Alternative Energy Metal Roofing and Green Home Improvement

Let’s take a look at the elements of green home design, and how we can build a zero energy home on a budget. If you are looking to make your existing home greener and more energy efficient, you should be able to extrapolate the main points and apply them to your existing home.

Renewable Energy Systems do not have to cost a fortune

Unlike what many people may think, designing and building a green home does not involve a fortune, and can be done on a budget that is comparable with what it would normally cost to build a traditionally constructed home. Further, if you would like to outfit your new home with PV solar panels, geothermal heating and cooling, or a solar hot water system, it does not have to cost a fortune if you keep these factors in mind; many states provide generous solar rebates to homeowners as an incentive to invest into green technology and renewable energy systems. In addition to solar rebates, many states require utility companies to buy back the electricity that your solar system generates at the rates that are often higher than what you would normally pay for a kilowatt hour.

Solar Payback Period

You may be able to make back the money you would pay for a professional installation of a solar power system in five to ten years. With an average life of solar power system being 20 years and longer, you would actually be earning money from your PV solar power system. Not a bad way to make a buck, appraise the value of your home, support the growth of renewable energy technology and support the environment.

If you are planning to put up solar panels on your existing home, I would recommend replacing your old roof with an energy efficient standing seam metal roof, which would make it easy for solar installers to attach PV solar panels to the seams of a metal roof with the help of a special mounting system. This method does not require any penetrations made to your roof.

By combining solar panels with a green metal roof, you will get a” penetration-free” roof, which will lessen any chances of a roof leak in your home, and will not require replacing at some point in the future. Factor in extra energy savings from reduced cooling costs, home appreciation, and looks to see why it is a no brainier!

If you live in the northern geographic zone, having a metal roof will also help prevent ice dams. It can be really messy when you have to deal with ice dams on a roof that happens to have solar panels, or a solar hot water system installed. Trust me, you do not want to be in that situation.

Passive Solar Design

Passive solar design is one of the least costly green home design solutions for new construction homes, and home additions. Passive solar design involves the use of longer roof overhangs to provide a shadow over the walls and windowsof a house. Further, you can design your home to have rooms with glass walls and glass ceilings facing south for solar exposure. Inside the rooms you would have solar thermal mass floors, walls that can be made of bricks similar to the brick fireplace, or walls made from poured concrete. You can also use concrete blocks for easier assembly instead of mixing, pouring and forming concrete walls by yourself. Concrete is a good material of choice because it is reasonable inexpensive and has high thermal mass (HTM), which is what you want to have for effective passive solar design.

You can also integrate thermal shutters around your windows. You can close your thermal shutters at night to reduce the heat loss.

References:

https://www.thenaturalhome.com/passivesolar.html

Commercial Modular Construction can be a great sustainable alternative to conventionally  constructed buildings for educational facilities, commercial office spaces, healthcare, real estate development projects, and many other industries that may require custom design, speed of construction, structural integrity, compliance with the local building codes and US Green Building Council’s LEED accreditation.

Two Types of Modular Buildings:

There are two types of modular buildings that organizations can consider in order to best meet their needs for temporary and permanent spaces, in a timely and cost effective ways;

Relocatable buildings are designed for ease of transportation, deployment, and multiple relocation to different sites on as needed basis.
Temporary modular buildings can be partially or fully prefabricated using modular construction process in accordance with client specifications and state and local building codes. Relocatable buildings do not have the same status as permanent real estate, and can, therefore, be depreciated as equipment. Relocatable buildings can serve well as temporary office spaces, or temporary classrooms for schools that require additional classroom space to meet their growing enrollment needs.

Temporary relocatable buildings can also be leased, which provides flexibility and affordability to companies that require extra space, but are not ready to meet the expense to permanent building structures.

Permanent Modular Construction

PMC is a permanent modular construction method based on an offsite, lean manufacturing techniques to prefabricate single or multistory buildings using sections/modules that are delivered to the construction site, and then, put together to construct a whole building. Permanent Modular Buildings can be custom designed and built of wood, steel, or concrete materials. PMC buildings can serve as stand alone building solutions, or can be integrated into conventional site built projects.

