Gibson HomeBuilders

Today’s topic is “Why Hire A Builder.”

My guest today is Jean Gibson, Vice President of Gibson Home Builders, Inc.

I am often ask why hire a builder. Well, home building is a science and there is a lot more to it then most people think. If you do not know what you are doing, it can be a nightmare. During this segment, I will give you several reasons to choose a builder that is registered and has a good reputation.
First of all a builder gets discounts on materials and labor. Most builders have accounts set up with several venders and subcontractors. These accounts allow builders to buy 15% to 50% below retail and that makes a great deal of difference when it comes to the final cost of a home. Subcontractors rely on builders to stay in business so again a builder gets a discount. The builder uses subcontractors that perform quality work and have good reputations. Builders talk to each other and network in organizations that weed out subcontractors that are not reputable. Most builders have subcontractors that they have used for years and keep them as long as they show up when they say they are going to show up, do what they say their going to do with quality work in a timely fashion.
Second, a builder knows what needs to be done and when it needs to be done. A builder will guide you through the design of your home, site planning, orientation of the house on the lot, financing and all the things required to get you into one of the largest investments that most people make in their lives.
What do you think should be the first thing you should do before deciding to build the home of your dreams? It is setting a budget that you can afford. After that is done, start looking for a lot. The orientation and size of the lot will play a significant role in the house plans you choose. In the southern region, most people live to the rear of their home with a covered patio that they can have a barbeque or where they can entertain their guest. In this case, the preferred direction to face the house would be north. The cover over the patio should be constructed using a passive solar design to block out direct sun in the summer and allow it to shine directly in during the winter months. Facing south is also a good option if you can design overhangs using a passive solar design. Facing east or west is not generally preferred in the southern climate due to problems it creates trying to cool the areas in the summer. If there are no options as to which way the house will face, then use landscaping techniques to block out the sun on the western side. Now lets talk about lot size. The reason you need to have your lot before the house plans is that you cannot fit a 70-foot wide house on a 60-foot wide lot. Most lots have building set backs and easements that require you to build within those boundaries.
After you have the lot picked out, your house plans drawn, orientation of the house on the lot; we need to do some site planning. Decide where the water supply will enter the house and where the sewer or septic lines will exit the house. If you have a well, it should be a minimum of 100 feet away from the septic system. Find out where the power will enter and gas or propane tank will be installed. Now that all the utilities are located, it is time to start the dirt work.
It is best and advised to have a soil analysis done on the area the house is to be built. They should do a minimum of 2 borings to 20 feet to determine the type and design of the foundation. The analysis will determine if piers will need to be placed prior to pouring the foundation. After the lab results are in they should be given to a foundation engineer to engineer a foundation for that specific site. This design needs to be followed exactly and inspected to insure it meets all the specifications required so that it can be warranted. This process will insure a solid foundation that should last for years and years.
The foundation design is then given to the dirt crew, concrete crew, plumbers and electrician. The dirt crew will build the pad to engineer’s specs and then the concrete crew will start setting the forms. After the forms are set the concrete crew will place piers if necessary then the plumber will come in.

Top 20 Green Building Suggestions

ENERGY

1.ORIENT BUILDING TO MAXIMIZE
NATURAL DAYLIGHTING
Description: Natural day lighting is usually available to the east, south, and west facades.
Benefits: Maximizing natural day lighting reduces the need for artificial light, thus reducing energy consumption and utility bills. Dwellings that have good natural day lighting are also more pleasant for the residents.

2.PLACE WINDOWS TO PROVIDE
GOOD NATURAL VENTILATION
Description: Natural ventilation systems take advantage of prevailing winds and thermal convection to ventilate living spaces.
Benefits: Placing windows to take advantage of natural ventilation reduces the need for air conditioning, saves money on energy bills, and can make homes without air conditioning more comfortable.

3.SELECT A LIGHT-COLORED
“COOL ROOF”
Description: Dark roofing materials absorb heat, making the house warmer in summer months, whereas light colored roofing reflects heat away from the building.
Benefits: Light colored roofing reduces heat buildup through the roof, thus increasing occupancy comfort and decreasing air conditioning bills. Light colored roofing can also last longer because it does not thermally expand and contract as much as darker colors
.
4.PROVIDE OVERHANGS ON
SOUTH-FACING WINDOWS
Description: Overhangs or screens on south-facing windows are one component of a natural cooling system.
Benefits: Shading south-facing windows reduces heat gain by screening the summer sun during the hottest periods of the day.

