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1. Sign up for a weatherization program through your utility company if one is available. Often there are weatherization programs available that are subsidized by private, state and federal agencies so you can make your home more energy efficient at an affordable price. Permanently set manufactured homes and site built homes are often eligible for such programs. Renters may also apply with landlord consent. You may have to use licensed contractors to do the work, but you can add insulation, upgrade windows and doors, and sometimes replace your furnace and heating system at a sizable discount. Such weatherization costs are often further discounted on your state income tax return.
2. Install shrink-wrap plastic films on all your windows to improve the thermal resistance of all your glazed areas. Windows are often the largest source of heat loss in your home, so make sure all the seals are working properly and the windows close tightly to the jambs. Install new weather striping around all exterior doors
3. Caulk around all openings in the exterior walls such as around hose bibs, and wire penetrations, and around all doors and windows, and seal off all pet doors.
4. Turn off your wall mounted and baseboard heaters in any rooms that are not occupied.
5. Set your thermostat to 68ºF. When you are away or sleeping, set it to 65ºF.
6. If you have a furnace fan, set it to automatic.
7. Change all your electric bulbs to the compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
8. Turn lights, fans, lamps, computers, monitors, printers, stereos, DVD players, video games, radios, and any appliances off when you aren’t using them.
9. Use a low flow, 1.6 gallon per minute (gpm) showerhead.
10. Fix all hot water drips and leaks. Install a circulating system on your hot water supply lines.
11. Use a clothes line to dry at least half your clothes, starting with your delicate items and jeans. If you can, install a closet pole above your laundry tray to hang these clothes during the winter months.
12. Don’t wash all your clothes in hot water with a warm rinse. Wash in warm water with cold rinse for whites, brights, and light colored clothes. Use a cold water wash with cold rinse for dark colored clothes, woolens, hand knits, and delicates. When possible use cold water wash and rinse as much as possible with appropriate laundry detergents made for this purpose. Adjust the wash cycle length and water level to suit the load as much as possible.
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Minimalist equates to fewer elements that are only necessary to create a specific effect – may it be in an art form, a home, a garden, or a way of life. For a house that’s supposed to stick with modern features and aesthetics, this type of design can help you capture the simplicity and elegance of a specific design you can call your own. Your choice of colors and materials will surely impact the overall look of your home once it is built.
The minimalist approach to designing a home may not always be cost-effective due to the choice of materials, location, and other factors that can affect the overall look and feel of the home. However, if you will choose an experienced home designer, it is possible to come up with a minimalistic design that will fit all aspects of your home-building goals.
These are all important tips to keep in mind when it comes to house design. Modern homes have many unique features and elements to consider, but all that really matters is that you get a home that you love.
It could be concluded that the traditional and modern themes of interior design are two completely different themes. While the traditional designs makes the home look very decorative with the excessive use of accessories and colors. It uses complex designs and bulky furniture. It is so over the top that one cannot miss to notice any of its feature.
During the design process, many interior designers failed to furnish our bath and shower area with the right fixtures, but with little effort we can improve it to make it more pleasing and to achieve a unique style that we can be proud of.
The furniture and accessories used in traditional designs are overtly decorative. The use of colors is highly exaggerated. The traditional interiors have decorative furniture with carved edges. The modern interiors use hardware that is slightly elongated, has straight lines and little bit lifted from the ground for airy feel. The modern interior use limited texture of colors for decoration. All the excess decorations which were part of traditional design have been removed to form modern interior.
The modern design has its beauty in its simplicity and technical advancements. It uses simple geometric patterns, minimal accessories only when needed and very light colors. The modern designs are more focused on keeping the interiors as uncluttered and as efficient as possible. The two are complete opposites in every aspect of designing but still have their own unique specialty and beauty.
The key elements which distinguish modern architecture are open living spaces, which is largely Frank Lloyd Wright’s contribution. Wright thought that separate rooms tended to impede the flow of living. Thus, modernist home plans are characterized by open floor plans which combine spaces for entertaining, relaxing, and dining. Modern country houseplans feature large plate-glass windows and outdoor patio areas to increase the living space and to bring the sense of the outdoors inside. Another key element of the modernistic style is its clean geometric lines and lack of adornment, instead of the embellished columns and arches characteristic of the classical style. Modernism also adopted technologically-advanced materials such as steel, glass, and concrete instead of the traditional stone, wood, and plaster. Another key element of modernism is the “form follows function” ideal, which is largely the contribution of Mies van der Rohe and his Bauhaus followers, whom you can thank for the office cubicle. Mies’ view was that homes and other buildings should be large and wide-open in order to accommodate various functions, and then be subdivided as needed with movable screens and walls. Mies believed that the open space would create a feeling of community.