Benefits and Advantages of Modular Construction

Permanent modular buildings can be delivered with integrated fixtures including lighting, plumbing, high efficiency HVAC systems, appliances, custom interior finishes, doors and windows, and other components that help make the building fully functioning in less time, with less waste, and a significantly higher quality control compared to projects utilizing conventional site construction methods.

Green Building, Sustainability, Custom Design and Flexibility

Modular Buildings are designed and build to meet the specific needs of a client, state and local building compliance codes, and can also meet green building LEED accreditation standards. For instance Triumph Modular, a modular construction company based in Massachusetts, provides custom modular classroom solutions that can contain integrated science labs, and restrooms to meet the specific needs of schools and daycare facilities requiring healthy, eco-friendly and energy efficient green buildings.

Triumph Modular custom designs and builds green classroom spaces that make use of green building materials designed for human health, comfort, and sustainability.

References

http://modular.org/

Learning how to install crown molding do it yourself way can help you save money and take advantage of your skills to improve your home. By knowing the exact sequence of installation steps, you will not have to hire a home improvement contractor, or a crown molding specialist to do the job for you.

Why Install a crown molding yourself?

Contractors usually charge a high price, and this will be added to the total cost of installation. Before you can actually start installing your crown molding, you should take these necessary steps to prepare for the job at hand, first.

Preparations

1. Take the measurements, and then, add 10 percent to the figures for when you make mistakes.

2. Choose the style and finish that you want. Many sizes and shapes are available for you to choose from. Make sure that they match with your personal preferences, the decorations in the room, and the overall color scheme. The finish that you choose should be applied first before you begin cutting and fitting the crown molding.

3. Buy the size that will need the least amount of splices. Splices may be unavoidable in some cases, but the fewer splices there are, the more appealing the end results will be.

Cutting The Corners

1. The first and most difficult part in learning how to install crown molding is cutting the corners. The easiest way to trim the corners is by using a coping saw, since a mitered joint is less tight than a coped joint. If there is any gap in a coped cut, this can be concealed with some caulk.

2. Another tool that you can choose to cut the corners is a power miter saw. Not only is it accurate, it also provides a cleaner cut.

Measuring and Marking The Wall

Take the measurements of the wall for the length of the very first piece of molding. You have to mark the wall so that it shows the bottom edge of the molding.

Cutting The Pieces

1. After determining the length of the molding, cut it in a straight line at a ninety degree angle. This will make both ends hit against the side walls.

2. Cut the next piece so it fits an inside corner. You can do this by moving the miter saw guide to the forty-five degree angle point and then setting the molding into place.

3. Know how the pieces fit together. The edge against the vertical fence is the bottom part of the molding while the edge against the table is the top. Imagine that your table is the ceiling.

4. Cut the molding at a perfect forty-five degree angle using a ten inch saw blade. For an inside corner, the bottom should be longer than the top. For an outside corner, the top should be longer than the bottom.

Coping The Joint

When you cope a joint, you have to scribe the end of one molding to the face of another. Mark the front edge using a pencil, and then with the help of a coping saw, cut as close to the line as possible. Be sure to cut at a slight angle.

Checking For Gaps

Any gaps that have to be trimmed will be revealed if the fit is checked against a scrap piece of molding. To get rid of these gaps, cut off the high points using the coping saw.

Attaching The Molding

The last part on how to install crown molding is attaching the molding. Take the molding to the wall once the fit is perfect. You will need some help holding a long piece. Attach it to the wall by pushing the end into the corner. Ensure that the fit is as tight as possible. If there are any gaps, cover them using a caulk gun. Use optional blocks to cover the spot where the outside corners should meet.

References:
Crown Molding Installation DIY

Aleksandr Biyevetskiy – Boston SEO Consultant Resume

Full Resume PDF: Boston-SEO-Consultant-in-Search-Engine-Marketing

Brief Overview:

Internet Marketing Manager & Senior SEM/SEO Specialist in Boston area

Aleksandr@Tampile.com

Experience

SEM/SEO Strategy Consultant      May 2011 – Present

Boston SEO Consulting Inc.

SEM Manager – Senior SEO Specialist     Feb 2006 – April, 2011

LA Metal Roofs LLC.

