Bastian Custom Homes

Bastian Homes - Bastian Homes - CapeGazette.com - Covering Delaware's Cape Region - Inland Bays, Atlantic Ocean, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Milton, Dewey Beach, USA

noreply@blogger.com (Bastian Homes) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:21:00 +0000

Bastian Homes - Bastian Homes - CapeGazette.com - Covering Delaware's Cape Region - Inland Bays, Atlantic Ocean, Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Milton, Dewey Beach, USA

Top 5 : Green Building Trends of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Bastian Homes) — Wed, 18 May 2011 15:41:00 +0000

BASTIAN BUILDS GREEN- Find out more Here

As with last year, green building consultant Jerry Yudelson published a top-ten list of green building trends for the next year. Yudelson explains that green building is growing in popularity across the globe — that “more people are going green each year, and there’s nothing on the horizon that will stop this trend.“ I’ve hand-picked some of Yudelson’s trends that will apply in the residential sector below:

1: Blue = The New Green
At some point, folks will understand that there’s a “global crisis in fresh water supply” and designers will do more to reduce water consumption. This can be done with conservation-oriented fixtures, rainwater recovery, and new water technologies. Yudelson’s new book, Dry Run, is on point.

2: Obama with Benefits
Yudelson explains that green building in the U.S. will continue to benefit from the Obama presidency. Perhaps this is evidenced by recent support for the HOMESTAR program and the governmental Home Energy Score.

3: Zero Net-Energy
It’s hard to get recognition when everyone else is doing the same thing. Yudelson says LEED and Energy Star ratings have become “too common to confer competitive advantage.“ Zero net-energy design is quickly becoming the norm.
4: Performance DisclosurePerformance disclosure was a hot topic last year and the “fastest emerging trend,” according to Yudelson. Commercial building owners will have to disclose performance to tenants and buyers, but don’t expect the residential sector to avoid disclosure requirements for long.

5: More Solar Power
Yudelson expects to see more solar power use in buildings. Whether buoyed by state-level renewable power standards or federal financial incentives, the result will be a proliferation of on-site energy generation from the sun.

Bonus: Better, Cheaper Materials

There is a “revolution” in the realm of sustainable building materials. Each year, materials provide higher performance at a lower cost. And they’re greener, too.

TREND WATCH: Bigger Isn't Better

noreply@blogger.com (Bastian Homes) — Tue, 17 May 2011 16:46:00 +0000

Bastian Homes - Mary Frederick

At long last America is starting to understand that progress isn’t necessarily measured by growth. We can strive for quality over quantity, reducing our carbon footprint, urban sprawl, energy use, pollution and waste.

Perhaps it started with the housing crash–Americans clued in that building McMansions cost more than they can afford to pay and consequently cost a lot to heat and maintain. New home construction trends show shrinking square footage, fewer bathrooms and more single story homes.

The Wall Street Journal reported this summer that the average size of a single-family home is now 2,438 square feet, down from its peak in 2007 of 2,521 square feet. What exactly has gotten smaller? For one thing, our homes are shorter: 47% of single-family homes come in at one story. We’re also living with fewer bedrooms and bathrooms: only 34% of homes have four or more bedrooms, and only 24% have three or more bathrooms. It looks like many of us are discovering that the extra space just isn’t needed, and we’d rather save our money for other things.

Geothermal Energy: Its about time!

noreply@blogger.com (Bastian Homes) — Fri, 13 May 2011 17:54:00 +0000

Click Here to CALCULATE YOUR SAVINGS!
It’s not a new discovery that buildings large and small can find a plentiful resource for heating and cooling just a few feet below them in the ground. And the technology to do so has really not advanced dramatically in recent decades.

But the use of geothermal heat pumps — also known as GHP or geoexchange — has soared in recent years, with more than 12 million installations in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities.
The primary impetus for the explosion, according to experts in the field, is the heightened importance of energy efficiency, whether motivated by a desire to reduce costs or to make a lesser environmental impact.

A GHP system relies on the relatively constant underground temperature within 10 feet of the Earth’s surface, which always stays between 50 degrees and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Using three basic components — the ground heat exchanger, the heat pump unit and the ductwork that performs air delivery — a GHP sends fluid through pipes to absorb or relinquish heat within the ground. During the winter, the heat pump draws heat from the fluid. During the summer, the process is reversed, with heat moving from the indoor air into the heat exchanger.

