Bosgraaf Homes

Build with Bosgraaf - Build Green

2011-06-25T08:24:00.000-07:00


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How To Keep Cool without seeing Red this Summer

2011-06-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

Best way of all ... purchase and dwell within a top of the line, energy efficient, Bosgraaf Home ...

The irony of air conditioning in a warming world couldn’t be more poignant. As the thermometer climbs across the globe, under a thickening blanket of CO2 emissions, the first reaction is to flip on the air con. That sucks greedily on the mains, requiring more energy, producing more CO2 emissions, and so leading to warmer global temperatures – a long-lead but inexorable vicious circle. And in the US, the average home uses some 16% of its energy powering air con, according to the EIA.

So if you have your eyes cast warily on where carbon emissions are taking the planet, finding a solution for the air con paradox is a important. We want to keep cool at the height of summer, but we want the planet to stop warming too. As with many technology fixes, however, air con isn’t as irreplaceable as we sometimes think. There are solutions to keeping cool, as the mercury rises, that don’t have to see your level of discomfort rise too. And they’ve been around as long as humans have lived in warm climes.

Good design is inevitably the best way to ensuring that your home handles heat well. Thick solid walls, reduced window size, especially on south facing walls, and roofs that can be used for sleeping on – these are all approaches known about for millenia. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have the luxury of rebuilding our houses. But strategies for keeping cool can be found for even the most unpromising of abodes.

A cool house starts in the garden. If you can break up the incoming sunlight with solidly rooted trees, flowering shrubs and climbers, you’ll find much less heat penetrates through to you house. Vines growing up the southern front of your house can make a huge difference, covering up exposed walls – which would otherwise carry heat through to the inside of the house.

Homes also become uncomfortably hot because of the greenhouse effect – the one before it became commonly used in discussions on global warming. Sunlight comes streaming in through windows, with all of its bounty of thermal energy – but then it’s trapped, and can’t get out. So your home immediately starts to heat up. And if there isn’t a breeze to remove the heat being stored, it builds, and floats upstairs – making your bedrooms unbearably hot at night-time.

You can knock that effect on its head pretty easily, by careful window and breeze management, taking advantage of the natural cycles of heat and cool during the day. The first thing you need to do each morning is to close and shutter windows, and to draw the curtains. That stops the sunlight getting in. You might want to leave curtains on north-facing windows partially open, so some light filters into the house.

Then, as dusk approaches, un-shutter the windows, and throw everything wide open. Now you want to encourage the breezes to move in, especially upstairs. A cool night-scented air will almost certainly be much better for your sleep than the artificial chill of air con. Once you’ve got that basic cycle flowing each day, there are other things you can do to stop the heat building in your home.

Electrical devices are definite no-no; TVs, computers, ovens – all of these will build up the heat budget under your roof, so try to have as many of these turned off during the day as possible. There’s no need to be slumped indoors in front of digital entertainment. Don’t forget, cooking al fresco is one of the joys of a hot summer.

Finally don’t neglect adjusting your own personal comfort zone. There’s a lot you can do to keep yourself cool, just by sensibly managing what you do when it’s hot. Having a ceiling fan going, when you’re in the room, will keep the air moving. But don’t have the fans in all of your rooms on – remember they produce their own heat from electrical motors, and also consume power.

There are many sensible tips that can make a big difference through the day. Things like staying out of the sun, not being too active when the heat is at its height, and making imaginative use of cool water sprays. And if things are really getting too hot to handle, a cool shower is bound to do the trick, reducing your core body temperature, and leaving you feeling refreshed.

None of this is rocket science – and relearning these tricks will hopefully put you in the cool when it comes to a warming planet.

Keeping cool without seeing red – green ways to chill this summer ... This is a guest post by Ally who owns a website focusing on selling high quality adjustable dumbbells

Find your Bosgraaf Home TODAY by clicking on the following link: http://www.bosgraaf.com/find-your-home/

The HERS Index explained

2011-04-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Even though Bosgraaf Companies has been building Energy Star homes since 1999, terminology and policies change periodically. When I received our latest Rating Certificate for our recently completed home in Prairie Winds, I decided to refresh my knowledge of the rating scale and share that information here.

