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May 28th, 2010
Passiv Haus, Dresden, Day 1
The first day of the PassivHaus conference in Dresden showed some clear similarities in the Home Performance Industry in Europe and America as well as some huge differences. 
Similarities:
1. The industry on both continents is developing with a strong reliance on subsidies, either government grants or tax credits, or utility rebates. Testing and certification is essential to this approach and is a backbone of both industries.
2. The early adopters of deep energy retrofits are usually very expensive. One home that was showcased today had a $574,000 Euro price tag for the retrofit. This obviously takes significant subsidy or a “true believer” with plenty of money to act on their beliefs about peak oil, climate change or stewardship of the planet. … and there are more and more of those folks. This expensive retrofit was a combination of a government grant and a true believer with money to spend.
3. Later, Energy Efficient building gets systemized and the craftsmen learn the craft, and the building gets a lot cheaper. A factory built wood Passive House from Norway was demonstrated.
4. Occupant behavior is essential to the success of a Home Performance project. Occupant education and buy in has as much impact on performance as the quality of the work. This is especially true in the multi family projects that were demonstrated.
5. Both continents make good use of new building technologies such as Structural Insulating Panels and Concrete Insulated Forms. Both of these were demonstrated at both conferences I’ve attended recently. (The best conference on Home Performance in the US is Affordable Comfort, which was last month in Austin)
Differences:
1. Europeans really do windows and doors right. While Americans argue over whether windows should be dual or triple pane, the Eropeans assume all windows have three panes. Vinyl isn’t hardly used. It’s all wood or fiberglass. Doors are about 3.5 inches thick and close like a bank vault. We dont even have doors like that in the US. (at least that I’ve seen)
2. Europeans are really serious about ventilation. More like Canadians. I saw more ERV-HRV’s and “Magic Boxes” (all in one, vent and heat) than I had ever seen in my life.
3. Europe is way ahead of the US on using rigid foam. They have in all configurations with the fittings & flashings to make it last 100 years.
In sum, there are more similarities than differences. The main difference is that Europe is ahead of America on almost all of the technology. I’ll write more on that after the conference.
It was good to see several California friends and a few GreenEarthEquities Planetsavers here at the conference. But it’s also good to start up a conversation with a German or a Bulgarian. This of course depends on their English, but most attendees have at least some English. Some dont, but they are still nice. One German couldn’t speak to me but he gave me a big pretzel and a smile. There is a camaradarie among Energy Geeks from all continents. It is kind of like a family and kind of like a religeon. Like in religeon and family, you do things for long term gain, rather than just short term ”best for me right now” thinking. Everyone is willing to share and everyone seems happy with other’s success. It’s a good place to be.
May 27th, 2010
Oops! I Forgot The Most Cost Effective Green Measure!
On Tuesday’s Webinar, I relented and gave a “Top 10″ list of Home Performance Measures. As I explained, the danger in this is that not all houses are the same and so they rarely fit perfectly into this type of prescriptive thinking. Even more dangerous is to rely on the list and because everything is checked off, not bother thinking about, “What else could I do?”
Chinese Elm aka Lacebark Elm. Notice that the shade is not complete with some light showing through. This allows growth under the tree instead of a "dead zone" which can happen with full shade.
My challenge was to have everyone think of what they would put on their Top 10. What to add, What to subtract? Even before the end of the webinar, my list had fallen short. The question was asked, “What about shade trees and getting the sun off the Western glass in hot climates?” Bingo! That is one of my favorite recommendations and one that I “always?” promote. But this time I had forgotten, probably because, although very Green, planting a tree seems to fall in a different category in my mind from all the other construction items.
I recently took my own advice and planted one of my favorite trees to shade some western exposure at my own home. I love Chinese Elm because it provides good but not 100% shade. My other favorite for Central California is the Chinese Pistache, Keith Davey variety. Beautiful fall color, a quick grower and hardy in Central CA.
Chinese Pistache showing typical fall color.
