before completing the purchase is that you can finance all of it as part of your mortgage – obviously a tremendous deal.
When you first meet with a design consultant, bring your options manual. As part of the new home buying process you will likely be given one, typically by a sales manager. Then, using the manual or viewing staged home interiors, you and the design consult will discuss options and pricing. Remember, you will typically have 45 days from your agreement of sale to complete all your selections for eligibility. When you go to the appointment, it is a good idea to bring fabric, pillows or even furniture drawers to coordinate furnishings with the new interior finishes of the new home. Then, when you make your structural selections, the decorative process begins. A deposit will be due as final decorator selections are made.
When meeting with the design consultants, come knowing what you like – and what you don’t – and remember that even though the financing is a good deal, you will owe the money at some point so don’t be talked into options you don’t like. And of course, if you are browsing new home builders, it may be wise to avoid homebuilders that don’t present options for personalizing your new home.
Planning To Build A House - Is Your Budget Ready?
Everybody has a dream of building a new house- a house that he can call his own, one that he can design on his own and a small, cozy house that will soon become his sweet ‘home’.
Building castles in the air is easy but when it comes to reality, all that matters is money.
So, before you make your final plans and meet your builder, you ought to have a clear idea of your budget. Here, you need to do something called “guesstimating”. That is, you should know the approximate cost of your project. Knowing this will help you to modify your plans according to your budget.
Here are some tips that will help you to do the ‘guesstimating’ work.
•Talk to the local builders who are well versed in constructing the kind of a house you want. Builders will not only tell you their charges per square foot but will also provide you with a 'ballpark idea' of what your dream project might cost you. If you wish, they can also let you know about all the materials they plan to use. This will help you to know what exactly is included in the pricelist.
•Next, calculate the “square footage”. For this, you need to find out the price of some newly constructed house, one that is very similar to the house you have dreamt of. Next, subtract the price of the land from the cost of the house. Finally, divide the amount by the square footage of the house. This will give you a rough estimate of the cost per square foot. Multiplying the average square footage cost by the finished square footage will give you a ‘ballpark estimate’.
•Keep your budget a bit flexible as there are certain features like the bathrooms, the kitchen, quality of the windows, vaulted ceilings etc., that are expected to cost more. An interesting thing to be noted here is that the cost is often lower for a large house than that of a smaller one. The cost of the expensive things is spread over more square footage in large houses.
•Before selecting a final blueprint, make sure that you have estimated the construction expenses. Size and shape of the house, site preparation, cost overruns, inflation and market conditions are certain important factors to be kept in mind.
Building castles in the air is easy but when it comes to reality, all that matters is money.
So, before you make your final plans and meet your builder, you ought to have a clear idea of your budget. Here, you need to do something called “guesstimating”. That is, you should know the approximate cost of your project. Knowing this will help you to modify your plans according to your budget.
Here are some tips that will help you to do the ‘guesstimating’ work.
•Talk to the local builders who are well versed in constructing the kind of a house you want. Builders will not only tell you their charges per square foot but will also provide you with a 'ballpark idea' of what your dream project might cost you. If you wish, they can also let you know about all the materials they plan to use. This will help you to know what exactly is included in the pricelist.
•Next, calculate the “square footage”. For this, you need to find out the price of some newly constructed house, one that is very similar to the house you have dreamt of. Next, subtract the price of the land from the cost of the house. Finally, divide the amount by the square footage of the house. This will give you a rough estimate of the cost per square foot. Multiplying the average square footage cost by the finished square footage will give you a ‘ballpark estimate’.
•Keep your budget a bit flexible as there are certain features like the bathrooms, the kitchen, quality of the windows, vaulted ceilings etc., that are expected to cost more. An interesting thing to be noted here is that the cost is often lower for a large house than that of a smaller one. The cost of the expensive things is spread over more square footage in large houses.
•Before selecting a final blueprint, make sure that you have estimated the construction expenses. Size and shape of the house, site preparation, cost overruns, inflation and market conditions are certain important factors to be kept in mind.
You Too Can Make Your Rental Property Appealing
Have you decided to buy the perfect rental property? Are you planning to rent a second home? There are a number of ways to make your rental property highly appealing to potential renters.
To obtain the best rental price for your property, the best bet is to have a fully furnished rental property in the first place.
However, if you choose not to furnish your rental property, your rental property would be appealing but only to those renters who have a lot of furniture of their own. They might not want to deal with all the upkeep in a home that is going to be their own.
In case, you feel this is the most profitable way to put your rental property on the market, you ought to make sure that the rental property is in an excellent condition and certain other facilities like a phone jack and other appliance connections are made available.
As an alternative, you can choose to partly furnish your rental property. In this way, you can make your property appealing to those renters who are willing to have the basic essentials that are necessary in a home but still have a lot of things that they wish to bring with them.
But, in this kind of a deal, where you will have go out hunting for pieces to furnish your rental, you will definitely have to spend a bit more. Nice quality couches, beds and drawers can help you make your property much more appealing to the potential renters.
Another option that you have is to invest in a little extra and fully furnish your rental property. This kind of a property will attract renters who do not have enough time to add style to their own home and therefore, are in search of a house in which all the major kind of comforts are already provided to them. In this case, you will have to provide just everything, be it a washer and dryer, all major kitchen appliances, beds or chests of drawers. If necessary, you can also provide a dining room table and chairs.
So, these are the ways in which you can make your rental property appealing. Plan your budget and the final choice is yours.
To obtain the best rental price for your property, the best bet is to have a fully furnished rental property in the first place.
However, if you choose not to furnish your rental property, your rental property would be appealing but only to those renters who have a lot of furniture of their own. They might not want to deal with all the upkeep in a home that is going to be their own.
In case, you feel this is the most profitable way to put your rental property on the market, you ought to make sure that the rental property is in an excellent condition and certain other facilities like a phone jack and other appliance connections are made available.
As an alternative, you can choose to partly furnish your rental property. In this way, you can make your property appealing to those renters who are willing to have the basic essentials that are necessary in a home but still have a lot of things that they wish to bring with them.
But, in this kind of a deal, where you will have go out hunting for pieces to furnish your rental, you will definitely have to spend a bit more. Nice quality couches, beds and drawers can help you make your property much more appealing to the potential renters.
Another option that you have is to invest in a little extra and fully furnish your rental property. This kind of a property will attract renters who do not have enough time to add style to their own home and therefore, are in search of a house in which all the major kind of comforts are already provided to them. In this case, you will have to provide just everything, be it a washer and dryer, all major kitchen appliances, beds or chests of drawers. If necessary, you can also provide a dining room table and chairs.
So, these are the ways in which you can make your rental property appealing. Plan your budget and the final choice is yours.
Six Ways to Minimize Concrete Cracking
Concrete is placed into a form in a wet condition. Through a process called hydration, the water in the mix makes the cement harden. Water is released during hydration, causing the concrete mass to shrink. In fact, on average the concrete shrinks dimensionally about 1/16 of an inch in ten feet (0.4 centimeters in 3 meters). Depending on the shape, size, and other factors, any concrete mass may visibly show cracking due to shrinkage.
Generally, concrete shrinkage and cracking is minimized by reducing the water in the concrete mix, protecting the fresh concrete during the first seven days from excessive temperatures and water evaporation, and reinforcing it. Note that reinforcing does not stop concrete from cracking; it keeps small cracks from getting bigger.
Anyone who thinks concrete is inferior because it has cracked does not understand that all concrete cracks because it shrinks as it hardens. The best strategy is to figure out how to minimize cracking and control where it cracks since it is going to anyway.
Talk to your home builder about how he intends to control or reduce cracking of concrete in your new home. Here are six ways:
• In concrete slabs, consider using “fiber mesh” or installing wire (or bar) reinforcing horizontally in the middle third (between the top and bottom).
• Reduce the amount of water in the concrete mixture and/or increase the cement content.
• Protect fresh concrete from excessive wind, sun, and freezing for the first seven days.
• Use water curing methods or apply a liquid membrane curing compound.
• Make sure the ground or subgrade under concrete is firm and relatively dry.
• Weaken the concrete along specific lines with some type of control joint so it cracks where you want it to.
Generally, concrete shrinkage and cracking is minimized by reducing the water in the concrete mix, protecting the fresh concrete during the first seven days from excessive temperatures and water evaporation, and reinforcing it. Note that reinforcing does not stop concrete from cracking; it keeps small cracks from getting bigger.
Anyone who thinks concrete is inferior because it has cracked does not understand that all concrete cracks because it shrinks as it hardens. The best strategy is to figure out how to minimize cracking and control where it cracks since it is going to anyway.
Talk to your home builder about how he intends to control or reduce cracking of concrete in your new home. Here are six ways:
• In concrete slabs, consider using “fiber mesh” or installing wire (or bar) reinforcing horizontally in the middle third (between the top and bottom).
• Reduce the amount of water in the concrete mixture and/or increase the cement content.
• Protect fresh concrete from excessive wind, sun, and freezing for the first seven days.
• Use water curing methods or apply a liquid membrane curing compound.
• Make sure the ground or subgrade under concrete is firm and relatively dry.
• Weaken the concrete along specific lines with some type of control joint so it cracks where you want it to.
Home Design Rules Of Thumb
Recently a friend asked me to help him figure out the proper size for a family room addition he was designing for himself. He was looking for a rule of thumb that would guarantee a comfortable, "architecturally-correct" space - a short cut to a good design. He wanted access to the magic formulas that we apply in our practice. "C'mon," he said, "let me in on the secrets."
That got me thinking about how a blank sheet of paper ends up with a house design on it, and how we assure ourselves that what we've drawn turns out as we expect it to when it's built.
That's a scary prospect for a client - how are they ever sure that the representations they see on paper, on the computer screen, and in model form will really end up as their dream home?
Buying a car or an existing home is far less risky - you can test drive a car first and you can walk through an existing home. But it's quite a leap of faith to commit to the design and construction of a new home. You just don't know exactly what you've got until you've got it.
For those reasons I've great respect for the people who walk through our door. They're usually crossing into uncharted territory, are willing to turn over control of their dream to someone they barely know.
But what about those rules of thumb - the ones that we design professionals keep secret from the public? The truth is that although there aren't any hard-and-fast, black-and-white architectural edicts, there are a number of important concepts that help in determining the comfort and utility of most residential projects.
The first of these is research. And this is, perhaps, a bit of a secret. Before any meaningful design work can begin on any kind of architectural project, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the problem. It starts with documenting the physical context - the site, existing structures on and near the site, the views, the climate, slope of the site, solar orientation, etc., because really good architecture responds to its environment. The project budget and schedule are likewise thrown into the mix.
The other part of the context is less tangible, the context of the client's dreams and desires. And although some clients bring to the table great volumes of information about what they want, most need some nudging to help express and articulate what's been bouncing around in their heads.
So Rule Of Thumb Number One is: Good research leads to good design. Profound? Not really, but certainly essential and often underutilized.
Rule Of Thumb Number Two: Start Slow. This can be an agonizing prospect for the client who's been thinking about their new home for months - planning, dreaming, collecting ideas, visiting other homes and generally gearing up to get started on the design.
But the potential danger is in arriving at a solution too soon. As a design begins appearing on paper, it becomes more "real" and, in the client's eyes, more difficult to change or even discard completely. A slow start means keeping the design "loose" and deferring any irrevocable decisions until a number of different possibilities have been explored.
Rule Of Thumb Number Three: Design From The Inside Out. This is a big one, and perhaps the most often abused. Good design fits the use, not the other way around. This can be something as small as making sure that a bedroom fits a king-size bed, or as large as deciding whether you really need a dining room, living room, and other "formal" spaces in the house. The intended use of space and particular manner in which the occupants will use it should be the primary consideration in the designing the shape and character of any house.
Whether you're working with a design professional, or trying your own hand, keep Rule Of Thumb Number Four in mind: Ask Questions Early and Often. Part of the Architect's job is to be sure that the design drawings adequately communicate the intent of the design to you, but you've got to let him know what you don't understand. There are a lot of design tools available to help make the design more "real" including computer models and physical models, and the more you make use of these, the more you'll understand the design and be able to predict what the "real thing" will be like.
So that's what I told my friend with the inquiring mind. He took a little more time to explore how his family would use the room, even moving his furniture out onto his back lawn to figure out how much space he really needed. The result was a somewhat smaller family room than he'd imagined, but one that was more useful. But still he wasn't sure he'd been allowed a big enough peek behind the curtain. "C'mon," he said, "let me in on the real secrets."
That got me thinking about how a blank sheet of paper ends up with a house design on it, and how we assure ourselves that what we've drawn turns out as we expect it to when it's built.
That's a scary prospect for a client - how are they ever sure that the representations they see on paper, on the computer screen, and in model form will really end up as their dream home?
Buying a car or an existing home is far less risky - you can test drive a car first and you can walk through an existing home. But it's quite a leap of faith to commit to the design and construction of a new home. You just don't know exactly what you've got until you've got it.
For those reasons I've great respect for the people who walk through our door. They're usually crossing into uncharted territory, are willing to turn over control of their dream to someone they barely know.
But what about those rules of thumb - the ones that we design professionals keep secret from the public? The truth is that although there aren't any hard-and-fast, black-and-white architectural edicts, there are a number of important concepts that help in determining the comfort and utility of most residential projects.
The first of these is research. And this is, perhaps, a bit of a secret. Before any meaningful design work can begin on any kind of architectural project, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of the problem. It starts with documenting the physical context - the site, existing structures on and near the site, the views, the climate, slope of the site, solar orientation, etc., because really good architecture responds to its environment. The project budget and schedule are likewise thrown into the mix.
The other part of the context is less tangible, the context of the client's dreams and desires. And although some clients bring to the table great volumes of information about what they want, most need some nudging to help express and articulate what's been bouncing around in their heads.
So Rule Of Thumb Number One is: Good research leads to good design. Profound? Not really, but certainly essential and often underutilized.
Rule Of Thumb Number Two: Start Slow. This can be an agonizing prospect for the client who's been thinking about their new home for months - planning, dreaming, collecting ideas, visiting other homes and generally gearing up to get started on the design.
But the potential danger is in arriving at a solution too soon. As a design begins appearing on paper, it becomes more "real" and, in the client's eyes, more difficult to change or even discard completely. A slow start means keeping the design "loose" and deferring any irrevocable decisions until a number of different possibilities have been explored.
Rule Of Thumb Number Three: Design From The Inside Out. This is a big one, and perhaps the most often abused. Good design fits the use, not the other way around. This can be something as small as making sure that a bedroom fits a king-size bed, or as large as deciding whether you really need a dining room, living room, and other "formal" spaces in the house. The intended use of space and particular manner in which the occupants will use it should be the primary consideration in the designing the shape and character of any house.
Whether you're working with a design professional, or trying your own hand, keep Rule Of Thumb Number Four in mind: Ask Questions Early and Often. Part of the Architect's job is to be sure that the design drawings adequately communicate the intent of the design to you, but you've got to let him know what you don't understand. There are a lot of design tools available to help make the design more "real" including computer models and physical models, and the more you make use of these, the more you'll understand the design and be able to predict what the "real thing" will be like.
So that's what I told my friend with the inquiring mind. He took a little more time to explore how his family would use the room, even moving his furniture out onto his back lawn to figure out how much space he really needed. The result was a somewhat smaller family room than he'd imagined, but one that was more useful. But still he wasn't sure he'd been allowed a big enough peek behind the curtain. "C'mon," he said, "let me in on the real secrets."
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Homeowners Protect the Environment and Lower Electric Bills Thanks to Energy Star Standards
The Energy Star program was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help Americans reduce energy consumption, which in turn lowers greenhouse gases and energy costs. Since its inception, homeowners have come to recognize the Energy Star label as a means for cutting utility costs and guarding natural resources.
Energy Star saves money
With the demand for energy efficiency on the rise, many home builders, such as PMC Homes of Tulsa, have partnered with the EPA to build homes that qualify for the Energy Star stamp of approval.
How much money can families save by buying Energy Star qualified homes? In 2005 alone, Energy Star homeowners saved $12 billion dollars on utility bills. Each Energy Star home saves hundreds of dollars annually on electric bills. With this in mind, homeowners have found that Energy Star efficient appliances and construction materials quickly pay for themselves over the span of a few years.
Mortgage lenders recognize Energy Star value
Another advantage for Energy Star homeowners is more financing options. Many mortgage lenders consider the lowered utility and maintenance costs of Energy Star homes when making lending decisions. The high-quality, energy-conservative designs of Energy Star homes allow finance companies to make larger loan amounts and high resale appraisals.
Vanishing resources, serious consequences
The greatest value of Energy Star homes may not be the homes themselves, but their environmental impact. A shocking 16 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are produced by the electricity used in ordinary homes. Because electricity is usually generated by the burning of fossil fuels, it threatens the long-term availability of an important natural resource. This fossil fuel consumption also contributes to air pollution, acid rain and global warming.
Homeowners save more than money with Energy Star
While Energy Star homeowners are certainly concerned with the high cost of electricity, most are also concerned about the worldwide consequence of excessive energy consumption. Thanks to the Energy Star guidelines, in 2005, American households prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 23 million cars.
Over 500,000 Energy Star qualified homes have already been constructed and the trend is growing. Homeowners are rapidly seeing the benefits of energy-efficient solutions that protect resources and reduce pollution for the next generation.
Energy Star saves money
With the demand for energy efficiency on the rise, many home builders, such as PMC Homes of Tulsa, have partnered with the EPA to build homes that qualify for the Energy Star stamp of approval.
How much money can families save by buying Energy Star qualified homes? In 2005 alone, Energy Star homeowners saved $12 billion dollars on utility bills. Each Energy Star home saves hundreds of dollars annually on electric bills. With this in mind, homeowners have found that Energy Star efficient appliances and construction materials quickly pay for themselves over the span of a few years.
Mortgage lenders recognize Energy Star value
Another advantage for Energy Star homeowners is more financing options. Many mortgage lenders consider the lowered utility and maintenance costs of Energy Star homes when making lending decisions. The high-quality, energy-conservative designs of Energy Star homes allow finance companies to make larger loan amounts and high resale appraisals.
Vanishing resources, serious consequences
The greatest value of Energy Star homes may not be the homes themselves, but their environmental impact. A shocking 16 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are produced by the electricity used in ordinary homes. Because electricity is usually generated by the burning of fossil fuels, it threatens the long-term availability of an important natural resource. This fossil fuel consumption also contributes to air pollution, acid rain and global warming.
Homeowners save more than money with Energy Star
While Energy Star homeowners are certainly concerned with the high cost of electricity, most are also concerned about the worldwide consequence of excessive energy consumption. Thanks to the Energy Star guidelines, in 2005, American households prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 23 million cars.
Over 500,000 Energy Star qualified homes have already been constructed and the trend is growing. Homeowners are rapidly seeing the benefits of energy-efficient solutions that protect resources and reduce pollution for the next generation.
The Importancy Of Currency Exchange Rate When Buying International Property
Having found your dream home abroad you may now be in the position where you will need to transfer and pay for the property in a different currency to your own. The method you choose to change and transfer money and timing can have a huge effect on the price you pay for your property.
Firstly it is important to understand that exchange rates fluctuate daily. For example in the last 6 weeks the exchange rate of the Euro vs. Pound Sterling has dropped from 1.49 to 1.46. On the face of it this may not seem much, but if you are purchasing a 200,000 euro property, the price of the property in pounds sterling will have risen by GBP2,750.
Who you choose to conduct your money transfer and money exchange can also have a big impact on the price you pay for your property. Specialist currency exchange companies offer far more favourable rates than high street banks. A survey conducted last year by the Sunday Times found that you could save up to 4 percent on the value of your property. Again on a 200,000 euro property this is a huge GBP5,500 difference that otherwise you would just be handing to your bank to boost their profits.
Specialist money transfer companies can also help with exchange rate fluctuations. They provide advice on what they predict will happen to exchange rates and offer a service to allow you to fix the exchange so that you are protected from future fluctuations.
Although currency exchange is not often considered until after a property is purchased, it is worth considering at a much earlier stage when you start looking for property. The pound sterling is considered to be fairly strong currently, especially against a weak US Dollar. So buying a property now can potentially save you thousands of pounds.
Firstly it is important to understand that exchange rates fluctuate daily. For example in the last 6 weeks the exchange rate of the Euro vs. Pound Sterling has dropped from 1.49 to 1.46. On the face of it this may not seem much, but if you are purchasing a 200,000 euro property, the price of the property in pounds sterling will have risen by GBP2,750.
Who you choose to conduct your money transfer and money exchange can also have a big impact on the price you pay for your property. Specialist currency exchange companies offer far more favourable rates than high street banks. A survey conducted last year by the Sunday Times found that you could save up to 4 percent on the value of your property. Again on a 200,000 euro property this is a huge GBP5,500 difference that otherwise you would just be handing to your bank to boost their profits.
Specialist money transfer companies can also help with exchange rate fluctuations. They provide advice on what they predict will happen to exchange rates and offer a service to allow you to fix the exchange so that you are protected from future fluctuations.
Although currency exchange is not often considered until after a property is purchased, it is worth considering at a much earlier stage when you start looking for property. The pound sterling is considered to be fairly strong currently, especially against a weak US Dollar. So buying a property now can potentially save you thousands of pounds.
How to Use a New Home Builder's Design Center
If you choose to buy a new home from a homebuilder, the new home will, to varying degrees, have features in common with other homes. This gives those searching for a new home to buy the advantage of being able to compare existing models to the new home they are considering. However, most people want their new home to reflect individual tastes. That’s where the design center comes in. Because many higher-end new home builders offer custom design centers, this article seeks to explain how to use the design center – and how to finance your options and upgrades.
