For the past week plus we've watched the nation of Haiti fall apart after an earthquake. Reading stories and seeing the images makes us very disappointed that we can't just up and go to help. But what would we do? We have no medical experience. We could help distribute supplies, I suppose. But since our passion is architecture, our thoughts leaned that way. Many people have lost their homes to the 7.0 rumbler. Even the presidential palace is destroyed (as in structurally unsound, not rubble on the ground).
Why did the homes fail? Mostly because of the poor building practices. A good number of homes are concrete with less than adequate mix and not necessarily any rebar. Concrete has the distinction of being inflexible. If you stress it, concrete does not bend, it cracks and breaks. Bad for homes.
So we gave some thought to how we could help the residents of Port-au-Prince. We thought about buying them some rebar, but shipping costs would be a bit high. We thought about designing some prefab homes ala Michael Janzen, but he's got a great product already and lumber is not exactly plentiful on the island.
So then we ran across some blog entries on earthbag homes. What is that, pray tell? Take a bag, fill it with dirt, stack, repeat. Easy. You can check out a Haitian Dirtbag home here that withstood the quake just fine. The owner of this home, Father Theo, cares for orphans in Haiti and runs a blog here. Their other concrete buildings sustained some minor damage. Think this might be a fluke? Check out some earthbag testing here.
"So what?" you might say. "This all looks fine. Are you going to go to Haiti and build earthbag homes?" Not quite. But we believe Father Theo is on to something. Earthbag homes use local materials, can be built in a day, are sturdy, insulative, and cheap. We would like to lobby with Habitat for Humanity to consider rebuilding Port-au-Prince with earthbag homes to avoid any future apocalyptic aftermaths. Once we get that okay, we will begin donating a portion of our plan sales towards buying bags, barbed wire, and any other necessities to rehabilitate Haiti.
You can voice your opinion too by clicking here. Please write and tell them that you think earthbag homes would be the most sustainable housing stock for Haitian revival. May Haiti thrive.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Putting our Watts where our Mouth is
For a couple of years now Istockhouseplans has been talking all about energy efficiency and how you should be including it in the homes you build. We've talked about stud spacing, floor joist spacing, truss spacing, thicker walls, advanced framing, and modular design. We've given you plenty of advice (solicited and un-) about what we think the world should be like.
But unlike the doctor who discourages you from smoking and then asks for a light, we can back up our claims. As part of our partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon, we are having our plans energy modeled. We'll start with a base code score and then suggest a few improvements that would be the most suitable regarding energy efficiency and your wallet. If you decide you want to get a lot more creative in your build (R-30 walls?), we can run a preliminary score for you to see how much better your home would be.
We'll spend the next few months updating our portfolio with these numbers and then give you the results. While we don't expect usage numbers in the teens (70's-80's is average), we do expect that you'll be able to give your buyers a more complete picture of their new home. Just another service that Istockhouseplans offers.
But unlike the doctor who discourages you from smoking and then asks for a light, we can back up our claims. As part of our partnership with Energy Trust of Oregon, we are having our plans energy modeled. We'll start with a base code score and then suggest a few improvements that would be the most suitable regarding energy efficiency and your wallet. If you decide you want to get a lot more creative in your build (R-30 walls?), we can run a preliminary score for you to see how much better your home would be.
We'll spend the next few months updating our portfolio with these numbers and then give you the results. While we don't expect usage numbers in the teens (70's-80's is average), we do expect that you'll be able to give your buyers a more complete picture of their new home. Just another service that Istockhouseplans offers.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Twenty-Six Point Two
Give up? Maybe you should check out this water heater and see what it means. Fuel usage? Cost? Size? Some strange puzzle based on the bizarre and random thinkings of the post author?
The Marathon hot water heater by Rheem is one of the most efficient tank heaters on the market. We appreciate that it comes as an electric unit. Since electric heat is practically 100% efficient, it makes sense that an electric tank water heater should be up there. The biggest problem with tanks is their standby losses. Leave home for a week and the tank will happily use your utilities to keep the water warm for you the whole time. With efficiencies as high as 94% it is touted that water in the Marathon will stay hot for up to 2 weeks. Awe. Some.
Another interesting player in the game is the Ruud heat pump water heater. Quite a mouthful. This unit combines both technologies into one device and claims an efficiency of 200%. This really shouldn't surprise you if you understand how heat pumps work. Some of the best heat pumps are currently 350% efficient. This water heater works like a refrigerator in reverse. Rather than spit out heat, it grabs it from the air and heats the water with it. We think it would make perfect sense to install one of these next to a fridge and let them work in tandem. Your fridge might appreciate the heat transfer.