Bottom Lines:
1. A list is valuable if it makes you question, “What else?”
2. A list is harmful if you assume it is complete & there is nothing else to think about
3. You can expand your list to the Top 12, or 20, or 27 … or……
Back to the value of Trees and Shade. You can easily calculate the value of shading western glass by recalculating Manual J Load calculations, both with and without the tree. The easy way to do this is just change the orientation of the window from West to North. A window in the shade, acts like one on the North side of a building. Depending on the number and size of the windows, shading can easily reduce a ton of Air Conditioning Load. Trees are definitely a winner and worthy of a place on the Top However Many List!
(Of course if trees just wont work, that sun blasting onto your western windows can be handled with Solar Screens or other shading devices)
May 25th, 2010
“Top 10″ Home Performance Renovations? What If You Had To Choose?
That was exactly the question that one of the readers from Sacramento asked me last week. I thought it was a good question and worthy of writing an article about. But first the disclaimer and a few caveats. Us humans love lists, especially Top 10 lists. They can be an aid to thinking, especially for the one who has to think them up … but they can also limit the thinking process if you just follow the 10 point recipe, without thinking why each of the Top 10 made the cut, and whether those same criteria are true in their own building. So there’s danger for those who would like to shut down thinking and charge ahead with a list of ingredients for a cookie recipe. On the other hand, it’s a wonderful exercise that everyone in Home Performance should consider on their own property. Check out 100119 The Energy Package
Criteria For Selection And A Little History
In the 1980’s Pacific Gas and Electric had a Weatherization Program that used the “Big 6.” If I remember, it included Attic to R19, Caulking, Water Heater Wrap, Lo Flo Showerheads, Outlet Gaskets and some Pipe Wrap. After a few years of looking at the results, it was decided that the Big 6 was having little impact on Home Performance and in many cases saved no energy at all.
Autopsy: What’s went wrong with the Big 6?
Several factors can lead to disappointing results in energy saving plans.
1. The items were included because they were easy to inspect. They weren’t really the biggest opportunities avaialable at the time
2. There was little customer education or buy-in. Customers would replace the new showerhead with their old one because they liked it better. The program finally had to start collecting and destroying the old models.
3. There was no testing or thought about where to caulk. Contractors knew only, ”get some caulk on the building and bill the program.” Installers knew even less, ”the boss want some caulking, so give him some caulking.” Some even got paid piecework so miles of lap siding got caulked….. until that got stopped.
4. In Sum, It’s not bad to have 6 or 10 or 12 items to focus on. The Big 6 were just the wrong 6 (except for the Attic, and even that was wasted because it wasn’t preceded by a “shell seal.”
5. With no testing or understanding of Building Science, any such prescriptive approach will include a fair amount of waste and provide minimal Home Performance.
But If I Had To Choose:
Home Performance can be broken into Two Basic Goals and Two Basic sets of Safety Questions. If we break it up into systems, this is not rocket science. The 2 goals are building a good envelope and providing a good comfort system. The Safety Issues are Air Quality and Managing Water.
Before insulating the envelope, we must seal it.
1. Shell seal the Attic. The attic floor and knee walls and other BTU leakers
2. Seal under any Raised Floor. Shell sealing materials are the same as used in the attic. Sealing the crawl space is an option here.
3. Seal Thermal Bypasses and The Band Joists and other areas between the floor and ceiling. This may be a little invasive, perhaps removing some siding to gain access or drilling. Sealing around new or existing windows.
4. Seal the Ducts. It’s almost always better to replace these and do it right than try to repair and seal existing ducts. This is because even if you seal them, they will still be the wrong size, running to the wrong places, poorly insulated, dirty, and near the end of their lifespan (if they are flex) These should be tested to leak no more than 3% of the air going thru them. If you think about it they are really part of the building envelope. Just like the envelope is part of the plenum. All leaks hurt building performance, and none more than duct leaks.
Stop and measure. With these 4 items addressed, it’s time to break out the blower door and duct blaster and run some tests.