Homebuilders offer design centers for at least two reasons. One is that the homebuilder wants to offer those searching for a new home to buy the ability to customize a new home based on individual aesthetic preferences. The other is that, because the designing can be financed as part of the mortgage, the new home buyer is in a position to choose features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.
New home builder Orleans Homes has an award-winning design center and, because of the company’s reputation, their design center is used as a reference point for evaluating how to use a design center and finance new home design.
When you buy a new home from a quality homebuilder, you will be invited to browse options for enhancing your home. Some pre-priced home enhancement options will include carpet and flooring, lighting and sound, kitchen cabinets and appliances, doorknobs and stair rails, and windows and doors. Obviously, the selection can be quite extensive. When you sign on the dotted line, you will be invited to meet personally with design consultants to review your options. The advantage of personalizing the look of your new home before completing the purchase is that you can finance all of it as part of your mortgage – obviously a tremendous deal.
When you first meet with a design consultant, bring your options manual. As part of the new home buying process you will likely be given one, typically by a sales manager. Then, using the manual or viewing staged home interiors, you and the design consult will discuss options and pricing. Remember, you will typically have 45 days from your agreement of sale to complete all your selections for eligibility. When you go to the appointment, it is a good idea to bring fabric, pillows or even furniture drawers to coordinate furnishings with the new interior finishes of the new home. Then, when you make your structural selections, the decorative process begins. A deposit will be due as final decorator selections are made.
When meeting with the design consultants, come knowing what you like – and what you don’t – and remember that even though the financing is a good deal, you will owe the money at some point so don’t be talked into options you don’t like. And of course, if you are browsing new home builders, it may be wise to avoid homebuilders that don’t present options for personalizing your new home.
Homebuilders offer design centers for at least two reasons. One is that the homebuilder wants to offer those searching for a new home to buy the ability to customize a new home based on individual aesthetic preferences. The other is that, because the designing can be financed as part of the mortgage, the new home buyer is in a position to choose features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.
New home builder Orleans Homes has an award-winning design center and, because of the company’s reputation, their design center is used as a reference point for evaluating how to use a design center and finance new home design.
When you buy a new home from a quality homebuilder, you will be invited to browse options for enhancing your home. Some pre-priced home enhancement options will include carpet and flooring, lighting and sound, kitchen cabinets and appliances, doorknobs and stair rails, and windows and doors. Obviously, the selection can be quite extensive. When you sign on the dotted line, you will be invited to meet personally with design consultants to review your options. The advantage of personalizing the look of your new home before completing the purchase is that you can finance all of it as part of your mortgage – obviously a tremendous deal.
When you first meet with a design consultant, bring your options manual. As part of the new home buying process you will likely be given one, typically by a sales manager. Then, using the manual or viewing staged home interiors, you and the design consult will discuss options and pricing. Remember, you will typically have 45 days from your agreement of sale to complete all your selections for eligibility. When you go to the appointment, it is a good idea to bring fabric, pillows or even furniture drawers to coordinate furnishings with the new interior finishes of the new home. Then, when you make your structural selections, the decorative process begins. A deposit will be due as final decorator selections are made.
When meeting with the design consultants, come knowing what you like – and what you don’t – and remember that even though the financing is a good deal, you will owe the money at some point so don’t be talked into options you don’t like. And of course, if you are browsing new home builders, it may be wise to avoid homebuilders that don’t present options for personalizing your new home.
Planning To Build A House - Is Your Budget Ready?
Everybody has a dream of building a new house- a house that he can call his own, one that he can design on his own and a small, cozy house that will soon become his sweet ‘home’.
Building castles in the air is easy but when it comes to reality, all that matters is money.
So, before you make your final plans and meet your builder, you ought to have a clear idea of your budget. Here, you need to do something called “guesstimating”. That is, you should know the approximate cost of your project. Knowing this will help you to modify your plans according to your budget.
Here are some tips that will help you to do the ‘guesstimating’ work.
•Talk to the local builders who are well versed in constructing the kind of a house you want. Builders will not only tell you their charges per square foot but will also provide you with a 'ballpark idea' of what your dream project might cost you. If you wish, they can also let you know about all the materials they plan to use. This will help you to know what exactly is included in the pricelist.
•Next, calculate the “square footage”. For this, you need to find out the price of some newly constructed house, one that is very similar to the house you have dreamt of. Next, subtract the price of the land from the cost of the house. Finally, divide the amount by the square footage of the house. This will give you a rough estimate of the cost per square foot. Multiplying the average square footage cost by the finished square footage will give you a ‘ballpark estimate’.
•Keep your budget a bit flexible as there are certain features like the bathrooms, the kitchen, quality of the windows, vaulted ceilings etc., that are expected to cost more. An interesting thing to be noted here is that the cost is often lower for a large house than that of a smaller one. The cost of the expensive things is spread over more square footage in large houses.
•Before selecting a final blueprint, make sure that you have estimated the construction expenses. Size and shape of the house, site preparation, cost overruns, inflation and market conditions are certain important factors to be kept in mind.
Building castles in the air is easy but when it comes to reality, all that matters is money.
So, before you make your final plans and meet your builder, you ought to have a clear idea of your budget. Here, you need to do something called “guesstimating”. That is, you should know the approximate cost of your project. Knowing this will help you to modify your plans according to your budget.
Here are some tips that will help you to do the ‘guesstimating’ work.
•Talk to the local builders who are well versed in constructing the kind of a house you want. Builders will not only tell you their charges per square foot but will also provide you with a 'ballpark idea' of what your dream project might cost you. If you wish, they can also let you know about all the materials they plan to use. This will help you to know what exactly is included in the pricelist.
•Next, calculate the “square footage”. For this, you need to find out the price of some newly constructed house, one that is very similar to the house you have dreamt of. Next, subtract the price of the land from the cost of the house. Finally, divide the amount by the square footage of the house. This will give you a rough estimate of the cost per square foot. Multiplying the average square footage cost by the finished square footage will give you a ‘ballpark estimate’.
•Keep your budget a bit flexible as there are certain features like the bathrooms, the kitchen, quality of the windows, vaulted ceilings etc., that are expected to cost more. An interesting thing to be noted here is that the cost is often lower for a large house than that of a smaller one. The cost of the expensive things is spread over more square footage in large houses.
•Before selecting a final blueprint, make sure that you have estimated the construction expenses. Size and shape of the house, site preparation, cost overruns, inflation and market conditions are certain important factors to be kept in mind.
You Too Can Make Your Rental Property Appealing
Have you decided to buy the perfect rental property? Are you planning to rent a second home? There are a number of ways to make your rental property highly appealing to potential renters.
To obtain the best rental price for your property, the best bet is to have a fully furnished rental property in the first place.
However, if you choose not to furnish your rental property, your rental property would be appealing but only to those renters who have a lot of furniture of their own. They might not want to deal with all the upkeep in a home that is going to be their own.
In case, you feel this is the most profitable way to put your rental property on the market, you ought to make sure that the rental property is in an excellent condition and certain other facilities like a phone jack and other appliance connections are made available.
As an alternative, you can choose to partly furnish your rental property. In this way, you can make your property appealing to those renters who are willing to have the basic essentials that are necessary in a home but still have a lot of things that they wish to bring with them.
But, in this kind of a deal, where you will have go out hunting for pieces to furnish your rental, you will definitely have to spend a bit more. Nice quality couches, beds and drawers can help you make your property much more appealing to the potential renters.
Another option that you have is to invest in a little extra and fully furnish your rental property. This kind of a property will attract renters who do not have enough time to add style to their own home and therefore, are in search of a house in which all the major kind of comforts are already provided to them. In this case, you will have to provide just everything, be it a washer and dryer, all major kitchen appliances, beds or chests of drawers. If necessary, you can also provide a dining room table and chairs.
To obtain the best rental price for your property, the best bet is to have a fully furnished rental property in the first place.
However, if you choose not to furnish your rental property, your rental property would be appealing but only to those renters who have a lot of furniture of their own. They might not want to deal with all the upkeep in a home that is going to be their own.
In case, you feel this is the most profitable way to put your rental property on the market, you ought to make sure that the rental property is in an excellent condition and certain other facilities like a phone jack and other appliance connections are made available.
As an alternative, you can choose to partly furnish your rental property. In this way, you can make your property appealing to those renters who are willing to have the basic essentials that are necessary in a home but still have a lot of things that they wish to bring with them.
But, in this kind of a deal, where you will have go out hunting for pieces to furnish your rental, you will definitely have to spend a bit more. Nice quality couches, beds and drawers can help you make your property much more appealing to the potential renters.
Another option that you have is to invest in a little extra and fully furnish your rental property. This kind of a property will attract renters who do not have enough time to add style to their own home and therefore, are in search of a house in which all the major kind of comforts are already provided to them. In this case, you will have to provide just everything, be it a washer and dryer, all major kitchen appliances, beds or chests of drawers. If necessary, you can also provide a dining room table and chairs.
Six Ways to Minimize Concrete Cracking
Concrete is placed into a form in a wet condition. Through a process called hydration, the water in the mix makes the cement harden. Water is released during hydration, causing the concrete mass to shrink. In fact, on average the concrete shrinks dimensionally about 1/16 of an inch in ten feet (0.4 centimeters in 3 meters). Depending on the shape, size, and other factors, any concrete mass may visibly show cracking due to shrinkage.
Generally, concrete shrinkage and cracking is minimized by reducing the water in the concrete mix, protecting the fresh concrete during the first seven days from excessive temperatures and water evaporation, and reinforcing it. Note that reinforcing does not stop concrete from cracking; it keeps small cracks from getting bigger.
Anyone who thinks concrete is inferior because it has cracked does not understand that all concrete cracks because it shrinks as it hardens. The best strategy is to figure out how to minimize cracking and control where it cracks since it is going to anyway.
Talk to your home builder about how he intends to control or reduce cracking of concrete in your new home. Here are six ways:
• In concrete slabs, consider using “fiber mesh” or installing wire (or bar) reinforcing horizontally in the middle third (between the top and bottom).
• Reduce the amount of water in the concrete mixture and/or increase the cement content.
• Protect fresh concrete from excessive wind, sun, and freezing for the first seven days.
• Use water curing methods or apply a liquid membrane curing compound.
• Make sure the ground or subgrade under concrete is firm and relatively dry.
• Weaken the concrete along specific lines with some type of control joint so it cracks where you want it to.
Generally, concrete shrinkage and cracking is minimized by reducing the water in the concrete mix, protecting the fresh concrete during the first seven days from excessive temperatures and water evaporation, and reinforcing it. Note that reinforcing does not stop concrete from cracking; it keeps small cracks from getting bigger.
Anyone who thinks concrete is inferior because it has cracked does not understand that all concrete cracks because it shrinks as it hardens. The best strategy is to figure out how to minimize cracking and control where it cracks since it is going to anyway.
Talk to your home builder about how he intends to control or reduce cracking of concrete in your new home. Here are six ways:
• In concrete slabs, consider using “fiber mesh” or installing wire (or bar) reinforcing horizontally in the middle third (between the top and bottom).
• Reduce the amount of water in the concrete mixture and/or increase the cement content.
• Protect fresh concrete from excessive wind, sun, and freezing for the first seven days.
• Use water curing methods or apply a liquid membrane curing compound.
• Make sure the ground or subgrade under concrete is firm and relatively dry.
• Weaken the concrete along specific lines with some type of control joint so it cracks where you want it to.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Building For High Resale Value, What Upgrades You Need, Which You Should Go Without
Many investors are getting into the real estate market. You may also want to get into this area for your own home or for a future investment. You may want to build your home or investment from the ground up with the intention of selling it for a profit in the future. With this in mind, you will want to consider which options and upgrades to install to maximize your return on your dollar in the future.
First, if you will be living in the home, you will need to keep a few things in mind. If you will be living in the home for a period of time before selling, the carpet and paint will need to be redone. Hence, you will not receive a return on investment for putting in premium carpet and using better paints. You will want to keep your dollars focused in other areas to maximize your returns.
Now, you will want to talk with your realtor and possibly your builder when deciding your upgrades. Different areas in the country will have different standards. For instance, almost nobody has a basement in Arizona, while basements are a standard feature in Utah. Styles and tastes change too, so a realtor and home builder will understand the current trends and market and will be able to guide you in your specific area.
Probably the most important feature you consider will be square footage of the home. Fifty years ago, homes were a lot smaller, but Americans are demanding larger and larger homes. When you bought your last home, the first feature you looked at was either square footage or beds and bath numbers. Hence, you will want to maximize the amount of house you can get for your dollar. Be careful that you do not go too far above the average house size though, because you will be cutting down the percentage of possible buyers the higher you go. If a person can afford a high end home then they also have particular tastes and they may not coincide with yours.
The kitchen will be the room that often makes or breaks a sale. This is because so much happens for the family in the kitchen. It is the room that more family time is spent than any other room on average. Hence, it needs to be large and nice. You should consider putting in nice cupboards and marble or an equivalent for the countertops. These should only be a few thousand to upgrade, but can add a lot more to the resale value. Also, consider upgrading the kitchen floor. Light fixtures in the kitchen may also be worth your time upgrading
You should also consider the bathrooms in the house, especially the master bath. How much time do you spend during the day in the bathroom versus some of the other rooms in your house? A large walk-in closet is a necessity now instead of something nice to have.
A third garage is becoming more common place now too. Many communities don't like to have sheds and mini-barns in the backyard so their HOA's don't allow them. A third garage space may be needed to store all of the yard equipment and toys you like to have. Also, a third garage may be difficult to get because it requires a larger lot size. Hence, the house with a third garage will most likely be easier to sell and get your money out of.
Landscaping is a must. It need not be extravagant, but nobody wants to move into a house and have a huge job ahead of them to begin with. If you plant trees, they will grow and add value to the house over time.
Lastly, much of the upgrades come standard now. Builders have had to compete for buyers and many of the upgrades have become standard. Don't upgrade unless you need to. You can often get the same value for the home with the standard items as the people that have put in all the upgrades.
First, if you will be living in the home, you will need to keep a few things in mind. If you will be living in the home for a period of time before selling, the carpet and paint will need to be redone. Hence, you will not receive a return on investment for putting in premium carpet and using better paints. You will want to keep your dollars focused in other areas to maximize your returns.
Now, you will want to talk with your realtor and possibly your builder when deciding your upgrades. Different areas in the country will have different standards. For instance, almost nobody has a basement in Arizona, while basements are a standard feature in Utah. Styles and tastes change too, so a realtor and home builder will understand the current trends and market and will be able to guide you in your specific area.
Probably the most important feature you consider will be square footage of the home. Fifty years ago, homes were a lot smaller, but Americans are demanding larger and larger homes. When you bought your last home, the first feature you looked at was either square footage or beds and bath numbers. Hence, you will want to maximize the amount of house you can get for your dollar. Be careful that you do not go too far above the average house size though, because you will be cutting down the percentage of possible buyers the higher you go. If a person can afford a high end home then they also have particular tastes and they may not coincide with yours.
The kitchen will be the room that often makes or breaks a sale. This is because so much happens for the family in the kitchen. It is the room that more family time is spent than any other room on average. Hence, it needs to be large and nice. You should consider putting in nice cupboards and marble or an equivalent for the countertops. These should only be a few thousand to upgrade, but can add a lot more to the resale value. Also, consider upgrading the kitchen floor. Light fixtures in the kitchen may also be worth your time upgrading
You should also consider the bathrooms in the house, especially the master bath. How much time do you spend during the day in the bathroom versus some of the other rooms in your house? A large walk-in closet is a necessity now instead of something nice to have.
A third garage is becoming more common place now too. Many communities don't like to have sheds and mini-barns in the backyard so their HOA's don't allow them. A third garage space may be needed to store all of the yard equipment and toys you like to have. Also, a third garage may be difficult to get because it requires a larger lot size. Hence, the house with a third garage will most likely be easier to sell and get your money out of.
Landscaping is a must. It need not be extravagant, but nobody wants to move into a house and have a huge job ahead of them to begin with. If you plant trees, they will grow and add value to the house over time.
Lastly, much of the upgrades come standard now. Builders have had to compete for buyers and many of the upgrades have become standard. Don't upgrade unless you need to. You can often get the same value for the home with the standard items as the people that have put in all the upgrades.
Paying Contractors And Subs, What You Should Know
If you decide to use a contractor or subcontractor, often referred to as a sub, then you will want to understand how to pay them. Your leverage on them to get the job done and done right is payment and their good name. If they don't have a good name then payment for their work is your only leverage. Hence, you will want to determine before you hire them how you will compensate them for their work.
You must understand the basics of how the laws are written to understand the dynamics of paying a contractor. If a contractor does work on your home and you don't pay them, they can file a lien against the house in order to get payment. They can even foreclose on the house if you refuse to pay them. A lien will also keep you from refinancing or selling the home. Hence, you will want to make sure you cover yourself when you pay your subs and contractors.
If you are using a general contractor to do a remodel, he may bring in specialists to do portions of the work. If you are paying him a set rate for the remodel, he is using your funds to pay the subcontractors. However, it is possible for him to take payment from you and then not pay for the work done by the subcontractor. The subcontractor could then in turn put a lien against your house even though you have already paid for the work done.
You can avoid this issue by paying each subcontractor directly. When you make the contract with the general contractor, you can demand to pay off each sub that works on the house. Then when you make payments to the sub, require that they write a release for the work done before giving them the money. This gives you an opportunity to inspect the work first to make sure the work is up to standard. Now that you have the release, they should not be able to file a lien.
Also, when paying the general contractor, you may want to pay for all of the materials directly too. This prevents the suppliers from filing liens for non-payment. Additionally, you should never pay the entire amount to the contractor up front. What is to keep him from skipping out on you and not completing the work? You should pay him in segments as the work is completed. This will motivate him to keep working and if something does go wrong and he leaves, you are only out a portion of your money and you still have enough funds to hire a new person to finish the remodel.
You will want to screen your contractors and subcontractors before you hire them. If they have a history of poor payment activities then you want to avoid working with them. You will want to ask for references and then check them. Also, inspect the work they have done. If you do your research properly, you shouldn't have to deal with shoddy work and mechanics liens.
Even though you may hire a general contractor to handle all of the day to day worries, you will want to pay close attention to the remodel. Inspect the work periodically and make sure that the work is being performed correctly. If you don't, you may be surprised by a few errors before the work is completed and after the work is completed.
In summary, you will want to work out the details of payments before hiring any work done on your house. When you do pay for the work, you will want to have letters of release signed so that contractors will not be able to enforce liens on the house.
You must understand the basics of how the laws are written to understand the dynamics of paying a contractor. If a contractor does work on your home and you don't pay them, they can file a lien against the house in order to get payment. They can even foreclose on the house if you refuse to pay them. A lien will also keep you from refinancing or selling the home. Hence, you will want to make sure you cover yourself when you pay your subs and contractors.
If you are using a general contractor to do a remodel, he may bring in specialists to do portions of the work. If you are paying him a set rate for the remodel, he is using your funds to pay the subcontractors. However, it is possible for him to take payment from you and then not pay for the work done by the subcontractor. The subcontractor could then in turn put a lien against your house even though you have already paid for the work done.
You can avoid this issue by paying each subcontractor directly. When you make the contract with the general contractor, you can demand to pay off each sub that works on the house. Then when you make payments to the sub, require that they write a release for the work done before giving them the money. This gives you an opportunity to inspect the work first to make sure the work is up to standard. Now that you have the release, they should not be able to file a lien.
Also, when paying the general contractor, you may want to pay for all of the materials directly too. This prevents the suppliers from filing liens for non-payment. Additionally, you should never pay the entire amount to the contractor up front. What is to keep him from skipping out on you and not completing the work? You should pay him in segments as the work is completed. This will motivate him to keep working and if something does go wrong and he leaves, you are only out a portion of your money and you still have enough funds to hire a new person to finish the remodel.
You will want to screen your contractors and subcontractors before you hire them. If they have a history of poor payment activities then you want to avoid working with them. You will want to ask for references and then check them. Also, inspect the work they have done. If you do your research properly, you shouldn't have to deal with shoddy work and mechanics liens.
Even though you may hire a general contractor to handle all of the day to day worries, you will want to pay close attention to the remodel. Inspect the work periodically and make sure that the work is being performed correctly. If you don't, you may be surprised by a few errors before the work is completed and after the work is completed.
In summary, you will want to work out the details of payments before hiring any work done on your house. When you do pay for the work, you will want to have letters of release signed so that contractors will not be able to enforce liens on the house.
Permits, When Do You Need Them For A Remodel?
If you are doing a remodel or an addition to your home, you will want to check with your city to find out what type of permits you will need. Each city will have different codes so you will need to check with your specific municipality before you begin your project. By complying with your local building codes you should be able to maintain the integrity of your home, meet building codes, and preserve resale value.
To get you started, here's a basic list of projects that usually require building permits. Adding a room. Building, tearing down, or moving a garage, shed, carport. Cutting new windows or door openings, or widening existing openings. Adding, moving, or taking out walls. Building retaining walls. Remodeling that requires moving existing plumbing. Re-roofing when a complete tear off and re-sheathing is required. Adding stairways. Building raised decks. Installing fans, exhausts, vents, or appliances that must be vented. Installing wood stoves, fireplace inserts, pellet stoves, and any required venting. Installing or changing any permanent electrical device or wiring, including conversion from fuse box to circuit breakers. Installing low voltage systems such as security systems or computer networks. Replacing water heaters or changing plumbing as well as any new plumbing installations.
