Essential Infastructure

Recently I have noticed a change of attitudes from clients with respect to infrastructure in their homes.

Now that energy costs are sky high, people are considering what it will cost in the future to operate a home. We are all realizing our homes are still one of the best return on investments and want to make choices that maintain their value.

There may be legislation in the future that requires disclosure of the annual operating costs of every home. This would be similar to the dealer sticker on a car that states the MPG for city and highway.

Previously, folks didn't spend a lot of time thinking about what's behind the walls until there is an untimely problem. We hope to change that and help educate clients about how important the items you don't see can be for their comfort and long term operating cost.

The problem with competitive bidding is that many contractors will not specify the correct product for the job. This explains for example, why so many electric panels recently installed by others are undersized. Yes, it may meet basic safety codes to pass an inspection, but when the house sells an unsuspecting buyer may need another $1400 panel because their electrical contractor wanted to save the client $100.

The following is a short list of items that may be incorporated to greatly improve energy efficiency or resale value of a home. These are just a few of Tim's favorites:

1) Icynene open cell spray foam insulation.
2) Cast iron pipe for waste lines (for sound only).
3) Appropriate sized electric service panel. Unfortunately almost everything needs to be plugged in and we need larger and larger panels to accommodate. New Code requirements also have added the need for additional circuits for safety and to reduce nuisance tripping of breakers. Certain outlets could be operated by a switch to reduce standby power when they are turned off. Many stereos, televisions and computers consume power in standby mode.
4) All water pipes (hot & cold supply) should be insulated.
5) All walls could be insulated and ceilings for sound. This will help with thermal pressure between floors as well.
6) Waste water heat exchanger. This captures heat from shower waste water and uses it to preheat replacement water supplying the hot water heater.
7) Timed recirculating valve for plumbing fixtures that are far from the hot water heater. These cut down the time it takes to get hot water out of a faucet, which reduces the amount of water running down the drain waiting for it to get hot.
8) Solar hot water heater.
9) Foot switch operated or touch-less faucet at main kitchen sink. This eliminates the waste of water every time the faucet is turned on. With typical standard faucets at least a cup minimum is wasted during during the time it takes to turn on the water, grab what needs to get wet ( for example soap for your hands ) and get that object under the water. The same goes for turning the water off. A few precious seconds are wasted between the time it takes to set the item down and turn the water off. A foot switch or touch-less style eliminates this problem. Manufactures include Brizo,Delta & Kohler.
10) Light colored roofing eliminates heat gain.
11) 40+ yr roof.
12) Engineered decking lasts longer than Cedar.
13) Water recovery devices like rain barrels. Or for inside the home: This one I love although, it is not allowed in Oregon at this time due to existing plumbing code: Pontos