Green Building in Austin

Austin has long been a home for friendly folk- friendly to each other, friendly to animals, and friendly to the environment. What used to be considered as only the concerns of hippies and the bohemian sect, environmentalism is now at the forefront of commercial and residential design, and "green" businesses are popping up nationwide. Austin, however, was the first city in the United States to establish a local green-building program, laying out environmentally frieB68ndly and sustainable guidelines for home builders and its interested citizens back in 1991.

Since the Austin real estate market is known nationwide as the leader of these green building methods, the National Association of Home Builders chose the city as its hub to launch an industry-wide effort to establish green-building guidelines in 2004. These guidelines now provide a practical nationally recognized framework for builders to follow to reduce a home's environmental impact by making them more energy efficient, improving indoor environmental quality, and so on. Though Austin has already been using similar guidelines for over a decade, now the rest of the country is following suit.

The City of Austin and Austin Energy provide a great resource to owners of Austin homes, and new home builders, who are looking for ways to conserve energy, and build an environmentally friendly home. The city's website offers a list of companies willing to do an energy analysis of a home that will determine possible options to help the house conserve more energy, with suggestions ranging from air conditioning repair to weather stripping doors. The city then will offer a 20 to 75% of that cost.

For those Austinites building a new house or commercial building, the city created the Austin Energy Green Building organization to promote the construction of high quality, more sustainable buildings, and has even zoned sections of the city's real estate to require an Austin Energy Green Building rating. Four times a year, the organization also holds a one day "Green By Design" workshop open to the public. The workshop provides an overview of the green building process, and brings in design, building, engineering, landscaping, and Austin real estate professionals with many years of experience in homebuilding and remodeling, to help make sense of it all.

In March of this year, Austin was named as the city leading the country in "cleantech" by SustainLane, an online resource center that offers sustainability tips to state and local government. The term "cleantech" refers to venture capital-based startups based in green technology, with Austin as the front runner with seven such startups, ranging from internet-controlled irrigation to geothermal energy technologies. To keep Austin on the cutting edge of green technology, the Clean Energy Incubator program was set up to help young clean energy businesses succeed by commercializing their ideas. With citizens, government, and forward thinking businesses, Austin will likely be the city to follow in the environmental battle for years to come.

Escapesomewhere Realty works in Austin and can help buyers find a green friendly home in the Austin real estate m35Aarket. If you are looking for more information on the Austin market their Austin real estate blog is a good place to start your research or you can search for homes on their Austin MLS search.

Fire Alarm Devices - How They Detect Fire In Your Home

Nowadays, all buildings are required to have some sort of fire prevention system in place to ensure the safety of the building's occupants in the event of a fire. These fire prevention systems must be able to detect a fire within the building before it spreads. This task is assigned to the fire alarm devices, which are situated in several parts of the building.

Fire alarm devices are gadgets designed to locate signs of fire within the building. The fire alarm devices tell the system to send out an alarm if it recognizes at least two of the following signs of fire in the same location:

* presence of smoke
* increased air temperature
* significant amount of carbon monoxide

These three signs of fire are detected by three different fire alarm devices. The smoke detector determines the presence of smoke in an area. The thermostat detector identifies the changes in air temperature. Finally, the carbon monoxide detector notifies the system of a presence of the poisonous gas.

If any two of these signs are detected by the fire alarm devices, the area in question must be checked right away to confirm if there is really a fire. Then the proper fire protocols have to be followed in an orderly fashion, from using fire extinguishers, to the evacuation of the occupants of the building, if necessary.

Other than being detectors of fire indicators in the building, fire alarm devices are also used to monitor the performance status of many other components of the fire alarm system.

For example, there are two fire alarm devices installed within the sprinkler system, whose task is to keep track of the performance of the sprinkler system. These two fire alarm devices are the valve position switch, which shows whether the sprinkler valves are open or shut down, and the water flow switch, which shows if there is enough water supply in the sprinkler system.

