Posts Tagged ‘energy efficient’

Design Your Own House

Friday, June 11th, 2010

So, why come to KADTEC to design your own house? First off, it doesn’t matter what style of house you’re looking to use in your design, we can handle it. The firm is an expert at classical styles like Tuscan home design, German architecture, French country home designs; something more fun – like gingerbread house designs, the southwest home designs, the northwest home designs, ranch home design, and all manner of contemporary house designs, modular, and mountain home designs. If you want a beach home or the latest in energy efficient home design, we can do that too. No matter what you’re looking for to design your own house, we’ve got you covered.

Then once you’ve settled on a style, we can help you with the layout. Using the latest in 3D home design software, we can create a variety of house design plans for you. You can decide where you want every room – add a tiny bathroom in just the right spot, put in a home library design, office or home theater, and then tweak the plan until it is perfect. And don’t worry that you think you need an architect to design your own house all of this. We have the latest in architectural drafting software, and our skilled craftsmen of drafters, designers, and engineers can cover every aspect of your house design, from civil drafting to full architectural renderings.

An architect can help you with the final touches to design your own house, but you need an engineer for the important design calculations and permitting. Once you have the house plans and designs just the way you want them, there’s the landscaping to consider, the layout of the entire lot, and then building and material matters to decide on. These days, many people are concerned about Global Warming. So, if you want to incorporate eco-friendly products into the plans and create an eco house design, we can do that for you. We can also cover solar house design, biofuels, and all types of alternative building materials and methods to design your own house.

Depending on where you want to build your dream house, we can guide you through the permitting process. Sometimes, it is as simple as a building permit, but not always. Coastal house designs call for unique permits in some municipalities; sometimes you need to get a variance or special exception; sometimes you have to submit energy calculations or pay road, school, and other impact fees. All these things, KADTEC can handle for you, and help you design your own house to be perfect for you and your family.

What is a Structural Engineer?

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

So, what is a structural engineer, and what can one do for you? KADTEC has both a structural engineering license for the state of Utah, and a civil engineering license for the state of California, which means they can handle structural drafting. Most people don’t pay attention to this issue; they look more for a highly qualified architect. However, being sure your engineer is certified to operate in the state where you want to build is important. Structural consulting engineers have to pass a state examination in the state in which they operate, and take what are known as continuing education classes in order to renew that license. That way, you know that that they are knowledgeable about the latest structural engineering formulas. After all, if your engineer is an older lady or gentleman, you want to be sure that they know about green technology, the latest in energy efficiency, and so on. Most states require that an engineer display their license prominently. Look for that when you meet with them. With KADTEC, you can be sure that they are board certified in both structural and civil engineer. They can handle structural steel engineering, which many homes use today.

So, what is a structural engineer going to do on the home plans for your dream house? Well, the blue prints have to be drawn up to meet the building code of the municipality in which you’re going to build. That’s why you need licensed professionals, and they have to be the right professionals for the job. This is where structural consulting engineers may be needed. Architects can sign and affix their seal to some plans, but not all of them. As their name implies, they handle architectural matters. But, when it comes to plans for something heavy duty: what’s known as load-bearing members or something heavily structural in nature. Well, that’s the answer to what is a structural engineer; he or she has to oversee the structural drafting, and sign and seal some of the plans. This is where KADTEC has got you covered. It doesn’t matter what type of plans your dream home requires; KADTEC can either take care of them in-house or get an appropriate sub-consultant. We can handle all types of engineering calculations, energy and Title 24 calculations, and analyze your project to see how rough terrain and varying soil conditions will affect it. There are structural engineering formulas that are quite complex; our staff know how to handle them, and do the structural engineering calculations!

The virtue of a firm like KADTEC is the variety of their services, and that they have connections in the industry to handle whatever kinds of plans you need. When you ask us, what is a structural engineer, we’ve for the answer. You might wonder why we don’t have an architect in-house. You don’t want that. Architects are really quite the artists, but they have the weakness of their own virtue – their individual style. If you don’t care for that style, what are you supposed to do? With KADTEC, they can work with any architect you choose, thus freeing you to select the right one to design the perfect dream home for you. After the plans are prepared, KADTEC can walk you through the difficulties of getting a building permit, by making sure that the right sorts of plans are submitted to the appropriate review agency. By focusing on being civil and structural consulting engineers, we can meet the needs of your individual project.

Mountain Home Plans

Friday, April 30th, 2010

When you decide to draw up some mountain home plans, KADTEC is the expert in the field you should come to; we know the subject inside and out. You might think that all you need is a good architectural drafter to draw up some plans, but there’s a lot more to it. Building in a mountainous region has some unique aspects to it, and we know how to deal with all of them.

