The Builder’s Notes

If you're considering building a new custom home, there has never been a better time to take the benefits of passive home construction to heart. Climate change, rising energy costs and a greater awareness of our impact on the earth leads us to question our traditional methods of home construction. For those striving to reduce energy costs, and their carbon footprint, passive home construction is becoming increasingly attractive – and viable. The inventory of passive-certified homes is growing in the US [Fig 1], with certifications more than doubling in 2017 over the previous year. By the end of 2017...


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It's summer! Fresh breezes are blowing through the open windows and clearing out all those indoor air pollutants that built up over the winter months, right? Only, maybe not. If you’re in a traditionally heated and cooled home in California, you’re probably cranking up the air conditioning right about now. Worse, you’re keeping the doors and windows firmly closed against California’s terrible smog and wildfire season. Unfortunately, summer months can have a worsening effect on indoor air quality if you're using an AC unit. Beating the summer heat with air conditioning causes high...


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If you live in California, you're probably well-versed in the concept of water conservation, especially in the Valley. Everyone knows a big swath of lawn to water and mow isn't a great reflection of a sustainable ethos. In fact, drought resistant and water-efficient landscaping is even mandatory in some jurisdictions like Menlo Park. What you may not know, is that passive homes take a commitment to environmental conservation up a big notch. Passive and extremely high-performance homebuilding considers the entire impact of the home on the landscape, including the reverse – the effect of the landscape...


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When you build a custom home to high-performance or passive home standards, one of the primary objectives is to lower the home’s heating and cooling costs. In traditional construction, heat loss through your walls, roof, and windows can drive up your heating bill. It might surprise you to learn that most heat loss is through the walls – about 35 percent! And, even though warm air rises, you're losing ten percent more heat through your walls than out your roof. The opposite holds true when temperatures outside are hot. A standard home will absorb heat through the walls at higher rates, even...


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From where you put your windows, to how you position your home on your lot, the right location is a significant consideration in high-efficiency homebuilding. To build a modern custom home at the highest end of energy conservation and comfort, a whole-house approach to design and systems function takes careful consideration and planning. Harnessing the sun, nature's most potent energy source, can be done in a way that is both incredibly cost-effective as well as aesthetically beautiful. By utilizing passive home building techniques, the sun becomes our ally in energy efficiency, environmental...


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Good custom home design is a perfect mix of needs, trends, and priorities. When you build a new home, you decide how you want to live, what you want to live with, and the price you’re willing to pay. Whether you’re into following closely or running away from, the hottest trends in home design, a custom homebuilder like Clarum Homes can bring your dream to life. One of the core benefits of building a new, modern home, is the high level of customization. We dived into what’s heating up in home design trends for 2018 and made some pleasant discoveries. Mainly, custom modern homes have...


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Arts & Crafts visionary William Morris said, "Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful." Later, the founding father of "organic architecture” and a big fan of Morris, Frank Lloyd Wright, expanded on this idea, popularizing the now-familiar mantra "Form follows function.” To this day, modern home designs reflect Lloyd Wright's hallmark of ordered elegance. Why is modern home design so well suited to deliver high-performance efficiencies and superior design? Modern homes evoke timeless design complemented by cutting-edge technologies. Modern...


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When you build a custom home, one of the most important considerations is your family’s unique personality. Contemporary modern homes leave plenty of room for customization. At Clarum, we’ll work with you to design a custom home that not only fits your budget, but your lifestyle as well. The minimalistic and straightforward aesthetic of the modern home is easy to adapt to your family’s changing requirements. 1) Modern Homes Combine Beauty with Function A strong theme in modern home design is built-in functionality. Ample storage keeps things organized, and close at hand for busy families...


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There is a movement across the country toward building more sustainable, energy efficient and cost-effective homes. The Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) leads a number of initiatives for homebuilders focusing on high-performance building techniques and materials. As an awareness of the value of high-performance building grows, we’re seeing these initiatives being adopted into local jurisdictions’ building codes. In California, a 2020 net zero energy goal pushes building codes closer to that goal at every price point – not just luxury homes. This awareness is driving...


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It may seem counter-intuitive, but better energy conservation efforts in residential construction have resulted in worsening indoor air quality in new homes. That’s because, in high-performance home construction, a tighter building envelope will keep the heat (or air conditioning) in – along with the environmental pollutants. More efficient furnaces and HVAC systems are still located in basements or other enclosed spaces. Stale air is continuously recycled throughout the home. In the winter, this effect is particularly aggravated. Your utility bill stays lower, but your indoor toxin exposure...


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