Entries Tagged 'design' ↓
May 27th, 2008 — HVAC, design
In our last post we spoke of a Shuco Slim Line solar thermal heating package that would be used in conjunction with a closed loop radiant loop and a high-efficiency gas boiler to heat the domestic hot water and the radiant loop as needed. This system uses the solar thermal system to preheat only the domestic hot water. The gas boiler then heats all of the radiant system while also acting as a backup for the domestic hot water.
An alternate system is one in which the solar thermal system can heat both the domestic hot water and the radiant loop. A Vermont company, Radiantec…
May 16th, 2008 — inspiration, design
In an effort to defend the viability of the exposed CFL throughout the house I have compiled a few example images of modern interiors where the technique was successfully implemented. All of these are from Japan.
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May 15th, 2008 — floorplan, design
May from ISA sent over a rough sketch of the lighting layout for the 100K House that they came up with. Given the discussion that was sparked the other day on the ceiling fans and where to put the lighting, I thought I would get this up ASAP for the interested parties. The star of our lighting, fixture wise, will be the simple $2 ceiling fixtures you find at Home Depot and normally only put in your basement.
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May 13th, 2008 — design, budget
Just for the heck of it, I had a PV system quoted for the 10K House to see how much it would cost to take care of 100% of the electrical demand with a grid-tied system. The good people at SunPower Builders gave me an estimate today. We would need about a 5KW array […]
May 12th, 2008 — design
What kind of ceiling fans do you get for a modern house on a tight budget. How ’bout this. These are as bare bones as you can find for ceiling fans and can be found for under $75 each. There are a number of manufacturers that sell very similar models. This is a Westinghouse model that comes in brushed nickel for the same price as the white versions.
May 6th, 2008 — design
We officially decided to go with the Pella Proline aluminum-clad wood casement windows for the 100K House project. The discussion that was sparked in the recent post on thermal shades was the clincher for us…
April 29th, 2008 — kitchen, design
This weekend I met with Mr. Matt Pappajohn of Pappajohn Woodworking to further discuss our “Urban Kitchen” design and possible materials. Matt has seen our renderings and has agreed that we can create a similar kitchen out of sustainable materials and green finishes that will fit in our budget for both homes. This makes me […]
April 24th, 2008 — kitchen, design
You’ve all been patient with our decreased posting the past few weeks so ISA decided to reward you all with the first interior renderings of the home. I’ll save my thoughts for later an let you guys comment first. If you’ve always wanted to comment but never have, now’s your chance. Also, before someone mentions […]
April 22nd, 2008 — energy modeling, HVAC, design, planning
Last week I was getting nervous about our ability to incorporate all of the energy efficient features of the home in the most cost effective manner possible. I have also been pouring over other case study’s that contain very nice energy modeling data that I craved on our homes. I finally bit the bullet and […]
April 19th, 2008 — design, budget
Over the course of this project I have found that there are three elements to true construction costs:
The cost of the material being used.
The quantity of the material being used.
The difficulty or labor involved to build an item.
I have often heard that labor makes up 60%-70% of the cost of any constructed item from cabinets […]
