Remodeling and New Construction Talk...

Going Green in 2015

What does “going green” really look like in your home? Everyone would love to save money on their electric bill, while knowing that they are doing good for our environment. While many homeowners desire to make their homes more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, they may be stumped as to where to start. Let’s look at a few ways you could consider going green in 2015.

Utilizing Natural Light

Natural light is something everyone loves in a home and can bring new life to a once dark space. The addition of windows or skylights to a room allows you to use less electricity during the day and can be installed with relatively little hassle and cost. Already have plenty of natural light? Consider then how good your current windows are at holding the temperature of your home. Do you feel a draft when walking by a window? Old or outdated windows can lose up to 40% of a home’s heating and cooling efficiency. Replacing old windows with Energy Star windows will help to bring your utility bill down and keep your home at a comfortable temperature.

New Insulation

Heading toward the hot summer months, everyone is dreading the cooling bills that follow. Controlling those bills starts with proper insulation. Insulation helps your home retain heat in the winter and cool in the summer. Adding a few inches of blown insulation can cut energy consumption up to 20% in older homes.

Kitchen Update

More than just a beauty treatment, updating the kitchen can save money in the long run. Replacing old appliances with Energy Star appliances is an investment that will pay great returns in a home. Not only will you have a new and beautiful look to your kitchen, you will also have satisfaction knowing that your home is costing you less per month.

Reclaimed Materials

Old can be new again when you repurpose beautiful materials from another time. Whether it is your flooring, counters or doors, giving old materials new life can bring a charm to your home that you wouldn’t be able to find otherwise. Repurposed wood makes wonderful flooring that will become an indispensible part of the beauty of your space. When looking to use reclaimed materials, talk to your contractor and ask for examples from their portfolio. Look for someone who has experience with breathing new life and beauty into older materials.

If you have any construction or remodeling questions you would like answered, feel free to email us at info@bellavistacompany.com and your question might be spotlighted in an upcoming Construction Talk. We look forward to hearing from you!

like instrumental rock, I guess. Kind of like Explosions in the Sky. We did that for a while, and then I just kind of got burned out of playing at random bars to people who really weren’t there for the music. But I’m still writing stuff with a new band called All Delighted People. Now I just write and we record, and we give our music away for free.

What’s your favorite Dallas neighborhood?

I love mid-century architecture, so there’s some awesome pockets scattered throughout Dallas. Like Eastwood neighborhood over by Goodfriend off Peavy.

Where do you do your furniture shopping?

Right now I’m on the hunt for mid-century modern furniture, so I’ve been going to vintage shops looking for finds, but we also just bought a table from West Elm.

Do you enjoy shopping for art?

Yes. Actually, me and my wife just started having this conversation about acquiring new art. She’s an artist, so we have tons of paintings all around the house. She doesn’t like putting them up because they’re her stuff, but I love it. So our goal is to start acquiring art.

Any local artists we should know about?

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6318 Gaston Avenue Suite 202 Dallas, Texas 75214 www.bellavistacompany.com

Darin Breedlove, CR, CGR, CGP, CAPS, Sara Haley & Lance Tyler

Hobbes Vincent is a sculptor. He does stuff out of clay and then casts it in bronze. Just crazy stuff. It’s really cool.

—Brittany Nunn