Designing your home in the 21st century is no longer a challenge, thanks to technology and advanced studies taken up by professionals. The challenge is how to use valuable resources properly such as materials and methods that won’t hurt your wallet.
If you have a small lot area, then this type of design will work well. A small home can be quite multi-functional especially when there are fewer rooms, smaller spaces, and just enough furniture indoors. A minimalistic home may have fine geometric lines and modern sophistication despite the existence of fewer modern home comforts.
1 – The kitchen affects the rest of the home more than most people realise. You have to determine the layout and the features that you want here before you look at any other rooms because the kitchen is the hub of many homes.
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Free Cat House Plans How To Build A Cat House. Cat House Plans, how to build a house for cats, free cat house plans.
The purpose, intention, and design aim of sustainable design is to eliminate, extinguish, and reject the negative, damaging impact on the environment through sensitive, skillful, adept, and good design. Sustainable design has minimal impact on the environment, requires no non-renewable resources, and relates people with nature. Sustainable design requires forethought in site selection, home building plans, material selection, and project implementation. Some of the considerations to be taken into account include choosing non-toxic materials which are sustainably produced or recycled, and require minimal energy to process; using materials which are longer lasting and of higher durability, to reduce the impact of producing replacements; designing for reuse and recycling; and designing systems on biological lines, to enable the reuse of materials in continuous closed cycles. The basic idea is to create healthy homes, which are not harmful to the occupants or the larger environment.
Sustainable standards of new home plans design are being developed by a large number of private and governmental organizations, and there is a growing body of new methods emerging from the rapid rise of sustainability science. Sustainable technology means using less energy and fewer resources, not depleting natural resources, not polluting the environment either directly or indirectly, and designing for reuse and recycling at the end of useful life. Sustainable architecture tries to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing and transporting building components both during the process of construction and also during the life of the building. Sustainable design aims for efficiency in heating and cooling such as ground source heat pumps; using alternative energy sources such as appropriate home siting and solar technology to heat water and generate electricity; recycling building materials and using local materials where possible; harvesting rainwater for washing and gardening; and on-site waste management. Waste management is as much a matter of prevention as elimination, and sustainable waste management involves using products which are non-toxic and minimize waste to begin with; can be composted or digested anaerobically; can be reused on site, or recycled off site.
Sustainable new house plans design technology is based upon using renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy, solar, hydro, wind and bio-energy. Wind energy, captured through wind turbines, is the fastest growing energy source in the world: used for centuries in Europe, it is now gaining popularity in America. Solar energy can be harnessed through the use of photovoltaics to generate electricity, and by using passive solar hot water heaters to bathe and to heat homes. The basic test for sustainable design is whether it can function unplugged – without using fossil fuel. This means eliminating pollution altogether rather than just reducing it. These goals are being realized already: in 2004 a 59-home housing community was unveiled in Freiburg, Germany which was the first community in the world in which every home produced a positive energy balance. Sustainable design also means constructing furniture and appliances of renewable and recyclable materials such as glass, steel, and aluminum; and designing them for repair and recycling.
Sustainable design in new home plans involves all phases of home building plans, from site selection and orientation to choice of scheme and building materials. Sustainable new house plans make good economic and environmental sense, and insure prosperity for future generations.
You can find more tips about sustainable designs and other great news and advices about home improvement on our article on http://www.plantasdecasasgratis.net/casa-lar/projetos-de-sobrados.
For more information about sustainable designs, take a look on our blog on http://www.plantasdecasasgratis.net.
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When designing or choosing your first home, putting together a list of the features you’d like it to have is a logical first step. Most people, however, quickly realize that their budget doesn’t match the seemingly endless extras they’d like to have in their dream house.
