Looking for a dream home?

Owning a dream home, whether it looks like a castle or feels like a tiny hideaway, is often the best opportunity a person will ever have for achieving romantic notions of the good life. The only limit is one’s imagination. – Dennis Wedlick, Good House Hunting

While cruising around the Slow Home Website I stumbled upon a review of Good House Hunting by Dennis Wedlick, an architect and writer who has developed a practical guide for creating one’s dream home. Good House Hunting offers a step by step guide for defining a vision of the home that’s right for you and your family and then finding a property that can fulfill that vision. He makes practical suggestions, like planning a budget that leaves enough money for you to realize your personal vision. Paying attention to the small details of day to day activities and storage needs and prioritizing your indulgences. After all, having a home is not about where you live as much as it is about how you live.

EcoStore

Are the remnants of old projects tying up your valuable storage space? Or do you have project that could use any old lumber or paint? Looking to match that old woodwork or simply need to replace the toilet in the basement? Then the EcoStore is for you.

In fact the EcoStore is for just about anybody. The artist, the landlord, the homeowner, there renter, the spendthrift or the person with the big idea ...

Watch the Video to find out more!

The future of green

Where would we get the most bang for our buck in the reduction of carbon emmissions? A new report from the Commission for Environmental Cooperation suggests that "the design,
location, construction, operation and disposal of buildings" all represent occasions where decisions are made that affect the environmental impact of a building.

Upfront construction costs vs. ongoing utility costs are all a balancing act, but the balance may be tipping to increase upfront investment to decrease the ongoing costs of energy.

In the United States, according to the EPA, buildings account for:
40 percent of total energy use;
12 percent of the total water consumption;
68 percent of total electricity consumption;
38 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions; and
60 percent of total non-industrial waste generation

Look for changes to start soon. Today less than 3% of new construction is considered "green", by 2030 (less than 25 years from now) the American Institute of Architects issued a position statement that calls for the "immediate energy reduction of all new and renovated buildings to half the national average for that building type, with increased reductions of 10 percent every five years so that all buildings designed by the year 2030 will be carbon-neutral." A big challenge, but the U.S. Conference of Mayors is on board ... are you?

Green, its not just a color anymore.

Walking through the Barnes and Noble I saw a table full of "green" books. Yes, at least a portion of the cover art was green, but I'm not talking about the color. Green is about an attitude of conservation. This isn't your Fathers conservative (unless your Father was a hippie). If you really want to know what is meant by green I suggest a quick review of the NYT Sunday Magazine from 4/20/08. Like much of the current writing it focuses on the notion of reducing one's carbon footprint. Meanwhile, in the opinion page of that same paper Nicolas Kristof suggests that the current efforts of government and corporations fall far short of what is required to make a real difference. In the meantime, we as individuals, with our low flow shower head, our hybrid car and our recycling project don't see the large scale willingness to change and sacrifice required to make a real difference. The high cost of fuel and food is getting our attention. I think change will be driven by both an increased awareness of problems and solutions, and by an increased willingness to change our behavior as individuals, as corporations and as a country.

Buying a HUD Home

Suddenly, down the street, there is a house with one of those signs in the window. A HUD Home, hmmm, could be a bargain? Well that may be, call your Realtor (or me if you don't have one) and take a look inside.

Don't have a HUD home down the street but want to see whats on the market? HUD Homes in Nebraska can be seen at a site called Best Assets. The HUD house is being sold as is and you can't negotiate directly with the seller, but you can submit a bid that is less than the listing price and you can ask for a big portion of your closing costs to be paid. You can find out more at the HUD website, there are even special incentives for those who qualify. Hmmm, could be a bargain, but it depends on the house and you.

Spring rain gets me thinking about ...

... gardens and wet basements. Here in Lincoln it is not uncommon to see basement walls pushed in by the pressure of saturated ground. The walls crack and a damp basement may result. Yet when its dry out, keeping the lawn or garden green means running water from the city water supply and higher utility bills. Its seems to me that one could address both of these problems with rain barrels.

Keeping a basement dry is really a matter of discipline and landscaping. Paying attention to your home and landscapes ability to shed water is key to avoiding problems. A rain barrel or rain garden is a great way to get your attention and keep you thinking about rain water and run off.

Using the rainwater in the landscape can keep plants greener longer in a xeriscaped yard or supplement the regular watering of flowers and vegtables.

The City of Lincoln is offering support for raingardens through grants

What a great way to get started!

Let's Build a Home

Been thinking about building a home?
Perhaps you should consider a little advice from the White Stripes ... Rock On!