Therapeutic Landscape Network

By info@|2014-11-13T20:22:05-08:00November 13th, 2014|CTA Consultation|

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Naomi Sacks, who runs the Therapeutic Landscape Network. She is currently working on a PhD in Architecture here at TAMU. But her accomplishments exceed that of many who have long had such academic di...stinction. Her book, Therapeutic Landscapes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Designing Healing Gardens and Restorative Outdoor Spaces, is available on Amazon. Though Naomi's focus is on landscape design in institutional settings, I look forward to learning as much as I can about her approach and applying it to the residential setting.

Biophilia

By info@|2014-11-04T17:25:59-08:00November 4th, 2014|CTA Consultation|

To the extent that we seek “green” or sustainable solutions, it is not enough to consider the resources that we use in building, we must consider our relationship to all resources. We must design homes that put us into relationship with life’s resources so that we can become aware of our part of a process of dynamic balance.

Best Energy Retrofit

By info@|2013-08-17T14:45:57-07:00August 17th, 2013|CTA Consultation|

green building Which is the least expensive energy retrofit? A. Installing solar panels B. Replacing existing windows with high efficiency windows C. Installing energy star appliances D. Sealing air leaksWhich has the highest ROI? A. Installing solar panels B. Replacing existing windows with high efficiency windows C. Installing energy star appliances D. Sealing air

SITING A HOUSE

By info@|2013-04-09T20:20:47-07:00April 9th, 2013|CTA Consultation|

It is easy to get caught up in all of the new building materials and technologies that are available and lose sight of the important fundamentals such as properly siting a house. There are few things that will make more difference in terms of energy use than this. The predominant paradigm in what some refer

Profile of Stearns Design Build

By info@|2013-03-29T21:54:08-07:00March 29th, 2013|Community, CTA Consultation|

Stearns Design Build We would like to post a profile of a different local business every Friday. I post this by way of providing an example of the sort of thing that we hope to include. The more that we know about our local businesses and the people who run them the more

Our Local Businesses and Nonprofits

By info@|2013-03-28T17:28:12-07:00March 28th, 2013|Community, CTA Consultation|

Stearns Design Build As our underwriting on NPR says, at Stearns Design Build "we are committed to the goals of environmental and community stewardship." One way that we want to work toward the goal of providing community stewardship is by offering a blog post every Friday on a different locally owned and independent

IN SEARCH OF SMARTER HOME VENTILATION

By info@|2012-12-13T16:10:20-08:00December 13th, 2012|CTA Consultation|

Home ventilation is a fairly new concept. Sure we have been putting vent hoods over stove and fans in bathrooms for a long time, but this was only to control source issues and not whole house ventilation.Central heating and air conditioning significantly changed the dynamics of our homes. But it was not until we became

Tankless Water Heaters No Longer our Recommendation

By info@|2012-11-29T16:50:39-08:00November 29th, 2012|CTA Consultation|

water heaters For years we confidently recommended tankless water heaters. This recommendation was backed up by quite a bit of well documented research that was easily understood from a theoretic perspective. Conventional water systems keep all of that water hot all of the time. New research shows that the truth is somewhat counterintuitive.

Recent Project: Master Bathroom Remodel

By info@|2012-09-24T20:05:07-07:00September 24th, 2012|CTA Consultation|

We're excited to share some pictures of this recently completed project! We've coupled the photos of the finished bathroom with before pictures so you can see the transformation. Our client's choice of oil-rubbed bronze fixtures really set the tone for their new bathroom. And boy, were they ready to say good-bye to their old carpeting

Cabinets 101

By info@|2026-07-10T08:28:56-07:00September 11th, 2012|CTA Consultation|

Kitchen Remodel College Station General Contractor Three types of Cabinets Manufactured Cabinets In many parts of the country, this is the most common type of cabinet. It provides the widest spectrum of quality (from cheap cabinets that can be purchased at any home supply big box store to very high end cabinets with piano

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