This is a presentation that I prepared for a “Tell my why it’s cool show” which is basically a show and tell for grown-ups in Chicago. Shout-out to Mary for organizing these great events!
Category: Home Design
Posts related to how homes are designed for people go here.
How to Prioritize Energy Efficiency in Your New Home
We all have a limited budget. If you are fortunate enough to be able to build your own home from scratch here is a simple framework for you to prioritize your spending when aiming for the most efficient house possible with a limited amount of money. Control the air. Insulate like hell hath frozen over….
Cut Your Carbon Emissions With 10 Awesome Affordable Renovations
Whenever we are looking to renovate our home we want to know what our return on investment will be. Financial implications are just one aspect we must look at. The other, and more difficult, aspect is the impact our renovation has on the climate. How effectively are we utilizing our resources to help mitigate the…
The best way to screw yourself and the planet
Step 1: Chop down a tree that shades your home. Step 2: That’s it. Results: Your air conditioning bill and electrical energy usage during peak summer cooling seasons will go up since the roof is exposed to the sun during the hot summer days. You house will be hotter and more uncomfortable during the summer…
One Powerful Mandate to Improve Efficiency at No Cost
Context It should be no news that we are facing an urgent climate crisis. One of the main contributors to this crisis is our building stock. One of the easiest, most cost effective, and fastest changes we can make is in improving the energy and water efficiency of existing buildings. Renter occupied units make up…
Seven Simple Steps To Make Your Home Carbon Free
It is definitely possible to accomplish a net zero energy and net zero carbon home within a reasonable price range. There is nothing special, complicated, or magical about it. Here are nine simple steps that you can use on your next home construction or renovation project and estimates of their associated costs. Please note that…
Surprise! The best way to stay comfortable is insulation.
Humans are foolish creatures, in particular when it comes to how we build. You know those crazy people who wear shorts and a t-shirt outside when the temperature is hovering around freezing? That is exactly what a poorly insulated building looks like. Put on a coat! What crazy fool would want to be so uncomfortable?…
10 Reasons Why All Electric Homes Will Be the New Normal
We are in the midst of a climate emergency. We must eliminate carbon usage in our homes and everywhere else too. We still need to heat, cool, light, and operate our homes and electricity is a widespread commercially available alternative to fossil fuels. Every fossil fuel appliance now has an all electric counterpart that exceeds…
Covid-19 and Interior Design (Part 5)
This post is the fifth in a series. Please read the main article before beginning this part. Due to the broad scope of the topic at hand this issue has been divided into multiple posts. Each post is centered around a topic related to homes might change as a result of Covid-19. Topics will be…
Covid-19 and Integrated Tech (Part 4)
This post is the fourth in a series. Please read the main article before beginning this part. Due to the broad scope of the topic at hand this issue has been divided into multiple posts. Each post is centered around a topic related to homes might change as a result of Covid-19. Topics will be…
It is Earth Day #50
And we are failing our planet miserably. JFK once said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Well some wise folks at Commvault have remixed this to “Ask not what your planet can do for you. Ask what you can do for your planet.” In…
Covid-19 and Construction Assemblies (Part 3)
This post is the third in a series. Please read the main article before beginning this part. Due to the broad scope of the topic at hand this issue has been divided into multiple posts. Each post is centered around a topic related to homes might change as a result of Covid-19. Topics will be…
Covid-19 and Residential Construction Practices (Part 2)
This post is the second in a series. Please read the main article before beginning this part. Due to the complexity of the topic at hand this issue has been divided into multiple posts. Each post is centered around a topic related to homes might change as a result of Covid-19. Topics will be linked…
Covid-19 and Home Space Planning (Part 1)
This post is the first in a series. Please read the main article before beginning this part. Due to the complexity of the topic at hand this issue has been divided into multiple posts. Each post is centered around a topic related to homes might change as a result of Covid-19. Topics will be linked…
Covid-19 and Housing (Main)
I recently read an article about the influence of disease on bathroom design in the United States. This article made me wonder about the role of Covid-19 on the home. What kinds of impacts might this current pandemic have on the design and construction of our homes? Will it change where people want to live?…
All Electric Homes are the Future
The goal of this post is to encourage people who are considering building a new home to go all electric. The main reason to do this is environmental. At the moment going all electric may cost a little bit more because of a lack of market penetration. However the cost disadvantages of the equipment required…
The new home construction market mismatch
This post is an evaluation of the idea that new housing built today skews luxury while leaving affordable and mid-priced new home construction as under-served markets. To be clear this is a sub-issue of the larger issue which is a simple lack of sufficient supply as seen by the following quote from a research paper…