01/18/11

Piecing it All Together

One of the beautiful things about living on the water is the amazing waterfowl and wildlife we see right outside of our door. This eagle is one of several that frequent the shorelines of the C&D Canal, watching for opportunities to feast on fish.

We opted to install tile floors in our bathrooms. We selected tile that was not slippery for safety purposes. To give the area visual appeal, we chose a more dramatic tile. Here is the initial layout for the main bath.

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11/30/10

Over the Top

 This picture is a shot from my camera phone of The World—a luxury cruise boat that travels the globe over the course of a year. The World passed by on a beautiful fall afternoon, and we were reminded of what a special location we have found here on the C&D Canal for our EverLife Design model home.

We decided to use Corian countertops for our bathroom sinks and master bedroom tub surround for the EverLife Design home. Corian is manufactured by DuPont, and has many positive attributes, including its durability and the fact that it is Greenguard Indoor Air Quality certified. Our countertop and tub surround installer is Jerry...

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10/07/10

Getting Stoned...

We chose a few stone applications for the EverLife Design model home. For the exterior columns flanking our no-step entry on the front porch and our fireplace surround, we selected real stone veneer for finish material. We chose real stone veneer for exterior use because the colors do not tend to fade like some man-made products.

We chose DeMeo Masonry Inc. for our stonework. Here, the finishing touches are being put on our base columns.

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08/17/10

Spray Foam Insulation

 Though unseen, one of the most important components of a structure is its insulation. Insulation can determine whether or not your home is quiet, energy efficient, and comfortable.

We chose Demilec’s Sealection Agribalance insulation for the EverLife Design home. County Group Insulation provided the material and installed the product. Sealection Agribalance is a semi-rigid, open-cell polyurethane foam insulation that is sprayed into the wall cavities. Once a thin layer is applied, the product expands to fill the gaps and seal all cracks. Not only does this insulation provide a higher R-value (4.45 per inch) than traditional...

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07/29/10

Roughing It!

After the shell of a home is constructed, the rough-ins for the mechanical systems are installed, including electrical, plumbing, HVAC, security system, central vacuum system and surround sound system. Some consumers also desire in-home communication intercom systems and smart home technology systems. For some jurisdictions, sprinkler systems are required as well. This blog posting will cover the rough-ins for the electrical and surround sound systems for the EverLife Design home.

One of the most tedious tasks that must be determined is the lighting layout and design for a new home. In some instances, this can be fairly straightforward, but in...

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06/22/10

Heating and Cooling Using the Earth: Geothermal HVAC

This blog post will cover installation of the geothermal heating and cooling system we installed in the EverLife Design home.

Geothermal heating and cooling is a method that has been around for several decades, but has only recently gained popularity for its energy efficiency properties and reduced use of natural resources. In extremely abbreviated terms, geothermal units recruit the earth’s base temperature of about 55 degrees through continuous closed-circuit piping, called “loops,” that are filled with a solution of water and antifreeze. The solution is then pumped into a heat pump that recruits the BTUs from that consistent 55-degree temperature. The heat pump then either “flash heats” and distributes the heated air through the ductwork in the...

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05/12/10

It’s More Than Just a Wrapper!

This blog post will cover installation of the exterior siding on the EverLife Design home.

Every siding project starts at a beginning point. We installed a watertable at the base of the home, which acted as the starting point for building up the siding. We used Azek materials for our exterior trim. Azek is a composite material made, in part, of PVC. While PVC is known to be processed in a decidedly unfriendly manner for the environment, it also will not rot, decay or require maintenance. Like many choices that must be made regarding materials and the impact it has on the environment, sometimes one aspect outweighs others in...

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04/12/10

Room With a View

03/10/10

Copperhead

For the barrel roof features on the front and rear porches, we elected to use copper as the finish material for its durability, since it is a lifetime product, and for the special look it acquires over time. The copper here is being installed on the rear porch, which overlooks the C&D Canal. Copper is recyclable and slowly develops a “patina” through an oxidation process.

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02/19/10

Do a Little Dance…

This portion of the blog will show our porches being installed using seamless concrete texturing techniques.