Six Secrets of Custom Home Builder Designs

When looking for a custom home builder and making the design of your new home, it's always good to follow the following tips to help you make a home that will fulfill all of your fantasies.

Keep it simple:

Look for a designer that keeps it simple. Brainstorming and sketching can be more valuable than fancy software when you are making decisions about what your home will be like. Make lists of features together with them, going over things that each room will feature and get it out of your head and onto paper and the design.

Some features are bigger than others:

Start with a clear idea that not all of your fantasies regarding a custom home may be possible, and try to decide which features are worth placing over others. If you try to get every single last idea you have into your home, you can easily inflate and go over budget. For example, if you want both a home theater and a game room, it could be worth thinking about whether it's necessary to have both of those, or just one of the two.

Design for the long term:

You may be single, or married without children right now, but what of the future? You situation and your plans may change, and you want your custom home design to be able to accommodate that! Be sure to include enough room and space for you future family to grow into. Also, think about people who may come to stay over with you on the holidays, or friends of your children, etc. It pays to think of all those details now rather than later.

Stamp your personality:

The whole idea behind designing a custom home is to make it a part of you, and an expression of who you are. Everything you have been dreaming about having in a house of your own can be a reality. If you want to have a bathroom bigger than the main bedroom, you can. If you want to have a balcony that looks out over the living room, you can!

Don't forget good old fashioned function:

Even as you try to cram all the possible features and benefits you can into your home design, don't stop thinking about how it's all going to work! Keep the bedrooms away from high-traffic or recreation areas, and let the kitchen flow into the dining room. Your custom home builder will be able to help the most with this as they have all the experience about where everything such as pipes, wires, etc. needs to go.

Think about location:

The inside of your custom home is not the only thing you need to think about. Lots of things depend on where the lot you're going to build on is, like architectural style, how much space you have available to you to use, what utilities you need to build into the house and which you can get from the surroundings, etc. By making your custom home fit into the surroundings, you make it a valuable part of the community as well as a great home for yourself.

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Uses of Cable Gland

When a wire or set of wires or cables need to be connected to the main machinery or equipment, they are routed through a connector or cable gland. They serve to fix the cables to the equipment and reduce the impact of repeated bending and flexing of cables and also provide relief from strain. They can also seal the cables which pass through heavy-duty bulk-heads of ships and aircraft. Several types of materials may be used to manufacture cable glands, including non-conducting metals like stainless steel, aluminum etc and they may also be made of tough, durable plastics which are suited to outdoor locations.

Nylon cable glands are best suited for use where there is risk of flammability, since nylon has a very high resistance to burning. It melts in the presence of high temperatures, providing some level of protection. Nylon cable glands are produced in a variety of colors to distinguish their function.

Spiral type cable glands have excellent locking and sealing qualities and can withstand a wide range of temperatures, with some of them being able to resist extremely high temperature intermittently as well.

Other types offer explosion protection and gas-sealing features which are suitable for use in hazardous industries.

Some special applications may require additional protection like a lock-nut and washer to give better sealing.

Most manufacturers must comply with the international protection standards like the IPR or International Protection Rating scale. This scale provides different values for different qualities that can be measured such as immersion in water up to certain depths, heat resistance up to certain temperature, etc. The threading variations are also standardized according to metric or other calibrations. This makes it convenient for purchasers to find the right kind of cable gland to suit their requirements. These standards also allow parts to be replaced quickly and accurately as they can be ordered according to the correct specifications.

Cable glands also have clamping facilities which make them highly effective in providing the correct grip and sealing irrespective of the number of cables that are passed through them. Color coding is also available with different manufacturers, with distinctions being made between outdoor and indoor applications. To provide additional sealing and locking facilities, cable glands can have their own set of gaskets in different or similar materials which provide safety while being tightened so that the gland is correctly positioned and it continues to sit in that position.

Depending on your requirements, you can purchase cable glands from your local hardware or electrical goods stores. However, if you have a bulk purchase, you can order them directly from the manufacturers on-line after consulting their catalogs. Many manufacturers offer free shipping, bulk discounts and free samples for better selection.