5.INSTALL WHOLE-HOUSE
FANS OR CEILING FANS
Description: Whole-house and ceiling fans improve interior comfort by circulating cold and warm air. They can be adjusted to either draw warm air upward during summer months or push it downward during the winter.
Benefits: Fans can reduce the need for air conditioning and heating by circulating air effectively, and on average uses one-tenth the electricity of an air conditioning unit.

6.ELIMINATE AIR CONDITIONING
Description: After the refrigerator, air conditioning is the second biggest consumer of electricity in an average household.
Benefits: Eliminating air conditioning will significantly reduce a household’s electricity bill.

7.PROVIDE COMBINED-HYDRONIC
HEATING
Description: Combined hydronic heating uses hot water stored in the water heater to operate radiators typically installed in baseboards.
Benefits: Combined-hydronic heating saves energy by using hot water already produced and stored in the water heater, and eliminating the need for a separate furnace.

8.INSTALL FLUORESCENT LIGHTS
WITH ELECTRONIC BALLASTS
Description: Interior fluorescent bulbs and fixtures produce light quantity and quality that is comparable to incandescent, while expending less energy. Electronic ballasts also improve efficiency and reduce flickering.
Benefits: Energy efficient lighting reduces energy consumption and lowers utility bills. One compact florescent bulb will pay itself back over ten times over the course of its life through reduced energy use.

9.INSTALL HIGH R-VALUE INSULATION
Description: Insulation provides a continuous thermal barrier to minimize heat flow through the walls, ceiling and floor. The higher the R-value, the greater the material’s ability to insulate.
Benefits: Installing higher R-value insulation improves comfort, decreases demand for air conditioning and heating, saves money, and makes the home quieter.

10.SELECT ENERGY STAR APPLIANCES
Description: Refrigerators and freezers are among the largest users of electricity in most homes. They can account for up to 25% of household energy use.
Energy Star appliances use 10-15% less energy and water than standard models.
Benefits: Energy Star refrigerators can save over 10% of the total annual electrical bill in a home. Check with the local utility company for rebate programs.

WATER

11.DESIGN WATER-EFFICIENT
LANDSCAPES
Description: Low-water landscape designs (such as
xeriscape) reduce water use by emphasizing native and/or drought tolerant plants, eliminating turf areas, and minimizing maintenance. Efficient irrigation systems, such as drip and micro irrigation, place the correct amount of water directly at the base of each plant, thus reducing water use and waste from over watering.
Benefits: Water efficient landscape and irrigation systems help plant growth and overall health by eliminating over watering or excessive drying. They also lower water bills and reduce impacts on water supply infrastructure.

12.INSTALL WATER-EFFICIENT TOILETS
AND FIXTURES
Description: New toilets use 1.6 gallons per flush compared with old toilets that require 5-7 gallons per flush. Flow reducers fit into the aerator at the tip of the faucet and reduce the rate of water flow through the faucet. Low-flow showerheads replace standard showerheads.
Benefits: Low-flow toilets can save up to 22,000 gallons of water per year for a family of four. Flow reducers can cut water usage of faucets and showers by as much as 40% with little noticeable effect.

13.USE PERMEABLE PAVING MATERIALS
Description: Permeable paving allows storm water to percolate into the soil.
Benefits: Permeable paving allows on-site percolation, thus reducing the volume of polluted water that flows into rivers or bays, while replenishing soil moisture and local aquifers. Additional benefits include reduction in irrigation requirements and a lower risk of flooding.

MATERIALS

14.USE 30% - 50% FLYASH IN CONCRETE
Description: Flyash is a byproduct of coal burning power plants and can be an inexpensive substitute for 15% - 40% of the Portland cement used in concrete.
Benefits: Flyash increases the strength and durability of the concrete. Using flyash also reduces the amount of cement needed, there by decreasing the overall environmental impacts of cement production (mining and energy consumption).

15.USE ENGINEERED WOOD FOR
HEADERS, JOISTS, AND SHEATHING
Description: Solid sawn lumber in sizes of 2X10 or greater typically comes from old growth forests.
Engineered lumber products, however, come from small- diameter and fast growing plantation trees. 2X10 and larger dimensional lumber is typically used for floor and ceiling joists and some seismic applications. Large size lumber can be replaced with engineered lumber (microlam, paralam, gluelam) in most applications unless required by seismic codes. Solid sawn 4X6s are often used for headers when smaller dimension lumber would suffice, such as double 2X6s, unless solid 4X6s are required by seismic codes.Wood I-Joists are an altern- ativeto 2X6s or 2X8s used for floor and roof joists.
Benefits: Reducing demand for large dimensional lumber decreases pressure to cut down old growth forests.
Engineered lumber uses wood fiber more efficiently that conventional lumber, resulting in stronger and higher quality homes.

