Michael F. Simon Builders

Michael F. Simon Builders July 2010 Newsletter

Happy 4th of July! We hope you had as much fun as we did over the holiday weekend. Summer is our busiest time of year, as people want their remodeling projects done in time to enjoy before it starts to get cold. If you're thinking of building or remodeling, don't wait, call us today!

Michael F Simon Builders has joined twitter recently; make sure to check us out next time your surfing the net. We also have pictures and stories on our Facebook page as well so be sure to add us as a friend!

Best regards,

Continuing Education

In our effort to advance our knowledge of the building process, our employees attend training classes from time to time. Last month we had a group of employees take an all day lead safety class put on by the Department of Health Services. Our most current continuing education opportunity was Paul Simon completing the Green Certified Professional exam.

The National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI) has established the Green Certified Professional (GCP) designation to promote the highest standards of green remodeling through credentialing of remodeling professionals. This six week night class was followed by a comprehensive 250 question test.

The class focuses on Green Building. More specifically, it covers Building Science, Indoor Air Quality, Deconstruction, Foundations, Framing, Roofing, Insulation, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC), Electrical, Renewable Energy, Appliances, Plumbing, Exterior Finishes, Interior Materials/Finishes, Exterior Site Development and Marketing and how we can be Greener throughout the building process.

This is just one of the things that helps separate us from other building companies.

Past Project: Addition & Screened Porch

This particular job was finished last summer, but it's a perfect example of how we can add space to your home and making it look original, not like an addition. In this case, the homeowners loved their home's location and their neighbors but needed a little more space.

Scroll over the picture to see the "Before" picture.

The addition consisted of two levels; the lower level is an added bedroom while the main level is an extension of their living room. The windows that used to be the outside wall of the living room were saved and reused in the addition. A new Deck with a redesigned stairway was also added off of the new living room.

One of the major differences is how you feel while inside. The addition was able to connect the existing kitchen and living room and gives it an open free-flowing layout. It's a night and day difference that you almost have to see to believe.

Keep the Humidity Down This Summer

A dehumidifier is a great way to keep the relative humidity down in the basement. This helps keep it cool, dry, and helps to circulate and filter the air in the basement. Over 40% of the air you breathe day-to-day comes from the basement. The healthier the air, the better it is for the rest of the home.

Excess dampness and moisture in the basement air can cause smells to occur in the summer. This is typically the work of the dampness allowing mold to grow somewhere in the basement, but the moisture itself has a smell. This odor and moisture can and will travel into the first floor of the home. Covering up the odors isn't dealing with the problem, and if you're experiencing this on your first floor, it's time to address the issues causing them in the basement.

Dehumidifiers actually remove the moisture from the air and replace it with dry air. Removing the moisture isn't just good for your health, it's also good for your electricity bill. Too much moisture in the air will actually make it harder for your Air Conditioning units to cool the air in the home. The harder they have to work means they run longer and increase your electricity bills.

New Product: Adjustable Tint on Your Windows

A Minnesota-based invention company called Sage Electrochromics, Inc has received a financial loan of $103 million from the Department of Energy for its breakthrough glass innovation, a window that can be switched on or off to reject up to 98% of the sun's heat and light on a push of a button. The money will be used to build up a 250,000 square foot manufacturing facility to mass produce the energy-saving glass. This electronically tintable glass has the main purpose to cut utility bills and reduce carbon emissions. It can switch from clear to darkly tinted and back at the simple push of a button. While rejecting almost the entire heat of a summer afternoon in its tinted state and capturing the maximum sunlit warmth on sunny winter days, the energy usage of a building will decrease by 28%.

The SageGlass is produced almost the same way as a regular energy-efficient low-e glass is made: regular glass is coated with layers of metal oxides using a vacuum deposition process called “sputtering.” In order to determine how the glass absorbs or reflects light and heat from the sun, a low-voltage current is pushed though the coatings.

This breakthrough helps a lot in the design of new passive houses that are able to sustain themselves with solar energy, as total usage will become lower and lower.

Be Our Friend & Follow Our Tweets!

Watch step by step as we build a custom home from our Facebook page!

Email The Builder:

Q: I always forget whether the bottom floor air vents should be in the open or closed position during the summer when the AC is Running.  Please advise. -Bruce

A: In short: if you have a high and low register on your interior wall, the lower register should be closed in summer, open in winter!

Here's a little better explanation though. The return registers in your home pull in room air and return it to the HVAC unit to be reconditioned. They are located on interior walls. The majority of homes are equipped with return air registers that are capable of being redirected seasonally. These are called Hi-Lo registers. To tell if you have this type, look at your registers on your interior walls. If you have one located on the wall near the floor and one directly above it, near the ceiling, you do. In the summer, they pull the rising warm air off of the ceiling and return it to the air conditioner to be cooled. In the winter, with the flip of a damper, they pull the cold air from the floor and return it to the HVAC unit.

If you haven't switched your return air dampers from the heating position to the air conditioning position, now is the time to do so. The lower register should be closed in summer, open in winter!

If you have any questions on this, give us a call and we will help you out.

Featured Lot For Sale

Tuscany Ridge, Waunakee

Lot 21, Tuscany Lane
Click for Printable Lot Map
This home lot contains 27,994 sq. ft. (.64 acre) and allows a full walkout to the rear (south). This is your chance to get one of the last lots available in Tuscany Ridge. Priced at $209,900.00.

Tips from Bob & Terry:

Bob Clemens (remodeling expert) and Terry Dowell (Project Manager) from Simon Builders, have picked up a few tips and tricks over their 50 plus combined years here at Simon Builders. This month, they have an easy one minute tip that can keep your basement from smelling like a sewer.

Do the floor drains or sinks in your unfinished area smell like sewer from time to time? If so the water in your plumbing trap may have evaporated. The plumbing trap is meant to do just that, trap water to make a seal and keep sewer gas from coming back into your home. What's the fix? That's easy; Try pouring some water in the floor drain followed by a ¼ cup of vegetable oil. The oil keeps the water from evaporating. This is an easy way to keep that drain or sink that never gets used from smelling up your home.