Benefits of a Round House

Mindful Living - factory built round home manufacturers There are numerous benefits to a round home: cost advantages, improved energy efficiency, an expedited construction process and quality of materials. We can say without a doubt that the overwhelming reason why people buy a Mindful Living home is the feel of the space that we have created. We can do more than just choose a structure that provides walls and a roof - ultimately only a simple shelter. We can choose a building that warms us from the inside, that is an inspiration to come home to and one that allows us to feel a sense of expansiveness and wonder about the world and our home. Homes can be a source of inspiration and can be something to revel in. Homes can bring the outside world in and allow us to partake in the wonderment of the natural world around us. All it takes is the right design. And we feel that that is exactly what our homes do, not only because of their shape, but because above all, the reciprocal relationship we foster with our clients allows us to create, in the truest sense of the word, your home; a residence created by you, for you. Without our client's originality, enthusiasm and desire to be involved in every step of the process, we would only produce a building, but with your care and feedback, we can produce a home. As our sales associate Star says, "all our clients want to identify with their homes as a reflection of themselves; that's the one commonality between them all." It's no accident that our structures turn out so well; with such a commitment on both sides, we wouldn't expect anything less. We are proud of the fact that our buildings ar a true representation of our clients, forged through the reciprocal nature of planning and building a round home together. Ultimately, it is our clients that makes us special. What Mindful Living homes do is provide you with much more than just shelter. We offer you style, we offer you grace, we offer you a unique and individual living and working environment that is like no other.

The Nuts & Bolts "We have had numerous clients relate to us how easily these structures are to heat and maintain." Cost Efficiency Mindful Living resides in the lumber capital of the US. Our size allows us to buy our raw materials mill-direct and not from a middleman or lumberyard. This gives us a huge cost advantage over builders in most other areas. It is true that shipping can be a hefty cost, but we have found that our initial savings that we pass along to you have helped us be competitive nationwide. Speed Of Construction As you compare us to the other manufacturers that are out there, be sure to compare the completeness of product that they ship to you. Some products on the market are only floors and walls. Some are simply frames only. We feel that what we ship out from our factory is one of the most complete packages on the market today. Our floors come pre-insulated, sheathed and framed. Our walls are finished to the outside, complete with windows installed, our cedar siding stained a color of your choice and already installed. Our ceilings are even more complete. They come finished on the inside and the outside. The cedar ceiling is all installed, the insulation pre-installed and the roofing is even installed--all you will do is bolt this together and run hip shingles for the building to be weatherproof. Along with all of these major components we ship all of the necessary hardware to complete this entire exterior application. We will challenge any other product on the market to go from foundation to a complete exterior, waterproof and secure shell in as little time as it takes to do a Mindful Living shell. This completeness saves you time and therefore money in the long run. Look closely as you compare dollars to see exactly what you are getting for your money. Energy Efficiency Round buildings are natural energy savers! The smaller square footage of exterior walls for the interior space encompassed means less heat loss based on this reduced area. Beyond that simple fact our homes have several other energy saving features. We manufacture our own type of stress skin panels for our ceilings. What is wonderful about these panels is that they function much more highly than a comparable R-value fiberglass insulated ceiling. Add to those highly effective insulated ceiling panels our Low-E glass windows and triple-domed skylights and you get a truly warm structure. Besides the structural elements that we use, how a building goes together is often more critical than what individual units are used. We take great care in the prefabrication of all of our modules to make all of them fit as tight as possible and any gaps inconsequential. During the construction we liberally advocate caulking and sealing every possible crevice and have devised our systems with a super-tight building envelope as the ultimate objective. We have had numerous clients relate to us how easily these structures are to heat and maintain. In fact, often many people with wood stoves have to open a window even in the heart of winter because they retain heat so well. Quality Of Materials And Labor With our homes weather plays no role in the finished quality of your home. We use all kiln-dried materials and those materials never get set out in the sun for days to bake, warp and dry, they never get exposed to days or weeks or snow or rain. Working within a factory not only allows us to keep our materials in shape, it allows us to work in a shop-controlled environment where our workers are never combating the elements. They are therefore free to think about the accuracy of what they are doing and not about keeping themselves warm and dry. In fact we use tolerances that are never even mentioned in site-built housing. When is the last time a carpenter on a house has measured something to within a 32nd of an inch! Furthermore, this factory situation allows us use jigs and fixtures to insure quality, repetition and ultimately accuracy so that your building is beautiful, tight and fits right.

