The good news is that an average garage is not as expensive to build as you might imagine. However, it isn’t recommended that you be frugal in this department. Too many times home owners don’t want to spend a lot of money on their dream garage and what ends up happening is that the final product doesn’t cohere with their house. If you are somebody who is serious about constructing a dream garage, then keep reading- this article will be your guide.

Consideration #1: Attached Garages vs. Detached Garages

There is a huge difference between garages which are attached to a home and ones which are not. It is important that you understand these differences so that you know how to construct yours. To begin, attached garages are convenient- especially in harsh weather conditions. However, they also limit your creativity and design options. This probably isn’t ideal if it is your “dream” garage. If you are searching for impeccability, a detached garage is definitely the best road to take.

Consideration #2: Entries

Where your entries are located in your garage is another big area to consider. In the past, the standard as been a huge garage door facing the street, attached to a home, and an entry which leads into either a utility or laundry. For several reasons, this layout can save a lot of money. However, this doesn’t mean that you need to follow the status quo- be creative and choose entries which work for you. Always include entry ways when you are drawing up the design to your dream garage.

Consideration #3: Size

How big do you want your garage to be? Before you answer this, consider how many vehicles (if any) you are going to store? Are you going to need a garage which serves as a dual purpose one? For example, some individuals build dream garages which serve as holders for their vehicles, a place to partake in leisure activities, or a private sanctuary (which is a second home in a sense). Whatever your uses may be, you’ll need to determine whether you want a single or a double car garage.

Consideration #4: Orientation

Do you want your garage to face the street? Well, you don’t have to. You can opt to have your vehicle entrance offset from the road. This can take away from the monotony of a regular garage and make you seem different. Some individuals adjust their entrances 45 to 90 degrees from its original position.

Consideration #5: Living Quarters

Some individuals love building some sort of living quarters inside of their dream garage. The good news is that you can do this too and you don’t have to worry about it taking away from the integrity of your garage. However, understand that it can be a challenge to incorporate this into your design. Living in your garage can also be a way to save money. Instead of building your office in your home (which would cost a fortune), you can have it build in your garage. It’s less of a hassle and costs significantly less.

Consideration #6: Style

One of the main reasons for owning a dream is having one which looks good, right? As a basic rule of thumb, you can make your property look very nice if your garage matches the style and color or your home. However, don’t think that you always have to or are being forced to do this. Let your imagination flow.

About the Author

Melissa Cameron is a freelance writer providing valuable tips and advice for consumers find the best rate on car insurance. Her husband calls her the waking infomercial because she loves surfing the internet and looking for deals. She also helps people learn how to save and manage their money and writes articles on what most would consider very confusing topics. She resides in Texas.

Fife, Wash., January 27, 2011 – In each of the past three years, structural insulated panels (SIPs) from Premier Building Systems have been used by homebuilders awarded prestigious EnergyValue Housing Awards (EVHA). This year, EVHA Gold Award winner Clifton View Homes used R-25 Premier SIPs in the walls and R-40 SIPs in the roof as part of a comprehensive package of energy efficient actions. An EVHA Silver Award winner, Scott Homes, used Premier SIPs for tight, well-insulated walls. www.pbssips.com/bc

Premier SIPs are an advanced building technique using prefabricated insulated components for walls, roofs and floors. They consist of two outer skins of oriented strand board (OSB) and an inner core of insulating expanded polystyrene (EPS) laminated together to form a versatile building panel that helps maximize energy efficiency in homes, multi-family residences and commercial and institutional buildings.

Builders use SIPs to reduce air leaks and provide greater insulating capability than traditional building methods. For similar thickness walls, SIPs have been shown to be 47% better at resisting heat flow than stick-framed construction, according to research conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

“Government regulations and homeowner demand are creating a greater focus on energy-efficient construction,” says James Hodgson, General Manager for Premier Building Systems. “SIPs are not the only structural solution for ultra-efficient homes and buildings, but dollar-for-dollar, we believe they provide the best value.”

Premier SIPs figure prominently in several other recent award-winning green buildings, as well as a range of green-certified projects. These include the Green Builder magazine 2010 House of the Year (Sun Gazing House, Park City, Utah) and the Structural Insulated Panel Association (SIPA) 2010 Building Excellence Awards (Jacob Manch Elementary School and Sarann Knight Apartments, both in Las Vegas, Nevada).

The EnergyValue Housing Award program is managed by the NAHB Research Center and presented in partnership with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), U.S. Department of Energy through the Building America program, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

About Premier Building Systems

Premier Building Systems leads the construction industry in the research, development and manufacturing of high-performance, energy-efficient structural insulated panels (SIPs) and related materials. The company is a leader in working with design professionals, contractors and code officials on innovative SIPs applications. For more information about Premier’s products and services, call (800) 275-7086 or visit www.pbssips.com/bc.

Of course, the biggest advantage to installing solar panels in your home is the reduced utilities bill. You can use solar energy to heat your water, and even to provide electricity for your home, reducing or even eliminating your electric bill, depending on the size of your solar power system. The more solar panels and the larger batteries you have in your system, the more power you will produce, and the less you will have to depend on your local utility company for power.