This is just a short list of the various types of permits your city may require. Remember, each municipality has different requirements for distance, heights, sizes, and so forth. For example, the building code in one town may mandate a permit for any deck more than 30 inches above grade while another may say 36 inches. The exact specifications could be very important and have safety factors involved while others are just arbitrary.
Some areas will require that you get the work inspected before you cover the work. For instance, if you are doing electrical work in a wall, you will need to have it inspected before the drywall is put in place. Plumbing is very similar. Make sure you get the permit required and have the proper inspections done during and after the project.
Additionally, you will want to put the building permits in your name. If you allow the contractor to pull all of the building permits, you could have problems later if you have to fire the contractor or he is unable to complete the project. A building permit is often issued in a person's name and if your contractor leaves before the project is done, you may be required to get a new building permit.
Many cities allow homeowners to do the work themselves without necessarily getting permits. Keep in mind though that it's vital for you to adhere to city codes anyway. Too often a homeowner makes changes without the required permits. Later when they go to sell, they are unpleasantly surprised that the sale can't proceed until the work is brought up to code. Fixing the work or bringing it up to code can cost thousands of additional dollars that could have been avoided at a significantly cheaper cost.
For specific information, contact your local building department for details that pertain to your area and project. You can usually find the right department by calling your local city government.
To get you started, here's a basic list of projects that usually require building permits. Adding a room. Building, tearing down, or moving a garage, shed, carport. Cutting new windows or door openings, or widening existing openings. Adding, moving, or taking out walls. Building retaining walls. Remodeling that requires moving existing plumbing. Re-roofing when a complete tear off and re-sheathing is required. Adding stairways. Building raised decks. Installing fans, exhausts, vents, or appliances that must be vented. Installing wood stoves, fireplace inserts, pellet stoves, and any required venting. Installing or changing any permanent electrical device or wiring, including conversion from fuse box to circuit breakers. Installing low voltage systems such as security systems or computer networks. Replacing water heaters or changing plumbing as well as any new plumbing installations.
This is just a short list of the various types of permits your city may require. Remember, each municipality has different requirements for distance, heights, sizes, and so forth. For example, the building code in one town may mandate a permit for any deck more than 30 inches above grade while another may say 36 inches. The exact specifications could be very important and have safety factors involved while others are just arbitrary.
Some areas will require that you get the work inspected before you cover the work. For instance, if you are doing electrical work in a wall, you will need to have it inspected before the drywall is put in place. Plumbing is very similar. Make sure you get the permit required and have the proper inspections done during and after the project.
Additionally, you will want to put the building permits in your name. If you allow the contractor to pull all of the building permits, you could have problems later if you have to fire the contractor or he is unable to complete the project. A building permit is often issued in a person's name and if your contractor leaves before the project is done, you may be required to get a new building permit.
Many cities allow homeowners to do the work themselves without necessarily getting permits. Keep in mind though that it's vital for you to adhere to city codes anyway. Too often a homeowner makes changes without the required permits. Later when they go to sell, they are unpleasantly surprised that the sale can't proceed until the work is brought up to code. Fixing the work or bringing it up to code can cost thousands of additional dollars that could have been avoided at a significantly cheaper cost.
For specific information, contact your local building department for details that pertain to your area and project. You can usually find the right department by calling your local city government.
Pros And Cons Of Building A Rambler
You have many styles of homes to choose from when building your own home. One of the most famous styles is the rambler. A rambler home is all on one floor. This style became very popular after world war two when the soldiers were returning home and housing became more affordable. The ranch home has been around for years, but it is still very useful and will remain for years to come.
The ranch style home has many advantages and several disadvantages. You will want to understand these before you decide to build a ranch style home.
The ranch house takes up more of the lot space than a two story home for the same size home. This means that you will have less yard. Many people find this to be a disadvantage while others actually consider it an advantage. It depends on how you look at a reduced yard size. If you don't like yard work and playing outside, then a smaller yard is an advantage. If you do like working outdoors, then it may be seen as a disadvantage. Most neighborhoods come with parks and schools close by so a sizeable yard is not needed for recreation purposes.
Another advantage of a rambler is the lack of stairs. You may not consider that an advantage now, but what if your ailing mother came to stay with you or you had a new baby. These people have trouble with stairs and it may be to your advantage to have all of the room on the same floor.
Also, a ramble is normally a rectangular or L-shape. This means most places are in close proximity. Getting around quickly is much easier in a rambler. If you want to stay away from the children for a few hours, you may consider this a disadvantage.
Another advantage of the rambler style home is that the rooms tend to be bigger and the floor plan is very airy. With the kitchen, dining room, family room and bonus room all on the same floor it can create larger rooms that join into other rooms. Some people enjoy this type of floor plan because it is easier to get more people into the house for parties and entertaining.
The rambler also is cheaper to build in some circumstances. As you add floors to a building you also increase the complexity and design problems. The basic rambler is very simple in design and so special materials and engineering is not needed. This allows the home to be built faster and cheaper.
This also means that maintenance is cheaper. If you have tried to wash the outside window on the second floor you will understand. Hanging siding is cheaper on a rambler and most other maintenance activities. You won't have to own a super tall ladder for hanging Christmas lights if you only live in a one story rambler home.
Heating and cooling costs tend to be cheaper compared to other homes. You can insulate the entire roof and the air is kept on one floor. Two story homes often have multiple units to service the different floors. Heat will rise and you will have to be constantly trying to cool the upper floors or heat the bottom floor. Maintaining a single insulated floor is much easier and cheaper.
The ranch style home has many advantages and several disadvantages. You will want to understand these before you decide to build a ranch style home.
The ranch house takes up more of the lot space than a two story home for the same size home. This means that you will have less yard. Many people find this to be a disadvantage while others actually consider it an advantage. It depends on how you look at a reduced yard size. If you don't like yard work and playing outside, then a smaller yard is an advantage. If you do like working outdoors, then it may be seen as a disadvantage. Most neighborhoods come with parks and schools close by so a sizeable yard is not needed for recreation purposes.
Another advantage of a rambler is the lack of stairs. You may not consider that an advantage now, but what if your ailing mother came to stay with you or you had a new baby. These people have trouble with stairs and it may be to your advantage to have all of the room on the same floor.
Also, a ramble is normally a rectangular or L-shape. This means most places are in close proximity. Getting around quickly is much easier in a rambler. If you want to stay away from the children for a few hours, you may consider this a disadvantage.
Another advantage of the rambler style home is that the rooms tend to be bigger and the floor plan is very airy. With the kitchen, dining room, family room and bonus room all on the same floor it can create larger rooms that join into other rooms. Some people enjoy this type of floor plan because it is easier to get more people into the house for parties and entertaining.
The rambler also is cheaper to build in some circumstances. As you add floors to a building you also increase the complexity and design problems. The basic rambler is very simple in design and so special materials and engineering is not needed. This allows the home to be built faster and cheaper.
This also means that maintenance is cheaper. If you have tried to wash the outside window on the second floor you will understand. Hanging siding is cheaper on a rambler and most other maintenance activities. You won't have to own a super tall ladder for hanging Christmas lights if you only live in a one story rambler home.
Heating and cooling costs tend to be cheaper compared to other homes. You can insulate the entire roof and the air is kept on one floor. Two story homes often have multiple units to service the different floors. Heat will rise and you will have to be constantly trying to cool the upper floors or heat the bottom floor. Maintaining a single insulated floor is much easier and cheaper.
He Said - She Said - Designing For The Sexes
The new, bigger closet he was having built for her would finally allow them to spread out and organize their apparel. His golf shirts wouldn't be jammed together so tightly that the colors bled. Her skirts wouldn't be hidden between her dresses and her slacks, and both of them would be able to find their shoes. He'd get rid of the temporary studs-and-cedar plywood closet he'd built in the basement and bring her out-of-season clothes upstairs. He saw it as an opportunity to give their wardrobe a breather.
She, however, saw all this new, empty space as an opportunity to buy more clothes.
===============
Vicki and Donald
As an account executive in charge of a large budget, she was used to organization and was therefore taking a methodical approach to planning their remodeling project. She researched costs, compared returns on investment for different kinds of additions, and even attended an evening course on house design. She measured their existing house and calculated exactly how much new space they'd need. She charted the construction schedule and got pre-approved for the loan. She'd done everything but draw the plans but even then, she'd interviewed five architects before she made her selection. She knew he'd appreciate the careful, logical approach she'd taken and when everything was ready, she showed him the plans.
"Wow" he said, "This bathroom plan is great! I'll be able to watch Sportscenter from the toilet!"
===============
Rick and Fran
There was no doubt about it. They'd outgrown their house. Well maybe not outgrown, he thought. After all, it wasn't too small; it was just that the house and their lifestyle didn't really fit anymore. The children were nearly teenagers, and it seemed that the adults controlled less of the house every day. They'd still be living together as a family for another seven or eight years and they needed a change. "It's time," he announced one evening at dinner, "to look for a new house!"
And so the search began. He'd be in charge, of course, since the purchase of a new home is really an investment decision, one he'd make by evaluating cold, hard facts. "Most houses and neighborhoods are the same," he declared to his wife, "we're looking for value, school system, and proximity to work."
Eventually he narrowed the choice to three candidates; a moderately-priced two-storey colonial with a large yard, but the kids would have to take the bus to school; a somewhat larger, more expensive home within a five-minute commute to his office; and an older home that needed a little work but in a highly desirable neighborhood.
He arranged to show her all three homes on Saturday morning. It was a crisp autumn day and they enjoyed the drive around town. He could tell that she liked the first two homes and he began to contemplate skipping the third. It wasn't a brand-new home after all, and he didn't think she'd be up for remodeling. Why go through all of that hassle and expense when the other two homes were in move-in condition? And so, secure in the knowledge that he'd chosen the two best possible homes in town for his family, he turned the car left, away from house number three, and headed out of the neighborhood.
About three houses down, a small handwritten sign with two yellow balloons attached to it caught her eye. "Open House Today" it said, "1 to 4". "Look honey", she said, "there's a nice house". He slowed the car and took a quick look over his shoulder. He recognized the brick and stucco Tudor-styled house as 1245 Carnegie Street, a home suggested to him several weeks earlier by a real estate agent. He'd glanced at the listing but dismissed it immediately. "It's too small and needs too much work" he'd told the agent "we're looking for something we can move into right away". "It has great curb appeal," the agent said "and yes, it needs some TLC but it's priced well below market." "I'm sorry," he replied, "but it just doesn't meet our criteria."
"Can we just stop and peek inside?" She was still looking at the two yellow balloons tied to the posterboard sign
.
"Honey," he said, trying not to sound patronizing, "I checked into that one a little while back; it's not a good fit for us."
"But it's so cute!"
Cute. He felt a slight tightening in his stomach. The last time he'd heard her use the C-word it had cost him a new Boxster, when he'd been all set to sign the papers on a two-year old LeSabre.
But wait a minute, he thought, there's no risk here. The house really is too small for us, and it does need a lot of work. Why not satisfy her curiosity?
"OK," he said, "one quick look. But we have to hurry - we need to get an offer in on a house today."
Five weeks later, he was showing friends the kitchen of their new home. It was a very nice kitchen, really, especially if you could imagine how it would look after the remodeling. New cabinets, countertops, and appliances, that's all. And then it would be brand new, as would the bedroom and bath they'd soon be adding onto the second floor.
She, however, saw all this new, empty space as an opportunity to buy more clothes.
===============
Vicki and Donald
As an account executive in charge of a large budget, she was used to organization and was therefore taking a methodical approach to planning their remodeling project. She researched costs, compared returns on investment for different kinds of additions, and even attended an evening course on house design. She measured their existing house and calculated exactly how much new space they'd need. She charted the construction schedule and got pre-approved for the loan. She'd done everything but draw the plans but even then, she'd interviewed five architects before she made her selection. She knew he'd appreciate the careful, logical approach she'd taken and when everything was ready, she showed him the plans.
"Wow" he said, "This bathroom plan is great! I'll be able to watch Sportscenter from the toilet!"
===============
Rick and Fran
There was no doubt about it. They'd outgrown their house. Well maybe not outgrown, he thought. After all, it wasn't too small; it was just that the house and their lifestyle didn't really fit anymore. The children were nearly teenagers, and it seemed that the adults controlled less of the house every day. They'd still be living together as a family for another seven or eight years and they needed a change. "It's time," he announced one evening at dinner, "to look for a new house!"
And so the search began. He'd be in charge, of course, since the purchase of a new home is really an investment decision, one he'd make by evaluating cold, hard facts. "Most houses and neighborhoods are the same," he declared to his wife, "we're looking for value, school system, and proximity to work."
Eventually he narrowed the choice to three candidates; a moderately-priced two-storey colonial with a large yard, but the kids would have to take the bus to school; a somewhat larger, more expensive home within a five-minute commute to his office; and an older home that needed a little work but in a highly desirable neighborhood.
He arranged to show her all three homes on Saturday morning. It was a crisp autumn day and they enjoyed the drive around town. He could tell that she liked the first two homes and he began to contemplate skipping the third. It wasn't a brand-new home after all, and he didn't think she'd be up for remodeling. Why go through all of that hassle and expense when the other two homes were in move-in condition? And so, secure in the knowledge that he'd chosen the two best possible homes in town for his family, he turned the car left, away from house number three, and headed out of the neighborhood.
About three houses down, a small handwritten sign with two yellow balloons attached to it caught her eye. "Open House Today" it said, "1 to 4". "Look honey", she said, "there's a nice house". He slowed the car and took a quick look over his shoulder. He recognized the brick and stucco Tudor-styled house as 1245 Carnegie Street, a home suggested to him several weeks earlier by a real estate agent. He'd glanced at the listing but dismissed it immediately. "It's too small and needs too much work" he'd told the agent "we're looking for something we can move into right away". "It has great curb appeal," the agent said "and yes, it needs some TLC but it's priced well below market." "I'm sorry," he replied, "but it just doesn't meet our criteria."
"Can we just stop and peek inside?" She was still looking at the two yellow balloons tied to the posterboard sign
.
"Honey," he said, trying not to sound patronizing, "I checked into that one a little while back; it's not a good fit for us."
"But it's so cute!"
Cute. He felt a slight tightening in his stomach. The last time he'd heard her use the C-word it had cost him a new Boxster, when he'd been all set to sign the papers on a two-year old LeSabre.
But wait a minute, he thought, there's no risk here. The house really is too small for us, and it does need a lot of work. Why not satisfy her curiosity?
"OK," he said, "one quick look. But we have to hurry - we need to get an offer in on a house today."
Five weeks later, he was showing friends the kitchen of their new home. It was a very nice kitchen, really, especially if you could imagine how it would look after the remodeling. New cabinets, countertops, and appliances, that's all. And then it would be brand new, as would the bedroom and bath they'd soon be adding onto the second floor.
Home Elevators - Saving Money and Effort
When one of the Architects at my firm suggests to a client that an elevator might be the answer to some of the issues in their new home design, the reaction is often predictable: "An elevator? That doesn't make any sense, does it? Aren't they really expensive? Who puts an elevator in their house anymore?"
Residential elevators are found in more homes than you might think - and not always as an extravagance, but often as a practical and cost-saving design feature.
We'd Live Here Forever, But...
As American homeowners age, they're becoming concerned about their ability to remain in their homes. They'd like to stay well into the golden years, but most family homes have all of the bedrooms on the second floor, including the owner's suite. With sixteen or more steps between the first and second floors, the stair can quickly become a difficult (and often dangerous) obstacle for older homeowners. It's a major reason why empty-nesters move to one-level homes.
But while a one-level home design is more easily adapted to a changing family structure, a one-level home is more expensive to build. It can have nearly twice the foundation and roof area of a comparable two-story home without any additional space, adding greatly to the cost of the house. And so most families build a two-story when they're young, and move to a one-level home later in life.
It's cheaper to build a two-story house, but is the difference between a two-story and a one-level enough to offset the cost of an elevator? The answer is often a resounding yes, and with money to spare. If the cost of a one-level home is a 25% premium over a two-story, then an elevator can be a money-saving consideration in even a relatively inexpensive home.
Design And Lifestyle Considerations
What do you do when a family is still young, wants to live in the house forever, but can't justify the cost of installing an elevator they may not need for many years? A solution we like is to install the elevator shaft - without the elevator - and use the space for temporary closets.
As it happens, the area required on each floor for the elevator shaft is about the size of a walk-in closet...so that's what we do - put a temporary floor at each level and use the spaces as closets until they're needed for the elevator. Installing the elevator years later is a simple matter of removing the floors and installing the cab, doors, controls, and related equipment.
A second stair is frequently added to a design when a house becomes so large that a single stair is too remote to effectively serve the entire second floor. That second stair takes up a lot of space, however, and can be difficult to work into the plan.
But an elevator takes up much less space than a stair and can be much more easily worked into just the right spot in a house design. It can also be "hidden" in the plan - visitors are unaware that there's an elevator in the house.
Details
Elevators are operated either by a hydraulic piston or a cable-and-pulley and electric motor. Most residential elevators are the cable type and are quiet, safe, easy to operate, and relatively quick. There's no "machine room" as with commercial elevators - all the equipment is contained within the elevator shaft.
The interior of the elevator cab can be finished to match the rest of the house including the flooring and trim, and the door is indistinguishable from the others in the house. With the door closed, the only clue that there's an elevator in the house is the call button next to the door.
A typical residential elevator cab is about 4' by 5', large enough for two adults and two children, or an adult in a wheelchair and a caregiver. It will also hold boxes of holiday decorations, furniture, groceries...
A Luxury That Saves Money
A typical residential elevator adds $20,000 to $25,000 to the cost of a house. But since an elevator can allow you to build more efficiently, it can actually save money.
You'll save the cost of moving, and of building a new home at future prices. You may recover the cost of the elevator - and then some - at resale. And if the elevator becomes a medical necessity, you may be able to take advantage of tax benefits.
It's a small part of a house, only about two percent of the area of a 3,000 square foot house and just one percent of a 6,000 square foot luxury home. At current custom home costs that's less than four percent of construction costs.
But most important is the benefit of staying in the home where you raised your family; the home you've grown to love; the home with the memories. Is an elevator a luxury? Perhaps, but maybe one you can't afford to pass up.
Residential elevators are found in more homes than you might think - and not always as an extravagance, but often as a practical and cost-saving design feature.
We'd Live Here Forever, But...
As American homeowners age, they're becoming concerned about their ability to remain in their homes. They'd like to stay well into the golden years, but most family homes have all of the bedrooms on the second floor, including the owner's suite. With sixteen or more steps between the first and second floors, the stair can quickly become a difficult (and often dangerous) obstacle for older homeowners. It's a major reason why empty-nesters move to one-level homes.
But while a one-level home design is more easily adapted to a changing family structure, a one-level home is more expensive to build. It can have nearly twice the foundation and roof area of a comparable two-story home without any additional space, adding greatly to the cost of the house. And so most families build a two-story when they're young, and move to a one-level home later in life.
It's cheaper to build a two-story house, but is the difference between a two-story and a one-level enough to offset the cost of an elevator? The answer is often a resounding yes, and with money to spare. If the cost of a one-level home is a 25% premium over a two-story, then an elevator can be a money-saving consideration in even a relatively inexpensive home.
Design And Lifestyle Considerations
What do you do when a family is still young, wants to live in the house forever, but can't justify the cost of installing an elevator they may not need for many years? A solution we like is to install the elevator shaft - without the elevator - and use the space for temporary closets.
As it happens, the area required on each floor for the elevator shaft is about the size of a walk-in closet...so that's what we do - put a temporary floor at each level and use the spaces as closets until they're needed for the elevator. Installing the elevator years later is a simple matter of removing the floors and installing the cab, doors, controls, and related equipment.
A second stair is frequently added to a design when a house becomes so large that a single stair is too remote to effectively serve the entire second floor. That second stair takes up a lot of space, however, and can be difficult to work into the plan.
But an elevator takes up much less space than a stair and can be much more easily worked into just the right spot in a house design. It can also be "hidden" in the plan - visitors are unaware that there's an elevator in the house.
Details
Elevators are operated either by a hydraulic piston or a cable-and-pulley and electric motor. Most residential elevators are the cable type and are quiet, safe, easy to operate, and relatively quick. There's no "machine room" as with commercial elevators - all the equipment is contained within the elevator shaft.
The interior of the elevator cab can be finished to match the rest of the house including the flooring and trim, and the door is indistinguishable from the others in the house. With the door closed, the only clue that there's an elevator in the house is the call button next to the door.
A typical residential elevator cab is about 4' by 5', large enough for two adults and two children, or an adult in a wheelchair and a caregiver. It will also hold boxes of holiday decorations, furniture, groceries...
A Luxury That Saves Money
A typical residential elevator adds $20,000 to $25,000 to the cost of a house. But since an elevator can allow you to build more efficiently, it can actually save money.
You'll save the cost of moving, and of building a new home at future prices. You may recover the cost of the elevator - and then some - at resale. And if the elevator becomes a medical necessity, you may be able to take advantage of tax benefits.
It's a small part of a house, only about two percent of the area of a 3,000 square foot house and just one percent of a 6,000 square foot luxury home. At current custom home costs that's less than four percent of construction costs.
But most important is the benefit of staying in the home where you raised your family; the home you've grown to love; the home with the memories. Is an elevator a luxury? Perhaps, but maybe one you can't afford to pass up.
Homeowners Protect the Environment and Lower Electric Bills Thanks to Energy Star Standards
The Energy Star program was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to help Americans reduce energy consumption, which in turn lowers greenhouse gases and energy costs. Since its inception, homeowners have come to recognize the Energy Star label as a means for cutting utility costs and guarding natural resources.
