February 17, 2010 – 8:03 am
What’s all the talk about foam insulation? Does it work and what types are there?
Yes, foam is good for residential and commercial construction practices. The two main types of spray foam are closed cell and open cell foam. The closed cell foam is a vapor barrier whereas the open cell foam will allow air to pass through. Closed cell has a better R-Value per inch of application but is more expensive to install. So where is the common ground? We have found that a hybrid approach works best for us and keeps the costs down. In the 2×6 cavity, we spray a 1/2″ of closed cell foam on the back side of the sheathing and then blow in fiberglass batt insulation for the rest of the 5″. The spray foam creates a great seal to repel any air infiltration and the blown in batts fills the gaps and delivers a great composite R-Value for a 2×6 stick framed wall. It’s a great idea to also spray foam your band board in a crawl or basement. The investment will pay dividends year after year and is well worth it.
To learn more about green products go to www.zeroenergybuilt.com.
December 22, 2009 – 5:37 pm
By far the most important factor when determining the quality of a builder is how happy the builder’s customers are with the builder. However, there are some other factors that a prospective home buyer should explore before choosing a builder. They are:
- What is the builder’s financial situation? Many builders have been hurt by the housing downturn and are having trouble meeting their financial obligations. Financial stress has caused builders to cut back on their staff and operate their business with a skeleton crew, which means it will be difficult for these builders to build a quality home and provide adequate customer service. In addition, some of these builders are close to bankruptcy and may not be able to finish your home. To determine a builder’s financial situation, you can ask questions like: How much debt does your company have? How many unsold Spec homes do you have? Are you currently in any form of “workout” with any bank? Can I see a copy of your most recent company bank statement? Good financially sound builders will gladly answer these questions and provide you with any documentation you request.
- Who specifically will be building my home? It is important that you meet the actual person or team of people that will be onsite as your home is being built. The quality of your home will be directly related to the skill and experience of the superintendent building your home. Many custom builders have owners who are experienced builders and good salesmen but these “owners” are usually not onsite as your home is being built. Make sure you interview the person who will actually be building your home before you contract with a builder.
- Does your company have a dedicated customer service department with separate staff and equipment? Most custom home builders do not have a customer service department and thus will provide minimal customer support after delivery of the home. In our research, this was a major source of frustration for custom home buyers. With custom homes, it is inevitable that issues will arise that need to be addressed by the builder. Without a customer service department, it will be very difficult for a builder to provide sufficient customer support. Unfortunately, most custom builders do not have much interest in allocating resources to customers who have already paid them in full.
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We are really excited to install one of the first residential green roofs in Sussex County and maybe Delaware. Three separate green roofs on this one house will create a great natural space as well as save energy and conserve water. The integrated rain water collection system will recycle rain water and use it to irrigate the landscape and possibly be used to flush toilets in the residence.
