• About
    • Testimonials
  • Services
    • Passive Home
    • Design Build Services
    • General Contracting
    • Green Renovations
  • Gallery
    • Modern
    • Spanish Revival
    • Tuscan
    • Mission Revival
    • Craftsman
    • Mission
    • Mountain
    • Green Renovations
    • Idea Homes
    • Zero Energy Demonstrations
  • Projects
    • Atherton Farmhouse
    • Spanish Revival
    • Mission Revival
    • Los Altos Modern
    • Palo Alto Passive
    • Menlo Park Modern
    • Menlo Passive
    • Sonoma Wine Country
  • Resources
    • What is Passive?
    • LEED Certification
    • FAQs
    • Home Building Guide
    • In the News
    • Glossary
    • Online Home Manager
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Connect Online
Client Login

The Builder’s Notes

 
Clarum Homes » The Builder’s Notes


Radiant Floors: Overkill in a Passive Home? (Part 2)

Posted by Clarum Homes on May 15, 2013 | Categories: California home builder, custom homes, energy efficiency, high performance homes | No comment

In part one of this post, we asked if radiant under-floor heat makes sense for a high-performance, passive home. (Read Part One here.) The Overheating Debate Executive editor of Environmental Building News, Alex Wilson’s opinion is clear: radiant floors don’t make sense for passive homes. Overheating is one of many concerns: In a home with a tight envelope and a very small heating load, even a small amount of heat can cause overheating, and the thermal mass in a radiant floor system increases the risk. This is particularly true in buildings with some level of passive solar gain – the radiant...


Read More

Radiant Floors: Overkill in a Passive Home? (Part 1)

Posted by Clarum Homes on May 1, 2013 | Categories: California home builder, custom homes, energy efficiency, high performance homes | No comment

Few other heating methods get people so excited as do radiant floors – and for good reason. The delight of going barefoot on a warm surface is hard to beat. Think of a warm hardwood deck on a chilly day... or a picnic on a sun-baked rock. Radiant floors bring the pleasure home, heating your floor directly, which then radiates warmth into the room for a thoroughly comfortable atmosphere. A fantastic idea. But in a passive house – one that’s super-insulated and highly efficient, such as the homes we build at Clarum – does the idea hold up to reality? Our Radiant Experiment Between...


Read More

Choosing the Right Finishes

Posted by Clarum Homes on April 23, 2013 | Categories: California home builder, custom homes, high performance homes, luxury homes | No comment

The choice of healthy construction materials became a major issue in the mid-twentieth century, as builders began using toxic, artificial products, while also sealing buildings as tightly as they could. Sealed buildings conserve energy, of course. However, they also trap harmful gases. When toxic materials are used in construction, indoor air quality can actually reach urban pollution levels. The culprit is VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. Products high in VOCs continue off-gassing long after they’re installed, damaging your long-term health and bearing a daily impact on your your mental...


Read More

Meet the Future of Modern

Posted by Clarum Homes on April 16, 2013 | Categories: custom homes, events | No comment

Sunday, April 28th from 1:00 - 5:00pm 840 Los Altos Avenue, Los Altos, CA Free tour! No tickets or reservations required. Join us and experience a passive-inspired modern home first hand. The future of modern is a stunning merger of high-performance, energy efficient construction and contemporary architecture. Tour this green home and see how Clarum Homes seamlessly blends sustainability with sophisticated design. Don't miss out! This is a one-day opportunity to immerse yourself in a truly modern living experience. About the Home Approximately 3,800 square feet, this single-story...


Read More

Proper Air Ventilation

Posted by Clarum Homes on April 10, 2013 | Categories: custom homes, energy efficiency | 1 Comment

The quality of the air you breathe may not often come to mind. But given the impact it has on your everyday, it’s hard to exaggerate its importance. Most homes are built from construction materials that steadily off-gas over their lifespan; these pollutants aren’t healthy or comfortable to breathe. Neither is air that’s heavy and stale. Ventilation addresses both problems; it also goes further: Removes unwanted smells (cooking, pets, etc.) Controls moisture, protecting your walls, floors and belongings Prevents mold and keeps pollutants from damaging your health Helps you focus;...


Read More

How to Prevent Mold & Mildew in a New Home

Posted by Clarum Homes on March 18, 2013 | Categories: California home builder, custom homes, high performance homes | 2 Comments

In the natural world mold serves a valuable role, helping decompose dead organic matter: fallen trees for example. Inside the home, however, it’s anything but healthy. Mold produces allergens, irritants, even toxic substances, and can cause serious health problems. Mold spores can be found almost anywhere; these aren’t harmful in themselves. The problems arise only where they can find a moist place to grow. So, the key to preventing mold? Controlling moisture. Control Moisture, Prevent Mold Interior Sealing We take care to seal all the wall joints and penetrations comprehensively at Clarum...


