Capital Home Builders would like to thank Merchant Circle for this Top Merchant recognition on my devotion in providing consumers with a valuable service. Merchant Circle has been a great venue for our Business.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Capital Home Builders - Top Merchant Recognition
Capital Home Builders would like to thank Merchant Circle for this Top Merchant recognition on my devotion in providing consumers with a valuable service. Merchant Circle has been a great venue for our Business.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Realtors misrepresenting listings as Energy efficient:
When looking for Energy efficient property in the Thomasville, Georgia area they are a few things to lookout for. Misrepresenting a listing and selling that listing on false pretense is a lawsuit waiting to happen for the agent or brokerage office.
1. Ask for certifications. If the home builder or Realtor does not belong to a nationally recognized organization, ask how and why they are making an eco-friendly claim. If they are certified, don’t immediately assume their paperwork is legitimate. Do some digging of your own to verify their claims, and the validity of their certifications. Realtors claiming Energy Efficient homes in Thomasville, Georgia better have third part verification documents to back it up or buyer I would file a lawsuit against the agent and brokerage office for misrepresenting that listing.
2. Don’t be an undereducated consumer. Do some investigating of your own to confirm that what they’re telling you is actually true. If you’re about to make an investment of several hundred thousand dollars, shouldn’t you get the maximum value for your dollar as possible?
3. Don’t fall for the window dressing. Just because they use nontoxic paint or installed insulation with a R-value above what the local building code requires, don’t assume the house is 100% green. Very few homes (if any) can be 100% green, so when you’re listening to a long list of stats about how great their product is, keep your suspicions up. Taking notes might help too.
4. Energy efficient products alone isn’t enough. Quality and workmanship are always paramount when buying a new home. So it’s entirely possible to have the best insulating triple paned windows on the market, but a small leak around the windowsill will negate their efficacy. It’s best to think of your house as a energy efficient system, rather than a combination of green products.
Beware Greenwashing Advertisements When Buying a New Home
http://www.grec.state.ga.us/consumer/complaint.html
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Thomasville, Georgia Real Estate Agents Boycotting Green Homes and green home builders.
Small town does not embrace green building, but some agent’s listings are fast to misrepresent their listings as Energy Efferent.
It is the twenty first century and the concept of green building—which may have sprouted as a trend from a select group of forward thinkers—is slowly becoming standard practice. If going green is the future, it seems that the future has arrived. And it is here to stay.
According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2009 Green Outlook, “The overall green building market (both non-residential and residential) is likely to more than double from $36-49 billion in 2009 to $96-140 billion by 2013.”
The report says that 70 percent of consumers report they would be more inclined to purchase a green home in a down market.
“It is likely that green will reach the mainstream of the global marketplace and achieve critical mass.”
So why is green building growing so rapidly?
It seems the awareness of climate change, with eyes also focused on other pressing environmental issues, is driving society to find a sustainable way of living, and fast.
This heightened consciousness, coupled with the facts—that green building saves on energy costs while creating a durable, healthy and higher quality home—draws many closer to the green building industry.
It doesn’t hurt that architects and design companies are catching on and creating attractive options for consumers, such as prefab homes, green communities, and apartment complexes.
While some of these projects may first seem costly, they not only offer a high quality of construction, but also help save on long term energy costs—which in the end balance out with original overheads.
Additionally, green rating systems, such as LEED for Homes and Energy Star, have become more prevalent, making it easier for those interested in meeting green standards to succeed in their mission.
Today, the demand for green building is high and continues to rise, growing simultaneously with society’s dependence on fossil fuels, elevating again and again with each bump up in fuel prices.
So, yes, green building is good, but what exactly is it?
Energy wasted
While this question requires a thorough answer, this article can only highlight the basics:
Green building implies a process of designing and constructing a home that is energy efficient, one that uses fewer materials while making better use of the materials purchased. The building shell, or envelope, is the most important factor as this determines most of the energy flow.
“We waste 50 to 90 percent of energy in our buildings,” award-winning architect Michael McDonough said. “Energy use per square foot has gone up 14 percent per year in buildings over the past 10 years.”
Green building needs to result in a highly durable home that saves on energy costs, provides a healthy life for those inside it, while minimizing the home’s footprint on the environment.
A green home strives to have high indoor air quality; what is inside the home—from building materials to furniture—should not add toxins to the air. Products that do not emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) should be used as much as possible.
A green home should save on energy and resources such as electricity and water. If the building envelope is constructed properly, the energy needs of a resident can decrease up to 80 percent. McDonough recommends autoclaved aerated concrete for the shell.
It is airtight; and with its thermal properties, it can save up to 50 percent of energy used for heating and 75 percent in air-conditioning energy use.
