Archive for August, 2011|Monthly archive page

DIY: Home Energy Audit- Moisture Managment

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

From grading to the possible water in your crawl space here is the do it yourself guide to auditing moisture management for your home.

Now that we’ve looked through the home from attic to crawl, HVAC to hot water heater, it is time to check out what might be going on and causing some problems for your on the outside. Let’s take a look at the grading, which means the slope of the land toward your home and the drainage and how this affects your house. You know that we call this area of the US the mold belt, right? Well, we do, because it isn’t a matter of if, it is when will you get mold. What you can do is prevent it by taking care to prevent it. From the exterior, inspect your gutters for cracks and leaks, if the gutter runs to the side of your house, make sure that it directed away from the foundation, and has a splash tile to eliminate erosion at the end of the run. You want your landscaping to be graded away from your home, so that it is sloped in a direction that doesn’t allow for water to pool at the foundation. Take note of any trees or shrubs that are touching your roof or your gutters and prune them back by at least 2 feet. Landscaping should not be planted within 2 feet of your foundation to ensure that roots and pests do not create issues with your home. Your crawl space should have a vapor retarder ( a plastic or polyethylene barrier) over every inch of dirt to eliminate any chance for moisture problems in your home.

Inside of your home, moisture can also be a problem from the daily grind- you know, cooking, cleaning, even taking a bath! You should have a bath fan in every bathroom that wicks moisture out and ensure that your home is properly vented and that exhaust fans are clean and can pull the proper amount of air out of the home. Moisture control in this area may not seem like that big of a deal, until you have to deal with a mold problem. Mold can cause health issued and can be quite costly to repair, not to mention, it is not fun to live in a home that makes you sick. Prevention is the best measure.

Quick tips to prevent moisture problems:

  1. Use your bath fan or kitchen fan when your bathing or cooking.
  2. Install ventilation where it doesn’t exist, and hardwire it, so you don’t have to turn on a second switch to remember it.
  3. Install a dehumidifier in your crawl space.
  4. Install water alarms in your crawl space or basement to alert you to possible water damage.
  5. Stay ahead of the trees and shrubs by pruning away from gutters and the roofline. If you keep the trees away from possible attic penetrations, you can save yourself a headache down the road!

We have discussed your whole house and how you can manage doing a home energy audit on your own. If you still have questions, we’re happy to help you out! Next time we’ll go over what we’ve learned and why we’ve done all of these things. Share the word by finding us on Facebook!

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Quirky Name- Serious Power

Thursday, August 18th, 2011

A recent encounter with “Big Ass Fans” made me stop flipping pages and read on…

Yeah, I said it. Big Ass Fan. That is the name of a fan division of a brand called Isis who is bringing a quirky name to a serious business, bringing comfort to you and yours. Though the name sort of threw me off, it was funny, but aptly named, Big Ass Fans are truly that, very large ceiling fans that are “engineered, precision balanced and hand built with aircraft-grade aluminum and industrial components” large enough to suck air the air out of a great room and cycle it properly, or so they say.

I have to say that it was sort of shocking to stumble upon the name and then when I actually looked up the site, they are even more explicit in their marketing, but they say that if you don’t experience big comfort, you can return the fan. This is interesting. What we do is all about finding the issues in your home and helping you find comfort, so if a fan can do this for you, well, that would just be awesome. Usually, in our home energy audit experience, it is a lot more than that, but finding products like these can be fun, interesting, and exciting! Especially when the company has a sense of humor.

If you have one of these bad boys, let us know what your experience has been. We’d love to hear about it.

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DIY: Home Energy Audit Your Crawl Space

Monday, August 15th, 2011

Part six of this do it yourself home energy audit series takes you through the audit of your crawl space.

To this point we’ve walked you through the basics of the tools, safety, systems, mechanics. We like to be pretty darn thorough, so in the spirit of going through your home from top to bottom, leaving you last time with how to go through your attic and insulation, now we will discuss how to do your own audit of your basement crawl space. Note that homes is closed crawl spaces (conditioned crawl), typically save more on energy when compared to homes with wall-vented crawl spaces.

Here are the things you should look for for per Crawlspaces.org in order to have good design of a crawl space:

Moisture management- roof run off directed away from the house, site grading directs surface water away from the house, etc. More will be touched on in the next series.

Pest control-termite inspection gap, batt insulation in the band joist.

Combustion safety-combustion appliances correctly installed and appropriately vented per manufacturers specifications.

Fire safety-air sealing of penetrations with non-porous materials, documentation of fire rating of exposed foam insulation, if applicable

Thermal insulation- insulation at the sub-floor or at perimeter wall to provide R-value required bu the local residential code. Insulation at the sub-floor installed without gaps or compression and in full contact with the sub-floor to achieve nominal R-value; insulation on crawl space access(es) of minimum of R-2.