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Eight Tips for Making Your Dream Home Addition a Reality

1. Consider the Neighborhood's Character

A great home addition requires an understanding of your street, neighborhood and town's distinct character. What makes homes from one neighborhood different from those in another? Are the homes Colonial or Federal? Striking or subtle? Your addition design, no matter what kind it may be, should consider the uniqueness of your street and neighborhood.

2. Think of the Surrounding Resources

When designing a home addition, consider your property's orientation to its resources: its orientation in relation to the sun, shade, your neighbors' homes, the street, etc. Your home addition can either block and hide or expose and accentuate the resources surrounding your house.

3. Fitting in With Your Home

Sometimes homeowners get excited about the prospect of an addition and think of it as a chance to design the home they never had. This is one of the most attractive reasons for building a home addition, but don't forget the rest of your home in the process. The best home designers try to make home additions either indistinguishable from the larger home, or different but complementary. Your home addition doesn't need to look identical to your house, but it should fit in with its style.

4. "Good Bones"

The phrase, "good bones" is used in Realtor circles to describe buildings that are structurally sound. A properly engineered home is absolutely critical, especially if you're thinking of selling your house at some point in the future. Make sure to keep the foundation and engineering of your new addition in mind when talking to designers and remodelers.

5. Choose the Materials Carefully

The selection of materials for your home addition is very important; after all, they can't be changed later. Make sure to put some thought into choosing materials, whether it is for the roof, windows, doors, siding, etc. The choice of material for the exterior, public façade is especially important since it's a primary feature of your home's curb appeal. But the materials used inside are equally important since the colors and textures will go a long way towards creating a comfortable space for your family.

6. Your Identity Should Also Determine Your Addition's

In order for a home addition to be truly special it should speak to who you are and how you live. Your family's activities, rituals, habits and passions should inform the design of your project. Letting your designer know about your habits and special tastes is the best way for them to make sure you're happy with your addition.

7. Have a Little Fun With It!

Understandably, people often choose relatively traditional home addition designs. Sometimes it's not worth taking the risk of a radical design choice. But don't forget to still have a little bit of fun with your new home addition. This could mean anything from installing a fire engine-red kitchen range in an otherwise conservative color scheme to designing a special niche in a wall for family pictures. Home additions have so much potential because they give you the chance to really put your mark on your home. You won't get this chance often so have fun with it!

8. Get to Know Your Designer/Remodeler

Your designer and/or remodeler is going to be a big part of your life for the duration of the project. Get to know them! They should be committed to building the best home addition possible for you and your family. Though you might not expect it, your relationship with your designer or remodeler is a pretty personal one. After all, they're going to be spending a good deal of time in your home.

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Causes of Air Movement Within Building Envelopes

Moisture and Condensation Control looks at how the design of the thermal envelope plays an important part in being able to eliminate moisture movement in various building assemblies. There are three different components that we need to consider when examining the performance of an assembly. These are vapour barriers, air barriers and thermal barrier (insulation).

Before I address these three components, we need to look at how moisture is created and moves across building assemblies.

The basic rule to be kept in mind is to keep the outside out and the inside in. This will eliminate most problems in buildings. There can be some major issues which are caused by air leakage. This can be deteriorating for the building components and create health issues for the building occupants.

Many building performance problems can be traced to air leakage through the building envelope. These problems range from high heating costs and poor temperature control in occupied spaces, to rain penetration and the deterioration various components within a building assembly.

Why does moisture move from inside to outside?

Moisture exists and hence can be moved in two forms. Most air actually all air, has a certain moisture content referred to as relative humidity. Humans need a certain amount of humidity to survive and live comfortably, in heated indoor air to maintain a healthy environment (otherwise we get nosebleeds, etc.). It is important to control moisture in that regard.

So, moisture exists as microscopic parts of the air itself. This moisture can be moved right through the building envelope like ghosts move through solids...), as well as through cracks in the building envelope.

