March 2011 | Eco Custom Homes

- March
  27
  2011
- 1531
- 0
- By Jeff Dinkle
- In Homeowner News
XL Hybrids Can Convert Your Gas-Guzzler Into a Hybrid Car
A plug-and-play hybrid conversion for the Lincoln Town Car is helping the ubiquitous “black car” turn green.

XL Hybrids, a startup in Somerville, Massachusetts, has created a low-cost battery-powered electric motor that installs

on a Lincoln Town Car in under six hours, boosting power by 20 horsepower and reducing fuel consumption 15 to 30 percent.

Given that real-world fuel economy in a Town Car seeing hardcore urban duty is 13 or 14 mpg, the hybrid conversion can pay for itself in fuel savings within 24 months, says co-founder Justin Ashton. No word yet on the per-unit cost, but expect payback time to shorten as fuel prices rise.

Ford sold over 10,000 Town Cars last year, with many of them going to livery operators who are not only struggling with fuel costs, but mandates from customers and city governments to go green.

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- March
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  2011
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- By Jeff Dinkle
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5 Quick Tips for Spring Lawn Care
Even if the weather in your area is still a bit chilly, its time to start thinking about giving your lawn a little TLC. Spring lawns require extra care following chilly winter temperatures and dormant growth, said John Buechner, Lawn Doctors Horticulture expert. Its also a critical time to take steps to insure a beautiful summer lawn

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- March
  27
  2011
- 963
- 0
- By Jeff Dinkle
- In Homeowner News, Technical News
The Global Warming Potential of Insulation Materials – New Calculator
With this new tool you can see just how significant embodied energy and blowing agents are in determining the role of insulation materials in addressing climate change.

In the June issue of Environmental Building Newslast year, we published one of those slap-in-the-face, wake-up-call articles that forces people to rethink conventional wisdom. Most of us had long thought that more insulation was almost always better in saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. After all, the more insulation we install, the less energy gets used in the building and the less carbon dioxide is emitted.

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- March
  27
  2011
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- 0
- By Jeff Dinkle
- In Technical News
NAHB, CPSC Issue Guidelines on Chinese Drywall Abatement
Two days after the release of NAHB guidelines outlining the testing and remediation of contaminated Chinese drywall, the Consumer Product Safety Commission in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued its own report, one that differs from the NAHB document regarding electrical wiring

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- March
  27
  2011
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- By ecocustomhomes
- In Technical News
e-Book Panel & Webinar: People-Centered Initiatives for Increasing Energy Savings
Presentation John A. “Skip” Laitner, ACEEE & Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, University of Colorado Insights from the social sciences are showing that a variety of social influences drive new innovations and behaviors that, in turn, can significantly change the patterns of technology adoption and energy consumption. However, there remains a large gap in the available information that might help policymakers and program managers more effectively integrate “people-centered insights and initiatives” into current efforts to accelerate cost-effective energy savings.

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- March
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  2011
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- By Jeff Dinkle
- In Homeowner News, Sustain.ATL, Technical News
The South’s 1st Passive House, Corey Saft to Speak in Atlanta, April 28th
Corey Saft, the Architecture Professor from Lafayette, LA., who recently completed the first Passive House in the South, is speaking on April 28th in Atlanta. Over the past year or so, I have been including a great deal about Passive House. Last year we did take courses and recently have become the first Certified Passive House Consultant in the SE.

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Latest Posts

XL Hybrids Can Convert Your Gas-Guzzler Into a Hybrid Car
- March 27, 2011
5 Quick Tips for Spring Lawn Care
- March 27, 2011
The Global Warming Potential of Insulation Materials – New Calculator
- March 27, 2011

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Costs of Custom Homes

I receive about 50 inquires a month and the first thing most people want to know is: What does it costs to build a custom home?

New Construction:

Lot costs are typically 30% to 35% of your total budget for a home.
We find construction costs of $180 per sqft + or – 10%, plus a fixed cost of about $30k for site development costs. (Utilities, Driveway, Fencing, Landscaping, etc.) If you want a modern home with flat roofs and steel, you are looking $220 per sqft + or – 10%.
Architectural Fees / Engineering Fees typically are 7% of construction costs, + or – depending on the amount of detail you want designed.
Time to draw plans are 3 to 6 months. Time to permit is about 60 days. Time to construct a home depends on the size of the home, but typically we can do about $70K to $120k of work per month on a home; with a minimum of 6 months to construct a home.

Renovations:

In today’s market we are finding that in doing large renovations/additions to homes are saving 10% to 20% versus a new home.
Typically we see costs for new added space at $200 per sqft. Redoing existing space is about $120 per sqft.
Architectural Fees / Engineering Fees typically are 6% of construction costs, + or – depending on the amount of detail you want designed.
Time to draw plans are 1 to 3 months. Time to permit is about 30 days. Time to construct a home depends on the size of the home, but typically we can do about $60K to $100k of work per month on a home; with a minimum of 3 months to construct a home.