How To Start Your Wealth-Health

I’m beginning today a series of articles that makes me start to rock & roll and just by thinking about it puts me in a magically state. This week I’m sharing with you my inner and outer wealth when it comes to health… hahaha the words rhyme for me like the steps of a young ballerina.

Since childhood I was envious on those men that were passing by me, having the look like a younger Marlon Brando. From time to time my frustration was rising so high so I was forcing myself to go to the gym or for a run in park. Always, I promised to myself that this time I won’t quit until I’ll be the proud owner of a brand new 6 pack abs; in fact, I was using the Rambo soundtrack, imagining myself running more then 2 mile, but boy…after a few hundred feet my back and legs were killing me and they wanted to take it easier, even to let it go. When I was struggling with my jogging, a Burger King commercial was appearing in front of me and yes… in that moment I was finding the secret to run faster…to run faster to first Burger King in the area to reward myself for the greater effort that was done by me.
In those days, when I was entering in a hypermarket with my brother and sister, we were like a SWAT team in a smooth mission. My bro’s were grabbing the bottles of Coke while I was robbing the chip’s shelves. Every time when I was arriving near the cash register the Joker’s words from Batman were drilling my head: “Now, our operation is small but there is a lot of potential for ‘aggressive’ expansion”.
The click came for me when I realized that repeating the same scenario every time meant for me…getting the same results every time. I was having a walk on the deep end of the pool when I threw back to its dark hole the giant bag of chips and said “Fuck it! I don’t want this!”. That moment kicked-in and empowered me with Superman’s inside forces.
For the start I was interested in some ways that have to make me able to run that 2 miles mentioned earlier, so I realized that I was in a helpless need for energy….energy and exercise…Now, I was back on track.
The source for the precious energy was revealed to me in the term “diet”, but let’s face it: that term is ugly…the first 3 letters are not so friendly, so I changed it with the term “raw”…”raw meals”.
I’ve found out that our body it’s made from 70% water and our brain of 90% water. So I start drinking about a half of gallon of water daily. That was the first move to a self sufficient living; early in the morning when I enter in my bath I see my 2 cups of water waiting for me.
This first article was a brief warm-up in the untapped resources that jacked-up my life. Tomorrow I will talk about my wickedly effective raw meals.
Until next time, live healthy and joyfully!

How To Live A Self Sufficient Life

Today’s article is a killer! Why you may ask? Because I want to marry all the action steps required to live in a truly self-sufficient way, in one article. Starting from now you will be able to transform your life just by skyrocketing your energy through the roof.

The first thing we want to rebuild in our life is the energy. Energy, folks, is everything in this Universe. Without it we can’t lift a simple bag of chips and with it as our ally take a glimpse to what America became since 4 July 1776, the moment when Thomas Jefferson presented his act to the Congress, until today.  You can get energy from 4 major components: breath, physical exercises, healthy raw meals and sleep.
Breathing is the major key element in all our life. Without this function our body can’t live. What I’m sharing with you here is pure gold because more than 85% of world’s population doesn’t breathe the right way… and guess what? If you don’t receive the proper quantity of Oxygen in your body and use right you are not functioning to your maximum speed.   It’s so easy this first move that it is skipped almost by everyone.
Behind the door number two, it stands the physical exercises. This one is a basic tool for a proper breathing. I know that all of us wanna a Brad Pit’s look, but the fit appearance comes like a bonus. The real deal here is split in two parts: first, by accelerating your heart beats your are sending more oxygen to your brain, thus you raise your capacity to think and second, you are forcing your lymphatic system to move. If the blood is put to work by your heart, your lymph doesn’t have a pump and that’s a life-and-death matter for you to exercise.
Coming up in the next ranks here is the organic food, the raw meals. Organic food, my friends, means living food. Your body means life. This is the main reason why you must feed your body with raw foods, because they have similar vibrations. I don’t want for myself the vibrations from a dead cow or some fearful chicken, slaughtered with cold blood by those from Mac’s. If you have the home in a country side area, way better for you. You can start your own micro farm and be sure that you do not use chemical stuff for your veggies and plants. If you are living in a skyscraper where you can’t plant cabbage in a concrete hole, buy your aliments only from organic stores.
The final component here is sleeping. When you are sleeping, your body is recovering and starts putting the missing pieces to there right full places. The expert’s category says that if you want to reach your 40’s-50’s and yet feeling like a 21 boy with his energy shooting through the stars, you better get some 7 hour sleep on daily bases.
Hope to hear from you how your energy increased faster than you ever dreamed possible.
Until next time, live healthy and joyfully!

