Real Estate Investing

To help pull the United States out of the massive depression of the early 1930’s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed and implemented a “New Deal.”  In addition to establishing a “brain trust” to assist with the recovery efforts and according to Wikipedia, their solutions to the economic crisis called for more extensive government regulation of the economy.

It appears that more government regulation of today’s economy may be in our future, as well.  Like FDR, President-Elect Barack Obama is promoting the same type of work performed by the Works Progress Administration - shoring up some of our crumbling infrastructure, building schools, power plants, and energy-efficient homes. According to CNN Money,

Longer term, some argue that creating transportation corridors that bundle together highways, high-speed rail links, pipelines, utility lines and other infrastructure projects would prime the economic pump - not only by creating the jobs during construction, but by speeding up commerce afterwards.

The new Administration will also be looking closely at energy saving ideas (caulking windows, use of insulations) and alternative energy sources as part of the recession recovery.

America … used to lead in designing and building renewable energy systems, but has since lost that manufacturing edge - not to countries with cheap labor costs such as China, but to places such as Germany and Denmark where the government supports these industries.

My thoughts are that perhaps another focus should be on more public transportation.  Cities like Chicago, Atlanta, and New York have it right with their train systems, but there are plenty of other big cities that could benefit from mass transport. 

All of these programs will cost billions, but what price would we pay to do nothing?

Finally, if you’re looking to buy low right now in the stock market, perhaps you should give some thought to “green” investing… solar panels, wind mills, etc.

Photo by Kyle May courtesy Flickr Creative Commons.

Recycling. Reclaiming. Recovering. Dumpster Diving. Whatever you call it, there is tons of perfectly good waste discarded every day and the most resourceful among us are putting it to good use. These are the ultimate eco-friendly warriors. Some call them crazy, some call them genius. The above video is a good example. Filmed by Texas Country Reporter, the video offers a tour of Dan Phillips’ home in Huntsville, Texas. Phillips is a resourceful person and a skilled woodworker who decided to use 85% of would-be waste to create his sizeable, impressive-looking home.

From discarded picture frame corners to old wine bottle corks, Phillips was standing right by the dumpster with his hand out to bring them back to home sweet home. While Phillips may represent the ultimate in recycling, he is by no means alone. There are countless stories of junk retrieved from dumpsters — some of which is not so junky. Think about all the people who are too lazy or busy to donate their junk or hold a yardsale after spring cleaning and/or relocating to a new house. There’s a lot of great stuff to be had, especially after a little elbow grease, creativity and bleach disinfectant!

For the more squeamish among us, like myself, you can put a company to work for you. There are plenty of companies offering reclaimed and recovered lumber, for instance. Whether it’s recovered from the bottom of a river or reclaimed from trash piles, there’s plenty of recycled lumber to be found. Why cut down a perfectly good tree? For starters, and to get a grip on the possibilities, check out the 2008 Green Log Awards nominees in the category of “Reclaimed Wood — Flooring.” And happy dumpster diving — er, recycling!

I always thought of log homes as one of the least eco-friendly building options around. But one web site actually says they can be eco-friendly too. In fact, log homes are “actually the most natural, organic and environmentally sustainable dwelling in the history of homebuilding,” the web site states. Of course, the web site belongs to PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes, not exactly an unbiased source. But Timber Homes is not alone in their approach. There are a lot of log home companies currently stressing the eco-friendliness of the building material, not surprising since eco-friendliness is all the rage.

Regardless, PrecisionCraft has a wealth of ideas on eco-friendly building. These are basic, common sense ideas, not the more expensive ones like tankless hot water heaters and photovoltaic panels.

- Use eaves, porches and awnings. This can not only increase the life of your windows, but can help cool your house by shielding the windows from direct sunlight.

- Placement of your home on the lot. Consider such characteristics of the land like slope, which could impact your building design. Also, when choosing a location, try to shield your home from the hot afternoon sun.

- Keep vaulted ceilings to a minimum. This is a tough one because vaulted ceilings are all the rage and often used as a selling point in home ads. However, not only is it wasted space, but it is also more air to heat or cool.

- Choose your windows carefully. The effects of windows placed in certain locations can be significant. For example, a large, unprotected window on a home’s west side is letting in ample heat from the afternoon sun. This is one reason clerestory windows are so popular. They project natural light from up high, but are too small and narrow to allow much heat to pass through.

- Add a cool pantry or root cellar. This strategy simply increases the shelf life of many products. It could also be useful for the person wanting to get into growing and canning their own vegetables, always an eco-friendly idea.

By the way, kudos to PrecisionCraft Log & Timber Homes for teaming up with Mountain Architects and others to found the annual Green Log Home & Lifestyle Awards. Now there’s something you don’t see a lot of log home companies doing.