Comfortable House

As homeowners increasingly desire greater comfort, enjoyment and control—especially in an economy that encourages cocooning—new technologies in home automation continue to emerge.

“Electrical contractors around the country are increasingly specifying, designing and installing home automation technologies and systems that can help lower energy costs in addition to enhancing lifestyle and appearance,” said John Maisel, publisher of Electrical Contractor magazine at www.ecmag.com, published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md.

According to a recent Electrical Contractor article, new and emerging residential innovations include:

• self-powered, wireless light switches that can be placed anywhere and moved anytime for a whole-house lighting control system—each battery-free switch houses a small “energy harvester” that converts mechanical energy at the flip of the switch into a radio signal that controls the home’s lights;
• wireless tabletop lighting keypads;
• new generations of solar tubes that capture, reflect and disperse UV-filtered sunlight;
• UL-approved dimmable outlets and plugs;
• wireless, motorized blinds and shades in combination with a an intelligent controller to reduce heat gain and fabric damage from UV rays;
• solar collection systems that integrate with the electric system to help save on energy and lower energy bills;
• wired and wireless fan speed controls;
• residential lighting that is thoroughly integrated into appliances and located closer to the task, replacing architectural downlights which needlessly illuminate the entire room;
• home offices with simple, direct/indirect lighting fixtures for computer areas;
• LEDs that can be easily mounted in areas otherwise considered off-limits, such as stairs; and
• wine displays highlighted with low-heat source LEDS without impacting wine aging.

According to Electrical Contractor, electric lighting control and motorized shade systems make the energy-saving benefits of daylight harvesting possible—including reduced maintenance and replacement costs over the home’s lifespan, energy conservation, improved occupant health, productivity and greater design flexibility.

Published by the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), Bethesda, Md., Electrical Contractor magazine reaches 85,000+ electrical contractors and more than 65,900 electrical contracting locations, more than any other industry publication. Telephone: (301) 657-3110. Web site: www.ecmag.com.

Adding shutters is among the most effective and simple ways homeowners can elevate curb appeal, create an inviting façade and provide colorful accents. With today’s highest-quality shutters, uncommon architectural detail and customized designs offer even greater enhancements.

More homeowners are choosing to create exceptional looks with distinctive shutters, such as those from Atlantic Premium Shutters™. Handcrafted to an individual window’s specifications, these shutters provide beautifully-balanced symmetry, perfectly matching the scale of windows and walls to create a picturesque scene.

Available in 40 colors and numerous styles, Atlantic Premium Shutters make a dramatic visual statement, adding an elegant touch to exteriors that feature brick, stucco, stone veneer, premium vinyl or fiber cement. From homes in historic neighborhoods to pristine estates near the water’s edge, shutters like these add vibrancy to a variety of architectural styles ranging from Neocolonial, to Tudor or Spanish. Discerning homeowners can also choose to have colors customized for their shutters.

Offering much more than typical immobile shutters, those from Atlantic are historically-accurate and architecturally-correct, mounted with handsome matte-black finished stainless-steel hardware that delivers simple elegance and functionality. The hardware adds striking dimension by setting the shutters off from the home, also allowing a hint of the home’s exterior cladding to be visible between the shutter and window to provide a noticeable fine touch.

“Many of today’s new home designs point toward a return to a bygone era – one in which certain homes evoked an architecturally significant ambience,” said Jonathan Wierengo, Director of Marketing for The Tapco Group™, maker of Atlantic Premium Shutters. “In cities like Charlotte and New Orleans, as well as regions such as the Northeast or Atlantic Coast, functional shutters are part of the local motif. It’s important to respect that design continuity, while offering upgrades in the newest technologies.”

Combining traditional character with modern design, Atlantic’s shutters provide enhanced durability. Unlike wooden shutters, these composite shutters require no maintenance or worrying about warping, rotting or painting. Atlantic’s Architectural Collection shutters are crafted from marine-grade fiberglass, structural-grade PVC and composite wood, offering a limited lifetime structural warranty and a 15-year finish warranty. The Classic Collection of composite wood shutters offers a 10-year limited warranty for structure and finish.

All Atlantic Premium Shutters deliver uncompromising detail with crisp lines and smooth surfaces. The Architectural Collection’s Raised-Panel and Louvered-Colonial designs capture attention with their deep dimension and interesting shadows. In addition, these styles can be personalized with options like custom rail locations or arch tops. The option of rabbeted edges with beading is also available, to provide a perfectly-matching fit when shutters are closed. The Architectural Collection’s Bahama Shutters showcase tastefully simple style, allowing cool breezes and soft diffused light to pass through. Popular in coastal and desert areas, these shutters are crafted of pultruded fiberglass and are mounted with aluminum hardware.

