Energy Audits are they worth it.

After meeting so many people at the Home & Garden show this last weekend and hearing them all telling me about there utility bills being $500 to $1,200 dollars and wanting to know what they can do to make there home more energy efficient. I told them sometimes replacing old, leaky windows with new, energy efficient windows may help, but you need to take a step back and see how your home is really performing before you spend any money on windows, insulation, roofing, etc. My advise to all of you is have Mike Holcomb from the Home Inspector General come test your homes. Mike can perform a “energy audit” to find out how well your home is performing. If your home has leaks, where are they? As part of Mikes energy audits he performs thermal imaging where he takes a picture of your home to see where the heat is leaking in vivid color. Mike can also preform a blower door test where a 15-20 mile per hour wind is simulated in your home to see where air (and heat) is leaking from. Without knowing how your home performs, you could be throwing your money out the window. I recently read a energy audit report Mike did on one of my remodel clients project and I was amazed at how detailed his report was. I believe Energy Audits are worth it and would recommend you get one done before you start any remodeling project.

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Come see us at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute

Thank you for those of you that stop by Team Hybrids booth and the LEED for Homes booth at the West Michigan Home & Garden show at DeVos place this past weekend. I got to meet alot of great people and vendor wanting to know about Sustainable Home Design and LEED for Homes. For those of you that missed us at the Home and Garden show or for those of you that didn't get enough of us we are also going have a booth for Team Hybrid and a booth for LEED for Homes at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute on Saturday, March 15 for the 6th Annual Renewable Energy Conference. Our friend Mark Bauer from Bauer Power will be speaking on solar hot water and our friend John Sarver of the Michigan Energy Office will be give a State of the State Address. Hope to see you all there.

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Result from our What is your fravorite home style poll

In December through February we polled our blog reader on "What is your favorite home style". And the following were the results of our poll.

Traditional Style 11%
Arts & Craft Style 23%
Prairie Style 31%
Cottage Style 15%
Old World Style 9%
Modern Style 20%
Other 6%

I want to thank everyone that took part in the poll we had over 105 responses, it will help us in our marketing research. I personally like all these styles but was excited to see the top 3 Styles. If you would like to find out more about any of the above style or if you would like to see examples of these styles please email me or call. Also please check out the new poll on "If you could have any renewable product on your home what would you want".

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January and February Update

This year has started off with a bang! We have been hired to design a green remodel in Sawyer along with three new LEED for Homes certified projects in Glenn, Delton and Tustin. Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes, LLC will soon start construction on two LEED for Homes registered projects we designed in Paw Paw and Grand Rapids these homes will raise the standard for what is green building.

Our Spring Parade of Homes house is coming along great, this will be a must see home built by Scott Bronkema Builders. Also if you get a chance check out the award winning home we design and Scott Bronkema Builders built that's featured in the Early Winter 2008 edition of Cosmopolitan Home Grand Rapids magazine and the award winning Onekama home we designed and Hybrid Homes built will be featured in the March issue of Concrete Homes magazine. Besides the magazine article check out this web article on Concrete Homes web-site about the Onekama project (Click here to read the article).

Last be not least come see us at the Hybrid Homes Booth and the LEED for Homes Booth at the 29th Annual West Michigan Home and Garden Show at DeVos Place February 28th -March 2nd. Hope to see you their!

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Janurary is Radon Action Month

This month is National Radon Action Month. At Image Design we are alway watching out for you and your loved ones. Did you know that Radon is actually deadlier than carbon monoxide. List below are some interesting fact you might not know.

• Breathing home indoor radon causes nearly one hundred times more deaths each year than carbon monoxide poisoning.


• Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.


• Some 20,000 people will die this year due to breathing too much radon without even knowing it.


• Radon is estimated to be a health risk in as many as one in fifteen homes throughout the country.
• According to Governor Granholm's Proclamation, one in eight homes in Michigan (EPA's map of Michigan radon zones) have elevated levels of radon
  

Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, invisible radioactive gas that seeps into homes undetected through cracks or openings in the foundation, floor or walls, and can reach harmful levels if trapped indoors. It travels up from underground sources and uranium in the earth’s crust. And can be found in all the county in the state of Michigan see our Radon Map for our state below.