Solar power for hot water is also a great advantage. Water consumption should be minimized by using low-flow shower heads, high-efficiency toilets, and high-efficiency or tankless water heaters.
Recycled materials or materials that can be recycled should be used, as should products that are locally made. Products should be resilient to avoid unnecessary replacement and repair.
Whether building a home or remodeling, there are many ways to go green. It begins by thinking green—understanding the advantages of life inside a green home as well as its benefit to the environment all around.
By Adam Miller
It is the twenty first century and the concept of green building—which may have sprouted as a trend from a select group of forward thinkers—is slowly becoming standard practice. If going green is the future, it seems that the future has arrived. And it is here to stay.
According to McGraw-Hill Construction’s 2009 Green Outlook, “The overall green building market (both non-residential and residential) is likely to more than double from $36-49 billion in 2009 to $96-140 billion by 2013.”
The report says that 70 percent of consumers report they would be more inclined to purchase a green home in a down market.
“It is likely that green will reach the mainstream of the global marketplace and achieve critical mass.”
So why is green building growing so rapidly?
It seems the awareness of climate change, with eyes also focused on other pressing environmental issues, is driving society to find a sustainable way of living, and fast.
This heightened consciousness, coupled with the facts—that green building saves on energy costs while creating a durable, healthy and higher quality home—draws many closer to the green building industry.
It doesn’t hurt that architects and design companies are catching on and creating attractive options for consumers, such as prefab homes, green communities, and apartment complexes.
While some of these projects may first seem costly, they not only offer a high quality of construction, but also help save on long term energy costs—which in the end balance out with original overheads.
Additionally, green rating systems, such as LEED for Homes and Energy Star, have become more prevalent, making it easier for those interested in meeting green standards to succeed in their mission.
Today, the demand for green building is high and continues to rise, growing simultaneously with society’s dependence on fossil fuels, elevating again and again with each bump up in fuel prices.
So, yes, green building is good, but what exactly is it?
Energy wasted
While this question requires a thorough answer, this article can only highlight the basics:
Green building implies a process of designing and constructing a home that is energy efficient, one that uses fewer materials while making better use of the materials purchased. The building shell, or envelope, is the most important factor as this determines most of the energy flow.
“We waste 50 to 90 percent of energy in our buildings,” award-winning architect Michael McDonough said. “Energy use per square foot has gone up 14 percent per year in buildings over the past 10 years.”
Green building needs to result in a highly durable home that saves on energy costs, provides a healthy life for those inside it, while minimizing the home’s footprint on the environment.
A green home strives to have high indoor air quality; what is inside the home—from building materials to furniture—should not add toxins to the air. Products that do not emit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) should be used as much as possible.
A green home should save on energy and resources such as electricity and water. If the building envelope is constructed properly, the energy needs of a resident can decrease up to 80 percent. McDonough recommends autoclaved aerated concrete for the shell.
It is airtight; and with its thermal properties, it can save up to 50 percent of energy used for heating and 75 percent in air-conditioning energy use.
Solar power for hot water is also a great advantage. Water consumption should be minimized by using low-flow shower heads, high-efficiency toilets, and high-efficiency or tankless water heaters.
Recycled materials or materials that can be recycled should be used, as should products that are locally made. Products should be resilient to avoid unnecessary replacement and repair.
Whether building a home or remodeling, there are many ways to go green. It begins by thinking green—understanding the advantages of life inside a green home as well as its benefit to the environment all around.
By Adam Miller
Thursday, September 9, 2010
HOW WELL IS YOUR HOME INSULATED?
99% OF ALL THOMASVILLE, GEORGIA BUILDERS USE CELLULOSE INSULATION IN ALL NEW AND OLD HOMES. ALWAYS ASK WHAT’S BEHIND THE WALLS.
Disadvantages
• lower R-value per inch than most other insulation products in use today
• losses it R-value when wet and does not recover well if saturated wet
• tends to settle in attics and when blown into walls without binders (glue), losing R-value
• does not provide an integral vapor barrier
According to the University of Massachusetts Building and Construction Technology department, wet cellulose takes a long time to dry. While fiberglass may be faced with drywall as soon as the insulation is installed, wet cellulose must lose at least 75 percent of the water in it before installing drywall. Depending upon humidity, spray cellulose insulation may take weeks to dry, and professional sprayers will use space heaters to speed up the drying. From what I have seen in Thomasville, Georgia the day after insulation is applied the drywall goes up.
