Archives: Design & Planning

Design-Build – Part I

By Todd Fratzel on Design

Over the next few months I’m going to be posting information about a topic that interests me both personally and professionally; Design-build. Design-build is a construction project delivery system where the design and construction aspects are contracted for with a single entity known as the design-builder or design-build contractor. This approach is quite different compared…

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Good Energy Saving Investments

By Todd Fratzel on Energy Conservation

Energy Saving Investments With energy costs soaring out of control I thought the following information would be helpful for people trying to cut their energy expenses. Try following a couple of these tips and you’re sure to see some reduced energy costs. Six Energy Saving Investments 1. Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat away from…

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Workshop Design

By Todd Fratzel on Design

Now that I’ve almost completed the new staircase to my workshop I need to start designing the layout. I must say I’m a bit overwhelmed at the idea of coming up with a great layout that will make me happy for years to come. The actual workshop will be approximately 28′ long by 12′ wide.…

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Selecting A House Lot For Your Dream Home

By Todd Fratzel on Design

Selecting A House Lot At work this week we broke ground on a new house lot for some customers of ours and it reminded me that choosing a lot is not always easy. There are many things to consider when evaluating a piece of land to build your new home on. Several key factors include…

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Geothermal Heating & Cooling

By Todd Fratzel on Air Conditioning, Energy Conservation

One of the hottest topics today in energy conservation is the use of geothermal heat pump systems. The US Department of Energy estimates that 40,000 geothermal heat pumps are installed each year. These systems have been in use since the 1940’s but have only become popular due to the soaring price of fossil fuels. A…

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Home Improvement Links

By Todd Fratzel on Design

Having a good source of references is a very important component of any home improvement project. If you’d like to be included in the home improvement links section of Home Construction Improvement then add this site to your links page and send me an email us with the location and the link you’d like to…

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Custom Colonial House Plans

By Todd Fratzel on House Plans

Colonial Style Home With Farmer’s Porch Lately I’ve had a few people ask me where I got the plans for our new home. The answer is simple, I designed the house myself (with lots of input from my wife!). Anyway, after thinking about it for quite some time I’ve decided that I’d be willing to…

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Farmers Porch Design Drawing

By Todd Fratzel on Decks & Porches, House Plans

I’ve been quite surprised at the number of folks finding my blog the last couple of weeks searching for information about building a farmers porch. So, in an effort to share some of the knowledge I have about these great porches I’ve attached some of the details from my own farmers porch. As you can…

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