|
I’ve completed the
course, passed the
exams, and am now a
Florida Green Home
Certifying Agent!
“Green”
stands for
environmentally
responsible
building. A
Certifying Agent
helps the builder,
remodelor, or
homeowner make
green
building choices and
document
green
procedures and
products used in
construction of a
home. He or she then
completes the
certifying
application and
submits it to the
Florida
Green
Building Coalition.
The good news:
building
green is
becoming more
mainstream. As a
result,
green
products are
becoming priced
competitively with
their conventional
counterparts. (In
fact, in some cases
they’re even more
affordable.) Another
plus is that
green
products such as
low-VOC paint
(volatile organic
compounds can be
toxic) are good for
us, too. As Martha
would say, building
green is
“a good thing!” Read
more at
Florida Green
Building
Due to vacation
schedules and summer
craziness I’ve
decided to change
the publication of
the ezine to once a
month. It will
be published the
first Thursday of
each month.
I’ve lined up great
information for the
upcoming issues.
Thanks to all of you
for your great
feedback. I
love hearing from
you!
The Ups and Downs of
Garage Doors
Garage doors and
garage door openers
offer a variety of
features to make
daily life a bit
more convenient.
For example,
wouldn’t a
garage door opener
with a battery
backup be a
blessing when the
power is out?
(Your neighbors will
be trying to figure
out why you have
power and they
don’t!) One
such device, the
Estate Series Model
2500, is available
from List Master (LiftMaster
Site).
Other
handy features
available on garage
door openers
include:
 Large,
well lit wall
keypads.
I love the fact
that our garage
door opener
keypad is so
easy to see!
-
A “lock”
feature.
Press this
button on your
keypad to lock
out all
remote-control
radio signals
while you’re
away preventing
unauthorized
entry through
your garage
door.
-
Energy-saving
light-sensitivity
capability.
The light on
your garage door
opener will come
on only when it
is dark.
 A
wireless, keyless
entry system is
another option to
consider. The keypad
for this type of
system is installed
on the wall just
outside the garage
door and requires no
remote or keys to
enter the garage.
The system is
password-protected
and is particularly
handy when you need
to go back and forth
to the garage when
working in the yard.
In addition, you
never need to worry
about inadvertently
locking yourself out
of the house.
As with any other
entry, most people
are concerned about
the aesthetics of
their garage door,
but it's also
important to
consider the
insulation factor.
Having an insulated
door is particularly
helpful if you are
planning to heat or
cool the garage or
if you have a room
directly above or
adjacent to your
garage.
Insulated doors
provide a higher
R-value and are much
quieter to operate.
(R-value is a
measure of the
capacity of a
material, such as
insulation, to
impede heat flow,
with increasing
values indicating a
greater capacity.)
If you have chosen
an insulated door,
also ask your
supplier about their
insulated-window
selection.
Local building code
wind load
requirements dictate
the minimum garage
door strength
necessary to
withstand high winds
resulting from
weather-related
events; however, you
may have the option
of choosing a door
that surpasses those
standards. For
example, a lower
gauge (thicker and
stronger) steel skin
will increase the
strength of the
door, as will some
"sandwich"
constructions with
an insulated core.
Impact-resistant
windows can add to
the strength of your
door and are also
required by code in
some coastal areas.
These windows are
designed to
withstand a certain
level of impact
caused by flying
objects during a
storm. If you
are comparing
R-value, insulated
windows have a
higher R-value than
impact-resistant
windows.
For more information
on garage doors,
including a
"design-your-own-door"
feature, visit
Clopay Garage Doors.
Copyright © 2006
Tracy DeCarlo - All
Right Reserved
WANT A CHECK LIST OF
HUNDREDS OF TIPS
AND IDEAS FOR
DESIGNING A
FUNCTIONAL HOME?
If you liked today’s
tips you’ll love the
book
“Don’t Forget the
Linen Closets!”
It’s packed with
over 240 ideas and
reminders to help
you incorporate
function,
organization, and
efficiency into your
home without
breaking the bank.
|
To us,
it
[“Don’t
Forget
the
Linen
Closets”]
is the
most
thorough
guide to
building
a house,
regardless
of size,
in the
industry.
Most
importantly,
it is
geared
toward
the
folks
who will
actually
live in
the
house.
By
following
your
guidelines,
we are
confident
that we
will
have a
far more
functional
home
than if
we had
been on
our own.
Also, we
know
that we
and the
builder
have
saved
thousands
of
dollars
by
avoiding
rework
and
non-functional
design
flaws.
In fact
we have
dubbed
the
book,
“The
Home
Buyers’
Essential
Handbook
for
Design
and
Construction
in Less
Than 50
Pages.”
Thank
you for
sharing
your
thoughts
and
experiences
in such
a
concise
and
useful
way.
Bill and
Yvonne
Dunbar
Homeowners
building
a custom
home
Orlando,
FL
–
February
2006
|
If you’d like more
personalized help,
Tracy’s plan-review
service will walk
you through the
process in detail.
In either case,
planning the details
in the beginning can
save thousands in
the end! To
see more
testimonials and/or
to place your order,
visit
Detailed Solutions
WEB site
now.
WANT TO USE THIS
ARTICLE IN YOUR
E-ZINE OR ON YOUR
WEB SITE?
You can, as long as
you include the
following blurb in
its entirety:
Tracy DeCarlo,
author of “Don’t
Forget the Linen
Closets!”
publishes the
idea-packed,
monthly e-zine
“Tips for
Designing a
Functional
Home.” If
you’re ready to
learn how to
incorporate
organization,
function, and
efficiency into
your new home or
remodeling
project without
breaking the
bank, get your
FR*EE tips now
at
www.BuildingTips.net.
|