Green House, Home, and Lifestyle Choices to Save on Energy

A "green house" - home, that is, not an indoor farm... a green house no longer only applies to the type in which we can grow a garden inside of, but the term now applies also to those houses and homes which utilize "greener technologies" in order to run more efficiently, create less waste in energy expense, and often, are even involved in the generation of energy on their own. Of course, if you're not going to buy or build one of these, and hope to save on energy expense in your existing home right now, here are a few things you can do...

To make your home more of a "green house" home, cut down on energy expenses whenever and wherever possible. You can start by installing a timer to your heating system. Set the timer so that your heating system turns down quite low about an hour after you go to bed, and turn up again about an hour before you wake up. Have it shut completely off about a half-hour before there is no-one at home (like, during work and school hours), and turn back on again about a half-hour before you return home again.

Another "green house home" idea is to do this very same thing for your hot water heater. This is a huge consumer of energy and can represent an enormous chunk of your energy expenses. Have a timer installed on your water heating system and set it to turn off at bed-time, and turn on again about an hour before waking. Have it turn off when no-one is at home, and turn on again in enough time before your home becomes bustling with people once again. Remembering to set your heating and hot water system completely off while away on vacation, or just away for the weekend, is also a great and simple way to save an inordinate amount of energy expenses.

Finally, for another green house home idea, keep clear in mind the relationship that light and heat has and how they can affect each other. For example, you're probably well aware that having your window curtains open wide to let in the natural sunlight saves a lot of artificial lighting electricity expense, right? Add to that the sun's warming effect in the home, and this also saves on heat in the winter... but what about the summertime? If we did this in the summer, we could save on lighting, but we would spend much more on air conditioning to counteract the heating effect of the sun's warmth on a hot summer day, pouring into your windows. For this reason, it would be best to keep the shades closed, which would actually have a cooling effect in your home, and just use artificial lighting when needs be - this costs far less than running an air conditioner in the home all day.

If you're interested in learning more about green homes and other things related to alternative energy, then you've got to check out the EcoPlusHome project.

Bryan Kenny and his family are an average North American family with one exception...they're living in the EcoPlusHome.

The EcoPlusHome is a prefabricated home powered by alternative energies like solar thermal, geothermal and photovoltaic. Bryan and his family will show the world that it is possible to live self sustained for a 12 month period by showcasing their journey living in the EcoPlusHome on their blog.

How to Take Your Living to the Next Level - Affordable Green Housing

If the 20th century was stigmatized by the 2 world's wars, the new warrior of the 21st century, that makes waves in the world's front-line trenches, is Greenpeace, according to the NZ Herald. Since green is the new global color, the affordable housing concept was also forced to improve. So the affordable green housing concept kicked in and brought to the table a completely new design for people with a small budget.

It's crucial that the affordable green housing projects must posses a healthy environment for the people to rely on it. The process of building involves using construction materials, adhesives that are not harmful for the human body and also a proper insulation that reduces the cost of the energy bills with nearly 17 percent according to the Enterprise Community Partners studies.

This is one of the many green communities backed up by The Big Boys such as Natural Resources Defense Council and U.S. Green Building Council,. This building site was finished in less than 5 years since the starting date in 2004 and managed to shuffle the feet of a tremendous number of people by moving in 8500 brand new green houses.

Two of the major key terms of the global self help movement that was blooming in the last century are abundance and wealth, therefore the affordable green housing vendors exploits these concepts very well in their offer addressed to people like me and you.

A thing that caught my eye was that the new building sites are placed more close to the existing communities and therefore we have prize money from the distance travels savings. Besides the gratifying reductions to the energy costs, the water cut off can be brought up to 50% by using recycled water. We succeed a few jumps to the next level with the help of the compact fluorescent lamps, the solar water pre-heaters and also plumbing fixtures with high performance.

