Really?   That’s what President Obama said when promoting new tax credits for energy efficiency. He was talking about the so-called “Cash for Caulkers” program (more officially known as Homestar). It’s a program that’s been proposed by both venture capitalist John Doerr and former President Bill Clinton that would offer homeowners money for weatherization as part of another stimulus package. The program would give tax breaks to pay for upgrades and energy audits.

It’s a great idea — it creates business, therefore creates jobs and makes homes more efficient. People like to talk about building more energy efficient homes, but the reality is that even building every one of the 500,000 or so homes being built more efficiently will make only a tiny dent in energy usage compared to the potential of upgrading the millions of existing homes. Supporters of the program, which is apparently being considered at the White House, say it would lead to retrofits of 5.9 million homes and create 500,000 jobs.

The Home Star program — or “Cash for Caulkers” as some have dubbed it — could provide a big boost to home energy efficiency through billions in tax credits and other incentives over two years. President Obama came out in favor of the program in December as part of the administration’s plan to drive job creation, but the final approval has to come from Congress. The exact size of the program is uncertain, but Efficiency First, a trade association started in early 2009 for home energy-efficiency contractors that helped craft Home Star, put the price tag at about $23 billion.

What would the money go for? Here’s how Efficiency First breaks it down:

•$6 billion in funding for homeowner incentives for those who do at least two significant weatherization projects from a list of 10 eligible project types such as air sealing or insulation. Completing two projects would result in up to $2,000 in subsidies and completing four could earn $3,500, capped at 50 percent of project cost.

•$12 billion for homeowners who undertake a weatherization project that reduces energy consumption by at least 20 percent. A 20 percent reduction would earn a $4,000 subsidy and each additional 5 percent would result in another $1,500 subsidy, with funding capped at 50 percent of project cost.

•$2 billion for program administration, including audits of some projects to confirm they’re meeting the energy improvements

•$3 billion in incentives to encourage retailers to support the program to build awareness and educate consumers

Efficiency First says the program would result in 5.9 million residential energy retrofits and create more than 500,000 jobs new jobs in construction and related industries. “Unemployment in the construction industry is double the rest of the economy,” says Matt Golden, founding president of Efficiency First. “Considering the underreporting in this industry, it’s probably really up in the 20s. These really are smart jobs, because they’re long-term.”

The National Association of Home Builders estimates that 11,000 jobs; $527 million in wages and salaries; and $300 million in business income are generated by every $1 billion in new remodeling and home improvement activity. “That’s a huge impact just in the short run, and in the long run, the energy savings for participating homeowners can be quite significant,” says NAHB Chairman Joe Robson.

(Adapted from an article in Professional Remodeler Magazine)

The best way to create a smooth transition from indoors to outdoors is proper choice in materials. Wall finishes, flooring, paint colors and fixtures can and should all be carried from the interior space to the outdoor living areas. For example, repeating a granite or stone slab material that was chosen for the kitchen counter or interior wet bar to the exterior fireplace surround will create a feeling of continuity. Wall treatments such as Italian plaster, natural stone and faux finishes can also be used indoors as well as outdoors to further add to continuity of design.

Today’s outdoor rooms are not your average backyard spaces. They incorporate televisions, integrated audio/visual systems, fireplaces, wet bars and outdoor kitchens. These spaces should be considered as part of the bigger picture. This integration of outdoor living rooms, kitchens, televisions and entertainment systems, bars and outdoor showers is a critical component in creating a lifestyle experience to which most homeowners aspire.

Comfortable seating is a must as is a functional and relaxing dining area. Choices in furnishings and colors to coordinate with the interior of the home will further a feeling of connectedness, making the outdoor living space feel like an extension of the interior.  Thoughtful planning and design incorporating architectural overhangs, heating, lighting and comfortable, durable materials are the foundation of effective outdoor rooms.

At Northcape Design, we offer our customers a full line of outdoor cabinetry and appliances.   Atlantis outdoor cabinetry is weatherproof, meaning it is capable of being exposed to sun, rain, snow, and extreme high and low temperatures without being effected. All cabinetry boxes (and some doors and drawers) are made from solid marine-grade polymer Perma-Panel, which gives Atlantis cabinetry its weatherproof qualities. It can be placed poolside, or on a deck or patio without covering and can stand up to anything Mother Nature can dish out.  Solid wood doors and drawer heads are available in Teak, Cypress and Bamboo, three wood species often used in outdoor furniture and other outdoor applications.

