Bracing for the Summer Electric Bill and Ways to Save

Dallas Architects, Laura Davis and Larry Paschall share some ideas that might help you save not just on your summer electric bill, but throughout the year.

“Shut the door!  I’m not paying to air condition the whole neighborhood.”

Source: Stephen Cummings, flickr

Does that ring a bell?  Every since we were kids, the cost of energy has been a threat to our family’s pocketbook.  With this being one of the hottest months of the summer, we know you are bracing for that obnoxious electric bill that always accompanies this time of year.

Did you know?

Here are some basic numbers about where your electricity is being used.  We looked at two different government web sites, energystar.gov and energysavers.gov, and the percentages for consumption area about:

50% Heating and Cooling
20% Appliances and electronics
15% Water Heating
15% Lighting

Of course all of that is going to vary, based on age of equipment, amount of equipment, what type of water heater you own, etc.  But either way, both sites are saying the same thing.  Your heating and cooling equipment is sucking your wallet dry.

Home Energy Audit

If you get that first summer bill and think the power company has clearly made a billing mistake, it might be time to get a home energy audit.  This report will help pinpoint where your house is losing energy as well as assess the efficiency of your systems.

Source: Joshin Yamada, flickr

To give you an idea of how much impact an audit can have, Clayton Bailey, owner of Green Scene Home Inspections performed an audit and discovered that the home was losing an amount of air equivalent to two doors being open to the exterior year round.  When you’re running your air conditioner in the summer or the furnace in the winter, losing that much air starts to add up quickly.

Easy Things To Do

• Changing over to compact fluorescent bulbs from incandescent
• Checking the weather stripping at doors and windows
• Check the R-value of your insulation in your attic
• Setting your thermostat higher in the summer and lower in the winter
• Change to a programmable thermostat
• Get your HVAC equipment serviced to make sure it’s running efficiently
• Change the air filter in your HVAC unit

Big Ticket Items

• Need to replace your HVAC equipment?  Check the SEER - The new minimum efficiency is a 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio).  Chances are your current model doesn’t meet current requirements.
• Are you still using a top loading washer?  Front loading models use less water and energy.
• How long have you had your refrigerator?  Newer models are more efficient.  Look for Energy Star ratings.
• Do your windows have single pane glass?  Consider replacement windows with insulated glazing.
• Do you have to turn on the lights during the day?  Add insulated skylights to lessen the need for artificial lighting during the day

In addition to the web sites we mentioned, energystar.gov and energysavers.gov, check with your state and with your city to see what their green initiatives are.  For example, visit the City of Dallas’ Green Dallas website for information and events in the DFW area.  Look at having a green report done and see what else you can do to reduce your impact on the environment and your pocket book will benefit too.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is Vice President and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture LLC.  She and her partners offer custom design services for residential, commercial, and institutional projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Dallas Architect Comments on Senior Living Trends

Dallas Architect, Laura Davis, AIA comments on anticipating changing trends in housing design and sustainable senior living.

The wave of Baby Boomers is coming with great energy, force, and opportunity. Are you in the right place to ride it out?

The Baby Boomer segment of our population is rapidly approaching retirement.  As this generation remains active, enjoys better health than their parents, and lives longer the need for more services increases by the day.

Three million Baby Boomers will live to age 100 or older.  What does this mean for our society, in terms of the economy, health care, political and social trends, and more?

Without a doubt, the housing market will need to respond to the changing needs of this aging population.  In the article “The Gray Tidal Wave”, Executive Editor of demodirt.com, Galia Myron discusses these upcoming trends in business, services, and products catering to the Boomers.

To read the full article including comments by Laura Davis, AIA, visit www.demodirt.com.

Dallas Architect,  Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  Learn more about her custom design services for senior  living sensitive residential and commercial projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Dallas Architect Offers Advice to Job-Seeking Architecture Interns

Here are a few words of advice from Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA to students and interns beginning their careers in architecture.

Be confident.  Be different.  Be brave.

I know.  It’s easier said than done, especially in this market.  I am giving you permission to not listen to the grumpy people around you.  A pity party is no place for you.  If that’s where you’ve been hanging out, then put down that half empty glass of ‘poor me punch’ and walk out.  No.  Skip, hop, and jump out of there as fast as you can.

From now on you are the most amazing, valuable, and charming architecture intern anyone has ever met.  If you are on the hunt for a job, then throw out the old methods and embrace the New Approach.

