This morning I was enjoying my daily commute to work – a seven-minute stroll through a quiet wooded area – when I noticed something that set off alarm bells. Today, in mid-May, the stream running through this little forest was at levels usually seen in early July. Right now, the snow pack in this region is only 15% of what’s considered normal. Having witnessed one of the immediate effects, I felt prompted to say a few words about the need to be water-wise. [Read more…]
Earth Day 2015: Meaningful agency in a runaway world
Earth Day is here again, and I’ve got a few words for the faint of heart. We can all agree that there’s much to love about this planet, and we know how threatened it is by forces seemingly beyond our control. People can almost be divided into two camps: those who believe that we can ameliorate the dangers, and those who feel helpless. Without offering some grandiose vision full of unrealistic hopes, I’d like to say a few personal words to the latter group about “meaningful agency”. [Read more…]
The Small House – An Idea Worth Considering
So you’ve found a great piece of property and now you want to build a house. Before going any further you might ask yourself: how big a house do I really need? Well, it depends who you ask.
The building industry, which tries to set the trends and provides much of the new housing in this country, has a standard product (3 – 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, two car garage) that assumes that everyone has the same spatial needs and financial resources. Unfortunately, this marketing-oriented philosophy leaves increasing numbers of us out of the equation, forced to buy homes that are bigger and much more extravagant than we really desire or are able to afford. [Read more…]
Avoiding Renovation Hell
So you’re thinking about doing some renovations to your older home, but have heard some real horror stories about wild cost overruns and jobs that have gone on forever. How can you help ensure that your project comes in on time and within budget, and doesn’t disrupt your lives? [Read more…]
Choosing The Right House Plan For You
Now that you are ready to build a house, how do you go about finding the plan which best suits your needs? When building a new home from scratch, your choice of a design is the single most important decision you will make. [Read more…]
Radiant Heating Systems
How Radiant Heating Systems Work
Materials are made up of atoms in motions, as heat energy is absorbed by an object, the vibrational motion of its atoms increases. Temperature or heat is a measurement of the severity of this vibration motion. Now, you ask, what does this have to do with the heating system that I want to install in my house? Well? I’ll get to that, hold on. [Read more…]
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