There’s no use adding insulation to a leaky envelope or leaky ducts.
5. Attic Insulation. After a tightly sealed attic floor, and addressing all heat producers you can proceed. Getting Rid of Recessed Lights or properly treating them for air tightness must be addressed at this point. Plan your buildings to last 100 years. Usually add about double what others are putting in.
6. Wall Insulation. If it hasn’t been done previously consider dense pack cellulose. All knee walls need some help. 2 inches of FSK insulation usually covers it. For deeper retrofits adding rigid foam to the outside walls can be a huge energy saver.
7. Comfort System. With Mini Split Heat Pumps producing SEER ratings up to 26 and able to heat down to near zero degrees, I am recommending them almost everywhere. These should be tested to ensure that they are delivering the listed amount of BTU’s into the building. No use paying for big claims and not getting delivered performance.
8. Energy Efficient appliances and Lighting including Controls.
9. Safety. This of course includes Carbon Monoxide testing. It can include other Air Quality testing such as Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs etc. If our sealing efforts have been successful, we must Ventilate on Purpose with mechanical ventilation. I recommend an Energy Recovery Ventilator or a Heat Recovery Ventilator for all jobs where the CFM50 rating is less than the floor area in square feet.
10. Water. This includes three aspects, saving it, heating it, & keeping it out of our building. Two stage toilets, water saving shower heads, low water landscaping plants and drip irrigation all address the saving issue. Solar hot water, Heat Pump water heaters or condensing water heaters along with right sized PEX delivery systems and a simple heat recovery drain system are our tools of the trade for heating water efficiently. Keeping water out may include grading to drain it away, french drains, & house wrap and a studious concern with the vapor barrier.
So there you have it. A Top 10 list that would be appropriate for Home Performance in the “Average House” (in my part of California) Of course most houses aren’t average. I’ve been told repeatedly that there are no average houses in Nevada City or Berkeley! And in the Mixed Humid Climate of Virginia,where I’m going, things will will obviously change. But because this list is based on Principles, rather than just a cook book, they wont change that much.
Determining exactly how these 10 will be modified on your particular building will make you think … and that’s a good thing!
I’d like to hear your version of a Top 10 list. Post them in the Comments Section or over on the FaceBook Discussion Tab.
May 9th, 2010
Home Performance and Pretty? Can I Have Both? Quickly?
Have you ever “day dreamed” or fantasized, “What if life circumstances changed & you re-located across the country and got to choose a new place to live?” I know that if you’re reading this blog, you’re at least somewhat of a Home Performance Geek like me. And I know that only a few of us in this industry actually live in our “Home Performance Dream Home”…. So a little day dreaming and “What If?” thinking is in order for most of us.
Pretty, You Bet! Home Performance? Not So Much.
A couple months ago this Home Performance Day Dream began to come true for me. Son in Law got a job inPurcellville Virginia, so Luelle and I are “following the grandbabies” 3000 miles across the country into a whole new Climate Zone.
At first it was easy, I found a realtor who found a lot that borders on Open Space. That, plus all the “Energy Options” was all I wanted in our new home …. I’ll let my wife pick everything else and the production builder promised to be done in 120 days, maybe less. Sound pretty normal for an Energy Geek Guy?
Then I ran into the reality that maybe “Production Building” and “Home Performance” may not go together too well…
The builder’s website reveals “Last Century” framing details. 2×4 @ 16″ OC, double top plate, bulky corners. It would be so easy to do so much better, from a Home Performance point of view.
The builder has won design awards and offers a lot of pretty house for the money. My wife was sold, and I was going along… until the construction details started being revealed. The standard home was being built to the same standards that I used in 1980. 2×4 walls with no rigid insulation, R-30 ceilings, No sealing of shell or ducts, no treatment of band joists, not even all dual pane windows, Ouch! I could see that I was headed for an identity crisis.
