Energy Efficiency & Green Design
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Renovation Solutions: What a remodeling contractor says about architects
Read More: Renovation Solutions: What a remodeling contractor says about architects(before) This beautiful deck and pergola remodel was the result of a great collaborative effort between the architect, general contractor, and steel fabricator. (Kevin Bunnell, Renovation Design Group) Most people who don’t use an architect for a home remodeling project either think the job is too small, or they aren’t educated on the value of…
Additions, Basements & Attics, Bathrooms, Laundry & Mudrooms, Designing Principals, Dining Rooms, Energy Efficiency & Green Design, Exterior Updating, Family, Living, & Great Rooms, Front Porches, Garages, Home Styles, Interior Remodeling, Kitchens, Master Suites & Bedrooms, Materials, Finishes, Appliances & Fixtures, New Homes, Remodeling Tips & Advice, Year – 2016 -
Renovation Solutions: Common oversights when remodeling
Read More: Renovation Solutions: Common oversights when remodelingEditor’s note: This is the third in a series about avoiding common remodeling mistakes. The first is “Avoiding common home remodeling mistakes” and the second is “5 tips to avoiding costly remodeling mistakes.” Both are on deseretnews.com in the Family section. Portions of this column were previously published. This month, we are discussing common home…
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Renovation Solutions: Three renovation projects to make a home more energy-efficient
Read More: Renovation Solutions: Three renovation projects to make a home more energy-efficientBefore: To make their home more energy efficient and yet preserve some original charm, these clients sandwiched their original leaded-glass windows panes into new Pella Wiindows frames. A home remodeling project may have several goals. We want our finished project to be beautiful and functional, stylish and timeless, solve problems and fulfill dreams. One common…
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Why upgrading your front door will help you save money on your energy bill
Read More: Why upgrading your front door will help you save money on your energy billEnergy-efficient updates are a good idea any time of the year. There is, however, a more measurable and meaningful reason to go green during the colder months. You can ease the pain of the winter heating bill by making a few simple changes to your outside doors. These simple changes can enhance the energy efficiency…
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Remodeling for seismic upgrades
Read More: Remodeling for seismic upgradesLast time we introduced you to Bob and Char Nelson’s remodeled 1927 Tudor-style home in the Harvard-Yale area of Salt Lake City. The remodel stayed within the floor plan of the historic home and was initially focused on energy efficiency and updating the exterior facade. The exterior of the home was in rocky shape: The…
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Remodeling for energy efficiency
Read More: Remodeling for energy efficiencyWhen Bob and Char Nelson relocated from Provo to the Harvard-Yale area in Salt Lake City, they knew it was only a matter of time before they would remodel their new, old house. Right after they moved in, they finished the basement, but the main floor, upstairs and exterior needed some work, too. Before: (Annie…
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Renovation Solutions: Adding insulation will combat high heating bills
Read More: Renovation Solutions: Adding insulation will combat high heating billsThe weather is getting colder and the energy bill is getting higher. If your heating bill is through the roof, then that may be exactly where your heat is escaping — through your roof and walls. There were three different types of insulation used in this residential remodel: Open-cell spray polyurethane foam used in the…
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Bringing light inside the home with skylights
Read More: Bringing light inside the home with skylightsStudies show that when people live and work in a well-lit environment, they are happier, healthier and more productive. Natural lighting can also be another way to save on electricity, since it provides free light and warmth. This design technique is called daylighting. A solar tube skylight was added in a mudroom as part of…
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Renovation Solutions: Fireplaces add warmth and ambiance to homes
Read More: Renovation Solutions: Fireplaces add warmth and ambiance to homesThere is nothing that makes a home feel cozier in the winter than a fireplace. All year round a fireplace adds beauty, dimension and a focal point to the room. Most people, especially this time of year, understand the value of having a fireplace. However, many are not so lucky as to have one in…
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Updating your old furnace will pay you back in savings
Read More: Updating your old furnace will pay you back in savingsIf your furnace looks like this, it may be time to consider an upgrade. Annie V. Schwemmer Heating and cooling account for about 56 percent of the energy used in a typical U.S. home, making it the largest energy expense for most households. A wide variety of technology is available for heating and cooling your…
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Renovation Solutions: Sealing drafts can save a bundle on energy costs
Read More: Renovation Solutions: Sealing drafts can save a bundle on energy costsWith all the joys of a Utah winter, there is a lot to be happy about. A through-the-roof heating bill is not one of them. When contemplating any project, begin by analyzing your home in terms of what is not working. Next, do your homework and determine ways to solve or minimize the problems. In…
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Renovation Solutions: Capitalize on views by updating windows