We spray Icynene and occasionally lose jobs to wet spray cellulose. I've used an infrared camera to look at walls of two existing homes that had wet spray cellulose applied. There were many cold spots, some apparent voids, and some settling. We have "dumped" a stud cavity of freshly applied wet spray cellulose onto poly, weighed the material, and dried it. There was approximately 0.9 gallon (ca. 7 pounds) of water in the cavity. We have been on a job site the day after the application of wet spray cellulose and have seen the sagging, settling, and falling out of the cavity. Sheet rock is typically applied within a day of application of the wet spray cellulose. I cannot comprehend the use of a wet product in a wall (wet things tend to shrink, settle, and sag) and then covering it up immediately (probably good practice from the perspective of the wet spray cellulose applicator). I would like your perspective/experience with wet spray cellulose and would like to find some "science based" studies on wet spray cellulose and other insulation products.
Concerns that have been raised about wet-spray cellulose Insulation and its effectiveness.
Disadvantages
• lower R-value per inch than most other insulation products in use today
• losses it R-value when wet and does not recover well if saturated wet
• tends to settle in attics and when blown into walls without binders (glue), losing R-value
• does not provide an integral vapor barrier
According to the University of Massachusetts Building and Construction Technology department, wet cellulose takes a long time to dry. While fiberglass may be faced with drywall as soon as the insulation is installed, wet cellulose must lose at least 75 percent of the water in it before installing drywall. Depending upon humidity, spray cellulose insulation may take weeks to dry, and professional sprayers will use space heaters to speed up the drying. From what I have seen in Thomasville, Georgia the day after insulation is applied the drywall goes up.
We spray Icynene and occasionally lose jobs to wet spray cellulose. I've used an infrared camera to look at walls of two existing homes that had wet spray cellulose applied. There were many cold spots, some apparent voids, and some settling. We have "dumped" a stud cavity of freshly applied wet spray cellulose onto poly, weighed the material, and dried it. There was approximately 0.9 gallon (ca. 7 pounds) of water in the cavity. We have been on a job site the day after the application of wet spray cellulose and have seen the sagging, settling, and falling out of the cavity. Sheet rock is typically applied within a day of application of the wet spray cellulose. I cannot comprehend the use of a wet product in a wall (wet things tend to shrink, settle, and sag) and then covering it up immediately (probably good practice from the perspective of the wet spray cellulose applicator). I would like your perspective/experience with wet spray cellulose and would like to find some "science based" studies on wet spray cellulose and other insulation products.
Concerns that have been raised about wet-spray cellulose Insulation and its effectiveness.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Are Bigger Homes a thing of the past?
Real estate expert Barbara Corcoran explains why the average size of a new American home has shrunk by 300 square feet and discusses what this shift away from the opulent means in the housing. NOT in Thomasville, GA. You can get a really cheap home with big square footage and a big electrical bill too.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Benefits of Green Construction
A green home or company is built to be energy efficient and environmentally sustainable. These factors are carefully considered in the design, construction and choice of equipment, fixtures and appliances for the home. There are many benefits of green construction.
Why Build Green?
Building a green home represents two ideas. The first relates to the building phase of the home. The second considers the benefits derived from living in the home. Both try to improve on methods and reduce ways in which energy, water and materials are used so as to conserve resources and safeguard the environment. There are many benefits of building a green home.
Conserving natural resources, reducing solid waste and enhancing the biodiversity of the home’s surroundings add to the environmental benefits of building green. The air, thermal, and acoustic systems within the home are better coordinated leading to better health and comfort for the occupants. As the home is built to be energy efficient, local infrastructure and utilities are used less than when compared to a conventionally built home.
Building a green home can contribute to economic benefits as well. Even though the initial outlay in building and equipping a home may be more than that for a conventional one, this can be recovered with savings in payment for utilities throughout the home’s life cycle. Moreover, a green home qualifies for tax and other incentives as well as zoning allowances in many cities. The superior aesthetics of a green home can promote greater productivity and improve the quality of life of its occupants.
What Makes a Building Green?
Careful planning goes into a green construction. The surrounding land is developed to promote biodiversity and ensure water savings. Landscaping takes into account the natural lay of the land and plant species native to the area. Materials used for building are mostly salvaged or recycled byproducts from other industries. Use of toxic chemicals and materials are reduced. A green home is designed to make the best use of natural light. The home may generate a part or all of its energy needs from renewable sources such as solar or geothermal power. A home that generates energy in excess of its needs can earn credits by arranging with their utility supplier to feed excess power to the main power grid.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has laid down criteria for building of green homes. According to the EPA, green homes are energy and water efficient and make use of renewable energy, environmentally preferable building materials, waste reduction, toxics reduction, indoor air quality, smart growth and sustainable development. Unlike a traditional home where each component is decided on separately, a green building project considers a home as one system where all the processes such as heating, cooling, plumbing, energy and water use are interconnected. Doors, windows, roofs, floors and walls of a green home all contribute to make it energy efficient and sustainable.
