Scott's Articles » Home Improvement

Modular Upgrade, Efficient, Economical Home Addition

Scott — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:06 +0000

In the past adding a new addition your home usually meant a long difficult process from start to finish of the project. A new concept in adding on to an existing home is to add a modular upgrade. Regardless of whether your home was originally designed and constructed modularly, it can more than likely be upgraded or expanded utilizing a modular addition.

So you think you want to expand your existing home with a well planned out of addition. You’ve looked at all the possibilities, spoken to several contractors and gotten your estimates. But when you look at the figures on the page you instantly go into shock thinking there’s no way you’ll ever be able to afford the addition to your home.

Modular construction to the rescue, have you ever thought about contacting a modular home construction company to see if they can provide you with a modular upgrade to your existing home. What you find may surprise you. Most homes regardless of their original type of construction module or old school conventional construction can be expanded modularly if the right plan is implemented. Most modular construction companies are more than happy to work with existing home owners to make their

Implementing the right plan begins with you and your idea of what you want in a home addition. Once you have in mind how you want to expand your home and where you want the expansion to occur you need to make a few notes to keep the idea fresh. Now with the idea in hand you can contact modular home designer or a modular home construction company.

A qualified modular home designer or modular home construction company can usually help you with preparation of a blueprint for the construction of your new edition. If they are located relatively close to your existing home, they will usually have all the necessary information needed to be able to plan your addition to meet all existing local building codes, which will usually be a plus in the cost department for you.

During your first meet with the company or designer, you will probably discuss your initial idea for the addition. The designer will normally make a CAD design of any sketch you might have or from your verbal or written dimensions and design Ideas. From the CAD or computer aided design program the designer can help you to better visualize what your addition will look like. In the beginning this drawing may only be a very rudimentary mark up of the overall plan.

The next step would be for the designer or modular construction company to accompany you to your home to investigate the area that is to be expanded upon. They will have the expertise to actually validate your plans for expansion. It is very important at this stage to be sure that your overall plan is valid and that no major problems can be seen that might eliminate your home from the possibility of modular expansion.

The onsite inspection will also give the designer the opportunity to see the work area first hand giving insight for later use in the actually design process. The designer may see details that will allow for better design recommendations or that might have been overlooked in your original simple design plans. Those recommendations might be as simple as how and what type of lighting is used to wall construction, layout and window placement.

If the addition will contain plumbing there may be hidden consideration for routing of pipes and drains that may not be overtly evident. Or it may be necessary to put a routing pump into the design to handle waste water issues. Many times home owners have ended up with nightmare problems due to poor overall addition planning from conventional construction contractors using outdated plan development practices.

One thing that a good modular expansion designer will always look for is proper access for needed construction equipment to the area in which the addition will be placed. Another issue that the designer will deal with, one of the most difficult in many expansion projects is the roof line. It is purely an art form to design and construct an addition in a manner that it cannot be detected as an addition. The roofline is usually the giveaway. Good modular designers incorporate special techniques that allow for adjoining roof lines to flow into or be modified and joined in such a manner as to make it all look seamless to the casual viewer.

Adding the addition modularly will ultimately save time and money in the overall construction process. Your addition will be constructed off site then hauled to the location and put into place. This cuts down on overall disruption to your day to day living. Helps to keep the neighbors happy, and minimizes the inevitable damage to surrounding landscaping. So if it’s time for a new home addition, make it a modular upgrade. Contact a modular design or modular construction company for your new addition.

Scott Best is a freelance Author in association with New Modular Info.com. Scott Writes for many websites. With his unique perspective on many issues and topics Scott lends a high level of professionalism to the topics he writes about.

What Happened to Window Technology?

Scott — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:22:42 +0000

What happened to the grand dreams of advanced window technology we heard about 30 years ago? We were all told to expect window innovations that would revolutionize our lives. We were told to expect such things as windows that would open and close themselves according to a schedule or by some smart technology that would regulate inside temperature more effectively. There was also speculation of windows that would darken or lighten to filter out light, heat and UV by merely turning a knob or flipping a switch. Yet here we are decades after those promises were made with limited window technology available.

About the only window technology available to consumers that is readily available and cost effective is low e glass or multiple thermal pane windows. Sure we can apply electric motors to some types of windows, or add different films to windows to achieve different degrees of darkening but we don’t really consider these as high technology promise fulfillment.

When I think of high tech windows I tend to think of such things as star trek. Ok so Star trek might be a little over the top but when the idea of high tech windows comes to mind I tend to think of more than a simple window that opened with a crank handle or sash pull. Granted windows have come a long way in technology that we don’t see. Low e glass is one that we often don’t think about. A technology that has been around for many years, it cuts down on the harmful UV light that enters our homes fading our carpets and furniture, it also reduces the amount of excess heat during warmer weather cutting cooling costs by a large percentage. It can also be used, depending on how the film is applied to the window, to reflect heat back into the home during cold months thus saving on heating costs.

I can remember as a child seeing those late fifties early sixties news real type shows that depicted the home of the future with smart appliances as well as smart windows and doors. Much of those shows that dealt with early concepts and early ideas about how technology might be used in the future have seen those ideas come to fruition.

You can go into almost any home and find smart appliances such as refrigerators and ranges, heating and air conditioning systems, even water heaters and washing machines. All of these types of appliances have come of age and adopted some type of smart technology. But what happened to the innovations we were told would be coming for windows?

