Think about how you spend your days: working, studying, playing, shopping, sleeping. Now think about where you spend your days. Most of us spend at least 80% of our time indoors, and that percentage increases during the winter. So how these indoor environments make us feel really matters.
While we usually think of air pollution as an outdoor phenomenon, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that indoor-air quality is often five times worse - and can be more than 100 times worse - than the air outdoors. In the mid-1980s, the World Health Organization determined that as many as 30% of buildings worldwide have poor indoor-air quality, causing "sick building syndrome" symptoms.
In the past, concern about indoor pollutants centered on the long-term diseases caused by cigarette smoke and by radon, asbestos and lead exposure. While these are still serious issues, health officials have become aware of a broader range of common indoor pollutants.
In many buildings, bad air is often the result of a buildup of fungi, mold and bacteria, which can cause everything from asthma attacks to the deadly Legionnaire's disease. In addition to these biological hazards, various building materials, finishes, furnishings, office equipment, heating systems and household products can create a toxic smog in our dwellings. Some building finishes and furnishings release, or "off-gas," volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, benzene and toluene - known or suspected carcinogens. Some electronic office equipment off-gasses ozone. Gas heaters and stoves release carbon monoxide.
Here are some examples of materials and products that are prime sources of indoor air pollution:
* Building materials: treated wood products such as particle board, adhesives
* Finishes: paint, carpeting
* Furnishings: upholstery fabrics
* Office equipment: copiers, printers, fax machines
* Heating systems: gas heaters and stoves
* Household products: cleaners, detergents, pesticides, air fresheners, perfumes and even those stinky dry-erase markers
Fumes from these materials typically do not make people sick in structures with good air flow. The energy crisis of the 1970s prompted construction of tightly sealed buildings with windows that cannot be opened, and inadequate ventilation. While this did help to conserve energy, it also contributed to the indoor air-quality problems we have today. Ventilation standards have since been raised, but the air quality in your home, school or office may still be poor.
Short of having an indoor-air-quality specialist do an assessment of the buildings where you live and work, here are some things you can do to safeguard your health:
* Open the windows from time to time to get some outside air flowing through the rooms.
* When using paint or chemical products, or bringing new furniture or materials into the building, allow the rooms to air out for a day before occupying them.
* When you're doing renovation work or interior decorating, look for formaldehyde-free particleboard and carpeting and VOC-free paints and adhesives.
* If you're ready to replace your carpet, consider switching to wood or linoleum flooring, since carpets make great habitat for bacteria and mold.
* Keep office equipment, such as copiers and printers, away from the area where you spend the most time.
* Make sure that your heating, ventilation and cooling systems get routine maintenance, such as filter replacement.
* Remove any water-damaged carpeting and ceiling tiles.
* Use a carbon-monoxide detector.
* Keep paints, adhesives, cleaning products and pesticides in well-ventilated areas away from your main living quarters.
* Reduce or eliminate your use of chemical cleaning products, air fresheners, pesticides and other chemical products.
* Buy indoor plants, such as the spider plant and golden pothos, which absorb carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from the air.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Is it hard to modify a set of House Plans?
House Plans with some modifications
Do you know what you're looking for in a set of house plans? You probably do. Most people who visit our website have at least a vague idea of what they want in a home; there are some people who know exactly what they want -- down to the smallest detail.
So here you are on the Internet, looking through house plans on top of house plans. Do you ever get frustrated when you find a home design that seems to fit what you want, but it just doesn't have the right feel? Maybe the bathroom is arranged wrong, or maybe there isn't enough cabinet space in the kitchen. For some reason or another, this particular set of house plans doesn't quite fit.
Have you ever considered hiring a draftsman to modify a set of house plans?
House Plan Modifications are EASY! For most people, hiring someone to make changes to house plans is a very scary concept. Think about it, you're going out to find someone who will change the design of your home -- your living space -- and youre paying him quite a bit to do it! Most house plan modification services cost anywhere from $65 to $100 an hour. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is! Many people are worried that their costs will skyrocket; others are afraid that the finished product won't be what they had imagined; still others feel their blood pressure rise just by the thought of searching out and hiring a draftsman. It's perfectly normal to feel a bit apprehensive when it comes to modifying a set of house plans.
The Plan Collection can make it easier to get your dream house plans.
So it's kinda scary to hire someone to modify your house plans... well, we're here to help. First of all, you may not even need to hire someone. Some simple modifications can be made by your builder. Moving a window or door, adding a fireplace, or changing the exterior finish of a home can usually be done in the field -- without paying a draftsman to redraw the house plans.
If you have some relatively simple changes in mind (i.e. modifications that don't require any changes to the structure of the home), you should discuss them with your builder. He will tell you whether or not he can red-line these changes in the field. If he can't, or if your local building council won't allow red-lining, you will have to hire someone else to help -- and that's where we come in.
Give us a call at 866-787-2023. Most of our house plans can be modified by their original designers. In some cases, the designers are either retired, or they prefer not to change any of their existing house plans; but that's okay -- we can get you set up one way or another.
Know EXACTLY what you want.
Just make sure that you know exactly what you want. It's very difficult to interpret a request like, "add 3 more bedrooms and 1 more bath," or, "reduce this home by 1,000 square feet." These kinds of requests just aren't feasible unless you have a specific plan of action. You need to think about how your changes are going to affect the look and feel of the home, and you're going to have to explain it to us.
