September 1st, 2009 at 05:40pm
Under Uncategorized
If you are designing a kitchen or a bathroom it is a luxury to have a tool that will allow you to put your design ideas into a tool that creates a virtual room for you.
There are a few online tools that will allow you to layout your entire kitchen from appliances to decor and then show it in 3-d. You input the dimensions of your room add windows and door openings and then begin the design process. If you use the Lowe’s tool you can actually select from several different major appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, cook tops, ranges. Beyond that you can also add small appliances like to toasters to the counter to determine if you have enough counter space to support your cooking style. The appliances specs are taking from top names like GE, Electrolux, Kitchenaide and more. From there you can add top and bottom counters. After you determine the spacial design of your kitchen the Lowe’s tools goes one step further and allows you to add some color to the counters, cabinets and the flooring so you can actually get an overall perspective of what you want. The Lowe’s tools is a great free starter to design your kitchen because it will display the kitchen in 2-D as well as 3-D and allow you to change the viewpoint. The tool will also help you with the design of your laundry room and bathroom.
The Lowe’s tools is a great free started tool. If you plan on taking your design much further such as laying out the furniture and the rest of the color design for your house you should try a dedicated software program like . HGTV Home Designer or Punch software home and landscape design. I love these types of tools because they are about as close as you can get to walking into the real think when you are building or remodeling your home.
By admin
June 24th, 2009 at 03:24pm
Under Heat Pumps
While I am dreaming of my future home I am considering pool options. We have had various above ground pools and even one that we dug into the ground for a make shift in ground pool. If we go all the way with an in ground pool I would like to have it heated. Reviewing geothermal energy options I came across swimming pool heat pumps. I have found that the initial pool heat pump price is more than a gas swimming pool heater but in the long run it will be very much more cost effective and energy efficient.
The science behind a heat pump pool heater is not terribly complicated. This is the dumb blonde version of what happens to heat your pool water. Heat Pro heat pumps work as well as others by pumping freon through the system. Freon starts as a liquid with the use of a compressor and a condenser heat is pulled from the water in the air pushed through a compressor which heats the freon turning it into gas. The heat from the gas heats your pool water. As the gas heats the pool it returns to a liquid state and starts the process all over again.
A swimming pool heat pump price is determined by the make model and type of the pool heat pump installation costs. Pool heat pump prices may seem higher than that of a gas pool heater but they are extremely energy efficient making the initial investment in a heat pump pool heater a mart choice.
Hayward claims a 500% to 600% energy efficiency rating for each dollar you invest in heat pump pool heater you get a $5 – $6 return. Other heat pump pool heating manufactures like Pentair pool heat pumps and Raypak pool heat pumps are also reputable companies.
To create a pool heat pump review to select the best swimming pool heat pump speak to manufactures and dealers in your area. Also ask your neighbors and friends about the actually energy and financial savings they are experiencing.
By admin
May 31st, 2009 at 10:18pm
Under Uncategorized
I was driving around the countryside today and I noticed my neighbor is building a new home which is alway as an attraction. I as some strange panels in his yard and a different set up than other stick build sitesI discovered they are building with SIPS or Super Insulated Building Panels.
Curious I did some research and found that this isn’t necessarily a new building concept. It is fairly new to our area. I only found 3 builders in the area that work with this type of SIPS. The first SIPs structure was built in 1935 for the US Forest Proucts Labratory in 1935. It began to rise in popularty again in the 1970’s during the energy crunch.
SIPS panels by enercept
Now that were are in another energy crunch I bet we will see more and more SIPS constrution. One of the draws to SIPs construction is the insulation factor making some SIPS homes use 50% less energy than conventionally framed homes.
Enercept a company that focuses on SIPS has done several studies on the engergy efficience of the panels.
I think that SIPs construction is something I will be doing more research in.
By admin
April 19th, 2009 at 06:04pm
Under Green Building
A great way to reduce your electric costs is to use solar tubes in your home. Solar tubes can be added to your home or placed in new construction. A solar tube is different than a traditional skylight. A solar tube is designed to collect light and reflect it into the room of your choice. A solar tube does not need to be installed in a straight path to create light. The tube can be angled to reach the room that you want to illuminate.
The light refracted in the tube can also be difused to create different lighting effects in your home. So straight sunlight is not the only option. You can work with your supplier to add different lens to create a warm or cool color effect in your home. You can also use different lens to dim the light coming into the room.
The sun can now light your home without using electricity and still give you several options for lighting.
By admin
April 19th, 2009 at 03:45am
Under Green Building
Green building is also know as sustainable building. Green building can be the renovation of a older property or building from scratch. Green building is also called sustainable building. The point of green building is to create a structure that is built with ecological friendly products and and operated in a resource-efficient manner. A green building meets the are designed to protect an occupants health, improve employee productivity, use energy, water and other resources as efficiently as possible. A green built structure is to reduce the overall impact on the environment.
By admin
April 7th, 2009 at 05:03am
Under Beach House Plans+ Cottage House Plans+ florida cracker box house plan
I found this beautiful cottage house plan on houseplans.com. This home features a beautiful wrap around porch which extends the living space in many climates. This home is 2662 squre feet, has 4 bedrooms and 4.5 baths. The cottage house plan is a 2 story unit 35 feet wide and 78′8″ deep. This home has a 2 car garages.
This cottage house plan
Cottage House Plan
is unique because it has a master bedroom one the first and second floor. This home would be perfect for multi-generational families or convert one floor as a rental space.
This cottage home plan would also be a terrific beach house plan, coastal house plan or a florida cracker house plan.
You could easily build this home on a corner lot.
The kitchen is a chefs dream. It features an island as well as a walk in pantry. The storage in this unit is a big plus.
By admin
March 29th, 2009 at 05:23am
Under Southern Living House Plans
This is absolutely gorgeous. This gem is southern living style at its finest. This is a picture of a rental property in Palms Beach, South Carolina. The open floor plan and the colors ooze style and sophistication. Southern living is laid back class and this living and dining room sure has it.
By admin
March 28th, 2009 at 05:11am
Under House Plan Books
I love the history of old houses. This is an interesting book of house plans. It appears to have ranch style house plans, traditional style house plans and more. reclark from flickr.com found this book of house plans in his grandfathers papers. I also think the price is very interesting. A whopping $.25 for 22 house plan styles. These books go for no less than $10 now. How is that for a growing economy.
By admin
January 22nd, 2009 at 09:02pm
Under Uncategorized
Welcome to the Myhouseplansonline.com blog. We will be featuring house plans, history of architectural styles and anything else related to the building process.
By admin