First off, many people building the area for the view. Mountain view luxury homes are very popular. When you’re able to look out a window and see the Rocky Mountains or a mountain lake, that’s one incredible view. The air and water tend to be cleaner, and rustic mountain home plans can add to the natural beauty of the area.

Once you settle on a location, you need to consider several aspects of your site before getting mountain home plans drawn up. Is your land very steep, which is common? We can handle grading the property so that rain water doesn’t cause erosion. Once your dream house is built, and the landscaping laid out, you don’t want a thunder storm to wash everything away! Now, you can build any sort of dream home you want: a Victorian home design, any one of some great contemporary home designs, and even something with German architecture. But if the ground you build on is very steep, you may want to consider a split level home, or the house design may require a retaining wall. These are the sorts of things our staff of civil and structural engineers can help you with.

The members of our staff are experts at custom home design. We can create an architectural 3D rendering of any home blueprints we create for you. An architect is sometimes needed to sign and seal construction plans, but we can create any mountain home plans you need. Then we can coordinate with the architectural drafter to create the plans needed for the building permit.

While we’re not landscapers, we have a number of excellent ones – who know mountain home plans, and they are experts at creating landscaping plans for any type of terrain. This can be important because you want hardy plants that can survive in the mountains, and not die during your first winter.

Another thing that appeals to people about mountain home plans is the idea of incorporating eco-friendly products and green house plans into the design. We can help you go low-tech – like some passive solar home designs, or maybe a full solar house design. The idea of green mountain homes has a lot of appeal, and we can help you with every aspect and help you design your own house. No matter if it’s wind power, solar, energy efficient home plans, or green appliances; we’re the experts to help you create the perfect mountain home plans for your dream house.

Green Home Plans

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Many people like the idea of creating green home plans. They look around and see Global Warming getting worse, pollution on the rise, and natural resources being depleted. So, if you want a great house, yet one that is eco-friendly, KADTEC can help you create green home plans you can be proud of.

Yet, some people worry that “going green” – as they say – is going to entail a high cost to their dream home plans. That does not have to be the case at all. These days, you can create just about any type of green home building you want. Here again, some people feel that to be truly green, you have to go with log cabin home designs. But, there are alternative building materials that will allow you to create any style of home you want, and still make them green home plans.

So, what sort of home do you want? Whether it be a Victorian home design, a modern home design, and even ranch house plans can be turned into green home plans. The key is using the right green technology, having a green architect, and making use of the green appliances and green products available in the marketplace. I know, that’s a lot of green! And you want to make sure that you don’t waste a lot of your own green – your money – in carrying out your dream home plans. This is where affordable green homes are important, and where having an engineer who’s an expert can help you. A high efficiency washer and dryer might be slightly more expensive now, but over their lifetime, they’ll save you money, and be less of an impact on the environment.

It’s said that Civil Engineers are unique in that they pay attention to the bottom line, to the cost of something. When creating your green home plans, this is an important point. Sometimes, architects – even green ones, can get carried away, and it’s up to the engineer to essentially rein them in. Green technology doesn’t have to be expensive; it can be as simple as using passive solar home designs. The right sort of green technology can put efficient insulation in your walls and roof, a solar-powered hot water heater in your house, and maybe even a wind or solar electrical system to provide some or all of your home needs. If the cost of such measures is outside your means, there are still green products that are affordable. By making use of recycled building materials, you can save money, and help the environment.

If you’re familiar with the lingo of the environmental movement, then you know that a person’s carbon footprint is how they contribute to the amount of greenhouse gases are dumped into the atmosphere. Reducing that footprint is the aim of green home plans. By utilizing all that technology has to offer, and hiring an engineering firm skilled in implementing green technology, you can have the most energy efficient home design possible. At KADTEC, we’re experts at doing just that.

Small Home Plans

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

These days, people love the idea of going over their own small home plans, getting them just the way they want. Well, at KADTEC, we’ve got you covered. Utilizing the latest in 3D CAD software, we can create a 3D architectural rendering of any home you can imagine. Why look at flat, boring blue prints when you can take a virtual walk through any of the efficient home designs you can conceive of?

It doesn’t matter if you want a big home or a small home design; the key to KADTEC is that we specialize in unique home designs. These days, small modern house designs have many benefits. Given the state of the financial system, small home plans are easier to build; they are more affordable, and they can give you a mortgage that is easier to handle. Also, if you do your own small home design with an eye to the future, to expanding, you can have your efficient house design, and still build it for a reasonable price. Down the road a piece, when you can afford it, you can add on those additional rooms.