 Scope of Work

• SEO/SEM analysis, strategy planning, and implementation
• Managed multiple simultaneous SEO campaigns in various verticals
• Established and maintained successful working relationships with clients and SEO partners
• Managed multiple Local Search and PPC Campaigns
• Conceptualized and Implemented successful link baits
• Implemented successful business blogs with select SEO Campaigns

Main Focus

• Organic SEO Strategy, Keyword Research, Competitive Analysis, Google Analytics Data Interpretation and Decision Making, PPC, Organic Search Rankings Monitoring and Improvement
• Google AdWords PPC, Creative Link Baits, Link Building, Social Media and Topical Directory Research and Submissions

Related SEM/SEO Experience

• Conceptualized and developed a highly successful www.AllConstructionDirectory.com, Construction Industry Directory ranked First in its vertical
• Conceived and developed Industry Leading consumer-information website www.RoofingCalculator.org, a successful link-bait for prospective lead acquisitions, and industry recognition/buzz.
• Collaborated in designing and launching a successful Mobile-App

Relevant Skills

• Thorough Knowledge of SE Algorithms, Google Analytics, Keyword Research, Competitive Analysis, Organic Search, PPC, Local Search, HTML, MS Office, Sitemaps, Robots.txt, Content Management Systems, General Marketing and Sales Skills, CJ Affiliate Program Knowledge, Link Building, Social Media, and Link Baits.

Education

• Rhode Island College, B.S. in International Management

If you own a real estate company, then you are most likely interested in various ways to promote your real estate company online. My recommendation is to use directories that fall under the real estate niche in order to gain trustworthy and relevant links to help improve your website rankings.

I have looked over at various real estate directories on the internet, and after a careful assessment I came to realize that most of them are either of questionable quality, or over-priced in terms of value that they provide for the cost

Here is the list of handpicked real estate directories that provide good value for submitters.

Real Estate Directories

http://www.homeimprovementdir.org/real-estate/ – Real Estate and Home Improvement Construction Directory.

http://www.allconstructiondirectory.com/real-estate/ – All Construction Directory offers International Real Estate Listings to companies in The US, Canada, UK, Australia, Italy, Spain, and real estate development companies around the globe.

http://www.newenglandmetalroof.com/construction_directory/real-estate-links.html – Real Estate and Home Services Directory by New England Metal Roof. You have to use their Add URL / contact form for your submissions.

http://www.reals.com/ – I also recommend a basic listing here, I would not go for their big package, as most of those directories seem to be hosted on the same IP address. I still think, you can get a good value with the basic submission here.

http://www.buildingtradesuk.com/real-estate-directory/ – A strong real estate directory for real estate agents and property solicitors in the United Kingdom.

http://www.ukconstructiondir.com/real-estate/ – Quality real estate directory for UK based real estate firms and independent agents. Also lists property conveyancing solicitors in the UK.

http://www.ukhomeimprovementdirectory.com/home-and-garden/ – This is a directory of home services in the UK. It is not a real estate directory per say, but you can still add your real estate website here, and the appropriate real estate category at the top-level will surely be created to accommodate your submission.

Once again, succeeding in real estate business involves getting real estate leads, and the internet provides is the easiest way to get your real estate leads via your own website. You will need to use relevant directories to promote your real estate website to get noticed. I hope you find this list helpful.

If a large chunk of your SEO strategy is based on submitting your website to a bunch of General Directories with high PR, then you are just wasting your money!

Yes indeed, a very long time ago, you could actually optimize your website to a top of Google search results with just using numerous general web directories, but the times of low hanging fruits and easy rankings are long gone. Nowadays, you would be wasting your hard earned money by submitting your website to as many general directories as you can find, including ones with strong/high page rank.

I lough long and hard at the people who are so impressed by a sky-high page rank of some general web directory that they hand their hard earned money on the plate to some professional hack who hacked into, and placed an invisible link on some unrelated, or non-profit/European agency website to get a huge temporary boost in its Google Page Rank.

I hope you are not one of those people who can be easily impressed, moved, shaken up, shocked, and stunned by the “mighty” page rank so much that they happily hand over in excess of $150 for a premium listing on a highly-revered, strong PR page of the page rank-infused, yet useless PR7-PR8 General Web Monstrosity that will do next to nothing to improve their rankings neither in the short nor long run.

