One of the hardest parts of electrical work is accessibility. In some situations, adding a new outlet or replace old wiring can require nearly tearing your walls apart. There is a solution, however: Open building can make things easier by focusing on flexibility, ease of access and disentanglement of systems. If you’re building, renovating or putting an addition on your home, try incorporating open building principles to make it simple to change or upgrade your electrical system.

Total Flexibility

The big picture when it comes to open building is to keep the support structure of the house separate from the interior fill-out. This construction style also keeps wall spaces accessible and strives toward total flexibility. After all, chances are you'll have to replace one or more of your internal systems before you need to rebuild the whole house.

That means infill systems like your wiring are separated from others like plumbing and insulation so it's not difficult to access and remove them. So if you need to remove outdated wireing, add new circuits or upgrade your whole system to comply with local code, there's no need to gut your house. Instead, you remove some panels, install the electrical with no fuss and pop the panels back into place. No need to break through drywall or struggle with ducts and pipes that are in the way.

Rational Form of Design

The open building concept is being driven by the Open Prototype, a collaboration between MIT and Bensonwood Homes to build and test various models for open building principles.

“The simple act of disentangling the wiring from the structure and insulation layer allows you to upgrade, change, or replace a 20-year-lifespan electrical system when new technology arises without affecting a 300-year structure,” Bensonwood Homes founder Tedd Benson said to Ecobuilding Pulse. “Open Building provides a more rational form of design and construction that supports long-term sustainability for buildings with increased shell longevity, and more control and flexibility for the homeowner.”

The idea is to ensure that the home of today is ready to adapt to the needs of the tomorrow's homeowners. “We can’t predict what people will need and want in their living environment,” Benson said. “Open Building principles respond to occupants’ changing needs rather than force the occupants to conform to a preconceived design.

Older homes have their charm, but as anyone living in one can tell you, they also come with more than their fair share of issues. Building and electrical codes have changed dramatically over the years, and our everyday electrical demands have continued to skyrocket. At Kolb Electric, we don’t want to discourage anyone from living in the home of their dreams.  That said, we do want people to be safe, so if you currently live in or are thinking of moving into an older home, here are some things you should be on the lookout for.

Electrical wires can function for a long time, especially if they haven’t been damaged and if the insulation hasn’t become brittle and flaked off. Even knob and tube wiring, an old standard for wiring that hasn’t been used in years, can still keep the lights on. Age does catch up with wiring eventually, however, and if the insulation fails, by becoming abraded, being chewed, or any number of other reasons, a short or electrical arc could start a fire.

Older homes often have wires surrounded with a spiral metal jacket. Metal-clad wires are still used today, especially in areas where the wire is exposed to potential damage. Armor-clad wires are distinct and do not have a separate ground wire within the metal sleeve, instead using the sleeve itself as the ground. As a result, for fire safety reasons, armor-clad wires are often barred in new construction.

If you can see obvious signs of a problem, including scorch marks on terminals in switches and outlets, missing or damaged insulation or any other signs that look potentially dangerous, you should call Kolb Electric for home rewiring before you expose your home to a live wire.

Restoring old chimneys and relining flues are common expenses of owning an older home. Here’s what happened: as coal started to become readily available, existing homes were retrofitted with central heating systems. Nowadays, most coal-fired systems have been converted or updated for oil or gas, but many are still vented into unlined chimneys. Where chimney liners are present, they are usually made of terra cotta and can rapidly deteriorate with higher-combustion, energy-efficient heating equipment.

When evaluating a heating system, make sure you consider its age, type, condition, and efficiency. For example, an old cast iron boiler may last a century or more, but updating to a more modern system can reduce your future heating and maintenance costs.

Old plumbing systems are notorious for being a mish-mash of old and new materials, especially as additions are added to the home or kitchens and bathrooms are remodeled. Iron and lead piping can become clogged with corrosion and mineral deposits, and typically need to be updated in sections. Cast iron piping is even worse, and can corrode from the inside, becoming thin, pitted, and cracked. Horizontal sections are usually the first to go—especially if chemicals drain cleaners containing sulfuric acid have ever been used.  Unless the home has already had repiping done, you can almost guarantee you’ll need to do it yourself.

Unless your roof is under 80 years old and / or is made of slate, you can bet it’s probably not original to the home. There are numerous types of roofing materials, all with unique life expectancies and maintenance requirements. Many older homes have multiple additions with roofs of different ages and types, so like the plumbing system, individual sections may need to be replaced.

If you’re moving into an older home, make sure you have it inspected thoroughly beforehand to make sure it’s safe. And if you need electrical maintenance in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington, DC, call Kolb Electric today!

Generators make an important line of defense against natural disasters and power outages. With a generator, you don’t have to worry about keeping the food in your refrigerator cold, or powering your heating system when the temperatures drop. When installing a new generator, it’s important to select one that is the right size for your home. By size, we mean the power it’s capable of creating, not the physical size (though that can enter into the equation depending on where you plan to put it). In Lynnwood WA, electrical repair services can often advise you on how to size the right generator for your home, but it pays to know the basic before you give them a call.

The first step is to perform an energy audit for your home, determining how much power each appliance or electrical device uses, and then prioritizing them for use during an emergency. Medical devices usually come first on the list, followed by refrigerators and freezers which store your food. Next is your home HVAC system, followed by the lights in your home. Computers, radios and entertainment systems are usually on the bottom of the list: useful for keeping connected with the outside world, but otherwise non-essential in an emergency.

Once you have that list, you can determine two things: how much power is required to run your whole house and how much power is required to run the bare essentials during an emergency. The former number is preferable and if you can afford a generator of that size, then you should probably purchase it. The latter is less ideal but can do in a pinch if you’re on a budget and still want to keep your household running when the power goes out. In that case you need to carefully monitor which appliances are hooked up to the generator so you don’t overload it when the time comes.

The chandelier used to mark your arrival. Clad in crystal, it met you in the foyer of a well-appointed home, then dazzled you from a power position over the dining room table.

Rarely did you find a chandelier in a starter home. To see them illuminating any room other than one used for entry or dining, more unusual still.

My, how times have changed!

Today chandeliers rate as a brilliant idea just about anywhere — from modest homes to magnificent mansions, contemporary digs to traditional houses. They dangle decorously in almost every room of the house.

Credit our bigger-is-better building boom. Taller ceilings and increased volume in today’s homes means chandeliers are less likely to crowd a room.

“Nine-and-10-foot ceilings almost demand something hanging to fill the space,” says Joe Rey-Barreau, educational consultant for the American Lighting Association (ALA) and assistant professor of interior design at the University of Kentucky. The ALA is a non-profit organization of leading manufacturers, retail lighting showrooms and sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada dedicated to expanding public knowledge about lighting.

Colorful chandeliers create drama in the kitchen. Mini ones provide elegance to powder rooms. Even walk-in closets go upscale when lit with a small chandelier.

“Beyond laundry rooms and garages, any room is an open target for hanging a chandelier,” adds Rey-Barreau. “More commonly, kitchens and bathrooms have become the popular locations for chandeliers.”

Chandeliers add twinkle to a boudier. “People are treating their bedroom suites as more luxurious personal spaces with elaborate bathroom areas, so it is not unreasonable to consider chandeliers there, either,” says Dan Blitzer, Director of Education for the ALA..