My goal this month is to raise your awareness of Radon and to teach you how we at Image Design take extra steps in our plans to reduce your risks of Radon.

At Image Design we include all these Radon prevention techniques in our sets of plans:

1. Gas Permeable Layer. This layer is placed beneath the slab or flooring system to allow the soil gas to move freely underneath the house. In many cases, the material used is a 4-inch layer of clean gravel.


2. Plastic Sheeting. Plastic sheeting is placed on top of the gas permeable layer and under the slab to help prevent the soil gas from entering the home. In crawlspaces, the sheeting is placed over the crawlspace floor.


3. Sealing and Caulking. All openings in the concrete foundation floor are sealed to reduce soil gas entry into the home.


4. Vent Pipe. A 3- or 4-inch gas-tight or PVC pipe (commonly used for plumbing) runs from the gas permeable layer through the house to the roof to safely vent radon and other soil gases above the house this system is called Passive Radon Mitigation. If , after your house is complete, a test determines that levels are still too high, you may have to convert to an Active Radon Mitigation System by installing a fan than runs continuously which creates low pressure under the slab and increases the rate of gas evacuation..


5. Junction Box. An electrical junction box is installed in case an electric venting fan is needed later.
   

As our nations builders start moving towards Green Building, builders shouldn’t forget that they can’t truly be green without being safe places for people to live.“It’s remarkably easy to protect our loved ones by testing for radon and building new homes with radon–resistant features that allow everyone to breathe freely and safely.” “It’s simple and cost–effective to build new homes with radon–resistant features“It makes sense to do it right from the start.” The radon threat is preventable with the simple steps above. When building new homes, builders can easily and economically include radon–resistant features during construction. The EPA also recommends that new built homes still be test for radon gas before they move in to make sure the radon–resistant features are working.

For more information please visit these web-sites.

www.epa.gov/radon/

www.epa.gov/radon/zonemap/michigan.htm

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Stained Glass Designs by Image Design

To go along with our Prairie Style theme this month I wanted to show you some of the other design capabilities of Image Design. Besides designing homes we enjoy designing many other facet of the home including Stained Glass or Art Glass as some call it. Shown here is a example Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stained glass we designed for the Prairie Style home featured below. Locally we prefer to work with Tom Blackburn of Pristine Glass Company there are one of the leading studios in the Great Lakes area. I have worked with him on numerous window and door projects over the years and their work has been flawless. Please visit there web-site. If you would like to find out more about our stained glass designs please contact us.

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Samples of our Designs (Prairie Style)

This month we will feature a example of Prairie Style Architecture. Those of you that know me, know that I am a big fan of this style. This award winning home was influenced by the prairie-style architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, evident in the roofline as well as in the materials and organic building form. With a shallow pitched hip roofs with large overhangs these home are perfect for Passive Solar heating and cooling, the large overhangs shade the home's in the summer from direct sunlight and in the winter they let the sun light in to warm the home; large casement windows and a clear story in the middle of the house provide plenty of daylight for a comfortable interior. At 2,890 square feet, the house is not small, but the experience of being in it feels quite intimate. There’s extraordinary focus on detail and quality craftsmanship throughout, creating an incomparable home of both remarkable comfort and timeless character. As with most of our prairie style homes we used custom stained glass thru-out the home. If you would like to find out more about this project or other plans we have in this style please contact us.

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Results from our Most Important Design Features Poll

In October and November we polled our blog reader on "What are the most important design features they were looking for in a new home". And the following were the results of our poll.

• Lifetime Design 43%
• Sustainable (Green) Design 58%
• Not So Big House Design 49%
• Passive Solar Design 45%
• None of the above 6%

I want to thank everyone that took part in the poll we had over 100 responses, it will help us in our marketing research. I believe that all of the features above should be standard on all new homes! If you would like to find out more about any of the above features please email me or call. Also please check out the new poll on "What your favorite home style".

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Team Hybrid Wins GLREA Award for Exemplary Project 2007

This Saturday Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes (TM) and I went down to Ann Arbor for the annual GLREA (Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association) membership meeting. Where Team Hybrid won the GLREA 2007 Exemplary Project Award for the Onekama Hybrid Show House!

