Lighting is one of the easiest, least expensive and most effective ways to reduce a home's energy consumption and utility costs.
The quickest way to realize energy and cost savings may seem too good to be true. All it requires is replacing old fashioned incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights or CFLs. Bulbs that qualify under the federal Energy Star program (go to www.energystar.gov) use 67 percent less energy. These upgraded bulbs also generate 70 percent less heat than incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer.
In addition to identifying the best compact fluorescent lights, Energy Star also qualifies complete CFL-compatible fixtures, from floor lamps to sconces to porch lights, in just about every style and price range. The federal program also offers an Advanced Lighting Package to help builders and home buyers find and specify qualified fixtures.
Lighting design is critical to efficient lighting use. Good schemes combine general lighting (usually overhead) with task-specific, security, and decorative lighting. Such specialized lighting design is appropriate both inside and outside a home to enhance safety and to emphasize the architectural lines of a home or a room, while simultaneously increasing energy efficiency. Of course, any good lighting design maximizes the use of daylight to supplement artificial light, thereby reducing both energy consumption and glare.
Besides the fixtures and bulbs themselves, control of a home's lighting is an essential part of a systematic approach to energy efficiency and green building. The efficiencies of high-performance lighting -- especially when combined with window and glass door shading systems that regulate valuable daylight -- can only be realized under a concerted control scheme.
A new generation of lighting control mechanisms combines style, convenience, and technology. Today's lighting controls are far more than simple on/off switches. Instead, they offer multi-tasking capabilities and multiple modes (or scenes) so that lights are used only when and where needed. Furthermore, instead of a central "processor" for all the lights in a home, the latest systems feature electronic (and ergonomic) touch pads and wall-mounted controls throughout the home that can be reprogrammed, replaced, and maintained at each location without affecting or shutting down the entire system. At the same time, each touch pad can integrate with others for optimum control.
For even greater convenience, lighting systems can include handheld devices for remote operation. Key fobs and other handy gadgets allow a homeowner to trigger a particular lighting scheme inside the home when the garage door is opened from the car. Another function might create a lighted path to safety if a fire alarm is engaged.
By switching to energy-efficient bulbs and light fixtures, a homeowner can realize immediate cost savings while conserving energy. High-tech home lighting systems can get the most from more elaborate and area-specific lighting designs that incorporate several energy-conscious products, such as window glass shading systems, as well as energy efficient fixtures. With both wall-mounted and wireless handheld devices, all elements of the lighting design can be smoothly integrated, including that most old-fashioned and efficient light source, the sun.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Managing Change
When we're on the job site, we want to make the most progress possible on our clients' new home. Building is a dynamic and exciting process; one that we try to make trouble free and easy to understand. Once we get going, things can happen quickly, so we work with our clients to make decisions well ahead of time to help ensure they get the home of their dreams.
Before the first scoop of dirt is moved, we collaborate with our home owners to make most of the big decisions, but that is rarely the end of the process. Once we're underway, owners often think of a few things they'd like to change. Such changes may range from making the house larger to a change in bathroom cabinets, a different floor pattern or material in the kitchen, or just adding an extra light switch or two.
We document such requests, called "change orders," to make sure that we and the homeowners have a clear understanding of the scope and cost of the change. Although our goal is to make sure our clients are satisfied with their new home (with no unpleasant surprises when it's time to pay the bill), it's also important for the homeowner to understand how change orders affect the building process. When owner and builder communicate well, the impact of change orders on construction schedule and budget can be minimized.
A change order made after construction begins always has a cost attached. The cost may be the time (and labor) it takes to make the change or it may be the price of additional materials or products required -- and usually both.
The timing of a change order has a big impact on such costs. Typically, the later in the building process, the more expensive the change order. Some changes, of course, are simply impossible or truly cost prohibitive, such as altering the foundation or adding a basement once we've started building a home's structural frame.
We respect our clients' desires to get exactly the house they want. We know that some finishes (or even floor plans) may be hard to visualize until they're actually installed or built. Changes will happen! For that reason, we've become more sophisticated and systematic about managing change orders. Our process not only ensures good communication and provides assurances between everyone involved, but also helps us maintain the building schedule and minimize additional costs.