Geothermal Use and Costs
GHP installations in the United States have risen by a steady 12 percent annually since the mid-1990s, with nearly 100,000 new units now being installed each year — with the greatest growth occurring in East Coast and Midwestern states spanning roughly from North Dakota to Florida. And while GHP systems are viable for commercial and industrial facilities, the more high-profile uses to date have tended to be in governmental, educational and hospitality facilities. A few examples:

the Galt House East Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, where a 530,000-square-foot facility generates 15.8 megawatts of cooling capacity and 19.6 megawatts of heating capacity, consuming about 53 percent of a similar, adjacent building and saving a reported $25,000 per month in energy costs;

Davenport University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where a 134,000-square-foot main building and a 75,000-square-foot adjacent residence hall receive heating and cooling capacity from 150 on-site holes in the ground that the university estimates has cut its energy usage by as much as 40 percent;

The U.S. Department of Defense, which has installed GHP retrofits at a variety of its facilities over the past several years.

One of the major sources of geothermal-related research in the United States is the Oregon Institute of Technology, which heats its own campus with geothermal energy, although it does not require a heat pump because much of the groundwater in the western United States is naturally heated by near-surface volcanic activity. This is called direct-use geothermal, and functions in much the same way as a GHP system, but saves electricity because the water is naturally hot.

Toni Boyd, assistant director of the Geo Heat Center at OIT, says growth in geothermal systems is mainly driven by cost concerns and growing environmental sensitivity. The system can make sense for a user if the relatively high capital costs can be recouped quickly enough. “It’s based on the cost of electricity [to power the heat pump] or whatever they use,” she says. “That’s the biggest factor because they always look at payback, and with businesses they usually want better than a five-year payback.”

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), however, indicates that payback periods are more typically running between eight and 12 years for commercial projects, with upfront costs running as high as $7,000 per installed ton of capacity. While GHP system installations are growing, the DOE believes that such high capital costs are preventing even faster growth — as is the general public’s still-developing confidence in such systems.

But any system that can move three to five times as much energy as it consumes has to have potential, although the DOE believes GHP systems would be embraced for more commercial projects if it could increase that multiplier to between six and eight. A few developing technology advances could make such a goal feasible, including:

Hybrid systems that reject excess heat from the ground to the building, generally by adding a fluid cooler;

Better organized drilling strategies, which can keep drilling costs on the low end of a spectrum that runs from $5 to $6 per bore-foot to $20 to $24 per bore-foot;

Integration with public infrastructure strategies related to water supply, use, and management, which would put geothermal infrastructure development in the same realm as its counterparts that are widely seen as legitimate public works projects.

AFFORDABLE CUSTOM HOMES FOR TODAY'S LIFESTYLES - Click Here to Learn More

Where do you Stand? Find Out Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Bastian Homes) — Tue, 10 May 2011 16:18:00 +0000

Outdoor Living Spaces

See What Bastian Can Do For You? - Click Here!

In an age where consumers are becoming more and more in-tune to what is happening economically, what is the home-buyers mindset? Are you afraid of another economic downturn? Are you optimistic about the opportunity to buy when money is cheap and property value is down? Where exactly do you fit into all of this..?

Many consumers in today's market find themselves in one of a few different categories. Primarily either, having a home to sell, or having difficulty finding lending. Bottom Line: The economy is steadily turning itself around and has shown many signs of improvement. New Home sales in many areas of the country are up from last year. Many builders are reporting much more activity in terms of traffic through the doors as well.

The time to build is now! Typical home-buyers don't plan on selling in the first 1-2 years, so even if the economy does fall off a bit, there is plenty of time for recovery. The advantages of buying when money is cheap and property and home value are low, at points can be staggering. Most New Home Buyers in today's economy will reap tremendous benefits in the not-so-far future when prices and value begin to rise.

So, Again, where do you stand? What are your reasons for buying/building or Not buying/building?

Bastian Homes...Keeping up with the times

noreply@blogger.com (Bastian Homes) — Mon, 09 May 2011 01:03:00 +0000

As the number of large development projects of new-homes decline, particularly in the planned community sector, builders and developers are rethinking their design strategies. Some of the large developers are selling smaller chunks of their land to developers for smaller building projects. Some of these developers are selling acquired land in smaller segments to builders who are now designing homes to fit life cycles well as life styles of people.

Young couples working at home may be looking for financially conservative homes with wireless connections verses more luxurious starter homes. Many young adults are choosing energy efficient live/work loft spaces in urban environments close to restaurants, entertainment and community services.

Empty nesters looking to downsize from large homes are in search of smaller homes with open floorplans and high ceilings as a trade-off for size. Newer homes built with 2 master suites conceiveably can accommodate either a pair of home buying roommates, single parents with children, or generational families choosing to live together.

Aging adults preferring alternatives to traditional assisted living communities have some developers drafting designs for new age living for those 65+. The idea is to capture a non-hospital style setting for a future population of senior citizens that are vibrant and want to live in surroundings that reflect their zest for living.

In today’s market, with our ever changing society, exposure to our melting pot culture, and lifestyle trends, the “one size fits all ” model does not apply. So perhaps before you consider your first, or next home purchase, you may finding yourself asking, “What is the best home environment to fit my lifestyle?” And when you do, remember, Bastian Homes is here to serve you.
Click Here For more Info.