by Sarah Thorn | Jun 9, 2022 | Building A Quality Custom Home, Building Green, Construction, Energy Efficient, Green Building
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="||||false|true" custom_padding="||||false|true" da_disable_devices="off|off|off" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}" da_is_popup="off" da_exit_intent="off" da_has_close="on" da_alt_close="off" da_dark_close="off" da_not_modal="on" da_is_singular="off" da_with_loader="off" da_has_shadow="on"][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" width_tablet="" width_phone="100%" width_last_edited="on|phone" custom_padding="9px||10px|||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_blurb title="Should I Go Green?" alt="Design Forever Home" _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" header_level="h1" header_font="||on||||||" header_text_align="center" header_text_color="#58a618" background_image="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129151437/Featured-Images-1920-%C3%97-900-px.jpg" custom_padding="200px||||false|false" box_shadow_style="preset4" box_shadow_horizontal="0px" box_shadow_vertical="-55px" box_shadow_color="rgba(255,255,255,0.76)" box_shadow_position="inner" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_blurb][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Green Certifications Part 1 (Read part 2 here) Today many builders and home buyers are concerned about preserving the environment. With increased attention on the condition of our planet, “green building” has become a sought after choice for homeowners, especially in our market. But what does green building mean? In its simplest terms, green building is making your home the best it can be. It means increasing your home’s efficiency so it makes better use of things like water, energy, temperature control, and construction materials. It’s about using resources effectively so you reduce the impact of your home on the environment, buying local, and creating a healthy indoor air environment. While building an environmentally friendly home sounds good to most people, they usually want to know two things: what can I do and how much will it cost me? Let’s address the last question first. You may have heard that building green is more expensive. While that may be true in some instances, it doesn’t have to be. In today’s market, some elements of green building can cost more initially, but many do not, and some even cost less. Factor in energy savings over time and the increased durability of many of the green building products, and any additional up- front cost becomes much easier to justify. Also, some mortgage companies now offer reduced mortgage rates to homes built green, and green homes are worth more than non-certified green homes. To answer the other question, let’s take a look at a few things you can do to make your new home more environmentally friendly. Heating and Cooling Equipment: One of the most important things you can do to make your home more “green” is to carefully consider your choice of heating and cooling equipment. The heating/air conditioning system should be built and installed with the highest SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) rating possible. The greater the SEER rating, the more energy efficient your unit will be. The system should also be sized appropriately to effectively cool or heat your home without being oversized. In fact, it is often better to err on the side of being undersized by half a ton than oversized. (Note: A “ton” is a unit of energy used to measure output. Typically you need about one ton of output for every 400 square feet of your home.) Many builders don’t recommend that you oversize the tonnage of your home’s AC system. The most efficient homes often run on a system designed to be 10 percent smaller than typical installations. A good air system should also be installed with as few bends and connections in the duct work as possible to minimize the risk of gaps and voids. Insulation: If it’s within your budget, one great option is to have your home insulated with a CARB II complaint foam product. When installed correctly, foam can be quite effective. On top of the good R-values (a term used to measure how well insulation resists the flow of heat or cold through it) foam can fill cracks and crevices in ways that traditional insulation can’t. If a foam product can’t be used, great care should be exercised to make sure the installation is done to eliminate as many gaps and penetrations as possible. Home Orientation: To reduce energy loads, it’s important to design and position the house in such a way as to minimize exposure to the hot sun while taking advantage of cooling breezes. Whenever possible, the front door or the house’s longest wall should be set to within 5 degrees of true south. It may also be important to landscape in such a way to create wind breaks for the home or create shade to increase efficiency. Good window placement can increase natural light while reducing the need for electric lighting. These decisions are taken into account when designing a home for passive heating and cooling. Windows and Doors: Windows help make a home beautiful, but they can also waste a lot of energy if they let in heat in the summer, cold in the winter, and drafts anytime. To get more energy-efficient windows, select ones with good insulation values. Some have special coatings that can help repel heat. Others are double- or triple-paned which helps insulation. Some energy- efficient windows have non-toxic gas between the panes such as argon or krypton that provide better insulation than air. Even the window frames can affect how efficient
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by Sarah Thorn | Jun 9, 2022 | Aging In Place, Building A Quality Custom Home, Construction, Construction & Design
