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Steve Easley
S.C. Easley & Associates |
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They just don’t build homes the way they
used to. All things considered, it’s probably a good thing. There was
little or no concern for some of today’s issues like increased comfort,
energy efficiency, conservation, moisture protection, ventilation and
interior air quality. Things have changed.
Today, homes average twice the size of their Post WW II predecessors,
complete with multiple bathrooms, walls of windows, high ceilings, and a
host of high-tech mechanical systems and appliances. Your home could
contain many sophisticated engineered materials, employing innovative
and often complex building techniques. Today’s house is still a home,
but now it’s also a completely engineered system from roof ridge to
foundation.
According to building consultant Steve Easley, S.C. Easley & Associates,
it is important for you to choose a builder or remodeler who not only is
concerned with your new home’s interior features and amenities, but also
with what’s behind your walls. "Be sure you are as familiar with unseen
features in your home as you are with all the visible features," said
Easley. Selecting a builder who is knowledgeable about materials,
systems, and the latest building practices, will help to ensure your
long term satisfaction.
Issues for the 21st Century home
There are two key issues that have recently emerged: healthy homes and
tight homes.
First -- the healthy home refers to buildings that are environmentally
friendly, family safe, properly ventilated, and free from indoor
pollutants. The issue is how indoor air quality affects the health and
well-being of your family.
Second—"tight" construction refers to homes that are energy efficient,
with an indoor environment well controlled through mechanical
ventilation systems. You might have read, or some builders might warn
against overbuilding or building too tight. The contention is that these
homes are so airtight, interior air circulation and ventilation is not
adequate and problems occur. "It is common to blame problems in new
homes on tight construction. In reality most problems are related to
poor installation of building materials and a lack of controlled
ventilation," said Easley.
Build tight; ventilate right
The idea that a home can be built too tight really misses the point,
according to Easley. "I can’t repeat this phrase often enough—build
tight; ventilate right," he said.
Today’s homes are built within a shell. The walls, roofing systems,
heating, cooling, ventilation, and all mechanical systems must be fully
integrated to properly, efficiently, and safely manage the ever-present
movement of air and moisture in and out of your home. "The key to
building a healthy, energy efficient, long-lasting home is proper
ventilation and moisture management," said Easley.
Walls that breathe
The ideal construction, according to Easley, is a tight yet breathable
home with proper air and heat flow to eliminate the potential for air
leaks, heat loss and indoor air quality problems. "All homes at one time
or another experience weather conditions and moisture that can cause
problems. This is why the walls and the shell must breathe," said
Easley. He explains that housewrap is one of the most important elements
in your home’s wall system, that will allow your home to breathe
properly.
Housewrap—your home's protective envelope
DuPont invented housewrap, a simple, low cost solution to the proper
management of air and moisture in your walls—it’s called Tyvek® HomeWrap®.
Quality builders use Tyvek®, installed between your siding and the
sheathing to reduce air and water infiltration and increase thermal
efficiency. "Just as you wouldn’t think of building without adding
insulation, you shouldn’t build without a housewrap that ultimately
helps your insulation and your walls work most effectively," said
Easley.
No matter what your exterior—wood or vinyl siding, brick, stucco or
stone—water will eventually find its way inside your walls. Housewrap is
an important secondary weather resistant barrier that can be used under
any type of facade. It will help make your house more comfortable and
help protect against moisture damage for years to come.
Your home's comfort factor
The Department of Energy estimates that nearly 40% of your energy loss
is the result of air infiltration caused by wind driven pressures from
the outside. The opposing forces of pressure between your inside and
outside walls cause heat and air conditioning to be virtually sucked
from your home—through walls, ceilings, sill plates, sheathing joints,
top plates, electrical outlets and every inch of the estimated half-mile
of cracks in newly constructed homes. As air infiltrates, it causes
changes in temperature that requires your heater or air conditioner to
work harder. Constant temperature fluctuations also reduce your comfort
level. You feel too cold or too warm. Reducing air infiltration,
increases your home’s comfort factor.
Protecting your home's R-Value
Insulation can help increase the R-value for your home, but it is only
marginally effective in reducing air infiltration. When air infiltrates,
the R-value itself can be reduced up to 60%. Adding thicker insulation
won’t solve the problem. Stopping air from getting in will. Properly
applied, housewrap helps reduce air infiltration, preserving R-values,
conserving energy, reducing heating costs and creating a more
comfortable interior.
The tighter your home, the more comfortable and efficient.
Unfortunately, the tighter your home, the more susceptible to moisture
problems that can cause mold, mildew and rot. So all systems need to be
in balance—designed to manage moisture effectively.
Protecting against moisture damage
Your walls can trap moisture that enters from outside through rain and
moist air infiltration. From inside your home, cooking, humidifiers,
dryers, bathrooms, range hoods and more add to trapped moisture. Without
a means of escape, moisture can promote the growth of mold and mildew
and begin to degrade wall materials. Left undetected, such moisture
damage can affect the indoor air quality. With a housewrap like Tyvek®
that breathes, trapped moisture vapor escapes safely to the outside. A
breathable housewrap helps dry out any water or moisture in your walls.
It helps to know what goes on inside your walls—for your comfort, for
the durability of your home and for cost savings on energy bills.
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