Energy Star saves money
With the demand for energy efficiency on the rise, many home builders, such as PMC Homes of Tulsa, have partnered with the EPA to build homes that qualify for the Energy Star stamp of approval.
How much money can families save by buying Energy Star qualified homes? In 2005 alone, Energy Star homeowners saved $12 billion dollars on utility bills. Each Energy Star home saves hundreds of dollars annually on electric bills. With this in mind, homeowners have found that Energy Star efficient appliances and construction materials quickly pay for themselves over the span of a few years.
Mortgage lenders recognize Energy Star value
Another advantage for Energy Star homeowners is more financing options. Many mortgage lenders consider the lowered utility and maintenance costs of Energy Star homes when making lending decisions. The high-quality, energy-conservative designs of Energy Star homes allow finance companies to make larger loan amounts and high resale appraisals.
Vanishing resources, serious consequences
The greatest value of Energy Star homes may not be the homes themselves, but their environmental impact. A shocking 16 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are produced by the electricity used in ordinary homes. Because electricity is usually generated by the burning of fossil fuels, it threatens the long-term availability of an important natural resource. This fossil fuel consumption also contributes to air pollution, acid rain and global warming.
Homeowners save more than money with Energy Star
While Energy Star homeowners are certainly concerned with the high cost of electricity, most are also concerned about the worldwide consequence of excessive energy consumption. Thanks to the Energy Star guidelines, in 2005, American households prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 23 million cars.
Over 500,000 Energy Star qualified homes have already been constructed and the trend is growing. Homeowners are rapidly seeing the benefits of energy-efficient solutions that protect resources and reduce pollution for the next generation.
Energy Star saves money
With the demand for energy efficiency on the rise, many home builders, such as PMC Homes of Tulsa, have partnered with the EPA to build homes that qualify for the Energy Star stamp of approval.
How much money can families save by buying Energy Star qualified homes? In 2005 alone, Energy Star homeowners saved $12 billion dollars on utility bills. Each Energy Star home saves hundreds of dollars annually on electric bills. With this in mind, homeowners have found that Energy Star efficient appliances and construction materials quickly pay for themselves over the span of a few years.
Mortgage lenders recognize Energy Star value
Another advantage for Energy Star homeowners is more financing options. Many mortgage lenders consider the lowered utility and maintenance costs of Energy Star homes when making lending decisions. The high-quality, energy-conservative designs of Energy Star homes allow finance companies to make larger loan amounts and high resale appraisals.
Vanishing resources, serious consequences
The greatest value of Energy Star homes may not be the homes themselves, but their environmental impact. A shocking 16 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States are produced by the electricity used in ordinary homes. Because electricity is usually generated by the burning of fossil fuels, it threatens the long-term availability of an important natural resource. This fossil fuel consumption also contributes to air pollution, acid rain and global warming.
Homeowners save more than money with Energy Star
While Energy Star homeowners are certainly concerned with the high cost of electricity, most are also concerned about the worldwide consequence of excessive energy consumption. Thanks to the Energy Star guidelines, in 2005, American households prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 23 million cars.
Over 500,000 Energy Star qualified homes have already been constructed and the trend is growing. Homeowners are rapidly seeing the benefits of energy-efficient solutions that protect resources and reduce pollution for the next generation.
The Importancy Of Currency Exchange Rate When Buying International Property
Having found your dream home abroad you may now be in the position where you will need to transfer and pay for the property in a different currency to your own. The method you choose to change and transfer money and timing can have a huge effect on the price you pay for your property.
Firstly it is important to understand that exchange rates fluctuate daily. For example in the last 6 weeks the exchange rate of the Euro vs. Pound Sterling has dropped from 1.49 to 1.46. On the face of it this may not seem much, but if you are purchasing a 200,000 euro property, the price of the property in pounds sterling will have risen by GBP2,750.
Who you choose to conduct your money transfer and money exchange can also have a big impact on the price you pay for your property. Specialist currency exchange companies offer far more favourable rates than high street banks. A survey conducted last year by the Sunday Times found that you could save up to 4 percent on the value of your property. Again on a 200,000 euro property this is a huge GBP5,500 difference that otherwise you would just be handing to your bank to boost their profits.
Specialist money transfer companies can also help with exchange rate fluctuations. They provide advice on what they predict will happen to exchange rates and offer a service to allow you to fix the exchange so that you are protected from future fluctuations.
Although currency exchange is not often considered until after a property is purchased, it is worth considering at a much earlier stage when you start looking for property. The pound sterling is considered to be fairly strong currently, especially against a weak US Dollar. So buying a property now can potentially save you thousands of pounds.
Firstly it is important to understand that exchange rates fluctuate daily. For example in the last 6 weeks the exchange rate of the Euro vs. Pound Sterling has dropped from 1.49 to 1.46. On the face of it this may not seem much, but if you are purchasing a 200,000 euro property, the price of the property in pounds sterling will have risen by GBP2,750.
Who you choose to conduct your money transfer and money exchange can also have a big impact on the price you pay for your property. Specialist currency exchange companies offer far more favourable rates than high street banks. A survey conducted last year by the Sunday Times found that you could save up to 4 percent on the value of your property. Again on a 200,000 euro property this is a huge GBP5,500 difference that otherwise you would just be handing to your bank to boost their profits.
Specialist money transfer companies can also help with exchange rate fluctuations. They provide advice on what they predict will happen to exchange rates and offer a service to allow you to fix the exchange so that you are protected from future fluctuations.
Although currency exchange is not often considered until after a property is purchased, it is worth considering at a much earlier stage when you start looking for property. The pound sterling is considered to be fairly strong currently, especially against a weak US Dollar. So buying a property now can potentially save you thousands of pounds.
How to Use a New Home Builder's Design Center
If you choose to buy a new home from a homebuilder, the new home will, to varying degrees, have features in common with other homes. This gives those searching for a new home to buy the advantage of being able to compare existing models to the new home they are considering. However, most people want their new home to reflect individual tastes. That’s where the design center comes in. Because many higher-end new home builders offer custom design centers, this article seeks to explain how to use the design center – and how to finance your options and upgrades.
Homebuilders offer design centers for at least two reasons. One is that the homebuilder wants to offer those searching for a new home to buy the ability to customize a new home based on individual aesthetic preferences. The other is that, because the designing can be financed as part of the mortgage, the new home buyer is in a position to choose features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.
New home builder Orleans Homes has an award-winning design center and, because of the company’s reputation, their design center is used as a reference point for evaluating how to use a design center and finance new home design. When you buy a new home from a quality homebuilder, you will be invited to browse options for enhancing your home. Some pre-priced home enhancement options will include carpet and flooring, lighting and sound, kitchen cabinets and appliances, doorknobs and stair rails, and windows and doors. Obviously, the selection can be quite extensive. When you sign on the dotted line, you will be invited to meet personally with design consultants to review your options. The advantage of personalizing the look of your new home before completing the purchase is that you can finance all of it as part of your mortgage – obviously a tremendous deal.
When you first meet with a design consultant, bring your options manual. As part of the new home buying process you will likely be given one, typically by a sales manager. Then, using the manual or viewing staged home interiors, you and the design consult will discuss options and pricing. Remember, you will typically have 45 days from your agreement of sale to complete all your selections for eligibility. When you go to the appointment, it is a good idea to bring fabric, pillows or even furniture drawers to coordinate furnishings with the new interior finishes of the new home. Then, when you make your structural selections, the decorative process begins. A deposit will be due as final decorator selections are made.
When meeting with the design consultants, come knowing what you like – and what you don’t – and remember that even though the financing is a good deal, you will owe the money at some point so don’t be talked into options you don’t like. And of course, if you are browsing new home builders, it may be wise to avoid homebuilders that don’t present options for personalizing your new home.
Homebuilders offer design centers for at least two reasons. One is that the homebuilder wants to offer those searching for a new home to buy the ability to customize a new home based on individual aesthetic preferences. The other is that, because the designing can be financed as part of the mortgage, the new home buyer is in a position to choose features that might otherwise be cost prohibitive.
New home builder Orleans Homes has an award-winning design center and, because of the company’s reputation, their design center is used as a reference point for evaluating how to use a design center and finance new home design. When you buy a new home from a quality homebuilder, you will be invited to browse options for enhancing your home. Some pre-priced home enhancement options will include carpet and flooring, lighting and sound, kitchen cabinets and appliances, doorknobs and stair rails, and windows and doors. Obviously, the selection can be quite extensive. When you sign on the dotted line, you will be invited to meet personally with design consultants to review your options. The advantage of personalizing the look of your new home before completing the purchase is that you can finance all of it as part of your mortgage – obviously a tremendous deal.
When you first meet with a design consultant, bring your options manual. As part of the new home buying process you will likely be given one, typically by a sales manager. Then, using the manual or viewing staged home interiors, you and the design consult will discuss options and pricing. Remember, you will typically have 45 days from your agreement of sale to complete all your selections for eligibility. When you go to the appointment, it is a good idea to bring fabric, pillows or even furniture drawers to coordinate furnishings with the new interior finishes of the new home. Then, when you make your structural selections, the decorative process begins. A deposit will be due as final decorator selections are made.
When meeting with the design consultants, come knowing what you like – and what you don’t – and remember that even though the financing is a good deal, you will owe the money at some point so don’t be talked into options you don’t like. And of course, if you are browsing new home builders, it may be wise to avoid homebuilders that don’t present options for personalizing your new home.
Planning To Build A House - Is Your Budget Ready?
Everybody has a dream of building a new house- a house that he can call his own, one that he can design on his own and a small, cozy house that will soon become his sweet ‘home’.
Building castles in the air is easy but when it comes to reality, all that matters is money.
So, before you make your final plans and meet your builder, you ought to have a clear idea of your budget. Here, you need to do something called “guesstimating”. That is, you should know the approximate cost of your project. Knowing this will help you to modify your plans according to your budget.
Here are some tips that will help you to do the ‘guesstimating’ work.
•Talk to the local builders who are well versed in constructing the kind of a house you want. Builders will not only tell you their charges per square foot but will also provide you with a 'ballpark idea' of what your dream project might cost you. If you wish, they can also let you know about all the materials they plan to use. This will help you to know what exactly is included in the pricelist.
•Next, calculate the “square footage”. For this, you need to find out the price of some newly constructed house, one that is very similar to the house you have dreamt of. Next, subtract the price of the land from the cost of the house. Finally, divide the amount by the square footage of the house. This will give you a rough estimate of the cost per square foot. Multiplying the average square footage cost by the finished square footage will give you a ‘ballpark estimate’.
•Keep your budget a bit flexible as there are certain features like the bathrooms, the kitchen, quality of the windows, vaulted ceilings etc., that are expected to cost more. An interesting thing to be noted here is that the cost is often lower for a large house than that of a smaller one. The cost of the expensive things is spread over more square footage in large houses.
•Before selecting a final blueprint, make sure that you have estimated the construction expenses. Size and shape of the house, site preparation, cost overruns, inflation and market conditions are certain important factors to be kept in mind.
Building castles in the air is easy but when it comes to reality, all that matters is money.
So, before you make your final plans and meet your builder, you ought to have a clear idea of your budget. Here, you need to do something called “guesstimating”. That is, you should know the approximate cost of your project. Knowing this will help you to modify your plans according to your budget.
Here are some tips that will help you to do the ‘guesstimating’ work.
•Talk to the local builders who are well versed in constructing the kind of a house you want. Builders will not only tell you their charges per square foot but will also provide you with a 'ballpark idea' of what your dream project might cost you. If you wish, they can also let you know about all the materials they plan to use. This will help you to know what exactly is included in the pricelist.
•Next, calculate the “square footage”. For this, you need to find out the price of some newly constructed house, one that is very similar to the house you have dreamt of. Next, subtract the price of the land from the cost of the house. Finally, divide the amount by the square footage of the house. This will give you a rough estimate of the cost per square foot. Multiplying the average square footage cost by the finished square footage will give you a ‘ballpark estimate’.
•Keep your budget a bit flexible as there are certain features like the bathrooms, the kitchen, quality of the windows, vaulted ceilings etc., that are expected to cost more. An interesting thing to be noted here is that the cost is often lower for a large house than that of a smaller one. The cost of the expensive things is spread over more square footage in large houses.
•Before selecting a final blueprint, make sure that you have estimated the construction expenses. Size and shape of the house, site preparation, cost overruns, inflation and market conditions are certain important factors to be kept in mind.
You Too Can Make Your Rental Property Appealing
Have you decided to buy the perfect rental property? Are you planning to rent a second home? There are a number of ways to make your rental property highly appealing to potential renters.
To obtain the best rental price for your property, the best bet is to have a fully furnished rental property in the first place.
However, if you choose not to furnish your rental property, your rental property would be appealing but only to those renters who have a lot of furniture of their own. They might not want to deal with all the upkeep in a home that is going to be their own.
In case, you feel this is the most profitable way to put your rental property on the market, you ought to make sure that the rental property is in an excellent condition and certain other facilities like a phone jack and other appliance connections are made available.
As an alternative, you can choose to partly furnish your rental property. In this way, you can make your property appealing to those renters who are willing to have the basic essentials that are necessary in a home but still have a lot of things that they wish to bring with them.
But, in this kind of a deal, where you will have go out hunting for pieces to furnish your rental, you will definitely have to spend a bit more. Nice quality couches, beds and drawers can help you make your property much more appealing to the potential renters.
Another option that you have is to invest in a little extra and fully furnish your rental property. This kind of a property will attract renters who do not have enough time to add style to their own home and therefore, are in search of a house in which all the major kind of comforts are already provided to them. In this case, you will have to provide just everything, be it a washer and dryer, all major kitchen appliances, beds or chests of drawers. If necessary, you can also provide a dining room table and chairs.
To obtain the best rental price for your property, the best bet is to have a fully furnished rental property in the first place.
However, if you choose not to furnish your rental property, your rental property would be appealing but only to those renters who have a lot of furniture of their own. They might not want to deal with all the upkeep in a home that is going to be their own.
In case, you feel this is the most profitable way to put your rental property on the market, you ought to make sure that the rental property is in an excellent condition and certain other facilities like a phone jack and other appliance connections are made available.
As an alternative, you can choose to partly furnish your rental property. In this way, you can make your property appealing to those renters who are willing to have the basic essentials that are necessary in a home but still have a lot of things that they wish to bring with them.
But, in this kind of a deal, where you will have go out hunting for pieces to furnish your rental, you will definitely have to spend a bit more. Nice quality couches, beds and drawers can help you make your property much more appealing to the potential renters.
Another option that you have is to invest in a little extra and fully furnish your rental property. This kind of a property will attract renters who do not have enough time to add style to their own home and therefore, are in search of a house in which all the major kind of comforts are already provided to them. In this case, you will have to provide just everything, be it a washer and dryer, all major kitchen appliances, beds or chests of drawers. If necessary, you can also provide a dining room table and chairs.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Building Environmentally Sound Homes
As our planet continues to take more and more of a beating, there has been a real emergence of building environmentally conscious housing. In years past homes were constructed with materials that were not only damaging to the environment but as we eventually discovered, harmful to us as well. Prime examples of this were the use of things like lead based paint and piping and asbestos. These materials have caused an amazing amount of damage to the planet and to people's health.
Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.
Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.
Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.
Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.
Green Building Market Potential - How Green Can You Go?
A recent joint study released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and McGraw-Hill Construction has discovered that some 85% of homeowners who currently own green homes are happier with their new homes than with their previous houses--and those green homeowners are eager to share their experiences with others.
Even though the percentage of American homes that are truly green is still very small (some .3%), the study hints at the enormous potential of the green building market. As with all segments of the American economy, demand triggers supply, and builders seem to be responding to the ever-increasing demand by homebuyers for more energy efficient housing. That trend is reflected in the fact that nearly 2% of all residential housing built last year included at least one green building element, even if it only involved the installation of energy-efficient appliances.
However, the study also found that builders are beginning to move away from simple elements like green appliances and moving toward a more holistic approach toward green building. Such an approach considers all the factors that could be built into an "ideal" green home and allows homeowners to be involved in picking and choosing how green they want their home to be, given their financial situation and commitment to energy efficiency.
Happy Green Homeowners
Owners of green homes aren't afraid to share their enthusiasm with others. They're so happy, as a rule, that they're eager to tell friends, family, and associates about their positive experiences, and as any marketing person will attest, word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising. That has certainly proved to be the case with green home buyers, since full 28% of all new buyers said that they first heard about the concept of green homes by word-of-mouth. As time goes by, that good PR, spread by enthusiastic homeowners, will begin to translate into an explosion of green building as the good news begins to spread exponentially, according to the study.
It will ultimately prove to be a win/win proposition for everyone. Home owners will benefit from lower utility bills, the homes will require less planetary resources to maintain, and the price of green building will go down as more suppliers begin to provide products to meet the demand for more energy efficient construction. It's an exciting development, and bodes well for the entire industry--as well as for the Planet Earth itself. What could be better than that?
Even though the percentage of American homes that are truly green is still very small (some .3%), the study hints at the enormous potential of the green building market. As with all segments of the American economy, demand triggers supply, and builders seem to be responding to the ever-increasing demand by homebuyers for more energy efficient housing. That trend is reflected in the fact that nearly 2% of all residential housing built last year included at least one green building element, even if it only involved the installation of energy-efficient appliances.
However, the study also found that builders are beginning to move away from simple elements like green appliances and moving toward a more holistic approach toward green building. Such an approach considers all the factors that could be built into an "ideal" green home and allows homeowners to be involved in picking and choosing how green they want their home to be, given their financial situation and commitment to energy efficiency.
Happy Green Homeowners
Owners of green homes aren't afraid to share their enthusiasm with others. They're so happy, as a rule, that they're eager to tell friends, family, and associates about their positive experiences, and as any marketing person will attest, word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising. That has certainly proved to be the case with green home buyers, since full 28% of all new buyers said that they first heard about the concept of green homes by word-of-mouth. As time goes by, that good PR, spread by enthusiastic homeowners, will begin to translate into an explosion of green building as the good news begins to spread exponentially, according to the study.
It will ultimately prove to be a win/win proposition for everyone. Home owners will benefit from lower utility bills, the homes will require less planetary resources to maintain, and the price of green building will go down as more suppliers begin to provide products to meet the demand for more energy efficient construction. It's an exciting development, and bodes well for the entire industry--as well as for the Planet Earth itself. What could be better than that?
The Benefits of Building a Custom Home
The major advantage in building a custom home is that you get a completed home that ideally meets your needs, both in terms of function and quality.
Today most spec homes are built using “builder’s grade” products in order to minimize cost and maximize profits for both the builder and real estate agent. As a result, the new homeowner frequently winds up purchasing a home that has products installed, e.g. appliances and cabinets, that have short life expectancies. In addition, with a spec home its pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get (wysiwyg), both in terms of layout and room sizes. Even if you sign a purchase and sales agreement for a to-be-built new home in a new housing development you frequently are limited in house styles, layouts and features.
When building a custom home, on the other hand, you can choose the floor layout and room sizes. In addition, you have the freedom of lot selection, home style, cabinet and flooring selections, window and door choices, siding material and color, lighting, etc. The list goes on. Virtually every feature and product of the home design is for you to decide upon.
Building a fully custom home however, does come at a price. Unique features and products are not sold at “builder grade” prices at box home improvement stores. Consequently you should expect to spend 2 to 3 times more per square foot on construction costs when building a fully custom home.
Alternatively, a semi custom home is a compromise between building a fully custom home and purchasing a spec home. As a result, building a semi custom home provides you with the ability to select some of your home’s features, while not blowing your home budget.
When building a semi custom home, the builder usually presents you with several house styles and floor plans to choose from. In addition, you are usually allowed to select flooring, cabinets, appliances, lighting fixtures and lighting locations. Frequently the flexibility is offered via “budget allowances”. For example a builder may offer you a $2000 kitchen appliance allowance where you choose what kitchen appliances you want installed in the home’s kitchen. If you decide to purchase appliances in excess of the allowance then you pay the additional costs out of your pocket.
In addition, when building a semi custom home you will frequently have the opportunity to select various building options such as attached garages, family rooms, unfinished rooms and even deck sizes.
Deciding to build a custom home is not for the faint of heart. Even if you have selected a great architect and builder you will be required to do a lot of work and make a lot of choices. Expect to spend many a day at kitchen and bath centers, flooring stores, lighting stores, etc. You will need to make decisions on many aspects of your custom home that you would not otherwise have a chance to do if purchasing a spec home. However, for most homeowners choosing the path of building a custom home is a positive experience. Everyday they live in the custom home they get to appreciate the choices that they made during the building of their custom home.
Today most spec homes are built using “builder’s grade” products in order to minimize cost and maximize profits for both the builder and real estate agent. As a result, the new homeowner frequently winds up purchasing a home that has products installed, e.g. appliances and cabinets, that have short life expectancies. In addition, with a spec home its pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get (wysiwyg), both in terms of layout and room sizes. Even if you sign a purchase and sales agreement for a to-be-built new home in a new housing development you frequently are limited in house styles, layouts and features.
When building a custom home, on the other hand, you can choose the floor layout and room sizes. In addition, you have the freedom of lot selection, home style, cabinet and flooring selections, window and door choices, siding material and color, lighting, etc. The list goes on. Virtually every feature and product of the home design is for you to decide upon.
Building a fully custom home however, does come at a price. Unique features and products are not sold at “builder grade” prices at box home improvement stores. Consequently you should expect to spend 2 to 3 times more per square foot on construction costs when building a fully custom home.
