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Congratulations to Powell Custom Homes, LP
and Custom Design Services!
Winner of the Home builders association of Greater Austin
Max Award
Product Design 250,001 – 350,000 – Custom
14429 Tuscola Circle – Apache Shores
Office Building Update!
As you can see, it's really coming together! We are now waiting for the framing inspection to continue with the finish out.
Here is the inside of our office, nice natural light!!
How to remodel green!
Many people are deciding to remodel their homes today and the reasons why are very common.
The one that I hear most is that families feel at home in their neighborhoods and they do not want to leave their schools, friends and community just to have a bigger home. If they decide to stay in their current home, it is often less expensive for them to remodel then to purchase another home in the same area due to the neighborhoods increasing property values.
For the purposes of Green Building, there are 2 important reasons to remodel. One is that it helps slow urban sprawl by having one less family build a new home in a new neighborhood. The other is that it gives you an opportunity to create a more sustainable home. For example, if you own an older home it is more than likely not well insulated and leaky (by this I mean air leaks). It also may have old mechanical systems that do not run efficiently. Remodeling gives you the opportunity to both increase your insulation and update your mechanical system to a more efficient one, which will result in less money to operate.
To make the most of your opportunity to improve your homes energy performance, contact Home Energy Solutions at http://myhomeenergysolutions.com. This kind of testing can can help you determine your home’s weaknesses and how to correct them. This valuable service will pay back easily in your homes efficiency.
To get started in the planning of your remodel, start interviewing designers and builders. It is nice to have a 3 person team for the planning period; you, your designer and your builder or in some cases an engineer. However, even without a builder, you and your designer can work on the design phase of your project first. Then while developing the design you have the opportunity to speak with builders and get input on your design before you spend additional money on construction documents and engineering.
When designing, be respectful of your beautiful neighborhood and ask your designer to keep the theme of the surroundings in mind. It looks awkward to have a Mediterraneanstyle home or a Cubistic box in a neighborhood of quaint Bungalows. But with some good design thought an updated look can still fit the neighborhood, no matter how dated the surrounding homes may be.
For the content of your construction, do these minimum 3 green things in conjunction with your addition.
1. Create roof ventilation system. This will help keep the heat out of your attic.
2. Dispose of your household water by installing a gray water system in the added or remodeled spaces of your home. This water can then be reused for garden beds and lawn watering.
3. Properly seal and insulate your home. This will help to create an air barrier, which will improve air quality and reduce air leaks for the entire house.
The best way to reduce jobsite waste is to hire a builder that builds and believes Green!! Ask the builder if they have a construction waste management plan. Here is a wonderful source showing how to recycle much of your construction waste.
www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/ConstructionWaste.html
Lastly, people ask me, "Do you think we should move out while our home is under construction?"
It depends on how drastic your construction is and where it is concentrated. If it involves building
over existing living spaces, particularly bedrooms, or involves demolishing your kitchen, it would be best to move out, but not necessarily for the entire span of construction. When construction is going on overhead, it is a hazard to be there during demolition and new construction until second floor decking is in. Obviously, living with out your kitchen would be an inconvenience, but construction can be scheduled to minimize that time.
However, being there on the jobsite insures that recycling is done properly, that your home is being built according to plan and specifications and that you can oversee the daily activity. You will have to weigh these issues out with the inconveniences of construction, i.e. any length of time you simply can not be in the house, the dust, noise, people, disruption of your lifestyle to name a few and then make the decision from there.
So, let's have a survey!! If you have lived through your own remodel, did you live there or not and would you do it that way again? Let's put it to the vote, email me back and let me know!
Check out our website
Contact Cammi Klier at 512.330.9309
or cklier@cdshomedesign.com
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