Vistacraft Engineers
Selecting the Size of Your Solar PV System
Solar panels on newly build house Whether your goal is to generate your own clean energy, increase your home’s appraisal value, save...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jan 7, 20165 min read
The Design of Office Buildings
The Flatiron Building in downtown Santa Cruz, California with two floors of offices over retail. Stylistically, it’s facades display...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jan 7, 20163 min read
Green Building Codes 2016: The Goalposts are Moving Again
Half-seriousness aside, there’s always room for greater resource efficiency in our building stock. If we’re going to insist on an economy...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Dec 18, 20152 min read
Tenant Improvements: A Practical Guide for Estimating Project Cost
Here are some quoted rates for Tenant Improvement for a typical space including costs to design, permit and construct the improvements...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Nov 30, 20154 min read
Building a New Home
Newly built homes are often priced higher than resale, but, with a new home, everything inside and out is brand new. Conventional...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Nov 30, 20152 min read
Considerations when Deciding your Home Addition
For most people extra living space has traditionally been acquired by moving house, but if you are happy with where you live, the...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Nov 9, 20153 min read
Is an Open Floor Plan for You?
In the event you are already leaning toward an open floor plan concept, here are a couple of question to ask yourself: Is more natural...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Nov 4, 20152 min read
How to Choose a Roof for Your Home
What to Look for in a Roof There are many factors to consider when selecting a roof including •How long will it last? •Does it hold up...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Oct 19, 20153 min read
Vying for Position: The World’s Most Sustainable Cities
Curitiba, Brazil widely regarded as the world’s first and largest experiment in sustainable urbanism. There exist various lists, or...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Oct 19, 20155 min read
Effective Use of Email for Construction Project Communications and Documentation
Article reprinted by permission of Construction Connection who grants permission to use this copyrighted material solely for...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Oct 12, 20152 min read
Selecting Land for a New Home? Here are Some Tips
Both approaches have merit. If your heart is set on a Spanish style adobe home, obtaining a heavily treed lot may not make sense for you....
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Vistacraft Engineers
Oct 10, 20152 min read
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD)
IPD differs from the Traditional Project Delivery (TPD) method, also known as the design-bid-build method. Under TPD an owner develops...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jul 19, 20152 min read
Managing Your Project’s Budget: An Overview
Editors note: this article is the first of an occasional series which will explore the important topic of construction cost management...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jul 19, 20152 min read
Managing Project Costs Part-2: The Project Budget
Project Budget for a typical residence. Hard costs are those directly accruing to the construction and include materials, labor, overhead...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jul 1, 20154 min read
Introduction to Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)
Using stressed-skin panels can reduce the time to frame the building envelope by more than one-third. This time savings can improve a...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jun 27, 20153 min read
EcoDistricts
Proposed “SouthWest Ecodistrict”, Washington, D.C. Originated by the City of Portland and the Portland Sustainability Institute (PoSI),...
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Vistacraft Engineers
Jun 6, 20151 min read
Smart Growth
Birch Street shops surround a large movie theater on the block to the right. This variety of storefronts creates a more interesting place...
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Vistacraft Engineers
May 18, 20152 min read
Buildings and Embodied Energy
Unlike the life cycle assessment, which evaluates all of the impacts over the whole life of a material or element, embodied energy only...
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Vistacraft Engineers
May 18, 20152 min read
Sustainable Building Practice
The main objectives of sustainable design are to reduce, or completely avoid, depletion of critical resources like energy, water, and raw...
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Vistacraft Engineers
May 17, 20152 min read
The Principle of Thermal Mass
Basic Passive Solar Design Materials with thermal mass are typically used in the floor or inside walls of a passive solar structure and...
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