Obviously if I want my perfect Home Performance Dream House, I’ll have to build it myself, And that’s probably what will happen over the next couple of years. But I want to move into something in 120 days. So I’m considering my options and asking for as much Home Performance as I can get from the production builder. They were adamant, no 2×6’s. Rigid Insulation, They are thinking about it. I guess no one’s ever asked for it before.
The way I see it, there are 3 areas of Energy improvement that can be done to a pretty production home:
1. The items the production builder will allow you to upgrade and pay extra for
2. The things that you or someone you hire can do on nights and weekends, additional sealing etc.
3. The things you just have to change after you move in.
So that’s where I am, negotiating for as much of #1 as I can get. And then as much of # 2 as they will allow. And wondering if I have a “breaking point” An amount of last century’s building standards that I just cant live with and still be me.
Have you ever been in this place before? Please Comment. Any tips on negotiating with a production builder who has systems in place that are working for him….? I’ll let you know how this develops.
PS I found this Top 10 List of ways to improve a new house by Martin Holladay. Would you agree? What would you add?
April 30th, 2010
Green? Greenwashed? Or Just Miss A Few Details?
A Southern California “Green Renovation Home” just got a lot of press and a Congressional Award…. and then the “rest of the story” came out. The home was called Net Zero but actually turned out to be an Energy Hog. What Happened? Here’s the article (From a British source…. seems to be arm’s length observation)
This "Zero Energy House" got an award from the California Senate, But it turns out that their definition of Zero only referred to the Electricity. Natural Gas still handled the space heating, quite a big chunk. If they had used Heat Pumps and delivered Net Zero.... Now that would be more impressive!
This is exactly the type of press that we dont need in our emerging industry. What can we do to prevent it? See my previous post HERE, agreeing with Henry Gifford that checklist based renovations can miss a few seemingly small pieces of the “House As A System” puzzle and fail miserably. These failures are worse if grandiose claims have been made and awards accepted, like in LEED buildings or this State Senate awarded Net Zero house that isn’t.
There is always something to be learned from any venture, even if it’s what to not do in the future. What can we learn from this Zero Energy House that Isn’t?
1. ”Net Zero” is the new marketing darling. I’ll even be using it myself. But we can expect Marketeers and GreenWashers to twist and abuse the term.
2. We must clarify what we mean by Net Zero. In fairness to the Los Angeles renovator, there are several definitions of the term. They just chose the lowest and easiest to meet standard and grabbed the marketing buzz. (Dont count the natural gas for heating. So only the electricity is Net Zero) This should be called an Electric Net Zero Home.
3. A stronger version of Net Zero is to convert the cost of Therms of Natural Gas to the equivalent number of kilowatts of Electricity. Then Net Zero would really mean Net Zero.
4. To avoid having to convert Therms to Kilowatts, we could build our renovations with Heat Pump technology (both the space heating-cooling and water heating) and eliminate gas altogether, go all electric. Then if we hit Zero… It would really be Zero. This is the type of Net Zero Houses that you will see on these pages from GreenEarthEquities soon.
Challenge & Quiz:
We know that houses must work “As A System” to work correctly and deliver the expected savings. Sometimes the (seemingly) small things spoil the final results. Check out this video from the Register Article.
You’ll see people you know. Lot’s of pieces and parts of Home Performance are there. But there are some missing. What do you think may have been missed that would contribute to such a high heating bill in such a mild climate?
Put your thoughts in the comments section. I’ll add mine in a week.
In the mean time, let’s be clear with our consumers and colleagues what we mean. Net Zero is the hot new marketing buzz word that the public seems to understand. Let’s use it for all its worth toward market transformation but let’s not abuse the public’s trust.
April 23rd, 2010
Deep Energy Renovation: How Deep Can You Go?
How deep can you go in Deep Energy Renovation? Can you cut the utility bill 50%? 75%? 90%? Can you go all the way to Zero? Where the energy bill is Zero? Can you go even further, and become an energy producer? 
Of course with enough renewables such as photovoltaic solar or wind power, we can go all the way to Zero and even become a net energy producer.
