September 7, 2010 on 2:32 pm | In Uncategorized | No Comments
Tags: Chinese Drywall, chinese drywall florida, chinese drywall tampa, new homes chinese drywall, pasco county chinese drywall
During the last two years articles have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Tampa Tribune and on TBO.com and MSN.com regarding Chinese drywall manufactured by Knauf Tianjin in China and exported to the United States for the use in residential construction during the building boom. This imported Chinese building material is being investigated for possibly causing performance problems in electrical, plumbing and in mechanical systems that cool and heat the home. Studies are also being done for possible health issues.
Southern Crafted Homes makes it a practice to purchase local building products. All of our concrete, concrete block, and gypsum board is manufactured locally in Hillsborough and Pasco County. Our pre-cast concrete and steel is also manufactured locally contributing to our Green efforts of minimizing carbon footprint by buying local.
Southern Crafted Homes is an ecologically friendly and environmentally responsible homebuilder, committed to the very best building practices and products. Building is a science and there is a lot of data to demonstrate what goes into a home to ensure a homebuyer has piece of mind regarding the quality, health, and safety of their home. We welcome the opportunity to demonstrate why choosing a Southern Crafted Home is the right choice for you and your family.
August 26, 2010 on 3:55 pm | In Building Science, Design, Green Bulding, Home Buying Tips, Homeowner maintenance, Lawn Care and Landscaping | No Comments
Tags: air conditioning companies tampa, ask the experts, ask.com, new homes in tampa, questions about existing homes, questions about new homes
Have a question about your existing home or interested in new homes in Tampa? Ask your question here. Tampa new homes are some of the most energy efficient homes in the country. Selling your existing home and need help with how to get a contractor or how to check out a contractor. Need help with terminology? New homes and existing homes are complicated. We have the answers. Post your questions here for quick and correct answers.
August 26, 2010 on 3:41 pm | In Home Buying Tips, politics | No Comments
Tags: 2010 florida elections, AMENDMENT 4, florida elections 2010, hometown democracy, new homes tampa, tampa new homes
If you don’t ever want to see new homes built in Tampa then maybe voting for Amendment 4 is for you. But I think that the vast majority of us would agree that homebuilding and the jobs it creates are good for the community and for the economy. Amendment 4 or “Hometown Democracy” as it is called sounds good in theory but the reality is it would sink us into a deeper recession and far more misery than most of us are capable of. I would encourage all of you to visit the www.florida2010.org web site and review the economic study they have done on the impact that Amendment 4 would have on the Tampa Bay area. The Washington Economics Group concluded that if the amendment were to pass it would cost over 267,000 jobs and $35 billion dollars in economic output. They also concluded that a typical ballot would expand to roughly 47 pages in future elections.
The amendment would require that the electorate of any given county vote on any changes to the comprehensive plan. Therefore if Land O Lakes wanted to build a community center they would have to have the approval of voters in Hudson and Zephyrhills. The vast majority of changes are initiated by local governments (schools, police stations, fire houses, community centers, libraries, etc). But local government is forbidden to campaign for changes making it difficult to effectively communicate the needs for such changes. However, opponents to the changes are not restricted in their ability to campaign against change.
And while the public sector may lay down for such opposition because their hands are tied, the private sector will not. Expect massive law suits if private business is not allowed to build or expand their business because of the amendment. St. Petersburg Beach passed a similar measure and has been embroiled in countles legal battles ever since.
Vote No on Amendment 4!
August 20, 2010 on 6:01 pm | In Home Buying Tips | No Comments
Tags: macdill, macdill air force base, new homes in tampa, tampa new home builder, tampa new homes
If you are looking for new homes in Tampa your Tampa new home builder is Southern Crafted Homes. With 20 years experience building new homes in Tampa there is no better choice. They are a veteran and military friendly builder who specialize in constructing their homes to fit the needs of their buyers. Their attitude is “We say yes”. With communities located in North Tampa they are conveniently located with easy access to downtown and MacDill Air Force Base. If New Homes Tampa is in your search engine, search no futher. You’ve found the right builder for your new home.