We do not own stock in, get money from, or have beers with the representatives of either of these companies. We just think their products are ubercool and we would install them in our own homes. The only thing stopping us is the money that we would get from you buying one of our plans. Of course, istockhouseplans would be happy to specify any water heater you like including a black rubber bladder sitting in the sun. It's your house after all.
The Marathon hot water heater by Rheem is one of the most efficient tank heaters on the market. We appreciate that it comes as an electric unit. Since electric heat is practically 100% efficient, it makes sense that an electric tank water heater should be up there. The biggest problem with tanks is their standby losses. Leave home for a week and the tank will happily use your utilities to keep the water warm for you the whole time. With efficiencies as high as 94% it is touted that water in the Marathon will stay hot for up to 2 weeks. Awe. Some.
Another interesting player in the game is the Ruud heat pump water heater. Quite a mouthful. This unit combines both technologies into one device and claims an efficiency of 200%. This really shouldn't surprise you if you understand how heat pumps work. Some of the best heat pumps are currently 350% efficient. This water heater works like a refrigerator in reverse. Rather than spit out heat, it grabs it from the air and heats the water with it. We think it would make perfect sense to install one of these next to a fridge and let them work in tandem. Your fridge might appreciate the heat transfer.
We do not own stock in, get money from, or have beers with the representatives of either of these companies. We just think their products are ubercool and we would install them in our own homes. The only thing stopping us is the money that we would get from you buying one of our plans. Of course, istockhouseplans would be happy to specify any water heater you like including a black rubber bladder sitting in the sun. It's your house after all.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Where Energy Efficiency Counts
Think you know how to save energy? Test yourself. Are the following measures efficient? (Is the payback period or energy savings worth the cost?):
Yearly furnace tune-ups: Y N
Properly sized furnace: Y N
Sealing basement ducts: Y N
Underfloor insulation: Y N
Caulking & weatherstripping: Y N
Window replacement: Y N
Tankless gas water heaters: Y N
Attic cooling: Y N
Did you answer no to any of the questions?
You get 1 point for every 'no' and zero points for every 'yes'. We were a little blown away too. Michael Blasnik with the Department of Energy has found that these measures on average are worthless and merely feel good. You can read his article to get a complete explanation of why these measures don't add up as well as a few more.
We at istockhouseplans were a little disappointed to see real world results on the tankless gas heater. Maybe electric is still okay? We've been promoting these in our homes and not setting aside a specific space for a tank water heater. Most of our homes do have enough space to put a water heater tank, either in a large closet, under stairs, or in the laundry room. Next time we'll review a couple of tank heaters that we've found to be very efficient.
Also check out our istock4kids page where we've put two more puzzles to delight and entertain.
Yearly furnace tune-ups: Y N
Properly sized furnace: Y N
Sealing basement ducts: Y N
Underfloor insulation: Y N
Caulking & weatherstripping: Y N
Window replacement: Y N
Tankless gas water heaters: Y N
Attic cooling: Y N
Did you answer no to any of the questions?
You get 1 point for every 'no' and zero points for every 'yes'. We were a little blown away too. Michael Blasnik with the Department of Energy has found that these measures on average are worthless and merely feel good. You can read his article to get a complete explanation of why these measures don't add up as well as a few more.
We at istockhouseplans were a little disappointed to see real world results on the tankless gas heater. Maybe electric is still okay? We've been promoting these in our homes and not setting aside a specific space for a tank water heater. Most of our homes do have enough space to put a water heater tank, either in a large closet, under stairs, or in the laundry room. Next time we'll review a couple of tank heaters that we've found to be very efficient.
Also check out our istock4kids page where we've put two more puzzles to delight and entertain.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Small Bonus Post
Found this in The Daily Oregonian from Portland, Oregon:
"I think there are two significant movements in the country," Chapin says. "One is that bigger is better; that's been the prevailing notion for the last 50 years. Another movement says small is beautiful.
"I think the first movement is moving toward its sunset, and the second is more on the rise."
Small Houses go Big-time
"I think there are two significant movements in the country," Chapin says. "One is that bigger is better; that's been the prevailing notion for the last 50 years. Another movement says small is beautiful.
"I think the first movement is moving toward its sunset, and the second is more on the rise."