Determine Your Budget
A better approach is to determine your budget first, then build from there. Talk to a home builder in your area that also handles financing to get an idea of what you can afford. Be sure to take your current expenses as well as the ongoing costs of home ownership into consideration. Once you know how much you can afford to spend, check out some display homes to get an idea of what you can get for your money.
Develop A List Of Desirable Features
This is the fun part – put together a list of the most desirable elements you want in your dream house. Consider what you would want if you had a luxury home builder constructing your house. At this point, you should keep your finances in mind, but feel free to include extras you’ve dreamed about even if it pushes the potential price outside of the realm of your maximum budget. Visit some display homes in your area to get ideas, keeping in mind that many of the high end elements you’ll see can be scaled back in price by using materials that are more budget friendly if needed.
A list of desirable features might include:
- Extra bathrooms
- Balcony off the master bedroom
- Al fresco dining area
- Home theatre system
- Vaulted ceilings
- Custom cabinetry
- Multi-vehicle garage
- Home office
Determine Which Features Are Must Haves And Which Aren’t
Once you’ve completed your list of desirable features, compare the probable price of your dream home to your actual budget. Now comes the most difficult part – eliminating features that you don’t really need. Review your list of desirable features and ask yourself which of these extras you can’t live without and which ones you can forego for the foreseeable future. You’ll soon realize that some are nice, but not necessary to your family’s comfort or happiness. Eliminate anything that your family won’t miss or that can be scaled back in order to keep your finances in check. Also consider what elements could be added at a later date. For instance, if you’d like an al fresco area but can’t afford it now, it will be relatively easy to add a balcony later. Adding an entire bedroom or a garage, however, could be more difficult.
Work Closely With A Home Builder
After you’ve whittled down your list to the most important features that you feel you can’t do without, visit some local, display homes for a second look. Talk to home builders about how they can reduce costs by substituting less expensive materials or modifying specific elements such as floor coverings and countertops. By working together, you can successfully create a house that’s ideal for your family without destroying your finances.
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Lifestyle Homes is proud to be the leading two story home builder in Perth. Visit their two story display homes in Perth to discover the many ways they can create a beautiful home for your family.
Going green is a good thing to do for you, your family and your community. You can make simple changes inside your household in order to go green, and make your home more energy efficient. This will greatly reduce your energy costs. Use the tips from this article to help you conserve energy and be green in your home.
Do your part to make green energy technology more affordable by demanding it, since prices come down as the user base grows. You not only have the right to insist on having access to technology that is environmentally friendly, but the power to make companies listen to your demands. The more you and others purchase these products, they more that they will be produced and prices will be lowered. It also motivates other inventors to continue the green trend by producing more items like this.
If you want to live a life that is greener, there are many things that can be done to save the planet’s energy. You might not have the capacity to invest all of the money to go green immediately, but one can clean furnace filters and adjust the heat at home to be more green. Another money saving way to conserve energy is lowering the temperature of your water heater, under 120 degrees is best. Each step you take, no matter how small, will count!
Obviously if you are going to the expense of installing solar panels it is important that they are directed towards the sun. The Northern Hemisphere has to have panels facing the south. The angle should be placed at equal to your latitude plus 15 degrees. This will help you get the most energy from the sun.
Be socially responsible, and unplug electric chargers for all devices that don’t need immediate charging. Whether you are charging your device or not, chargers for laptops, mp3 players, cellphones and other electronics keep drawing electrical power as long as they stay plugged in.
A solar oven is a fun and effective way to reduce your energy needs for cooking. You can make one with easy-to-find items like old windows, boxes, and aluminum foil to reflect light. They require only sunlight to reach a temperature of more than 300 degrees, and they only take a few minutes to construct.
Do not leave your lights on if you are not using them. If you do not need the lights during the day time, keep them off. If you need them at night time, then make sure you switch them off after you exit a room. Turn off your porch light if everyone is home, or cabinet lighting in your kitchen when no one is in there. This simple change can go a long way towards reducing your electric bill.
An uncommon option for those consumers who see themselves as very green is to have a home made from straw bales. Straw is an excellent, inexpensive form of insulation. If you would rather not have a home that is made of straw bales, think about adding an additional building that is.
