Web site for Design and Construction information.

You probably think of an air conditioner as something that puts cool air in your homes, but what it really does is remove heat from your home. So an understanding of how heat gets in your home is the key to choosing the most cost-effective ways to cut summer utility bills while staying cool and comfortable.

The LSU AgCenter's "LaHouse" is designed to stand up to hurricane-force winds, swarming insects and harmful humidity. This family-type home is designed to showcase innovations in home construction for Louisiana’s sub-tropical climate.

Introductory segment from the LSU AgCenter "Ready for Rain" video with overview of flood damage reduction techniques.

LaHouse has reopened its doors to the public four days per week.

Step-by-Step instructions for property owners to use the Registry to find a licensed contractor working in their parish and to rate a contractor.

Wind is the most common and most costly cause of damage to light frame structures in the United States. There are things you can do, however, to reduce the potential damage from high winds.

We have begun and will continue to build upon this Online Training Center to assist the Louisiana and Gulf Region construction infrastructure with building science, best practices and building code-based information and continuing education.

Use the Registry to find state licensed or registered service providers who wish to work in your parish and who offer the services you need.

From this page, you will be able to access information on a variety of issues related to flood recovery.

Louisiana floods - from excess rain and poor drainage; from overflow of rivers, streams and bayous; from drainage channels backing-up; from storm surge; from levee failures.

Here are brief descriptions of currently available building systems for exterior walls and roofs. Some of their major properties that relate to sustainable development are mentioned. A generalized assessment of how each building system integrates and balances the five criteria for Louisiana conditions.

Building professionals who are licensed or registered to operate in Louisiana can offer services used in building, remodeling or restoring homes.

Users must indicate acceptance of these terms prior to submitting ANY personal, company, service or project information to the Registry.

Geographic Basics in Louisiana include Climate, Flood, Wind and Termites. Read about the climate, wind and flood hazards, and termites in Louisiana.

One of the hardest determinations you'll have to make when you decide to restore a damaged home is how much work needs to be done - and how much help you'll need.

Use multiple methods to make your home resistant to damage from termites, especially Formosan subterranean termites, and other wood-destroying insects. Since basic controls and most state approved stand-alone treatments are not fool-proof, it’s wise to invest in a second line of defense or even a totally termite-resistant structure. Click here to find out how to make your home resistant to termites.

A flood-damaged building requires special attention to avoid or correct a mold population explosion.

Muertes y lesiones serias pueden ocurrir si las grúas no son inspeccionadas y utilizadas correctamente. Muchas muertes pueden ocurrir cuando el aguilón de la grúa, el cable de carga o la carga contacta las líneas de energía eléctrica y descarga la electricidad hacia la tierra. Otros incidentes ocurren cuando los trabajadores son golpeados por la carga, son atrapados dentro del radio de movimiento de la grúa o fallan en montar/desmontar la grúa correctamente. Fuente: OSHA

A Southern IPM Center publication. When choosing a broadcast bait to control imported fire ants, consumers and professional pesticide applicators face a confusing array of brand names and active ingredients with varying product performances. This guide addresses common concerns about broadcast baits to help consumers and professionals choose products that best fit their needs and situations.

Taking steps to increase the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems could help reduce your utility bills, and increase your comfort at home. Make Energy Star® smart decisions when it comes to your home’s heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, read here for important details.

Lakeview, a coming-back community in Orleans parish - west of City Park and east of the 17th Street Canal, is the venue for an afternoon of presentations and real-world demonstrations of sustainable rebuilding and flood damage prevention. Plan to come to Lakeview Sunday, November 16th from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. for formal workshops, information educational seminars around the neighborhood, and visits with professionals involved in rebuilding.

The Rebuilding Information Station is an outreach center at the New Orleans Lakefront that is set up to assist homeowners in managing the rebuilding of their hurricane damaged homes through information, education and outreach. Partners in the Station are the LSU AgCenter, University of New Orleans Center for Hazards Assessment, Response and Technology, Tulane City Center and The Road Home program.

Learn how to duplicate results achieved in a local high performance affordable demonstration home.

Many homes built before 1978 contain lead-based paint. It is important that renovation, remodeling and repair activities use methods that reduce and control dust and debris created during work. Even a small amount of dust can pose a serious health risk to children, families and the workers themselves. You can help prevent childhood lead poisoning by learning to work lead safe. Attendees will learn skills to safely renovate older housing and prevent childhood lead poisoning. Participants

When calm returns after the storm, it’s time to assess the damage and begin repairs. A number of factors should be considered, and the following information may be helpful.