Generally, solar panels are set up as a supplement to your current power system. For most people, that means that your power needs will draw from your solar power system first, and from your utility company second. In this scenario, your utility company will therefore serve as a backup, for instance, during seasons when you have fewer sunny days, or when your power needs spike temporarily. However, if you make more power than you need, the utility company essentially buys the excess from you, which will reduce your bill even farther.

Therefore, although installing a solar power system represents a large up-front cost, your reduction in utility bills over the next few years more than make up for the cost of the solar panels and installation. Depending on how much you spend on the system, and how wisely you design it, you could find yourself spending next to nothing on your monthly power bill.

There is one more thing to consider, when looking at the ways your solar panels will save you money: tax rebates. Currently, if you install a solar power system in your home, you will be able to get a rebate for up to 30 percent of the cost back on your taxes. This means if you installed solar panels in 2010, you will be able to claim the tax break when you file your 2010 taxes this spring; and if you install a system this year, in 2011, you will be able to claim the rebate next spring, when you file your 2011 taxes. For those of you who calculate your taxes and be sure to only have as much taken out as needed, this may actually mean more money in your pocket on every paycheck this year.

Obviously, the environmental concerns, though convincing for many people, are not the only factor to be considered in your decision to install solar panels. True, solar energy is cleaner than the power provided by your utility company, and solar panels can help you to reduce your carbon footprint in a big way. But unlike many green practices, which allow you to do your part for the environment in exchange for a higher cost of living for yourself and your family, installing solar panels can actually help you to save money in the long run. And that is the deciding factor for many families!

James Rice is a freelance writer for SunRun. SunRun is the simple and affordable option for homeowners who want to switch to home solar power. SunRun pioneered affordable solar panels with the first residential power purchase agreement in 2007, and is the best at it today.

“We are committed to giving Californians the right to choose the plumbing product that is best for them and their applications,” says Rich Houle, associate product manager, Uponor Commercial Plumbing. “We are confident our efforts, coupled with those of the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) and the Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association (PPFA), will restore PEX to the state code in the near future.”

PEX became part of the California Plumbing Code in August 2009, following the CBSC’s January 2009 certification of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on PEX and the commission’s ensuing unanimous adoption of regulations approving PEX water distribution systems. Recently, however, the CBSC was compelled to repeal the inclusion of PEX in the state code, effective July 1, 2010, to comply with a court order.

“Uponor fully supports the CBSC in its efforts to address the issues the court raised about the EIR,” says Houle. “But it is also important to note that the court’s questions focused on technical and process issues in the EIR document, not on the suitability of PEX for plumbing systems.”

Approximately 15 billion feet of Uponor PEX has been installed throughout the world over the past four decades — including the past 20 years in North America. PEX is certified to the stringent health standards set by ANSI/NSF, approved in all national building codes and widely used in the remaining 49 states as well as in all 10 Canadian provinces. More than half of all new homes built in the United States today feature PEX water distribution systems.

In addition, prior to the inclusion of PEX in the California Plumbing Code a year ago, 180 municipalities and counties within the state had already approved the use of PEX tubing as an alternate material to copper and other materials used for plumbing piping. Until such time that PEX is reinstated in the state code, those jurisdictions may continue to use PEX under those same alternate-materials provisions of California law.

The reinstatement process: Even though the CBSC necessarily removed PEX from the code to comply with a court order, the CBSC also submitted a revised EIR for public comment. Following the 45-day comment period, which ended July 19, the Commission is now evaluating the revised EIR, and will presumably put PEX back on the path to reinstatement into the state plumbing code, according to Houle.

Although PEX tubing is temporarily not part of the current state plumbing code, contractors may still install it if approved by California county and municipal governments and their code-equivalent authorities. Tradespeople should contact these local code officials for more information; additional information can be found at www.bsc.ca.gov. Furthermore, the temporary removal of PEX from the code does not affect any already-approved or permitted projects or work done under local ordinances, regulations or alternate-materials provisions.

“As the reinstatement process takes its inevitably successful course, our stance at Uponor remains as strong and confident as ever,” Houle continues. “Regardless of individual preferences, we fully support everyone’s right to use the plumbing material of their choice if that material meets the highest testing and listing standards required, and PEX does.”

According to Houle, “Given its many years of successful and proven performance in plumbing systems worldwide, Uponor PEX meets all the relevant criteria, and Californians deserve the same choice in systems that is currently enjoyed by builders and installers in all 49 other states.”

For more information about PEX in California, contact:

Uponor, Inc. is a leading supplier of plumbing, fire safety and radiant heating and cooling systems for the residential and commercial building markets in the United States. Uponor, Inc. employs 380 people at its North American headquarters in Apple Valley, Minn. For more information, visit www.uponor-usa.com or call (800) 321-4739.

This weekend we planted our vegetable garden which is an excellent green home improvement project. Seriously, think about it, if you’re buying fewer vegetables at the store that were grown hundreds of miles from your home then you’re helping cut pollution.