August 20, 2010 on 3:44 pm | In Building Science, Home Buying Tips | No Comments
Tags: air conditioning, building new homes in tampa, compressor, evaporator, new homes tampa, programmable thermostat, tampa new homes, thermostat
| Air conditioners and refrigerators work the same way. Instead of cooling just the small, insulated space inside of a refrigerator, an air conditioner cools a room, a whole house, or an entire business.
Air conditioners use chemicals that easily convert from a gas to a liquid and back again. This chemical is used to transfer heat from the air inside of a home to the outside air.
The machine has three main parts. They are a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator. The compressor and condenser are usually located on the outside air portion of the air conditioner. The evaporator is located on the inside the house, sometimes as part of a furnace. That’s the part that heats your house.
The working fluid arrives at the compressor as a cool, low-pressure gas. The compressor squeezes the fluid. This packs the molecule of the fluid closer together. The closer the molecules are together, the higher its energy and its temperature.
The working fluid leaves the compressor as a hot, high pressure gas and flows into the condenser. If you looked at the air conditioner part outside a house, look for the part that has metal fins all around. The fins act just like a radiator in a car and helps the heat go away, or dissipate, more quickly.
When the working fluid leaves the condenser, its temperature is much cooler and it has changed from a gas to a liquid under high pressure. The liquid goes into the evaporator through a very tiny, narrow hole. On the other side, the liquid’s pressure drops. When it does it begins to evaporate into a gas.
As the liquid changes to gas and evaporates, it extracts heat from the air around it. The heat in the air is needed to separate the molecules of the fluid from a liquid to a gas.
The evaporator also has metal fins to help in exchange the thermal energy with the surrounding air.
By the time the working fluid leaves the evaporator, it is a cool, low pressure gas. It then returns to the compressor to begin its trip all over again.
Connected to the evaporator is a fan that circulates the air inside the house to blow across the evaporator fins. Hot air is lighter than cold air, so the hot air in the room rises to the top of a room.
There is a vent there where air is sucked into the air conditioner and goes down ducts. The hot air is used to cool the gas in the evaporator. As the heat is removed from the air, the air is cooled. It is then blown into the house through other ducts usually at the floor level.
This continues over and over and over until the room reaches the temperature you want the room cooled to. The thermostat senses that the temperature has reached the right setting and turns off the air conditioner. As the room warms up, the thermostat turns the air conditioner back on until the room reaches the temperature. |
New homes in Tampa feature the very best in new home technology. This is no different when it comes to air conditioning. This is why new homes are always a better choice than existing homes. Southern Crafted Homes uses the very best in air conditioning systems in their new homes in Tampa to ensure their customers experience a comfortable living experience.
August 19, 2010 on 3:41 pm | In Home Buying Tips | No Comments
Tags: building a new home, Chinese Drywall, chinese light bulbs, new homes tampa, structural warranty, tampa new homes
In today’s world most people are pretty sensitive about their money. And that makes a lot of sense. I’m sensitive about mine as well. But we still need to be smart and think about the big picture. If you go out and buy a CD and get a great price at say Walmart and the music is terrible you can live with it. After all it may have only been $10 or $12 dollars. But can you imagine buying a home and putting down $10,000 or $20,000 and have the builder not complete the home or go out of business. Or what if they are not licensed and get caught by the state. What if they don’t scrutinize their contractors for insurance and credit or don’t pay them. The you wind up on the hook under Florida law for their payment and liability claims. What if they use Chinese drywall or Chinese light bulbs? What if there are construction defects? Who will address. The best price isn’t always the best deal. Hire the right builder to build your home. Southern Crafted Homes is an Elite Builder with 2-10 Homebuyers Warranty, offers a 10 year structural warranty and a four year service agreement on every home. Every home is FGBC and Energy Star CERTIFIED. We have been here for 20 years and guarantee the best quality and service. Don’t buy a home on price. Buy it for the love and life you will get out of it.