Consider how you will benefit from LaHouse and explore the advantages of being recognized as a: Key Contributor, Key Partner, Key Ally, or Brick Donor.

LaHouse and the Teaching Center is available for professional and educational meetings.

After a disaster such as a hurricane, flood, or fire, important papers may be destroyed, lost or damaged. There are many agencies, web sites and procedures that can help you replace your documents.

Charter Diamond, Platinum and Gold Key Contributors to LaHouse capital campaign may select and permanently dedicate a room or feature as an exclusive recognition opportunity (while available).

The widespread educational outreach of LaHouse will create ongoing, high exposure and promote related interests -- throughout Louisiana and the southern region.

Use this checklist to explore and select components of a "high performance" home in the southern region -- one that provides the benefits of durability, energy efficiency, healthy indoor air, comfort, convenience and more.

Volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of tasks.

Course participants will gain a an appreciation of the need for prescriptive foundation design guidance, an understanding of how to use the guidance found in FEMA 550, and the benefits of using this guidance to design and regulate residential construction in the Gulf Coast area. Most suited for engineers and local building officials involved in residential construction.

This fact sheet provides basic steps for homeowners and volunteers to use in safely cleaning up mold in their homes and preventing its regrowth. It is focused on mold resulting from flooding but is applicable to other causes as well.

When Craig Lee began planning the construction of his Vermilion Parish home, he learned he would be required to elevate his new house more than 8 feet above grade in order to receive a building permit. He did not understand the parish’s requirement to elevate because his brother’s house was on-grade, on the same piece of land, and in 25 years had never flooded. In September 2005, Hurricane Rita provided the unfortunate answer to his question.

The combination of heat, humidity and hard work can spell trouble for people cleaning up after a disaster, especially if they don't usually work outdoors.

Floodwaters may be contaminated with sewage and decaying animal and human remains. Disinfection of hands, clothing, tools/equipment and surfaces in work areas is critical in disease prevention. (Source: OSHA)

The top four causes of construction fatalities are: Falls, Struck-By, Caught-In/Between and Electrocutions. (Source: OSHA)

Of course no one “should” flood. But in this case “shouldn’t have” means you built outside the flood hazard area or above predicted levels and still got water in your house. Understanding why can help you avoid future damage.

Browse this photo gallery to see progress from the current stage of construction to groundbreaking, highlighting special features, products and techniques used.

Identification, biology and treatment of the elongate twig ant.

Identification, biology and treatment of the crazy ant in structures.

The phrase “wet floodproofing” may sound like a contradiction, but it is the label used to refer to a collection of methods intended to reduce damage to a building when flooding occurs.

One sure vestige of a hurricane or bad blow is a large, dead area of the lawn. It usually is located near curbside, or anwhere yard debris is piled up for many days. Some spots can be avoided by careful debris management; others are inevitable and will require restoration.

The LSU AgCenter, Tulane University City Center and UNO CHART are bringing free workshops for anyone involved in building or rebuilding a house. The workshops will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1.

El plomo es un elemento peligroso encontrado en muchos lugares de construcción. La exposición a plomo proviene de inhalar humos y polvo, y el plomo puede ser ingerido cuando las manos están contaminadas con polvo de plomo. Los trabajadores pueden llevarse el plomo a sus casas en las ropas, piel, cabello, herramientas y vehículos. La exposición a plomo puede ocurrir en actividades de demolición, rescate, remoción, encapsulación renovación y limpieza. (Fuente: OSHA)

Most children can put into perspective tragic or sad events that don't impact them personally. However, some children may be at risk of more extreme reactions because of personal circumstances. Adults should contact a professional if children exhibit the following over an extended period of time.

Esta tarjeta contiene la información relativa a la protección de usted cae mientras está en el puesto de trabajo. Fuente: OSHA.

Las inundaciones pueden causar la interrupcion de los sistemas de purificacion de agua y eliminacion de aguas negras, el desbordamiento de depositos de desechos toxicos y el desprendimiento de productos quimicos previamente almacenados sobre tierra. Fuente: OSHA

Las cuatro causas más comunes de fatalidades en la construcción son: caídas, golpes, quedar atrapado/ pillado y electrocución. Fuente: OSHA.

Las aguas de inundacion pueden estar contaminadas con efluentes de alcantarillado y restos de animales y humanos descompuestos. La desinfeccion de manos, ropa, herramientas/equipos y superficies en areas de trabajo, es critica en la prvencion de enfermedades. Fuente: OSHA

Use el equipo de protección personal que figuran aquí para protegerse en el trabajo. Fuente: OSHA

Inspeccione los andamios y las partes del andamio diariamente, antes de comenzar cada turno de trabajo y despúes de cualquier evento que pueda haber causado daño al andamio.

