Can I see some of your past work?
Of course! We have detailed photos of previous Paradime homes as well as a list of references we will be happy to provide to you.
Can I come visit the home site while the home is under construction?
Homeowners are encouraged to visit the construction site of their home after work hours so as to minimize disruption of the construction schedule. During work hours it is best to visit the site with a representative from Paradime Construction.
Do I need a Realtor to buy a Paradime Construction home?
Paradime Construction has a strong relationship with the Real Estate community and we are happy to work with an agent at any time. It is not necessary to have an agent to build with Paradime Construction. We can help you through the process and point you in the right direction for financing and closing services.
What is High Performance Building?
High Performance Building takes advantage of the most recent research and innovations in the construction industry that are not only environmentally friendly but also improve the quality and energy efficiency of today's homes. While there are many high performance products, features and practices that can go into both, design and construction, the ultimate goal is to insure that all of these aspects come together and perform well as a system in your home. These elements can be broken down into these catagories:
1) Lot Design, Preparation, and Development - By selecting a particular lot, selecting a knowledgeable team, and having a clear vision of how the construction will take place with high performance standards in mind, you can have a home that will be more energy efficient and leave less of a footprint on its surroundings.
2) Resource Efficiency - Through environmentally-conscious design and innovation, the high performance home uses low maintenance buildng products, including recycled, reused, renewable and indigenous material. These methods go a long way in conserving our valuable resources.
3) Energy Efficiency - High performance homes use ecologically-minded design and construction to help maintain a comfortable interior temperature with less energy usage. When combined with available environmentally-friendly appliances and fixtures, high performance home buyers are able to fully capitalize on this efficiency, saving both energy and money.
4) Water Efficiency - Proper design and installation of piping systems and fixtures helps insure a reduction in overall water demand in a high performance home. There are even systems which allow for the collection of rainwater and grey-water for use both indoors and outdoors.
5) Indoor Environmental Quality - By reducing the amount of toxic chemicals, moisture, and allergens, the quality of life in a high performance home is greatly improved.
6) Operation, Maintenance, and Owner Education - Any home is a complex system that needs to be properly maintained to operate efficiently. Educating the homeowner on both care and operation is an important factor in making sure the home functions at the optimum levels of performance.
These six catagories illustrate what goes into today's high performance home. The right builder can use these eco-minded features and practices to build a home that is both environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Such an approach can insure that these homes are a benifit to both nature and the budget-minded buyer.
1) Lot Design, Preparation, and Development - By selecting a particular lot, selecting a knowledgeable team, and having a clear vision of how the construction will take place with high performance standards in mind, you can have a home that will be more energy efficient and leave less of a footprint on its surroundings.
2) Resource Efficiency - Through environmentally-conscious design and innovation, the high performance home uses low maintenance buildng products, including recycled, reused, renewable and indigenous material. These methods go a long way in conserving our valuable resources.
3) Energy Efficiency - High performance homes use ecologically-minded design and construction to help maintain a comfortable interior temperature with less energy usage. When combined with available environmentally-friendly appliances and fixtures, high performance home buyers are able to fully capitalize on this efficiency, saving both energy and money.
4) Water Efficiency - Proper design and installation of piping systems and fixtures helps insure a reduction in overall water demand in a high performance home. There are even systems which allow for the collection of rainwater and grey-water for use both indoors and outdoors.
5) Indoor Environmental Quality - By reducing the amount of toxic chemicals, moisture, and allergens, the quality of life in a high performance home is greatly improved.
6) Operation, Maintenance, and Owner Education - Any home is a complex system that needs to be properly maintained to operate efficiently. Educating the homeowner on both care and operation is an important factor in making sure the home functions at the optimum levels of performance.
These six catagories illustrate what goes into today's high performance home. The right builder can use these eco-minded features and practices to build a home that is both environmentally friendly and energy efficient. Such an approach can insure that these homes are a benifit to both nature and the budget-minded buyer.
Why does Paradime Construction, Inc. Build High Performance?
The initial driving force behind our interest in building high performance homes was purely economic. For our clients, paying a large utility bill just didn't make sense. One way to cut down on these bills was to build more efficiently. This also saved on the overall cost of construction. Through "value-engineering" (an early form of high performance design) and focusing on building a well-insulated home, the customer saved money up front and continued to see these savings throughout the life of the home. Paradime Construction, Inc. has always used "value-engineering" principals as both the designer and the builder. Through our years of experience in both fields, we are able to save our clients money right from the start, beginning with our design process. Also, by utilizing resources that use less waste and more renewable products whenever possible, significant savings can be seen in both construction costs and home maintenance expenses.
With the introduction of the approved standards by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), high performance homes were clearly defined and all aspects that go into their design and construction are now measureable and verifiable by qualified third parties. For Paradime Construction, Inc., implementation of this program was both logical and simple, as we were already using many of these techniques in several aspects of our business, and they can now be verified by a third party and receive the seal of approval from the home-building industry.
There are varying degrees of high performance when it comes to new homes. You can achieve both a well designed and energy-efficient home with small but deliberate steps. There is also the extreme option of an off-the-grid home that provides its own energy. Mosthigh performance homes fall into the middle of these categories. People want high performance homes for various reasons and that is why these programs allow the homebuyer to customize the level of high performance they are looking for in their new home.
Paradime Construction, Inc. is pleased to provide these services to our clients. Planet Earth has only a finite amount of natural resources. Through high performance design and construction, today's homes can do their part to conserve both energy and resources. At Paradime Construction, Inc., new construction is the perfect place to take advantage of the ever changing technology and products that allow our high performance homes to outperform other standard homes, easing the impact on both the wallet and the environment.
