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Clinton News-Record, 1983-04-27, Page 26uture The costly problems of constructing, maintaining and heating a home are pro- mpting designers to create some unique housing styles. If these catch on, the home of the future wall be both futuristic and primitive. The "donne home", for in- stance, is a radically dif- ferent new structure design- ed for strength, easy con- struction and claimed energy savings of up to percent over more conven- tional home designs. The dome home costs 10 to 15 per- cent less to build than a regular house, and in sample terms, looks like an igloo! This house, designed by Techraiar 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. o ses wil co This is coated inside with two inches of reinforced con- crete. After this has hardened, the outer form is removed, doors and windows are in- stalled and the outside covered with a layer of weatherproof polyurethane. Several domes can be linked together to make a larger home. The dome's structure leaves less exterior surface exposed to the weather and there are no seams 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 shelter is buried under 18 to 24 inches of ground. Earth takes longer to heat and cool than air and is therefore a more stable en- vironment. Simply put, the ground is warmer than air in winter and cooler in the sum- mer and this means the earth shelter uses less energy than above ground homes. Conventional houses tend to waste energy by heating and cooling the air around them. 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 hone to save the same amount of energy. -The earth shelter shuts out all external noise. -It also takes up less land. itne ast present Your yard is, after all, on your roof! Some earth shelters are built under the existing grade while others are erected on the grade then covered with 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 hollow core planks for added stur- diness. Earth shelters must be thoroughly water -proofed. Tar, 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 T RYHEIG T (OVERLOOKING SALTFORD) THIS IS YOUR BAST CHANCE ACT MOW -GRANTS EXPIRE APR. ao>'sa -CALL NOW FOR DETAILS Choose y it Dot • rid one of our many C st;•m Home PE ins T,,, -day. Y-,.; j must ACT NOW. rtio must be started by Apr. 30P$3 to qt iffy for grants. M TNLY P Y ENT Welcome" Price including Lot Less s' )evw Hoene Grant 84Le 500.00 30'1000 $46,500800 Less minimum down payment nt 5000©00 $41,500000 Principal & Interest Approximately 395 .00 1-10 ES FEATURE: �o Mainte once Free Exterior 2 "'rick as per pi., n 3. Quality Lty Cabinets, Flooring, Carpets, Windows and Light Fixtures 40 Sodded Front yard, Seeded Rear Yard So 5 year Ilu 'ac Home W t,rr my FOR CO r ®Citi✓ DETAILS, With PYO OfiELIGATION CALL: G.K. REALTY A INSURANCE INC® X24 -2i I8 or dace Seger Res. X24-8995 leakage as well as for insula- tion purposes. A third home of the future is also a throwback to the past. Many people will have dif- ficulty believing that a lug cabin could be the home of the future, but this style of housing is certainly making a comeback. Log homes cost less to con- struct than brick ones, especially for the do-it- your-seifer. Logs are riot only an attractive house building material, but are also good insulators by storing and radiating solar heat. However, there is a pro- blem of cold air and moisture leakage between the logs ui the walls. These spaces must be carefully scaled with plastic gaskets or caulking Fire safety is also unpor- tant in these houses because wood is flammable The Ontario Ileal Estate Association is pleased to see that housing designs are be- ing adapted to meet new housing problems. 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. .43 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 rucefield. (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 color to 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 inetoothed 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. Mouldings are available at local home cen- tres or building supply stores in lengths of three to 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.