News

Now that all of the excitement of the holidays has passed, are you starting to feel the winter doldrums creeping in? There’s nothing like that feeling of accomplishment when you finish a home project; yet it may seem difficult to find something to work on this time of year. Why wait until spring before starting your next project? Below, we’ll give some suggestions for getting things done during the cold, short days of winter: Use that basementSince we tend to spend more time indoors this time of year, why not make the most of the space we have? Your basement...

There are a lot more options available today in regards to energy efficient homes. Breakthroughs in energy efficient windows and doors, appliances, and building materials go a long way to making homes more efficient and sustainable. The layout of the house can have a big impact on how energy-efficient it is, as well. Below, we’ll discuss some of the design features to consider when planning for an energy-efficient home. Just the home’s orientation on the lot can make a big difference. For example, it makes sense to locate the kitchen in the coldest corner of the house (usually the northeast...

A recent survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders highlights the preferred kitchen colors and features among recent and prospective Millennial home buyers (defined as those born after 1980). A considerable share of Millennials – 31 percent – prefer white kitchen cabinets. However, as far as other cabinet color options, Millennials are essentially split: 18 percent prefer dark brown cabinets, 16 percent prefer medium brown, 14 percent prefer black, and 13 percent prefer gray cabinets. In general, Millennials share similar cabinet color preferences with older generations. For example, there is less than a 10 percentage point gap between...

There are two components to the net-zero house energy equation. On the one hand, there’s conservation: The house needs to be designed and built to require minimal inputs of energy for heating, cooling, lighting, and plug loads. On the other hand, there’s on-site power generation: No house uses zero power, so to reach net zero, the house has to generate some of its own juice using photovoltaics. In practice, net-zero houses generate surplus energy during summer months when days are long and the sun is high in the sky, and they consume power from off-site during winter months (and, of...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced new, tighter standards for lead in dust on floors and window sills to protect children from potentially harmful effects of lead exposure. The announcement comes almost a year after the agency influentially recommended tighter dust-lead hazard standards. The agency is lowering the dust-lead hazard standards to 10 micrograms of lead per square foot (µg/ft2) from 40 µg/ft2 for floors and to 100 µg/ft2 from 250 µg/ft2 for window sills. The more protective hazard standards will apply to inspections, risk assessments, and abatement activities in pre-1978 housing and certain schools, child care facilities,...