The GLREA handed us 17 plaques for each of the Team Hybrid Members who were vital to the project's success. It is important to remember, that there were several projects nominated from the Great Lakes Region.

The award reads:

"In recognition of the Onekama Hybrid Home, demonstrating the most innovative and practical use of renewable energy technologies and methods"

We are more than thrilled to win this award as a Team!

The members recognized were:

Hybrid Homes, LLC
Image Design, LLC
The Homeowners
Bauer Power
Sky Stream (wind generator)
Schucco (Solar Hot Water System)
Galaxy Electric
H and H plumbing and heating
Andersen Windows
Shaw Flooring
CertainTeed (Cement Board Siding)
R-Value Concrete Structures
Team Elmers (Concrete Supplier)
Onekama Building Supply
Standale Lumber
Alliance for Environmental Sustainability
Wall Tech Products (ICF Supplier)

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Green in the news this week

This week NBC is featuring "Green Week," NBC will be "entertaining, informing and empowering Americans to live greener lives," with these Special Episodes of your favorite shows check it out and see what you can learn. I don't know how green NBC really is but I guess its a step in the right direction. Also if you get a chance the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) GreenBuild show is this week on the 7th-9th in Chicago. I know many builders and supplier that will be going to the show. I unfortunately am unable to attend the show. So if any of you see any interesting products or literature that you think I might like please pick-up a extra one for me. You might have noticed green is every where you look and with gas pricing predicted to be above $4.00 per gallon by next summer. I feel confident that my prediction that the future of building will be green is correct. See this latest article from Ecogeek that confirms my predictions at http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/1094/ . Now is a great time to have your green home designed with interests rates and lumber prices at a all time low. Give us a call and let us show you how a green home can enhance your families lives.

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Samples of our Designs (Arts and Craft Style)

This month we will feature a example of Arts & craft style Architecture. This 5 bedroom 3,676 sq. ft. Craftsman style homes has many timeless features such as stained glass windows, numerous built-ins, window seats, ceiling details and book shelves through out the three levels of the house. You'll feel comfortable with the warm interior and exterior colors of this home. The exterior is of stone and cement board siding and shake with the walls insulated with soy based foam insulation. If you would like to find out more about this project or other plans we have in this style please contact us.

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Sample of our Designs (Cottage Style)

This month we will feature a example of Cottage Style Architecture. This 1,400 sq. ft. cottage in Harbor Springs was design to reflect the timeless cottage architecture and the Not So Big House principles.
The material of the exterior are cement board shingles (with fly ash mix). The stone chimney and foundation add to the authintic "Shingle Style" nature of the project. If you would like to find out more about this project or other plans we have in this style please contact us.

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Update for September and October

It seem like summer went bye very fast, I hope you all enjoyed the summer and are enjoying the fall colors. We have be fortunate to be staying busy in this ever changing economy. I believe this is do to the current demand for green building here in Michigan. I strongly believe green building will be the future of building here in Michigan. I just wanted to give you a update on whats been going on here since August. Our project in Lamont Farms in Coopersville has been put on hold unfortunately. But on the brighter side the projects in Paw Paw and here in Grand Rapids have approved the preliminary designs and are in the pricing phase with Hybrid Homes (TM). The Onekama project with Hybrid Homes (TM) is nearing completion (Check-out the updated photos on there web-site) and is getting ready for final third party testing for LEED for Homes certification thru AES (Alliance for Environment sustainability). Our Dix Farms project with Scott Bronkema Builders is under construction now and we are anxious to see it go up. We have also been working with some new builders on several potential projects here in west Michigan. And we also have been interviewing for several more job all over the state and even one in a different country.

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Sample of our Designs (Old World Style)

We have been asked by you to show some more examples of our work. So every month I'll show a different example of a different style of residential architecture. This month will feature Old World Style, this house combines stone and cement board siding with a stucco and board and batton look with gable peaks and arched windows for a stunning European facade. If you would like to find out more about this project or other plans we have in this style please contact us.