Small Houses go Big-time
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Small Homes in the News
Istockhouseplans is proud to announce the release of two new plans, the Carver and the Carver A. Both plans cover 18' wide by 22' deep including the porch. Both plans are just under 300sf with a sleeping loft of almost 100sf. These are some intentional entries into the small house plan market and we are proud to showcase them.
We at istockhouseplans aren't the only ones who think small is the new big. We've found some great articles that tout small and some just lambast bombast. Click the links for further reads. Unfortunately, some publishers require a login to access the full article and we just aren't allowed to copy and paste it. Maybe you're already signed up with them and we brought this to your attention.
Fine Homebuilding.
Wall Street Journal. Be sure to check out the interactive graphics.
Los Angeles Times photo story.
San Francisco Chronicle. Some interesting comments.
You can see the rest of our tiny homes as well.
We at istockhouseplans aren't the only ones who think small is the new big. We've found some great articles that tout small and some just lambast bombast. Click the links for further reads. Unfortunately, some publishers require a login to access the full article and we just aren't allowed to copy and paste it. Maybe you're already signed up with them and we brought this to your attention.
Fine Homebuilding.
Wall Street Journal. Be sure to check out the interactive graphics.
Los Angeles Times photo story.
San Francisco Chronicle. Some interesting comments.
You can see the rest of our tiny homes as well.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Open Contest at FreeGreen
The folks at FreeGreen are holding a design contest open to anyone. The premise is that they are looking for new talent to enter the marketplace. Contrary to most other contests, entries are not anonymous. Even if you don't win, you still get exposure on their website which is huge. The winning entries get to have their plans available for sale on the website.
Of course we are entering. Did you have to ask? Since the posting of the plan on their website is optional and also not proprietary, this will be another plan that we can add to our portfolio. This home (given the FreeGreen mission) is going to be designed to be a clear energy saver. That means the faint of heart should stay away. We are aiming for an R-50 or greater shell all around. The hope is that the energy use of the home can get to a point where only 2kWh or less of solar panels can be used to take care of the designed electricity load.
Think you can compete with istockhouseplans? Join the fun!
Of course we are entering. Did you have to ask? Since the posting of the plan on their website is optional and also not proprietary, this will be another plan that we can add to our portfolio. This home (given the FreeGreen mission) is going to be designed to be a clear energy saver. That means the faint of heart should stay away. We are aiming for an R-50 or greater shell all around. The hope is that the energy use of the home can get to a point where only 2kWh or less of solar panels can be used to take care of the designed electricity load.
Think you can compete with istockhouseplans? Join the fun!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
New Website Part the Second
You may not notice any change to our website, which is now up and running. A couple of weeks ago we told you about the issues we had when Google changed their webpage host from Page Creator to Sites. Most of the problems were resolved but we do have to go through every page now and fix the error that shows (or rather doesn't show) pricing. We may just remove this as it is redundant to the information in the checkout box. So you should be able to use the page mostly as before.
The biggest benefit is that by being hosted on GoDaddy, we have a direct URL and no more forwarding. The drawback is the advertising bar at the top of every page. To eliminate it, download Mozilla Firefox web browser and the AdBlock Plus Add-On. We have found it to be excellent at removing 99.99% of all web ads.
We will have some tiny house plans up by the end of the year. We are also dabbling with the idea of designing, building, and selling small mobile houses similar to Tumbleweed Homes. These will be one of a kind and based on the trailer that is available. As with our plan sets, we will not charge for local delivery.
The biggest benefit is that by being hosted on GoDaddy, we have a direct URL and no more forwarding. The drawback is the advertising bar at the top of every page. To eliminate it, download Mozilla Firefox web browser and the AdBlock Plus Add-On. We have found it to be excellent at removing 99.99% of all web ads.
We will have some tiny house plans up by the end of the year. We are also dabbling with the idea of designing, building, and selling small mobile houses similar to Tumbleweed Homes. These will be one of a kind and based on the trailer that is available. As with our plan sets, we will not charge for local delivery.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
New Website
Sort of... not really. We had given warnings that Google would be moving hosting of our pages from their Pages protocol to the new (and less improved) Sites protocol. The migration finally took place and our site looks awful. Well, awful compared to how it was. That, and the functionality has been engineered out of it. So now you can look at an aesthetic eyesore of a website from which you can't buy plans. Great marketing, eh?