Flood vents are specifically designed to open during flooding to allow the free flow of water through the structure.

R-value is standardized measure of a material’s resistance to heat flow — the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating ability. However, the actual R-value of a wall or ceiling can be a lot less than the R-value of the insulation material in it, depending on the installation.

In today’s world of comfort, almost all homes are equipped with an air conditioning (A/C) and heating system. Of all the systems in a home, this is the one that uses the largest amount of energy. Installing the correct system for your home is important.

Use this checklist to explore and select features and components of an energy-efficient house in Louisiana.

Look for ENERGY STAR water heaters and compare EnergyGuide labels to invest in water heaters with low life-cycle costs. In addition to saving money on operating costs, energy-efficient water heaters give off less waste heat than standard models, keeping rooms cooler and lowering air conditioning needs and costs.

Use of renewable fuels, fuel cells, and photovoltaics can help homeowners achieve energy efficiency.

In Louisiana's hot, humid climate, it is most important to minimize solar heat gain in the summer. How you orient the home in relation to the sun can make a big difference in your heating and cooling bill. Other goals include maximizing passive solar heat gain in the winter, capturing mild season breezes, and landscaping to best solar effect. In addition, solar orientation can be important if you're planning to use solar heat and lighting or to convert solar energy to electrical energy.

The load bearing capacity of Louisiana soils varies widely. It is important to know the soil type in the area that you plan to build. Often you can determine if you want to select a certain location for your new home or look further by knowing as much as you can about the area. It is wise to know the flood zone, availability of utilities, and believe it or not the soil type.

Replacing an air conditioning unit can be a daunting experience for some people. But, for those who know what to do, this task can be a chance to upgrade the existing unit and install more modern equipment that will prove worthwhile in both comfort and cost.

LSU AgCenter will offer a series of homebuilding seminars at this year’s French Food Festival Oct. 25-26.

This fact sheet discusses how coastal construction requirements are different from those for inland construction. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 1.)

On September 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike hit the Louisiana/Texas coast as a Category 2 storm. The storm surge brought devastation to lower Cameron Parish. Although the surge wasn’t nearly as powerful as it was with Hurricane Rita in 2005, which almost completely devastated Cameron Parish, Ike caused the water level to rise slowly and damage surrounding homes, businesses, pastures, and such.But some homeowners were ready when the latest storm hit.

Photos of Byron "Goose" and Carla Richard, and Margaret Jones's houses after Hurricane Ike.

Green, or environmentally-friendly, building materials are available for you to use to build your house. Read this article to learn how technology has improved the performance and lowered the cost of framing, insulation, siding and roofing, as well as other environmentally-friendly building materials.

This fact sheet provides guidance on the selection of building materials used for coastal construction. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 8.)

this fact sheet describes foundation types suitable for coastal environments. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 11)

This fact sheet discusses the use of foundation walls in coastal buildings. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 15)

This fact sheet provides basic installation tips for various types of siding. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 25.)

This fact sheet explains the function of housewrap, examines its attributes, and addresses common problems associated with the use of housewrap. Source: FEMA Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction Fact Sheet No. 23.

Water intrusion around window and door openings can cause dry rot and fastener corrosion that weaken the window or door frame or the wall itself, and lead to water damage to interior finishes, mold growth, and preventable building damage during coastal storms. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 22)

This fact sheet provides information about pile design and installation. (Source: FEMA 499: Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction, Fact Sheet 12)

Use this list of guidelines to develop a convenient (family friendly and functional) kitchen plan.

Lighting can account for 15% of a home’s yearly electric bill. Lights not only use energy to operate, they produce heat that must be removed by the air conditioning system. Energy-efficient lighting saves on electric bills, helps keep the home cooler and lasts longer than traditional incandescent lighting.

Stringent building regulations that promote proper flood mitigation may have helped save Mandeville resident’s homes during Hurricane Katrina.

Floods, hurricanes and soaring energy prices happen, but they don’t have to bust your budget, damage your home, rob your time or deny your comfort. You can make your home stronger, safer and smarter byincluding both energy-saving and hazard-resistant mprovements whenyou remodel or restore it.