The New Approach is a three pronged method for building your personal brand.  Let me elaborate:

Get Involved

• Time to get off the internet and go explore your interests
• Find a charity, community group, art show, sports team or special event to volunteer for
• Do the new activity for a length of time that you can build relationships with those around you (preferably those who are more connected and further in their careers)

Get Known

• Once you identify your interest area, don’t just show up, step up to a leadership position
• Perform with passion, humor, integrity, commitment, creativity, and consistency
• Treat the activity as you would a paying job - you never know who is watching

Get Connected

• As you continue to build relationships, get to know the leaders around you
• Surround yourself with influential people who can act as mentors
• Let it be known that your are looking for an opportunity in an architecture firm and ask for referrals to architects and firm owners they may know
• If you don’t come across a direct referral, then ask for connections to referral partners - engineers, interior designers, contractors - other professionals who work with architects
• When you get an introduction to an architect, ask for some time to sit down with him/her to get to know them, show genuine interest in the firm, their projects, and your industry

Here’s what I hope you gain from this post: You can no longer rely on blindly emailing resumes or even cold calling firms to produce invitations for interviews.  If I’ve learned anything over the last two and a half years of being a business owner, it’s that the world revolves around relationships.

You have to focus your energy on building your network of people who can connect you to other people.  Treat it like a full time job.  The more influential people you can meet and stay in touch with, the more personal advocates you’ll have on your side.

When a job opening comes available that fits your qualifications, to whom do you think the employer is more likely to grant an interview?  The unknown name behind a random resume or the wonderful young intern they met at the last volunteer meeting last week?  I know who I’d want to talk to.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  She has been in your shoes more than once.  Laura and her partners offer custom design services for residential, commercial projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.   For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Creating a New Outdoor Room

With some planning and design, you can create a new outdoor room or renovate the existing to better work with the way you live.

Double Duty: Use a garden wall with a rebar headdress as art and to hide a pool-side outdoor shower. (Steven Gunther, Sunset Magazine)

When thinking about changes to make to your yard, consider adding architecture to create scale, focal points, vertical interest and shelter.

There’s a broad range of options, from a light-filtering pergola to a completely covered patio where you can entertain in most weather.  A fairly simple solution is to leave the patio open for furniture and use a screening wall to provide texture and color.   Outdoor kitchens and grills are a popular addition, even including wood burning pizza ovens.  Fireplaces create a romantic campfire feel and can transform a patio into a retreat.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to the materials you can use.  Take advantage of architecture salvage yards to locate old window sashes.  They can be used to transition from one space to the next.  Using mahogany or teak wood for the flooring on a covered patio is an unexpected but beautiful option for a special area.  The choices for stone, brick, and concrete pavers can be dizzying.  The right combination of pattern, texture, and color can change the whole style and character of a space.

A covered patio with outdoor fireplace is a welcomed retreat year-round. (Thomas J. Story, Sunset Magazine)

As you take inventory about how you truly want to live in your outdoor room, pay attention to types of activities such as playing, eating, sitting, cooking, and/or entertaining.   Also give thought to the times of day your yard will be used most often and whether or not you need shade or weather protection.

Are you a gardener who likes to tinker and spend time tending to your perfect rows of parsnips?  Or would you rather be laying around the pool while your low maintenance landscape gently moves with the breeze?

Outdoor rooms are a great asset to any property.  Enlist the help of a professional landscape architect to make the most of your plans and you will have an enjoyable space for years to come.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  She and her partners offer custom design services for residential, commercial, and institutional projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Bringing the Indoors Out

Have fun bringing the indoors out.  Don’t be afraid to combine traditional indoor elements with the outdoors.

Combine indoor elegance with outdoor rustic elements for interesting contrast (source: Better Homes and Gardens)

If you’re entertaining a lot, don’t be averse to using everyday indoor decor on your patio or deck.  It’s a very inexpensive way to brighten up outdoor living space, even if it’s just for one evening.

And when it comes to actually having dinner outside, don’t be afraid of using real dishware.  We’ve become very accustomed to everything being disposable so when we think of entertaining outside, we’re thinking about paper or plastic plates, plastic forks and spoons, and plastic cups.  But don’t be afraid to use your regular dinnerware, or even your good china.  And everything doesn’t have to match.

Mix up elements so you have some contrast between casual and elegant pieces.  Pull in unusual elements – shells, rocks, collectible pieces.  Think about what you have and how you can use it to create a unique party environment.  Old board games as centerpieces, shot glasses as bud vases, Christmas tree twinkle lights as dressing along an arbor can all create character on a plain patio.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  She often recommends bringing the indoors out to her clients.  Learn more about her custom design services for residential and commercial projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Creative Entertaining in Small Spaces

It seems as houses have gotten larger, yards have gotten smaller.  Don’t let that keep you from entertaining; just get creative.