Some of the risky problems, commonly featured among the children who were living in those old affordable houses, were finger-pointing the high percent of lead from blood and asthma, a 40 percent rate according to some studies. Nowadays, this percent was blast off because of the restricted legislation against substances like lead.

The complete mastery improved feature for the new houses is the uses of recycled content material and by doing this we are fortune that the forest is no longer obligated to pay the price. The Forest Stewardship Council Commit has clear standards regarding the wood products used and that materials must cover a 25 percent by the total cost.

Green House Tarps

Why use a clear tarp for green house construction? Tarps provide excellent protection for your outdoor house plants at the same time they help to increase the humidity level that plants thrive on to grow properly and flourish.

They are much more economical to install than using glass, yet the clarity is equivalent to glass. Crystal clear tarps made from 0.28 mm thick PVC are perfect for roof and side wall construction of green houses because this tarp style is almost completely transparent and totally waterproof. Anyone working inside a green house constructed using clear green house tarps enjoys the benefits of direct sunlight and natural daylight without being subjected to such elements as wind, rain, hail, slush or snow.

In addition to being waterproof, tarps made of transparent material also have several other features that make this kind of tarp beneficial for using to construct a green house. A transparent tarp is mildewproof, resistant to tears and acid, as well as UV treated on both sides of the tarp without distorting natural light from entering the green house. This high grade clear tarp is outfitted with rust-free grommets positioned approximately every three feet along the seam so that the tarp can be securely fastened along the out house's frame. For a material that is durable and sturdy yet at the same time flexible, see through tarp is an excellent choice.

Any horticultural house project that experiences the variations of winter weather benefits from using clear tarp. The sunlight even on the coldest day will still penetrate the tarp and provide a warm environment for green house plants, as well as being able to provide natural light while work in the growing area are being tended to.

For areas of vegetation that needs a bit of shade, mesh tarp is a good complement to using clear tarp because it will provide an oasis of shady protection.

Out houses constructed of either clear or mesh tarp, or a combination of both, become more pleasant places to spend time in and to be close to nature. An individual can enjoy working in the green house under natural lighting, protected from the weather and the elements no matter what the time of year when clear or mesh tarp is used for canopy and side wall construction.

Going Green House Products - How to Buy the Best Green Cleaning Products

Going green house products are not only good for the environment, but these are also good for the health of our loved ones and pets as well. Unfortunately, you can't immediately trust all green cleaning solutions labeled as: eco-friendly, environmentally safe, or non-toxic. But you can still do something to distinguish what going green house products to buy - research.

It's really difficult to pick the right going green house products, especially if they all claim to be environmentally safe. Well, checking the product label is always a good precautionary measure, but it's not a hundred percent guarantee that the product is all that it claims to be. Manufacturers are not really required to declare all the ingredients they've used in making their products. Also, it's specifically hard to gauge the quality of the product since there are no established regulations or standards for eco-friendly products.

Since not all "green" cleaning products are really green and manufacturers are really not that transparent with the ingredients they're using, is it safe to say that going green is just not right for you? Well, the answer is no. Despite the lack of clear rules as to what really makes a product environmentally safe, there are still some important buying guidelines consumers can follow when buying commercially-made green household products.

Learn to read labels. It's not a foolproof method, but it does give out important hints at times. Go through the list of ingredients of the product (if you're fortunate enough that manufacturers specified these) and spot the toxic chemicals that you recognize. If it contains ammonia, hydrochloric or sulfuric acids, lye, and chlorine bleach, these should be enough hints that the cleaning solution is not really safe for the environment and humans. You should also take note that chlorine bleach is not safe to use with other chemicals, like ammonia, because this will form poisonous gases.

Buy products only from trusted green product manufacturers. There are currently several companies that are making noise in the green cleaning product industry; some of these are ECOS, Shaklee Corporations, and Seventh Generation. Although not strictly mandatory, Seventh Generation products contain the complete list of chemical ingredients - a real big help on your part. You can actually learn more about these companies and their products through their websites.

Find out how and where you could get hold of the best green house products. You have two choices to accomplish this task: go online or visit your nearest retailers. Purchasing directly from the manufacturer's official online shop gives you more edge because you're assured that you're getting the real stuff. It's also a good thing to know that majority of supermarkets and department centers are already warming to these products - they actually have different green cleaning products on stock.

