After a couple of months of sitting in the office, I finally got a chance to go out to the jobsite for a project that I have been working on for the past 3 years. Construction is scheduled to be completed by May of 2010, and we are targeting a LEED Gold certification for the project.
So here are a few photos that I thought I would share from my recent site visit.
I debated for a long time whether I should re-post this article or not, because it definitely belongs in the Burning Bridges category. However this is not representative of all builders. My primary reason for re-posting is for consumer education. If one potential new home owner reads this and questions their builder on something/anything. Then re-posting this was worth it.
by Mr. Dorris via Consilience: The blog
As I have previously posted, the 20% of homebuilders who build 80% of all homes are not in the business of building homes, they are in the business of making money (increasing shareholder value) and, therefore, do not necessarily know how to build.
Continue reading the article at Consilence: The Blog
Foam Sill Sealer/Capillary Break
A buildings durability and energy efficiency believe it or not can be greatly affected by some of the smallest and least expensive products out there, and sill sealer is one of these products. As pointed out by James over at Greener Structures, approximately 90% of buildings today do not install a sill sealer or also known as a capillary break.
For a little over $5.00 you can buy a 50′ roll at most hardware stores and even online shops (here). So you may be asking what the big deal is over a sill sealer. Well the product was designed to reduce air infiltration between the top of your foundation wall and sill plate by filling in any gaps or cracks. This product can also be used for slab on grade applications as well where there will be some imperfections in the slab.
When designing and building a new home or office, both the architects and builders need to pay attention to detail. The architect needs to make sure when they are generating the details on how the structure goes together, that they are making sure that the structure is going to be energy efficient and durable. Therefore architects and contractors really need to pay attention to the details.
The majority of architects that you talk to are passionate about design. It permeates every aspect of our lives. However as I move forward into my career, I am finding I pay more attention to the details. Now I have an appreciation for design, it is just not my strong point. I find it more satisfying to be working on building and wall sections. Taking what the designer has come up with and generating the details to make it reality and really focusing on the details that will help to insure that the building will be durable and energy efficient.
With that said, I plan on starting a new series of posts titled “Attention to detail”. These posts, if you have been following the blog at all, at no surprise will be focusing on energy efficiency and durability. I will be bringing the attention to small details that can make a big difference in the energy efficiency and durability of a building over its lifetime.
I return to blogging with a rant that has been rankling with the home building industry. Again, I know it is not good to burn bridges, but the home building industry is taking advantage of the uneducated home buyer so they can make some extra money. This is all in regards to their claims of energy efficiency.
Builder Energy Efficiency Claims
I borrowed this image from a home builder here in Ohio (I removed any reference to the company’s name). Take a look at what they are claiming that is going to protect our investment and on another page our environment. They even created their own cute little “Energy Wise” logo. The materials listed are standard building materials found in every building in the United States. And don’t get fooled by the Thermo-ply, its name has nothing to do with thermal efficiency, it more of an air barrier. Standard structural sheathing has a higher R-Value. The SEER rating on the air conditioning unit is the minimum size you can even purchase now. The biggest kicker is the insulation levels that they state. If you see the attached chart from the Ohio Building Code, R-38 ceiling and R-13 is code minimum for climate zone 4. Well most of Ohio is Climate zone 5. So that R-13 does not cut it according to the chart. Still time after time I see homes going up everywhere that is 2×4 wall construction and no exterior insulation. I mean the easiest thing a builder can do is to switch to 2×6 wall construction.
TABLE 1102.1 INSULATION AND FENESTRATION REQUIREMENTS BY COMPONENT