Fire alarm devices can also help keep your fire prevention system activated during malfunctions of the automatic system. During an actual fire, if ever anything goes wrong with the connections from the main control, fire alarm devices such as the pull stations will allow you to activate alarms and strobe lights that will help keep the evacuation from the building orderly. These pull stations are normally located near the fire exits of the building.

You can also find more info on Fire Alarm Panel and Fire Alarm Parts. Firealarmguide.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Fire Alarm Systems & Monitering.

Building Your Own Home Without A Traditional Lender

Home building usually requires financing. And there are many options to consider when you're planning to finance and build a home. If you have been reading my articles on financing the building or remodeling of your project, you're aw5B4are of many of the options. Using the equity you have in other personal assets can be the easiest and sometimes the least expensive way to get money to build.

If you're in a position to fund the building of your new home without needing to go through the pain and anguish of arranging for a construction loan, you're in great shape! There are two good ways to do this. One way is to own other real property that is not encumbered with a loan. It could be the home you're living in now. If its equity or value exceeds the cost of the home you want to build, then you're in business. Although it's rare, there are some states or other authorities that may limit what you can do with your line of credit loan so you should check these laws.

Another excellent option would be to use your investment portfolio as collateral. I've had clients who have had substantial investment accounts which included stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate funds, etc. and in many cases you can borrow against these. Always check with your investment manager before doing this. This article is not making recommendations, but pointing out options for you to consider. What is successful for others may not work for you.

Construction loans are complicated beasts. And they are not cheap to acquire either. So using one of these two strategies instead would make life a lot easier for you. The time and money you save can be used for better purposes, put directly5B4 into your building process. You might save as much as 2 to 4 months! The following outline will give you a good idea of the advantages:

• There is little or no qualifying for this money.
• The construction project does not have to meet any standards to access this money as it is not even considered when arranging for this money.
• It is inexpensive to set up these types of loans.
• The paperwork to put these loans in place is minimal compared to construction loans.
• Once in place, access to your money is a simple process.
• You maintain control over the money and its disbursement.
• There is no down payment required as there is no money borrowed directly against the project.
• No appraisal is required for the same reason. However, an appraisal of the land, as well as the ultimate finished product, is advisable.
• There is no cost to manage the withdrawals of funds.

SOME CAUTIONS

• You'll need to be sure the value of your assets is substantially greater than the funds needed for your construction project or you may need to add additional money to the project.
• The money borrowed against investment assets can jeopardize any assets that fluctuate in value. It is best to use stable investments as collateral.
• Often the money obtained this way shou5B4ld be used only for a short term. Fortunately, this is normally the case with construction loans.
• Depending upon how you go about building, the builder may want the funds placed with a construction money management escrow fund to ensure that the funds are available when needed (this is sometimes called a "builders control" fund.)
• Funds taken this way will incur interest and may also require monthly payments.

If these options work for you, and your advisors agree, it's a great way to finance the building of your new home. Any time you can reduce costs, time, hassles and confusion you'll be better off. This money is only needed for a short time as once the home is built, you'll be paying back these asset backed loans with a new mortgage.

One final thought. Even though there will be no construction lender demanding it, all the other normal pre-construction steps should be taken. You'll need to work with builders, know building costs, evaluate time frames, get your appraisals, and line up construction management, etc. Also, be sure to pre-determine the amount of mortgage you can qualify for so it's not an issue when it comes time to pay back what you borrowed.

You can learn so much more about home building and remodeling online. One great option is to take advantage of a very3B3 informative yet simple to follow *free* e-course that you can find by clicking here http://www.DreamHomeCreation.com You will also find other tips and tools, surveys, videos, and additional articles by Mel Inglima.

Quick And Easy Ways To Stay On Top Of Your Hot Tub Maintenance

To relax and unwind in your own hot tub by yourself or with friends and family is one of the greatest ways to spend some time at the end of the day. However, to keep your tub clean, safe and functioning properly for many years you will need to keep on top on the regular hot tub maintenance that is required.

