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Energy Efficient Renovation - Part IV (Doors and Windows)

small house plans
Posted on 08/08/2011

Doors and Windows

This was probably the easiest and quickest task. I installed weather-stripping at the casing of all my exterior doors and along the bottom of the doors. My single pane windows, being almost 100 years old, did not sit firmly and tightly at the bottom of the lower sash at the sill. And, being a wood to wood connection at the sash to sill and where the sashes overlap, air easily infiltrated. In fact, at some of the windows, if it was breezy outside it could blow out a candle on the inside… I installed simple foam weather-stripping under the bottom of the lower sash and along the back side of the top of the lower sash the seal the joint between the two sashes. Actually, I made my two teen-age sons do it, which will tell you how easy and quick it was…

Energy Efficient Renovation - Part III (Caulking & Spray Foam Insulation)

small house plans
Posted on 08/05/2011

Caulking and Spray Foam Insulation

They say it’s the little things that count. Don’t underestimate the value of properly sealing openings, even the smallest of ones. Air migrates through the smallest of cracks, so it’s really important to pay attention to this detail.

Energy Efficient Renovation - Part II (Ductwork)

Leaky Duct
Posted on 08/01/2011

Ductwork

In some houses, and certainly in mine, improperly installed or sealed ductwork is a major contributor to energy loss. Especially when the ductwork is run in the attic and/or basement through unconditioned space, you can lose up to 50% of the efficiency of the system. In my case, the sheathing on the outside on some of the 20 year old ductwork had split and cracked, exposed the insulation of the tube. I’ve systematically replaced each run of the flexible ductwork with the newer and more energy efficient foil ductwork. My biggest find though was in the duct tape that I had originally used to seal the flex to the main trunk and to the duct boots (at the ceiling and floor registers.)

Energy Efficient Renovation - Part I (Insulation)

small house plans
Posted on 07/29/2011

What are easy ways to retrofit an existing home to include green features?

Owning a 1920’s Craftsman Four Square, my energy bills had been taking me to the bank. Literally. The insulation was sloppily installed – and I take full credit for that – since I did it myself when I first bought the home over 20 years ago. I also installed the ductwork back then, with – egads – lots of duct tape. And you could actually feel the breeze sitting next to one of my single pane windows.

Measuring Sustainability

small house plans
Posted on 06/23/2011

I recently had the pleasure of serving as a guest critic this last semester for a sustainable and affordable housing studio at the School of Architecture at North Carolina State University. Taught by Professor Tom Barrie, the students first research the design and technologies of several recently built projects. The final semester project was to design an affordable and sustainable home for the local Wake County Habitat for Humanity.

A TightLines Home in Maine

small house plans
Posted on 06/22/2010

At TightLines, we love hearing from people who call one of our house plans home.  Laurie Ficker recently built her first home in Maine and chose the Winslow I as a house that fits her needs and her budget.  Laurie documented the process of constructing, finishing, and furnishing her TightLines home on her blog, so to see more click here! And, as always, we would love to hear from other TightLines homeowners!

National Green Conference

Posted on 05/25/2010

We had the priviledge of participating in the NAHB Green Building Conference on May 16-18 right here in our home city of Raleigh, NC.  There were some awesome sessions led by national level experts covering just about anything concerning greening of new and existing residential construction including techniques, products, incentives, certification, and delivery methods.

Welcome to the TightLines blog

Posted on 04/28/2010

Please check the blog often for information on green building, and sustainable communities.

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