Atlantic’s Combination-style shutters allow homeowners to express their full creativity, by mixing and matching Raised-Panel and Louvered-Colonial design elements for a one-of-a-kind appearance. Options include vertical mullions, faux tilt rods or extra panels. The possibilities with Atlantic’s colors and styles are virtually endless. In fact, cut-out shapes such as a heart, cactus or anchor can be custom-ordered.

Atlantic’s Classic Collection features the popular Board and Batten, and Faux Louver designs. Classic Collection options include z-bars, an extra batten and arch tops to add personalized touches for the stylish Board and Batten look.

From neutral colors like Driftwood and Chelsea Gray, to bold shades like Cascade and Roycraft Copper Red, Atlantic’s available spectrum features a full array of expressive colors. The 40-color palette includes Tricone Black and Evergreen at the dark end, while rich shades like Plum Creek, Stratford Blue and Garnet are offered. Light colors include the softness of Sand and Classical White. For a one of a kind appearance, custom colors are also available.

Both Architectural and Classic Collection shutters are offered in hurricane storm-rated options that add a level of protection for coastal homeowners. Atlantic Premium Shutters are products of The Tapco Group. For more information, visit www.atlanticpremiumshutters.com or call 1-866-288-2726.

New innovations are allowing homeowners to create some of the most uniquely charming looks with siding. It used to be that having siding panels meant a home was destined to look like so many others, but today’s siding offers outstanding dimension and vibrancy through a wide spectrum of colors and various richly-textured profiles.

The siding from The Foundry^® is a new breed of premium vinyl siding that combines maintenance-free living with a bold color palette and the classic natural appeal of cedar shakes and shingles.

With more than 100 different molds from real cedar used to craft The Foundry’s Shake and Shingle panels, the authentic texture of handcrafted cedar shakes and mill-sawn shingles is achieved with random grain variations and detailed depth and dimension. While many home-building materials manufacturers try to replicate the appearance of wood, often falling short on aesthetics, The Foundry delivers a true representation of cedar with a seamless appearance and no noticeable pattern.

These panels provide the warmth and charm of cedar, while eliminating the maintenance that wood requires. Offered in the industry’s widest color palette, no painting, staining or sealing is ever needed with Foundry siding.

Rich texturing is taken to an exceptional level with The Foundry’s Weathered Collection, which is now being expanded to give homeowners even more color and texture options. The Weathered Collection’s coloring provides the uniquely beautiful look of cedar that has weathered over time. It is accomplished through a proprietary process that creates different tonal qualities using a darker shade of color in the grain, and a lighter one on higher points.

Crisp contrast is created within each Weathered Collection Shake or Shingle, but the grand effect for a home is a warm and variegated color field that is saturated with character.

In a whole-home application, these panels make an eye-catching statement on each side of the house. For additional texture and a personalized look, Weathered Collection panels can be combined with materials such as brick or fiber cement to bring unique appeal. Used with stone veneer, the Weathered Collection offers a home outstanding dimension with a timeless look. The Shingles and Shakes are a classic complementary fit for a stone wainscot or door surround.

As an accent in roof gables, the Weathered Collection provides additional architectural interest to draw gazes upward. The panels’ texturing can gain an even greater focus when set off by crisp trim designs, and posts or columns, creating elegantly detailed scenes.
A new introduction to the Weathered Collection’s palette is a true cedar color that features natural gold and brown tones, and undertones of subtle pinkish-red that add a hint of rose-colored blush. This authentic finish delivers rustic charm and warmth, and continues the Weathered Collection’s tradition of paying homage to nature through its range of light, medium and dark earth tones.

All Weathered Collection panels offer a 7″ exposure, while the Staggered Shake panels also have an available 10″ exposure that works to heighten its rugged design appeal vertically. Shingles have natural surfacing and random mill saw marks, Split Shakes are defined by peaks and grooves along the grain that create interesting shadows, and Staggered Shakes feature an uneven pattern and rough-sawn butt ends for a completely handcrafted appearance.

In addition to their style benefits, the panels have superior durability. An ASA cap maximizes color appearance, so while the panels look authentically weathered, their design and color will keep their integrity through Mother Nature’s storms and blistering sun. Foundry Shakes and Shingles are backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
The Foundry is a division of The Tapco Group™.