Daily Things You Have To Do

On a daily basis there are a few things that need to be checked and looked after. Checking that the pH and chlorine (or bromine) levels are in the safe range is important. This only takes a minute or two with a small test kit. If the pH and chlorine levels are out of range then it is just a simple matter of adding a bit more of pH raiser or chlorine to bring them into range depending on what is needed. Keeping these two levels in the safe range will keep the water safe to be used by you and your guests.

Also, each day, wipe the tub at the waterline to keep the tub from getting a ring around it. Clean any dirt off of the tub and cover. And, cleaning around the area that you get in and out of the hot tub will keep dirt from being tracked into it.

Weekly Tasks

Every week, there are a few tasks that need to be done for your hot tub maintenance. Depending on the area that you live and the type of water you have will make a difference in what you need to do. In areas with soft water, you will probably have to add only a bit of non-chlorine hot tub shock or some other type of clearing chemical. This is for killing organic contaminants and clearing the water to look crystal clear. In other areas you may need to add a stain and scale treatment to prevent and eliminate staining and scaling from forming and to help clarify cloudy water.

Topping up your tub with more water should be done once a week, too. This will refill what has evaporated and what has been spilled from the hot tub.

Monthly And Yearly Tasks

About every two to three weeks you will need to clean your filter. At least once a month take off the cover to the pump unit and check to see if everything looks fine and dry. The water from the tub should be drained and refilled every three or four months, depending on usage. Clean your hot tub cover with a proper vinyl cleaner once a month.

By doing each of these hot tub maintenance tasks, you will keep the water safe to use and extend the life of your tub for many years of enjoyment.

Interested in learning more about hot tubs and hot tub covers? Visit http://www.greathottubstoday.com/ an instructive website that provides hot tub advice, tips and resources including information on hot tub chemicals, filters and equipment.

5 Lighting Tips That Will Improve Your Home

Q. How can I improve the lighting in my kitchen? I'm always preparing meals in the dark!

A. There is a general idea that a big central ceiling fixture will provide all the light needed for cooking, meals and cleaning up. A central overhead light provides good overall lighting, but is a weak light for tasking. Everyone working under that kind of light will be working in their shadow. Undercabinet lighting is a good solution for food preparation because it efficiently illuminates the counter work surface. There are many plug-in varieties of xenon and halogen units that work well for this kind of task illumination.

For island counters, where food is prepared or served, pendants hung to illuminate the entire work surface are also a good solution. Pendants are hanging lights, either on downrods (stems), cords or chain, they can be positioned singly or in groups, just above the task area and light up the surface to make the tasks at hand well lit and enjoyable. Some pendants come in brightly colored glass shades for a contemporary look, or more traditional with faux alabaster glass shades and wrought iron, pewter or bronze finishes.

Q. We have a family room that has two table lamps in the corners of the room and a central overhead fixture. This lighting is not enough for my kids doing homework at the table, or me, reading or knitting on the sofa. What can you suggest?

A. Check to see if you are using the correct wattage in your lamps and replace your lampshades if they are darkened and clouded with age ( over the years this can happen slowly, the shade emitting less light because of deterioration). Again, an overhead fixture is limited in the light it can provide for tasking.

A good alternative is track lights which will provide good downlight to specific areas in the room. Track heads with little spot or flood bulbs can beam lighting down on tasking areas. Floor lamps that have multiple "goosenecks" or adjustable lights that can be directed towards many working areas can adequately illumintate reading and other activities in a multiple areas. Wall sconces placed in work areas provide a pleasant, semi-direct light and enhance ambient lighting.

Q. I'd like to have better light around my house when I come home at night.

A. Low voltage light kits provide good light along driveways and walkways. They come with various lamps and styles with transformers to match. It's easy to install low voltage lighting--these kits usually consist of a several lights which are on spikes that can be set in the ground and linked with wire which can be placed above ground, buried several inches down in soil, covered with mulch or behind shrubbery. Low voltage (12 volts of current) is safe for children and pets-the voltage is so low it does not present a shock hazard).

