Tag Archives: how to make your home green

Custom home construction in 2015 - what will it look like?

What Will Custom Home Construction Look Like in 2015?

Custom home construction is an exciting and dynamic industry, always changing with the cultural, economic and aesthetic landscape it inhabits. Year after new year, it changes as new homeowners take a liking to new and upcoming trends. Now that 2014 is behind us, we at CCM are excited to see what this new year brings us. Here are our predictions for what custom home building will look like in 2015!

What Custom Home Construction Will Look Like in 2015

Going Green in 2015

First and foremost, it’s impossible to deny that more and people are going to make their home green in any way that they can. There’s no reason to doubt that this trend will continue in 2015, and not just for moral (i.e. environmental) reasons. There are also practical benefits to “going green”: some evidence suggests that green construction costs less and improves homeowner satisfaction.

It’s All About the Bathroom

Bathrooms are often the focal point of luxury home building. Why is this? Because it is both easy and highly desirable to incorporate an atmosphere of luxury into your bathroom. How else would you describe a jetted bubble bath, heated towel racks, and even an HDTV rack in the far corner? Many homeowners have recognized this potential in custom home construction, and many will continue to do so in 2015.

So Long Asphalt! So Long Concrete! Hello Pavers!

We can’t say that concrete and asphalt are “so 2014” — after all, paving stones have long been a staple of custom paving in South Florida. In 2015, it looks like this trend will be catching on elsewhere. More people realize that their pavement, driveways and walkways have been neglected for far too long. After all, why spend so much time and money beautifying the inside of your home only to pave your driveway with unattractive, cracking asphalt? Why put the effort into custom home construction only to have your outside as banal and commonplace as everyone else’s?

Each new year brings with it new opportunities: an unknown future waiting to be explored. For our part, we can’t wait to explore the exciting possibilities 2015 will bring for custom homes.

home maintenance services to make your home green

10 Home Maintenance Services to Make Your Home Green

Home maintenance services by CCM are designed to take your South Florida luxury home and make it even better. This can mean any number of things: from painting to redecorating to making your home green. In fact, homeowners are becoming more and more interested in how to make their home green and energy efficient. Here are 10 South Florida home maintenance services that will do just that.

Appliances

energy star

Energy Star logo” by United States Environmental Protection Agency – This vector image was created by converting the Encapsulated PostScript file available at Brands of the World. Remember not all content there is in general free, see Commons:Fair use for more.. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, etc.) are everyday items that use more energy than we often realize. However, you can save both money and energy by upgrading your appliances to ENERGY STAR rated products. ENERGY STAR is an international standard for green household appliances that was begun by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Upgrading to their rated appliances can save big (e.g. 20% on refrigerators and 41% on dishwashers).

 

HVAC Systems

HVAC repairENERGY STAR rated HVAC systems can also reduce your energy use — but there’s a catch. It has to be installed properly! That’s why HVAC upgrades and installations are one of the crucial South Florida home maintenance services that CCM offers.

Insulation

Insulation is a great way to make your home greenBad insulation is a great way to waste energy…but fixing it is a great way to make your home more energy efficient. CCM will not only install better insulation with environment-friendly materials. As part of our South Florida home maintenance services, we will thoroughly inspect your insulation to make sure there are no gaps that lead to wasted energy.

Landscaping

Custom landscaping can actually make your home greenIt may not seem like it, but custom landscaping and South Florida home maintenance services go hand-in-hand when it comes to making your house green. The environmental benefits are numerous: from blocking sunlight (which keeps your house cool) to reducing the water you use in irrigation.

Lighting

Home maintenance services with CCM even includes switching lightbulbsReplacing your lightbulbs and installing new ones is a simple yet effective way to make your home green. CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) are a great way to accomplish this. They’re not much more expensive than incandescents, but they’re about 4-5x more energy efficient. If you don’t mind spending a bit more, you can install LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which can be as much as 80% more efficient!

Plumbing

Plumbing is one of the most important home maintenance servicesA variety of plumbing repairs and services are at the core of CCM’s South Florida home maintenance services. We can install shower heads that reduce water. In addition, we’ll upgrade your current toilets to low-flow plumbing fixtures. Energy efficient plumbing fixtures can cut your water use in half…and toilets use over 25% of your house’s water. You do the math!

Solar Panels

Installing solar panels is an essential South Florida home maintenance serviceThe average solar panel will convert about 20% of exposed sunlight into usable energy for your home, which leads to HUGE savings! Buying and installing them usually aren’t cheap, but the tax credits and energy rebates they give you is more than enough to make up for this. For this reason alone, solar panel installations have become indispensable South Florida home maintenance services.

Thermostat

CCM's home maintenance services include setting thermostatsOne of the simplest ways to make your home green is to simply reduce the AC or heat on your thermostat. So why don’t people just do that? The fact is that most of us are too busy to be concerned with this. However, CCM can program and install a thermostat that automatically reduces this unneeded energy.

Water Heater

"Water heater bathroom" by User:Mattes - Own work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Water heater bathroom” by User:MattesOwn work. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Hot water and making your home green may clash when it comes to hot water. On the one hand, taking a relaxing bath is part of living in a South Florida luxury home. On the other, there is the environmental impact. However, you can resolve this by having CCM install a tankless water heater in your home, which can cut your energy bill in half!

Windows

Home maintenance with CCM includes window installationThere are many South Florida home maintenance services that will make your windows more energy efficient. One popular way is double-glazing, which uses two panels of glass separated by gas to trap heat and insulate your home. In addition, consider buying wood-framed windows rather than UPVC-framed ones.