Of course it’s possible, especially if you have an unlimited budget. Maybe a research grant or some access to stimulus money or a “demonstration project”….
But on this site the question is always, How much can we do in the plain old free enterprise system? No unlimited budgets here. It’s true, that as an Energy-Wise Investor, I can do whatever I want to the home. That’s the part that makes me feel like a Home Performance Contractor who’s “died and gone to heaven” My only constraint is that the house has to sell at the end of the day. If I “over improve” the project for the market, I’ll be stuck with a break-even or even lose money. Not a good plan for marital peace…
So how low can you go as an Energy-Wise House Flipping Investor? Now that we’ve completed 10 homes, I’ve determined that Zero is possible, even with no stimulus funds or grants. We’ve found that with the improvements that we’ve been making on our typical packages, that our customers’ bills are so low that it wont take too much more to eliminate the remaining electric bill with Solar PV. Actually what we will be shooting for at GreenEarthEquities is “Near Net Zero” or NNZ for our homes. Our Utility Company charges 12 to 48 cents per kilowatt. The cheap kilowatts are called the lifeline allowance. The goal in the NNZ home is to never buy any but the cheapest kilowatts. And actually be at zero many months of the year.
I’m excited about our new goal. We are starting right now on a house that we will finish soon. It isn’t a perfect candidate because we kept some things that aren’t optimal. A 10 year old air conditioner, one ton oversized for our new load, and some metal framed dual pane windows. But we did put cellulose in the walls and sealed the shell so tight that we needed some “On Purpose” ventilation. (Panasonic ERV in this case) We’ll share the results here as we finish up the project, put it on the market, get it sold, and follow the new home owner’s experience and utility bills.
January 4th, 2010
For Real Home Performance… Monitor The Bills
(Reprinted from Nov, 2009)
There’s been a lot of talk about “Really Green” vs “Greenwashing.” The biggest hit has been taken by LEED with Henry Gifford’s blistering presentation in April this year. (Skip to the last paragraph for Henry’s true feelings.) Henry showed how LEED and other points-based rating programs can entice designers to specify gizmos that are currently popular at the expense of tried and true design concepts that dont garner as many points.
First Time Homebuyers, Juan, Corrin & their new son. Although they didn't receive a plaque or certificate or a computer prediction, they are happy about their new home and especially the low utility bills and the comfort of the home.
This results in many LEED buildings costing more to operate than the equivalent non-LEED buildings. Henry suggests that simply monitoring the energy usage (and continuing to monitor it and publish it) is the best way to move us toward energy independence.
What a great idea, Henry! That’s what we do here at GreenEarthEquities. Today I stopped by to pick up the utility bills of one of our buyers participating in our “We Pay Half” program. That’s where we pay half of the Utility Bills for a period of time, usually 2 years. It allows us to put our money where out mouth is and stand behind our claims of energy efficiency… and at the same time keeps the customer motivated toward efficiency because they are paying the other half.
Here are the first 6 months of bills, May thru October. The home is a 40 year old 1200 square foot tract home in Fresno where the summers are really hot. Perhaps even more important is that the homeowner was pregnant with her first child and kept the thermostat at 70 degrees all thru the summer.
Month Gas Electric Total
May 11.06 43.70 55.62
June 5.20 40.36 45.97
July 6.92 109.32 116.88
August 5.09 112.77 118.31
September 6.17 109.97 116.72
October 6.51 71.15 78.24
The home got no certification or plaque. No HERS rating required. No third party testing or computer modeling. The project was designed toward the main thing that counts = the bills. And the bills are about half of what the rest of the neighborhood experiences. Is the homeowner happy? Ecstatic is more like it. Sad that they didn’t get a rating or a plaque? Dont think so. So what’s to not like about that? The deliverable was delivered.
Henry Gifford’s critique was directed at LEED, primarily for commercial buildings. But Residential Programs are not far behind. How much non performance from Home Performance programs will the tax payer allow? Is there political will to demand transparency and performance?
