SayEducate

SayBuild Has Received An Important Facelift

Nearly five years after it was first launched, the SayBuild online home construction guide has been revamped. New tools and calculators have been added, representing a complete revamping of this popular and well established home building website.

SayBuild offers to visitors all of the tools they need to build a new home or to renovate their current home. We can guide you through the entire process from planning your project to financing to finding a home builder.

While your project is in progress, we offer tips on how to work with the builder, manage the project, do home inspections, and closing and moving in. We provide easy to follow spec sheets and budget planning tools to help make your project work out as planned. Our goal is to help you keep it simple and smart without complicating what is already a stressful undertaking.

We hope that you find SayBuild to be what you need as you undertake your home building project!

Krayton M Davis and Matt Keegan, the two bloggers for SayEducate and SayCampusLife wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!

Our sole reason for blogging is to bring to you the resources you need to make important life decisions. Whether you are attending college for the first time, seeking financing for a new home, considering a home improvement project or wanting to further your career, we want to help you by providing useful online tools which can empower you.

Please consider the following as our Christmas gifts to you:

• Right now is an excellent time of the year for you to consider purchasing a new car. Dealers are trying to unload excess inventory and they’re using cash incentives and lease specials to move cars off of their lots. Our automotive calculators can help you find out what you can afford, learn what your monthly payments will be, and more.

• Are you considering refinancing your current home loan? Or, are you interested in cashing out on your home’s equity in order to fund a home improvement project? Please check out our refinancing calculators to see if now is the time for you to take action.

• High school seniors are now beginning to receive their college acceptance letters, but one concern remains: how will you pay for college? We have college budget worksheets, student aid planners, and cost comparison sheets for your use. Start your research now to avoid headaches later on.

• With Christmas bills on their way, did you charge everything or pay cash? We can help you find a new, special rate credit card to help you pay off those holiday bills and lower your monthly payments. Please check out our credit card selection tool for details.

• Are you planning to sell your home in the coming year? Whether you are thinking about selling your home yourself or using the services of a real estate agent, making a move can be stressful. We want to take the edge out of your next move and have some home selling planning tools to help ease the process.

Enjoy your Christmas and please check back soon for more helpful advice to manage your important life events.

Photo Credit: Steve Woods; Colchester, Essex, UK.

This article is part of our ongoing home construction specification plan series.

Assembling a Home Construction Specification Plan — Spec Plan J: Insulating Your Home

Last week, we took a look at the home’s HVAC system identifying it as the chief way to regulate the home’s inside temperature. By itself, HVAC systems can do a fair job of heating or cooling a home, but without insulation you will not be able to limit the amount of heat flow through your home’s ceilings and walls. As much as 90% of your home’s heat loss occurs in the attic where adequate insulation is often lacking.

The first step in insulation your home is to install foam channels in the eave. These channels permit air to flow freely from the soffit vents to the ridge vents. Without the channels present, home insulation tends to expand into the eaves, thereby blocking the soffit vents.

Next, make sure that the vapor barrier is left in place. This is a thin sheet of plastic which protects the insulation by stopping interior moisture from penetrating the insulation, dampening it, and rendering it ineffective.

Local building codes usually include minimum insulation requirements, but in order to build a home that is energy efficient, you may want to exceed the minimum requirements. For top efficiency, you should consider the interaction between the insulation and other building components, what is known as the “whole-house systems design approach.” Besides knowing where to insulate, you should know what the recommended R-values are for each area of the home. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Zip-Code Insulation Program can help you determine exactly where you need to insulate and give you the recommended R-values based on your climate and the type of heating and cooling system in your home. This program provides cost estimates and a rate of return.

A well insulated home will reduce your energy costs while providing a comfortable living environment — a two-fold reason to make sure that your insulation project goes beyond minimum requirements.