Alternatively, a semi custom home is a compromise between building a fully custom home and purchasing a spec home. As a result, building a semi custom home provides you with the ability to select some of your home’s features, while not blowing your home budget.
When building a semi custom home, the builder usually presents you with several house styles and floor plans to choose from. In addition, you are usually allowed to select flooring, cabinets, appliances, lighting fixtures and lighting locations. Frequently the flexibility is offered via “budget allowances”. For example a builder may offer you a $2000 kitchen appliance allowance where you choose what kitchen appliances you want installed in the home’s kitchen. If you decide to purchase appliances in excess of the allowance then you pay the additional costs out of your pocket.
In addition, when building a semi custom home you will frequently have the opportunity to select various building options such as attached garages, family rooms, unfinished rooms and even deck sizes.
Deciding to build a custom home is not for the faint of heart. Even if you have selected a great architect and builder you will be required to do a lot of work and make a lot of choices. Expect to spend many a day at kitchen and bath centers, flooring stores, lighting stores, etc. You will need to make decisions on many aspects of your custom home that you would not otherwise have a chance to do if purchasing a spec home. However, for most homeowners choosing the path of building a custom home is a positive experience. Everyday they live in the custom home they get to appreciate the choices that they made during the building of their custom home.
Real Estate Developers Aren't All Bad Guys
The term "developer" has become the favorite euphemism of the news outlets for the cause of all unwanted or undesirable growth. "Developers have plans for a new subdivision on 100 acres of farmland"; "Development causes traffic woes"; and similar headlines are thrown at us every day. Somehow, these reckless destroyers of the landscape are running amok in our community without any regard to the citizens. They are referred to as if they were an evil force bent on destroying the very ground under our feet.
I will be the first to admit that not all who build on speculation are interested in creating lasting quality. And there are, without a doubt, a few bad apples out there who make all of our jobs more difficult. But most real estate developers are not entitled to the "bad guy" monikers even if you don't like what they're building, for one simple reason: they are building what we want where we want it.
Most real estate speculators are developing land for exactly what homebuyers are asking for: bigger homes (even if it means sacrificing quality), more "features" (vaulted ceilings, round-top windows, solid-surfaced countertops), and more "curb appeal", even if it means no appeal whatsoever on the other three sides of the house. Apparently, most people want wide streets, sidewalks, streetlights, and a landscaped grand entrance to the subdivision, and are apparently willing to trade off lot size for it.
In my business, I am in contact with real estate developers and home builders on a daily basis. The successful ones have at least one thing in common - they don't commit their money to any project without research. Research can be as simple as a walk around a neighborhood to see what people are interested in buying or as complex as a full-scale study of the trends in the region. Occasionally, speculators try new ideas, or bring old ideas back. Disney's Celebration community outside of Orlando is an example of using old town-planning ideas in a new development. They took a big risk, but it wasn't done without exhaustive research. They had a pretty good idea that it was going to succeed before they built it because their research told them that a market existed for it.
When some people see that sign going up announcing a new housing development on the cornfield down the road they cry out that developers are tearing up farmland. It would be much more accurate to say that consumer demand is tearing up farmland. It is never a surprise to me when a hotly-debated rezoning request goes through, one that was vigorously opposed by many members of the community, that those new neighborhoods fill up rapidly.
Consider this: when was the last time that you saw the lots in a new home development go completely unsold? You may have treasured the soybean field or the forest that had been there since you moved to the area but there are many others who don't. If everyone held the opinion that houses shouldn't go there, the land would remain undeveloped. And yet, in our community, they can't turn farmland into subdivisions fast enough. I don't like the quality of some of the new homes I see going up, but they are selling fast-often before they are finished.
I will be the first to admit that not all who build on speculation are interested in creating lasting quality. And there are, without a doubt, a few bad apples out there who make all of our jobs more difficult. But most real estate developers are not entitled to the "bad guy" monikers even if you don't like what they're building, for one simple reason: they are building what we want where we want it.
Most real estate speculators are developing land for exactly what homebuyers are asking for: bigger homes (even if it means sacrificing quality), more "features" (vaulted ceilings, round-top windows, solid-surfaced countertops), and more "curb appeal", even if it means no appeal whatsoever on the other three sides of the house. Apparently, most people want wide streets, sidewalks, streetlights, and a landscaped grand entrance to the subdivision, and are apparently willing to trade off lot size for it.
In my business, I am in contact with real estate developers and home builders on a daily basis. The successful ones have at least one thing in common - they don't commit their money to any project without research. Research can be as simple as a walk around a neighborhood to see what people are interested in buying or as complex as a full-scale study of the trends in the region. Occasionally, speculators try new ideas, or bring old ideas back. Disney's Celebration community outside of Orlando is an example of using old town-planning ideas in a new development. They took a big risk, but it wasn't done without exhaustive research. They had a pretty good idea that it was going to succeed before they built it because their research told them that a market existed for it.
When some people see that sign going up announcing a new housing development on the cornfield down the road they cry out that developers are tearing up farmland. It would be much more accurate to say that consumer demand is tearing up farmland. It is never a surprise to me when a hotly-debated rezoning request goes through, one that was vigorously opposed by many members of the community, that those new neighborhoods fill up rapidly.
Consider this: when was the last time that you saw the lots in a new home development go completely unsold? You may have treasured the soybean field or the forest that had been there since you moved to the area but there are many others who don't. If everyone held the opinion that houses shouldn't go there, the land would remain undeveloped. And yet, in our community, they can't turn farmland into subdivisions fast enough. I don't like the quality of some of the new homes I see going up, but they are selling fast-often before they are finished.
Efficient Floor Plans Provide Smooth Traffic Flow
When looking over floor plans for your new house you will want to make sure they fit the lifestyle of your family, while providing a smooth traffic flow. Having to go through one room to get into another one may be necessary in some instances, but proper planning of the floor plan will eliminate that need.
Most floor plans will involve a means of entering the home from at least two directions, the front and rear, with a third means added through an attached garage. In some case, an entryway through the basement, if applicable, can add a fourth means of entry. In many cases the location of entries will help determine the flow of traffic.
Entering through a door leading into the kitchen area, will make life easier when coming home from the store, as most trips result in food and other items that will be stored in the kitchen. Typically, entries from attached garages lead directly into the kitchen and if they don't, they should.
The front door typically leads into a living room or into a foyer and it is used to receive guests, providing a closet in which to store coats or other items carried in. Usually, the front door has restricted use with the family using the garage or back door on the rear of the house. This may include an adjacent means of getting into the basement. A person working outdoors may be covered with dirt and will want to go directly to a basement to clean up before tracking dirt throughout the rest of the house.
An outside entry leading directly to the basement may be available on floor plans for a house on a sloping lot. The door may be a sliding patio door or a regular entry door, leading into either a family room or a mud room.
Most floor plans will involve a means of entering the home from at least two directions, the front and rear, with a third means added through an attached garage. In some case, an entryway through the basement, if applicable, can add a fourth means of entry. In many cases the location of entries will help determine the flow of traffic.
Entering through a door leading into the kitchen area, will make life easier when coming home from the store, as most trips result in food and other items that will be stored in the kitchen. Typically, entries from attached garages lead directly into the kitchen and if they don't, they should.
The front door typically leads into a living room or into a foyer and it is used to receive guests, providing a closet in which to store coats or other items carried in. Usually, the front door has restricted use with the family using the garage or back door on the rear of the house. This may include an adjacent means of getting into the basement. A person working outdoors may be covered with dirt and will want to go directly to a basement to clean up before tracking dirt throughout the rest of the house.
An outside entry leading directly to the basement may be available on floor plans for a house on a sloping lot. The door may be a sliding patio door or a regular entry door, leading into either a family room or a mud room.
Floor Plan Simplicity Makes Convenient Living
Possibly the simplest and most functional floor plans are designed for farm house layouts, encompassing a simple four room per floor plan. The second floor is typically a repeat of the first floor, although some alteration may be made depending on the family's needs.
In most cases there will be a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom on the lower floor with a bathroom and three or four bedrooms on the upper floor. Two of those bedrooms could be combined into a larger one to hold three upstairs rooms, if the family needs one extra large room for their personal needs.
While most two-story floor plans will have one bathroom over the other for ease in plumbing installation, it is also possible for bathrooms to be at opposite ends of the house. This will increase installation costs as well as repair costs later on, but individual floor plans are for the convenience of the homeowner and not the plumber doing the work.
These floor plans typically have a door at the front and back of the house, but the floor plan will allow the first floor to have a circular traffic pattern. Ease of getting from one room to the other allows traffic to flow from room to room without causing congestion in a busy household. Moving from the kitchen to the dining room or to the family room makes mealtime easier while segregating the living room from any noise associate with kitchen activity.
On the upper level, the bathroom is typically located closest to the master, or larger bedroom, for the convenience of the “master” of the house. Often times, if the floor plan will allow, a half-bath can be placed at the other end of the upper level to allow more convenience of the rest of the family members.
In most cases there will be a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom on the lower floor with a bathroom and three or four bedrooms on the upper floor. Two of those bedrooms could be combined into a larger one to hold three upstairs rooms, if the family needs one extra large room for their personal needs.
While most two-story floor plans will have one bathroom over the other for ease in plumbing installation, it is also possible for bathrooms to be at opposite ends of the house. This will increase installation costs as well as repair costs later on, but individual floor plans are for the convenience of the homeowner and not the plumber doing the work.
These floor plans typically have a door at the front and back of the house, but the floor plan will allow the first floor to have a circular traffic pattern. Ease of getting from one room to the other allows traffic to flow from room to room without causing congestion in a busy household. Moving from the kitchen to the dining room or to the family room makes mealtime easier while segregating the living room from any noise associate with kitchen activity.
On the upper level, the bathroom is typically located closest to the master, or larger bedroom, for the convenience of the “master” of the house. Often times, if the floor plan will allow, a half-bath can be placed at the other end of the upper level to allow more convenience of the rest of the family members.
Tropical Rooms with Water Cooled Breezes
Tropical Rooms with Water Cooled Breezes are a necessity in South Florida, where year round temperatures allow for outdoor living and dining. When clients in the know desire a dramatic custom home on the waterfront they usually seek to incorporate ocean to intracoastal views with dockage onsite or quick access to a nearby marina. Entertainment extends to seasonal living and gathering in stylish outdoor rooms, where menus include mango salsa, citrus glazed shrimp, grilled catch of the day and colorful icy drinks.
Tropical rooms in tropical homes include outdoor bar areas, with breezy shelter beneath a rotunda or lanai, perfect for solo lounging or for entertaining guests. These spaces can be sheltered by columns but still open, providing outdoor rooms with cooling tropical breezes encircling the space---vital to year-round outdoor living.
Overhead fans can be set to lazily stir the air on sultry evenings, while cooling mists rise from pools and the waterway. These outdoor spaces are the perfect place for dining alfresco, or for serving up an impromptu tray of tempting colorful fruits and icy drinks.
The formal architecture in Florida’s custom homes is often in the front of the house, keeping the home private while the back usually opens more informally to the views allowing transparency to the waterway.
We have a wonderful quality of light in the topics and Florida’s waterfront homes make fantastic use of the five senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are evident everywhere; even our landscape supports edible fruits. Water comes fully into play in tropical homes, both visually and in the actual cooling.
Connections between indoor and outdoor spaces visually blend the indoors to the outdoors. Tropical architecture sometimes calls to mind a Polynesian ideal, with thatched overhangs and simple unadorned natural spaces cooled only by tropical breezes. But, we in Florida are faced with additional realities---a need for weather protection and climate control. “Open” homes have to be balanced with the need for privacy and security, as we are not alone on our tropical paradise.
Tropical homes are surrounded by water features and pools. Landscape designers, architects and custom pool designers create sculptural pools, waterfalls, and dramatic sheets and sprays of water over and above functional swimming pools with infinity edges overlooking waterways. Pool areas feature tropical punches of hot color from hibiscus and bougainvillea, while lush foxtail and coconut palms wave in waterside breezes. The poolside ambience equals the four and five star resorts of the Caribbean, where visitors while away the hours by dreaming and swinging in hammocks built for two.
Properties use front porch views and sunset views – along with heavily landscaped areas and walking paths. Aesthetics of the tropical custom home can include elements from the British West Indies including metal roofs, colonnades of classical columns and upscale finishes. Many Floridians travel, and incorporate the design of tropical destinations that they love and want to relive on a daily basis.
Keywords: tropical custom homes, tropical rooms with water cooled breezes, outdoor rooms and topical design, the architecture of the tropics, Caribbean design in tropical homes, architecture of the south, custom home design in the tropics, McKerns Development, writing for tropical architecture, feature writing press and PR in Florida
Tropical rooms in tropical homes include outdoor bar areas, with breezy shelter beneath a rotunda or lanai, perfect for solo lounging or for entertaining guests. These spaces can be sheltered by columns but still open, providing outdoor rooms with cooling tropical breezes encircling the space---vital to year-round outdoor living.
Overhead fans can be set to lazily stir the air on sultry evenings, while cooling mists rise from pools and the waterway. These outdoor spaces are the perfect place for dining alfresco, or for serving up an impromptu tray of tempting colorful fruits and icy drinks.
The formal architecture in Florida’s custom homes is often in the front of the house, keeping the home private while the back usually opens more informally to the views allowing transparency to the waterway.
We have a wonderful quality of light in the topics and Florida’s waterfront homes make fantastic use of the five senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are evident everywhere; even our landscape supports edible fruits. Water comes fully into play in tropical homes, both visually and in the actual cooling.
Connections between indoor and outdoor spaces visually blend the indoors to the outdoors. Tropical architecture sometimes calls to mind a Polynesian ideal, with thatched overhangs and simple unadorned natural spaces cooled only by tropical breezes. But, we in Florida are faced with additional realities---a need for weather protection and climate control. “Open” homes have to be balanced with the need for privacy and security, as we are not alone on our tropical paradise.
Tropical homes are surrounded by water features and pools. Landscape designers, architects and custom pool designers create sculptural pools, waterfalls, and dramatic sheets and sprays of water over and above functional swimming pools with infinity edges overlooking waterways. Pool areas feature tropical punches of hot color from hibiscus and bougainvillea, while lush foxtail and coconut palms wave in waterside breezes. The poolside ambience equals the four and five star resorts of the Caribbean, where visitors while away the hours by dreaming and swinging in hammocks built for two.
Properties use front porch views and sunset views – along with heavily landscaped areas and walking paths. Aesthetics of the tropical custom home can include elements from the British West Indies including metal roofs, colonnades of classical columns and upscale finishes. Many Floridians travel, and incorporate the design of tropical destinations that they love and want to relive on a daily basis.
Keywords: tropical custom homes, tropical rooms with water cooled breezes, outdoor rooms and topical design, the architecture of the tropics, Caribbean design in tropical homes, architecture of the south, custom home design in the tropics, McKerns Development, writing for tropical architecture, feature writing press and PR in Florida
Your Home Office - Designed To Work For You
Several years ago I was working out of my home in an office I'd designed for myself. With plenty of space, oversized countertops, and specific places for each piece of office furniture and equipment I use (I'm highly computer-dependent), I was productive and efficient without sacrificing closeness to my family. In terms of design, space utilization, and ergonomics, I'd thought of everything. Then two things changed my work setting in fundamental ways; a two-year old and a four-year old who delighted in knowing that Daddy was home all day.
But that wasn't totally unexpected; I'd made provisions to increase the privacy of my office as the children grew. A little planning and a few rules about when the office was "off limits" kept the advantages of working at home intact.
Thirteen million Americans are currently running businesses out of their homes, according to the Kauffman Center For Entrepreneurial Leadership (www.emkg.org). In all, forty-five million of us (35% of all U.S. households) work at least part-time out of home offices. Combine those figures with the Herman Miller Company's (www.hermanmiller.com/) projected 10 to 12% annual growth in the home office furnishings market and it is obvious that sooner or later, many of us will have to consider how to integrate this relatively new function into our existing or new homes.
There aren't many hard and fast rules about home office design; our jobs and lives are unique and will influence each individual situation. But a few basic ideas apply almost universally, and will help to guide you towards making the best with your resources.
Locating The Home Office
Even a well-planned office space won't work if it's located poorly. If you see clients in your office frequently, and especially if you have small children at home, separate the office from the home spaces as much as possible. This might mean a completely independent office structure, or an existing room with an entrance designed for use by clients alone. If the office and home spaces are adjacent, proper sound insulation is a must.
Building a completely new office structure allows you the most design options, but forces the consideration of future use. Will you work at home forever? If not, what will become of that dedicated office? In my home, the old office is in "phase two" of its evolution, the kids' "playroom". In phase three it will be remodeled into a media room for the adults. Design your office to grow and change with you.
Remodeling an existing space into a home office requires you to look carefully at the use of adjacent spaces. Many clients will think it a faux pas if they hear the toilet flush upstairs during a meeting. Speaking of plumbing, will there be a nearby bathroom for client use? Will they have to wait for your son to get out of the shower to use it?
But perhaps you don't see clients at home. You may only need a quiet place to get in a few hours or work each day or you may find that the solitude of home is simply a better environment for what you do. This situation allows the office to be buried within one of the family areas of the house; a nook adjacent to the kitchen keeps you near the center of activity and able to supervise children; conversely, an alcove attached to the master bedroom can be very private and reduce the temptation for the children to interrupt. If you need privacy, find it by locating the most remote areas of your home.
Be realistic about the potential distractions of working at home. If you're a moth to the flame of the refrigerator, it's best that you make the path between office and kitchen as long as possible. My Achilles' heel was cable television; it was just too easy to leave The Golf Channel on all day long. I can't get away with that in a regular office.
Let Your Work Style Dictate The Design A few years back, I worked with a client to design a part-time home office for her small consulting business. The more time we spent discussing her work style (she worked almost exclusively with a telephone and a computer), the more we began to realize that all she needed at home was a quiet space to talk on the phone and to set up her laptop. In the end, the entire office consisted of a three-foot by six-foot desk nook tucked behind her kitchen - just enough space to type and talk, a few shelves, and two telephone lines.
If you work entirely at home, or if you bring home piles of paperwork from your main office, you'll need greater accommodations. Countertop area and storage space are always in demand - make sure you've got enough. A large executive desk looks great but you will get much more use from a wide expanse of countertop.
Rather than creating expensive built-ins, many of my clients opt for what I call a "paper pantry"; a large walk-in closet, full of open shelves for paperwork, files, and office supplies. A paper pantry saves money, keeps the mess hidden, and can be used as a clothes closet should the office ever be needed as a future bedroom.
Receiving clients at home requires a place to conduct meetings. A conference table might fit the bill but don't forget to consider how it will be used when clients aren't present. A well-placed conference table should double as additional workspace for you.
Finally, if your work requires frequent trips out of the office, find a place where you can sneak in and out without disturbing the others in your household.
Accommodating Office Equipment Almost every office requires a computer. It's the personal computer that made the whole work-at-home concept possible. But computers are still bulky assemblages of wires and peripherals that take up valuable countertop space. Add to that the copier, scanner, fax machine, and telephone and suddenly you've no room to work.
Just like a media center in a family room, cabinets and shelves can easily be designed to hold or conceal office machinery, and free up space to work. Many times I've expanded the "paper pantry" concept to include office machines. The components you use everyday (printer, copier) are best placed within reach of your desk, on shelves under countertops, or in low cabinets. The less frequently used pieces (scanner, fax) should occupy a more remote location. Other options worth considering include a laptop computer instead of a full-size machine, and an "all-in-one" machine combining fax, copier, scanner, and printer in one compact footprint.
Whichever setup you choose, make sure you've got plenty of electrical outlets and telephone jacks so that you've got the flexibility to fine-tune the arrangement of machines.
Managed Growth Home-based businesses usually fall into one of two categories: new businesses trying to grow, or satellites of existing office space. The future needs of a satellite office are few, since it's intended as just an extension of a larger office. But planning for a growing business requires some prognostication.
If you hope to move out into commercial space someday, don't overdo the home office. Plan for a little growth, but don't overbuild or overdesign a space that's destined for obsolescence. Instead, look ahead to how that space will be used when you've moved out of it.
If you want to grow your business and keep it at home, check local zoning codes and deed restrictions on your property before you make an expensive commitment. While most zoning codes allow limited home-based business, they often restrict the number of employees, on-site parking, and even the type of businesses permitted. Often these restrictions are related to the size of your property, but don't assume anything. A phone call to your local zoning official and a quick check of your deed may save you a lot of time and money.
Don't "Underdesign" It The temptation to think of a home office as strictly a place of function is strong. But if you really intend to use it, it is vital to create a pleasant work atmosphere. Access to views and natural light helps increase the ambiance and allows you to be more productive. A few well-placed personal items give you "ownership" of the office; comfortable seating and good function reduce stress.
Keep in mind how much time you're likely to spend there. You need to make the most of those hours so give yourself the same or better amenities than you'd expect from a well-designed outside office (you've already got the private parking space!). Surround yourself with an environment that supports your work and stimulates your creativity. Make it a place you look forward to going to. Properly done, a home office can be a comfortable, profitable, and liberating place to work.
But that wasn't totally unexpected; I'd made provisions to increase the privacy of my office as the children grew. A little planning and a few rules about when the office was "off limits" kept the advantages of working at home intact.
Thirteen million Americans are currently running businesses out of their homes, according to the Kauffman Center For Entrepreneurial Leadership (www.emkg.org). In all, forty-five million of us (35% of all U.S. households) work at least part-time out of home offices. Combine those figures with the Herman Miller Company's (www.hermanmiller.com/) projected 10 to 12% annual growth in the home office furnishings market and it is obvious that sooner or later, many of us will have to consider how to integrate this relatively new function into our existing or new homes.
