Table of Content
Reducing annual energy, water, and maintenance costs was our secondary goal. First, on the energy side, I have been fascinated by solar energy; when I lived in sunny Arizona I could not understand why we did not harness more of the sun’s clean energy—it is free and abundant. The thought of free energy got me thinking that I wanted lower utility bills. (Who wouldn’t? It just means more money to live your life!) Second, I have spent a great deal of time in my career doing cost/benefit analyses for large projects that would have a positive net present value —meaning it is a good deal from a cash flow perspective and for our time horizon. I have a wonderful husband who happens to not be the fix-anything handyman. So, I was convinced that the more things we could incorporate that would require very little, if any, maintenance, the more harmonious our marriage would be.
Suffice it to say that while the industrial revolution brought a huge improvement in living standards, it also brought exponential human population growth—from about 2.5 billion in 1950 to over seven billion today. At the same time, our pattern of extraction, use, and waste disposal has depleted our natural resources and degraded our ecosystem that supplies us with clean air, clean water, and food—the very things we all need to survive. Once our home was well underway, a local builder who was designing his own home called me for guidance. My maternal German heritage dictates a certain efficiency in the way I live; wastefulness is not in my DNA. My Jewish upbringing taught me to engage in tikkun olam, a Hebrew phrase for repairing the world.
Essential Sustainable Home Design
Maclay is an award-winning net-zero designer whose projects have achieved high-performance goals at affordable costs. His book shares a wealth of state-of-the-art information on everything from embodied energy and residential net-zero standards to monitoring and costs; and more. Also included are several case studies, and you’ll be happy to hear that both new building and renovation projects are covered in detail. Even though Elemental Green is an online resource for all things related to eco green building and renovation that doesn’t mean that we don’t love books. Sometimes the internet is the perfect way to compare products, do research, and start planning out a project.
Anyone who even considers building or remodeling a home knows that the number of decisions a homeowner has to make, from architects and builders to styles, materials, windows, and furnishings, can be mind-numbing. But anyone—a client, designer or builder—can pick up thePretty Good Housebook and get a good idea of how to build a beautiful, efficient, right-sized home made of the right materials. It's all reasonable, sensible, useful information written by experienced designers and builders who actually know how to communicate. Provides a framework and set of guidelines for building or renovating a high-performance home that focus both on its inhabitants and the environment—but keeps in mind that few people have pockets deep enough to achieve a “perfect” solution. The essential idea is for homeowners to work within their financial and practical constraints both to meet their own needs and do as much for the planet as possible.
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You need to look out for different things when purchasing any home to determine the house that is the place or home you want. Home Buyers Handbook will help inform you of all the necessary conditions you need to look out for when purchasing any home. You can quickly identify the actual value of any home depending on where it is located and the amenities it has. She collaborated with Dan Kolbert, Michael Maines, and Christopher Briley on a recently released book The Pretty Good House. The book illustrates a framework and set of guidelines for building or renovating a high-performance home that focuses on its inhabitants and the environment while keeping a manageable budget in mind. This book is written very well by a group of people who really care about building a high-quality product that is good for a durable and healthy building.
Many people dream of building a beautiful, environmentally friendly home. But until now there has been no systematic guide to help potential builders work through the complete process of imagining, planning, designing, and building their ideal, sustainable home. Focuses on highlighting the important environmental costs and benefits of current building trends and the implications of each. Continued use of finite resources and inefficient design methods, for example, is one contributing factor in the global energy and resource shortage we currently face. Increased construction of modern and eco-friendly buildings, however, has caused a reduction in energy and resource demand as well as a reduced need for waste processing.
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Hopedance.org magazine for finding pathways to sustainable living and positive solutions. Motherearthnews.com Mother Earth News has provided solid information on many topics related to sustainable living for several decades, and now many of these articles are available on-line. Dsireusa.org The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. Sustainablesources.com features a calendar of events related to sustainable living which can be updated by visitors online.
You need assistance maneuvering around these factors to make home ownership easier. Home Buyers Handbook gives you information on the simplest and most efficient way to overcome all these challenges you will face. You can understand simple data as the information shows you everything you require and what you need to do. The simple language used in creating this product makes it simple for you to use and fully understand every concept it shares with you.
Greenbuildingelements.com is a blog-style magazine featuring articles by various professionals related to all aspects of sustainable design. Construction.com McGraw Hill Construction Community Forum has many threads related to sustainable architecture. Quiethut.com A guide to green building with lots of pertinent links. How to build a resilient, comfortable home using cutting-edge foundation and framing options and modern products and materials that are durable and resource-efficient. How to build a resilient, comfortable home using cutting-edge foundation and framing options, as well as modern products and materials that are durable and resource-efficient.
This book presents a comprehensive overview of sustainable housing, starting from legislation and ending with the design and configuration of homes. A simple, clear, thorough, and complete explanation of basic building science applicable to any building in any climate. This book also includes sections on designing building enclosures, indoor air quality, choosing heating and cooling systems, and how to ventilate, heat, and cool different types of buildings. Beyond simply being energy-efficient, net-zero homes produce as much energy as they consume and are carbon neutral. In The New Net Zero, sustainable architect Bill Maclay charts the path for designers, builders, and homeowners interested in exploring eco-friendly home design’s new net-zero frontier.
For anyone who is thinking about building or renovating a home, this is an indispensable guidebook book that will help prioritize decisions and cut through the clutter of the overwhelming number of “green” choices. Here, Rappaport Schifman shares her story of LEED Gold certifying her own home, includes bottom-line costs and benefits, and incorporates her perspective on what “sustainability” really means for our collective health, wealth and soul. This intensive, interactive online series of courses is designed to rapidly advance your knowledge of sustainable home design and construction. Whether you’re an architect, builder, or a homeowner, we'll give you the information and confidence to design and build well-crafted, practical homes that maximize performance and comfort. Our homes are extensions of who we are—from our decorating styles to eating habits to tolerance for clutter.
Ultimately, we ended up with 94 LEED points—beating the gold threshold by two and a half points . Sustainabilitystore.com is a directory of socially and environmentally responsible products and services. Interiordesignedu.org features an extensive gllossary of archectyural terms with further resources for education. Newvillage.net semi-annual journal on building sustainable cultures. Naturalhomes.org lists workshops conducted around the world relating to all aspects of natural building. AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit.
AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request. Dan Kolbert is a carpenter and contractor, and for the past 10 years has been moderator of the original building science discussion group in Portland, Maine, where the Pretty Good House idea originated. Select the right-sized mechanical systems and incorporate renewable energy sources to achieve long term comfort, health, and savings. LEED for Homes was introduced in 2008 in recognition of the environmental impact of the residential sector, as distinct from the commercial sector—homes consume 22 percent of the nation’s energy. The LEED for Homes Rating System applies to homes that are newly constructed as well as existing homes that are going through a major remodel.
Some of the most architecturally interesting structures on the planet are featured side-by-side in this collection, and there’s no shortage of variety. In fact, reviewers rave about the book’s representation of many different styles, from the rustic and DIY to the fantastically modern. Zeiger beautifully represents rustic treehouses, airy domes, and recycled-scrap structures alike, complementing the vivid photography with detailed building plans and illustrations.
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