With the introduction of the approved standards by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), high performance homes were clearly defined and all aspects that go into their design and construction are now measureable and verifiable by qualified third parties. For Paradime Construction, Inc., implementation of this program was both logical and simple, as we were already using many of these techniques in several aspects of our business, and they can now be verified by a third party and receive the seal of approval from the home-building industry.
There are varying degrees of high performance when it comes to new homes. You can achieve both a well designed and energy-efficient home with small but deliberate steps. There is also the extreme option of an off-the-grid home that provides its own energy. Mosthigh performance homes fall into the middle of these categories. People want high performance homes for various reasons and that is why these programs allow the homebuyer to customize the level of high performance they are looking for in their new home.
Paradime Construction, Inc. is pleased to provide these services to our clients. Planet Earth has only a finite amount of natural resources. Through high performance design and construction, today's homes can do their part to conserve both energy and resources. At Paradime Construction, Inc., new construction is the perfect place to take advantage of the ever changing technology and products that allow our high performance homes to outperform other standard homes, easing the impact on both the wallet and the environment.
High Performance Products Verses a High Performance System
The high performance movement has inspired many companies to promote environmentally friendly products. Individually, the majority of these products are superior to their more-traditional alternatives. For just a few dollars more, you can get 'high performance ' products that have more benefits than items used in the past. For the most part, installing these high performance products will make your home more energy efficient and help do your part in improving our environment.
A house is a complex system that has an endless array of parts making up the whole. Today's house is far more complex than early cabins constructed by the frontiersman solely for protection from the elements. Research in building science has shown the many dangers of improper home construction. The complexity of the current building codes arose from the past litigation for these incorrect construction practices.
Before you decide to purchase any of the new high performance products out there, understand how your current house is set up and how it might be affected by these new products. There are many dangers out there to installing a product that might upset the balance of your current system.
An energy rater should be the first person consulted. They have the ability to inspect and test your current home, letting you know what modifications will provide the most return on your investment. Their recommendations will include modifications that may need to be done to avoid any dangers and work with your current system.
Many of the new high performance products available today have the ability to increase the efficiency and comfort of your home. Just make sure you do the proper research to insure that these products will work with your current system and not against it.
A house is a complex system that has an endless array of parts making up the whole. Today's house is far more complex than early cabins constructed by the frontiersman solely for protection from the elements. Research in building science has shown the many dangers of improper home construction. The complexity of the current building codes arose from the past litigation for these incorrect construction practices.
Before you decide to purchase any of the new high performance products out there, understand how your current house is set up and how it might be affected by these new products. There are many dangers out there to installing a product that might upset the balance of your current system.
An energy rater should be the first person consulted. They have the ability to inspect and test your current home, letting you know what modifications will provide the most return on your investment. Their recommendations will include modifications that may need to be done to avoid any dangers and work with your current system.
Many of the new high performance products available today have the ability to increase the efficiency and comfort of your home. Just make sure you do the proper research to insure that these products will work with your current system and not against it.
Cost per Square Foot Verses Cost to Operate
The most common question a potential client asked a home builder is how much to you build per square foot. Without getting into the endless questions a builder must ask to give an accurate answer to the question, they should be asking how much does it cost to live in the home. The are builders out there who will build a home for a very low cost per square foot but the home will cost more per day to operate than another home built at a higher cost per square foot.
When looking to build a home, you must look at all of the factors that go into a home and not just dollars per square foot. Yes, it is important to get as much square foot as you can afford but ignoring the operating costs will leave you in a worse financial situation than you planned.
Let's look at some (make believe) numbers. If you were to build a 2000 square foot home for $85 per square foot your contract price would be $170,000. The same house at $100 per square foot would be $200,000 – a $30,000 difference. Let's say that the utility bills (electric/gas/water/sewer) were an average of $120 less in the more expensive home, this home would have a savings of $43,200 over 30 years.
Numbers aside, the comfort level, durability, improved air quality all would be better in the more expensive home. Funny how these questions never come up in the initial conversations of a custom home. Over time these are really the most important questions to answer.
Home building is an ever evolving industry that is driven by consumer selection. Right now the most popular question is how much per square foot but with the information age upon us there is a channel out there for every interest. Soon consumers will understand that the performance of a home over time will be a better understand of value and start asking the operating costs.
For those builders on the front edge of this technology, there is a report card on every home they build. It is the HERS score and it is posted on the electrical box of every home that is built using the current building science. I encourage you to ask about this with your next builder or renovator and see if they are willing to measure how good their homes perform.
When looking to build a home, you must look at all of the factors that go into a home and not just dollars per square foot. Yes, it is important to get as much square foot as you can afford but ignoring the operating costs will leave you in a worse financial situation than you planned.
Let's look at some (make believe) numbers. If you were to build a 2000 square foot home for $85 per square foot your contract price would be $170,000. The same house at $100 per square foot would be $200,000 – a $30,000 difference. Let's say that the utility bills (electric/gas/water/sewer) were an average of $120 less in the more expensive home, this home would have a savings of $43,200 over 30 years.
Numbers aside, the comfort level, durability, improved air quality all would be better in the more expensive home. Funny how these questions never come up in the initial conversations of a custom home. Over time these are really the most important questions to answer.
Home building is an ever evolving industry that is driven by consumer selection. Right now the most popular question is how much per square foot but with the information age upon us there is a channel out there for every interest. Soon consumers will understand that the performance of a home over time will be a better understand of value and start asking the operating costs.
For those builders on the front edge of this technology, there is a report card on every home they build. It is the HERS score and it is posted on the electrical box of every home that is built using the current building science. I encourage you to ask about this with your next builder or renovator and see if they are willing to measure how good their homes perform.