Take a look at the list of these monster web-directories who milk the misguided website owners for their hard-earned money:

http://dirbull.com/ – PR8 – It does pay off to hack into other peoples’ websites.

http://www.cuedirectory.com/ – PR8 Notice the similarity in terms of colors and pricing…

Quality General Directories that help improve ranking

Do not be one of the those people who hands their money to get very little in return, as well as risk getting their website penalized. Do not get me wrong, there are general directories that actually exercise editorial judgement and charge a reasonable amount for review:

Consider: JoeAnt.com – pr5 (it floats between a PR5 and PR6) a Strong PR5 web directory that earned its page rank on its own merit, not through hacking into other people websites, and buying links left and right.

There is also www.Botw.org PR6, it is a good directory, but too expensive for my taste, and hardly worth the money in terms of ranking boost, unless you can get one of the top categories.

So, how do I use a Web Directories to Improve the rankings of my website?

I recommend to use niche web directories that are relevant to the theme of your website.
For instance if you want to promote a home improvement construction company’s website you can submit your website to
These leading directories:

Construction and Home Improvement Industries Directories:

www.AllConstructionDirectory.com – Thematically relevant place to promote a construction company website, or a real estate agent’s website in the US, and anywhere else in the world.

www.HomeImprovementDir.org – Home Improvement, Construction, Home and Garden, and real estate websites can be promoted using this strong home improvement directory. Accepts websites from anywhere in the world.

www.greatpossibilities.com – this is another construction industry directory that accepts free, reciprocal, and paid submissions.

buildingtradesdir.com – Accepts home improvement and construction companies for free. Manufacturers and suppliers can submit their website via paid submission.

www.newenglandmetalroof.com/construction_directory – Construction Directory with emphasis on green building and Eco-friendly construction.

www.buyezrip.com/Links.htm – Home Improvement Directory offering reciprocal and paid links.

www.thermalpipeinsulation.com/construction-links.html – Construction Directory offering reciprocal and paid links.

There are specialty niche directories in virtually any niche you can imagine.
You can find a directory in your niche by searching for “niche-name/variation of a niche name” directory
For example to find a construction directory you would type in “Construction Directory” in search.

How Do I promote my website?

If you are accustomed to promoting your website using general directories as a main source of your incoming links, then you better re-think your strategy as doing so could easily raise a Red Flag with Search Engines and get your website penalized.

Use it as a Spice not as a main Ingredient

Without a doubt, there is still some usefulness in General Directories, but only if you obtain these links only every once in a while, and mix it up with links from relevant blogs, articles, and Niche Directories.

Actionable Tips

Stop Chasing High Page Rank Directories.
Are you still chasing High PR general web directories? This is a recipe for disaster! There are many niche directories where you can submit your website and get better results.

Keep in mind that over-submitting your website to general directories can result in search engine penalties, especially if you move too quickly. Instead, use your resources to do guest blog posts on relevant blogs, original article submission, and posting compelling content on your own blogs.

Good Luck, and remember and it is not the quantity and page rank of general directories, but rather it is relevance, use of different anchors along with brand names, and having a highly diversified link profile that leads to better rankings.

Aleksandr Biyevetskiy is an experienced SEO/SEM Specialist with Boston SEO Consulting Inc.

Without a doubt, there is still some usefulness in General Directories, but only if you obtain these links only every once in a while, and mix it up with links from relevant blogs, articles, and Niche Directories.

Stop Chasing High Page Rank Directories

Are you still chasing High PR general web directories? This is a recipe for disaster! There are many

I loved the place, the beach, and the fancy Mediterranean-style suit we stayed at for five days at Lifestyle Tropical Beach Resort & Spa in Dominican Republic. It is a lovely place 1 hour drive from Puerto Plata, Air Port in Dominican Republic.

Overall, my girlfriend and I loved the place, but the service was poor/forced.

Our Assessment:
Nice beach, with a great bar close by the beach, and a so-so service.

Many bartenders were full of attitude, which tends to go away only after you give them good tips. Some were friendly, but many treat you like you are a some sort of a poor relative, or like you owe something to them.

