FYI

Deadly Mistake #3: Getting a cheap inspection.   Buying a home is probably the most expensive purchase you will ever make.  This is no time to shop for a cheap inspection.  The cost of a home inspection is very small relative to the home being inspected.  The additional cost of hiring a certified...

Deadly Mistake #2: Not hiring a buyer's agent to represent you.   Buying property is a complex and stressful task.  In fact, it is often the biggest, single investment you will make in your lifetime.  At the same time, real estate transactions have become increasingly complicated.  New technology...

Deadly Mistake #1: Thinking you can't afford it.   Today, buying the home of your dreams is easier than ever before.  Many people who thought that buying the home they wanted was simply out of their reach are now enjoying a new lifestyle in their very own new homes.    Buying a home is the smart...

Color Rendering Index (CRI)   CRI is a quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully, in comparison with an ideal or natural light source. The closer the CRI of a lamp is to 100, the more "true" it renders colors in the environment. Po...

Clearances permitted by the 2009 IRC: The minimum distance between luminaires installed in clothes closets and the nearest point of a storage area shall be as follows: 1. Surface-mounted incandescent or LED luminaires with a completely enclosed light source shall be installed on a wall above the ...

    Clothes Closet Lighting   People don't often think about the fire risks posed by the light in their clothes closet, but it's one of the few places in the house where a source of high heat can get too close to flammable materials. Lighting must be installed safely with adequate separation from...

10. Change the way you wash your clothes. Do not use the "half load" setting on your washer. Wait until you have a full load of clothes, as the "half load" setting saves less than half of the water and energy. Avoid using high-temperature settings when clothes are not that dirty. Water that is 14...

9. Cook smart. An enormous amount of energy is wasted while cooking. The following recommendations and statistics illustrate less wasteful ways of cooking: Convection ovens are more efficient that conventional ovens. They use fans to force hot air to circulate more evenly, thereby allowing food t...

8. Insulate windows and doors. About one-third of the home's total heat loss usually occurs through windows and doors. The following are ways to reduce energy lost through windows and doors: Seal all window edges and cracks with rope caulk. This is the cheapest and simplest option. Windows can be...

7. Install daylighting as an alternative to electrical lighting. Daylighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate the home's interior. It can be achieved using the following approaches: skylights. It's important that they be double-pane or they may not be cost-effective. Flashing ...