Building an Addition
Incorporating energy efficiency into your addition can improve the comfort and safety of your home while saving you money and energy. Consider the following when planning your addition:
* Install ENERGY STAR labeled lighting to save up to one-third on your lighting costs. Learn about light fixtures and compact fluorescent bulbs.
* Install ENERGY STAR labeled windows, doors, and skylights appropriate for your climate region. The location and type of windows and doors will affect the comfort and efficiency of your home.
* Consider passive solar designs that take advantage of solar heat gain in cold climates, and shading to block heat from the sun in warm climates.
* Install properly sized ENERGY STAR labeled heating and cooling equipment. In addition to being efficient, ENERGY STAR furnaces and boilers have sealed combustion chambers that reduce the risk posed by carbon monoxide.
* Seal your ducts in unconditioned space to save energy and improve comfort.
* Consider using advanced framing techniques to allow for an increased amount of insulation and less thermal bridging.
* Install appropriate levels of insulation in the walls, ceiling, and floor.
* Air seal to reduce outside air infiltration.
* Ensure proper ventilation for the appropriate amount of air exchange and healthier indoor air quality.
Home Improvements And Additions
Author: Stephanie Hetu
Is your home getting a tad too small? If this is the case, it might be time to look into adding a room onto your home. Home additions can increase the value of your home drastically. If you are adding a bedroom on, consider also adding a bathroom as well. Making home improvements to your existing home can be very exciting, but also stressful. Especially if you have a deadline that you are working towards to get all of the work done.
Home improvements and additions are certainly not cheap by any means. However, they are an investment in your property and home, in the even that you ever wanted to sell. If you purchased your home in the 70's, it is probably time to update everything in a more modern look. Consider this also when adding on a room. There is no way to match things that were purchased to build your home in the 70's now days. Giving all of the other rooms a much needed update might be in order.
As well as adding a room on to your home, you may even want to check into just making one room larger. That is if you do not have any possible place to add another room. Making an existing room bigger would be a huge home improvement if you are running out of room. That would also solve the problem of having no where to add the extra room on.
Hiring a contractor to do your home improvements and or additions might be a great idea. In the case of additions, you would need a foundation, as well as a roof, and that gets a little more complicated than your regular home improvement projects. Ask your family and friends if they know of a contractor that they can recommend to you that will do a good job.