Some Ideas to Consider …

  • Fairfield County Green Home Building Strategy #2 – Energy Saving Materials & Systems

    Country Club Homes Custom Home Builder Remodeler Fairfield County New Canaan Connecticut green building-As an award-winning Connecticut custom home building company, Country Club Homes, Inc. is continuing the fifty-seven year old family tradition of building high-quality homes that are carefully designed to meet the needs of homeowners in Fairfield County. With our current economic climate of ever-increasing energy costs, we now face as great a need as ever for homes that utilize green principles.

    In our three part series of posts on the subject of Fairfield County green home building strategies, we cover two other topics on the Blog in posts #1 and #3 of the series:

    Fairfield County Green Home Building Strategy #1 – Passive Solar
    Fairfield County Green Home Building Strategy #3 – Building Envelope & Air Quality

    In today’s post, we will discuss the following two subjects: environmentally-friendly home building materials; and heating and cooling systems that improve energy efficiency, referencing an excellent BHG.com article.

    Environmentally-friendly Home Building Materials — Using environmentally-friendly home building materials is a foundational green building principle. Examples of some of the products include:

    • Recycled products such as rubber and polymer roofing that imitates slate to reduce weight and maintenance; and durable blended recycled glass and concrete countertops, backsplashes, shower surrounds, walls, and floors.
    • Lumber materials including fast-growing bamboo for beautiful, durable flooring; and non-toxic exterior grade lumber.
    • Coatings such as low air-polluting volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
    • Other home products including a wide variety of insulation types, Low-E windows which insulate and maintain interior temperatures while blocking ultraviolet light, and effective exhaust  fans to remove “stale air” will be covered in our next post in the series: Fairfield County Green Home Building Strategy #3 – Building Envelope & Air Quality.

    Heating and Cooling Systems That Improve Energy-Efficiency – Another major strategic approach to saving resources and protecting the environment is utilizing air and water heating and cooling systems that improve energy efficiency and ultimately lower the cost of running Connecticut homes. Example systems are:

    • Gas furnaces with efficiency ratings in the upper 90% range with variable speed air-handlers
    • Programmable thermostats
    • On-demand tankless water heaters
    • Solar home power systems utilizing photovoltaic panels, and much more!

    Country Club Homes, Inc. is committed to green building – designing environmentally sensitive custom new homes and home remodeling projects that incorporate energy efficient home building materials; and heating and cooling systems.

    If you are planning a custom new home, or home remodeling work, and are seeking Fairfield County architectural design and construction services that incorporate green design, please contact Country Club Homes, Inc. website by telephone at 203-762-0550.

    Image Source: Country Club Homes Portfolio

  • At Your Service: Ideas for the Perfect Butler’s Pantry 

    A butler’s pantry, originally used to plate meals and store silver, is a tradition from the 1800s that has enjoyed a revival in recent years. Usually positioned between the kitchen and dining room, a butler’s pantry is a wonderful custom element for people who love to entertain at home. While butler’s pantries from the 19th…

  • 2016 Trend: Cutting-Edge Home Automation System

    Do you have a cutting-edge home automation system in your home? Smart homes used to be thought of as something of a frill to many. Today, these electronic systems enhance the way we live in a simple yet revolutionary way bringing elegance, simplicity, convenience, flexibility, security and sensibility to our lives. A strategically and well-planned…

  • Escape the Elements: Cold Climate Home Design Ideas

    Another New England winter is upon us and while we may pride ourselves on our hardy natures, it’s still smart to do whatever we can to design our homes with ample comfort and protection from the elements. Here are a few home design ideas to make your home a safe and sturdy haven during the winter…

  • Design Pros Call it – Hottest Appliance: Convection Steam Ovens

    Sub-Zero and Wolf revealed the results of their 2016 Kitchen Design Forecast at “Design Pros Call It.” Below are key findings from their poll: Open floor plans are still in demand. Formal dining rooms are a thing of the past. White is still the most popular color in the kitchen while new neutrals and accent…