When moisture inside the building escapes through defects in the building envelope it condenses, freezes and causes damage inside of the wall. When there is an excessive amount of moisture present in the building, the amount of moisture exfiltrating the building increases accordingly. Hence the more moisture the higher the potential for damage.

The three main causes of Air Movement within the Building Envelopes are:

Pressure Differential Temperature Differential Wind Air pressure differential is the key force that drives both air leakage and vapor diffusion through the building envelope.

Some of the major areas where air leakage can occur are chimneys, bathrooms, electrical outlets and anything relating to mechanical services is a major contributor to air leakage like any opening s such as doors and windows, joints at windows and different assemblies like the joints between the foundation and the floors. The foundation junctions, foundation slabs are all places where moisture can accumulate. This is inclusive of the basements due to pressure differential.

Air leakage can occur at several different places.

What drives pressure differential?

The air pressure differential is driven by, or relies on several key factors and components. If there is no pressure difference between the interior and exterior, there will not be air or vapor movement across the building envelope. That is the case in the summer when the pressure differential in the summer is basically the same inside and outside the house. This is due to windows left open and the exchange of air from outside and inside, therefore any moisture accumulation and vapor does not have time to get into the wall.

In the winter however, when you start to close the windows, the buildup of heat within causes pressure differential. The reasons for this are:

temperature differential (hot inside, cold outside heat always travels from the hot area to the cold ones.) stack effect (warm air rises) wind pressure (windward pressure, leeward suction) fan pressurization (kitchen, bathroom and furnace fans)

So, air pressure differences of the building envelope follow the different effects. In the stack effect, when warm air rises to the top, it builds a negative effect on the bottom of the building. Therefore, the negative pressure brings in air from the outside. This is not the same at the top of the building which needs to expel some of the warm air. Therefore, there is a stack effect that can create positive and negative pressure differentials. The higher the building the greater is the stack effect.

Wind can also create stack effect. It basically works the same way and moves the wind horizontally on the windward side of the building. This causes a combination of positive and negative pressure on the outside and inside of the building. When the wind flows over the building it causes a negative pressure on the outside and a positive pressure on the inside of the building.

Fan pressurization creates a situation all around depending on the type of fan. In case of an exhaust fan it would push out the air and create a negative pressure inside the building. The top will bring in pressure from the outside and create a positive pressure. Fan pressurization has the effect of bringing in the outside air but the opposite can create a negative effect.

The stack effect is when warm air rises and the taller the building the more will it be affected by stack effect. The movement of air within the building is determined by no open areas and the number of floors in the building.

At the bottom of the building there will be more negative impact to the bottom of the building. The air does not circulate around. The stack effect does not play much of a role in smaller buildings.

Stack effect is a bigger problem the higher the building. Look at high rises with "problems". Usually, it is evidenced at the top floors of the building. First as there is more driven warm moist air trying to escape through the upper part of walls.

Fan pressurization depending on the direction of air movement from the fan, a house can either be pressurized or suck air in from outside. If there is mechanical equipment to push out air for instance an exhaust fan in the bathroom, then you will be exhausting it and that goes on to create a negative effect and cause infiltration of outside air.

In the case of a supply only, the heat recovery equipment will cover bringing the air but also exhausting the inside air, so it is less of a problem. However, in some cases of a furnace it can cause a positive impact on the building.

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How to Choose a Custom Home Builder

When the time has come for you and your family to move into the house of your dreams, there is a tremendous amount to consider. Where you will live and the logistics of moving are important, but they are not as important as how you go about selecting the right custom home builder. Finding the one that fits your specific need is a critical decision. Costly mistakes and miscommunication can be avoided if you choose the right home builder. But how do you make the right choice? Below are things you should consider as you look to choose a custom home builder.

See their work

As you set off looking for the right home builder for you and your family, we first recommend taking a look into their design portfolio. Ask for lots of pictures of previous work. No matter if you like the design style in the photos or not, being able to see their work will help you understand the quality of their work. You may not necessarily like some of the design styles of their previous customers, but you at least get an idea of the home builders' capabilities. If possible, look to see if they have any video work too. Sometimes this gives you a better idea of where the project started and where it ended up.