The array of outdoor appliances including built-in grills, side burners, ventilation hoods, refrigerators, cocktail/beer stations and ice machines add flair and convenience to outdoor cooking and entertaining. Atlantis Outdoor Kitchens offers the finest appliances made especially for outdoor living from trusted names such as Lynx, Marvel and Vermont Castings.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it!  Please contact us – We would be happy to give you some ideas on enhancing your outdoor living spaces.

Efforts to stem the proliferation of monster homes have reached epic proportions in recent years. But the battle lines are sometimes fuzzy because the enemy isn’t always clear.

What exactly is a McMansion?  By some accounts, it’s the gargantuan greenfield tract home with a Hummer parked out front that perpetuates sprawl and makes gas guzzling a way of life. Others use the derisive term to describe ostentatious infill homes that—while walkable to schools, shops, and transit—tower over beloved bungalows in established neighborhoods in a way that is less than neighborly.

But different people live by different standards of propriety, and that’s where codifying the offenders becomes difficult.   “One market’s McMansion is another market’s standard issue house,” notes Robert Lang, former co-director of the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech who now heads up the newly minted Brookings Mountain West program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “If you’re in Dallas, 5,000 square feet is the house you buy on a two-faculty salary. But if you are in Boston or San Francisco, this is not a normal-sized house. It’s not fair to come up with a blanket definition. However, every area has its over-the-top houses, and people know which ones they are.”

This may explain why some would-be reformers find it easier to define the essence of McMansion-hood by its antithesis.  Dave Wax, co-founder of the online company FreeGreen (which offers free house plans for small, high-performance homes), defines McMansions as houses that are built to minimum code specifications and saddlebagged with spaces that are used less than 30 percent of the time by their owners. “Like all stereotypes, it’s a term that has no definition and so is inherently unfair,” Wax concedes. “That said, having a bad guy is necessary for any social change. And so the McMansion is the bad guy.”

Can the vilified McMansion, in its various forms and habitats, survive a post-recession economy? Many signs suggest the odds are stacked against it. Lending standards have tightened, and many buyers no longer have the cash on hand for down payments on fancy homes. Add to that a U.S. unemployment rate that continues to hover around 9.5 percent and resale competition from foreclosures (many of which are McMansions themselves), and the outlook seems bleak for showy homes that many consider emblems of decadence and greed.

Even for those who can afford them, trophy homes constitute an image problem at a time when modesty has become fashionable. One recent CNNMoney.com poll asked more than 33,000 online readers if they thought American homes had gotten too big; 69 percent said yes.

Demand for big houses could also fizzle as population shifts place families with kids in the home buying minority. Some demographers estimate that up to 80 percent of new households formed over the next 15 years will be child-free as Baby Boomers empty their nests and career-driven Millennials postpone marriage and kids.

Arthur “Chris” Nelson, director of the Metropolitan Research Center at the University of Utah, predicts that as a result, the nation could see a surplus of 22 million large-lot homes by 2025. Household sizes are trending smaller at the same time that household budgets have become leaner. That makes butler pantries and media rooms a tougher sell.

In fact, the residential landscape is already changing. In a recent poll of 500 residential architects by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), only 4 percent of respondents reported that their clients were requesting more square footage in new projects, compared to 16 percent in 2008. A subsequent AIA Home Design Trends Survey found significant decreases in consumer spending on features such as in-law suites, three-car garages, and home theaters. Builders are singing a similar tune, with 90 percent of respondents in a recent NAHB poll indicating plans to build smaller.

So it’s no surprise that American house sizes, which doubled from 1960 to the height of the boom, are now backpedaling. The average house breaking ground in the first quarter of 2009 was 2,335 square feet, down from 2,629 square feet in the second quarter of 2008, according to NAHB figures. Since 2007, median sizes for new single-family homes have fallen nearly 10 percent.

By:  Jenny Sullivan – Builder Magazine

Windows & Doors

Just how much energy do “energy-efficient” doors and windows save? Claims vary, but sealing leaks with caulk or weatherstripping could be the first step. On the other hand, replacing windows might be the answer. Everything depends on the house, and every house is different.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), heat loss through windows can account for anywhere from 10% to 25% of a homeowners’ heating bill. In climates where air conditioning is in steady use, the DOE says that energy-efficient windows can reduce electricity consumption by 10% to 15%.

But, if the house is an obvious candidate for new windows and doors. What exactly does “energy efficient” mean?

Before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was passed, “energy efficient” meant Energy Star–qualified. That qualification is and was based on ratings certified by the National Fenestration Rating Council. NFRC’s ratings take into account some or all of five criteria: U-factor, solar heat gain coefficient, visible light transmittance, air leakage, and condensation resistance.

In 2006 and 2007, “Energy Star–qualified” meant a window was eligible for the $200 federal tax credit available at the time. Many windows qualified. According to the DOE, Energy Star–qualified windows have a 53% share of market. One reason is that Energy Star takes a flexible approach: It qualifies windows by matching NFRC ratings with one of four specified climate zones.

But to be “energy efficient” enough to qualify for the federal tax credit under the ARRA, climate zones are beside the point and only the U-factor and solar heat gain coefficient matter:

U-factor measures resistance to heat flow on a 0 to 1.2 scale. The lower the rating, the greater the resistance. To qualify for tax credits, a window or door’s U-factor must be 0.30 or less, regardless of climate zone.

Solar heat gain coefficient measures how well the window blocks heat gain from the sun. SHGC is measured as a number between 0 and 1. The closer to zero, the more efficient the window. To qualify for credits, the SHGC of the unit must be 0.30 or less.

The “0.30 / 0.30” standard is stringent. So stringent, in fact, that skylights, which make up between 2% to 3% of the total fenestration market, have been all but eliminated for tax credits.

As for storm doors and storm windows, some manufacturers assume their products qualify because they did so under the 2006/2007 act. Others are more cautious.  A final IRS ruling is expected later this year.

And when it comes to windows, it is estimated that only between 15% to 20% of available product types qualify for tax credits using 0.30 / 0.30. But, for homeowners, the low cost of a window job relative to more expensive renovations means that tax credits are a powerful incentive. If it’s a $5,000 project and they’re getting $1,500 back, that could really influence a decision.

To ensure that the door or window you are ordering qualifies, check for the NFRC label or check the NFRC’s directory of certified products.  Another place to look is your door or window supplier’s website. Many provide rating information for indiv­idual products.

Some, such as Ohio door maker ProVia Door, feature downloadable NFRC labels. When the homeowner goes to file IRS form 5695 [PDF], they will need to submit that label. The supplier may also offer a letter certifying that the windows or doors qualify for tax credits under the ARRA. Those letters are recommended but are not required by the IRS.

The tax credit is applied to the amount of the sale minus installation cost, so homeowners need to know that installation cost. Some window replacement companies already post those costs on their websites. For example, 1-800-Hansons, a windows and siding company in Madison Heights, Mich., states on its site that “16% of the contract price of Hansons’ installation jobs is typically allocated to installation labor.” So for a $10,000 job, the tax credit would be applied to $8,400, and result in a $1,500 credit.

Insulation and Weatherization

Dollar for dollar, insulation and weatherization deliver more bang for their energy-efficiency buck than almost any home improvement. Happily for homeowners, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s $1,500 tax credit can be applied, in theory, to a broad array of materials and methods — batts, spray foam, loose-fill; wraps, sealants, tapes, and flashing; even structural insulated panels — that are primarily designed to reduce the heat loss or gain of the nation’s estimated 80 million under-insulated homes.

On its surface, the insulation provision is simple: Homeowners can take a tax credit of 30% of the cost of materials only, to a maximum of $1,500, for insulation work performed this year and next. That’s triple the credit available since 2005. The sum of the resulting “insulation material used in layers” must meet the R-values prescribed by the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC).  The recovery bill is a great opportunity to move forward toward a more energy-efficient housing stock.

Things start to get sticky with the IECC. Published by the International Code Council (ICC) and based on goals set by the U.S. Department of Energy, the 2009 IECC will produce 15% in energy-efficiency gains over the 2006 version, according to the DOE.

Regarding insulation, the 2009 IECC is considerably tougher than the previous version, particularly in colder parts of the country, where R-values (thermal resistance) are now as high as 21 for wood frame walls, 38 for floors, and 49 for ceilings and attics. The new code requirements make it tough for builders to do things as usual and still meet the code.  This is especially true in remodeling, when insulation is sometimes compressed into small cavities, potentially compromising R-value.

Numerous products meet the specified R-values, including fiberglass and cotton batt insulation with ratings of R-21 or higher that can be installed in a 2×6-framed wall cavity, plus several loose-fill products using fiberglass, cellulose, or other materials that can be installed behind netting in open framing or used to fill cavities in existing walls.  Such products likely won’t be as inexpensive as the old mainstays, however, or necessarily prove as easy to find, at least based on a few calls to building supply retailers.

In some cases, in fact, meeting the prescribed R-values becomes almost cost-prohibitive. Ironically, it may even deter homeowners from choosing what many green remodeling advocates believe are the best (but most expensive) insulating products: water-based spray foams that expand to fill gaps and holes.

There are also concerns about the labor component of the ARRA — more specifically, the absence of a labor component.  Why the tax credit doesn’t cover labor costs mystifies some industry sources. It’s still a wonderful credit, but insulation materials don’t get to the effective R-value without labor.

Perhaps more importantly, from the safety and efficacy perspectives, insulating existing homes is different from insulating new homes, where there are no obstructions or hidden conditions. The wrong product can be selected for the wrong location, or placed too close to the recessed lights, or not blown to the specified depth. Gaps, cracks, and openings are left unsealed. Inadequate ventilation can allow harmful substances to build up. Installers have to be a lot more attentive when they’re doing retrofit work. Besides having enough knowledge to be able to specify the right insulation product — and even know about new products — insulating in conjunction with remodeling work takes more time, and the right kind of person.

The federal tax credit is 30% of the cost of materials only, up to $1,500, per household for insulation and other improvements combined. Labor is excluded, so the invoice should separate materials and labor. It must be installed between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010 and must meet the specifications of the 2009 IECC. The materials’ primary purpose must be to insulate, and must be expected to remain in use for at least five years or have a minimum two-year warranty. Check with manufacturers for eligibility and to obtain certifications for record-keeping.

Roofing: Tax credits can offset upgrades to energy-efficient metal and asphalt roofs

 From mechanical equipment in the basement to insulation in the walls, there are plenty of opportunities for homeowners to invest in building products that will help them earn tax credits.  At the top of the list, in many situations, are high-efficiency roofing materials. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) legislation may inspire homeowners to upgrade their roofs because they want to — not because they have to.

For the purposes of the 2009 ARRA tax credit legislation, qualified roofing materials include metal roofing and asphalt shingles treated with coatings or cooling granules specifically designed to reduce heat gain.

Materials must be “placed in service” between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2010, and must be expected to last for at least five years.  Taxpayers may claim only materials costs for the tax credit. Labor is not included. All eligible products must meet Energy Star requirements for roofing materials, and all Energy Star roofing materials in the metal and asphalt categories qualify.

The energy efficiency of reflective asphalt shingles and metal roofing is built into the products themselves. Manufacturers say that installation for these materials is the same as with standard roofing products. Metal roofing can be installed over existing shingle roofs, eliminating the waste created by roof tear-outs. Metal roofing has a misperception of being very heavy.  It’s actually one-third the weight of an asphalt roof in many cases. And by installing metal over an existing asphalt roof, it can be very environmentally friendly. It’s estimated that 22 billion pounds a year of asphalt shingles are put into landfills.”

With respect to the new legislation, upgraded roofing carries a green message, since a properly installed energy-efficient roof can reduce a home’s heating and cooling requirements. However, one aspect of the ARRA legislation that is not clear is whether other types of cool-roof products qualify for tax credits. Manufacturers GAF and CertainTeed, as well as many others, supply rolled roofing materials such as TPO membranes and other cool-roof products for installation on flat and low-slope roofs. The materials, which are often white, can be highly reflective and reduce roof and attic temperatures.

Because the legislation specifically calls out asphalt shingles and metal roofs, industry organizations such as the International Code Council, which developed the International Energy Conservation Code, say that those are the only categories eligible for the credit of 30%, up to $1,500.

That said, Diane Gola, marketing communications manager for GAF, recommends visiting the Resources page of the Cool Roof Rating Council’s website at www.coolroofs.org. The site’s Codes & Programs page lists states where local tax credits or utility rebates may be available for cool-roofing materials beyond the asphalt shingles and metal roofing products outlined by the ARRA 2009 legislation.

(Exerpted from Remodeling Magazine)