Tag:Tips
Would Your New House Look Good in High Heels?
Image borrowed from blog.armchairbuilder.com
I’m not talking about stripper shoes! I’m talking about truss construction. This is something we’re seeing and recommending more in new construction. Installing a truss with a raised heel detail allows for more insulation at the perimeter where often the insulation is compressed or absent due to the proximity of the interior ceiling to the roof deck. The detail to the right shows how a standard truss is built. As discussed here before, venting and insulation is important to shingle life and to prevent ice damming.
Image borrowed from Building America Solution Center
A high heeled or raised heel truss (see left) is created with the equivalent of an additional wall section separating the bottom chord and top chord of the truss at the exterior wall. This allows full thickness insulation to extend out to the wall and complete the protection of the building envelope. If care is used in selecting your roof slope and eave extensions, this is never noticed as your soffit can be installed to return at the same height as the interior ceiling making the construction look like a standard cantilever truss.
When you’re planning your new home or addition to your existing home, make sure and ask us about this and other “Green That Save Green” solutions.
Shipping Container Living Space
Credit: Urban Space Management (CONTAINER CITY) Ltd.
Brent Martin and I have had several discussions about using shipping containers as living space. Apparently someone beat us on the implementation. London-based developers Urban Space Management used shipping containers to create Container City, a 22-unit modular building. I read about it in the April issue of Multi-Family Executive. You can read the entire article by Linsey Isaacs on their site here. I also read an article recently where Ball State University was experimenting with the idea as housing in third world countries. Another million dollar idea lost to quicker minds…
Hands-Free Faucets at Home
Have you fallen in love with the germ-free faucet activation you find in airport restrooms? iTouchless EZ Faucet allows you to retrofit your home faucets for the same hands-free activation. The system mounts to your existing faucet. Just turn the valves on and the EZ Faucet turns it on and off using infrared sensors.
The adapter will fit most kitchen and bathroom faucets. The sensor mounts to the side so you do not lose any space in the sink below the faucet outlet. It also includes a manual on/off switch in case of a malfunction. Pretty slick!
Broan Decorative Tile Backsplash
Broan Tuscany Backsplash at Amazon.com
Broan has a pre-assembled tile backsplash for behind your stove. It can be mounted right on the wall for a quick way to upgrade your kitchen. The one to the right is available through amazon.com for $199.
Available in sizes 30″ x 14″, 30″ x 20″ and 36″ x 20″.
Let me know what you think…
Honeywell Thermostat
Last Thursday I went to a presentation put on by Honeywell and Mid-City Supply in Plymouth that discussed their latest advancements in programmable thermostats. I would hesitate to say that this is their answer to the Nest thermostat I talked about previously (here), since Honeywell was actually doing this first, but I think Nest and its advances and popularity are pushing them to be more innovative. They have reduced the size of their programmable stat, given it more color options and beefed up their internet connectivity.
The three main things that I think set the Honeywell system apart are as follows:
- They have a lot of module add-ons available. (Homeowner Accessory Flyer) They can tie together multiple thermostats, zone sensors, duct sensors, humidity sensors and outdoor sensors within the HVAC realm. In addition they are adding things like sump pump sensors which will make your thermostat more of a multi-function device.
- Their RedLINK system has its own wireless bandwidth that works in a 1/2 mile radius to tie the modules together. The advantage of this is the entire system becomes just one device on your wireless internet router reducing the load when Dad is playing video poker, Mom is watching a Netflix movie and Junior is playing a multi-player online game.
- There is a commercial option for this system, partially allowed by the flexibility listed above.
