Serving our community by contributing to the construction of an ICF home for our local Habitat for Humanity.
Community Involvement
Imagine Inc. will be assisiting Habitat for Humanity
in the construction of a new home this Spring 2012.
We will be providing the expertise, knowledge, and training of volunteers to install/construct a home out of Insulated Concrete Forms. This is our way of outreaching to the community to provide safe, energy efficient, and healthy homes to families of all income levels.
Go Green For The Holidays:
Forbes.com has a timely article that you may wish to read. Here’s their opening statement:
“If you’re thinking of making energy-saving home improvements, do them now, and you might be able to save on your 2011 federal income tax bill next April. The $500 federal tax credit for energy-efficient home remodeling expires Dec. 31.”
Go Green For The Holidays: Home Improvement Tax Break Expires Dec. 31
Affordable Green – Professional Builders
Affordable green: the four commandments
1. Use land efficiently, preserving as much of the site in its natural state as possible.
2. Create home designs that are attractive and cost- and resource-efficient without looking cheap.
3. Use open plans and other features that give the perception of spaciousness. Find ways to utilize every bit of space.
4. Focus on insulation, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and other green features that reduce the homeowner’s monthly operating costs
The four commandments presented above come from the online article, “4 ways to build green on a budget” published October 20, 2010 on the Professional Builders website. The focus of the article is…”Making homes both green and affordable can be achieved through better land utilization, “right sizing” the footprint, and more efficient HVAC systems.”
Thanks for Coming Out!
To everyone who stopped by and participated in the latest Parade of Homes – THANK YOU!
Great Article – Going Green Economics
There is a great and easy to read article posted online at the Fast Company.com that explains the economics of going green. The leading statement says “Energy-efficient home improvements cost a lot up front, but eventually pay themselves off. Exactly how long does it take? Consult this handy chart.” It’s worth a moment of your time – especially if you are considering about the benefits of Spray Foam Insulation, Geo-Thermal, ICF Forms, etc. Green, sustainable construction pracitices do have long term benefits for your pocketbook as well as the environment!
Here’s a sneak peak of the the vital information from the article:
Parade of Homes – It’s this Weekend!
Gaining Fair Green Home Appraisals Sees Major Headway in New Appraisal Form
Indoor Plants To Purify Air
Tips for Building “Green” from Designer Dream Homes
Site Analysis – This is the first important step. Survey your site and look for the best location for your home. Take into account location of sun rise and set, annual sun angles, existing vegetation (decidiuous or evergreen trees and shrubs), prevailing winds, contours, area noise and annual rain fall.
Orientation: Orient your home to minimize summer afternoon solar heat gain and allow for some winter solar heat gain. The long sides of the home should face south or north. The shorter sides should face east or west. If this suggested orientation is not possible, then the use of natural barriers (trees, hills) should be taken advantage of where possible. Detereming the sun angles at your site enables you to better position your house for less summer solar heat gain and more winter solar heat gain.
Orient your home to take advantage of prevailing breezes during spring, summer and fall. Fresh oudoor air ciruculating through your home reduces the use of mechanical systems (HVAC). Create a “chimney effect” with high and low operable windows, having cool air entering at the lower level and warmer air exiting the upper lever. Research the climate data for your area, call the local airport for inormation or refer to the NOAA website (www.noaa.gov).
This article comes from the Designer Dream Homes magazine.