2. Have an Overall Concept

Develop a concept early. A strong concept will make most construction decisions easier. In our house, which is a 1947 Quonset Hut, we decided to explore the use of corrugated materials throughout the house. This photo shows the incorporation of corrugated glass in our front door. Your concept can be generated from almost anything. Some successful concepts that we have worked with include the site, i.e. every room should have a view of the great tree or the river; a collection, we once designed a house to fit a client's collection of arts and crafts furniture; an energy efficiency goal; or a mood that you want to create.

3. Southern Vernacular Architecture

Southern vernacular architecture is based on sustainable design ideas and the principles sitll apply. Large porches on the south facade keep out the hot summer sun; large overhangs protect the walls and windows from rain and can block the harsh summer sun; single width rooms provide cross ventilation and natural light; high ceilings keep the rooms cooler in the summer; exterior window shutters provide protection from high winds; a raised first floor protects you from flood waters; and a dog trot form provides natural ventilation in the center passage. You can follow these time tested principles and have an open modern floor plan that accomodates contemporary living.

4. MOLD!

If the house smells like mold...find the mold and get rid of it! Hot humid air should be kept out of the house. It the house is on a crawl space, the crawl space should not have vents, it should be insulated at the walls and conditioned. The same goes for the attic; the attic should be insulated at the roof and conditioned. All Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Ventilation (HVAC) ducts should be within the conditioned envelope of the house. Exterior walls are going to get wet; provide a drain plain to facilitate drying between the exterior sheathing and exterior finish siding. This is a photo of a blower door test, that checks for leakage in the exterior skin of the house.

5. Build above the Building Code

The wind can blow hard and the days can be hot – simplify your life by building above the building code in both structural and energy design. The International Residential Code requires that all windows must at least be fitted with pre-cut wood structural panels as per the code. Up-grading to impact glass in the doors and windows or impact rated shutters lessens the hassle when preparing your house for a potential hurricane. Increasing the amount of insulation, using spray-in insulation, and sealing all exterior air leakage can drastically reduce your energy costs and save on the HVAC equipment size and cost.