In recent years, the methods of designing and constructing buildings have undergone many progressive changes. Our future and the future of our environment are now being taken into consideration when designing buildings. Current technology is allowing companies to build for the future.

A method known as Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been developed as a means of collecting interconnected computable information about a building. Because information is continuously being collected as a building project develops, dependable digital representations of the building are always available for review by all parties involved in the design. BIM creates one central model of a design which is available to all design and construction teams so they are all on the same page as the building progresses. This allows for better communication as it relates to making modifications and resolving problems.

Building renovation and home improvement has certainly undergone a makeover since the days when granny sloshed a pot of whitewash over the cottage walls in the spring. Thirty years ago, a man was forgiven for being completely unable to change a light bulb or hang a picture. Nowadays, a man who cannot rebuild his house single handed is considered a bit of a wimp and not much of a catch.

I remember being the victim of a colorful landlady’s attempt at profit optimization in Hong Kong in the late seventies. She had decided to convert one apartment into two tiny units, thinking she would coin in double the rent just for building a few partition walls. The problem was; that was all she did.

When we say; “think green” we are not talking about the color of the paint that you are planning to use on your kitchen walls! A “green” remodel is an environmentally friendly approach to any home renovation project. Thinking green not only improves the look of your home but it is a healthier home with less maintenance and lower utility costs. Plus you are contributing to a making our planet a better place for future generations.

As with all remodel projects, good planning is the key to success and cost efficiencies. If you plan green, you will obtain a wide range of additional benefits that include, comfort and convenience coupled with beauty and efficiency and all of these will be structured on environmentally sound conservation policies with a view to increasing the health of you and your family.

According to the EPA indoor air is considered to be one of the top five hazards to human health.
Studies found that levels of several Volatile Organic Compounds average 2 to 5 times higher indoors than outdoors.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases that are emitted from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which have adverse health effects. VOCs are emitted by a wide array of products including: paints, lacquers, cleaning supplies, paint strippers, correction fluids, carbonless copy paper, graphics and craft materials, glues and adhesives, permanent markers, photographic solutions, pesticides, building materials and furnishings and office equipment such as copiers and printers

To a real estate investor remodeling green may mean the money they are going to make from renovating that ugly house they just bought for a SUCH A DEAL price. To others, it means they want to preserve the earth and not waste energy, building materials or resources when they remodel their home. Some homeowners and contractors look for and use only products that are advertised as being green, or being manufactured in a way that is as non-toxic as possible. They may put in new appliances and HVAC units that are energy efficient. And build new properties with an eye to energy efficiency in the construction methods applied. That’s all good.

During the last years of my father’s life he lived in Brittany, in a charming but somewhat run down French farmhouse which he had purchased on impulse two or three years prior, with the intention of doing some renovations and selling it on.

My father’s name was Jess but the locals preferred to call him Mad English for a variety of reason which will become clearer later in this article. He was a touch eccentric and had absolutely no skills whatever that might be loosely termed as useful in renovating a farmhouse in Brittany.
Dad saw the advertisement in the Immobiliari’s window in Morlaix and was hooked from the moment he saw the place. It consisted of a familiar French layout, a two storey cottage with shutters and an attached longhouse with rooms which could be used as bedrooms. All the bathrooms were ghastly and the kitchen failed description but he was in love with it and with Brittany and had to have it. My mother had an immediate fit and told him there was no way on earth she was going to allow him to buy it.

Is it any wonder why almost 80% of homes in North America use asphalt shingles as the roofing material of choice. The prevalence of asphalt shingles has created a vast assortment of fittings and fixtures designed to work with them. Items such as a multitude of flashing configurations, edge products, and almost every skylight manufactured has an appropriate base configuration for a weatherproof connection with asphalt shingles. All of the material that you need for a proper installation, such as the shingles, tarpaper, nails, vent boots and chimney flashing are available at any home improvement retailer.