Read More: Renovation Solutions: Capitalize on views by updating windowsEveryone knows that curb appeal, or what you experience as you look at a house from the outside, is an important aspect of a home’s architecture. (See the past few columns for ideas about enhancing exterior curb appeal.) These windows were added to this room to create a focal point. The remodel also added a…
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Updating exterior doors saves money and energy
Read More: Updating exterior doors saves money and energyBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Energy efficient updates are a good idea any time of the year. However, as the season changes there is a more measurable and meaningful reason to go green. You can ease the pain of the winter heating bill by making a few simple changes to your outside doors. These…
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Swamp cooler is an inexpensive way to beat the heat
Read More: Swamp cooler is an inexpensive way to beat the heatBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Last week we discussed the basics of cooling system upgrades in regard to central air conditioning. However, in this dry, desert climate, central air isn’t the last word on effective cooling systems. Another natural and energy efficient option is an evaporative cooling system. An evaporative cooler produces effective cooling…
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Time for cooling-system upgrade? Here are the basics
Read More: Time for cooling-system upgrade? Here are the basicsBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Well, summer finally came, and more hot days are in the forecast. While most Utahns have some sort of cooling system in their homes, some yearn for a system upgrade. Here is a basic primer on air conditioning systems: A challenge of adding central air to a home is…
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Solar water heaters add to home’s energy efficiency
Read More: Solar water heaters add to home’s energy efficiencyBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Recently, we wrote about tankless water heaters. Following its publication, we were contacted by a nice gentleman named Larry Wilkins. Wilkins has been in the tankless water heater business for many years, and operates a company called Envirotherm. Tankless water heaters can help cut back on environmental waste. They…
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7 steps to a net-zero home — start with conservation
Read More: 7 steps to a net-zero home — start with conservationBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer One of our favorite home-improvement publications is Fine Homebuilding magazine, published by Taunton Press. It is the largest residential construction magazine with informative how-to articles written by the “guys who swing the hammers.” The April 2008 issue features excellent article by Betsy Pettit on “Remodeling for Energy Efficiency.” Changing…
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Tankless water heater nice for Earth and you
Read More: Tankless water heater nice for Earth and youBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer Having hot water available at our fingertips has to be one of the great inventions of the past few centuries. Credit goes to Edwin Ruud, a Norwegian mechanical engineer, as the inventor of the automatic storage water heater in 1889. Ruud later emigrated to Pittsburgh where he pioneered the…
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Green building’ tips for remodeling
Read More: Green building’ tips for remodelingBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer It is all the rage to talk about “green building” and “sustainable design,” but what do these buzz words really mean and what difference does it make to you? They essentially mean the same thing: design and construction that are sensitive to the environment today and in the future.…
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Easy ways to lower your heating bill
Read More: Easy ways to lower your heating billBy Ann Robinson and Annie Schwemmer The weather is starting to change, and winter chills and high energy bills are on their way. You are probably just turning the furnace on for the first time, but after the heating bills from last year you may be a little hesitant. If you saw high heating bills…
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Vanquish ‘energy vampires’
Read More: Vanquish ‘energy vampires’We’re afraid it isn’t going to be cheap heating our homes this year. With energy costs expected to soar this winter, it is more important than ever to do our part to make our homes as energy efficient as possible. That means controlling “the energy vampires” that slowly suck the energy and heat out of…
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Want to do your part for conservation? Remodel
Read More: Want to do your part for conservation? RemodelBy Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon It seems only a few years ago that the only one who thought it was cool to be green was Kermit the Frog — and even then it wasn’t always easy. Today, everyone has jumped on the green bandwagon, and it is gaining speed. As architects, we are bombarded…
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Green Design & Building: Remodeling offers plenty of ways to go green
Read More: Green Design & Building: Remodeling offers plenty of ways to go greenBy Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon Global warming, green building, energy efficient. These buzzwords have people thinking green. And the green-building movement, which has picked up speed over the past 10 years, is at your doorstep in the form of your next remodeling project. Actually, your first “green” decision was to remodel instead of tear…
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Consider ‘green’ building ideas
Read More: Consider ‘green’ building ideasBy Ann Robinson and Annie Vernon It is all the rage to talk about “green building” and “sustainable design,” but what do these buzz words really mean and what difference does it make to you? They essentially mean the same thing: design and construction that are sensitive to the environment today and in the future.…