In order to be an Energy Star qualified home, every home we build (not a sampling) is tested by a 3rd party. Our testers have no ownership or "funny" relationship with our company so it is truly impartial. The tester comes in and hooks up a "Blower Door" to one of the doors of the home to create a negative air pressure situation and this measures the air exchanges.

*It is pretty cool to be in a home when this test takes place so let us know if you have a school classroom or other group that would like a field trip.*

If a window is cracked open, a vent hooked up improperly, or something left un-caulked, it is immediately known by the reading on the Blower Door test and the sound of whistling air that allows our builders to immediately find the source. As you can imagine, this gives us tremendous peace of mind to know that we are delivering a home that is properly sealed against wind and water infiltration.

When the testers are finished at a home, they provide us with a Rating Certificate. That certificate lists the results of the Blower Door test and compiles the specifications provided for the house (R Value of insulation, type of window, etc.). The final number that results, and a number we look at, is the HERS Index.

The following description of the HERS Index was taken from www.resnet.us/home-energy-ratings: Each 1-point decrease in the HERS Index corresponds to a 1% reduction in energy consumption compared to the HERS Reference Home. Thus a home with a HERS Index of 85 is 15% more energy efficient than the HERS Reference Home and a home with a HERS Index of 80 is 20% more energy efficient."

We are incredibly proud of the fact that our most recent home at Prairie Winds in Zeeland tested at 62!! This is the typical score of our homes, but much better than the typical home built to Model Energy Code. Anything below 70 is rated 5 Star PLUS by Energy Star - off the charts, basically. We have always tested out at 5 Star (before they added the Plus category) and 5 Star Plus.

What does this mean for the homeowner? A comfortable home with lower energy costs and a home that is Earth-friendly. For this particular home in Prairie Winds with 3,508 square feet of conditioned space, the projected annual energy cost (based on today's rates) is $2,298 for heating, cooling, all lights and appliances.

Call Maureen or Mike at Bosgraaf to learn more about Energy Star and our green commitment at Bosgraaf Companies.

Bosgraaf to Include Pre-wire for Electric Vehicles in All Garages

2011-03-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Bosgraaf is currently building a home for a client involved in the car industry and has a lot of interest in electric vehicles. At the customer's request, we pre-wired the garage for their family's future electric vehicle, expected to arrive any day. This was mentioned in the Grand Rapids Press this week. Click here for a link to the article.
As you may know, Bosgraaf has been committed to building energy efficient homes by partnering with Energy Star and has been named Energy Star Partner of the Year multiple times. Since 1999, more than 1,085 homes have been built by Bosgraaf and certified by a 3rd party inspector as Energy Star homes. Today, Bosgraaf Companies President Mike Bosgraaf announced his green commitment would go one step further. "Now that Bosgraaf is familiar with the work needed to make a home ready for an electric vehicle, we are committed to building all brand new Bosgraaf homes EV-ready". Mike continues by sharing the statistic that building 1,085 homes to Energy Star standards (versus building to the Model Energy Code standard) over the last decade was equivalent to eliminating emissions from approximately 600 vehicles. Therefore, "extending our green commitment to making a garage ready for an electric vehicle just makes sense for us".

New Teton in Stevens Pointe in Byron Center

2011-03-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

The Teton was our most popular floor plan for 2010 and is off to a strong start again in 2011. This Teton will be complete mid-April so will be great for a purchase and move-in this Spring. Located on the Kilburne Court cul-de-sac of Stevens Pointe, you can almost see Countryside Elementary School (a Byron Center Public School) out the front window as it is just across Eastern Avenue. In addition to the benefit of the close proximity to the school, Stevens Pointe also boasts a private pool, it borders the popular Brewer Park, and has easy access to bike paths and nature trails. Click here for all the details about Stevens Pointe.

The Teton is a multi-level floor plan, meaning the floors are staggered instead of stacked on top of each other. When entering from the garage, you can walk down a half flight to the unfinished basement or you can stay on that floor for half bath, laundry, and a wonderful walkout family room. If you walk up one flight, you have arrived at the foyer and front door entrance, as well as the kitchen, dining, and living room. Up another flight and you have 3 bedrooms, including a Master with its own master bath. This is a great floor plan for the family that wants all the bedrooms close by, and two separate spaces for every day living (family and living).