There aren't many hard and fast rules about home office design; our jobs and lives are unique and will influence each individual situation. But a few basic ideas apply almost universally, and will help to guide you towards making the best with your resources.
Locating The Home Office
Even a well-planned office space won't work if it's located poorly. If you see clients in your office frequently, and especially if you have small children at home, separate the office from the home spaces as much as possible. This might mean a completely independent office structure, or an existing room with an entrance designed for use by clients alone. If the office and home spaces are adjacent, proper sound insulation is a must.
Building a completely new office structure allows you the most design options, but forces the consideration of future use. Will you work at home forever? If not, what will become of that dedicated office? In my home, the old office is in "phase two" of its evolution, the kids' "playroom". In phase three it will be remodeled into a media room for the adults. Design your office to grow and change with you.
Remodeling an existing space into a home office requires you to look carefully at the use of adjacent spaces. Many clients will think it a faux pas if they hear the toilet flush upstairs during a meeting. Speaking of plumbing, will there be a nearby bathroom for client use? Will they have to wait for your son to get out of the shower to use it?
But perhaps you don't see clients at home. You may only need a quiet place to get in a few hours or work each day or you may find that the solitude of home is simply a better environment for what you do. This situation allows the office to be buried within one of the family areas of the house; a nook adjacent to the kitchen keeps you near the center of activity and able to supervise children; conversely, an alcove attached to the master bedroom can be very private and reduce the temptation for the children to interrupt. If you need privacy, find it by locating the most remote areas of your home.
Be realistic about the potential distractions of working at home. If you're a moth to the flame of the refrigerator, it's best that you make the path between office and kitchen as long as possible. My Achilles' heel was cable television; it was just too easy to leave The Golf Channel on all day long. I can't get away with that in a regular office.
Let Your Work Style Dictate The Design A few years back, I worked with a client to design a part-time home office for her small consulting business. The more time we spent discussing her work style (she worked almost exclusively with a telephone and a computer), the more we began to realize that all she needed at home was a quiet space to talk on the phone and to set up her laptop. In the end, the entire office consisted of a three-foot by six-foot desk nook tucked behind her kitchen - just enough space to type and talk, a few shelves, and two telephone lines.
If you work entirely at home, or if you bring home piles of paperwork from your main office, you'll need greater accommodations. Countertop area and storage space are always in demand - make sure you've got enough. A large executive desk looks great but you will get much more use from a wide expanse of countertop.
Rather than creating expensive built-ins, many of my clients opt for what I call a "paper pantry"; a large walk-in closet, full of open shelves for paperwork, files, and office supplies. A paper pantry saves money, keeps the mess hidden, and can be used as a clothes closet should the office ever be needed as a future bedroom.
Receiving clients at home requires a place to conduct meetings. A conference table might fit the bill but don't forget to consider how it will be used when clients aren't present. A well-placed conference table should double as additional workspace for you.
Finally, if your work requires frequent trips out of the office, find a place where you can sneak in and out without disturbing the others in your household.
Accommodating Office Equipment Almost every office requires a computer. It's the personal computer that made the whole work-at-home concept possible. But computers are still bulky assemblages of wires and peripherals that take up valuable countertop space. Add to that the copier, scanner, fax machine, and telephone and suddenly you've no room to work.
Just like a media center in a family room, cabinets and shelves can easily be designed to hold or conceal office machinery, and free up space to work. Many times I've expanded the "paper pantry" concept to include office machines. The components you use everyday (printer, copier) are best placed within reach of your desk, on shelves under countertops, or in low cabinets. The less frequently used pieces (scanner, fax) should occupy a more remote location. Other options worth considering include a laptop computer instead of a full-size machine, and an "all-in-one" machine combining fax, copier, scanner, and printer in one compact footprint.
Whichever setup you choose, make sure you've got plenty of electrical outlets and telephone jacks so that you've got the flexibility to fine-tune the arrangement of machines.
Managed Growth Home-based businesses usually fall into one of two categories: new businesses trying to grow, or satellites of existing office space. The future needs of a satellite office are few, since it's intended as just an extension of a larger office. But planning for a growing business requires some prognostication.
If you hope to move out into commercial space someday, don't overdo the home office. Plan for a little growth, but don't overbuild or overdesign a space that's destined for obsolescence. Instead, look ahead to how that space will be used when you've moved out of it.
If you want to grow your business and keep it at home, check local zoning codes and deed restrictions on your property before you make an expensive commitment. While most zoning codes allow limited home-based business, they often restrict the number of employees, on-site parking, and even the type of businesses permitted. Often these restrictions are related to the size of your property, but don't assume anything. A phone call to your local zoning official and a quick check of your deed may save you a lot of time and money.
Don't "Underdesign" It The temptation to think of a home office as strictly a place of function is strong. But if you really intend to use it, it is vital to create a pleasant work atmosphere. Access to views and natural light helps increase the ambiance and allows you to be more productive. A few well-placed personal items give you "ownership" of the office; comfortable seating and good function reduce stress.
Keep in mind how much time you're likely to spend there. You need to make the most of those hours so give yourself the same or better amenities than you'd expect from a well-designed outside office (you've already got the private parking space!). Surround yourself with an environment that supports your work and stimulates your creativity. Make it a place you look forward to going to. Properly done, a home office can be a comfortable, profitable, and liberating place to work.
Building For High Resale Value, What Upgrades You Need, Which You Should Go Without
Many investors are getting into the real estate market. You may also want to get into this area for your own home or for a future investment. You may want to build your home or investment from the ground up with the intention of selling it for a profit in the future. With this in mind, you will want to consider which options and upgrades to install to maximize your return on your dollar in the future.
First, if you will be living in the home, you will need to keep a few things in mind. If you will be living in the home for a period of time before selling, the carpet and paint will need to be redone. Hence, you will not receive a return on investment for putting in premium carpet and using better paints. You will want to keep your dollars focused in other areas to maximize your returns.
Now, you will want to talk with your realtor and possibly your builder when deciding your upgrades. Different areas in the country will have different standards. For instance, almost nobody has a basement in Arizona, while basements are a standard feature in Utah. Styles and tastes change too, so a realtor and home builder will understand the current trends and market and will be able to guide you in your specific area.
Probably the most important feature you consider will be square footage of the home. Fifty years ago, homes were a lot smaller, but Americans are demanding larger and larger homes. When you bought your last home, the first feature you looked at was either square footage or beds and bath numbers. Hence, you will want to maximize the amount of house you can get for your dollar. Be careful that you do not go too far above the average house size though, because you will be cutting down the percentage of possible buyers the higher you go. If a person can afford a high end home then they also have particular tastes and they may not coincide with yours.
The kitchen will be the room that often makes or breaks a sale. This is because so much happens for the family in the kitchen. It is the room that more family time is spent than any other room on average. Hence, it needs to be large and nice. You should consider putting in nice cupboards and marble or an equivalent for the countertops. These should only be a few thousand to upgrade, but can add a lot more to the resale value. Also, consider upgrading the kitchen floor. Light fixtures in the kitchen may also be worth your time upgrading
You should also consider the bathrooms in the house, especially the master bath. How much time do you spend during the day in the bathroom versus some of the other rooms in your house? A large walk-in closet is a necessity now instead of something nice to have.
A third garage is becoming more common place now too. Many communities don't like to have sheds and mini-barns in the backyard so their HOA's don't allow them. A third garage space may be needed to store all of the yard equipment and toys you like to have. Also, a third garage may be difficult to get because it requires a larger lot size. Hence, the house with a third garage will most likely be easier to sell and get your money out of.
Landscaping is a must. It need not be extravagant, but nobody wants to move into a house and have a huge job ahead of them to begin with. If you plant trees, they will grow and add value to the house over time.
Lastly, much of the upgrades come standard now. Builders have had to compete for buyers and many of the upgrades have become standard. Don't upgrade unless you need to. You can often get the same value for the home with the standard items as the people that have put in all the upgrades.
In summary, upgrades will be highly dependant on the area you live in. Remember that styles and preferences change over time. You should talk with your realtor and home builder to find what is best to upgrade in your community. However, the kitchen and bathrooms are often your best bet.
First, if you will be living in the home, you will need to keep a few things in mind. If you will be living in the home for a period of time before selling, the carpet and paint will need to be redone. Hence, you will not receive a return on investment for putting in premium carpet and using better paints. You will want to keep your dollars focused in other areas to maximize your returns.
Now, you will want to talk with your realtor and possibly your builder when deciding your upgrades. Different areas in the country will have different standards. For instance, almost nobody has a basement in Arizona, while basements are a standard feature in Utah. Styles and tastes change too, so a realtor and home builder will understand the current trends and market and will be able to guide you in your specific area.
Probably the most important feature you consider will be square footage of the home. Fifty years ago, homes were a lot smaller, but Americans are demanding larger and larger homes. When you bought your last home, the first feature you looked at was either square footage or beds and bath numbers. Hence, you will want to maximize the amount of house you can get for your dollar. Be careful that you do not go too far above the average house size though, because you will be cutting down the percentage of possible buyers the higher you go. If a person can afford a high end home then they also have particular tastes and they may not coincide with yours.
The kitchen will be the room that often makes or breaks a sale. This is because so much happens for the family in the kitchen. It is the room that more family time is spent than any other room on average. Hence, it needs to be large and nice. You should consider putting in nice cupboards and marble or an equivalent for the countertops. These should only be a few thousand to upgrade, but can add a lot more to the resale value. Also, consider upgrading the kitchen floor. Light fixtures in the kitchen may also be worth your time upgrading
You should also consider the bathrooms in the house, especially the master bath. How much time do you spend during the day in the bathroom versus some of the other rooms in your house? A large walk-in closet is a necessity now instead of something nice to have.
A third garage is becoming more common place now too. Many communities don't like to have sheds and mini-barns in the backyard so their HOA's don't allow them. A third garage space may be needed to store all of the yard equipment and toys you like to have. Also, a third garage may be difficult to get because it requires a larger lot size. Hence, the house with a third garage will most likely be easier to sell and get your money out of.
Landscaping is a must. It need not be extravagant, but nobody wants to move into a house and have a huge job ahead of them to begin with. If you plant trees, they will grow and add value to the house over time.
Lastly, much of the upgrades come standard now. Builders have had to compete for buyers and many of the upgrades have become standard. Don't upgrade unless you need to. You can often get the same value for the home with the standard items as the people that have put in all the upgrades.
In summary, upgrades will be highly dependant on the area you live in. Remember that styles and preferences change over time. You should talk with your realtor and home builder to find what is best to upgrade in your community. However, the kitchen and bathrooms are often your best bet.
Paying Contractors And Subs, What You Should Know
If you decide to use a contractor or subcontractor, often referred to as a sub, then you will want to understand how to pay them. Your leverage on them to get the job done and done right is payment and their good name. If they don't have a good name then payment for their work is your only leverage. Hence, you will want to determine before you hire them how you will compensate them for their work.
You must understand the basics of how the laws are written to understand the dynamics of paying a contractor. If a contractor does work on your home and you don't pay them, they can file a lien against the house in order to get payment. They can even foreclose on the house if you refuse to pay them. A lien will also keep you from refinancing or selling the home. Hence, you will want to make sure you cover yourself when you pay your subs and contractors.
If you are using a general contractor to do a remodel, he may bring in specialists to do portions of the work. If you are paying him a set rate for the remodel, he is using your funds to pay the subcontractors. However, it is possible for him to take payment from you and then not pay for the work done by the subcontractor. The subcontractor could then in turn put a lien against your house even though you have already paid for the work done.
You can avoid this issue by paying each subcontractor directly. When you make the contract with the general contractor, you can demand to pay off each sub that works on the house. Then when you make payments to the sub, require that they write a release for the work done before giving them the money. This gives you an opportunity to inspect the work first to make sure the work is up to standard. Now that you have the release, they should not be able to file a lien.
Also, when paying the general contractor, you may want to pay for all of the materials directly too. This prevents the suppliers from filing liens for non-payment. Additionally, you should never pay the entire amount to the contractor up front. What is to keep him from skipping out on you and not completing the work? You should pay him in segments as the work is completed. This will motivate him to keep working and if something does go wrong and he leaves, you are only out a portion of your money and you still have enough funds to hire a new person to finish the remodel.
You will want to screen your contractors and subcontractors before you hire them. If they have a history of poor payment activities then you want to avoid working with them. You will want to ask for references and then check them. Also, inspect the work they have done. If you do your research properly, you shouldn't have to deal with shoddy work and mechanics liens.
Even though you may hire a general contractor to handle all of the day to day worries, you will want to pay close attention to the remodel. Inspect the work periodically and make sure that the work is being performed correctly. If you don't, you may be surprised by a few errors before the work is completed and after the work is completed.
In summary, you will want to work out the details of payments before hiring any work done on your house. When you do pay for the work, you will want to have letters of release signed so that contractors will not be able to enforce liens on the house.
You must understand the basics of how the laws are written to understand the dynamics of paying a contractor. If a contractor does work on your home and you don't pay them, they can file a lien against the house in order to get payment. They can even foreclose on the house if you refuse to pay them. A lien will also keep you from refinancing or selling the home. Hence, you will want to make sure you cover yourself when you pay your subs and contractors.
If you are using a general contractor to do a remodel, he may bring in specialists to do portions of the work. If you are paying him a set rate for the remodel, he is using your funds to pay the subcontractors. However, it is possible for him to take payment from you and then not pay for the work done by the subcontractor. The subcontractor could then in turn put a lien against your house even though you have already paid for the work done.
You can avoid this issue by paying each subcontractor directly. When you make the contract with the general contractor, you can demand to pay off each sub that works on the house. Then when you make payments to the sub, require that they write a release for the work done before giving them the money. This gives you an opportunity to inspect the work first to make sure the work is up to standard. Now that you have the release, they should not be able to file a lien.
Also, when paying the general contractor, you may want to pay for all of the materials directly too. This prevents the suppliers from filing liens for non-payment. Additionally, you should never pay the entire amount to the contractor up front. What is to keep him from skipping out on you and not completing the work? You should pay him in segments as the work is completed. This will motivate him to keep working and if something does go wrong and he leaves, you are only out a portion of your money and you still have enough funds to hire a new person to finish the remodel.
You will want to screen your contractors and subcontractors before you hire them. If they have a history of poor payment activities then you want to avoid working with them. You will want to ask for references and then check them. Also, inspect the work they have done. If you do your research properly, you shouldn't have to deal with shoddy work and mechanics liens.
Even though you may hire a general contractor to handle all of the day to day worries, you will want to pay close attention to the remodel. Inspect the work periodically and make sure that the work is being performed correctly. If you don't, you may be surprised by a few errors before the work is completed and after the work is completed.
In summary, you will want to work out the details of payments before hiring any work done on your house. When you do pay for the work, you will want to have letters of release signed so that contractors will not be able to enforce liens on the house.
Permits, When Do You Need Them For A Remodel?
If you are doing a remodel or an addition to your home, you will want to check with your city to find out what type of permits you will need. Each city will have different codes so you will need to check with your specific municipality before you begin your project. By complying with your local building codes you should be able to maintain the integrity of your home, meet building codes, and preserve resale value.
To get you started, here's a basic list of projects that usually require building permits. Adding a room. Building, tearing down, or moving a garage, shed, carport. Cutting new windows or door openings, or widening existing openings. Adding, moving, or taking out walls. Building retaining walls. Remodeling that requires moving existing plumbing. Re-roofing when a complete tear off and re-sheathing is required. Adding stairways. Building raised decks. Installing fans, exhausts, vents, or appliances that must be vented. Installing wood stoves, fireplace inserts, pellet stoves, and any required venting. Installing or changing any permanent electrical device or wiring, including conversion from fuse box to circuit breakers. Installing low voltage systems such as security systems or computer networks. Replacing water heaters or changing plumbing as well as any new plumbing installations.
This is just a short list of the various types of permits your city may require. Remember, each municipality has different requirements for distance, heights, sizes, and so forth. For example, the building code in one town may mandate a permit for any deck more than 30 inches above grade while another may say 36 inches. The exact specifications could be very important and have safety factors involved while others are just arbitrary.
Some areas will require that you get the work inspected before you cover the work. For instance, if you are doing electrical work in a wall, you will need to have it inspected before the drywall is put in place. Plumbing is very similar. Make sure you get the permit required and have the proper inspections done during and after the project.
Additionally, you will want to put the building permits in your name. If you allow the contractor to pull all of the building permits, you could have problems later if you have to fire the contractor or he is unable to complete the project. A building permit is often issued in a person's name and if your contractor leaves before the project is done, you may be required to get a new building permit.
Many cities allow homeowners to do the work themselves without necessarily getting permits. Keep in mind though that it's vital for you to adhere to city codes anyway. Too often a homeowner makes changes without the required permits. Later when they go to sell, they are unpleasantly surprised that the sale can't proceed until the work is brought up to code. Fixing the work or bringing it up to code can cost thousands of additional dollars that could have been avoided at a significantly cheaper cost.
For specific information, contact your local building department for details that pertain to your area and project. You can usually find the right department by calling your local city government.
In summary, permits are not always required, but when you do a remodel, you will want to check with your local municipality to find out what permits are required. It is suggested that you keep the permits in your name and make sure that all of the work has the proper inspections before completion. Failure to properly adhere to building codes can be costly to correct.
To get you started, here's a basic list of projects that usually require building permits. Adding a room. Building, tearing down, or moving a garage, shed, carport. Cutting new windows or door openings, or widening existing openings. Adding, moving, or taking out walls. Building retaining walls. Remodeling that requires moving existing plumbing. Re-roofing when a complete tear off and re-sheathing is required. Adding stairways. Building raised decks. Installing fans, exhausts, vents, or appliances that must be vented. Installing wood stoves, fireplace inserts, pellet stoves, and any required venting. Installing or changing any permanent electrical device or wiring, including conversion from fuse box to circuit breakers. Installing low voltage systems such as security systems or computer networks. Replacing water heaters or changing plumbing as well as any new plumbing installations.
This is just a short list of the various types of permits your city may require. Remember, each municipality has different requirements for distance, heights, sizes, and so forth. For example, the building code in one town may mandate a permit for any deck more than 30 inches above grade while another may say 36 inches. The exact specifications could be very important and have safety factors involved while others are just arbitrary.
Some areas will require that you get the work inspected before you cover the work. For instance, if you are doing electrical work in a wall, you will need to have it inspected before the drywall is put in place. Plumbing is very similar. Make sure you get the permit required and have the proper inspections done during and after the project.
Additionally, you will want to put the building permits in your name. If you allow the contractor to pull all of the building permits, you could have problems later if you have to fire the contractor or he is unable to complete the project. A building permit is often issued in a person's name and if your contractor leaves before the project is done, you may be required to get a new building permit.
Many cities allow homeowners to do the work themselves without necessarily getting permits. Keep in mind though that it's vital for you to adhere to city codes anyway. Too often a homeowner makes changes without the required permits. Later when they go to sell, they are unpleasantly surprised that the sale can't proceed until the work is brought up to code. Fixing the work or bringing it up to code can cost thousands of additional dollars that could have been avoided at a significantly cheaper cost.
For specific information, contact your local building department for details that pertain to your area and project. You can usually find the right department by calling your local city government.
In summary, permits are not always required, but when you do a remodel, you will want to check with your local municipality to find out what permits are required. It is suggested that you keep the permits in your name and make sure that all of the work has the proper inspections before completion. Failure to properly adhere to building codes can be costly to correct.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Tropical Rooms with Water Cooled Breezes
Tropical Rooms with Water Cooled Breezes are a necessity in South Florida, where year round temperatures allow for outdoor living and dining. When clients in the know desire a dramatic custom home on the waterfront they usually seek to incorporate ocean to intracoastal views with dockage onsite or quick access to a nearby marina. Entertainment extends to seasonal living and gathering in stylish outdoor rooms, where menus include mango salsa, citrus glazed shrimp, grilled catch of the day and colorful icy drinks.
Tropical rooms in tropical homes include outdoor bar areas, with breezy shelter beneath a rotunda or lanai, perfect for solo lounging or for entertaining guests. These spaces can be sheltered by columns but still open, providing outdoor rooms with cooling tropical breezes encircling the space---vital to year-round outdoor living.
Overhead fans can be set to lazily stir the air on sultry evenings, while cooling mists rise from pools and the waterway. These outdoor spaces are the perfect place for dining alfresco, or for serving up an impromptu tray of tempting colorful fruits and icy drinks.
The formal architecture in Florida’s custom homes is often in the front of the house, keeping the home private while the back usually opens more informally to the views allowing transparency to the waterway.
We have a wonderful quality of light in the topics and Florida’s waterfront homes make fantastic use of the five senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are evident everywhere; even our landscape supports edible fruits. Water comes fully into play in tropical homes, both visually and in the actual cooling.
Connections between indoor and outdoor spaces visually blend the indoors to the outdoors. Tropical architecture sometimes calls to mind a Polynesian ideal, with thatched overhangs and simple unadorned natural spaces cooled only by tropical breezes. But, we in Florida are faced with additional realities---a need for weather protection and climate control. “Open” homes have to be balanced with the need for privacy and security, as we are not alone on our tropical paradise.
Tropical homes are surrounded by water features and pools. Landscape designers, architects and custom pool designers create sculptural pools, waterfalls, and dramatic sheets and sprays of water over and above functional swimming pools with infinity edges overlooking waterways. Pool areas feature tropical punches of hot color from hibiscus and bougainvillea, while lush foxtail and coconut palms wave in waterside breezes. The poolside ambience equals the four and five star resorts of the Caribbean, where visitors while away the hours by dreaming and swinging in hammocks built for two.