We will be desperately trying to revive the page with as much of our intermediate web savvy as we can. In the meantime, you might want to see how the Japanese build a house in a day...
We will be desperately trying to revive the page with as much of our intermediate web savvy as we can. In the meantime, you might want to see how the Japanese build a house in a day...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Countdown to Eternity
Good afternoon faithful blog followers! We want to let you know about some changes at the old istockhouseplans homestead. For a while we changed our checkout system to Paypal, but their inability to offer coupons sent us back to Google Checkout. With Google Checkout you can confidently purchase house plans from us knowing that we will never, ever see your credit card number. Now, whether or not you trust Google is a different story. We have also implemented a shopping cart feature which is one of the reasons we went with Paypal for a while. Sort of annoying to order a whole load of plans one at a time.
This calls for a celebration! In order to move some inventory by the end of the year, we are offering a coupon code for 50% off your order. Yes, half off everything in the store, right down to the fixtures and CFL lightbulbs. (Okay, no lightbulbs, apparently we aren't closing our doors). After you fill your cart up with all sorts of goodies, enter coupon code '2009' to take advantage of this offer.
Why buy from us? Three reasons: Our plans are simple to build; our plans are beautiful and functional; our plans are designed for energy efficiency.
After the end of the year, the rest of our coupons will still be available. (Hint: sort our blog posts by the 'coupon' label to see what else we might have). Of course if there are any questions or complaints, go ahead and email us and we'll try to give you the best customer service experience we possibly can.
This calls for a celebration! In order to move some inventory by the end of the year, we are offering a coupon code for 50% off your order. Yes, half off everything in the store, right down to the fixtures and CFL lightbulbs. (Okay, no lightbulbs, apparently we aren't closing our doors). After you fill your cart up with all sorts of goodies, enter coupon code '2009' to take advantage of this offer.
Why buy from us? Three reasons: Our plans are simple to build; our plans are beautiful and functional; our plans are designed for energy efficiency.
After the end of the year, the rest of our coupons will still be available. (Hint: sort our blog posts by the 'coupon' label to see what else we might have). Of course if there are any questions or complaints, go ahead and email us and we'll try to give you the best customer service experience we possibly can.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tiny Houses
Much like Don Ho, Jay Shafer likes to share about things tiny. Istockhouseplans recently had a chance to attend a Tumbleweed House Workshop and to meet Jay personally. Jay's desire to live in a 100sf home for the past decade led him to start drawing up and offering plans to the public. His homes range from 65 to 500+ square feet. Smaller homes from 65sf to 140sf are built on trailers and considered mobile homes. Jay did not start out as an architect or builder. His degree is in art which gives a very fresh right-brained look at the design and building process.
Our left brains have been inspired by meeting Jay and getting a feel for his process. While we have already added some tiny homes to our portfolio, expect to see more in the future. This is a big wave and we hope to steer some of it, not just ride it. For those of you who are not comfortable with tiny houses, consider them as well thought out, amenity rich accessory dwelling units, or whatever it is that you might call them. Just don't call them shacks or shanties.
What do you think, gentle reader? Could you live in a tiny house full time? Why or why not?
Our left brains have been inspired by meeting Jay and getting a feel for his process. While we have already added some tiny homes to our portfolio, expect to see more in the future. This is a big wave and we hope to steer some of it, not just ride it. For those of you who are not comfortable with tiny houses, consider them as well thought out, amenity rich accessory dwelling units, or whatever it is that you might call them. Just don't call them shacks or shanties.
What do you think, gentle reader? Could you live in a tiny house full time? Why or why not?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Time to School You
With the start of school rapidly approaching, istockhouseplans wanted to be able to reach out to a larger audience than we previously had. We unveil to you our kids section, aimed at grade school students. The page currently has some fun activities. We plan to add educational sections shortly to teach kids about how houses are built. Yes, you can probably find these resources elsewhere, but we will go so far as to explain advanced framing techniques to kids. At some point we'd like to create short videos explaining building science.
But for now you can download and print some activity sheets for your kids in pdf. There is also a website treasure hunt that will grow with time. If your kids have questions about the design and building processes of houses, let us know and we will be happy to answer them. We may even post the answers on a Kids FAQ.
Welcome back to school!
But for now you can download and print some activity sheets for your kids in pdf. There is also a website treasure hunt that will grow with time. If your kids have questions about the design and building processes of houses, let us know and we will be happy to answer them. We may even post the answers on a Kids FAQ.
Welcome back to school!
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