You can watch the energy use in your home by buying a monitor to track it. Devices like these give you real-time data and show you exactly how much energy you are using, and what your costs are. Research shows that consumers are more likely to cut down on their energy consumption when they can see exactly what it costs to run appliances, lights and so forth.
Replace your toilet with a water-saving model. Estimates show that about 50% of your home’s water is used by flushing toilets. Older models typically waste 5 gallons to flush, whereas newer models that are water-saving use about 10.6 gallons. This can save 70% of your water usage each year.
Save energy by running your laptop on AC current and taking out the battery if you don’t have to be mobile. The battery draws energy even when it has reached capacity, and by taking it out when your computer is plugged in, you can save some kilowatts and improve the life of your battery too.
Investigate all of the energy sources your community has to offer. Compare the costs of operating your home using several of these utilities, making sure to take into consideration any legislation with regard to energy costs that has recently been passed. For instance, it might be worth it to switch to gas heat instead of electric, or switch to well water instead of municipal water.
Try not to turn the heat up too high in your home, unless it is absolutely necessary for you to do so. If you feel cold, put on a sweater or blanket instead. If you turn the heat up to 75 degrees, you are using a ton of unnecessary energy.
Before you decide on large energy-saving projects for your home, get a professional evaluation of your existing appliances, windows and insulation and your heating and cooling systems. They can advise you about how much inefficient appliances cause you to lose financially, and they can estimate the price of upgrading or simply replacing your old systems.
Don’t neglect your ceiling fans in the winter. When you change their rotation to clockwise, they move warm air from the ceiling downward, and that keeps the air in the room a little warmer. That reduces the demand placed on heating appliances like a furnace. The little electricity used to run your fan is offset by what you save with your energy costs due to needing the furnace less often.
Using Eco-friendly lighting is a great tip. A variety of new bulbs, including compact fluorescent varieties, provide affordable alternatives to the incandescent bulbs homes have used for decades. CFLs use a minute amount of electricity compared to incandescent bulbs. This is a good way to reduce your environmental footprint at home.
As you can see, it really can be quite simple and inexpensive to go green. Making changes in your home now can end up saving you money in the long run. Remember these tips and share them to see improvements in the environment
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Many people will be shocked to learn that they can lose up to 25% or more of the energy in their home if they are now using ways save energy. You literally could be flushing your money down the drain.
Visit http://earth4energy.homedoover.com/ to discover ways to save energy and lower your electric bill cost with these simple steps.
Among the many paradoxical contradictions for which American baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra is known is this: If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else. This quotation is especially apt when planning one’s dream home.
Begin Simple
You’re probably not an architect or an expert in Computer-Assisted Drafting but you don’t have to be. All that’s necessary is a pencil and paper. Doodle out your ideas and brainstorm. Make a list of features you want for each room. It’s a great idea to have every family member design their own space. These rough ideas will assist your home designers in realizing your dream home conception.
Plan for the Future
Do you have a large family or expecting children? What about aging parents? Is there a need to accommodate extended family for holidays? Are you planning to operate a business from the home? These are all considerations when designing the home.
Build with the Lot in Mind
Should you already have secured the real estate for your home, make sure to utilize the topography, size and physical features of the lot. For instance, should there be a stream bisecting the property, place bedrooms in close proximity to the waterway in order to utilize the calming sound of running water when sleeping. Strive to highlight old-growth trees or stunning vistas by having them face common areas.
Design Efficient Function and Flow
As you and your design team consider the location of various rooms, factor in the flow of the design and the function of each room. As a rule, the greater the privacy of a space, the further it should be from the main entry. Should there be a second level, locating bedrooms there will help keep them quiet. Basements are ideal for utilities or recreation. Bathrooms should be in relative proximity to bedrooms. Remember that tight hallways and cramped rooms create the impression that a dwelling is smaller than it actually is. Open spaces with plenty of natural lighting make a house seem larger. Hallways need space that allows easy access for people passing in opposite directions. No doubt you and your design team will devise other factors of function and flow.
Consider Construction and Materials
Think of the construction site – how will materiel be transported in, the location of the sun, the topography and soil composition. Ponder over architectural style; your neighbors will probably not appreciate your ultra-modern home in their bucolic wooded glen. Consider the building materials, building codes and the artisans needed to construct specialized dwellings, such as those made from pounded earth or straw bales. If you’re environmentally aware, you know that pre-cut lumber is convenient (and expensive) but not ecologically friendly.
