The new covered porch shelters east-facing windows from morning rays. When the sun moves west, the porch provides a shady, AC-free retreat.
The porch columns are not chemically treated to repel rot or harvested from some far-off rain forest. Instead, they're made from the naturally rot-resistant trunks of Eastern Red Cedar trees grown nearby.
A roof should overhang walls by at least one foot. That keeps the sun off windows and exteriors, which helps the house stay cool in summer.
It also protects siding from the weather, meaning you may be able to go twice as long between repaintings or re-sidings.
The house you fix up will probably be much greener than anything you build in its place, no matter how cutting edge the new design or how much recycled material you use.
Sure, some old houses just can't be saved. But even a building with serious problems can give you plenty to work with.
You might, for example, be able to salvage the first floor and build around it. With a total teardown, all the stuff that went into building the old house, including the fossil fuels the original construction crew had to burn, goes to waste. (Construction material is one of the largest contributors to landfills.
A kitchen should match how you really cook
Unless you regularly prepare five-course meals with the help of a sous-chef, you'll likely find it most convenient to work in a kitchen that's no more than 20 feet long, with countertops no more than four feet apart.
Bedrooms are for beds
The best bedrooms are designed around the spot where you'll sleep, not around the sitting area that you probably won't use as often as you think. Chairs in bedrooms have a way of just collecting the laundry you've been meaning to put away.
More rooms can be better than one giant space
Instead of a high-ceilinged great room that combines a kitchen, dining room and living room, use the same square footage for a combination of rooms with standard ceilings. Divide them with french doors that you can open out when you want family togetherness.
If you're building or renovating, the construction costs can be $100 per square foot lower than those for a double-height space. By getting rid of all that air overhead, you'll save on energy too.
| Next > |
|---|