[et_pb_section fb_built="1" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" custom_margin="||||false|true" custom_padding="||24px||false|true" da_disable_devices="off|off|off" locked="off" global_colors_info="{}" da_is_popup="off" da_exit_intent="off" da_has_close="on" da_alt_close="off" da_dark_close="off" da_not_modal="on" da_is_singular="off" da_with_loader="off" da_has_shadow="on"][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" width_tablet="" width_phone="100%" width_last_edited="on|phone" custom_padding="9px||10px|||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_image src="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129151442/Plan_Forever_Home_header.jpg" alt="Design Forever Home" title_text="Plan_Forever_Home_header" _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" width_tablet="" width_phone="90%" width_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="4_4" _builder_version="4.16" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" header_2_line_height="1.4em" hover_enabled="0" header_2_font_size_tablet="" header_2_font_size_phone="24px" header_2_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Aging In Place If you ask someone who is ready to build a new home, they will often tell you that “This is the last home I will ever build. They will have to bury me in the back yard.” If you’re building a forever home, it’s always a good idea to consider designing your home for Aging- In-Place. Good Aging-In-Place considerations will include an elevator (or shaft), curbless showers, wider doorways, lever door handles, and an extra emphasis on lighting to name a few. This will allow you to live in the home as long as you want or provide better resale-ability should you choose to sell your home in the future. You also will want to consider your Indoor Air Quality. An often overlooked aspect of homebuilding that is becoming more important as homes are built tighter (read more here). If you're building a forever home, a Wellness-Within-Your-Walls certification is a good way to ensure healthy indoor air. Check out the Ready Residence, which is soon to be the first WWYW certified home in N.C.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" header_2_line_height="1.4em" hover_enabled="0" header_2_font_size_tablet="" header_2_font_size_phone="24px" header_2_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]The Only Constant Even if it is the last home you will ever build, you should be prepared for plans to change. Recent surveys show that most people live in their home an average of five years, and you’re probably not much different. You may be thinking, but this really is going to be my last home. And if it is, that’s great. But you may want to consider the reality of averages. A client of ours (who we'll call Susan) took more than a year to design her new home for her family, only to discover she was way over budget. She also realized that by the time she completed her home construction, all but one of her five children would be away at college, and she had designed bedrooms for each of them! Reality finally dawned on her—within a few short years, she and her husband would be empty-nesters. Designing her home for a family of seven thinking this would be her home for the rest of her life didn’t fit the reality of Susan’s imminent transition to a home for two.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" header_2_line_height="1.4em" hover_enabled="0" header_2_font_size_tablet="" header_2_font_size_phone="24px" header_2_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Priorities When designing your custom home, first design for your immediate needs. Second, take into account what market conditions will allow for your particular home design. Third, give strong consideration to how long you may live in your home. Susan may shift gears and design a home that’s perfect for her family’s needs for the next five to seven years, with a plan to downsize at that time. With this more realistic outlook, she may give additional consideration to the resale value of her choices.Don’t make the mistake of over-designing a home that may become obsolete for your family within a short period of time.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.23.1" _module_preset="default" header_2_line_height="1.4em" hover_enabled="0" header_2_font_size_tablet="" header_2_font_size_phone="24px" header_2_font_size_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Bottom Line Be realistic about your short-term and long-term needs and how long you will live in your new home, then design accordingly.[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" specialty="on" _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" custom_padding="39px|||||" da_disable_devices="off|off|off" global_colors_info="{}" da_is_popup="off" da_exit_intent="off" da_has_close="on" da_alt_close="off" da_dark_close="off" da_not_modal="on" da_is_singular="off" da_with_loader="off" da_has_shadow="on"][et_pb_column type="2_3" specialty_columns="2" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type="2_3" _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_text _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" header_font="|||||on|||" header_text_color="rgba(17,32,73,0.79)" header_font_size="54px" header_2_font="||||||||" header_2_font_size="34px" custom_margin="||||false|false" header_font_size_tablet="39px" header_font_size_phone="38px" header_font_size_last_edited="on|desktop" header_2_font_tablet="||||||||" header_2_font_phone="||||||||" header_2_font_last_edited="on|phone" global_colors_info="{}"]Building A Quality Custom Home Want to know more? This book by Sean Sullivan is full of helpful information in easy-to-read chapters like this blog post. It is a step-by-step guide to the “must-know” issues of building your dream home. Discover the custom-home construction secrets that could save you headaches, heartaches, and thousands (if not tens of thousands) of dollars.[/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url="https://www.livingstoneconstruction.com/building-a-quality-custom-home" button_text="Learn More" _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_button][/et_pb_column_inner][/et_pb_row_inner][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_3" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_image src="https://media-upload-livingstone.s3.amazonaws.com/img/20231129151432/Untitled-design-8.png" alt="Building A Custom Home" title_text="Custom Home Book" _builder_version="4.17.4" _module_preset="default" custom_padding="3px|||||" global_colors_info="{}"][/et_pb_image][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_section]
