Steps to Your Dream Home - 01 Property Evaluation

You may want some input before purchasing some property. Choosing a building lot in a good location can have a major impact on construction and lifestyle matters. We can help you analyze and compare available properties over a wide spectrum of considerations.

Community - All three of the major green certifying organizations put emphasis on the community aspect associated with the location of a property. Location within a community and the assets of the community itself impact: cost of living; quality of life; recreational activities; travel time; quality of schools and available amenities.

Market Value - While we are by no means experts at real estate evaluation, we do have a long history and knowledge base in the community. Additionally, we have several contacts within the real estate community and can help you with recommendations. Property values are closely tied to appeal of the location and in a community there can be a substantial variance between properties even within relatively close proximity.

Zoning - It's important to understand the restrictions imposed by the local government where a property is located. Just knowing the right questions to ask or potential hazards to avoid can have a substantial impact upon the scope of construction that may be allowed. Winter Park in particular has demanding requirements that can be quite confusing for first-time researchers.

Orientation - The shape and characteristics of a property should influence the design of a home. An understanding of the solar arc of the sun has substantial impact of the energy use and comfort of a home. Home design influenced by orientation can, reduce noise and energy use; increase privacy and comfort and; enhance views.

Site Planning - The footprint of the can be established after determining the buildable are of the property. Setbacks are the distance that the structure must be set back from the property boundaries. These are established by the permitting jurisdiction and can be quite confusing to and inexperienced designer.

Construction - Characteristics of a property can affect the cost to build upon it. Soil quality; accessibility; slope and elevation variance, and; vegetation and trees, can all affect the cost to build. Sometimes the most appealing properties have challenges that mandate special attention and expertise to avoid construction problems.

Each of these characteristics can be expanded upon with lessons and experience from recent projects. We consider ourselves "experts" on the unique requirements of Winter Park and have recent experience in The City of Orlando, The City of Maitland and Orange County. We've helped our customers dozens of times during the evaluation phase of property selection and would be pleased to help you with yours.

All Southern Homes Need Dehumidification

Ventilation and Dehumidification are critical talking points, especially here in Florida. Until recently they were discussed little, but the way we build homes is changing and they are now important issues.

A well-insulated home will maintain its temperature during moderate times of the year. As a result, the air-conditioning system will not operate very much. Typical thermostats only measure air temperature, but humidity, air movement and air quality all affect our comfort. Cooking, showers, and even breathing raise the humidity level in the home.
               
When the humidity level is too high, moisture ceases to evaporate from our skin making us feel clammy and sticky. Even light breezes lose their refreshing feel. High humidity levels support the growth of mold and mildew, and allow the air we breath to carry more impurities not present at lower levels.

Here in Florida during the spring and fall, without the use of air-conditioning, humidity levels will rise in the home causing uncomfortable and potentially even unhealthy conditions. Efficient dehumidification without the added expense of operating the AC or heating system, is the answer to lowering humidity levels and increasing comfort. We have several interesting articles available for view in our Building Science collection if you want to learn more.

To summarize: more insulation + tighter construction = less AC & more humidity. In an upcoming article I’ll discuss ventilation and its role in the southern home.