Would the real efficiency of Energy Efficiency Programs improve if the following were implemented:
1. ”We Pay Half” where contractors & developers paid half the utility bill for two years. OR
2. Contractors & Developers wait a year for 50% of their incentive payment and receive it only if the promised deliverable was really delivered.
3. Allow rate payers to see the “Neighborhood Average” along with their bill every month.
Pretty simple stuff really. Please comment in the comments section below. Do you think it’s too simple? Would it work to deliver more energy independence? Or is there too much investment in the testing and modeling and certifying industry that is providing so many of the good new Green Jobs that dont always deliver what the programs promise?
December 20th, 2009
See Two Unique Fresno Attractions Tuesday!
Attendees at the Open House this Tuesday will be treated to two sights that can be seen NO WHERE ELSE. It all happens this Tuesday, Dec. 22 asGreenEarthEquities opens up it’s finished homes and construction projects for a tour. Starting with lunch and mingling at Me n Ed’s Pizza on the corner of Ashlan and Fowler at 11:30 for lunch. Nationally renowned mural artist, Mark DeRaud gives us a whimsical view of Renaissance Art and Life on the walls of the restaurant A former Renaissance employee, we still call on Mark for some of our faux painting requirements.
After some good pizza and Q&A we will visit our second Unique attraction. The most recently completed GreenEarthEquities Energy-Wise Renovation features a totally new type of Air Conditioning and Heating System, a rarely seen Heat Recovery Ventilator system and the adaptation of a New Constructions technique rarely seen in Renovation.
The home is featured on the front cover of Home Energy Magazine. The cover photo shows the Mini Split Heat Pump but the article is mainly about the whole concept of Energy Wise Renovation.
F
inally, (for this stop on the tour) we’ll reveal the reason that all this Energy Efficiency sells so easily in what most people call a depressed market. I’ll also talk about the current sales efforts to sell this home with some new techniques that we are developing right now.
Then we’ll visit the house referred to in previous blogposts as the “Ugliest House In The County” It is about 50% complete and not really ugly anymore…. just in the middle of renovation.
Then we’ll finish with another project that we just started last week. You’ll see it in full demolition mode.
I hope you’ll be able to join us. Please RSVP in the Comments section. And bring all your questions about Energy-Wise Renovation. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next to jump into the business of Saving The Planet, One (foreclosed) House At A Time
December 6th, 2009
Influence The Appraisal With Your Open House Brochure?
Today we had an Open House at a newly renovated home. Several people commented about the brochure that we provided, so I decided to post it. 
If you click the images they will expand to full size. It’s our standard 4 page brochure which is more extensive than the standard one page photocopy provided by most realtors.
Each page has a purpose and there is a whole series of slides in PlanetSavers University explaining why we feel it’s worth the extra effort. The first page mentions my Realtor, but just barely. Pictures are obviously important but it also includes neighborhood information, Rent vs Own comparison costs and finally contact info.
Page 2 we call our “Preponderance of Evidence.” This is the “Logic” that allows the buyer to validate in his own mind the emotional decision that got 90% made when his wife walked into the kitchen! (Sorry, that’s the way us humans work)
It really is a long single spaced list. But unless someone points these things out, many of them will be missed, and the decision will default to “Price.” 
It’s our job to “Make The Invisible, Visible” and this page really earns its place when the prospective buyers are conferring later, comparing the homes their Realtor has shown them. This is their crib sheet to remind them that they made a good decision to buy this home! It competes well against the one page Quickie Brochures that they collected at the other homes.
One of the uses of our brochures is to leave a supply of them on the counter after the sale. Appraisers have a hard job on our houses because they sell for quite a bit higher than the rest of the neighborhood. So we use the brochure to give the appraiser the ammunition they need in order to justify the price that my buyer and I have agreed on.
Of course these last two pages help the buyer justify their decision. None of us want to make poor decisions and pay too much. With these pages we are showing them that others are making similar decisions in the same neighborhood.