The change order process: The most effective change order processes follow a general pattern that creates a paper trail and provides reliable cost information up front, including:
Centralization. Your change order requests are often managed by one person to help ensure effective communication between everyone involved. This includes specialty trade contractors, suppliers, our job site managers, and, of course, our customer. We discourage owners from making special requests directly to a trade contractor, as this is a quick route to misunderstandings and disrupted schedules.
Documentation. Customer requests are transferred to an electronic or paper-based change order form that initiates a paper trail and helps ensure greater accuracy and communication.
Terms. We anticipate many of the changes our homebuyers make. We have a good idea of the cost and time most changes require. As a result, we can often communicate the terms quickly so that owners can make an informed decision in plenty of time to make the change or decide against it.
Confirmation. It's important to everyone involved that no change occurs without a client signature. Clients must approve the cost and terms, as well as the style, finish, or other details about the change. In addition, clients must be aware of how the change may affect their move-in date or other aspects of the construction schedule.
Inspection. We may request a client to visit the new home's job site when the alteration is being made so they can see it happen, ask any questions and insure satisfaction.
Payment. Costs for change orders may be billed separately, usually as soon as the change has been made and completed to a client's satisfaction. Sometimes we ask for a percentage of the cost or full payment up front before making the alteration, depending on the type of request.
By using a dedicated, document-based change order system, our clients are assured that any changes they consider -- whether minor or extreme -- are taken care of in a timely fashion without confusion, miscommunication or unnecessary costs.
Before the first scoop of dirt is moved, we collaborate with our home owners to make most of the big decisions, but that is rarely the end of the process. Once we're underway, owners often think of a few things they'd like to change. Such changes may range from making the house larger to a change in bathroom cabinets, a different floor pattern or material in the kitchen, or just adding an extra light switch or two.
We document such requests, called "change orders," to make sure that we and the homeowners have a clear understanding of the scope and cost of the change. Although our goal is to make sure our clients are satisfied with their new home (with no unpleasant surprises when it's time to pay the bill), it's also important for the homeowner to understand how change orders affect the building process. When owner and builder communicate well, the impact of change orders on construction schedule and budget can be minimized.
A change order made after construction begins always has a cost attached. The cost may be the time (and labor) it takes to make the change or it may be the price of additional materials or products required -- and usually both.
The timing of a change order has a big impact on such costs. Typically, the later in the building process, the more expensive the change order. Some changes, of course, are simply impossible or truly cost prohibitive, such as altering the foundation or adding a basement once we've started building a home's structural frame.
We respect our clients' desires to get exactly the house they want. We know that some finishes (or even floor plans) may be hard to visualize until they're actually installed or built. Changes will happen! For that reason, we've become more sophisticated and systematic about managing change orders. Our process not only ensures good communication and provides assurances between everyone involved, but also helps us maintain the building schedule and minimize additional costs.
The change order process: The most effective change order processes follow a general pattern that creates a paper trail and provides reliable cost information up front, including:
Centralization. Your change order requests are often managed by one person to help ensure effective communication between everyone involved. This includes specialty trade contractors, suppliers, our job site managers, and, of course, our customer. We discourage owners from making special requests directly to a trade contractor, as this is a quick route to misunderstandings and disrupted schedules.
Documentation. Customer requests are transferred to an electronic or paper-based change order form that initiates a paper trail and helps ensure greater accuracy and communication.
Terms. We anticipate many of the changes our homebuyers make. We have a good idea of the cost and time most changes require. As a result, we can often communicate the terms quickly so that owners can make an informed decision in plenty of time to make the change or decide against it.
Confirmation. It's important to everyone involved that no change occurs without a client signature. Clients must approve the cost and terms, as well as the style, finish, or other details about the change. In addition, clients must be aware of how the change may affect their move-in date or other aspects of the construction schedule.
Inspection. We may request a client to visit the new home's job site when the alteration is being made so they can see it happen, ask any questions and insure satisfaction.
Payment. Costs for change orders may be billed separately, usually as soon as the change has been made and completed to a client's satisfaction. Sometimes we ask for a percentage of the cost or full payment up front before making the alteration, depending on the type of request.
By using a dedicated, document-based change order system, our clients are assured that any changes they consider -- whether minor or extreme -- are taken care of in a timely fashion without confusion, miscommunication or unnecessary costs.
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