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Image Design August Update

I hope you all had a good Labor Day! To give you and update for the month of August we are progressing along on the preliminary designs for the prairie style project which will be going in Lamont Farms in Cooperville. We have been commissioned for two new project, both of them will be sustainable, ICF and Passive solar, lifetime designed homes that will be built by Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes (TM). The first one will be in Paw Paw Michigan (pictured above). This project will be built next to a vinyard of concord grapes and will include wind generation, solar hot water, radiant heat, photovoltaic and maybe even geothermal. The second project will be here in Grand Rapids and will be a 1,400 sq. ft. home with solar hot water, radiant heat and pre-wired for future photovoltaic.
I have been nominated the chair for the West Michigan Chapter of the USGBC LEED for Homes Committee. This committee will be working on educating the public about LEED for Homes program and its benefit over other green building programs here in Michigan. If you or you builder would like to find out more on this program please give me a call.

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Insulation 101 by Mike Holcomb

This is an article by a friend of mine that I thought you all would be interested in. Mike Holcomb the author of this article owns the Home Insepector General. Mike is also the director of the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability (AES) which has been selected to participate in the LEED for Homes pilot program as a provider for the Midwest.

Insulation 101

I've been an insulation auditor for 15 years working with contractors that wanted to be certified installers. As a field auditor I've seen it all, the good, bad and indifferent. The industry's dirty little secret is that 70% of all insulation jobs are under insulated. The cheating by the insulation industry is rampant. The FTC has issued special rules and fines (up to $10,000 per incident) for general contractors not meeting the contract requirements. There are three reason why insulation is shorted. Operator error caused by a lack of training or equipment failures, mislabeled packaging my manufacturing and fraud (selling low bid and shorting the material to make up for it. Loose fill insulation, like fiberglass, can be fluffed up like whipping cream, giving the illlusion of adequate R-value (based on depth). But insulation depth is only an indicator of R-value if the density is adequate. Increasing your insulation from R-13 to R-19 may not improve the thermal performance of your home. Heat moves three ways:

1. Radiation.


2. Conduction.


3. Convection.

Radiation is heat movement through space. The sun heats the earth by radiation. Houses can be impacted by radiated heat that enters through window assemblies or through the roof.
Conduction is heat movement through a solid object. Heat transfers one adjacent molecule at a time. Convection is heat movement through a liquid. Air is a liquid. Forced air HVAC systems transmit heat convectively as do convective ovens. Most of our heat loss in our buildings is convective in nature. Fiberglass blanket is not effective at stopping air movement so it is not effective at stopping heat loss. Even when installed in a wall cavity fiberglass insulation is by-passed by convective air movement in the cavity through convective loops. Convective loops form when the air inside a wall cavity begins to move because it is cooled (and drops) along the outside wall and rises (as it is warmed along the inside wall. The warm air will rise until it get to the top and cools again as it hits the top of the outside wall, and drops. Pretty soon the cold air is pulled right through the insulation, in effect by-passing it. When selecting insulation it is best to pay attention to density. Generally the denser the insulation material the more effective the insulation. Each insulation in the list below will out perform the insulation above it:

• Fiberglass blanket (or batts).


• Dense-packed fiberglass (BIBS system).


• Cellulose (wet spray).


• Cellulose (dry packed).


• Closed-cell, spray foam.


• Open-cell, spray foam.
  

I prefer open-cell to closed-cell because hard foams can separate from the wood framing if the framing moves at all (wind loads, snow loads, humidity changes, etc.) Most insulation materials have an R-value of about 1 per inch. Would you rather have 1-inch of fiberglass (your furnace filter) or 1-inch of Styrofoam protecting you from the cold? Since most of the heat loss in a building is convective through the ceiling you should consider installing a material that can seal the attic against air movement. If you can't afford open-cell foam you should consider air sealing the attic before installing cellulose. Fiberglass should not be used in an attic with high temperature differences between indoors and outdoors. In no case should you upgrade your thermal envelop without investing in an energy audit by a qualified energy auditor. You can locate a rater in your location by going to http://www.natresnet.org/. Experienced raters can inspect your house to determine what system(s) in the house are wasting energy. Chances are that you will not be able to address all the problems but can cherry pick recommendations based on investment and benefit. I recently removed R-60 cellulose insulation from my attic and replaced it with R-24, soy-based, spray-foam. I reduced energy usage by 50%. The cost, $4,300 was recovered in 3 years.

