December 2012 | Page 2 of 2 | EcoCoastal Homes

- December
  19
  2012
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- By ecocustomhomes
- In Homeowner News, Uncategorized
When Should Your Replace Your Windows.
Given the considerable enhancements in window technology over the past years, determining whether to replace, repair or renew windows can be as hard as making a decision on whether to replace or repair an aging car engine or go for a brand new car.

As with the car comparison, there are a number of aspects to think about when deciding the future of aging windows. This contains comfort, energy consumption, acoustics, aesthetics and function.

Discomfort related with old or insufficiently performing windows is a general criticism among building owners, managers and tenants. Windows that let a lot of heat inside during summer times or are cold in winter not only bring about

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- December
  18
  2012
- 1866
- 0
- By ecocustomhomes
- In Technical News, Uncategorized
BEopt, Quick & Free Energy Modeling Software From DOE
BEopt is an energy modeling software that measures the expected annual energy consumption for any type of home design, and it is also an optimization software that finds the least expensive way to build the envelope of a net-zero energy home. The program has a list of user- adjustable construction cost statistics. This characteristic enables BEopt to verify (i.e) whether a house with 3-inch-thick foam sheathing, 2×6 walls, and triple-glazed windows will cost more or less than a house with 10-inch-thick double-stud walls and double-glazed windows. It will also conclude which of these selections will execute a better result.

BEopt guides designers of zero-energy homes how to have a better envelope specifications, and allows them identify the right place to quit making envelope enhancements.

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- December
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City Of Atl Proposed Stormwater Requirements
The City of Atlanta is required by the state and federal government to manage stormwater runoff that enters the City’s combined sewer system and neighboring waterways. The City’s proposed stormwater Management Ordinance applies for development actions including new impervious areas (surfaces that do not let water to soak into the ground like concrete and asphalt), construction of new buildings or additions, pools, patios or decks. If the project is greater than 1,000 sq. ft. of new impervious surface, a specialized drainage plan arranged by an engineer or landscape architect is required to decrease the all stormwater flows by 50 percent. (Thus if you add an averaged size pool to your home, you will have to retrofit your entire home with a system)

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- December
  18
  2012
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- By ecocustomhomes
- In Homeowner News, Uncategorized
When to Build or When to Renovate.
The practice of new construction, with all of the advanced green building techniques, is a lot quicker than renovating an existing structure.

But when you take into consideration having an existing building and infrastructure, we also need to know which has the greatest environmentally impact. While the simplicity of new construction might be desirable, the greater potential for decreasing the carbon impact during a renovation compared to a new construction is very evident over a 75-year life span of a home or building. The National Trust for Historic Preservation newly mentioned that the greenest building could be …….

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- December
  16
  2012
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- By ecocustomhomes
- In Homeowner News
6 celebrities with deep green homes
Celebrity power couple Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady’s chateau-inspired hovel in L.A.’s chichi Brentwood section managed to raise a few eyebrows earlier this year not just because of its elephantine size — a staggering 22,000 square feet — but also that Bundchen, a noted environmentalist, reportedly planned to outfit it with as many eco-friendly bells and whistles as possible including solar panels, rainwater recycling systems and energy-efficient lighting and appliances. This, of course, led to the inevitable question: Can a $20 million palace with eight bedrooms and a six-car garage still be considered “green?”

The jury is still out on that one, but we do know that chez Bundchen and Brady would be a heck of a lot greener if they shaved, oh, about 15,000 square feet off the home’s total size. But hey, at least they tried. And look at Larry Hagman. The recently passed actor best known for playing a despicable Texas oil tycoon went and built himself

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- December
  16
  2012
- 2302
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- By ecocustomhomes
- In Technical News
Sustainable building goes far beyond energy efficiency
To be sustainable, a building should work at all times. Better daylighting strategies mean we can see indoors throughout the day. When it comes to energy supply, renewables might be calledsustainables, because any building that can survive off the grid is more useful to society during disasters. (My colleague Chris Nelder covered the topic’s energy implications recently.) And a simple hand pump would have been brilliant for our friends with out-of-service water wells.

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Costs of Custom Homes

The first thing most people want to know is: What does it costs to build a 3000 sqft custom home in the Atlanta, GA. market? The first thing you have to calculate is the square footage you want. Once you have that, the numbers below give you a good starting point.

Adjusted Square Foot Calculation:

Above ground finished conditioned space is 100% of actual sqft
Basement level finished conditioned space is 40% of actual.
Garage space is 50% of actual
Covered Patios / Porches are 70% of actual
Decks are 20% of actual sqft.
So a 3000 sqft home with 1000 sqft of finished basement, a 550 sqft garage and 250 sqft of covered or screened porches will have an adjusted SQFT of 3850.

New Construction:

Lot costs are typically 30% to 35% of your total budget for a home.
We find construction costs of $200 per sqft + or – 10%, plus a fixed cost of about $30k for site development costs. (Utilities, Driveway, Fencing, Landscaping, etc.) If you want a modern home with flat roofs and steel, you are looking $240 per sqft + or – 10%.
Architectural Fees / Engineering Fees typically are 7% of construction costs, + or – depending on the amount of detail you want designed.
Time to draw plans are 3 to 6 months. Time to permit is about 60 days. Time to construct a home depends on the size of the home, but typically we can do about $70K to $120k of work per month on a home; with a minimum of 6 months to construct a home.

Renovations:

In today’s market we are finding that in doing large renovations/additions to homes are saving 10% to 20% versus a new home.
Typically we see costs for new added space at $210 per sqft. Redoing existing space is about $135 per sqft.
Architectural Fees / Engineering Fees typically are 6% of construction costs, + or – depending on the amount of detail you want designed.
Time to draw plans are 1 to 3 months. Time to permit is about 30 days. Time to construct a home depends on the size of the home, but typically we can do about $60K to $100k of work per month on a home; with a minimum of 3 months to construct a home.

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