WEB Freebies
We've added three pictorial checklists: “Laundry Room Design,” “Kitchen Design,” and “Oops!” These lists are chock-full of insightful information to help design function into your new home. And you know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words!” For more information,
Click for FREEBIES !
Watch a Green Home in the Making!
Recently I worked with those designing the 2008 Vision Home to provide a functional analysis. This home, now under construction in the Orlando area, is a project of Green Builder Magazine and Westmont Homes. For detailed photos and additional information about this project and the suppliers who are working on it, see
http://www.greenhomes.typepad.com.
Counteracting The
Forces of Nature
Today’s weather
patterns make it
more important than
ever to protect your
home and family from
hurricane-force
winds and
storm-driven rain.
The construction
methods and products
described below
address some of
these concerns. (For
information on
additional measures,
visit the
Partnership for
Advancing Technology
in Housing (PATH) at
www.pathnet.org
).
Non-Moisture-Absorbent
Insulation:
 Although wind damage
is the first thing
we think of when a
storm is headed our
way, the greatest
destruction can be
caused by water
infiltration.
Traditional
fiberglass
insulation absorbs
water, and it can
become a mold
factory if not
replaced after water
damage. Selection of
a
non-moisture-absorbent
insulation, such as
the spray-foam type
pictured to the
right, is one way to
minimize
moisture-related
damage.
Keep The Roof On and
Dry:
Using
a construction
adhesive to secure
the underside of
your roof deck to
the trusses can
increase the uplift
resistance of the
roof up to 4 times,
according to Alpha
FoamsealŪ Hurricane
Adhesive (
www.alphafoamseal.com
). This same foam
adhesive can be used
to seal the seams of
the roof decking, a
process designed to
keep the roof
dried-in if shingles
or tile fail during
a storm. (The roof
deck is the plywood
or OSB sheeting to
which the shingles
or tile are attached
as shown in the
picture below.)
For information on
spray-foam
insulation and
adhesives from the
Spray Polyurethane
Foam Alliance, see
www.sprayfoam.org
.
A Wet Suit for Your
Roof:
Sealing the seams of
the decking can also
be accomplished by
using self-adhered
roofing tape (also
known as peel and
stick) with a
minimum width of 6”.
Or go one better and
cover the entire
roof deck with
self-adhering
underlayment. Like
Contact paper, the
bottom-release layer
of this product
peels away, leaving
a tacky, rubberized
asphalt surface that
adheres to the roof
deck. And because
the adhesive
property of the
underlayment is
activated by heat,
it tends to stick
even better over
time. Essentially,
these products act
like a wet suit for
the roof deck. The
photograph to the
right, provided by
CETCO, shows the
installation of
their StrongSeal
Plus™ peel and stick
underlayment.
Build The Safest
Room In Your Home:
Designed for
protection from
intruders and the
weather, a “safe
room” is a fortress
within your home. It
is usually
constructed from
reinforced concrete
and can masquerade
as a pantry, the
master closet, or
perhaps even a wine
cellar.
The picture above shows workers
from Lite-Form
International
constructing a
tornado-safe room in
Sioux City, Iowa.
The cement-filled,
foam-formed walls
are reinforced with
steel rebar and may
be built into new
housing or added to
the inside or
outside of existing
structures at a
relatively low cost.
In fact, the
construction is
simple enough that
the room can be
built by
do-it-yourselfers.
Photo by Dave Gatley,
FEMA News Photo.
For guidelines on
safe room
construction,
consult
FEMA .
HGTV also offers
information about
safe rooms. Learn
more at
HGTVpro.com .
Whole-House
Generator:
Being
without power is no
fun. If your area
experiences frequent
power outages due to
hurricanes,
tornados, or ice
storms, consider
having your home
wired for a
generator. This
device could pay for
itself after just
one extended power
outage. And
remember, if you
rely on well water,
you won’t have water
when the power is
out.
In addition to
keeping food cold
and lights
operating, a
generator also
allows you to use
fans and
dehumidifiers to dry
water-damaged areas.
Prompt attention to
water damage can
help to prevent mold
growth and greatly
reduce the cost of
repairs.
A generator can
provide power for
just the basics --
limited lighting,
the refrigerator,
well, microwave, and
computer; or you can
choose to cover the
entire house,
including the pool
pump and air
handler. Of course,
larger generators
are more expensive.
Once you’ve decided
what the generator
will operate, the
first step is to
talk with your
electrician. The
next step is to
choose the generator
type best-suited to
your needs: a unit
powered by gasoline
or a natural gas /
LP standby unit like
the one pictured
above.
GeneracŪ and
Centurion offer both
types (see
www.generac.com
or
www.centruiongenerators.com
for product
information). For
information on an
extremely quiet,
gasoline-powered
generator, visit
www.hondapowerequipment.com
.
Is there a subject you’d like me to cover? Let me know by sending an email to tracy@tracystips.net.
All past issues of this ezine are in the Ezine Archives on our web site. Click here for Ezine Archives !
Copyright © 2007 Tracy DeCarlo - All Right Reserved
WANT A CHECK LIST OF HUNDREDS OF TIPS
AND IDEAS FOR DESIGNING A FUNCTIONAL HOME?
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences in such a concise and useful way.
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Homeowners building a custom home
Orlando, FL – February 2006
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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.
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