S P G or switchable privacy glass was one innovation that was predicted to be commonplace in the home by the year 2000. That technology does exist but isn’t commonplace. Photo gray windows such as the glass used in optical lenses were believed would also be commonplace by now but are not.

The actual photo gray technology like that used in optical lenses proved to be too expensive for window application. But other tinting or automatic darkening technology does exist but is generally still too expensive to be commonplace in consumer windows. It is however a technology that is in use in some commercial applications.

Other technology such as switchable privacy glass has actually made it into consumer based product production at one time or another but with very limited success. Not for lack of interest in the technology by in large but rather because of the failure of the technology to meet the needs of consumers or simply the failure of the technology to deliver as promised.

The Milgard window company actually put a version of smart switchable privacy glass windows into production for consumer windows. The windows seemed to be well received but Milgard was forced to abandon production because of technology failures resulting in an unacceptable rate of return and general dissatisfaction of consumers with the product. They have abandoned the idea for now at least in favor of an auto tinting window technology which is still under development.

Other window companies as well have had similar experiences with switchable privacy glass. But the idea is not dead in fact it has had a recent revival at Indiana university where the largest switchable privacy glass project ever undertaken has been complete on the Health Information and Transitional Sciences Building using SPD light control film produced by Hitachi.

Although this again is a commercial application for a new technology it speaks of hope for future consumer window products. Generally speaking, new technologies that arrive in the consumer market place are first proven in the commercial arena.

Many of what were once thought of as “space age” window technologies have come to be realities, but not many of them have become consumer affordable realities yet, and I stress the word yet

Terrazzo, old world elegance and durability

admin — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:32:34 +0000

A type of flooring I haven’t ever talked too much about is Terrazzo. Known for its beauty, durability and low maintenance, terrazzo has long been a choice of flooring for large corporation and government buildings. Because of its initial cost, Terrazzo has not been thought of as much of a viable flooring material for the home. But with new technologies emerging that is changing

For the same reasons corporations and the government choose to use Terrazzo, many home owners are choosing to use it as well. New technologies have made terrazzo somewhat more affordable as a choice for home flooring. In the traditional sense it is still installed as a preconceived aspect of building design in many instances. But
it is no longer limited to the old pour it, pack it, grind it method. Today, many tile manufactures are offering Terrazzo tile as a consumer installed flooring material, all be it, it takes a bit of know how to actually get it installed properly.

Traditionally granite, glass or marble chips are used, but today there are a wide variety of materials used to construct fine looking Terrazzo flooring, including plastics. Not only are the aggregates changing but the methods to produce the flooring are as well, many types moving into epoxy resin based production rather than concrete or masonry solidifiers.

Normally a Terrazzo floor is poured on top of slab concrete in hidden grid sections usually about 3 square feet in size. Once a firm bed or flooring foundation is laid, such as a concrete slab the grid sections are laid out and attached to it. Then a mixture of aggregate containing any of the above mentioned materials and a special concrete are mixed and poured over the grid system. Once the slurry is in place it is vibrated and compacted to remove all the trapped air bubbles in the mix that once finished might cause holes. Then the surface is packed with special equipment to further pack the mixture tightly together and left to dry.

After it hardens special grinding equipment is used to polish the surface to a high luster, any imperfections are sealed with a special mixture and polished at this time. As I said earlier, this is the traditional method of installation, which does not lend itself to home use in many cases.

But today there are companies that supply Terrazzo Tile for all manner of installations, including home installation. The specifications for its use are rather stringent and the tile should be installed by a seasoned professional but can bring marked beauty to a home when done properly.

Costing in upwards of $10 a square foot in some cases to install, it isn’t for the faint of heart or pocket book to be sure. But when considered in high traffic areas that when using other flooring options, may require a lot of maintenance and eventually replacement a time or two in years to come, it makes a lot more economic sense in the long run. As a statement of elegance, it bears few equals.

There are a few things to consider about Terrazzo flooring that are a bit different then other types of flooring for the home. Terrazzo, although it requires far less maintenance then other types of residential flooring materials do, it does require some special consideration. Normal easily purchased off the shelf household cleaners may not be acceptable for use on Terrazzo flooring. It is best to contact your Terrazzo flooring dealer or installer for the proper way to maintain Terrazzo flooring. Special equipment such as scrubbers and buffers may need to be considered as optional equipment to keep your floor looking its best when maintenance is required.

Most common flooring for your home is generally expected to last 10 to 20 years maximum before it is replaced or extensively refinished. Many types of flooring such as carpet and vinyl may not last that long. Terrazzo, when installed properly is a floor that will be considered a lifetime flooring material, one that will be around for generations to come.

Terrazzo flooring tiles come in a multitude of colors and textures combinations, and many manufactures will do custom designs as well. Lasting beauty, low maintenance, durability makes Terrazzo flooring a high quality option for home flooring. Often dealers can offer such options as to make counter tops that match the flooring pattern out of some slightly different combination of epoxy resins with matching aggregate giving consumers more of a total coordinated finishing option.

Scott Best is a freelance Author in association with New Floor Design.com Scott Writes for many websites. With his unique perspective on many issues and topics Scott lends a high level of professionalism to the topics he writes about.