• December

      27

      2012
    • 1905
    • 0

    What Makes a Building Green? You Sure Can’t Tell From It’s Energy Star Rating

    In courting tenants over the last six years, 7 World Trade Center has trumpeted its gold LEED rating, an emblem of sound environmental citizenship.

    But when it comes to energy efficiency, the young 52-story tower is far from a top performer, according to data released under a city law that tracks energy use in New York buildings. It had a score of 74 — just below the minimum of 75 set for high-efficiency buildings by the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. On the other hand, two venerated show horses from the 1930s……..

    • December

      15

      2012
    • 1390
    • 0

    Soma Reinvents the Water Filter, Makes It Gorgeous And Greener

    We have been recommending water filters for years, but they are not without their issues. (Remember Beth Terry’s Take Back the Filter campaign?). They are often ugly, plastic things. I love my ZeroWater, but it is ridiculous to fill, and is seriously out of place in an architect’s kitchen.

    The Soma, on the other hand, is lovely to look at. CEO Mike Del Ponte tells us that it is designed according to Dieter Ram’s principles (which inspired Jony Ives and Apple). Rams has written:

    My aim is to omit everything superfluous so that the essential is shown to the best possible advantage.

    • November

      18

      2012
    • 2470
    • 0

    Sun-Collecting, Parametric Skin Surrounds Student-Designed House

    From everyday items like clocks to large outdoor structures, we’ve gotten an idea of the extensive possibilities of parametrically-generated design. Earlier this year, students from China’s Tongji University created an interesting prototype for a prefab house that combines both passive and active energy strategies for the European Solar Decathalon, held in Madrid, Spain.

    • October

      27

      2012
    • 1720
    • 0

    Formaldehyde Should Not Be In Our Houses, No Matter How Natural; Big Chem Says It Is

    The industry rallies around an attack on Nick Kristof of the New York Times, but he’s right.

    • October

      27

      2012
    • 3578
    • 0

    Homebox turns Shipping Container Housing On Its End

    The real importance of the shipping container isn’t the fact that it is a box; it is that it is part of a larger system of handling and transport. One can move them anywhere with standardized equipment. Professor Han Slawik builds his Homeboxes out of wood, within the internationally recognized standards of an ISO shipping container. The Professor writes:

    Worldwide are almost steel containers in use. But wear, repair and maintenance of steel materials are more costly (in term of purchasing costs, welding, etc.) than for wooden materials. Wooden constructions can be repaired cheaper and easier. Variation and adjustment to changing necessaries and conditions are easier and cheaper with wooden containers. Live in wooden homes is healthier and more comfortable as in a home made of

    • October

      27

      2012
    • 1661
    • 0

    Can You Build an All-American Home? It’s Hard and Expensive, and It’s All About the Details

    People all over the United States were out of work; if she bought American-made products for the house, she could do her part. But how far could she take it? Was it possible to build a house entirely of products made in America?

    Some things were easy. Lantz traveled to a quarry in Lueders, Tex., to find chocolate-brown limestone. The marble chips that made up her terrazzo came from Marble Falls. She found Heatlok Soy 200 foam insulation in Arlington and windows manufactured in Stafford. Other items required her to look further afield: Lantz bought shower drains from Iowa, a skylight made in South Carolina, hose valves made in Alabama, fences from California and baseboards from Georgia. She developed the skills of a private investigator.

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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:

New Construction:

Renovations:

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