Read More

Adhesives and Caulks

Posted by Clarum Homes on March 4, 2013 | Categories: California home builder, custom homes, energy efficiency | No comment

Adhesives are everywhere. Cabinets and counters, sub-floors and carpets. Paints and stains. Bath tubs, moldings, baseboards... Each of these elements requires adhesive or caulk for installation. In fact, few other building materials are so common as adhesives. Yet most of the adhesives used in a conventional home are highly toxic. At Clarum we call that a problem. Invisible as the Air you Breathe Many adhesives use volatile emulsifiers to give them a liquid texture during application. After drying, these volatile organic compounds (VOCs) slowly evaporate at room temperature – bringing...


Read More

Garage Air + CO

Posted by Clarum Homes on February 21, 2013 | Categories: custom homes | No comment

Carbon monoxide in close quarters? That’s a conventional garage. Vehicle emissions in a closed room are dangerous, of course. Clearly this is a concern for anyone who likes to spend time in the garage – but also even for those who don’t. Every time you open the door to your attached garage, pollutants can float in. Even when the door is closed, cracks in the joints and walls can let carcinogens and carbon monoxide leak indoors throughout the day. If you happen to have low indoor air pressure, your home can actually suck contaminants inside continuously. Combustion-related impurities...


Read More

Healthy Flooring Choices

Posted by Clarum Homes on February 12, 2013 | Categories: custom homes | No comment

When looking for healthy flooring options, there are two major culprits to avoid: toxicity and dust. While this seems obvious, many flooring options will involve either or both. At Clarum, we believe your home should be comfortable, beautiful, easy to maintain and above all, healthy. Our approach to flooring reflects that. Toxic Floor, Dusty Floor According to Jeff Gearhart at SustainablePractice.org, the same toxic chemicals found in children’s toys “show up everywhere in home improvement products” including flooring, and have been linked to conditions including “asthma, birth defects,...


Read More

The Insulation Effect

Posted by Clarum Homes on January 23, 2013 | Categories: California home builder, custom homes, energy efficiency, high performance homes | No comment

What does insulation do? It maintains the living temperature you like best, of course! However, there’s more to it than that. What else does insulation accomplish? What are the passive design standards for insulation? And how does Clarum approach this? Allow us to give you a tour. What Insulation Does Insulation regulates temperature by preventing thermal bridging and unwanted air flow. Thermal bridging is when heat passes through solid objects, leaking in or out of your house. With a strong thermal resistance (R-value), insulation slows down the loss of heat. It also prevents drafts. Most...


Read More

Next Page »

  • Archives

    • View Archives
  • Categories

    • California home builder
    • custom homes
    • energy efficiency
    • events
    • guidebook
    • high performance homes
    • luxury homes
    • Major Renovation
    • Palo Alto
    • passive home
  • Popular Posts

    • What Makes a House Sustainable?
      The definition of sustainable “Sustainable” is an important and widely-used...
    • How to Prevent Mold & Mildew in a New Home
      In the natural world mold serves a valuable role, helping decompose dead organic...
    • Structural Insulated Panels, SIPs
      Sean Miskelley from Clarum Homes explains the use of SIPs (Structural Insulated...
    • Solar Thermal System Results in 80% Less Energy Use!
      Sean Misskelley from Clarum Homes talks about the solar thermal system in the Menlo...


  • Latest Blog Posts

    • Radiant Floors: Overkill in a Passive Home? (Part 2)
      In part one of this post, we asked if radiant under-floor heat makes sense for a high-performance,...
    • Radiant Floors: Overkill in a Passive Home? (Part 1)
      Few other heating methods get people so excited as do radiant floors – and for good...
  • Recently Tweeted

    • Check out part 2 of our blog post on radiant floors. Are they overkill in a passive home? http://t.co/5OODSYoCJU
    • John Suppes hosted a Passive Home educational tour today at Bullis Elementary School in Los Altos. 75 5th Graders... http://t.co/Bi0asSXQ9G
    • "We saw the home of the future!" Check out what our friends at GreenTown Los Altos had to say about the new high... http://t.co/msSU8vDt1k
  • Gallery

    • Modern
    • Spanish Revival
    • Tuscan
    • Mission Revival
    • Craftsman
    • Mission
    • Mountain
    • Green Renovations
    • Idea Homes
    • Zero Energy Demonstrations
  • Latest Project

    High Performance Modern in Menlo Park

    High Performance Modern in Menlo Park Clarum Homes is building a high performance modern home in Menlo...



  • Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Gallery
  • Projects
  • Resources
  • The Builder’s Notes
  • Contact
  • Client Login

Copyright © 2013 Clarum Homes | Website Design by Kinesis

US Green Building Council LEED for homes Energy Star Passive Home Alliance