Properties use front porch views and sunset views – along with heavily landscaped areas and walking paths. Aesthetics of the tropical custom home can include elements from the British West Indies including metal roofs, colonnades of classical columns and upscale finishes. Many Floridians travel, and incorporate the design of tropical destinations that they love and want to relive on a daily basis.
Keywords: tropical custom homes, tropical rooms with water cooled breezes, outdoor rooms and topical design, the architecture of the tropics, Caribbean design in tropical homes, architecture of the south, custom home design in the tropics, McKerns Development, writing for tropical architecture, feature writing press and PR in Florida
Tropical rooms in tropical homes include outdoor bar areas, with breezy shelter beneath a rotunda or lanai, perfect for solo lounging or for entertaining guests. These spaces can be sheltered by columns but still open, providing outdoor rooms with cooling tropical breezes encircling the space---vital to year-round outdoor living.
Overhead fans can be set to lazily stir the air on sultry evenings, while cooling mists rise from pools and the waterway. These outdoor spaces are the perfect place for dining alfresco, or for serving up an impromptu tray of tempting colorful fruits and icy drinks.
The formal architecture in Florida’s custom homes is often in the front of the house, keeping the home private while the back usually opens more informally to the views allowing transparency to the waterway.
We have a wonderful quality of light in the topics and Florida’s waterfront homes make fantastic use of the five senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch and taste are evident everywhere; even our landscape supports edible fruits. Water comes fully into play in tropical homes, both visually and in the actual cooling.
Connections between indoor and outdoor spaces visually blend the indoors to the outdoors. Tropical architecture sometimes calls to mind a Polynesian ideal, with thatched overhangs and simple unadorned natural spaces cooled only by tropical breezes. But, we in Florida are faced with additional realities---a need for weather protection and climate control. “Open” homes have to be balanced with the need for privacy and security, as we are not alone on our tropical paradise.
Tropical homes are surrounded by water features and pools. Landscape designers, architects and custom pool designers create sculptural pools, waterfalls, and dramatic sheets and sprays of water over and above functional swimming pools with infinity edges overlooking waterways. Pool areas feature tropical punches of hot color from hibiscus and bougainvillea, while lush foxtail and coconut palms wave in waterside breezes. The poolside ambience equals the four and five star resorts of the Caribbean, where visitors while away the hours by dreaming and swinging in hammocks built for two.
Properties use front porch views and sunset views – along with heavily landscaped areas and walking paths. Aesthetics of the tropical custom home can include elements from the British West Indies including metal roofs, colonnades of classical columns and upscale finishes. Many Floridians travel, and incorporate the design of tropical destinations that they love and want to relive on a daily basis.
Keywords: tropical custom homes, tropical rooms with water cooled breezes, outdoor rooms and topical design, the architecture of the tropics, Caribbean design in tropical homes, architecture of the south, custom home design in the tropics, McKerns Development, writing for tropical architecture, feature writing press and PR in Florida
Floor Plan Simplicity Makes Convenient Living
Possibly the simplest and most functional floor plans are designed for farm house layouts, encompassing a simple four room per floor plan. The second floor is typically a repeat of the first floor, although some alteration may be made depending on the family's needs.
In most cases there will be a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom on the lower floor with a bathroom and three or four bedrooms on the upper floor. Two of those bedrooms could be combined into a larger one to hold three upstairs rooms, if the family needs one extra large room for their personal needs.
While most two-story floor plans will have one bathroom over the other for ease in plumbing installation, it is also possible for bathrooms to be at opposite ends of the house. This will increase installation costs as well as repair costs later on, but individual floor plans are for the convenience of the homeowner and not the plumber doing the work.
These floor plans typically have a door at the front and back of the house, but the floor plan will allow the first floor to have a circular traffic pattern. Ease of getting from one room to the other allows traffic to flow from room to room without causing congestion in a busy household. Moving from the kitchen to the dining room or to the family room makes mealtime easier while segregating the living room from any noise associate with kitchen activity.
On the upper level, the bathroom is typically located closest to the master, or larger bedroom, for the convenience of the “master” of the house. Often times, if the floor plan will allow, a half-bath can be placed at the other end of the upper level to allow more convenience of the rest of the family members
In most cases there will be a living room, dining room, kitchen and bathroom on the lower floor with a bathroom and three or four bedrooms on the upper floor. Two of those bedrooms could be combined into a larger one to hold three upstairs rooms, if the family needs one extra large room for their personal needs.
While most two-story floor plans will have one bathroom over the other for ease in plumbing installation, it is also possible for bathrooms to be at opposite ends of the house. This will increase installation costs as well as repair costs later on, but individual floor plans are for the convenience of the homeowner and not the plumber doing the work.
These floor plans typically have a door at the front and back of the house, but the floor plan will allow the first floor to have a circular traffic pattern. Ease of getting from one room to the other allows traffic to flow from room to room without causing congestion in a busy household. Moving from the kitchen to the dining room or to the family room makes mealtime easier while segregating the living room from any noise associate with kitchen activity.
On the upper level, the bathroom is typically located closest to the master, or larger bedroom, for the convenience of the “master” of the house. Often times, if the floor plan will allow, a half-bath can be placed at the other end of the upper level to allow more convenience of the rest of the family members
Efficient Floor Plans Provide Smooth Traffic Flow
When looking over floor plans for your new house you will want to make sure they fit the lifestyle of your family, while providing a smooth traffic flow. Having to go through one room to get into another one may be necessary in some instances, but proper planning of the floor plan will eliminate that need.
Most floor plans will involve a means of entering the home from at least two directions, the front and rear, with a third means added through an attached garage. In some case, an entryway through the basement, if applicable, can add a fourth means of entry. In many cases the location of entries will help determine the flow of traffic.
Entering through a door leading into the kitchen area, will make life easier when coming home from the store, as most trips result in food and other items that will be stored in the kitchen. Typically, entries from attached garages lead directly into the kitchen and if they don't, they should.
The front door typically leads into a living room or into a foyer and it is used to receive guests, providing a closet in which to store coats or other items carried in. Usually, the front door has restricted use with the family using the garage or back door on the rear of the house. This may include an adjacent means of getting into the basement. A person working outdoors may be covered with dirt and will want to go directly to a basement to clean up before tracking dirt throughout the rest of the house.
An outside entry leading directly to the basement may be available on floor plans for a house on a sloping lot. The door may be a sliding patio door or a regular entry door, leading into either a family room or a mud room.
Most floor plans will involve a means of entering the home from at least two directions, the front and rear, with a third means added through an attached garage. In some case, an entryway through the basement, if applicable, can add a fourth means of entry. In many cases the location of entries will help determine the flow of traffic.
Entering through a door leading into the kitchen area, will make life easier when coming home from the store, as most trips result in food and other items that will be stored in the kitchen. Typically, entries from attached garages lead directly into the kitchen and if they don't, they should.
The front door typically leads into a living room or into a foyer and it is used to receive guests, providing a closet in which to store coats or other items carried in. Usually, the front door has restricted use with the family using the garage or back door on the rear of the house. This may include an adjacent means of getting into the basement. A person working outdoors may be covered with dirt and will want to go directly to a basement to clean up before tracking dirt throughout the rest of the house.
An outside entry leading directly to the basement may be available on floor plans for a house on a sloping lot. The door may be a sliding patio door or a regular entry door, leading into either a family room or a mud room.
Real Estate Developers Aren't All Bad Guys
The term "developer" has become the favorite euphemism of the news outlets for the cause of all unwanted or undesirable growth. "Developers have plans for a new subdivision on 100 acres of farmland"; "Development causes traffic woes"; and similar headlines are thrown at us every day. Somehow, these reckless destroyers of the landscape are running amok in our community without any regard to the citizens. They are referred to as if they were an evil force bent on destroying the very ground under our feet.
I will be the first to admit that not all who build on speculation are interested in creating lasting quality. And there are, without a doubt, a few bad apples out there who make all of our jobs more difficult. But most real estate developers are not entitled to the "bad guy" monikers even if you don't like what they're building, for one simple reason: they are building what we want where we want it.
Most real estate speculators are developing land for exactly what homebuyers are asking for: bigger homes (even if it means sacrificing quality), more "features" (vaulted ceilings, round-top windows, solid-surfaced countertops), and more "curb appeal", even if it means no appeal whatsoever on the other three sides of the house. Apparently, most people want wide streets, sidewalks, streetlights, and a landscaped grand entrance to the subdivision, and are apparently willing to trade off lot size for it.
In my business, I am in contact with real estate developers and home builders on a daily basis. The successful ones have at least one thing in common - they don't commit their money to any project without research. Research can be as simple as a walk around a neighborhood to see what people are interested in buying or as complex as a full-scale study of the trends in the region. Occasionally, speculators try new ideas, or bring old ideas back. Disney's Celebration community outside of Orlando is an example of using old town-planning ideas in a new development. They took a big risk, but it wasn't done without exhaustive research. They had a pretty good idea that it was going to succeed before they built it because their research told them that a market existed for it.
When some people see that sign going up announcing a new housing development on the cornfield down the road they cry out that developers are tearing up farmland. It would be much more accurate to say that consumer demand is tearing up farmland. It is never a surprise to me when a hotly-debated rezoning request goes through, one that was vigorously opposed by many members of the community, that those new neighborhoods fill up rapidly.
Consider this: when was the last time that you saw the lots in a new home development go completely unsold? You may have treasured the soybean field or the forest that had been there since you moved to the area but there are many others who don't. If everyone held the opinion that houses shouldn't go there, the land would remain undeveloped. And yet, in our community, they can't turn farmland into subdivisions fast enough. I don't like the quality of some of the new homes I see going up, but they are selling fast-often before they are finished.
I will be the first to admit that not all who build on speculation are interested in creating lasting quality. And there are, without a doubt, a few bad apples out there who make all of our jobs more difficult. But most real estate developers are not entitled to the "bad guy" monikers even if you don't like what they're building, for one simple reason: they are building what we want where we want it.
Most real estate speculators are developing land for exactly what homebuyers are asking for: bigger homes (even if it means sacrificing quality), more "features" (vaulted ceilings, round-top windows, solid-surfaced countertops), and more "curb appeal", even if it means no appeal whatsoever on the other three sides of the house. Apparently, most people want wide streets, sidewalks, streetlights, and a landscaped grand entrance to the subdivision, and are apparently willing to trade off lot size for it.
In my business, I am in contact with real estate developers and home builders on a daily basis. The successful ones have at least one thing in common - they don't commit their money to any project without research. Research can be as simple as a walk around a neighborhood to see what people are interested in buying or as complex as a full-scale study of the trends in the region. Occasionally, speculators try new ideas, or bring old ideas back. Disney's Celebration community outside of Orlando is an example of using old town-planning ideas in a new development. They took a big risk, but it wasn't done without exhaustive research. They had a pretty good idea that it was going to succeed before they built it because their research told them that a market existed for it.
When some people see that sign going up announcing a new housing development on the cornfield down the road they cry out that developers are tearing up farmland. It would be much more accurate to say that consumer demand is tearing up farmland. It is never a surprise to me when a hotly-debated rezoning request goes through, one that was vigorously opposed by many members of the community, that those new neighborhoods fill up rapidly.
Consider this: when was the last time that you saw the lots in a new home development go completely unsold? You may have treasured the soybean field or the forest that had been there since you moved to the area but there are many others who don't. If everyone held the opinion that houses shouldn't go there, the land would remain undeveloped. And yet, in our community, they can't turn farmland into subdivisions fast enough. I don't like the quality of some of the new homes I see going up, but they are selling fast-often before they are finished.
The Benefits of Building a Custom Home
The major advantage in building a custom home is that you get a completed home that ideally meets your needs, both in terms of function and quality.
Today most spec homes are built using “builder’s grade” products in order to minimize cost and maximize profits for both the builder and real estate agent. As a result, the new homeowner frequently winds up purchasing a home that has products installed, e.g. appliances and cabinets, that have short life expectancies. In addition, with a spec home its pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get (wysiwyg), both in terms of layout and room sizes. Even if you sign a purchase and sales agreement for a to-be-built new home in a new housing development you frequently are limited in house styles, layouts and features.
When building a custom home, on the other hand, you can choose the floor layout and room sizes. In addition, you have the freedom of lot selection, home style, cabinet and flooring selections, window and door choices, siding material and color, lighting, etc. The list goes on. Virtually every feature and product of the home design is for you to decide upon.
Building a fully custom home however, does come at a price. Unique features and products are not sold at “builder grade” prices at box home improvement stores. Consequently you should expect to spend 2 to 3 times more per square foot on construction costs when building a fully custom home.
Alternatively, a semi custom home is a compromise between building a fully custom home and purchasing a spec home. As a result, building a semi custom home provides you with the ability to select some of your home’s features, while not blowing your home budget.
When building a semi custom home, the builder usually presents you with several house styles and floor plans to choose from. In addition, you are usually allowed to select flooring, cabinets, appliances, lighting fixtures and lighting locations. Frequently the flexibility is offered via “budget allowances”. For example a builder may offer you a $2000 kitchen appliance allowance where you choose what kitchen appliances you want installed in the home’s kitchen. If you decide to purchase appliances in excess of the allowance then you pay the additional costs out of your pocket.
In addition, when building a semi custom home you will frequently have the opportunity to select various building options such as attached garages, family rooms, unfinished rooms and even deck sizes.
Deciding to build a custom home is not for the faint of heart. Even if you have selected a great architect and builder you will be required to do a lot of work and make a lot of choices. Expect to spend many a day at kitchen and bath centers, flooring stores, lighting stores, etc. You will need to make decisions on many aspects of your custom home that you would not otherwise have a chance to do if purchasing a spec home. However, for most homeowners choosing the path of building a custom home is a positive experience. Everyday they live in the custom home they get to appreciate the choices that they made during the building of their custom home.
Today most spec homes are built using “builder’s grade” products in order to minimize cost and maximize profits for both the builder and real estate agent. As a result, the new homeowner frequently winds up purchasing a home that has products installed, e.g. appliances and cabinets, that have short life expectancies. In addition, with a spec home its pretty much what-you-see-is-what-you-get (wysiwyg), both in terms of layout and room sizes. Even if you sign a purchase and sales agreement for a to-be-built new home in a new housing development you frequently are limited in house styles, layouts and features.
When building a custom home, on the other hand, you can choose the floor layout and room sizes. In addition, you have the freedom of lot selection, home style, cabinet and flooring selections, window and door choices, siding material and color, lighting, etc. The list goes on. Virtually every feature and product of the home design is for you to decide upon.
Building a fully custom home however, does come at a price. Unique features and products are not sold at “builder grade” prices at box home improvement stores. Consequently you should expect to spend 2 to 3 times more per square foot on construction costs when building a fully custom home.
Alternatively, a semi custom home is a compromise between building a fully custom home and purchasing a spec home. As a result, building a semi custom home provides you with the ability to select some of your home’s features, while not blowing your home budget.
When building a semi custom home, the builder usually presents you with several house styles and floor plans to choose from. In addition, you are usually allowed to select flooring, cabinets, appliances, lighting fixtures and lighting locations. Frequently the flexibility is offered via “budget allowances”. For example a builder may offer you a $2000 kitchen appliance allowance where you choose what kitchen appliances you want installed in the home’s kitchen. If you decide to purchase appliances in excess of the allowance then you pay the additional costs out of your pocket.
In addition, when building a semi custom home you will frequently have the opportunity to select various building options such as attached garages, family rooms, unfinished rooms and even deck sizes.
Deciding to build a custom home is not for the faint of heart. Even if you have selected a great architect and builder you will be required to do a lot of work and make a lot of choices. Expect to spend many a day at kitchen and bath centers, flooring stores, lighting stores, etc. You will need to make decisions on many aspects of your custom home that you would not otherwise have a chance to do if purchasing a spec home. However, for most homeowners choosing the path of building a custom home is a positive experience. Everyday they live in the custom home they get to appreciate the choices that they made during the building of their custom home.
Building Environmentally Sound Homes
As our planet continues to take more and more of a beating, there has been a real emergence of building environmentally conscious housing. In years past homes were constructed with materials that were not only damaging to the environment but as we eventually discovered, harmful to us as well. Prime examples of this were the use of things like lead based paint and piping and asbestos. These materials have caused an amazing amount of damage to the planet and to people's health.
Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.
Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.
Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.
Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.
10 Ways To Reduce Noise When Planning a New Home
There is nothing worse than hearing the noise of every car that drives past your home, or listening to the neighbour's stereo when you are trying to read, or hearing “The Wiggles” from the children’s playroom when you want to watch the news. So here are 10 ways to reduce noise when planning a new home:
1. Keep windows on the noisy side of the house as small as possible to reduce the noise.
2. Make the exterior of the home from thick materials like stone or brick veneer. They work more effectively at reducing noise than flat, rigid materials like plaster, fibre cement board or steel cladding.
3. Similar theory applies to the roofing materials. Lightweight steel or metal tiles allow more noise to enter the home- especially rain- than more dense and heavy concrete tiles.
4. To reduce neighbour noise, fences are a must. The more solid or dense the better. Brick, concrete or thick heavy density foliage hedges work well.
5. Use laminated glass to reduce high frequency sound. For low frequency sound, tempered glass is the most effective.
6. Use heavy lined drapery to cover windows. Ensure that they cover the entire width of the window and go straight to the floor.
7. Carpet absorbs a great deal of internal noise- especially in high thoroughfare areas like hallways. Alternatively, use area rugs or carpet runners.
8. Insulate internal wall cavities where you want to reduce sound transfer with a noise control blanket.
9. If using gypsum wallboard linings refer to the manufacturers instructions for noise control. There are ways of installing different wallboard thicknesses to reduce sound transference and they can vary depending on the brand and manufacturer.
10. Use upholstered furniture in your living room and bedrooms or wherever you want to reduce noise. Solid timber or plastic furniture simply reflects sound, unlike the upholstered furniture which absorbs a great deal of noise.
1. Keep windows on the noisy side of the house as small as possible to reduce the noise.
2. Make the exterior of the home from thick materials like stone or brick veneer. They work more effectively at reducing noise than flat, rigid materials like plaster, fibre cement board or steel cladding.
3. Similar theory applies to the roofing materials. Lightweight steel or metal tiles allow more noise to enter the home- especially rain- than more dense and heavy concrete tiles.
4. To reduce neighbour noise, fences are a must. The more solid or dense the better. Brick, concrete or thick heavy density foliage hedges work well.
5. Use laminated glass to reduce high frequency sound. For low frequency sound, tempered glass is the most effective.
6. Use heavy lined drapery to cover windows. Ensure that they cover the entire width of the window and go straight to the floor.
7. Carpet absorbs a great deal of internal noise- especially in high thoroughfare areas like hallways. Alternatively, use area rugs or carpet runners.
8. Insulate internal wall cavities where you want to reduce sound transfer with a noise control blanket.
9. If using gypsum wallboard linings refer to the manufacturers instructions for noise control. There are ways of installing different wallboard thicknesses to reduce sound transference and they can vary depending on the brand and manufacturer.
10. Use upholstered furniture in your living room and bedrooms or wherever you want to reduce noise. Solid timber or plastic furniture simply reflects sound, unlike the upholstered furniture which absorbs a great deal of noise.
Your Front Door - Designing The Entry To Your Home
Here's a subject that's rarely given enough thought in custom home design...the way you enter and leave your house. We're just talking about a door, right? A hole in the wall, a way in and a way out; what more is there to consider?
It's easy to overlook the design of the entrance to our houses. We spend our time working on the design of the exterior and creating the spaces inside the house. But the front door and the spaces connected to it occupy an important middle ground between indoors and out and set the stage for the success of the entire custom home design. The entry begins to establish your home's personality and suggests how the rest of the house should be. The entry is a symbolic passage from the public realm of the street to the private realm of the family and tells the world something about the people within.
If Walls Could Speak
It's a cliché to say that the front of a house "makes a statement", but clichés usually have some basis in truth. The entry can be a barrier or an invitation, obvious or concealed, pompous or humble; it can welcome you in or it can keep you at arm's length. The front door and the area around it can be a message board for the neighborhood - hung with wreaths and ivy during the holidays, festooned with red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July, and decorated with pumpkins and corn shocks at Halloween.
Each element that makes up the home's entry has something to say. The classic American front porch is a good example; it's the outdoor social center, a place to watch the activity of the street, a place to meet and greet neighbors and friends. A front porch is an outdoor room, neither completely public nor private and easing the transition into and out of the house. A house with a big, broad front porch tells the world that the family inside values the social fabric of the street, welcoming neighbors and friends and inviting them to stop and visit.
The Entry Sequence
But the front porch is just one part of a sequence of spaces and elements creating a transition from the public realm (the street) to the private realm (the house). That sequence includes walks, landscaping, steps, porches, overhangs, lights, doors, and interior entry spaces. A successful entry sequence considers the placement and design of all of these elements and their relationship to each other.
The entry to a home begins long before you've stepped onto the property. It starts in the street with the initial visual cues -- where the entrance to the property is, and where the entrance to the house is.
At first glance from the street, the entry to the house should be seen or at least hinted at to provide a clear destination for our guests. Our old friend the front porch is a great way to indicate clearly where the entrance is to be found. A porch or overhang at the entry also keeps your guests out of the weather while they're waiting for you to answer the door.
A path from the street or driveway to the front door should be direct - people look ahead subconsciously as they approach a building, searching for the shortest path to the entrance. The beginning of the path should be well lit so that it can be found in the dark, and should be wide enough for two people to walk comfortably abreast. This is also a great place for colorful landscaping. In temperate and cold climates, leave areas open where shoveled snow can be piled alongside the walk without burying the planting beds.
