New construction lighting issues and a blower door

Here are a couple of pictures from two nice houses we consulted on recently. I wanted to show some of the funky lighting that happens when there are a bazillion people working on things and not all of them give a shit.

In the picture above, I'm not sure the architect intended the sconce to be where it is. Even if he did mess up and not realize how spacially challenged that location is, the electrician and site super both should have caught it and had it fixed prior to final fit and finish.

Below, there are several things I can nit pick about the kitchen lighting, most of which aren't visible in this picture. However, I want to point out how important it is to choose light fixtures and/or bulbs that have the same color characteristics, especially in an indirect lighting use. The recessed can and pendant lights are fine for color, but the two undercabinet areas are lit completely differently. The one on the left has a warm light (lower color temperature) and the one on the right is bluer and has a higher color temperature (cool white light). Yes, it's confusing that warm white light has a lower color temperature than the cool white light, which has a higher color temperature. But then again, this is from an industry that calls bulbs lamps and lamps luminaires... In any case, the fixture on the right should be longer to fill more of the space over the switches.


The picture below is of a blower door. It is essentially a nylon sheet to block the door and a calibrated fan. You depressurize (or pressurize) the house to a certain level below (above) the outdoor pressure. From knowing the pressure difference and the flow rate through the fan, you can estimate how airtight or leaky the house is. It's a fun, but sort of painstaking, process. Half the time I've done it, I've finished up and am putting things away when I realize I forgot to close all the windows all the way or block the dryer vent (known hole). Then we have to redo it. I don't usually do this type of testing, so I'm not as good at is as the guys who do it all the time.

We recommend this type of testing on every new house to be able to know the envelope was built tightly. I recommend it also to existing houses because it can help the homeowner make decisions on what projects to tackle first to get the biggest benefits from retrofits.