Radon control- In areas where radon is a risk or where the local residential code requires control of radon or other soil gases, houses with closed crawl space foundations can be tested, monitored and if necessary, mitigated with the same techniques used for houses with a slab or basement foundation in the same region.

When you get your access into your crawl space, remember you will want to be wearing clothes that you don’t mind dirtying and possibly ripping, as you might have to do so- ahem… crawling. Take you flashlight and a measuring take or ruler so you can measure the insulation in your floor joists. A crawl space is much like an unheated basement. You will want to inspect your insulation levels and make sure it is installed correctly. While you’re in there, see if you can do the same game you did in the attic… find hole, fix hole; if you find a hole from the crawl space to the living area, seal it with a spray foam or caulk so that you aren’t pulling in damp air from your crawl space into you living area. Also, make note of any areas where there is sitting water, or where the ground is considerable more damp. Take a look for any leaking pipes while you’re down there! If you take away one thing from the inspection of your crawl space, you should have a fully sealed vapor retarder on the floor and perimeter walls to reduce evaporation of water into the crawl space. Crawlspace.org suggests a “6-mil un-reinforced polyethylene ground vapor retarder to avoid damage in areas that may require service equipment.”  Most crawl spaces in Northern Virginia will be where pipes are below the house. If the crawl space is an un-vented crawl space, you could be likely to collect bulk moisture in your crawl space, which could be a potential mold hazard. In this instance, using a mechanical drying system to reduce humidity would be a good option for you in your crawl space. It is easy to find water alarms to inform you of water build up in your crawl space; these “waterbugs” can save you thousands of dollars if you hear an alarm go off when they immediately sense bulk moisture in your crawl space.

You’ve gone through your house from top to bottom, attic to basement, HVAC to hot water heater. Now it is time to think about the exterior. Next time, we will chat about moisture management. We hope you’re having fun with your do it yourself home energy audit! Spread the word! Ask us questions!

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Building in EcoVillage- Loudoun County

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

We have actually had several of our clients build out in the EcoVillage community. It is not the type of community that you would think that you would stumble upon this close to the DC Metro area;however, there are people up in this neck of the woods who care about the environment and sustainability just as much as people you’d find in the Pacific Northwest or elsewhere. This EcoVillage Community has a great advantage for those who are looking to build a home that is exactly what they want, healthy, sustainable and surrounded by other homes that are built in the same conscientious way. There just so happens to be a parcel or two still available. Check out this guest blog from our friend at Arbour Realty, Genevieve Concannon who talks up one of her associate’s listings out at EcoVillage.

How can you pass up your very own piece of this environmentally focused neighborhood that is totally committed to sustainability, community and the future? Check out EcoVillage in Loudoun County.

12598 Trillium Glen in Loudoun County’s EcoVillage is for sale and you can build your ideal sustainable home on it to suit your needs!

Imagine coming home to a community that shares your same green vision! EcoVillage of Loudoun County is doing exactly what they highlight as their mission statement, ” Building Community. Respecting the Earth.”

Arbour Realty EcoBroker agent, Brooke Schara, has a land parcel in the EcoVillage listed for sale at $90,000, a great price for the concept and for what can be done in this innovative neighborhood. EcoVillage is located on 180 acres near Taylorstown in Lovettsville, VA. The concept stems from the marriage of the idea of community building, healthy living and a sustainable lifestyle. Homes that are built within the realm of this eco-friendly development meet stringent requirements that enable to community to remain ecologically sound.

EcoVillage has listed their long term goals and mission statement are very conscientious and are listed in great detail as follows:

“EcoVillage of Loudoun County combines the co-housing ideal of people living together in community with the ecovillage ideal of people living in harmony with Earth and its inhabitants. We aim to restore nature and expand human potential by creating a lifestyle that nurtures the human spirit and offers hope for future generations.

Values

  • A simple lifestyle which incorporates respect, work, open communication, humor, free inquiry, fun, and creative expression nurtures the human spirit
  • A wise and sustainable society restores biodiversity and integrates the community with nature
  • Human health, community health and the health of our planet are interconnected and interdependent
  • Every person has inherent dignity and worth regardless of age, sex, race, sexual orientation, abilities, financial resources, or spiritual or political beliefs
  • Cooperation and teamwork is our model for interaction
  • Collaboration is most likely to occur in an environment which respects individual rights to privacy
  • Taking individual responsibility for our own needs and decisions as well as caring about the well-being of others supports community
  • Our children deserve special attention, support and nourishment
  • Long-term Goals & Objectives
  • Ecological Goal
  • Preserve and restore biodiversity, quality, and abundance of natural resources. Balance natural systems so that each generation acts to benefit future generations.

Long-term Goals & Objectives

Ecological Goal

Preserve and restore biodiversity, quality, and abundance of natural resources. Balance natural systems so that each generation acts to benefit future generations.
Video Image-Planting Veggies organically
Objectives

  • Protect and enhance the diversity, abundance and balance of native plants and wildlife
  • Protect and expand nesting sites, forested land, wetlands, and other critical wildlife habitats and migratory corridors
  • Enhance the quality and base flow of streams and springs
  • Ensure the conservation and wise use of ground and surface water
  • Protect and restore riparian and aquatic habitats
  • Enhance the quality, productivity, and stability of soils
  • Enhance local air quality and develop microclimate that minimizes reliance on active heating and cooling systems
  • Select and promote the use of environmentally friendly techniques to maximize energy independence and minimize use of non-renewable resources
  • Preserve stellar visibility and quiet of the countryside
  • Minimize waste that must be exported off-site
  • Minimize environmental toxicity through the use of organic and low-toxicity materials and products that are safely biodegradable
  • Share resources such as common appliances and machinery to reduce the amount of embodied energy and environmental impact of daily living
  • Reduce dependence on the automobile and encourage pedestrian and mass transit alternatives
  • Promote awareness of seasonal cycles, flora, fauna, air, water, soils and the local ecosystem as a basis for continued stewardship of EcoVillage
  • Encourage the use of locally produced goods and services”

The EcoVillage community has an amazing concept and friendly vibe that is quite inviting and intriguing. People are encouraged to work together and there is even a fantastic community garden and shared communal house where the neighbors can come together to celebrate and relax. One of the many great things about a community garden, is that you are not only making a place for creating more green space, but you can also significantly cut your produce bill by going sustainable and this means eating in a more healthy way!  The amount of thought and awareness that went into the establishment of this eco-minded housing development is truly phenomenal and appreciated by its residents.

To own your own piece of this innovative community, contact me or Brooke Schara, the listing agent on the property. As EcoBroker agents we’re here to help you through every step of the way. Whether you are looking to buy your first place, or want to know what you need to do to make your home ready for the market, let me help you simplify the process. Let me expertly guide you as your  full service real estate agent.

-Genevieve Concannon- Your EcoBroker at Arbour Realty

875 N, Randolph St. Suite C Arlington, VA 22203

512-767-3002 mobile

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DIY: Home Energy Audit Your Attic

Thursday, August 4th, 2011

Get into your attic and discover how you can save yourself money and energy with a DIY energy audit.

We’ve covered the benefits that will come to you once you’ve completed your audit, what tools and safety requirements you need to follow and what it means to understand that your home functions as a system; you have even learned about the different mechanical systems in your home. Now it is time to get into the actual how to’s of checking out your attic space. What is your attic and why do you have it in your home. Go back to fifth grade science class. Remember when Mr. Pfaff told you that hot air rises and maybe even had you touch the air around the drafty window in the classroom. Where was that cooler air going? It was settling near the floor and that hot air was rising. Right? In the winter in Northern Virginia, when you have just paid to heat your entire house, do you want your hard earned dollars to float right out of the attic ceiling? I think the answer is a resounding “no.”

Do you want to living in a Swiss cheese house? Realize that when your home was built, more than likely the greatest of care wasn’t taken to prevent infiltration from your attic to your living space. Since hot air rises, you certainly don’t (when the cooler weather comes, and you’re spending money heating air) to pay to send your conditioned air right out the top of your house. How do you prevent this? Proper insulation and proper air sealing.

Here is a chart of the different insulation types which you may find useful:

Now that you have the basics about the insulation types and why you want proper venting, where are the details about getting up into you attic and fixing potential problems on your own. Going into your attic, is there an attic hatch that is insulated and weather stripped properly? You will want to insulate your attic hatch and weather strip it so that you aren’t letting your precious conditioned air into your attic to escape through the venting and possible holes. Look for daylight. Do you see any signs of light in the attic, make note of that, as those are areas that will require more insulation and possibly to be spray foamed. Those cans of Great Stuff that you can buy at big box stores are wonderful for jobs like this, although they can be messy. Make sure you buy the proper  product as well- there is a spray foam for small cracks, and windows and doors, and then there is one that is quite expansive. Do your homework before your just start  spraying it around. 

Now that you’re in your attic, take a look around: look at the insulation on the attic floor; do you see any darkened spots? This is where air has been traveling through from penetrations in the bottom plate from the floor below. You will need to seal that hole. We call this game find hole, fix hole. Fun, huh?! If you can get close to your chimney, if you have one, make sure that it is fully sealed all of the way around with a fire rated caulk, as this is a great place for air to leak out of the home.  In your attic, there may be an exposed attic knee wall, which is where there is no insulation applied to a space that is conditioned below. This area needs to be insulated properly with whichever type of insulation you have chosen.

Now that you have reviewed the attic and made proper adjustments to keep your conditioned air where it needs to be, next time, we will be addressing your basement or crawl space and how to inspect that space on your own. If you think that you need professional help doing any of these things, do not hesitate to ask! We are here to help. Of course, if there is anyone you know that you think would benefit from these DIY articles, certainly spread the word and share your experience.

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