Let's talk exterior. Maureen is not a professional photographer, but she did take a candid photo today so at least you can see the lovely front porch, the stylish dark gray siding (the hottest color trend right now), and stone details. We also think it is nice that our trim carpenter's truck was captured in the photo and matches the siding color perfectly.

We went a little nutty with interior finishes on this one so it features a ton of custom trim, great cabinetry, and GRANITE kitchen counters. With all of these extras, you can still purchase this home for $199,900, and it will be Energy Star Certified after being tested by a 3rd party upon completion. Amazing!

2010-07-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

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Now Is The Time To Buy!!

2010-04-06T06:48:00.000-07:00

Is the end of the Great Recession near? Let’s look at the signs. National employment statistics are stabilizing… the unemployment rate is improving in MI… jobs in manufacturing are ramping up … new battery jobs are being announced… the development of off-shore windmills is a hot topic. These are all are positive signs.

But what about the housing industry? Consider that only two residential subdivisions were started in 2008, 2009, and most likely 2010 – in all of Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon. The housing market is bottoming out. New home inventory is at historically low levels. New home prices are below 2000 prices – with lot prices well below replacement costs.

What does this mean beyond the obvious great housing deal?
• Historically low prices are not sustainable! Eventually home sites are going to become scarcer prompting either rising prices or the construction of new developments at higher prices due to actual replacement costs.

• Although you may think you don’t qualify for the government bailout, consider that just about everyone is receiving a lower interest rate on their mortgage because the government is actively keeping rates down.

• At some point, as the market improves, members of the building industry – the subs of subs, vendors and contractors – are going to begin looking to make profits again.

So what does this mean for you? Now is the time to buy! Preferably in a community that your family will enjoy living and growing in for decades to come. Prices are right, interest rates have never been better, and there is a great selection of homes in premium locations. Conditions like these will most likely never happen again! It’s time to go new home shopping!

-Michael L. Bosgraaf

2010 Lakeshore Parade of Homes - The Silverton

2010-03-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

I have just retuned from touring our brand new Silverton floor plan currently under construction for the 2010 Lakeshore Parade of Homes….what a great plan at a great value! The Silverton is a well thought out 1550 square foot home with additional room to grow in the lower level. The Silverton offers great exterior details including a covered front porch and board and batten siding. (Can’t wait for the fun RED siding to go up next week). Loads of functional space with 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths and a very functional upper level laundry room. This home is a steal starting at $135,900 (plus the lot).

I can’t wait to see this new plan finished featuring the hottest JAVa cabinets and furnished for the upcoming Spring Parade…..in the meantime, call Maureen Smith at 616-886-8481 for a personal tour so that you too can have this fantastic home at an incredible value!

Why Choose Bosgraaf?

2010-03-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Three generations of the Bosgraaf Family have worked for more than 35 years to establish Bosgraaf Companies as West Michigan’s leader of Energy Star Plus Qualified Homes, as recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Bosgraaf builds West Michigan’s greenest homes in 12 premier residential neighborhoods or any location within the Michigan Lakeshore, Southwest Michigan, or Greater Grand Rapids Communities.

Bosgraaf is known for ease of purchase, special financing, pre-designed home plans, and easy to build process. And Bosgraaf backs each of its new homes with a commitment to customer satisfaction that rests upon the pride of family ownership. It has been an honor for our family to build homes for more than 1,000 families in West Michigan and we look forward to many more years of partnerships with our team of employees, our trade partners, and our homebuyers.

Step into winter fitness at Ottawa County parks

2009-12-30T11:50:00.000-08:00

Step into winter fitness at Ottawa County parks

By PETER DAINING
The Holland Sentinel
Posted Dec 26, 2009 @ 11:13 PM
Last update Dec 26, 2009 @ 11:16 PM

Holland, MI — If the trip up the Mt. Pisgah stairs doesn’t take your breath away, the view from the top sure will.

For me, it was both.

