Green Building

Keeping You in Hot Water

You awaken from a good night’s sleep and having retrieved your cup of coffee, the morning routine leads you to the bath room where you prepare for a nice hot shower. This is done without a thought given to one of the vital pieces of equipment in your home you rely on daily; the water heater. When planning one’s new custom home or remodeling project, the conversation with your builder should eventually include what options are available in water heaters. Although not as glamorous as deciding what color of cabinetry you want or the design of your stairway balustrade, deciding [...]

Choosing the Right Fireplace for You

Whether they are in use or not, fireplaces are the focal point of any room they are installed in. The fireplace is one feature in a new home that, at once, is a decorative fixture and a functional part of the home. It can help create ambience in a space and at the same time provide physical comfort. From the time our earliest ancestors discovered that fire could be controlled and used to their benefit, humans have been fascinated by its beauty and power. While learning the benefits of fire, it also became apparent to our predecessors that it could be [...]

New Residential Energy Code Explained

New Residential Energy Code Explained Enforcement of the latest Energy Code, as decreed by the federal government, began in April of 2012. This code specifies minimum insulation values for wall and ceiling assemblies, as well as windows and doors. The code also determines the minimum efficiency of heating and cooling equipment. The assemblies and equipment installed on each project are then required to be inspected by a state certified independent company to verify that these minimums have been achieved. A blower door test is also performed by this company for each new building. This test is to determine the air [...]