This summer we decided to only mow the lawn once every two weeks instead of weekly. So far it’s working great, the lawn looks healthier and we’re using half as much gas!! This method will most likely result in needing less fertilizer as well.

Each of these small projects means you’ll be saving money. If you want another way to save some money then check out the Lowes Coupon article over at HCI. It’s a great way to save 10% off at Lowes for certain people.

Roswell, Ga. (Dec. 18, 2009) – According to a recent survey conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of Boral Bricks, 59 percent of all homeowners with a siding preference would choose brick for their homes. The study was commissioned by Boral Bricks, Inc. to determine current consumer preferences for siding.

The survey, conducted in October, asked participants which type of siding they prefer on a home. Possible answers included brick, vinyl, stucco, fiber cement/composite and other; participants were allowed to choose more than one option. For the 1,144 homeowners with a siding preference, brick was the leading choice with nearly two of every three respondents selecting it. Vinyl came in second (37 percent), followed by stucco (19 percent), fiber cement/composite (14 percent), and other (11 percent).

“This research shows brick is still the overwhelming choice for homeowners who have a say in their exterior cladding,” said Bob Kepford, president, Boral Bricks, Inc. “Coming out of the recession, homeowners will likely be in their homes longer than in recent years, and they should insist their builders use the most sustainable siding option to ensure it holds up to the elements. Brick has also proven to help homes increase in value, which is important with slower real estate appreciation expected in the future.”

According to U.S. Census data on siding for new homes, builders have increasingly opted for lap siding products over the last ten years. These products may provide more ease of installation; however, they don’t offer the consumer benefits homeowners appreciate with brick – including the fact that it is virtually maintenance free, extremely durable, locally sourced and sustainable.

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About Boral Bricks:
Boral Bricks is the largest clay brick and paver manufacturer in the United States. Boral Bricks Inc. is the largest operating company of Boral USA, a holding company that owns Boral’s U.S. operation. Boral Bricks Inc. is headquartered in Roswell, GA. For additional information, please visit www.boralbricks.com or call 800-5-BORAL-5.

The Home Depot Foundation and Habitat for Humanity

Today I received some great news from the folks at  The Home Depot and Habitat for Humanity. It’s a great cause so I thought I’d share:

The Home Depot Foundation and Habitat for Humanity today announced the national expansion of Partners in Sustainable Building, a $30 million building program dedicated to greening more than 5,000 Habitat homes across the country.

In celebration of the program, The Home Depot Foundation and Habitat for Humanity are sharing some quick tips that everyone can use to green their homes and decrease the cost of living. Below are five simple, inexpensive tips courtesy of The Home Depot Foundation and Habitat.

“The Home Depot Foundation believes green building techniques are not a luxury – they aren’t exotic or
expensive,” said Kelly Caffarelli, president of The Home Depot Foundation. “By embracing the practical
principles of green building, our partnership with Habitat for Humanity International is demonstrating that these
techniques can actually make homes more affordable to own, maintain and live in from day one and for the long
term. With health and economic concerns at an all-time high, this issue is more important than ever for the
families who will purchase these homes.”

Sustainable / Green Building Quick Tips

• Save 10 percent or more on your energy costs by plugging tiny air leaks. Caulk and weather-strip all seams, cracks and openings to keep hot air outside.

• Clean or replace air filters. Dirty air filters cause the AC unit to work harder than necessary, increasing your energy use and bills.

• Install a programmable thermostat to save up to $180 a year in energy costs.

• Choose ENERGY STAR appliances which use 10-50 percent less energy and water than standard models.

• Install low-flow bathroom fixtures and save thousands of gallons of water a year.

Support Sustainable Building

By supporting causes like the Partners in Sustainable Building Project you’ll be making a difference for our environment. Sustainable building should not be a luxury anymore, it should be an everyday practice. So go check out the new The Home Depot Foundation Blog to read more about this great project.

This idea is really great for a couple of reasons. First of all the sub-division is located about 20 miles from Dartmouth College and a very busy business district that employs many of the folks that this location is marketing to. By offering the Smart Car which gets over 40 mpg the development is also offering an environmentally sound transportation option to potential customers.

This development is also going to be built with many Energy Star features. By offering the Smart Car the customer can buy a green house and get a green car at the same time. In a time when oil prices continue to be a strain on families this sub-division surely offers a great Green Promotion and Green Construction.

So if you live in the Dartmouth – Lake Sunapee region of New Hampshire and you’re looking to build a new home you may want to check out this great free car giveaway at Juniper Hill Village.

This book covers:

• Understand the lifecycle of building materials
• Choose the right system for your green building project
• Put together a green team
• Work within your budget
• Use green building methods and sustainable systems
• Speed construction and reduce energy use and waste
• Refinish old fixtures and materials
• Beware of asbestos and lead-paint hazards
• Avoid costly mistakes

So if you’re looking for a simple book about green building and remodeling then buy yourself a copy of Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies.