Asheville NC Custom Builder shares on Water Filters

Ah, that wonderful refreshing taste of a tall cold glass of water, cooling, soothing and pure. But is it pure? What about all those invisible microbes and bacteria? What about all those pesticides and herbicides you do not see? It is enough to spoil that thirst quenching moment. So how do you get pure drinking water? Most people get a water filtration system. However, no one unit can remove all the impurities in our drinking water. And there are many types to choose from. If you have a better understanding of how water filters work, then you will be able to get the right one to fit your lifestyle.

Most filters today are charcoal, or activated charcoal. There are also other types of filters like Ion Exchange Units, Reverse Osmosis, and Distillation Units. Charcoal, which is mostly carbon, is the residue of partial burning or destructive distillation of organic material. When special heating or chemical processing is added to charcoal, it becomes much more absorptive, and is then referred to as activated charcoal. So a charcoal filter works on the principle of absorption. Large volumes of gases, including most poisonous ones, stick to the charcoal, which is quite porous. Charcoal is what they use in gas masks because it has such a large porous surface area, it absorbs a lot of impurities. Charcoal filters are used in ice maker filters, under counter filters, counter top filters, whole house filters, and more. You get the message, charcoal really takes out the garbage.

Since there are so many choices in models and designs in water filters, there are a few things you will need to do before making your choice: Have your water tested by the local utility and get a report of the contaminants in your water, figure out how much water you drink, that will determine what type of filter to purchase and install, be prepared to stock additional filter cartridges to be replaced on an ongoing basis. By doing your homework you will pick the proper system for your needs and improve your quality of life. Advantage Development Co. Is an award winning custom green home builder in Asheville NC building fine custom homes for two decades. Call us today at 828-215-9064 or visit us today at http://www.advdevco.com/ to learn why we are the better builder in Asheville and the surrounding areas.

Asheville NC Custom Builder hates putting HVAC Equipment & Duct Work in Attics

Where is the hottest place in your house on an 85 degree summer day? Where is the coldest place in your house on a frigid January night? In both cases, it is the attic. So, if you were deciding where to locate a forced air heating and cooling system, what is just about the worst place you could put it? It is obvious: Do not put your HVAC system in an unconditioned attic.

What is a better location? Put the ducts between the floors or in dropped soffits inside conditioned areas of the house. That way the conditioned air always travels through ducts at room temperature. Some better builders will condition the attic by placing insulation near the roof deck rather than at the ceiling. This brings attic temperatures much closer to those inside the house, but it does add an additional energy load to the home. It is a step in the right direction, which is getting HVAC systems located inside the living space of the home. Advantage Development Co. is an award winning custom green builder in Asheville NC and understands the importance of having all HVAC duct work within the conditioned space of the home for optimal energy savings. Call us today at 828-215-9064 for a free consultation or visit us at http://www.advdevco.com/ to see why we are the better builder.

Asheville NC Custom Builder shares about Cork Flooring

Cork as we know it is the product of the cork-oak tree. The bark is peeled off of the tree with the use of hand-held tools in 10 year intervals to preserve the health of each cork oak tree. The bark is then ground and flattened into sheets. Its first use is for wine corks, but the remainder is used for a number of green building materials applications, most notably for flooring. There is little or no wastage and the trees remain unharmed by this strictly controlled harvesting process. Advantage Development Co. is an award winning custom green builder in Asheville NC and believes in using eco friendly building materials and products when possible to lessen the impact of new construction on our planet. Call us today at 828-215-9064 or visit us at http://www.advdevco.com/ to learn just why more people choose us for that custom home.

Asheville NC Custom Builder can Supply all of your Smart Home Automation Needs

When you're not home, nagging little doubts can start to crowd your mind. Did I turn the coffee maker off? Did I set the security alarm? Are the kids doing their homework or watching television? With a smart home, you could quiet all of these worries with a quick trip online. When you're home, the house takes care of you by playing your favorite song whenever you walk in or instantaneously dimming the lights for a movie. Is it magic? No, it's home automation. Smart homes connect all the devices and appliances in your home so they can communicate with each other and with you.

Anything in your home that uses electricity can be put on the home network and at your command. Whether you give that command by voice, remote control or computer, the home reacts. Most applications relate to lighting, home security, home theater and entertainment and thermostat regulation. Smart Home technology can offer the home owner both convenience and energy savings on that new custom built dream home. Advantage Development Co. Is an award winning custom green home builder in Asheville NC with vast experience in home automation, home theatres, and smart home technologies. Whether you need solid network solutions for your home, structured wiring, or a full blown recording studio, we handle it all in house utilizing our staff degreed electrical design engineer. Visit us at http://www.advdevco.com/ to learn why we are the better builder in Asheville and the surrounding WNC areas.

Asheville NC Custom Builder saves Energy with CFLs

CFLs produce light differently than incandescent bulbs. In an incandescent, electric current runs through a wire filament and heats the filament until it starts to glow. In a CFL, an electric current is driven through a tube containing argon and a small amount of mercury vapor. This generates invisible ultraviolet light that excites a fluorescent coating (called phosphor) on the inside of the tube, which then emits visible light. CFLs need a little more energy when they are first turned on, but once the electricity starts moving, use about 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. A CFLs ballast helps "kick start" the CFL and then regulates the current once the electricity starts flowing.

Older CFLs used large and heavy magnetic ballasts that caused a buzzing noise in some bulbs. Most CFLs today and all ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use electronic ballasts, which do not buzz or hum. Advantage Development Co. Is an award winning custom green home builder and Energy Star partner in Asheville NC that understands how important energy conservation is in this day and age of global warming. Let us assist you in properly designing that new dream home to maximize efficiency and reduce total home operating costs. Call us at 828-215-9064 or visit us at http://www.advdevco.com/ to learn why we are the better builder in and around Asheville NC.

Asheville NC Custom Builder shares on Outdoor Living Spaces

A long used approach for enlarging the overall feel of a house is to make rooms look larger by visually extending them into the lawn or garden. Using the same wall material inside as for a wall that continues on the terrace and using the same material for the inside ceiling as on the extended terrace eaves, and using glass walls all help to do this. In addition your living room, dining room or even bedrooms can flow right outdoors on to "floating" decks, bricked terraces or lattice-roofed loggias. With the aid of vines, fences, shrubbery, shade trees and flowers you can make a terrace a delightful place for entertaining, sun-bathing and relaxing. Another dimension is added with a barbecue, for with your own fireplace or barbecue any terrace, lawn or garden spot can offer the enchantments of dining under sun and stars.

Barbecues that are located at a distance from the house should be designed to include protected compartments for tinder, fuel storage, and possibly even barbecuing utensils. The more self-sufficient an outdoor area is the more pleasure it can provide. A barbecue that has working space, built-in ovens and a wide grill, makes outdoor dining enjoyable even for the cook. While planning your terrace, you should consider installing electric outlets for lighting, music, an electric barbecue spit, etc. You may want to use vines to create a lattice roof (for example, grape vines leaf out late in the summer when shade is wanted and drop their leaves early as cooler weather sets in). Rapid growing vines like grape, hyacinth or the gourd vine work best. Advantage Development Co. is an award winning custom green builder in Asheville NC building fine homes for two decades. Call us at 828-215-9064 for a free consultation or visit us at http://www.advdevco.com/ to learn just why we are the better builder.

Asheville NC Custom Builder talks about ICFs

Concrete forms have taken a new shape-and purpose. Insulating concrete forms (ICFs) are rigid plastic foam forms that hold concrete in place during curing and remain in place afterwards to serve as thermal insulation for concrete walls. The foam sections are lightweight and result in energy-efficient, durable construction. ICFs consist of insulating foam, commonly expanded polystyrene (EPS) or extruded polystyrene (XPS). The three basic form types are hollow foam blocks, foam planks held together with plastic ties, and 4 x 8 panels with integral foam or plastic ties. ICFs can be used to form various structural configurations, such as a standard wall, post and beam, or grid. They provide backing for interior and exterior finishes.

Insulation values of ICF walls vary depending on the material and its thickness. Typical insulation values range from R-17 to R-26, compared to between R-13 and R-19 for most wood-framed walls. The strength of ICF structures relative to lumber depends on configuration, thickness, and reinforcement. However, ICF walls are designed as reinforced concrete, having high wind and seismic resistance. Advantage Development Co. is an award winning custom green builder in Asheville NC building fine custom homes for two decades. Call us at 828-215-9064 or visit us at http://www.advdevco.com/ to learn more about us and why we are better.