16.USE RECYCLED-CONTENT
INSULATION, DRYWALL, AND CARPET
Description: Recycled-content insulation, drywall, and carpet are made from recycles paper, recycled plastic and glass bottles, recycled wool or recycled cotton.
They don’t differ in appearance or performance and the prices are comparable to conventional products.
Benefits: Recycled-content materials save resources and divert waste from landfills. Approximately 40 two-liter soda bottles are recycled into each square yard of recycled-content carpeting. Recycled-content insulation may contain up to 30% recycled glass.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY
17.USE LOW- OR NO-VOC PAINT
Description: No-VOC paint does not emit odors related to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Organic chemicals are widely used as ingredients in household products like paint, adhesives, cleaning supplies, etc. No-
VOC paint is used exactly like conventional paint. No-
VOC paints are most suitable for indoor use.
Benefits: Use of low- or no-VOC paint can eliminate the eye, nose, and throat irritation, loss of coordination, and potentially damage to the liver and central nervous system caused by VOC’s. Outside, VOC’s can bond with other pollutants and create ground-level ozone.

18.USE FORMALDEHYDE-FREE OR FULLY
SEALED MATERIALS FOR CABINETS AND
COUNTERS
Description: Particleboard typically contains formaldehyde, which can off gas for 10-15 years. EPA ranks formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen.
Exposure can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, skin rashes, headaches, nosebleeds and nausea.
Benefits: Elimination of formaldehyde-based materials reduces exposure to residents, particularly children, who are most susceptible. Sealing with a flat, latex- based primer or other suitable material can prevent the off gassing of formaldehyde.

19.VENT RANGEHOOD TOTHE OUTSIDE
Description: Steam, gases, smoke and other combustion by-products (such as unburned hydrocarbons) can result from cooking. Stovetop range hoods expel these by-products to the outside.
Benefits: Range hoods improve indoor air quality, prevent overheating and reduce moisture build-up.

20.INSTALL CARBON MONOXIDE
DETECTOR
Description: Carbon monoxide detectors monitor the level of this gas in individual dwelling units.
Benefits: Detector scan reduce harmful human health effects of carbon monoxide, a common indoor air pollutant created by the combustion of natural gas from stoves and heaters.

What is Green Washing?
Marketing groups and firms to sell their products in order to get on the Green movement that is sweeping the country use Green washing. These products may or may not be green. They are speculating that your knowledge of Green is limited to sell you their product. So I will give you some of their tactics and explain what they are doing to sell you their product. The following list is taken from the “Six Sins of Green Washing.”
The following items are quoted from the TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Group, Inc.

Green·wash (grēn'wŏsh', -wôsh') – verb: the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

Overview

The recent surge of environmental awareness in North America is unmistakable. It has been documented by many researchers and widely reported in the popular press. The rise in “green” marketing claims has also been well documented. Less studied is the apparent increase in “green washing” – false or misleading green marketing claims.
In an effort to describe, understand, and quantify the growth of green washing, TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc. conducted a survey of six category-leading big box stores. Through these surveys, we identified 1,018 consumer products bearing 1,753 environmental claims. Of the 1,018 products examined, all but one made claims that are demonstrably false or that risk misleading intended audiences. Based on the survey results, we identified six patterns in the green washing, which we now recognize as the “Six Sins of Green Washing”. These findings suggest that green washing is
Pervasive, the consequences of which are significant:

• Well-intentioned consumers may be misled into purchases that do not deliver on their environmental promise. This means both that the individual consumer has been misled and that the potential environmental benefit of his or her purchase has been squandered.
• Competitive pressure from illegitimate environmental claims takes market share away from products that offer more legitimate benefits, thus slowing the penetration of real environmental innovation in the marketplace.
• Green washing may create cynicism and doubt about all environmental claims.
Consumers – particularly those who care most about real environmental progress – may give up on marketers and manufacturers, and give up on the hope that their spending might be put to good use. This would eliminate a significant market-based, financial incentive for green product innovation and leave committed environmental advocates with government regulations as the most likely alternative.

Of the 1,018 products reviewed, all but one committed at least one of the Six Sins of
Green Washing.

1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off
2. Sin of No Proof
3. Sin of Vagueness
4. Sin of Irrelevance
5. Sin of Fibbing
6. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils
The “Six Sins of Green Washing”