Will he or won’t he? With Hurricane Earl threatening the nation’s Eastern Seaboard this Labor Day, there are steps homeowners can take to weatherproof their homes that won’t break the bank.
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance offers six pieces of essential hurricane-preparation advice, including:
- Brace your garage door to prevent more-extensive damage. “A lot of people believe that the roof is the most vulnerable part of the house,” says Ray Stone, vice-president of catastrophe operations for Travelers Insurance. “But it’s not. It’s the garage door.” Most garage doors are not reinforced, and when the wind gets into the garage, it creates a positive push at the same time that the wind swirling above the structure creates a negative pull. That push-pull combination can cause the roof to fly off. See the National Weather Service information sheet to learn about kits that you can buy at home-improvement stores to brace your garage doors.
- Secure your windows and doors. Broken windows can let in wind and rain, and they can also increase the pressure under the roof. Storm shutters provide the best protection, but boarding up windows when a storm is on the way can help, too. Don’t bother taping your windows, though. “Putting masking tape on the windows literally does nothing,” says Stone. Make sure doors have several locking mechanisms so they don’t fly open; deadbolts are best. And it’s important to secure windows and doors at all sides of the home — not just the one facing the body of water where hurricanes could form — because hurricanes can swirl in any direction. See the Institute for Business & Home Safety’s DisasterSafety.org for details about how to make your windows and doors more secure.
- Take inventory. “The last thing you want to be doing after you’ve been affected by a hurricane is to try to remember everything you had in the house,” says Stone. “Having an inventory will make the process of getting through the claim and getting back to normal so much easier.” The Insurance Information Institute’s KnowYourStuff.org is a great place to get started. Keep the inventory in a safe place away from your home.
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Associated Designs is pleased to profile another fine home by Castro Construction. Built in Eugene Oregon the photographs below highlight the attention to detail and quality construction. The plans on this house come from Alan Mascord Design. To view photos of Associated Designs plan, the Allenspark, also built by Castro Construction; click here.
to view additional photos click here
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While we will miss the sentimental value of our good old blueprint machine, the fact is it was not very friendly when it came to the environment. The chemically treated paper was not recyclable and the ammonia based development process was smelly.
With the addition of a new large format digital printer we now print on paper that is 100% recyclable. We are even starting with recycled paper which uses 30% post consumer fiber, is SFI (sustainable forestry initiative) certified and is acid free. The new printer is also a copier and scanner, so if you need copies up to 36″ wide and 500′ long we can do that. We can also scan and create electronic files of your plans.
In addition to greening up our printing process we are working on switching to a digital plan development process, which will substantially reduce paper consumption within our office. Most of our clients now are reviewing the early preliminary plans via email. (It’s still a good idea to review the final stages of the design development using large format, scaled prints.)
Also, a number of the companies that are involved in the plan development are joining the “paperless” process. Engineers, truss manufactures, lumber yards, and a ever expanding number of contractors and trades people are now receiving plans electronically.
We welcome any ideas as to how we can continue to work toward being the most environmentally friendly design firm we can be.
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(to view photos from the Street of Dreams click photo and then to Tour of Homes)
We are excited and honored to have our Pacifica 30-686 (aka The Summit) design featured on this year’s Portland Oregon Street of Dreams. Built by Westlake Development on Mt. Scott in Portland Oregon, this house plan captured the amazing views that the hillside building lot had to offer.
Westlake’s Gerald Rowlett said the feedback from visitors of this years’ tour was very positive. Comments heard from visitors were ”I could see myself living in this house”, “A home I could kick my feet up in”, and “comfortable, livable home”. People really appreciated the way the home captured the view also saying how much they loved tub in the owners’ suite, “I’d never leave that bathtub”, said one person.
The front entrance was serene and inviting, featuring 3 waterfalls that flowed beneath the walkway to a pond nestled between the garage and porch area. Pro Landscaping of Oregon won the Realtors choice “Best Landscaping” for this years tour!
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Now’s the time to buy a home! The attached link is a great article provided by Lane County Home Builders Association.
We’re here to help you get started!
It’s a Buyer’s Market from the Lane County Home Builders Association
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The Home Builders Association of Lane County has constructed the Tazewell 30-477 house plan to showcase on the Tour of Homes held July 26th through August 3rd. Associated Designs has donated design services for the HBA PAC house for 9 years. This year’s HBA PAC house will highlight the use of green building techniques.
To view an article on construction of this years PAC house from On the Level, the June 2008 Newsletter of the Home Builders Association of Lane County click: hba-home-article.pdf
To view plan details of the Tazewell 30-477 click here. To view photos of this house’s progress, view comments.
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By Craig Thornburrow
If you are considering a large construction project, whether it be a brand new home or an addition to a home that you already have, hiring building contractors is something that you may have to look into. Hiring building contractors is not the simplest thing to do, but it certainly is not complicated. As a matter of fact, if you know just what you are looking for then the hiring process should be rather simple. To help you in your endeavors to get your project done right and by the right people, read on for a few things that you should take into consideration when looking into building contractors.
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From: Carl’s Blog
Sunday, May 11, 2008
House Plan Of The Week With Cost To Build
From: Associated Designs, Inc.
The Markham – Plan #30-575
Stone veneer bases support the tapered columns fronting this Craftsman-style bungalow home plan. Inside, the living room links to the dining room, which is open to a sunny nook and kitchen. A cozy window seat nestles into an alcove in the nook. Owners’ suite amenities include a walk-in closet and spa tub.
From the street, the Markham has the appearance of a totally symmetrical Craftsman-style bungalow with an attached porte cochere. Telling details are the stone veneer bases supporting tapered columns, exposed rafter tails where the roof joins the wall, a gabled dormer, and windows with smaller panes in their upper halves.
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Remember that in order for a basement to be considered “habitable space”, it must have two (2) means of ingress & egress. This can be accomplished with doors, as in a “walk-out” (which requires a sloping lot), or with large windows, or with a “emergency basement door”. (See below)
Now, on with today’s House:
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By Kathy J Thomas
The lot you own isn’t just a piece of dirt on the outskirts of your hometown. It will be
identified in a number of different ways depending on who wants to know. But, before
you can apply for a building permit you must know how your local government
identifies it. If it is a bare piece of land, (outside of a developed subdivision) it most
likely will not have a situs address yet.
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