We use the House wrap product because it is simply safer for you and your family. One of our biggest concerns is maintaining a healthy environment in your home, so we use the latest building science information to put products on our homes. House wrap is better at keeping the water out, while still allowing the water vapor to leave the inside of the home. It provides less of a chance for leaks because it is easier to install and harder to damage, while still allowing the home to breathe.
Cement board siding, sometimes known by one of the brand names Hardi, is a much lower maintenance product than traditional siding materials. It has a much longer warranty, needs less painting, and is fire resistant. Unlike some builders, all of our exterior products are cement board if they are available.
Plainly put, we are concerned about our homeowners health. Over time copper pipes will collect various particles and scale on the inside of the pipes due to the reaction of the copper to the water (Think about an old penny you have laying around that is green and brown colored from age, do you want that in your mouth?). Piping today made from various materials has no reaction to water, fewer joints (therefore fewer places to leak), and is even more resistant to freeze damage.
Foundation types should be governed by the soil conditions. Most of the time, the most sensible for the homebuyer is the post tension foundation. Conventional and pier and beam are possible and can be done without problem. They are just not always the right answer based on soil conditions.
We are referring to the lack of a paper backing on the batt insulation in the walls of the home. Mildew type growths need air, water, and food to grow and survive. In an effort to reduce the risk of these types growths, we removed the possibility that it could grow on the paper (food) by getting rid of the paper all together! This is just one of the things we do to try and protect you in this fashion!
In an effort to limit the chances of water infiltration from one of the prime spots homes tend to leak the showers), we utilize a cementous backer board behind all of the tile with an anti-fracture membrane over the seams and nails. This provides a nearly water proof enclosure so that all of the water goes where it should, down the drain! In addition, when a custom shower pan or seat is on the plan, we actually job build a fiberglass pan for the tile to adhere to. Again, making the water go only down the drain!
Nearly everything in a home today is engineered. These products such as engineered studs, I-joists, OSB, structural sheer panels, engineered beams, etc. have made it possible to more quickly build bigger, straighter and stronger homes.
One of those vents is a jump duct. Its purpose is to balance the air pressures from one room to the next to allow the cooling systems to work better as well as save you from the door that slams shut when the a/c turns on or that line of dirt on the carpet that forms as air has to pass under the door.
Not necessarily. Each homes heating and cooling system is computer engineered for that specific plan on that home site. With modern advances in building tighter homes, low E glass in windows, and more efficient units, the old rules for sizing systems are not needed. In fact, you can damage your home by having too large of a system.