Why Green Housing Is Needed

When you think of living green, you may consider the major impact on the environment made by our gas guzzling SUVs and sports cars. However, did you know that the majority of the issue with our environment comes from our houses and offices?

According to the McKinsey report, "Curbing Global Energy Demand: The Energy Productivity Opportunity", our homes are the consumers of up 25 percent of the world's energy and are therefore responsible for 19 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Keeping in mind that this number relates only to the homes we live in; not the massive office buildings that line city streets, the number is alarming as it stands. With these numbers of energy consumption, you can see why green housing is an idea whose time has come.

The reason we use so much energy inside of the home is widely because of all of our 'necessary' appliances. It is the rare home where you may not find a television or a computer, and very few homes are without the all essential microwave. But the biggest issue inside of the home is the heating and cooling that is needed. In fact, it is our heating and cooling systems that utilize up to sixty percent of our energy resources at home. Green housing does not necessarily cut the need for heating and cooling, but certain aspects of the green housing idea do cut back on the reliance of energy sapping systems.

To make a difference in your world is to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Green housing is becoming increasingly popular because more and more people want to help solve the problems that have come with the advances in society. To live green doesn't necessarily mean that you must go all solar panels and cut out the use of all appliances; but there are significant changes that you can make to help cut down on energy consumption.

Just what is green housing all about? Let's take a look. Green housing can be comprised of a compilation of different aspects pertaining to building a home. Many families are opting to build homes using certified wood that has been harvested from sustainably managed sources. Green housing materials could also be products that have been manufactured with resource-efficient processes such as reduced energy consumption, minimized waste (recycled, recyclable and/or source reduced product packaging), and reduction of greenhouse gases.

The need for green housing and green building materials is clear. The availability of this sort of living may not be accessible to everyone at this point in time; but those who have begun to pave the way for better buildings have created an easier path for future improvements to the way we build and the way we impact the earth.

Until you can develop your own plan for a home constructed to utilize less energy, such as a round house, you can make small changes in the home you currently live in. Any move towards energy efficiency is a good one, even if it is one small step. One small step leads to many.

So Many Benefits in Building a Green House

Energy and cost efficiency are two perks of building using green architecture and design. At first the cost of building green may seem steep compared to a standard home, but the savings on utility bills can compensate handsomely. In green house design, electricity is used more efficiently.

Alternative energy sources can be used to actually save money. Using wind turbines can be one way to create electricity in green homes. Solar panels are an additional way to power electricity in a green house. With the cost of gas and coal powered utilities soaring, an investment in green technologies is likely to offset or even eliminate dependency on these limited resources for those building a green house. Installation and materials are the only aspects of solar and wind power that cost the builder anything. Both abundant and constantly renewable, the resources of sunlight and wind are free! Building green houses with wind turbines and solar panels can be both environmentally friend and economical as sources of power.

Another design concept that can be used is the gray water system. Gray water systems are more efficient because they use water from one area of household and recycle it elsewhere in the dwelling. For instance, using a gray water system could allow green home residents to collect water used while showering for watering a garden or flushing toilets! Unnecessary water waste is decreased in recycling water throughout the home from day to day. Reducing the carbon footprint of a home and saving money on water utilities are two benefits afforded by using state of the art gray water system technologies.

Building materials used and design of the dwelling are also key factors to consider when building a green house. Recycled or salvaged materials are an option in building a green house. From insulation to roofing and even flooring, it is possible to use recycled or salvaged materials for nearly every surface in green house designs! Recycled and salvaged materials have the double benefit of being both more cost effective and in many cases, more durable than other kinds of building materials. Using locally salvaged building materials can reduce the carbon footprint of a home even more if they are locally obtained. Since it does not require as much energy to manufacture and transport locally salvaged building materials, less pollution is created building a green house.

Different kinds of architecture can be used in building a green house in order to regulate indoor temperatures. Design which increases exposure to sunlight and heat retention is possible with green architecture and would benefit those building in cold climates. In warmer climates, a comparable principle of design can be used in building a green house. In warm places, residents can minimize sun exposure and harness naturally cooler biomasses beneath the surface of the Earth. The ways to reduce carbon footprints while saving money are truly endless when building a green house!