KADTEC can handle the civil drafting for your small home plans. A small home design also has the virtue of being faster and easier to build. The bigger and more complex your dream home design is, the longer it’ll take to build. Also, you want to keep the future in mind. What sorts of energy efficient house plans are going to be coming available? A large house could take extensive renovation to make use of any breakthroughs in energy technology. Along those same lines, small home designs are more energy efficient. Right now, the future is very uncertain. You don’t want to get yourself into your home only to find it’s too expensive to maintain. You want to make sure that your utility bills are manageable. Going with an energy efficient home design, you can save money over the life of your home.

For that matter, there’s the simple issue of architectural styles. How many times have you looked at a home and instantly known when it was built because of the tacky style of the place? Home styles are like fashion styles – they change. What’s stylish today may be downright hideous in five years, and then home remodeling becomes an issue. A large home presents the problem of being hard to change and update when styles change. For that matter, you can change your mind about your home. The layout you love today, you may find it really doesn’t work for you, as you settle into your dream home. Even if you don’t want to expand your house, you may find that you want to remodel certain aspects of it. With small home plans, they are also easier and cheaper to implement.

When building a house, keep this in mind: it’s not like a haircut! If you don’t like your small home plans, it won’t grow back. That’s why getting a good design right from the get-go, viewing the home in a 3D rendering, and keeping the layout small and simple is the best way to get your dream home.

Green Roofing Products

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

When looking to build a new home, green roofing products, and other materials can yield a great dream home design. And, don’t worry that using green appliances are going to bust your budget. These days, you have a plethora of products to choose from, and many are very reasonably priced. In some cases, the government even gives you a tax break for using green roofing products and other similar materials in your house design plans.

Also, you don’t have to worry that you can only use green roofing products and the other building materials on some mountain-man looking cabin. No, you can create a modern house design in any style you want. If you love minimalist architecture or want a truly unique house design, we can help you do that. Do you want some really contemporary home designs, or maybe a rustic mountain home plan? We can help you create them. Green roofing products can be used on all of these styles of homes; and we can help you do so much more.

In terms of eco-friendly products and green appliances, there plenty to choose from. A hybrid vehicle is a good start, and then maybe a garden composter to help you fertilize your garden and landscape areas naturally. The less chemicals you dump into the environment, the better. You also don’t have to spend a fortune as you strive to help save the planet. Something as simple as a passive solar home design can incorporate thermal window panes, orienting windows to maximize winter exposure and minimize it during summer can be very helpful.

It’s important that you find a green architect who understands such things. While we don’t currently have an architect in-house, we work with plenty who know how to properly design a green home. they will design a home in whatever style you like, and make use of green roofing products and other alternative house designs to make your home as green as possible. Yet, we can also keep an eye on the bottom line. You want to do your part to help with Global Warming, pollution, and the depletion of natural resources, but you also want an affordable green home.

If you feel that a passive solar system isn’t enough, and want to explore different types of alternative energy, we can help with that as well. There are solar home designs available, and we can work with you and your architect to make your home as energy independent as possible. Using green roofing products and other green building materials can be just the first steps in creating a truly green home. Depending on where you live, wind and solar power can augment or even replace making use of power from your local utility. By trying to build a green home, you can do your part to protect our fragile ecosystem, and KADTEC can help you do it.

Energy Efficient House Plans

Friday, October 16th, 2009

There’s no denying that we live in “interesting” times, shall we say? Making sure that you have energy efficient house plans is of critical importance these days. Gas prices vary widely, and sometimes getting enough home heating oil is tough, especially if you live in a remote location. This is where energy efficient home designs are vital.

There’s a lot of debate as to the causes of Global Warming, but no one can deny that the world is warming up, and greenhouse gases are the driving force behind it. So, if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, energy efficient house plans are the way to do it. Maximizing your insulation, putting good shingles on the roof, and installing high efficiency appliances can be the key to achieving all of this. Many times, the construction methods used by the builder can be critical. It’s important that, when building a green home, it gets built right. Here’s one example: some builders will cut a notch out of the wall insulations when installing an electrical outlet. Each of those notches is a tiny hole in your insulations. If they do that for every outlet, it can add up to the equivalent of an open window in lost energy! Do you want to leave a window open all winter and all summer? What affect is that going to have on your energy efficient home design? Not only is your money essentially billowing out the window, but you’re pumping still more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This is where KADTEC can help you by insuring that the energy efficient house designs outlined in your home blueprints are carried out properly.

Today, there are a variety of energy efficient house designs you can choose from when laying out your dream home plans. It doesn’t matter what architectural style you want: a Victorian home design, some cottage home designs, and even something as different as German architecture. All of these types of homes can benefit from eco-friendly products. Building a green home doesn’t mean having to sacrifice anything, if your engineer knows about all of the green architect resources available.