Check it out. Let me know what you think. Send me a copy of great Open House brochures you’ve used or seen. I’m always looking for ways to improve.
November 21st, 2009
“McMansion” Era Coming To An End?
“McMansion” Era Coming To An End? So wondered a recent Wall Street Journal article. Read it Here.
Slimming Down. Compare the floor plans of a boom-era luxury home and a smaller, post-recession design.
You can recall the history of homebuilding by taking a driving tour in your city. What you’ll notice is that there has always been a small percentage (5-10) of the “Grand Old Homes” Mansions or Near Mansions, and then the rest of the housing stock. In my town of Fresno, CA the Grand Old Homes were on Huntington and Van Ness Boulevard in the early 1900s. Two Stories with 4ooo square feet or more was the order of the day. (Today these are nightmares to renovate from an energy efficiency perspective. Those desiring to do so should view Tom Hanks movie “The Money Pit” and have plenty of patience and cash and check with the Historical Society before proceeding.
During that time, the rest of the town built in the Craftsman and Bungalow style. Two bedroom, one bath from 700 to 1000 feet was the norm with some larger homes having 3 bedrooms and sometimes 2 baths. There were larger homes between the two extremes, but not that many.
(From the WSJ Article) At 2,450 square feet, this new Wieland home in North Carolina looks like a cottage compared with some of the 3,900-square-foot models down the road.
The Housing Boom that came with the Baby Boom after WWII brought a new invention to the market: The American Classic Tract Home, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1100 to 1500 square feet moving up to about 2000 square feet as the century closed out.
But along with it came the “Executive Home” aka McMansion. These have the things necessary to impress, not just to live.
Grand Entries with Grand Architectural Staircases
All the Rooms are larger than they need to be, and there are more of them.
As many Baths as Bedrooms is common. Walk-in closets larger than your bedroom growing up.
All the Ceilings are taller than they need to be and they are mainly different from each other
Home Theaters and Gyms and 3 to 5 car garages.
European Chef’s style Kitchen with commercial appliances
And a huge energy bill to go with it….Because these opulent shrines to impressing the neighbors weren’t built any better than their smaller cousins. Actually the smaller home is harder to do poorly and easier to fix than the McMansion. And the McMansion with its architectural wizardry is very easy to get wrong from an energy and comfort perspective.
So here’s the good news:
1. There is going to be a huge opportunity for Home Performance Contractors to fix McMansions.
2. Another huge opportunity is doing a complete EnergyWise Renovation on the All American Tract Home. These homes are actually drawing many of the Baby Boomers who have had the McMansion and are tired of keeping them up
Well Done Complete Energy-Wise Renovations Are In High Demand & Sell Quickly
With Mature Landscaping, all automatic, a new 40 year roof that will outlast them, all new appliances, all new HVAC, Energy Saving Windows and fixtures and paint inside and out and all new tile and floor coverings, what’s to not like about that for easy living? In my experience these renovations are in high demand and sell quickly at full price.
In California there will soon be money available to fund both of these opportunities with the AB 811 funds for Energy Retrofits. There are sites about fixing McMansions. (Check out CBPCA.org for a list of trained Home Performance Contractors) This site will continue to focus on Energy Wise Renovation of moderate sized homes, especially on the Golden Opportunity presented by Foreclosed Homes.
Back to the WSJ article: I didn’t get the impression that the McMansion builders were going away. Or that the buyers demanding the Big House have learned their lesson and changed for good. It seemed they both are pulling back only as much as they have to and a recovered economy would launch them into new realms of opulence. Did I read that into the article? or did you get the same impression? Let me know in the Comments section.
Interior 3405 N. Miami, Fresno CA
Exterior 3405 N. Miami, Fresno CA
3332 N Ezie $165,000 PENDING
5967 E Fedora $160,000 Pending
3328 N Purdue SOLD
145 Gettysburg SOLD
5741 E Bernadine SOLD
5664 E Bernadine SOLD
4440 N Eddy SOLD
3915 E Townsend 135K Pending
