by Lindsay Locke, Director of Business Development at TightLines In its January/February 2012 issue of REALTOR magazine, the National Association of REALTORS identified affordable housing in central city and core suburb areas as real estate's likely 'sweet spot in 2012.' According to article contributor Brian Block, broker-associate with RE/MAX [...]
Space Case, written by Wanda Urbanska for Natural Home & Garden magazine, makes the case for “customizing your spaces to your lifestyle”. She features our principal architect and owner, David Maurer, and a recent Raleigh home renovation case study. At the suggestion of Maurer, the renovation utilized the home’s [...]
Doors and Windows This was probably the easiest and quickest task. I installed weather-stripping at the casing of all my exterior doors and along the bottom of the doors. My single pane windows, being almost 100 years old, did not sit firmly and tightly at the bottom of the [...]
Caulking and Spray Foam Insulation They say it’s the little things that count. Don’t underestimate the value of properly sealing openings, even the smallest of ones. Air migrates through the smallest of cracks, so it’s really important to pay attention to this detail. When I was in the attic [...]
Ductwork In some houses, and certainly in mine, improperly installed or sealed ductwork is a major contributor to energy loss. Especially when the ductwork is run in the attic and/or basement through unconditioned space, you can lose up to 50% of the efficiency of the system. In my case, [...]
What are easy ways to retrofit an existing home to include green features? Owning a 1920’s Craftsman Four Square, my energy bills had been taking me to the bank. Literally. The insulation was sloppily installed – and I take full credit for that – since I did it myself [...]
The Covenant Place Townhouse, built by Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Chattanooga Area using "The Filmore Triplex" design by TightLines is near completion and scheduled for dedication June 25. This beautiful structure will become the home of Telisha McKinney and family, the refuge family of Jean Hitimana and [...]
I recently had the pleasure of serving as a guest critic this last semester for a sustainable and affordable housing studio at the School of Architecture at North Carolina State University. Taught by Professor Tom Barrie, the students first research the design and technologies of several recently built projects. [...]
It's been a busy year so far and we're hoping to expand our TightLines team! If you have any experience in single family, multifamily & senior affordable housing and an interest in helping to build strong communities, then this is the job for you. Required: Professional degree, AutoCAD proficiency [...]
Virginia's affordable housing conference entitled "Partnerships for the Future, Reinvesting in Communities" was held November 17-19 in Richmond, Va. With over 900 people attending, it was packed with informative sessions, engaging speakers, tours of local projects and developments, and lots of networking opportunities. It's always amazing to us to [...]