Residential lots haven’t changed in size but houses are growing to maximize every build-able square foot.  In neighborhoods with zero-lot line houses and garden-style patio homes, there are minimal side yards and shallow backyards.  While these modest lots are perfect for busy lifestyles and low maintenance, what do you do when it’s time to entertain?

Color, texture, furniture and accessories can turn a small patio into place to entertain

Use the patio as an auxiliary entertaining space.  Prop open the doors and let party-goers flow back and forth between the indoor and outdoor spaces.  You don’t have to confine them to a single space.   Place food and drinks inside with seating on the patio.

Create texture, color and points of interest in your outdoor room.  Planting vines to grow on the fence for a softer texture is a great way to give yourself a view.  Use container gardens to make the most of seasonal color when you do not have the space for in-ground flower beds.  By using smaller, movable furniture pieces, a patio remains a versatile space for entertaining.

What do you do if your pool occupies most of your backyard?  You may have a few planter beds around the perimeter, but there’s not much open area to use for hosting your guests.  If that’s your situation, and you think you’d like to have a larger party, there are rental companies that offer pool covers, including acrylic see-through covers, which can create additional space for seating or a dance floor.  While one of these custom pool covers is more of an investment, it will certainly ensure the “wow” factor for your party.

With a little planning, you can create a dynamic space for an enjoyable party in any small space.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  She and her partners offer custom design services for residential, commercial, and institutional projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Designing Exterior Living

Large side post umbrella from backyardcity.com

Naturally, having a shaded area is a simple solution – at least simple in that it blocks the sun.  How you achieve that is where the simple becomes challenging.

Your options range from either a completely covered porch with ceiling fans and lights, or just a pergola that still lets some light through but still provides plenty of shade.  A project that has some design flexibility, may opt to locate the building and/or trees to provide plenty of shade on the outdoor living spaces.

If you prefer a portable solution, go the simple route of an umbrella.  Select one that’s appropriately sized for your deck or patio.  An umbrella that is out of proportion to your seating arrangement will look awkward and be ineffective.  Consider a side post umbrella if you want shade but not the center post of a traditional umbrella.

Cool mist fan from thegreenhead.com

Another option that is surprisingly inexpensive is using a misting system or misting fan to help cool the air down around you.  You see these on restaurant patios, but you may not have considered it for your own outdoor space.  When researching this topic for the podcast, we found a couple sites with good information:  www.cool-off.com and www.coolingline.com.

To hear more tips for outdoor living, tune into The Architecture Happy Hour podcast with Laura Davis, AIA and Larry Paschall, AIA.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  She and her partners offer custom design services and love designing exterior living for residential clients in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.

Dallas Architect finds a home in the Blogosphere

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA of HPD Architecture, finds her home among her fellow bloggers.

Dallas Architect, Laura Davis, AIA

Welcome to the Dallas Architect blog.  I am an architect and interior designer wearing the hats of marketeer, business development guru, social media maven, and networking ninja.  It takes a lot of balancing and I’m learning as I go.

My plan for this blog is to share ideas and information about architecture and interior design.  More importantly, how they relate to your life and mine on a daily basis.  Anything from kitchen design and outdoor living to project planning tips and green materials is fair game.  I guess I better warn you that you’ll also see posts about networking, marketing, social media, and local events in the Dallas, Texas area.

The Dallas Architect blog is an extension of The Architecture Happy Hour networking group and podcast, which are hosted by my firm, HPD Architecture.  My partners Larry Paschall, AIA and Holly Hall, AIA and I are committed to “thinking outside the box” in how we approach our business.

One way we are doing that is by reaching out to our clients, consultants, referral partners, and fellow architects and designers.  Rather than turning inward and battening down the hatches to weather this economic storm, we decided to build our network and create opportunities for others to do the same.  We’re operating on the principle of “The more you give, the more you’ll get.”  So far it’s working.

Well, that’s the five-cent tour of my new home in the Blogosphere.  I look forward to exploring these topics with you and sharing what I’ve learned about marketing our architecture firm.

Dallas Architect Laura Davis, AIA is a Principal and Director of Marketing at HPD Architecture.  She offers custom design services for residential, commercial, and institutional projects in the North Texas, Dallas area.  For more information please call 214.751.2300.