As of July 2008, all new homes with permits pulled after July 1, 2008 must have solar hot water heating. Besides being greener construction (less energy usage), it also ends up being cost effective in the longer run. I have heard quotes of payback in 7-10 years. Judging by my electric bill, it may be a lot less than that! As fuel cost edge up again, if the KWH costs goes way up again like it did last summer – up over 42 cents a KWH – it will really speed up the payback. If you go to Hawaii Energy Future, there is overwhelming information on the solar credits available. A tip – you must call or email them for the list of names of approved plumbing contractors for the credits. You cannot get the credits unless you use an approved contractor. Credits expire at the end of the 2009.
Coming soon – Info on HPM about a new product that is applied onto tin roofing to use solar to produce electrical energy for home use!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Cooking and Construction - Part 1 of a Series 9-14-09
So you have decided to build your dream home! In addition, because you are a foodie, your kitchen is going to be top notch and the best layed out room in the whole house. Cooking and construction go together more often than you think and I am not just talking about feeding your carpenters’ pupus on Friday afternoon while building the house!
You have all your cookbooks. You are excited about in a few months trying out your carefully culled recipes and maybe even thinking of your guest list for that first fabulous dinner party at your new home or even your remodeled new kitchen!
STOP. What are you cooking on? Oh, you are sure you are a gas cook top person. No doubt about it! Okay! Let me suggest a few things while your plumber and electrician are submitting their bids!
Plan for dual fuel behind your stove. You are already picking out the perfect stove and cannot wait for it to be delivered and cook that first meal on it! The specs have the quantity of BTU’s needed. (The British thermal unit (BTU or Btu) is a traditional unit of energy. It is approximately the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.) Save that number. Now go on to the more mundane items – your dryer if gas, your water heater, whatever else is going to be gas! Do not forget to include the gas grill or BBQ you will be adding to your outdoor kitchen. Here we say BBQ, or if you are from the south, it is a grill (BBQ is a whole other thing in the south!)
Take all those numbers and now get your plumber to put in a line that will support the maximum number of BTU’s in relation to the farthest distance that gas will be traveling. Do not skimp. Typically at 80’, you will need a 1” ID line (not ID like your driver’s license – ID means inside diameter as opposed to OD or outside diameter. This can make a big difference in sizing but that is a whole other subject!)
Think of Christmas Eve – you are getting ready for a party – will all 4 burners on, and guests are using all 3 bathrooms to shower, and you decide to quick get those extra cloth napkins dried you left in the washer so you have enough…. In addition, your significant other is throwing the veggies on the outdoor grill. WHEW! It may not happen often that you max out but it is like insurance – what will you do if it is not there when you do need it? Hand your guests drink and tell them it is Puna no need shower. Use dirty dishtowels to dry the last four wineglasses that you need for the table? On the other hand, simmer that item that was supposed to be seared?
There are a number of good places on the internet to get the calculations but working with your plumber –do not let them say, “This is good enough”. The overall cost of a bigger line is so small that it makes no sense not to do the right thing.
This goes for the dual fuel – many times a gas cook top will come with an electric oven. You do not want to have to retrofit your kitchen for about $20 worth of planning.
Happy Cooking!
(to be published at LetseatHawaii.com a new foodie ezine specifically for Hawaii! )
You have all your cookbooks. You are excited about in a few months trying out your carefully culled recipes and maybe even thinking of your guest list for that first fabulous dinner party at your new home or even your remodeled new kitchen!
STOP. What are you cooking on? Oh, you are sure you are a gas cook top person. No doubt about it! Okay! Let me suggest a few things while your plumber and electrician are submitting their bids!
Plan for dual fuel behind your stove. You are already picking out the perfect stove and cannot wait for it to be delivered and cook that first meal on it! The specs have the quantity of BTU’s needed. (The British thermal unit (BTU or Btu) is a traditional unit of energy. It is approximately the amount of energy needed to heat one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit.) Save that number. Now go on to the more mundane items – your dryer if gas, your water heater, whatever else is going to be gas! Do not forget to include the gas grill or BBQ you will be adding to your outdoor kitchen. Here we say BBQ, or if you are from the south, it is a grill (BBQ is a whole other thing in the south!)
Take all those numbers and now get your plumber to put in a line that will support the maximum number of BTU’s in relation to the farthest distance that gas will be traveling. Do not skimp. Typically at 80’, you will need a 1” ID line (not ID like your driver’s license – ID means inside diameter as opposed to OD or outside diameter. This can make a big difference in sizing but that is a whole other subject!)
Think of Christmas Eve – you are getting ready for a party – will all 4 burners on, and guests are using all 3 bathrooms to shower, and you decide to quick get those extra cloth napkins dried you left in the washer so you have enough…. In addition, your significant other is throwing the veggies on the outdoor grill. WHEW! It may not happen often that you max out but it is like insurance – what will you do if it is not there when you do need it? Hand your guests drink and tell them it is Puna no need shower. Use dirty dishtowels to dry the last four wineglasses that you need for the table? On the other hand, simmer that item that was supposed to be seared?
There are a number of good places on the internet to get the calculations but working with your plumber –do not let them say, “This is good enough”. The overall cost of a bigger line is so small that it makes no sense not to do the right thing.
This goes for the dual fuel – many times a gas cook top will come with an electric oven. You do not want to have to retrofit your kitchen for about $20 worth of planning.
Happy Cooking!
