Serving North and South Carolina

This is an excellent question that can be answered in a number of different ways, but the bottom line when it comes to a green home is it depends on which aspects of green are important to YOU.

• We have clients who are totally focused on energy efficiency and achieving true zero energy, but overlook the importance of indoor air quality in a tight efficient home and put items in their home which are a detriment to their indoor environment.
• We have other clients who look at sustainability and material efficiency as their key metric and sometimes overlook important aspects like durability and replacement cost.

We make an effort to deliver the personally meaningful green values to our clients while making them aware of the implications of ignoring other important green areas.

Article by Randy Potter Santa Clara, CA

For us, a green home means one that has been designed and built intelligently with specific focus on a passive design and a well-sealed, efficient building envelope. Once the efficient envelope is

10 Questions to Help You Decide

"To build or to buy." That's the primary question to answer before building a new luxury home.

A friend and partner in our Pacesetters Builder 20 group, Terbrock FH & Sons offer a book that is a must read for anyone considering the adventure of building a custom home.

To help you decide, ask yourself these ten important questions. Be very honest. Answer each one carefully. Keep in your mind that there are no right or wrong answers. You're simply trying to determine the best course of action at this point in your life.

1. Do I have a hard time making decisions?
2. Once I make decisions, do I struggle with wanting to change them?
3. Am I a perfectionist?
4. Is my schedule so busy it's difficult to find time to do the things I enjoy?
5. Does uncertainty and lack of control add stress to my life?
6. Am I regularly disappointed by interactions with other people?
7. Do I handle conflict by looking for the win/win solution?
8. Do I have some available time in my life for the next two to three years?
9. Am I realistic enough to recognize that things aren't always perfect?
10. ls our family life stable enough to handle the additional activity?

If you answered "no" to the first six questions and "yes" to the last four,

A ceiling fan  under your patio cover or porch veranda adds an element of comfort to your outdoor living area. Outdoor ceiling fans must be moisture resistant and must meet industry regulations for this in order to be sold as an outdoor ceiling fan. Help with your selection can be obtained by using the following suggestions.

Difficulty: Moderate
Instructions
Step 1
Consider the size of the area where you plan to install an outdoor ceiling fan. If this space is equivalent to a normal size room, then you will need to purchase only one outdoor ceiling fan. If the area has very high ceilings, then you will need to purchase an outdoor ceiling fan with a pole extension, the length depending upon the height of the area. If the area has a very low height, then you will need to purchase a flush mounted fan.
Step 2
Purchase a ceiling fan that is an "indoor/outdoor" model or one that is advertised to be an outdoor ceiling fan. These fans will be resistant to water and weather elements.
Step 3
Choose blade lengths or sizes depending upon