Many people who are supposed to be helpful including front desk personnel were quite complacent and acted like they do not care about your comfort. When we got there, we had no idea where we could go get some food, after a long flight, and a tedious check in process. Turns out there was an open bar with snacks and coffee around the corner, but they did not tell us about it. It was 4:30 local time, and they told us we have to wait till 6:30 for the “Casablanca Restaurant/buffet” to open. We were hungry and thirsty, after an hour long ride on a bus and the whole check in ordeal, but they just did not seem to care about our comfort all that much.

I got a sense of a lazy complacency on their part.

They also got a trick of trying to get you to attend their “welcome session” where they try to sell you their “VIP” time shares. They reinforce this by not allowing you to use the “VIP only” parts of the resort.

You do not really have to attend this “welcome session”, but they are really pushy about it, and use every trick they have to get you to go.

The “welcome session” is pretty much a prelude to a sales presentation leading you up to their hard sell tactics to get you to buy their time shares.

I really did not appreciate that it was deceptively presented as a “welcome session” that you “have-to” attend.

Verdict: Get a bunch of 50 pesos ($1.25) bills to tip the bartenders.

Do not over eat at the buffet, or you will get sick…

Enjoy the place, avoid the “Welcome Session” if you do not want to be forced to buy some time shares and become a “VIP”, do not buy the real Cuban cigars at the beach, because they are definitely counterfeited/fake.

Designing a bathroom, and going green? You can save a lot of money in the long run by designing a bathroom for long-term functionality. A well-designed bathroom will result in fewer repairs and replacements. It will also keep your energy and water bills low, with the advent of new earth-friendly bathroom materials technology.

Let’s start with the most important part of the bathroom: the toilet.

Older toilets can waste literally thousands of gallons per year. At five gallons per flush, you’re literally flushing your money down the drain. A high-efficiency toilet will use just over a gallon per flush. The even newer model of toilet, the dual-flush model, uses even less.

Faucets and shower heads are also now designed in low-flow models, saving even more water, and money. If your appliances were installed before 1994, chances are they are not a low-flow design.

How else can you design a green bathroom, other than the obvious water-saving appliances?

And How about saving energy on heat?

Invest in a solar-powered water heater. It’s a green solution that is getting more affordable to install, now that the technology behind solar powered appliances has continued to develop. Another design idea for a shower stall is to install a waste-heat recovery system. The system uses the water that goes down the drain to preheat the shower water itself.

The shower stall itself is a water-saving part of the bathroom, when you compare it to a bathtub. Using a separate shower stall, even a traditional one, limits baths and saves seven times the amount of energy.
Look at your typical bathroom cabinet, usually under your sink. It’s probably made of particleboard, which contains formaldehyde. Go with bamboo instead, which is a rapidly renewable natural source, and makes beautiful cabinetry.

What about the vanity top itself? Recycled glass countertops are sparkly, easy to clean, and can be continuously used throughout the bathroom on the walls as well, with recycled glass tiles.

You don’t have to be entirely new-fangled though – traditional ceramic and porcelain tiles are still OK.

This article was brought to you by Budget Bath, found here: Bathroom Remodeling MD

Carefully, consider these 10 factors before you commit to buy a solar water heater collector system.

1. Certification – The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) reviews and certifies both solar collectors (OG-100) as well as the entire solar water heating system (OG-300). This certification provides a minimum standard of quality for the industry as well as providing a basis for comparison between different products. Don’t consider buying a solar water heater without both OG-100 and OG-300 certification.

2. Collector frame materials – Solar hot water panels come primarily with either aluminum or steel frames and backs. The aluminum products will come with either raw, painted or anodized frames. The steel only come in painted versions. Generally speaking if you are in an area away from the coast any of these styles will do as long as you can handle the aesthetics (generally painted or anodized will be preferred for appearance). If you are within proximity of the coast the anodized surfaces will provide you the long term corrosion protection that the other materials won’t.

3. Fluid path materials – a solar collector can come with aluminum, steel or copper tubing for the fluid to flow through . The most common material in north America is copper although the other materials are available. Be aware that the aluminum may suffer from galvanic corrosion as a result of the other copper, brass and bronze that are likely to be in the system and therefore prematurely degrade. The solar collector (s) that have steel fluid paths are only appropriate for glycol systems.

4. Warranty – while the SRCC certification mentioned above covers the minimums there are differences in both the length of the warranty as well as if they warrant labor. It isn’t much good if a collector goes out after 6 months, and then the contractor can’t get paid to replace the one on your roof.