The transformer, which converts the standard 120 household volts to 12 volts, is plugged into a regular house exterior or interior outlet. Higher voltage (120 volts) provides the most powerful light for your driveway, walkway and landscape lighting. There is no transformer, wires to the light sources which can be spiked or installed around walkways, driveways, etc. have to be buried at a safe depth because of safety regulations--these will be in the directions for installation.

They are excellent for illuminating a driveway or walkway, showcasing trees, the house or the landscape. Placed strategically, the effects with this 120 voltage landscape lighting are dramatic and provide all the illumination you may require.

Q. My electric bill is too high! What can I do about it!

A. Replacing all of your present incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs will definitely lower your electric bill. CFL's (compact fluorescent lights) come in many wattages and styles. The CFL technology will expand over the next year to include dim-able bulbs and smaller bulbs in three-ways for lamps. Also, consider dimmers for any room in your house. When a light is dimmed, the wattage is decreased (you save money!) and dimmers present the option of just the right light at the simple slide or dial on the wall switch.

Q. My husband and I have a bathroom with double sinks. I like a lot of light for putting on make up in the morning. My husband likes to shave in the practically in the dark.! He says bright light is only acceptable after a cup of coffee. Right now we have a standard vanity fixture with six bulbs that are too dim for me an too bright for him. What can we do?

A. A dimmer will solve the light adjust ability problem, but only if you use the bathroom at different times. If you use the double sinks at the same time, you should consider separate lighting above each sink --that would require installing separate receptacles and wiring, and then, separate dimmers. You could then have the correct wattage for your applying make-up and your husband could have his preferred lighting for shaving.

Welcome to my lighting blog

Lois DeWitt is a certified lighting specialist, a cookbook author, "Pop It In The Toaster Oven," a poet and a Standard Poodle admirer. She cooks gourmet meals for friends, walks along the shore with her dog, Charley, and tends her vegetable garden in Wilmington, NC. She also works part time in the Lighting/Electrical Department at The Home Depot.

Seven Tips for a Well-Organized Bathroom

It's hard for a bathroom to be a relaxing haven if it's always a mess. And the average bathroom gets cluttered quickly. When you keep all your medications, makeup, grooming materials, shower materials, towels and toilet paper, and first aid items in one small room, you've got to be extra-vigilant to keep things neat and organized.

Keeping your bathroom organized may take a little extra work, but the effort is worth it. Here are a few tips for staying on top of the clutter in your bathroom.

Throw out what you don't use. Before starting to organize your bathroom, go through everything you keep there. Be prepared to throw a lot of things away. Any makeup, soap, shampoo, or medicine that's over a ye5B4ar old should go in the bin. Same with chronically mildewed toys, ripped or threadbare towels, rusty nail clippers, and anything else that isn't necessary and you don't use on a regular basis. Throw out what you don't need first, and you'll have less to organize later.

Have a towel rack for each person. If lots of people use a bathroom in the rush to get out the door in the morning, towels and washcloths can accumulate quickly-especially if there are kids involved. Make it easy for people to hang up towels: install a rack for each person who uses the bathroom. If you have kids, install hooks instead of racks; they're more likely to use them.

Use drawer dividers. Sick of opening your makeup drawer to a jumble of lipsticks, eyeshadows, and other cosmetics? It can be a hassle to rifle through your drawers every morning looking for your favorite shade of lip gloss. Organize your makeup drawer with dividers or even a cutlery organizer from the kitchen. These work great for any drawer full of small grooming implements.

Buy a shower caddy. Showers don't often have a lot of space for shampoos and soaps-but leaving your shampoo along the edge of the tub can make your bathroom look cluttered and messy. Hang a shower caddy from your showerhead with enough room to store everyone's shampoos, bath gels and soaps. This will allow everyone in your household to keep their favorite bath products on hand, without cluttering u5B4p your tub or shower.