A little mystery isn't a bad idea here either - vary the direction of the path a bit so the scenery changes and the front door moves in and out of view.
It's A House, Not A Greek Temple
Historically, the design of a home's entry gave the public an indication of the wealth and status of its owners. The entrances to grand homes are often flanked by huge classical columns, their doors framed by elaborately carved surrounds. But when more modest homes take up these motifs, they often feel out of place and forced. An entry can be too easily seen from the street, announcing itself too boldly (as if it were an entrance to an office building), and draining all of the warmth from the entry sequence.
Better to design the entry on a human scale, using familiar elements that don't overwhelm the visitor. Benches, small windows, potted plants, brick paths and porch railings all contribute to the comfort we want our guests to feel as they are welcomed into our homes.
The human scale should continue on the other side of the door. Although some larger homes are appropriately fitted with double curved stairs and four hundred square foot entry halls, these features overwhelm a typical family home. Entry halls and foyers should welcome guests, allow them to get oriented to the house, provide a place to hang their coats, and direct them efficiently to the "public" rooms of the house. There's a place for splendor and majesty of course, but that's best left to the grand homes.
Hey, I didn't invent this stuff...
Other cultures also place a high value on the design of a home's entry. The Ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui dictates exactly where a home's front door should be to attract good Chi (energy flow) and block harmful Chi. It's a complex relationship between compass position, proximity to other structures, roads and paths, access to sunlight, and views to the outside. According to Feng Shui, a well-placed and well-designed front door can enhance luck, promote business success, and increase the health of the occupants. Although deeply rooted in ancient culture, much of Feng Shui is simply good design practice that we can apply to the design of the ways that we enter and exit our own homes.
Welcome Home To... Your Laundry Room?
Although the introduction of the automobile has had a profound impact on the way we enter our houses, it was the popularization of the attached garage in the mid 20th century that eventually relegated the traditional front door and porch to ceremonial status. Ironically, we rarely use the impressive entries we build in our homes. We're content to enter our own house through the garage - often through a laundry room or mudroom. Is that what we've worked so hard for? Providing grand entry experiences for our few visitors or the annual holiday gatherings while we trudge daily through the dirty laundry? The owners of the house should be welcomed into their sanctuary through a space designed to greet them, to acknowledge them, and to recognize them as the reason it exists.
On a recent pre-design tour through a remodeling client's home, the client and I entered through the garage and laundry room, moving aside bicycles, toys, and baskets of dirty clothes to get into the kitchen. She hadn't thought about it, but I suggested we consider reworking the way she enters her house as a part of the remodeling. She agreed, and the result is a small but well appointed "owner's entry hall" directly off of the garage and connecting to the kitchen and breakfast room. The laundry and mudrooms are adjacent to but closed off from this entry. She's already told me how much she enjoys the new space and how it brightens her spirits at the end of the day.
Knock, knock...
But what about the front door itself? The front door is at once a bridge and a barrier. Should it be big, small, opaque, transparent, rectangular or arched? I prefer a big door wide enough to make the furniture movers happy - at least 42 inches wide. Because the front door will be used every day, durability and resistance to weather damage are important. A bit of glass in the door allows permits residents to see someone outside without allowing the stranger a view of the interior. A lot of glass in the door is less private, but brings in more light from the outside.
Although a wood door is susceptible to damage from the elements, it always looks better than metal or fiberglass imitations. And if properly protected with an overhanging roof, a quality wood door should last the life of the house.
It's easy to overlook the design of the entrance to our houses. We spend our time working on the design of the exterior and creating the spaces inside the house. But the front door and the spaces connected to it occupy an important middle ground between indoors and out and set the stage for the success of the entire custom home design. The entry begins to establish your home's personality and suggests how the rest of the house should be. The entry is a symbolic passage from the public realm of the street to the private realm of the family and tells the world something about the people within.
If Walls Could Speak
It's a cliché to say that the front of a house "makes a statement", but clichés usually have some basis in truth. The entry can be a barrier or an invitation, obvious or concealed, pompous or humble; it can welcome you in or it can keep you at arm's length. The front door and the area around it can be a message board for the neighborhood - hung with wreaths and ivy during the holidays, festooned with red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July, and decorated with pumpkins and corn shocks at Halloween.
Each element that makes up the home's entry has something to say. The classic American front porch is a good example; it's the outdoor social center, a place to watch the activity of the street, a place to meet and greet neighbors and friends. A front porch is an outdoor room, neither completely public nor private and easing the transition into and out of the house. A house with a big, broad front porch tells the world that the family inside values the social fabric of the street, welcoming neighbors and friends and inviting them to stop and visit.
The Entry Sequence
But the front porch is just one part of a sequence of spaces and elements creating a transition from the public realm (the street) to the private realm (the house). That sequence includes walks, landscaping, steps, porches, overhangs, lights, doors, and interior entry spaces. A successful entry sequence considers the placement and design of all of these elements and their relationship to each other.
The entry to a home begins long before you've stepped onto the property. It starts in the street with the initial visual cues -- where the entrance to the property is, and where the entrance to the house is.
At first glance from the street, the entry to the house should be seen or at least hinted at to provide a clear destination for our guests. Our old friend the front porch is a great way to indicate clearly where the entrance is to be found. A porch or overhang at the entry also keeps your guests out of the weather while they're waiting for you to answer the door.
A path from the street or driveway to the front door should be direct - people look ahead subconsciously as they approach a building, searching for the shortest path to the entrance. The beginning of the path should be well lit so that it can be found in the dark, and should be wide enough for two people to walk comfortably abreast. This is also a great place for colorful landscaping. In temperate and cold climates, leave areas open where shoveled snow can be piled alongside the walk without burying the planting beds.
A little mystery isn't a bad idea here either - vary the direction of the path a bit so the scenery changes and the front door moves in and out of view.
It's A House, Not A Greek Temple
Historically, the design of a home's entry gave the public an indication of the wealth and status of its owners. The entrances to grand homes are often flanked by huge classical columns, their doors framed by elaborately carved surrounds. But when more modest homes take up these motifs, they often feel out of place and forced. An entry can be too easily seen from the street, announcing itself too boldly (as if it were an entrance to an office building), and draining all of the warmth from the entry sequence.
Better to design the entry on a human scale, using familiar elements that don't overwhelm the visitor. Benches, small windows, potted plants, brick paths and porch railings all contribute to the comfort we want our guests to feel as they are welcomed into our homes.
The human scale should continue on the other side of the door. Although some larger homes are appropriately fitted with double curved stairs and four hundred square foot entry halls, these features overwhelm a typical family home. Entry halls and foyers should welcome guests, allow them to get oriented to the house, provide a place to hang their coats, and direct them efficiently to the "public" rooms of the house. There's a place for splendor and majesty of course, but that's best left to the grand homes.
Hey, I didn't invent this stuff...
Other cultures also place a high value on the design of a home's entry. The Ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui dictates exactly where a home's front door should be to attract good Chi (energy flow) and block harmful Chi. It's a complex relationship between compass position, proximity to other structures, roads and paths, access to sunlight, and views to the outside. According to Feng Shui, a well-placed and well-designed front door can enhance luck, promote business success, and increase the health of the occupants. Although deeply rooted in ancient culture, much of Feng Shui is simply good design practice that we can apply to the design of the ways that we enter and exit our own homes.
Welcome Home To... Your Laundry Room?
Although the introduction of the automobile has had a profound impact on the way we enter our houses, it was the popularization of the attached garage in the mid 20th century that eventually relegated the traditional front door and porch to ceremonial status. Ironically, we rarely use the impressive entries we build in our homes. We're content to enter our own house through the garage - often through a laundry room or mudroom. Is that what we've worked so hard for? Providing grand entry experiences for our few visitors or the annual holiday gatherings while we trudge daily through the dirty laundry? The owners of the house should be welcomed into their sanctuary through a space designed to greet them, to acknowledge them, and to recognize them as the reason it exists.
On a recent pre-design tour through a remodeling client's home, the client and I entered through the garage and laundry room, moving aside bicycles, toys, and baskets of dirty clothes to get into the kitchen. She hadn't thought about it, but I suggested we consider reworking the way she enters her house as a part of the remodeling. She agreed, and the result is a small but well appointed "owner's entry hall" directly off of the garage and connecting to the kitchen and breakfast room. The laundry and mudrooms are adjacent to but closed off from this entry. She's already told me how much she enjoys the new space and how it brightens her spirits at the end of the day.
Knock, knock...
But what about the front door itself? The front door is at once a bridge and a barrier. Should it be big, small, opaque, transparent, rectangular or arched? I prefer a big door wide enough to make the furniture movers happy - at least 42 inches wide. Because the front door will be used every day, durability and resistance to weather damage are important. A bit of glass in the door allows permits residents to see someone outside without allowing the stranger a view of the interior. A lot of glass in the door is less private, but brings in more light from the outside.
Although a wood door is susceptible to damage from the elements, it always looks better than metal or fiberglass imitations. And if properly protected with an overhanging roof, a quality wood door should last the life of the house.
Empty Nester Housing
Retirement. Florida. Golf. Boredom. What do these terms have in common? Not much, according to a mountain of recent studies of the lifestyles and demographics of aging baby-boomers. Today's "empty-nesters" are a more diverse group then ever before, taking advantage of their newly found free time and discretionary income. They're changing the way we think about the second half of life, living out their dreams and fulfilling life goals.
The notion that life after the children leave necessarily means loneliness and boredom has been swept away. That myth, it seems, grew from 1960s research on women being treated for depression, according to My Turn, a 1997 book by author Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro. Shapiro researched the lives of 45 women whose children had "left the nest" and discovered that most felt a sense of relief and freedom. Other scientific studies have found similar results.
Nearly one-third of America's population (75 million people) are considered "maturing baby-boomers", a very large and relatively affluent group that is looking for much more from the "after-family" years than rocking chairs and meals-on-wheels.
The notion that life after the children leave necessarily means loneliness and boredom has been swept away. That myth, it seems, grew from 1960s research on women being treated for depression, according to My Turn, a 1997 book by author Patricia Gottlieb Shapiro. Shapiro researched the lives of 45 women whose children had "left the nest" and discovered that most felt a sense of relief and freedom. Other scientific studies have found similar results.
Nearly one-third of America's population (75 million people) are considered "maturing baby-boomers", a very large and relatively affluent group that is looking for much more from the "after-family" years than rocking chairs and meals-on-wheels.
Energy Efficient Home Design - The Basics
Good house design takes its form in part from the forces that act on it. Climate and weather are two of the strongest form-makers (there are no igloos in the tropics) since houses must be designed and built to repel the damaging effects of the world we live in. Mother Nature is always trying to tear our buildings down.
Climate and weather also affect the comfort of our homes, and cause us to seek out ways to maintain the temperature and humidity of our homes within tolerable levels. A great deal of design effort is devoted to keeping the heat in or keeping the heat out, depending on the climate and season.
This Old House
At times throughout American history, the forms of our homes have reflected - to greater or lesser extents - our ingenuity in making our homes' internal climates more comfortable.
Settlers in the Deep South built deep porches around their low-slung homes to shade them from the harsh sun and to create a reservoir of cooler air that could be drawn into the house.
New Englanders built compact homes with small windows to shield them from winter winds and to hold in as much heat as possible. And prairie homes, often built of stacked sod, were half-buried in the earth to even out the temperature swings and to protect them from the frequent violent storms that sweep the plains each summer.
Simple and effective strategies like these were necessary because fuel for heating homes was limited. We created houses that conserved resources; we didn't know how not to.
That changed with the era of cheap and plentiful electricity and natural gas for home heating, and with the introduction of the first air conditioners for private homes in 1928. Suddenly, houses didn't need to respond to their environment; any home could easily be kept as warm or as cool as desired using mechanical means regardless of the weather outside. Little thought was given to energy conservation strategies until the early 1970s, when the cheap energy we'd taken for granted became suddenly very expensive, and the climate-ignorant houses we'd built for decades became expensive to heat and cool.
That 70's Show
But then a very cool thing happened. Architects and builders across the country began to revive the "lost art" of designing homes that responded to climate and weather. Ancient ideas like earth-sheltering and thermal massing were used again. New passive-cooling strategies and unique ideas like the Trombe wall were invented.
And most interestingly, the houses using low-energy techniques took on new, exciting forms. Suddenly there was something else out there beside Old World inspired design. It was a fun time full of invention and experimentation.
But that era was short-lived. By the mid-1980s fuel was cheap again and energy-efficient unique home design was all but forgotten.
Back To The Future
So it's no surprise that we now find ourselves having come full circle, with rising energy prices and a revised interest in home energy efficiency. It's a critical concern in a time when some studies show residential buildings consuming up to 21% of the nation's energy.
Today's home energy efficient strategies are different than they were 30 years ago, however. Today the focus is on technology rather than on design. New materials are techniques have been developed that make otherwise climate-insensitive home designs (and there are plenty) better stewards of the energy they need to maintain human comfort.
Technical solutions can be expensive, however, since they demand that common building materials perform at a higher level. Windows have "high-tech" glass with low-emissivity coatings, Argon gas-filled spaces, and up to three sheets of glazing. Heating systems are running at higher efficiencies, and may come equipped with programmable thermostats and insulated ductwork. Solutions like these do conserve energy and are important components in any home but the technology crutch shouldn't be leaned on too heavily. We also need better design.
Designer's Challenge
What if, instead of spending hundreds of additional dollars on high-tech glazing to keep the sun's heat out, we more carefully located our windows to avoid direct sunlight in the first place? What if we used elements of the house itself to shade those windows from heat radiation and UV rays?
Suppose we took better advantage of the ground's relatively stable temperature to stabilize the temperatures in our houses, rather than exposing every square foot of a home's exterior surface to the elements? Instead of constant mechanical air conditioning to remove heat and humidity, why not try opening windows onto shady porches and let the breeze cool the house?
Climate and weather also affect the comfort of our homes, and cause us to seek out ways to maintain the temperature and humidity of our homes within tolerable levels. A great deal of design effort is devoted to keeping the heat in or keeping the heat out, depending on the climate and season.
This Old House
At times throughout American history, the forms of our homes have reflected - to greater or lesser extents - our ingenuity in making our homes' internal climates more comfortable.
Settlers in the Deep South built deep porches around their low-slung homes to shade them from the harsh sun and to create a reservoir of cooler air that could be drawn into the house.
New Englanders built compact homes with small windows to shield them from winter winds and to hold in as much heat as possible. And prairie homes, often built of stacked sod, were half-buried in the earth to even out the temperature swings and to protect them from the frequent violent storms that sweep the plains each summer.
Simple and effective strategies like these were necessary because fuel for heating homes was limited. We created houses that conserved resources; we didn't know how not to.
That changed with the era of cheap and plentiful electricity and natural gas for home heating, and with the introduction of the first air conditioners for private homes in 1928. Suddenly, houses didn't need to respond to their environment; any home could easily be kept as warm or as cool as desired using mechanical means regardless of the weather outside. Little thought was given to energy conservation strategies until the early 1970s, when the cheap energy we'd taken for granted became suddenly very expensive, and the climate-ignorant houses we'd built for decades became expensive to heat and cool.
That 70's Show
But then a very cool thing happened. Architects and builders across the country began to revive the "lost art" of designing homes that responded to climate and weather. Ancient ideas like earth-sheltering and thermal massing were used again. New passive-cooling strategies and unique ideas like the Trombe wall were invented.
And most interestingly, the houses using low-energy techniques took on new, exciting forms. Suddenly there was something else out there beside Old World inspired design. It was a fun time full of invention and experimentation.
But that era was short-lived. By the mid-1980s fuel was cheap again and energy-efficient unique home design was all but forgotten.
Back To The Future
So it's no surprise that we now find ourselves having come full circle, with rising energy prices and a revised interest in home energy efficiency. It's a critical concern in a time when some studies show residential buildings consuming up to 21% of the nation's energy.
Today's home energy efficient strategies are different than they were 30 years ago, however. Today the focus is on technology rather than on design. New materials are techniques have been developed that make otherwise climate-insensitive home designs (and there are plenty) better stewards of the energy they need to maintain human comfort.
Technical solutions can be expensive, however, since they demand that common building materials perform at a higher level. Windows have "high-tech" glass with low-emissivity coatings, Argon gas-filled spaces, and up to three sheets of glazing. Heating systems are running at higher efficiencies, and may come equipped with programmable thermostats and insulated ductwork. Solutions like these do conserve energy and are important components in any home but the technology crutch shouldn't be leaned on too heavily. We also need better design.
Designer's Challenge
What if, instead of spending hundreds of additional dollars on high-tech glazing to keep the sun's heat out, we more carefully located our windows to avoid direct sunlight in the first place? What if we used elements of the house itself to shade those windows from heat radiation and UV rays?
Suppose we took better advantage of the ground's relatively stable temperature to stabilize the temperatures in our houses, rather than exposing every square foot of a home's exterior surface to the elements? Instead of constant mechanical air conditioning to remove heat and humidity, why not try opening windows onto shady porches and let the breeze cool the house?
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
10 Ways To Reduce Noise When Planning a New Home
There is nothing worse than hearing the noise of every car that drives past your home, or listening to the neighbour's stereo when you are trying to read, or hearing “The Wiggles” from the children’s playroom when you want to watch the news. So here are 10 ways to reduce noise when planning a new home:
1. Keep windows on the noisy side of the house as small as possible to reduce the noise.
2. Make the exterior of the home from thick materials like stone or brick veneer. They work more effectively at reducing noise than flat, rigid materials like plaster, fibre cement board or steel cladding.
3. Similar theory applies to the roofing materials. Lightweight steel or metal tiles allow more noise to enter the home- especially rain- than more dense and heavy concrete tiles.
4. To reduce neighbour noise, fences are a must. The more solid or dense the better. Brick, concrete or thick heavy density foliage hedges work well.
5. Use laminated glass to reduce high frequency sound. For low frequency sound, tempered glass is the most effective.
6. Use heavy lined drapery to cover windows. Ensure that they cover the entire width of the window and go straight to the floor.
7. Carpet absorbs a great deal of internal noise- especially in high thoroughfare areas like hallways. Alternatively, use area rugs or carpet runners.
8. Insulate internal wall cavities where you want to reduce sound transfer with a noise control blanket.
9. If using gypsum wallboard linings refer to the manufacturers instructions for noise control. There are ways of installing different wallboard thicknesses to reduce sound transference and they can vary depending on the brand and manufacturer.
10. Use upholstered furniture in your living room and bedrooms or wherever you want to reduce noise. Solid timber or plastic furniture simply reflects sound, unlike the upholstered furniture which absorbs a great deal of noise.
To conclude, the only way to totally eliminate noise in your home is to move to the country and leave the kids in the city! No really, by thinking ahead before you build a new home you can reduce the noise in your new home and make it a more relaxing and comfortable environment.
1. Keep windows on the noisy side of the house as small as possible to reduce the noise.
2. Make the exterior of the home from thick materials like stone or brick veneer. They work more effectively at reducing noise than flat, rigid materials like plaster, fibre cement board or steel cladding.
3. Similar theory applies to the roofing materials. Lightweight steel or metal tiles allow more noise to enter the home- especially rain- than more dense and heavy concrete tiles.
4. To reduce neighbour noise, fences are a must. The more solid or dense the better. Brick, concrete or thick heavy density foliage hedges work well.
5. Use laminated glass to reduce high frequency sound. For low frequency sound, tempered glass is the most effective.
6. Use heavy lined drapery to cover windows. Ensure that they cover the entire width of the window and go straight to the floor.
7. Carpet absorbs a great deal of internal noise- especially in high thoroughfare areas like hallways. Alternatively, use area rugs or carpet runners.
8. Insulate internal wall cavities where you want to reduce sound transfer with a noise control blanket.
9. If using gypsum wallboard linings refer to the manufacturers instructions for noise control. There are ways of installing different wallboard thicknesses to reduce sound transference and they can vary depending on the brand and manufacturer.
10. Use upholstered furniture in your living room and bedrooms or wherever you want to reduce noise. Solid timber or plastic furniture simply reflects sound, unlike the upholstered furniture which absorbs a great deal of noise.
To conclude, the only way to totally eliminate noise in your home is to move to the country and leave the kids in the city! No really, by thinking ahead before you build a new home you can reduce the noise in your new home and make it a more relaxing and comfortable environment.
Building Environmentally Sound Homes
As our planet continues to take more and more of a beating, there has been a real emergence of building environmentally conscious housing. In years past homes were constructed with materials that were not only damaging to the environment but as we eventually discovered, harmful to us as well. Prime examples of this were the use of things like lead based paint and piping and asbestos. These materials have caused an amazing amount of damage to the planet and to people's health.
Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.
Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.
Today the concept of constructing homes that are considerate to the planet has become more than an idea, it has become an absolute necessity. The focus of this movement is the construction of homes using recycled and renewable resources. It also focuses on clean power sources. These power sources have little to no negative impact on the environment as they harness the power of sun (solar power) and aim to reduce the amount of electrical and gas power needed to keep the home comfortable. Another great idea that is helping the environment is designing homes with efficient drainage which assists in the replenishing of ground water resources.
Homes that are properly insulated require far less electricity to heat. The end result of this kind of building philosophy is that it will cost less for the owner to heat and maintain. However the most desirable result of these type of homes and policies is the reduced impact that construction is having on the environment and the planet. With the population on the rise and industry on the rise too, we as residents of this planet need to do everything in our power to ensure the safety and longevity of our habitat.
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