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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-04-27, Page 221,4 � n Future houses The costly- problems of cbnatructtng,, maintaining, and heating ahome are pre, mpting designers to create somewiiquehousing styles; if these catch on, the home of the future. will be' .both futuristic andprimitive The "dome; home", for in- stance, is b. -radically - new . radically new structure design- ed for strength, easy con- struction and claimed energy savings of up to 80 percent. over more conven- tional ' home • designs. The dome home costs 100.15 per- cent less to build than a. regular house, and in simple terms, looks like an igloo, .This house, designed by Techmar Corporation, is constructed from within an inflatable air form. This pro- vides a controlled environ- ment for construction, and ensures no delays because of bad weather. Once the form is inflated, a four -inch layer' of. polyurethane foam is ap- plied to its interior surface. This is coated inside with two inches of reinforced con- crete. After this has hardened the outer form is removed, doors and windows are stalled and the outside covered with a, .layer of weatherproof polyurethane: Several domes can be linked together to make a larger home. The domes structure leaves less exterior surface exposed to the weather and thereare no sean'ia, in the structure to. allow--: heat to escape. In addition, the home has a good fire rating .and costs less to. maintain than the average dwelling. A second home of the 'future reverts to our ancestors.. • The earth shelter is an idea incorporating the newest solar technologies along with the world's oldest form of housing — living underground. All but one wall of the earth she1tef is buried under 18 to ?!t ;inches of ground.. Earth takes longer to 'heat and cool than air and is. therefore, a More stable en- virontmnent Supply put, the, ground is'farmer than air in winter ana cooler inthe sum- mer and this means the earth. shelter usesless. energy than above ground homes; Conventional houses tend to waste energy by heating and cooling the air around thein. Add to this the wind which can penetrate the walls of an above -ground home. Ground cover prevents this in the earth shelter. There are other benefits claimed by earth shelter homes as well: -It is easier and less costly to build a house into the ground . than to build and in- sulate a conventional home to save the same amount of energy. -The earth shelter shuts out all external noise. -It also takes up less land. ast an resent Veer Yard, to► :after all, on your ropy Some meth SWUM are built under . the existing grade whilg others are erected on . the grade then covered **earth, The site must have good drainage. It should be free of underground rock forma- tions, The exposed wall should' be facing south .to allow the best possible solar access• Most of these homes are one -storey concrete and steel structures built on four. to six inch Mesh -reinforced slabs. The roof is built of rein- forced concrete laid over structural steel or hpflow core planks for added stur- diness. - Earth shelters must be thoroughly water -proofed. Tart, clay, rubber or plastic membranes can be used alone or in combination for this purpose. Stone or gravel is used to fill around the house to prevent water' CENTURY HEIGHT (OVERLOOKING- SALTFORD) THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE ACT NOW GRANTS EXPIRE APR. 30/ NOW FOR DETAILS Choose your lot and one of our many Custom Home Plans To -day. You must. ACT NOW. Home must be started by Apr. 30/ to qualify for grants. Price including Lot Less New Home Grant '49,500.00 3000.00 X83, $46,500.00 5000.00 Less minimum down payment 41,500.00 MONTHLY PAYMENT Principal 8. Interest Approximately $395.00 HOMES FEATURE: 1. Maintenance Free Exterior 2. Brick as per plan 3. Quality Cabinets, Flooring, Carpets, Windows and Light Fixtures 4. Sodded Front Yard, Seeded Rear Yard 5. 5 Year Hudac Home Warranty FOR COMPLETE DETAILS; WITH NO OBLIGATION CALL: 15 14 "Builders Welcome" 12 11',16 PARK G.K. REALTY & INSURANCE INC. — —J 524-2118 or Clare Sager Res. 524.8995 leakage as well asfor insula- tion purposes, A third horde of die future is also a throwback to the past. Many people will have dif- ficulty believing that a log cabin could be the home of the future, but this style of housing is certainly making a comeback,. bog homes cost less to con- struct. titan brick ones, especially for the do-it- yourseifer:+ Logs are not only ani a, ttrati a bo g. material,ebut are also go insulators by storing and radiating solar heat, However, there is a. pro- blem of cold air and, moisture leakage between the logs inthe walls These spaces must be carefully sealed with plastic gaskets or caulking. Fire safety is also impor- tant in' these houses because wood is flammable. The Ontario .Real Estate Association is pleased: to see that housing designs are be- ing adapted to meet. new housing probleini , .It appears that designers, when developing new •energy-efficient homes have used some of the `energy smarts" of our ancestors who had to heat without us- ing gas or oil. - Home repairs are simpler than you think. In Huron County last week many men and women learned the tricks to plumbing, electrical and basic woodwork repairs in a course sponsored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food. Alison Lobb of Goderich Township learned how to keep a toilet tank in good repair from instructor Ron Fleming of Brucefield. (Shelley McPhee photo) For a new look do it yourself One of the most satisfying home improvements is a do- it-yourself project that, when finished, looks as though it were handled by an accomplished professional. Few remodelling jobs are as easy to accomplish for the do-it-yourselfer as the ap- plication of wood mouldings. When applied to walls, wood moulding adds richness, depth, .accent . and colorto give an ordinary room • a more elegant and graceful appearance. The right tools, proper planning and knowledge of a few basic woodworking techniques are all that's , needed. For most moulding work, you'll need a mitre box for cutting accurate 45 and 90 degree angles. Other tools include a fine- toothed saw, hammer, nail set, tape measure, finishing nails, glue, sandpaper and wood filler. Sometimes a coping saw is required so joints•fit together tightly. Once you determine where the moulding is to be used, estimate how much you'll need. Moulding& are available at local home cen- tres or building supply stores in lengths of threeto 16 feet. Make a list of the lengths you'll need. Then round off the measurements to . the next largest foot to allow for cutting and trimming. Whenever possible try to use short pieces. It's been estimated that over half of the interior trim in a home consists of lengths under eight feet. There are more than 350 standard wood moulding profiles, though not all pat- terns are always available. In most cases a substitute pattern is easy to find.