For each of the criteria mentioned above, the EPA has laid down standards and specifications that builders of green homes must adhere to. A home that qualifies for EPA’s blue Energy Star rating has an efficient home envelope containing better insulation and high performance windows, efficient air distribution, heating, cooling and lighting and uses energy saving appliances, equipment and fixtures that carry the Energy Star logo.
To promote growth of sustainable development and provide consumers with a means of comparing and identifying standards of green buildings, a non-profit organization called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has devised a voluntary rating system based on five criteria. The criteria are sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor air quality. LEED awards certified, silver, gold and platinum awards based on the extent to which the design and building of a home, office or other structure meets the above criteria.
The National Association of Home Builders as well as various state and local agencies also have green certification programs that incorporate energy efficiency and sustainability in building practices.
Sustainable living encompasses preservation of resources. A green home is built to use less energy and other resources both during its construction and while being lived in. It generates and uses clean energy to run the home so as to reduce its carbon impact. A green home promotes good health and productivity. The initial investment in building a green home can be justified considering these overall benefits.
Resource
http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/ReduceEnergy.htm
Benefits of Green Homes and Construction
Learn about the environmental impacts of green homes and construction and how they will benefit our lives.
•1. Environmental Gains of Building Green in America
•2. The Benefits of Green Construction
Why Build Green?
Building a green home represents two ideas. The first relates to the building phase of the home. The second considers the benefits derived from living in the home. Both try to improve on methods and reduce ways in which energy, water and materials are used so as to conserve resources and safeguard the environment. There are many benefits of building a green home.
Conserving natural resources, reducing solid waste and enhancing the biodiversity of the home’s surroundings add to the environmental benefits of building green. The air, thermal, and acoustic systems within the home are better coordinated leading to better health and comfort for the occupants. As the home is built to be energy efficient, local infrastructure and utilities are used less than when compared to a conventionally built home.
Building a green home can contribute to economic benefits as well. Even though the initial outlay in building and equipping a home may be more than that for a conventional one, this can be recovered with savings in payment for utilities throughout the home’s life cycle. Moreover, a green home qualifies for tax and other incentives as well as zoning allowances in many cities. The superior aesthetics of a green home can promote greater productivity and improve the quality of life of its occupants.
What Makes a Building Green?
Careful planning goes into a green construction. The surrounding land is developed to promote biodiversity and ensure water savings. Landscaping takes into account the natural lay of the land and plant species native to the area. Materials used for building are mostly salvaged or recycled byproducts from other industries. Use of toxic chemicals and materials are reduced. A green home is designed to make the best use of natural light. The home may generate a part or all of its energy needs from renewable sources such as solar or geothermal power. A home that generates energy in excess of its needs can earn credits by arranging with their utility supplier to feed excess power to the main power grid.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has laid down criteria for building of green homes. According to the EPA, green homes are energy and water efficient and make use of renewable energy, environmentally preferable building materials, waste reduction, toxics reduction, indoor air quality, smart growth and sustainable development. Unlike a traditional home where each component is decided on separately, a green building project considers a home as one system where all the processes such as heating, cooling, plumbing, energy and water use are interconnected. Doors, windows, roofs, floors and walls of a green home all contribute to make it energy efficient and sustainable.
For each of the criteria mentioned above, the EPA has laid down standards and specifications that builders of green homes must adhere to. A home that qualifies for EPA’s blue Energy Star rating has an efficient home envelope containing better insulation and high performance windows, efficient air distribution, heating, cooling and lighting and uses energy saving appliances, equipment and fixtures that carry the Energy Star logo.
To promote growth of sustainable development and provide consumers with a means of comparing and identifying standards of green buildings, a non-profit organization called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has devised a voluntary rating system based on five criteria. The criteria are sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor air quality. LEED awards certified, silver, gold and platinum awards based on the extent to which the design and building of a home, office or other structure meets the above criteria.
The National Association of Home Builders as well as various state and local agencies also have green certification programs that incorporate energy efficiency and sustainability in building practices.
Sustainable living encompasses preservation of resources. A green home is built to use less energy and other resources both during its construction and while being lived in. It generates and uses clean energy to run the home so as to reduce its carbon impact. A green home promotes good health and productivity. The initial investment in building a green home can be justified considering these overall benefits.
Resource
http://www.epa.gov/greenhomes/ReduceEnergy.htm
Benefits of Green Homes and Construction
Learn about the environmental impacts of green homes and construction and how they will benefit our lives.
•1. Environmental Gains of Building Green in America
•2. The Benefits of Green Construction
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