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tag: green building
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Water Heater that's also an AC! ATI66 Heat Pump Water Heater Review
I like Heat Pump Water Heaters, they heat water and they throw off cool & dehumidified air! Seems like the perfect product to have inside our Hot Texas homes. See my full review of the AirGenerate ATI 66 gallon HPWH.
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Renovated mid-century fireplace
Rather than demolish and recreate a new fireplace, the existing brickwork was repointed to minimize the vertical grout joints. The brickwork was then painted with a two tone paint scheme, using a...
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The "Lexus" HVAC system - Variable Refrigerant Flow Technology
1 commentAir Conditioners are sized for the Hottest day of the year. This results in rather uncomfortable AC about 70% of the time, as well as electric bills that are needlessly high. Enter Variable Refrigerant Flow Technology. This allows your AC to run at any capacity from 15% up to 100%. Join me for a system overview
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Southern HVAC Best Practice Videos
This is my collection of my 9 best HVAC related videos. Most will be relevant no matter your climate but many speak specifically to best practice for the Southern US.
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Retrofitting a USB Charger/Receptacle Combo
4 commentsReplacing a standard duplex receptacle with a USB charger/receptacle combo speeds recharging and gets more use out of an outlet.
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Nest Review - Builder Perspective
3 commentsThe Nest thermostat has a ton of buzz, but is it worth the price? In this review you'll hear my perspective as a builder.
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Drying Wet Framing Lumber
5 commentsIt's not unusual for a house to get wet during construction before it's "dried in". In this post I'll share some techniques I've used to dry my houses prior to sheetrock. This is a follow up to my last post about using a Moisture Meter.
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Texas Deep-Energy Retrofit Remodel
When you hear about a deep energy retrofit project most people think of the snowy North Eastern US. I can tell you that the strategy for a Northern remodel with energy efficiency in mind is very different that our strategy for Hot/Humid Texas. In this video I'll show you 6 things we are doing to making a dramatic difference in this 1950's slab on grade house's energy bills.
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Design & Daylight
2 commentsThe first of a two-part introduction to a thematic blog on daylighting strategies used in residential design.
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Self Taught MBA: Strategic Planning, Part 2 - The ABCs of Strategic Planning
2 commentsIt's more critical than ever to have a plan of how you will deal with this tough economy. Strategic planning focuses on redefining high-level priorities and setting a course for the year ahead.
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Exterior Patio
New exterior patio including covered fireplace pit and water features. This was part of a remodel to Geodesic dome origianally built in the 70's
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Pier & Beam vs Slab Foundations
In the South there are two main foundation types. Concrete Piers with Wooden beams that elevate the house above the ground, and concrete slab foundations that sit on the ground. In this video I'm discussion the merits of these two options with Building Science expert Mark LaLiberte.
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The Self Taught MBA: David Gerstel on Running a Successful Construction Company
5 commentsYou Don’t Have to Run Your Business by the Seat of your Pants
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A Senate Bill That Values Energy Efficiency
Proposed legislation would require home appraisals to reflect expected energy costs, allow homeowners to recover investments in upgrades, and even create jobs in the retrofit and construction sectors
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Green Jobs' Growing Share of Construction
1 commentA McGraw-Hill Construction study indicates green jobs comprise about one third of the design-and-construction workforce
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Our New Design Blog
2 commentsWelcome to Fine Homebuilding's new blog, where we'll help you design inspiring homes.
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In S.F., Factoring Green into Pricing
The city contemplates a “green grade” certification program to help market homes built or retrofitted to be energy efficient
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Recalling Green Building's Struggle for Legitimacy
Eugene, Oregon, is now regarded as extremely accommodating to eco-friendly builders, but at least a couple of them remember when it wasn’t easy being green
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Furniture That Can Change the Way You Design
Create a flexible home with innovative space saving furniture
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Cargotecture: Would You Live in a Metal Box?
12 commentsSome people think shipping containers make great homes; some think they're just weird
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How to Paint Fiber-Cement Siding
Painter Jim Lacey shares some tips for caulking and painting fiber-cement siding. read more
