New House Plan NDG-1176

New house plan NDG-1176 features a large open breakfast room area, kitchen, and dining area/hearth room.  The large great room has columns and is open to the upstairs area which includes a theater balcony, optional bedroom, bonus room, and a computer area.  This plan also features a nice exterior finish.  Check it out today!

House Plan NDG-727

New House Plan NDG-727 is a beautiful country style house plan. Features of this plan include: an 8′ wrap around porch with columns, an optional rear deck, an optional home theater room above the garage, a grilling porch, theater balcony, 4/5 bedrooms 4 1/2 bath, and more. This well designed plan and could be your dream home!

Impact Of Media On US Housing

While reading an article about builder confidence over at the NAHB a paragraph in the article really made me think.

 “To be more specific,” Catalde said, “builders are worried that the national media has tended to report negative housing stories as if there is one real estate market, when, in fact, there is no such thing – all housing markets are local. As a result, some healthy markets are being unfairly impacted by this negative media coverage.”

All markets (real estate) are local.  That seems like a simple statement, but when you begin to think on it further,  you can understand how National media coverage can not accurately report on something that is entirely local.  There are real estate markets that are up, down, the same, and have changed several different times since the beginning of the “housing slump”.  So I wonder what impact this negative national media coverage is having on local real estate markets.  What do you think?

Structured Wiring

House Plans - The cost of wire / cable is cheap when compared to the cost of opening up a couple of your walls to install that cable.   Structured wiring is the solution to these future problems.  This will save you time and money.

The basic method is to run a full bundle of wiring to each important room.   A typical full bundle may consist of 2 4-pair cat 5 cables, 2 coax cables (probably quad shielded), and optionally 2 multi-mode optical fibers.  This 2 - 2 method will allow an up stream and a down stream.  All of the wiring will run to centralized distribution panels, where everything can be controlled, upgraded, and maintained in a central location.

Wall Cleats

House Plans - I saw this and I just had to share it with everyone, this is one of those Duh! inventions, that you wonder why you never thought of it for yourself.  I would like to have some of these in my house! Check out the graphic, and then take a look at the excerpt below.

 Wall Cleats solve one of those “well if it’s there anyway” problems by adding extra utility to the standard outlet cover. As part of his Covers project, Brooklyn-based designer Karl Zahn asks, “What use is an electrical plug when you’re not plugged in?” Say “ahoy” to a modified classic inspired by boating hardware–perfect for those who say “no” to vampiric energy use and appreciate neat-freak alternatives to leaving limp cords just hangin’.

Housing Market

House Plans - A recent article over at NAHB discussed that taking everything into perspective shines a different light on the current market.  The current declines in prices are a small thing when taken with a full view of the increases over the long term.

“It’s important to keep things in perspective,” said Brian Catalde, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from El Segundo, Calif. “The current housing price correction is most pronounced in the once super-heated markets in California, Nevada, Florida and Arizona. In most other markets, price declines have been pretty modest.”

For example, in Chicago, home prices declined 1.3 percent between August 2006 and August 2007, while posting a 34.2 percent gain for the five-year period between August 2002 and August 2007.

Is the glass half empty, or half full? You be the judge…

Foreign Investors

House Plans - A recent article from the AP discussed a recent surge in foreign investment in the housing market.  That in increasing numbers, foreign investors are taking the places of first time home buyers.  A boost in home sales would definitely be helpful to the economy, but do we want foreign investors in our homes so to speak?  With the dollar weakening as of late, I believe we will see a larger increase in this type of foreign investment.  This could help get the market back on track so for that I say thank you foreign investors!

Save Energy Costs

With energy costs reaching record highs it seems a more important time than ever to increase awareness about energy use. Based off the 2005 Building Energy Data Book, the average home energy consumption is broken down like this:
34% Space Heating
34% Appliances / Lighting
11% A / C
n8% Refrigerator
13%Water Heating

There are many things we can do inside our homes to reduce our energy use. Things like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, and taking shorter showers. Also, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, turning down the thermostat 8 degrees F for eight hours a day will save 8-10 percent on home heating costs. A good method to take advantage of this is to lower the thermostat temperature while away from home or sleeping. Your home can also be improved to reduce energy costs. Fixing any gaps below / around doors, making sure the house is properly insulated, and using energy star certified heating / air systems and water heaters can really help as well. Windows from a manufacturer like Jeld-Wen can reduce your energy loss by as much as 65%! High-performance Low-E insulating glass lowers energy costs, helps homes stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, prevents fading of interior furnishings, and reduces condensation. Windows and patio doors with Low-E glass are also ENERGY STAR^® qualified, which means they exceed the minimum energy efficiency criteria for the climate region you live in (by as much as 40 percent).
There are many more things that can be done to reduce energy use, but I hope that you have the gears turning. As always, check out great house plans at Nelson Design Group.