By Mike Holcomb

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2007 Michigan Sustainable Homes and Businesses Tour

We are proud to announce that our 2007 Michigan Energy Fair show house built by Hybrid Homes (TM) will also be featured on this tour. So if you did get a chance to see the home then, please come see it on October 6th from 10 am till 4 pm on the 2007 Michigan Sustainable Homes and Businesses Tour (formerly Michigan Solar Tour) it is part of the ASES National Solar Tour. The solar tour is free and self-guided. You can visit as many sites as you would like, in any order that you would like. This tour offers a first-hand look at the successful uses of renewable energy and energy efficiency in buildings, both private and public, across the state. These homes and building will incorporating solar applications such as solar hot water heating, passive solar design, and solar photovoltaic electricity. Much more than solar energy will be on display, however. Buildings and home which make use of other forms of alternative energy such as wind or geothermal heating and cooling will also be included. Energy efficient and sustainable building practices will also be featured on the tour. We hope to see you there!

Tours will be held in the following areas this year:

• Greater Lansing Area
  
• Metro Detroit Area
  
• Greater Ann Arbor Area
  
• Southwest Michigan Area
  
• Greater Traverse City Area
  
• Greater Grand Rapids Area
  
• Northwest Michigan Area (Hybrid Home Tour)

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Image Design July Update

We just finished the designs for Scott Bronkema Builders 2008 Spring Parade Home which will be in Dix Farm development. This will be a lifetime designed Arts & Craft style with lots of built-ins and details sure to be another award winning home for Scott. We are also starting a new project that Scott will be building in Lamont Farms in Coopersville, the project will be a lifetime designed Prairie style home with strong Frank LLoyd Wright influences through-out the home. Looks like our award winning 2006 Fall Parade of Homes with Scott Bronkema Builders in Howard City will be published in the October 2007 issue of Grand Rapids Cosmopolitan Homes magazine.

The 2007 Michigan Energy Fair show homes is getting closer to completion check-out the updated photo on Hybrid Homes (TM) website. This home is also slated to be published in the Traverse Northern Home & Cottage magazine in May 2008. We are also starting another Sustainable (Green) home in Paw Paw this home is looking at having wind generation, photovoltaic, solar hot water, passive solar and lifetime designs.

One of our commercial project in Ludington is also nearing completion Michigan Trucking & Equipment Sales (see the photo above). If you want to see the picture larger just double click it.

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Jordan Valley Trout Pond

I know this has nothing to do with design, but if your up north around the Lake Charlevoix area and get a chance, stop by Jordan Valley Trout Pond its just 3 1/2 miles south of East Jordan on highway M-66. It was my grandfathers original trout farm. It has been brought back to the way I remember it when my grandfather was alive. It is now owned and operated by my uncle and aunt. Its a beautiful place to visit and you are sure to catch all the trout you would like. It is an exciting adventure for children, teenagers and adults alike. We'll be visiting the farm on our vacation next week. Listed below are some of the features you'll find there.

• Rainbow Trout.
• Family Fishing.
• Fishing Poles, Fly Rods, Bait, and Tackle provided at no charge.
• No License Required.
• Fish cleaned and iced or
• Catch & Release.

Have fun and be sure to tell them I sent you! Please let me know what you think of it if you stop bye.

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WGVU Morning Radio Show

Hopefully some of you got a chance to hear us speak this morning on Shelley Irwin's morning radio show for WGVU Radio. If not, we were on her morning show with Mike Holcomb of the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability (AES) and the Home Inspector General, Inc and Adam Bearup of Hybrid Homes (TM). We were on the show to talk about the Michigan Energy Fair and to give our perspectives on green building and design. We talked about many interesting thing all which were associate with the LEED for Homes program which we are all passionate about. We believe the LEED for Homes program is the best way for a homeowner, builder or designer to achieve a truly green home. I just want to thank Shelly for having us on her show and hopefully we can do it again sometime.

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