(to be published at LetseatHawaii.com a new foodie ezine specifically for Hawaii! )
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Builder's References
This is a subject that comes up again and again and again. When you are spending that much money - who do you trust?
An example I am going to use is Mrs. X They were building a house. She needed concrete done. She hired a good concrete guy. He got the job done well. She complains to everyone she knows - because the concrete is rough. Her concrete guy told her and also made her sign an acknowledgment - that it was not a good day to pour concrete. (it seemed like it was going to rain. It did rain. Hard.) and yet Mrs. X feels no need to acknowledge her mistake. She blames the concrete guy. (she has also complained about everyone involved in the project.)
My suggestion is - go look at their work. If you like it, use them. Go with your instincts.
An example I am going to use is Mrs. X They were building a house. She needed concrete done. She hired a good concrete guy. He got the job done well. She complains to everyone she knows - because the concrete is rough. Her concrete guy told her and also made her sign an acknowledgment - that it was not a good day to pour concrete. (it seemed like it was going to rain. It did rain. Hard.) and yet Mrs. X feels no need to acknowledge her mistake. She blames the concrete guy. (she has also complained about everyone involved in the project.)
My suggestion is - go look at their work. If you like it, use them. Go with your instincts.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Big Impact - Little Cash!
Once again, I heard last week "but that person has a lot of money to do xyz". I said you too can do those things. First of all if you have an idea of something really cool to do - say tile a bathroom with some out of the ordinary patterns - remember that your bathroom is probably somewhere between 40 and 80 square feet. Even a $6.00/sf tile is only $240-480 for the floor. But you can use inexpensive tiles and use the more expensive tiles as an accent. The key is to shop craigslist and garage sales, close outs at tile stores, etc and lay out your tile on a flat surface so you can see what pattern is possible. Say on 40/sf (5x8 old school "GI" bathroom) you might find a "subway tile" - 2"x6-8" - but they say only have 60 of them @ $1.00/ea. That could become a border tile. Then get the $1.99 18"x18" tile from your local big box home store and you have essentially a complete floor for about less than $100. It is very possible to do. This works too for that very cool expensive tile where only use a little will create a big impact - such as a trim around a shower. Even broken tiles collected from a jobsite can be layed out in a mosiac pattern for a border.
An important fact to remember is to lay them out as much as possible first before you open the thin set.
A note as to what looks good to your eye : a big tile will create a feeling of spaciousness BUT also too big a tile in a small space will get lost. Always remember Fibonacci theory and the golden ratio when designing.
An important fact to remember is to lay them out as much as possible first before you open the thin set.
A note as to what looks good to your eye : a big tile will create a feeling of spaciousness BUT also too big a tile in a small space will get lost. Always remember Fibonacci theory and the golden ratio when designing.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
But it can't be a DROUGHT?
Here in Puna, we get lots and lots of rain so when we do have a drought for 6-8 weeks, it wrecks havoc on our landscaping and gardens. One of the ways to help solve this problem is to hang a rain chain from the roof and catch rain water for drought periods. One inch of rain = 623 gallons.
The general ingredients are a long enough chain to go from the roof to the near the ground, a bucket, pot, or any container with a wide top that will hold water. If you are already using catchment for household water, find an area where the water is running off the roof and not into a drain to the catchment. Hook the chain just below the roof line and drop it into the bucket or pot. That's it! It can be simple or elaborate like these rain chains
The general ingredients are a long enough chain to go from the roof to the near the ground, a bucket, pot, or any container with a wide top that will hold water. If you are already using catchment for household water, find an area where the water is running off the roof and not into a drain to the catchment. Hook the chain just below the roof line and drop it into the bucket or pot. That's it! It can be simple or elaborate like these rain chains
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring time is coming and people's thoughts turn to remodeling now that taxes almost done! What makes good use of a tax refund but updating and revamping your home?
Simple things could be a fresh coat of paint - interior or exterior. One of the funny things that happen is that once you paint - then the old sofa looks worse, or the dining room table looks bad.
One show from HGTV called Sensible Chic used magazine photos and recreated a room for much less than the photographed room. Look through many design mags until you find something you like and begin to redecorate with that in mind. I had a page clipped out from a magazine that feautured fairly bright colors. I was lucky enough to find a great comforter at the Hilo Farmer's Market for $125 for a king size bed. I recreated the curtains with a find from Ross'. I added bits and pieces from around my house - stealing this and that out of other rooms until I got the look I wanted. It does not look exactly like the room in the magazine - I incorporated my treasures into it but it gave me a jumping off point. Once I had the ground work (the lively comforter) - I could go from there. The whole room make over for me ran less than $250. It can for you too!
Simple things could be a fresh coat of paint - interior or exterior. One of the funny things that happen is that once you paint - then the old sofa looks worse, or the dining room table looks bad.
One show from HGTV called Sensible Chic used magazine photos and recreated a room for much less than the photographed room. Look through many design mags until you find something you like and begin to redecorate with that in mind. I had a page clipped out from a magazine that feautured fairly bright colors. I was lucky enough to find a great comforter at the Hilo Farmer's Market for $125 for a king size bed. I recreated the curtains with a find from Ross'. I added bits and pieces from around my house - stealing this and that out of other rooms until I got the look I wanted. It does not look exactly like the room in the magazine - I incorporated my treasures into it but it gave me a jumping off point. Once I had the ground work (the lively comforter) - I could go from there. The whole room make over for me ran less than $250. It can for you too!
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