Remember that although we're here to help in any way we can, at the end of the day, The Plan Collection is not an architectural firm -- we just sell house plans. We can give a few suggestions, but it's ultimately up to you to decide how the changes are to be made. We can't offer a consultation service. You tell us exactly what to do to the house plans, and we'll get them drawn accordingly -- in a quick and professional manner.
Most house plan modifications can be made within 2 or 3 weeks. Please call us if you have any questions -- we're here to help you find your dream home, and if you need to make modifications to the house plans in order to achieve that dream, so be it. We'll help you get there!
Do you know what you're looking for in a set of house plans? You probably do. Most people who visit our website have at least a vague idea of what they want in a home; there are some people who know exactly what they want -- down to the smallest detail.
So here you are on the Internet, looking through house plans on top of house plans. Do you ever get frustrated when you find a home design that seems to fit what you want, but it just doesn't have the right feel? Maybe the bathroom is arranged wrong, or maybe there isn't enough cabinet space in the kitchen. For some reason or another, this particular set of house plans doesn't quite fit.
Have you ever considered hiring a draftsman to modify a set of house plans?
House Plan Modifications are EASY! For most people, hiring someone to make changes to house plans is a very scary concept. Think about it, you're going out to find someone who will change the design of your home -- your living space -- and youre paying him quite a bit to do it! Most house plan modification services cost anywhere from $65 to $100 an hour. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is! Many people are worried that their costs will skyrocket; others are afraid that the finished product won't be what they had imagined; still others feel their blood pressure rise just by the thought of searching out and hiring a draftsman. It's perfectly normal to feel a bit apprehensive when it comes to modifying a set of house plans.
The Plan Collection can make it easier to get your dream house plans.
So it's kinda scary to hire someone to modify your house plans... well, we're here to help. First of all, you may not even need to hire someone. Some simple modifications can be made by your builder. Moving a window or door, adding a fireplace, or changing the exterior finish of a home can usually be done in the field -- without paying a draftsman to redraw the house plans.
If you have some relatively simple changes in mind (i.e. modifications that don't require any changes to the structure of the home), you should discuss them with your builder. He will tell you whether or not he can red-line these changes in the field. If he can't, or if your local building council won't allow red-lining, you will have to hire someone else to help -- and that's where we come in.
Give us a call at 866-787-2023. Most of our house plans can be modified by their original designers. In some cases, the designers are either retired, or they prefer not to change any of their existing house plans; but that's okay -- we can get you set up one way or another.
Know EXACTLY what you want.
Just make sure that you know exactly what you want. It's very difficult to interpret a request like, "add 3 more bedrooms and 1 more bath," or, "reduce this home by 1,000 square feet." These kinds of requests just aren't feasible unless you have a specific plan of action. You need to think about how your changes are going to affect the look and feel of the home, and you're going to have to explain it to us.
Remember that although we're here to help in any way we can, at the end of the day, The Plan Collection is not an architectural firm -- we just sell house plans. We can give a few suggestions, but it's ultimately up to you to decide how the changes are to be made. We can't offer a consultation service. You tell us exactly what to do to the house plans, and we'll get them drawn accordingly -- in a quick and professional manner.
Most house plan modifications can be made within 2 or 3 weeks. Please call us if you have any questions -- we're here to help you find your dream home, and if you need to make modifications to the house plans in order to achieve that dream, so be it. We'll help you get there!
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
We at The Plan Collection just received an email from one of our past customers, and with his permission, I'd like to share a little bit about his experiences. It's a success story that will show you just how enjoyable an adventure building your own home can be -- especially if you get things started off on the right foot. I'd just like to highlight a few key points that helped give this project a happy ending:CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOUSE PLANSLike most people, Garry had considered building a home for quite some time, but he had a few concerns: "I had been thinking about building but wasn't sure how it would work on such a narrow lot. I went to Google and just typed 'House Plans < 25 feet wide'. Your site came up. This plan was the third unit I looked at and fell in love with it." Garry also went on to say that, We really liked working with The Plan Collection site for a couple of reasons. We loved all the choices. There were so many homes to choose from. We also really liked the 'Advanced Search' because we had some very special requirements and this search option helped us narrow our choices down to the plan we fell in love with. HIRE THE RIGHT PROFESSIONALSEarly on, Garry and his wife chose to hire a professional interior designer -- Annie Florin from HPF DESIGNS -- and that made all the difference. According to Garry:
And what makes this story even better is that this particular home actually ended up taking 3rd place at a local Parade of Homes -- along with many other awards, including "Best Kitchen". Here are a few of the photos: |
"We chose to work with a designer because of the many decisions that need to be made right up front that affect so many other choices further along in the process. If we had made a mistake early on, we could have easily jeopardized the look of our beautiful home in the end. We chose to seek out a professional who understood the consequences of decisions that needed to be made and what effects it would have to the overall appearance of the home. We chose to go with an independent decorator vs. the builder's 'on site' decorator because we found that the independent would make sure our interests were met, not just that of the builder's. We have heard horror stories of couples getting divorced over building a house. That is such a shame. This project was so easy with the aid of our designer. My wife and I have different taste and the designer was able to hear both of our ideas and bring things together that satisfied both of us. It was so easy we didn't even realize it was happening. I have also heard, 'I wish I would have done this or that.' I can say we have both said I wouldn't change anything. With an investment of this magnitude a designer's fee is probably the best money spent in my opinion, whatever it is."
| And here is my personal favorite -- the custom fireplace. |
All of this amazing interior design was brought to you by HPF Designs, and they also made the custom fireplace, kitchen cabinetry, and the custom desk unit.
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