The Net's Largest Selection
of House Plans
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web coupled with the best customer service - live
customer service reps standing by to help you from
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the only house plans site you will ever need. Also
visit our house building tools page for lots of
terrific (mostly free) useful resources.
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own builder and still save thousands. Get the House Building Guide and
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an example building-contract, and dozens of money saving, convenience and
healthy house building tips. This is an indispensable resource for
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Dream
Home Source has over 15,300
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2. Solar Power
and Solar Heating
Passive solar heating has been used by humans for thousands of years and
recent developments in construction techniques and technology has made both
passive solar heating more effective as well as efficient. Solar power is
just beginning to become economical for residential consumers, however there
are still technical and economical issues to overcome. Solar power is still
not cost efficient when other cheap sources of power are available.
We have included an excellent web site covering the basics of solar power
and what you need to know if you plan to incorporate solar power into your
design. There are both practical issues as well as design issues covered
on this particular web site. Consumers who are considering solar power either
as a primary source of power or a backup to existing power sources can review
this site and also be linked to state incentive programs as well to assist
with the cost of solar power systems.
The basics of solar power involve ensuring that you have a southerly orientation
of your solar panels if you are in the northern hemisphere, a charge controller
to manage the charging of your batteries to avoid overcharging, batteries
that can hold the generated solar power and that can withstand the many charge/discharge
cycles involved with solar power. Finally you may also need an inverter if
you decide you want to run devices that require alternating current. Each
component must be selected to integrate with each other to manage the voltage
and current requirements of your household needs. While solar power is still
expensive, it can be an excellent alternative to more traditional power sources
if you are in a remote area. Solar power is also friendly to the environment
and as far as we know does not generate any health concerns.
Passive solar heating involves taking advantage of the natural orientation
of your home and the natural sunlight to heat your home. The south side of
a building, even in wintertime will be heated during the day and distribute
heat in the evening. These same walls and rooms can be protected in the summer
by overhangs to shade windows and glass doors. Solariums and sun rooms discussed
in the next article also depend heavily on passive solar heating, especially
in the winter time for natural heating and sunlight.
Consumers should consider the orientation of their homes to maximize solar
heating in the winter as well as cooling in the summer. Pools can be heated
using solar heating panels and solar blankets. Walls can absorb heat during
the day and warm rooms at night as the heat dissipates.
There are many ways that enterprising consumers can take advantage of passive
solar heating and it starts with the selection of your building location,
the interior design of your home, and the design of walls and windows to
take advantage of solar heating. We have included a number of informative
web sites that may be of interest to about both solar heating and solar power.
Some useful links to check out
Passive Solar heating
http://www.nrel.gov/clean_energy/passivesolar.html
http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/fs14.htm
The Basics of Solar Power for Producing Electricity
http://www.solar4power.com/solar-power-basics.html
3. Sun Rooms or Solariums
Sun room or a solarium? Which will it be? Well it turns out that you can
have both. The official definition for a solarium is “a room enclosed
largely with glass and affording exposure to the sun “. In Webster’s
dictionary sun parlor, sun parlour, sun porch and sunroom all have the same
definition. So now that we know that all of these terms mean the same thing,
why would you want to build one and how would you go about designing a sun
room?
Americans are adding sun rooms to their homes at a phenomenal rate. The advantages
of a sun room are numerous and each will take on a different priority for
each person. Sun Rooms add an extra room on to your house in many cases,
they provide that light airy feeling to perhaps an otherwise dark home. It
is also a place for were your plants can grow. For those people that suffer
from being deprived of sunlight during the winter it can be a healthy place
to soak up the suns rays without having to endure the cold outside. In the
summer with the windows open and protected by screens, you have the enjoyment
of being virtually outside yet protected from the bugs and mosquitoes. Sun
rooms can be an economical way of adding a room to your house, providing
year round enjoyment and best of all, enjoying the natural sunlight year
round.
There are many designs for sun rooms, ranging from studio designs which match
your existing roof line, to California designs which have a covered roof
for protection from direct overhead sunshine to sun rooms that are windows
all around including the roof portion. Your selection of sun room design
will depend on many different factors and we will try to cover a few of these
here in this article, however readers are urged to discuss design details
with a local expert in your area that will fit your home and lifestyle requirements.
Location and Orientation:
depending on the location were you live, readers may
want to vary their orientation of their sun rooms to
either maximize the afternoon winter sun or avoid the
hot afternoon sun in the summer. We suggest that you
give careful consideration to your selection and needs
to avoid being overheated or being too cold. Sun rooms
facing north east will receive little sun on the winter
time, while sun rooms facing southwest will receive
maximum exposure in the summer and winter.
Use of your Sun Room: Readers
planning their sun rooms as an extension of their home
will take a different approach to their design vs.
readers who plan to use their sun rooms primarily for
their plants. These are two very different design requirements
and we purposely choose these examples to illustrate
that the readers needs, can be very different. Many
readers may select a combination of both to maximize
their value and enjoyment of their sun rooms.
Sunlight: if you are among
many people who suffer from being deprived of sunlight
in the wintertime, a sunroom may be just the answer
you need. Many people do not get enough sunlight in
the wintertime and they avoid being outside due to
the cold weather. Southerly facing sun rooms with lots
windows and heated to room temperature during the winter
time, will provide you with that sun you need and allow
you to enjoy a healthier winter than you might have
otherwise.
We have only covered a few aspects of sunrooms or solariums as they are also
called. As usual we have provided several web sites that you can browse for
additional information.
Useful Web Links
About Sunrooms
http://www.sunrooms-patio-rooms.com/about_sunrooms_patios.html
Introducing the Sun Porch
http://www.sunporch.com/Content.aspx?pageid=Intro
Sun Room Design
http://www.designandconstructioninc.com/sunroomstyle.html
4. Thought For The Day - Freedom
Good humour is one of the best articles of dress one can
wear in society.
--William Thackeray
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