For more light - get tubular.

What is A Tubular Daylighting Device (TDD)?

A relatively new form of lighting solution for homes is the Tubular Daylighting Device or TDD, which captures sunlight on the rooftop and redirects it down a reflective tube into interior spaces. The tubing will fit between rafters and will install easily with no structural modification. At the ceiling level, an attractive diffuser spreads the light evenly throughout the room. It provides exceptional lighting. The light output is incredible, providing as much light output as you would expect from a skylight many times its size.

The house I have listed at 3940 Rivendell Ct has one of these devices in the kitchen and it is amazing how much light it puts out. I’ve seen them in two other houses lately. They can turn otherwise dark rooms or hallways into well lit areas. If you have closet space in which to hide the tubes you can even run these to the first floor of a 2-story house or to the basement in a ranch.

Installing one is fast, clean and easy. They require no structural reframing, tunneling, drywalling or painting. A professional can install the product in less than two hours and most Do-It-Yourselfers can finish the project in one day. The compact and flexible design of TDDs allow them to be installed in just about any room, including rooms without direct roof access and smaller spaces where daylighting would usually not be an option. TDDs allow you to switch off electric lights during the day, which provides savings on energy bills and also reduces environmental pollution.

It’s actually good for you, too. It has been shown in several prominent studies that increasing daily exposure to natural light can enhance mental and physical well-being, boost concentration and energy levels and a variety of other unexpected perks.

Tubular Daylighting Devices cost considerably less than other daylighting options, such as windows and skylights, including both product and installation costs and obviously it doesn’t use any electricity, so it is very cost effective, once installed.

These systems work even on cloudy days, albeit with less light output then. Solatube International Inc offers several models for differing room sizes and uses. Solatube Daylighting Systems also offers two available light kit options for their Brighten Up® Series so that the product can also double as a standard lighting fixture, for use at night.

1. Incandescent Light Add-on Kits: The Solatube 160 DS accepts one incandescent lamp up to 100-watt. The Solatube 290 DS accepts two incandescent lamps up to 100-watt. While there is minimal blockage of sunlight when a light kit is used, this can be minimized by using a clear bulb.

2. Compact Fluorescent Light Kit: This kit does not accept standard light bulbs, only special compact fluorescent bulbs with a pronged plug. It is available for users who want a very energy efficient light fixture. This fixture accepts one 26-watt compact fluorescent lamp. One fixture may be used for the Solatube 160 DS. One or two fixtures may be used for the Solatube 290 DS.

The exposed dome on the roof is strong enough to withstand anything that mother nature can throw at it and for a little more you can upgrade to a polycarbonate dome that is practically bulletproof. Check your local building supply stores or with local builders to see if thee is somewhere that you can go to see one of these systems installed. You can visit http://www.solatube.com/ for more information and to search for a local dealer. I think you’ll be impressed with the idea and the simplicity of putting one of these in. If you were planning to do some “green” updating in your home this would be a good project to consider.

Give your home a concrete advantage…

From a recent real estate news feed comes this story. One of the hottest trends right now in improving a houses’ curb appeal is the creation of distinctive driveways. Options for driveways used to be pretty simple, asphalt or concrete. But these days the possibilities for concrete are practically limitless, allowing you to take your carport from blasé to beautiful.

Stamped concrete, often referred to as "patterned concrete" or "imprinted concrete", is concrete that has been designed to resemble other more expensive materials such as brick, slate, flagstone, tile or even wood. And the cost effectiveness, easy maintenance and endless design possibilities are making stamped concrete a must-have. In stamped concrete you can incorporate decorative patterns, even using other elements such as bond brick, hexagonal tile, worn rock or stone.

Another way to embellish your concrete is through the use of acid stains. Because concrete is naturally a neutral tone and it possesses a unique porous quality, it's the perfect blank slate. It allows decorative concrete contractors to create color schemes that mimic elements like marble or even leather, so that each homeowner achieves a truly custom look. Plus, adding a touch of color can make your home all the more elegant and inviting. A few of the numerous color choices include Green Lawn, Cola, Aqua Blue, Venetian Pink and Sandstone Cream. This way you can compliment the colors of your home with your driveway.

If you have an existing driveway, there are ways to get a lasting makeover without starting from scratch. For instance, you can resurface your concrete with overlay systems to eliminate cracks or blemishes, or you can choose to permanently engrave or sketch patterns for an enhanced appeal. Here in Milford, we have several examples of stamped and colored concrete, from a drive that looks like slate to a concrete drive that appears to be bordered with brick pavers, which is actually more concrete.

Stamped concrete is a great option for anyone looking to make a minor aesthetic change, with a major lasting impression. For more information about concrete stamping and sketching and for help finding a local contractor in Michigan, visit the Michigan Decorative Concrete Association.

Home improvements suffering in housing slump

Many homeowners are reluctant to put money into a home improvement for fear their home value will decline anyway, and they're probably right in this market. Home improvements, once used to help boost the value of homes, are the latest victim of the housing crisis. A recent article in one of the real estate news feeds that I get discussed this issue.

Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies says home improvements are set to decline by an annual rate of more than 11 percent into the first quarter of 2009. Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program of the Joint Center blamed weak home sales and the growing inventory of unsold homes for discouraging upper-end remodeling in many areas. Weak home sales and swelling inventories are the byproducts of a housing market plagued by foreclosures and tight underwriting standards.

The fallout prevents new home purchases and refinanced mortgages that often result in cash pulled out for home improvements. The same areas with the worst foreclosure conditions, California, the Southwest and Florida, are also finding fewer homeowners engaging in home improvements. Still, long term forecasts expect industry growth, Harvard projects a 44 percent inflation-adjusted increase in the remodeling business nationwide from now through 2015. Homeowners who make home improvements now will be better positioned for the next spurt in home prices.

This is fairly consistent with what I'm seeing locally. Many "builders" have reluctantly become home improvement contractors, just to make ends meet. Unfortunately, I still have to spend quite a bit of time trying to explain to perspective sellers why they won't get all of their home imporvement costs back upon sale. The other issue is that many home owners think of regular maintenance items like a new roof or getting the exterior painted or putting in new windows (after 30 years) as "home improvements." While they are improvements over what was there before, you just don't get credit from buyers for doing what you shold have been doing all along to keep up the property. Buyers will pay something extra for well done remodelings to the kitchens and baths or for a well finished basement (see my post of a few days ago on that); but even those will not return 100% of the invstment.

I normally advise people to do home improvements for their own enjoyment, while they own the house. The imporvements may add a little value to the sale price, and they surely will speed up the sale, compared to homes that still need major improvement projects. That's also a reason that I caution against doing last minute improvement projects, just before listing your home. They just don't pay back. It's better that you should take the cost of the imrovement project off the offer price.