Efficient House Building Tips For Making A Better Home (PHOTOS)

From Networx's Carl Seville:

Before the invention of central heat and air conditioning, people generally built houses that were designed to be as comfortable and durable as possible for their specific climate. In hot climates, they built overhangs to shade windows and protect from rain, high ceilings to let the hot air rise above the people, porches to sit out on when it was hot, and big windows to let in breezes. In cold climates, overhangs were smaller to let more sun shine into the house. In dry, desert areas, houses were made of masonry that would absorb heat during the day, releasing it at night.

When we started heating and cooling our homes, all those smart decisions fell by the wayside and we started building any type of house anywhere -- southern cottages in the north, southwest adobe-style homes in the south, and on and on. However, appropriate roofing in Phoenix is not synonymous with appropriate roofing in Baltimore. What we are finding is that a house style in the wrong climate can lead to more energy use, and reduced comfort and durability.

For example, in the hot, rainy south, small or no overhangs let too much water hit the walls of the house, which causes premature deterioration and lets in too much sun on hot days. Big overhangs in the north don’t let enough of the sun’s heat on cold days. This illustrates that thinking about where you are when you decide what kind of house to build is an easy way to make a better, greener house that will be cheaper to operate, more comfortable, and last longer -- and none if this has to cost you a dime extra. Just make the right decisions early in the process.

Here are some guidelines for climate-friendly roofing and window placement:

Captions courtesy of Networx.

If you build or renovate your house to fit your local climate conditions, you can save energy, save money on maintenance, and be more comfortable year round. Why more people don’t do it is beyond me.

Have you remodeled your house to suit local climate conditions? Tell us about how you keep your house warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Green building consultant Carl Seville writes for Networx. Get home & garden ideas like this on Networx.

Comments

[Onihikage777]

01:29 PM on 02/22/2012

My house's window arrangement is exactly the opposite of what it should be, according to these. No windows on the east side, and a ton of windows on the north and west. :/

[JScott]

10:48 AM on 02/15/2012

YUp this might be ok for some sites but not all, if you live it the southern hemisphere you want north facing windows. And you want windows that open on the prevailing wind on both sides for cross ventilation.

[Deep Thinking Man]

04:29 PM on 02/14/2012

i'm thinking of moving ro the sourhwesr...i have been researching building styles etc....my home will be self-sufficient and in the middle of no where !!!!!...i'm learning a lot...and the more that i research and learn...the more the styles and methods become more appealing to me !!!!!

[W L Simpson]

02:29 PM on 02/14/2012

Frame home construction is still in the dark ages, niether storm proof , fire proof, nor rot proof.
Most homes subjected to forest fires could be saved by replacing asphalt shingles with steel.
Twisters destroy by reducing the external atmospheric so suddenly that structures simply explode. A lot of mobile homes could be saved by proper anchoring & blowout panels.

[ddeanfountain]

12:46 AM on 02/14/2012

As a building contractor this information offers a very small part of what can be done. You can't always determine the direction your house faces or the number of windows. One of the best things to have is insulation. Dollar for dollar you'll recoup the cost of any added or additional insulation within a few years. The concept of a central HVAC system is outdated. Hybrid systems are much more efficient and save a lot of money compared to systems that simply heat and cool the air. There are several methods of home building that have gone out of favor that are very efficient. In recent years the rush to build homes and generate profits, many large corporate home builders have ignored these methods in lieu of cheaply built, higher profit generating homes. These price inflated homes in 5 years will begin to suffer from these building inadequacies and the poor quality of workmanship. The future repairs could be a crisis not unlike the current housing crisis. One of my complaints is the size home many are buying. What average couple with one or two children need with a 5000 sq ft home with 5, 6 or 7 bedrooms? With moderately low inflation house payments will take less of your income over time but as the cost of electricity and natural gas continue to increase at a rate exceeding inflation, you will easily be paying a higher % of your income in years to come to stay in your home!

[W L Simpson]

03:04 PM on 02/14/2012

My roof is commercial steel , my trusses are PT'd & draped w/commercial insulation plus 6 " of blown -in. My walls are hollow core foam block, filled w/anchored rebar & concrete.I'm on a small hilltop so my slab floor is wheelchair entry friendly. Windows are sealed double pane , my 3 ft overhang sheds rain into a box hedge for flood control & like the exterior walls, is spray stuccoed.
After 16 yrs , I have enjoyed zero mtce & an average power bill ( all electric) of $ 140.(Temperate Zone)
Only 5% of the job was hired out, so if I told you my costs per square, you would not believe it.

[JScott]

10:52 AM on 02/15/2012

And yes what is the procedure for retrofit insulating your walls if it's a tract home circa 1963 when they usually didn't have insulation-is the outside siding/veneer/stucco etc removed or is the interior surface removed.

[ddeanfountain]

01:04 AM on 02/16/2012

Insulation can be added by drilling approx 2 inch holes in each wall cavity then the areas filled with a blown in loose filler insulation like fiber glass or cellulose or using various multi-part expanding chemical insulations. These 2 inch holes are then filled or plugged. It can be accomplished either thru the interior or the exterior.

[WESmith]

05:44 PM on 02/13/2012

My father built an energy efficient home in 1951. It had added insulation, passive heating and all fluorescent lights. In 1971, he added solar heating.

[jaygray]

05:23 PM on 02/13/2012

Come on people - this is trivial!

You can build a super-insulated solar-powered passivhaus with only 10% the heat demand of a regular house! New construction only slightly more $ than regular house in the US, same $ as regular in Europe. Or you can retrofit existing to get most of the way to the same standard.

That's what we should be doing!

[willowtree3]

12:07 PM on 02/13/2012

No mention of white or light colored roofs to deflect the heat, adding insulation,
upgrading windows.
If there is proper insulation in the attic, the snow will not "slide off quickly" no
matter how steep the roof pitch is. Yes, some will slide off from gravity, but when
properly insulated, the snow remains on the roof.
Planting trees in the yard will help -cleaner air and shade. Shading the a/c
will let it run more efficiently.

[nathanoj]

01:28 PM on 02/13/2012

... and if you're building a new home (or making additions to an existing home), don't forget the most important factor of all..... orientation. The orientation of your house is the single most important factor for energy efficiency.

[Karen Thomas Pfeiffer]

01:31 PM on 02/13/2012

Amen! Thank you for saying that!