Energy efficient house plans can incorporate something as simple as passive solar home designs – the windows oriented to get plenty of the winter sun, and little of the hot summer sun. Then there are full solar home designs you can look into that will give you maximum energy efficient house plans. There are solar hot water heaters, and solar panels to go on your roof to supplement your electrical system. Depending on where you live, your energy efficient house plans could include a windmill. Placed in the right location, one of those can generate a lot of electricity. You can also check with your local utility, and see if they have a buy-back program with people who generate their own power. Some municipalities require their electric companies to buy power people generate themselves. As a result, if your energy efficient house plans prove very efficient, you may end up selling your excess power!

Design you own dream home

Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Do you want to design you own dream home? For some, it’s a Victorian home design or a little gingerbread house nestles amongst some maple trees. For others, it’s a luxury mountain home with the Grand Teton Mountain Range (or some other range) as the view out their master bedroom window. Or maybe you’ve always dreamed of a little beach home design in the Florida Keys or on the Pacific shores.

Well, it doesn’t matter if your dream home is a Tuscan villa, German architecture, a ranch home design, or an eco-friendly minimalist home design; KADTEC can help you design you own dream home. We have the technology – 3D home design software, and other programs that will allow us to guide you through the process from conception to construction of your dream home plans. With our knowledge in engineering, you can focus on the layout and design of your own dream home, and we’ll take care of the calculations, plans, and permits.

Once you’ve selected the location for your dream home, you need to consider how you want to lay out the property. Is your land very steep? If so, you may have trouble with erosion when it rains. We can grade your lot to prevent that. Do you want to design a dream house that’s a split level home? That may require a stemwall or retaining wall; we have structural engineers in-house who can handle that, and help you design your own dream home, and then pass the home design on to your architect. We also have a number of excellent landscapers that we work with regularly. They can use landscape architect software to give you a veritable Garden of Eden on your property, yet make it something easy to maintain with a good sprinkler system and a little tending by you.

These days, many people want unique dream home plans, especially given the concerns about Global Warming. So, if you want to design your own dream home to include solar home designs, green home plans, biofuels, and the latest in energy efficient home designs, we’ve got you covered there as well. We can design an eco-home that

Everyone has ideas about the sorts of rooms they’ll have in their dream home. Whether it’s a home gym, home theater, library, your own private office, rec room or workshop, we can work with you to create the perfect layout for you. Do you want a master suite with walk-in closets and separate bathrooms? We have the knowledge and expertise to create that. Also, it doesn’t take an architect to create house plans; we can handle all aspects of the layout, and then take care of the permitting for construction.

Custom House Plans

Monday, September 14th, 2009

These days, many people want a custom house plan, for whatever reason. Maybe it’s too big or too small for what they need. Maybe there aren’t any Tuscan home designs in their area, and that’s what they’d love. Or, maybe there’s a more pragmatic reason – maybe an eco-friendly home is what they want because you’re concerned about Global Warming.

Well, it doesn’t matter what your taste in homes runs to; at KADTEC, we can help you with your custom house plan. When you consider the state of the economy, and the many environmental issues facing us today, you want real experts working on your house plans. You first must decide how much house you can afford, and then settle on a style of architecture. After that, there are a myriad of decisions for you to make. Do you want to go with a steel home design, or a frame home design? Is the area you want to build in known for termites? While you’ll want to use treated wood in such a situation, are there alternative house designs and techniques you can use that are eco-friendly?

At KADTEC, we can handle all these questions regarding a custom house plan, and more. If you want to incorporate fung shui into the layout of your rooms, or make use of the most energy efficient house plans, we can do it. Our firm knows how to layout excellent custom house design, create wonderful home theater room design, home office designs, and any other sort of unique home plan that you might want. It doesn’t matter if you want a southwest home design, rustic mountain home plans, or even Nordic house designs. By making use of the latest in 3D home design software, we can create any sort of custom house plan you want. There are also a number of passive solar home designs that are quite economical, and can be incorporated into any custom house plan you come up with.

Once your custom house plan is done, and the engineering calculations are completed, KADTEC will help you get all the necessary permits. Depending on where you plan to build your dream home, you may only need a simple building permit. On the other hand, if a variance is needed because your custom house plan exceeds the height restriction in the area, or is going to be built too close to the edge of your property, KADTEC can take care of that as well. If your property has poor soil, our engineers can assess that, and design a retaining wall or other means of dealing with it.

No matter the issues you face in creating your custom house plan, we can handle them, and get your custom home built.

© All rights reserved. Kadtec. 2010. Privacy policy | Terms of use
Web design and marketing by Ellsworth Marketing & Design