I took a trip up the 239 stairs with Ottawa County Parks Commission President Ted Bosgraaf, one of the many locals who takes advantage of Mt. Pisgah for both exercise and scenery.

Like many area parks, Mt. Pisgah is a great place to enjoy a healthy workout — even in the dead of winter.

“It’s absolutely amazing to watch these hills change through the seasons,” Ted said.

Mountain climbers, marathoners and all athletes in between use the stairs for conditioning. Ted said high school teams often make the trip, and a big group gathers every Friday morning to climb.

At 74, Bosgraaf still climbs the Park Township dunes 3-5 times per workout, several times a week. He lives near the path leading to the stairs, which is right next to Pronto Pups on Ottawa Beach Road.

With hard-packed snow covering the steps, he attaches spikes to his hiking boots for much-needed traction. As for me, I just had my old running shoes with about as much tread as a pair of penny loafers.

We first climbed the stairs at a slow pace, stopping on each landing to look around at the trees, and to see how close we were to being above the tree line.

By the time we reached the summit, I was making a bad attempt at covering up my labored breath. After all, I’m 48 years younger than Bosgraaf.

Back at the bottom, things got a little more serious. Ted took out his cell phone, ready to time me.

He’s reminded me several times about his 69-year-old friend, John Spoelhof, former Prince Corp. president, who can climb the stairs five times in 26 minutes.

Well, now my adrenaline was really pumping. By the time I tripped up the last stair, I couldn’t tell which was burning more — my legs or lungs.

I grasped the railing with a tight fist on the way down, slipping and sliding the whole way.

By the time I made it back to solid ground, I was red-faced and sweating under my fleece.

“Well, that warmed me up in a hurry,” I told Ted.

I’m proud to say I finished in 3 minutes, 16 seconds. But Ted didn’t let me gloat for long.

“You’ve got to do it five times, or it doesn’t count,” he said, laughing.

But later, when we met up with Spoelhof, Bosgraaf was talking me up.

“Ted’s brought in a ringer,” Spoelhof said. After some thought, Spoelhof was still up to challenging me in a Mt. Pisgah race next spring. Although with one condition — I have to wear a 30-pound backpack.

It looks like I’ve got some training to do.

Copyright 2009 The Holland Sentinel. Some rights reserved

Holland Country Club may have new owner

2009-12-14T12:06:00.000-08:00

Holland Country Club acreage may have Ottawa County as its new owner

By Greg Chandler | The Grand Rapids Press

December 09, 2009, 1:17AM

HOLLAND -- The Ottawa County Commission on Tuesday took a step toward acquiring most of the former Holland Country Club property, approving spending $75,000 for an option on 122 acres of the 145-acre property along the Macatawa River.

"This is one of the last large and significant blocks of land along the (Macatawa) Greenway corridor," County Parks Director John Scholtz said.

Commissioners voted 9-1 to take out an option, which gives the county until March 1 to close on the property.

The county would buy the property from Macatawa Bank Corp. for $450,000, with $100,000 to be raised by the Fillmore Township-based Outdoor Discovery Center-Macatawa Greenway Partnership and the remainder from the county parks levy, Scholtz said.

Parks officials had been looking at the site since Grandville-based Zylstra Land Co., which had considered redeveloping the site into an assisted living center, withdrew its offer.

"This Macatawa River property has served generations of golfers and other community members," Parks Commission President Ted Bosgraaf said.

He said acquiring the property would "enable the general public to enjoy and benefit from this significant property for future generations."

Possible uses include a greenway trail linking parks and preserves along the river; habitat restoration and water quality improvement, along the corridor through a partnership with the Macatawa Watershed Project.

The Parks Commission will likely do a master plan, seeking public input on what they would like to see done with the property.

Commissioner Bob Karsten, R-Zeeland, voted against taking out the option, thinking the county could ask for a lower price for acquiring the land.

"I just don't see who's going to buy it," he said. "It's one big lake in the spring. You can't develop it."

Holland Country Club, which had been open since 1921, closed and filed for bankruptcy in March after falling behind on a $1.55 million mortgage held by Holland Township-based Macatawa Bank Corp.

