home rehab - The Handbuilt City

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Age of Incompatibility: Fixing Smart Home Tech

December 13, 2022December 11, 2022 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments alexa, amazon alexa, amazon echo, amperes, amps, asbestos wire, ballast, dimmer, dimmer switch, dumb home, echo dot, electroluminescence, gosund, halogen, home rehab, home renovation, how to install a dimmer switch, incandescent, knob and tube, knob and tube wire, LED, LED bulb, LED bulbs, led compatible dimmer, led lights, Leviton, light emitting diode, light switches, light-emitting diode, lutron, rehab, rewiring an old house, smart home

A minor saga involving a dysfunctional lightswitch led me to thinking about some of the challenges of integrating smart home technology.

Energy Efficiency Home Improvement & DIY Energy

Summer Breeze: Heat Pumps, Mini-Splits, and the Magic of Thermodynamics

June 10, 2021June 16, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments ac inverter, air conditioning, air source heat pump, alpine home air, amazon, ampacity, beneficial electrification, blueridge, blueridge mini-split, boiler replacement, bosch, bosch appliances, carnot cycle, cooling, DIY, electric vehicles, electrification, electrification of buildings, energy efficiency, heat pump, heat pumps, heating, home energy, home improvement, home rehab, home renovation, HSPF, HVAC, inverter, manual d, manual j, mini split, mini-split, mitsubishi, mr. slim, power grid, refrigeration, Renovation, residential energy, SEER, split system, split system heat pump, statistics, thermal comfort

Mini-splits are the coolest new thing. Literally. Here is a guide to how to figure out how to navigate the sea of product options based on a simple calculation.

Energy Efficiency Home Improvement & DIY Construction

Glazed Over: Donald Trump’s Tiny Windows Conspiracy

October 23, 2020October 27, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments Donald Trump, energy, energy efficiency, energy waste reduction, glazing, green new deal, home rehab, home renovation, home repair, insulation, windows

US President Donald Trump’s claims that Democrats want to make the windows smaller in everyone’s houses were, while baseless, not the craziest thing he’s ever said. Glazing, energy, and you!

Sustainability Construction

Old House Love: Ditch The Chemical Floor Finishes

October 21, 2020October 26, 2020 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments barrier finish, carpentry, chemicals, DIY, finish carpentry, floor finishing, floor refinishing, flooring, green building, hardwood flooring, historic preservation, home improvement, home rehab, home renovation, lacquer, LEED, linseed oil, natural finishes, oak, old house love, old houses, petrochemical, petroleum distillates, polyurethane, Renovation, sanding, shellac, softwood, trim carpentry, usgbc, varnish, wood finishes, wood finishing, woodshop, woodworking, zero-VOC

Nat explores wood finishes using a domestically-made, zero-VOC linseed oil-based varnish for some 1895 hardwood floors.

Energy Efficiency Historic preservation Construction

Major Home Repair: To Go Gas-Free, Perchance To Dream?

June 22, 2020June 22, 2020 Nat Zorach 0 Comments draft vented combustion appliances, energy, energy efficiency, furnaces, heat pumps, home rehab, home renovation, home repair, rehab

Is it worth the premium to go electric? Maybe– if you have a good excuse to, like part of your house falling down. But it’s still going to run you a pretty penny.

Cities & Urban Planning Environment

April Showers Bring May Combined Sewer Overflows

May 1, 2019May 1, 2019 Nat Zorach 0 Comments climate adaptation, climate change, combined sewer overflow, CSO, Detroit, drainage, flooding, french drain, green stormwater infrastructure, GSI, home rehab, rainfall, Renovation, stormwater

I woke up several times last night to the sound of torrential rain drumming on the roof. The attic roof