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The Value of Quality Windows
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102107″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”101787″][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=”185319″] Windows are the eyes peering into the soul of your home. They protect us from inclement weather, allow us to connect with the outdoors and, most importantly, let the light in. However, while windows permit views and light, they also permit unwanted heat gain and unwanted heat loss. In…
Read MoreThe Power of Dirt – Geothermal Heat Pumps
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102105″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”206594″][vc_column_text] Humans have been utilizing the thermal qualities of dirt since our very beginnings. Paleolithic cavemen were, obviously, known for living in caves because they were simply the best places to live. Caves remained cool in the summer and warm during the winter due to the massive thermal storage capabilities of the…
Read More5 Reasons Why Building Design is Crucial
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102102″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”358496″][vc_column_text] “Building design” does not refer to the multitude of stylistic clichés, such as “colonial” or “ranch”, which are ubiquitous today. It certainly does not refer to any decorative elements of the exterior. No. Building design encompasses a holistic approach, from the spacing of studs to the spacing of shrubs. The…
Read MoreTurf War
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102100″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”136294″][vc_column_text] There is something about the ubiquitous suburban lawn in a place like Texas (or much of America west of the Mississippi for that matter) that is unequivocally silly. Depending on conditions, a 25-by-40-foot yard can drink up to 10,000 gallons of water each summer. In places like central Texas, lawns…
Read More5 Easy, Affordable Ways to Green Your Home
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102098″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”253665″][vc_column_text] Most of us would prefer to live an eco-friendly lifestyle if we could. We love the outdoors and want to preserve America’s famed wild beauty. We love our children, and we want them to inherit a wealth of natural resources unspoiled by industry and corporate malfeasance. Most of us would prefer…
Read MoreGreen Homeowners for Green Homes
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102135″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”163706″][vc_column_text] “Sustainability” has, perhaps, become the biggest movement in the field of architecture and construction – transcending mere trend status. Today, increasingly affordable green technologies combined with generous federal and local subsidies have put owning a green home firmly within the reach of most middle-class Americans. In turn, a small but…
Read MoreThe 5 Ingredients of Net-Zero Homes
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102133″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”833362″][vc_column_text] A full understanding of net-zero housing implies a recognition that the homebuyer is paying for a comprehensive and complete building up-front. This includes all the energy and utility costs that he or she would have paid for on a monthly basis throughout the life of that house. While the mortgage will…
Read MoreThe Windfall of Wind: Passive Air Circulation
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102131″ media_width_percent=”100″ shape=”img-round” uncode_shortcode_id=”781704″][vc_column_text] Natural ventilation has become an increasingly attractive technique for reducing energy use, and thereby cost, while still maintaining a healthy, comfortable, and productive indoor climate. Most historic buildings were ventilated naturally, although many of them have been compromised by the addition of partition walls and mechanical systems. In favorable climates,…
Read More4 Myths about Net-Zero Homes
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102128″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”168114″][vc_column_text] For the most part, net-zero homes continue to occupy a niche market in the building industry. Most potential home buyers have an understandable fear of investing in sustainable housing trends such as net-zero housing. Below are 4 pervasive myths associated with net-zero homes that upon closer inspection demonstrate that there is…
Read MoreTimeless Green: Reclaiming the Past
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image media=”102126″ media_width_percent=”100″ uncode_shortcode_id=”416043″][vc_column_text] More than 150 million Americans, live in suburbs – that’s half of all Americans. While the rest of the world appears to be in a mad rush to urbanize – poverty, overcrowding, and unsanitary conditions be damned – we seem to have deserted the city for the relentlessly sprawling edges. The…
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