Finally ¦
As mentioned above, one doesn’t need to be an architect to design a dream home. Know the space that you and your family use and create a comfort zone that best suits your needs. Make sure you know where you’re going – and, as Yogi Berra says, ain’t someplace else!
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For more information about planning your home and finding the best roofing materials available, visit www.tilcor.com
Straw bale is a large package of raw or finished straws tightly bound with twine or wire and often wrapped. Straw bale is considered to be a waste product but it can be used for many purposes. Straw bale is durable, hence can be sold for bedding of animals, landscape supply, and can also be used in construction.
The plant material that dries if left in the fields after a plant has fully matured is known as straw. A matured straw can be harvested for seed and is no longer alive. The bales are usually burned in most of the areas of the United States resulting in air pollution.
Straw bale [http://www.homeandfamilywebonline.com] is mainly used for construction purposes in most of the parts of the world as the use of straw bale in construction is a less expensive alternative than that of constructing walls that are highly insulated and costly. It helps to cut down the construction costs. Straw bales were first used for construction by the states of the plains in the late 19th century and early part of the 20th century. The structures or buildings build using straw bales are sturdy and strong. Many of buildings built with straw bales have stood the test of time and are still standing and hence can be used to build many buildings such as schools, commercial buildings, homes to cut down the cost of raw material.
The main reason for use of this type of construction method is the fact that it is an inexpensive method of construction. Straw bale is least expensive during harvest time as the added cost of storing the bales is factored. Thus its cost varies with the change in season. A straw bale must be protected from receiving moisture as it will make the straw bale less sturdy.
The other main advantage of constructing buildings using straw bales is that it has a very good resistance to fire. This property of straw bale is inherited when the straw is packed very tightly in the bale. Tightly baled straw does not allow much air into it thus not allowing for combustion and hence making it fire resistant.
Since the straw is baled very tightly and is thick it keeps pests out of the home and buildings. The plaster applied on the outside layer of the straw bale makes it non penetrable for the pests. The outside layer of plaster also helps to keep out small animals and rodents. Another reason for why straw is resistant to pests is the fact that the dead straw does not have much nutritional value that the pests would be attracted to hence making it pest resistant.
No one would have ever imagined that a straw bale considered a waste product could be so useful and strong enough to build quality buildings and homes with fire, pests, rodents resistance. Next time if engineers used a straw bale for your home construction project then you must feel happy for it.
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Greg Culver is the owner of http://www.homeandfamilywebonline.com. For information and articles on home and family issues go to: www.homeandfamilywebonline.com
Solar power is being used in more homes today than ever before. There are many reasons why so many people are choosing to have solar power homes these days. If you are considering this for your home, then you need to know what some of these reasons are because this will help you decide if this is the right choice for you.
Here are the reasons why solar power is being used in more homes today than ever before.
One: With solar power homes, you will save money every month on your electric bill. You can cut your bill by up to 80%. So, saving money is one of the biggest reasons why solar power is being used today more than ever. Everyone needs to save money these days with the economy being the way it is.
Two: There are many people that are becoming more aware of what is being done to the planet. So, many people are choosing solar power homes because this will help the environment. There will be no more air pollution caused when you need electricity. With more people wanting to go “Green”, solar power just makes a lot of sense.
Three: With solar power, you can use an endless supply of energy and not be charged extra for it. The sun is free to use, so you can use as much electricity as you want without costing yourself more on your bill. This is a big advantage, especially if you have a lot of appliances, televisions, computers and other electronics that are used on a daily basis.
Four: One major reason why solar power homes are becoming more popular is because gas and oil prices keep rising and no one knows how high the price will go. So, many people are choosing to use solar power so they don’t have to worry about this issue anymore.
These are not all of the reasons why solar power homes are becoming more popular these days.
There are other reasons that you can learn about with a little research. You want to take the time to learn all you can about solar power so you can decide for yourself if this is the right choice for your family’s electricity needs. Don’t rush your decision because this is too important. Just remember that you are the only one that can decide if this is the best thing for you to do and the best way to determine that is with research.
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Solar-Energy-Fox.com is a resource for articles and information on solar energy for homes.