August 18, 2010 on 2:52 pm | In Homeowner maintenance, Remodeling | No Comments
Tags: doors, how to install weatherstripping, new homes tampa, tampa new homes, weatherstripping, windows
You can use weatherstripping in your home to seal air leaks around movable joints, such as windows or doors.
To determine how much weatherstripping you will need, add the perimeters of all windows and doors to be weatherstripped, then add 5%–10% to accommodate any waste. Also consider that weatherstripping comes in varying depths and widths.
Before applying weatherstripping in an existing home, you need to do the following (if you haven’t already):
- Detect air leaks
- Assess your ventilation needs for indoor air quality.
Choose a type of weatherstripping that will withstand the friction, weather, temperature changes, and wear and tear associated with its location. For example, when applied to a door bottom or threshold, weatherstripping could drag on carpet or erode as a result of foot traffic. Weatherstripping in a window sash must accommodate the sliding of panes—up and down, sideways, or out. The weatherstripping you choose should seal well when the door or window is closed while allowing it to open freely.
Choose a product for each specific location. Felt and open-cell foams tend to be inexpensive, susceptible to weather, visible, and inefficient at blocking airflow. However, the ease of applying these materials may make them valuable in low-traffic areas. Vinyl, which is slightly more expensive, holds up well and resists moisture. Metals (bronze, copper, stainless steel, and aluminum) last for years and are affordable. Metal weatherstripping can also provide a nice touch to older homes where vinyl might seem out of place.
You can use more than one type of weatherstripping to seal an irregularly shaped space. Also take durability into account when comparing costs. See Table 1 below for information about the common types of weatherstripping.
August 18, 2010 on 2:40 pm | In Homeowner maintenance | No Comments
Tags: caulking showers, caulking tubs, caulking your tub and shower, new homes tampa, shower maintenance, tampa new homes
Caulking the connection between your shower walls and tub prevents leaks and reduces mildew buildup. Removing old caulk and recaulking joints between tiles and your tub is an annual bathroom maintenance job.
If you have tile shower walls, there is a very good possibility that a leak could develop between the tile and the tub. As the house moves (a natural process that occurs in every home), a hairline crack can occur that allows water to get into the joint. Once water gets in, there is no telling how much damage can be done.
There’s another good reason to recaulk. If you’ve tried to remove the black mildew stains from caulk, you know the blemishes are often unbudging. That’s because the stains are often behind the caulk — between the caulk and the wall. The answer, of course, is to remove the caulk, kill the mildew, and then replace the caulk.
August 6, 2010 on 5:39 pm | In Home Buying Tips, Hot Topics | 1 Comment
Tags: afghanistan veterans, homes for veterans, injured veterans, iraq veterans, new homes tampa, Southern Crafted Homes, tampa new homes, Troops, Walter Reed
Southern Crafted Homes is honored to announce our partnership with Homes For Our Troops. We are working with this outstanding organization to bring SSG Juan Roldan home to Tampa from Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Please contact me if you are interested in finding out more how you can help this organization and SSG Roldan on his long journey home. You can read more in the attached article. Southern Crafted Homes is honored to announce our partnership with Homes For Our Troops.
http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer?pagename=JuanRoldan
August 4, 2010 on 4:39 pm | In Building Science, Green Bulding, Home Buying Tips | 2 Comments
Tags: carpenter ants, new homes tampa, pest control, tampa new homes, termites
Simple protection. Impossible to beat. Bora-Care is the best way to protect your home from termites, carpenter ants, wood rot and more.
- Bora-Care is formulated with a concern for the environment. Active ingredient is a borate mineral salt
- Its active ingredient has been scientifically demonstrated to work based on hundreds of university studies
- Applied by a professional pest control company
- Used as a pretreatment in new construction for termites and wood-destroying insects, or to eliminate existing infestations in homes
- Prevention and remedial control of wood decay fungi and algae
- Bora-Care diffuses into wood and remains there for the life of the wood, providing residual protection
- Eliminates the need to pump hundreds of gallons of pesticides into the ground around and under your home
As part of Southern Crafted Homes Green Building Initiative we have included Bora-Care as part of our Eco Crafted Branding and believe this pest control is most green for the environment.
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