The property the county has taken out the option on is largely north and east of the river, and includes three acres or upland on the northeast edge of the site with the former golf course maintenance buildings.

It does not include the upland area with the clubhouse and parking lot, Scholtz said.

Macatawa Bank officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday about the prospective sale.

E-mail the author of this story: localnews@grpress.com

Conserve First

2009-11-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

I remember many random sayings of my high school physics teacher. One of them, “there is no such thing as cold, just absence of heat” was especially amusing to impart to his shivering (and whining) students mid-winter in the frigid classrooms of our high school. In classic Midwestern “stop yer whining” form, we were told “it’s good for you,it keeps you awake,” and “wear an extra sweatshirt.” Seriously, cover up my painstakingly selected outfit with an extra sweatshirt?

In complete contrast to my chilly high school, my college dorm mid-winter was saunaesque. Instead of sweats, every girl sported shiny soccer shorts, Birkenstocks, and a baggie t-shirt that matched her hair scrunchie (hello early 1990’s), and still we opened our windows to let in cold air. I presume today’s college students are much more enlightened on the silliness of cooling a dorm mid-winter in Michigan and would rise up and demand change.

Fast forward to this decade and the overwhelming interest in alternative energy sources, energy efficiency, technology and products to help us be “green.” Most green experts when asked the question, “what do I do to be more green?” offer the important reminder to “conserve first.”

Faced with today’s economic times, the City of Holland is taking this approach to “conserve first” in their energy usage. After all, is installing brand new energy efficient windows required at the Civic Center or are there other immediate solutions with little or no cost? An energy audit can help answer this, and other, questions. GMB, the local architecture and engineering firm recently performed energy audits on 14 City buildings this past year, providing very useful information and practical recommendations. For example, a thermal image and physical inspection revealed that exterior doors at the police station were not closing completely. Not rocket science, but probably quick-and-easy fixes that will save a few bucks. The entire audit, including cool thermal images of the buildings, can be found on the city’s website. Go to www.cityofholland.com, and type “energy audit” in the search field.

Energy audits are not only reserved for commercial uses, they are becoming increasingly popular for residential applications. One local Holland company, Dwelltech Solutions (www.dwelltechsolutions.com), offers analysis and repair. For all you techies, Dwelltech uses really cool tools for the audit -- specifically a thermal imaging camera and a blower door test. When attached to the entry door of your home, the blower door device creates a negative air pressure, making air leaks immediately apparent. Many (dare I say most) older homes in the central Holland leave a bit to be desired in tightness. As Brian Bosgraaf, owner of Dwelltech, said, “One house we tested was so loose, the blower door started sucking birds off the roof of the neighboring house.” Well, not really, but you get the idea. An energy audit from Dwelltech starts at $250 and includes advice on upgrades that offer the biggest payback, available tax credits or incentives, and other expert advice.

Consider all the alternative energy and energy reducing options available, but don’t forget to CONSERVE FIRST.

By AMY ALDERINK

This article originally appeared in the Oct/Nov 09 issue of Holland Urban St.

The Financial pages are full of positive-sounding trends for the housing and real estate industries…

2009-10-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

The Mortgage Bankers Association, the National Association of Home Builders and the National Association of Realtors are lobbying Congress to extend the $8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit that is set to expire November 30^th. These groups, battered after a year that saw the housing market in tatters, are eager to prolong the momentum begun this summer as hundreds of thousands of first-time buyers purchased new homes. With challenging new banking and financing regulations slated to take effect in the new year, housing industry officials hope that the positive buzz created by the tax credit will continue to stabilize the market.

Also of note… Rates on fixed-rate 30-year mortgages fell to 4.87%, the lowest since May. 15-year rates dropped to 4.33%, the lowest since 1991. 5-year Treasury-indexed ARM’s averaged 4.35%, compared to 5.9% one year ago. Numbers like these are a benefit for consumers, translating to hundreds of dollars off monthly mortgage payments. The low rates are spurring demand for mortgages, with applications increasing 16.4% for the week ending Oct. 2^nd.

Wit lower mortgage rates and a possible extension of the homebuyer tax credit, the signs are good for potential homebuyers as 2009 winds down.