Ask for references

As you start seeing some of the work the contractor in question can do, you next step should be to ask for references. Talk to as many people as you can that has worked with your potential home builder. Ask about how well they stayed on budget, what the communication process was like and if they would use the builder again. Knowing answers to these three simple questions is a great way to narrow your choices.

Know their capabilities

Beyond seeing the finished work and talking to reference, sometimes you will find custom home builders that can not only execute a home plan, but can also create a home plan. It is a luxury to be able to find custom home builders that can take your idea and turn it into a home of your dreams. These professionals usually have architecture and engineering degrees, both of which is a plus for you.

Ask Questions

The contractor wants your business. Although they build new homes regularly, they know that the experience can be your first and only time. Find one that is easy to communicate with and that is open to answering all of your questions. Be attentive to those that offer a variety of ideas based on their previous experience. They may know something you haven't necessarily thought of just yet. Having options when it comes to constructing your custom home is an advantage.

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Make Your Dream Home a Custom Built Reality!

Every homeowner wants to have a dream house; sadly enough, not everyone gets to fulfill such a dream. In many cases, there is no choice but to live in an ordinary home with a generic layout and design that has already been used on hundreds of other houses. Wouldn't it be nice to truly live in a house that has been custom-built according to an owner's specifications? According to most home builders, it is indeed possible to live in a custom-built house more easily than might be thought.

Tract vs. Custom Home

One of the downsides of buying a tract house frequently is poor quality materials and craftsmanship. In most cases, inexpensive and low-grade material is used in order to minimize construction costs and maximize a builder's profit margin. To reach the number of units to be constructed, labor hours required to finish each project are reduced, which results in poor workmanship as employees have a shorter amount of time to complete the tasks. The net result is a poor quality house with inferior material and results.

With a custom made house, features and specifications can be individually chosen and tailor fit according to the number of rooms, the size of the living area, the size of the garage as well as the interior and the exterior design, among to name a few. The quality of the material being used as well as the quality of the work can be monitored as the project progresses.

Custom Home Considerations

Many things need to be considered when considering a custom-built home. Following are a few of the steps that need to happen to achieve the desirable outcome.

Choose Site - Before coming up with a design or a plan, the first thing to do selecting a lot for the building. The location, size, type of soil, and prevailing weather conditions of the area have a lot to do with the design. The architect will create a design from these factors, so it is important to first secure a site before anything else. Set Budget - Building a custom home is not for the faint-hearted. Unlike tract-built houses, custom ones cost more due to the labor cost as well as the material cost. When pursuing a custom design, establish a budget and have the architect develop a plan to suit those needs, adding some lee-way since the cost of material often fluctuates. A project could be delayed due to lack of financing for extra items that are needed further into the building process. Choose Architect - The architect has one of the biggest roles in the project, so selection of a competent and skilled one is really important. Ask for referrals from friends and co-workers; before hiring one to create a plan, look at any previous designs to see if that work is appropriate for the desired building appearance. Create Plan - Coming up with a custom design should be a collaboration between the architect and the client. The architect should come up with a plan based on client needs. For example, the number of rooms, the size of the garage and other such requirements as well as the look and feel to be achieved enters into such a plan. Once the requirements have been established, the architect should then come up with a design and present it to the client for approval Hire Contractor - The contractor has a large influence on the outcome of a project; therefore, it is important that the contractor have sufficient skilled manpower to implement the established master plan. Before settling on one, have several make bids on the project. Look at how long each one requires for completing the project and what the final cost should be. If possible check the quality of previous construction to see which home builder can deliver quality workmanship. Once a decision is made, conclude the project with a contract.

A home is where most non-working time is spent, time to relax and time to be comfortable. This is an important structure to every individual which is why it is only proper to invest the proper amount of time, money and effort to build the home that is desired and deserved. Don't wait another minute - contact a home builder today who can turn your dream home into a custom-built reality!

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