It's The Custom

Each kitchen we build is different because each home we build is totally custom. And,  around here, we love a well-designed, custom kitchen. We work with each of our clients to make sure they are putting their space and budget to the best use, and one of the aspects we have been focusing on developing in each of our homes is the lighting plan.

When planning your custom home’s design, taking into account the solar orientation of your lot and placing windows, skylights, and sun tunnels in such a way as to take full advantage of the natural lighting and energy from the sun is an excellent way to make your home more efficient. And, combined with other energy efficient building measures, can make a significant impact on lowering your utility bills. With the kitchen being one of the most frequently used rooms in your home, it only makes sense that a well planned lighting design for your kitchen will also go a long ways in making your home more efficient.

One recent custom home we built in Frontenac, MO is a great example of how a great lighting plan can elevate a custom kitchen from good to great.

This kitchen was built in a custom home we completed for clients in Frontenac, MO. It features a comprehensive lighting plan that is not only extremely efficient, but also highly adaptable to provide ambiance and function when needed.

This home is a perfect example of a well designed and thorough lighting plan that combines Energy STAR lighting fixtures for conventional lighting sources, as well as multiple points of entry for natural light sources.

First we will address the electrified lighting sources. At the first level, or low lighting, below the cabinets closely illuminates work spaces and also provides a great source of lighting at night. A second level of lighting using pendants and modern chandeliers can be seen above the island and eat-in table space. These light sources provide direct lighting for eating spaces and can be isolated to create a relaxed atmosphere during family meal times. The third level of lighting is the recessed lighting built into the tray at key points above the sink and built-in desk area, then higher up at intervals to provide direct, overhead lighting for the whole space. During the evening these lights can be used in combination to provide work light or ambient lighting depending on what the family needs.

Now we’ll address the natural sources that are the main source of light during the day, and can be used independently to provide plenty of light for projects and dining. The most prominent source of natural light is the large, floor to ceiling windows with transoms that fill the wall opposite the workspace. These windows provide a lot of natural light, and perfectly balance the dark wall of custom cabinetry that in another space with less natural light might consume all of the light in the room. These windows are complimented by standard windows above the kitchen and desk – the two main areas that the family anticipates they would need extra lighting. In this home we have added a second layer of natural lighting with the use of a large skylight above. This brings in a ton of extra light, and makes the electrified lighting necessary only on very rare occasions.

As our clients become more aware of the energy savings benefits that come with placing energy efficient windows and skylights in their homes, we are adding this element of lighting design into many more homes that we build. That is also one of the advantages of custom building, each home is designed specifically for the lot it is built on and allows us to factor solar orientation into the home’s energy efficiency plan to create a space that is as functionally and beautifully lit as it is efficient.

An energy efficient home is an important investment, and for some of our clients it is the biggest investment their family will make. When we discuss our high performance homes, we keep our main focus on the cost savings benefits because energy efficient homes are unique in that there is a return on investment.

However, the “icing on the cake” if you will, is that our high performance homes are also considered, and many times are certified, green. This means they have all of the environmental advantages, for both the indoor living environment and the environment at large, that come by way of green building philosophies such as energy efficiency, durability, and superior indoor air quality.

When meeting with our clients, however, every one includes some modicum of green in their home plans – be it from the use of Energy STAR lighting and appliances throughout, to a full caulk and seal package you find with many new homes, our clients often come to us asking for a least some green feature if not a entire green home.

According to a recent survey by Green Builder Magazine, our clients aren’t unique in their requests. In fact, according to their survey results, the majority of people, nearly 60%, consider themselves “green” in some regard. And an overwhelming majority – almost 80%! – said that a green rating or credential would be an important consideration if they were in the market for a home. And when it comes to improvements or renovations, the respondents also showed they knew their stuff when it comes to energy efficiency. The top five home improvement projects the respondents stated they would embark on were all related to improving air flow and insulation, including projects such as sealing the house, adding insulation, and upgrading the HVAC system.

You can see more results from the survey by visiting the article on greenbuildermag.com, and taken all together it is great news to see that more and more people are beginning to see the overwhelming advantages to green building.

Like most builders, I can report the market is definitely picking up. And I’ve had several meetings recently with couples who want to build a new custom home.

What makes Hibbs Homes different is the fact we build high performance, or “green”, homes. Many are built and verified to meet various performance standards, including the National Green Building Standard (ICC-700), Energy Star, DOE’s Challenge Home, and more. This means our clients end up with homes that are more efficient, durable, require less maintenance, and provide better indoor air quality than standard, built-to-code homes.

While it is true that a high performance home can cost more to build, one money saving advantage is that they also qualify for Energy Efficient Mortgages (EEM). Simply put, an EEM is a mortgage that is specifically for homeowners who want to buy or build a high performance home. Because of lower monthly utility and operating costs, EEM’s allow you to stretch your debt to income ratios, which means you could qualify for a larger loan amount to buy a better, more efficient home than if you were purchasing a standard home.

EEM’s were first introduced by Congress in 1992 through a pilot program launched in five states. In 1995, the program was expanded nationally. A recent study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that because of energy efficient mortgages, nearly 7% more families would be able to qualify for a mortgage. Another study by the Appraisal Journal shows that the market value of a home increases $20 for every $1 decrease in the annual energy costs.

And in case you are wondering, if you plan on renovating your home and Energy Improvement Mortgage (EIM) is available for St Louis homeowners.

There are several sites where you can learn more about EEM’s and EIM’s. A few we recommend are the Energy STAR website, RESNET.us, and the Housing and Urban Development website. The illustration below also has a great example to show you what we mean:

This image from HUD.gov illustrates how an EEM works.

We truly believe that because of all of the financial incentives available to homeowners today, there has never been a better time to buy or build a new, energy efficient home. Mortgage rates are still at historic lows, and you can increase that buying power even more with a high performance home and an Energy Efficient Mortgage.