This 88-page, sprial-bound book includes a user-friendly overview of key design and building principles for a hot, humid climate and Gulf Region conditions, a planning checklist of recommended features and their benefits, a reference guide explaining each item on the checklist and a list of many other sustainable home information resources. To place your order using a credit card, click on the "order publicaton" link below. To purchase with a check, please use the order form.

Read this article to find out which windows to install in your home to help save on energy costs.

Look for Energy Star appliances and compare EnergyGuide labels to invest in appliances with a low life cycle cost.

Provided is a sample punch list of items that homeowners may want to use as part of developing a project punch list. If you and your contractor disagree about an item on the punch list, a good reference guide to help with your negotiations is National Association of Home Builders’ “Residential Construction Performance Guidelines”.

Homeowners in South Louisiana and elsewhere in the Gulf South who are building homes should add termite protection in the process. Combining termite protection with proper strapping for wind resistance and anchoring to prevent floatation present some challenges for maintaining the integrity of the barrier..

Construction gaps and resulting air leakage can increase heating and cooling costs, create comfort and moisture problems, draw in pollutants, reduce fire safety and serve as an entry for rodents and insects. Homes should have a continuous air barrier system that surrounds all conditioned space — a combination of materials linked and sealed together to create a tight building envelope with little air leakage.

Plan your home with dual purpose rooms and ample storage, room to maneuver, designed to grow with your family.

A great deal of moisture can move from the ground into and through a foundation and floor system, which can lead to decay, mold under flooring and high indoor humidity. To prevent these problems, keep rainwater away from the foundation with a 5% slope (6 inches/10 feet) of the grade around the house, prevent materials from absorbing water, drain groundwater with underground drainage before it gets to the foundation and allow the moisture in a foundation to escape.

Asthma is a disease that makes it difficult to breathe during an attack. Asthma attacks are set off by triggers,which are different for different people.

List of mini seminars scheduled to be held at the Rebuilding Information Station in October.

In our wet climate, keeping a wood frame house dry is the single most important factor for durability, preventing mold, and long term customer satisfaction and referrals. Plus, the more energy efficient the house, the harder and more important it is to keep it dry. Effective flashing and moisture control methods can easily prevent this all-too-common and costly source of call-backs and liability claims.

This article describes what a plumber does and why you might need one; how a plumber gets licensed; and how the homeowner can verify the license.

This article informs the consumer what a residential electrician does, what licenses are required, if any, in the state of Louisiana in order for the electrician to work on your home, how to verify any licenses, and how to become an electrician.

Steps to take to prevent mildew and decay after a storm.

Recent rains have finally brought an end to drought. But after hoping for rain for so long, what nature provided was far more than what we had in mind. Too much rain can bring problems of its own, and we are certainly dealing with that situation now.

If you have purchased coverage through the National Flood Insurance Program, you will be protected against property damage caused by flooding. You may also be partially reimbursed for steps you take to prevent flood damage, even if the flood never reaches your building.

What to do after a flood whether you have flood insurance or not.

There are about 2,500 species of termites worldwide. Although only about 2% are frequent invaders of wood structures used by humans, termites must be managed because they can and will cause great damage. This publication includes information on how to manage them. Only available in pdf format.

Whether building a new roof or repairing an existing roof in south Louisiana, there are steps you can take to improve your roof's resistance to hurricane winds and driving rain. Here are the essentials for selecting and installing a roof and roofing components.

A majority of home-buying and building decisions are made people are in the prime of life and health. Often, primary considerations are safety for children, budget, color, floor plan, neighborhood and school districts. In a society where people live longer and where many medical conditions are treatable, planning for future lifestyles and physical limitations can be very important. This article gives some suggestions on how to design for future accessibility.

Hip roofs (four-sided roof design) are more aerodynamic and inherently more resistant to uplift forces of high wind than gable end and other roof designs. If your home has a gable roof (two-sided pitched roof), the end wall takes a beating during a hurricane and typical framing methods create a vulnerable “hinge” line at the joint between levels. If not properly braced, it can collapse.

How can you recognize when your roof has problems? Apply these inspection tips.

This site contains Web links to information useful for helping you when you build or rebuild in Louisiana.

Hurricane Rita leveled Thompson “Thomp” and Karen McCall’s Cameron Parish home. So, when they built their new home, they built it safer, stronger and smarter.

Read the following articles on safety and take all necessary precautions when rebuilding your home.

Alice Weiss, whose Slidell home was hit by Hurricane Katrina, has compiled of items needed for cleanup the next time a storm hits. She made this list based on her own experiences. Weiss advises folks to get these items before they leave the area, or before they return, as the items may not be available when they return. Weiss's complete list is available here.