Maximize your shelf space. Most people need every inch of storage space they can get in the bathroom-it's a small room with a lot of items to store. If you have a small bathroom or one without a lot of built-in storage space, you'll need to get creative. Install shelves in unused walls. Buy a cabinet designed to go over the toilet, or buy corner shelves that can be installed in the corner by the bathroom vanity. This will allow you extra space to keep linens, makeup, jewelry, and other necessities.

Use small containers or baskets. One of the most aggravating things about the bathroom is the amount of shampoos, soaps, hair gels, and shower gels you need to find a home for. You also have first aid materials such as band-aids and antibiotic ointment, which you need to be able to access quickly. In order to keep your bathroom necessities organized, buy containers or baskets and label them for each type of item. Keep first-aid items in one container, hair products in another, nail-care items in a third, and so on. Make sure to label each container clearly.

Color coordinate. If you have a large family sharing a bathroom, you may experience some conflict with sharing this small place. Teens and tweens can be territorial, especially about grooming products. Help them keep their things separate by giving each kid a color-coded container for makeup, hair gel, and other important products. In a5AFddition, color-code toothbrushes, towels, washcloths, and even shampoos. This way, you can monitor who makes the biggest messes without blaming all the kids for a cluttered bathroom. This may mean less conflict over messes in the long run.

It's easy for a bathroom to get messy, but it doesn't have to be difficult to keep things organized. Spend a few hours setting up a system, buy some organization products such as drawer dividers and containers, and throw out items you don't use-and you should be able to keep your bathroom clean and clutter-free.

R Dobson is managing director of Wilson Dobson Bathrooms http://www.wdbathrooms.co.uk based in Sheffield UK. For a wide range of shower products, demo videos and special offers visit http://www.wdbathrooms.co.uk/acatalog/New_Special_Offers.html

Asbestos In The Home

Many building products, over the years, have contained asbestos. Many of these products are still present in homes that were built prior to the mid-1980's. So What exactly should you know about asbestos?

Homeowners fear the word "asbestos." The most common places to find asbestos are probably old asbestos-cement siding, old asbestos flooring or asbestos that was used as insulation on heating ducts and heating systems. The general guideline is that, as long as asbestos is confined - so the fibers cannot escape and become airborne, it is not much of a problem. Of course if, down the road, a remodel is in order any asbestos material has to be treated as hazardous waste.

There are two very common household products that might - or might not - contain asbestos. It is hard to guess. Those products are vermiculite attic insulation and popcorn textured ceilings. While vermiculite is a mineral that is different than asbestos, the problem is that vermiculite mined prior to 1991 came from a mine near Libby, Montana. The mine had a natural deposit of asbestos, which tainted some of the vermiculite with asbestos fibers. While it is not for sure that all of this insulation will have asbestos fibers, it is considered likely that it will. Basically, the EPA suggests that, if you have older vermiculite, leave it alone and do not disturb it. Modern vermiculite, since 1991, comes from three other facilities and is considered to have a low potential for asbestos contamination. Popcorn textured ceilings, installed up into the mid 1980's, might have asbestos fibers present.

If vermiculite insulation or popcorn ceilings are present in the home, to establish whether or not they contain asbestos, one must collect samples and send them off to a lab. Inexpensive lab tests will confirm the presence of any asbestos. For further information on asbestos or asbestos testing, you should visit the EPA website. The site is very helpful and has a number of guidelines and suggestions regarding general safety and the use or cleanup of asbestos building materials. Never take a chance on asbestos, a small test can make a huge difference in your health.

This article was prod434uced by the writing team of Eric Badgley & Angee Gardner; specializing in Lynden Real Estate and Bellingham Real Estate, along with Mt. Vernon Home Inspectors. Making sure buyers are protected.