5. Installed base – It is a perfectly fair question to ask for references or what other solar heating project the installer may have done. As a homeowner you need to be patient because depending on the area where you are located you might not have any choice of contractors.

6. Absorber connection method – solar water heaters come with four main styles of producing the absorber

ultrasonic welding – this method is probably the most common method for attaching the absorber fin to the tubes but it leaves a line down the absorber that some homeowners find objectionable The advantage is you can see the quality of the weld.

Soldering – this has diminished in popularity over the years since it is difficult to maintain the quality of the process although some companies still use it to great effect.

Mechanical bonding – the absorber is crimped around the tube that holds the water. This can be an effective means to attach the tubes to the sheet but there is a risk of poor mechanical sealing and then the thermal performance of the collector is greatly diminished with the buyer being none the wiser.

Laser welding – this process is very capital intensive but provides an excellent seal between the absorber and the tubes without having the witness line associated with ultrasonic welding above.

7. Pre-engineered – solar heating installations are technically complicated and require the greatest of care to insure that the system will function properly for years to come. Either go with a pre-engineered system from a manufacture or stick with a very experienced installer. Having an installer cut there teeth on your house isn’t the way to go with solar heating.

8. Aesthetics – Congratulations you are leading the green revolution by going with a solar water heater. Keep the positive vibes going by making sure the installation is good looking. Nothing will turn off future solar customers more than an unattractive installation.

9. Maintainability – Murphy’s Law usually to many situations including in your solar heating installation. Make sure the system is designed and installed so any of the components can be replaced should they fail while providing the minimum disruption to the system. Insist that the components are isolated from the balance of the system to allow easy change out. This also plays a part in the system design that you go with. If you have easy access to internal heat exchange tanks then they become a reasonable option. If you live in parts of the country where you local plumbing supply house doesn’t stock them, then stick with an external heat exchange system so the tank can be replaced when it fails (and it will).

10. Mounting hardware – How solar hot water panels tie into your roof is as important as the other components. You don’t want you system to create problems with your roof. The manufacturer should have had engineering done on the hardware to insure it can withstand any wind you might see in your area. In addition, you should look to be sure that you only use materials on the roof that can stand the test of time, aluminum, and stainless. Avoid using steel, galvanized steel or zinc plated hardware as part of the mounting system unless you live in the desert.

Glass Block Installation is a home improvement project that almost anyone can do even a beginner. Glass Blocks make a beautiful scene anywhere they are placed. They give off a serene yet elegant atmosphere about them, and they also provide privacy.

The first part of glass block installation is to get all of your measurements together so when you go into the home store you know exactly what or how many you need. The next part is to get all the necessary tools and supplies together so you can do your job correctly to avoid any time consuming trips back to the hardware or home store.

Now that you have all of the necessary tools and supplies it is time to get to work; install a 1 x 2 board along as the frame so that when your blocks are set they will cover the board in the back and front. Now, coat the board with sealer so that moisture doesn’t rot the wood. Now after both of these steps have been done you are ready for the mortar.

Bend the panel anchors into an L shape, nail the panel anchors to the frame and from here on add a new anchor every third row. You are now ready for a set of row blocks and their spacers once this is done you can mix the glass block mortar and using a mortar knife place a layer of mortar in the sill of the block, if you place a block onto this and mortar oozes out then you have done it correctly.

The next step is to place the spacer into place and add your first block, then put another layer of mortar like you did the first and repeat until for the rest of the row then you need to use a level and make sure it is all level. If mortar gets onto any glass blocks wipe it off immediately with a damp rag or sponge to avoid it drying.

The best rule of thumb to follow for installing glass blocks is to complete 3 rows add a line of mortar then place a wire stabilizer on top to reinforce the wall, now you can continue your process until the wall is complete. After your blocks are installed let the mortar dry for 24-36 hours and caulk the edges to block out moisture. You are almost done, if you are installing a wall or panel you will want to lay a bead of silicone caulk around the opening and center the panel keeping it level and now it is ready to be set tap the roofing nails around the panel to keep it in place. Now you can set a trim around the glass and it is ready for you to enjoy.

Installation of glass blocks are very simple and step by step if you allow yourself time and take time then you will have a glass wall installed in no time.