A crawl space is a foundation that is built higher than ground level. This is to protect the house from water levels or to enable someone to crawl under the dwelling for work on the foundation, piping, mechanical or any other things that may need attention. 

When building a new home, hiring a contractor is one of the most important steps in beginning the process. Your general contractor will work side by side with you to raise your dream house from the ground up. That is why finding and acquiring a contractor that is reputable, reliable, transparent, and licensed is of the utmost importance.

Whether you already own a lot of land or have narrowed down the area in which you want to search, planning your own custom build can be a nerve-racking process. Only 20% of American homeowners have built custom homes, which can make it feel like uncharted territory. However, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, families’ desire to move away from big cities and build their own home closer to nature has skyrocketed. 

The R-value requirement is also calculated based on the geographical location of the home. The U.S. The Department of Energy specifies zones with minimum R-value requirements based on the surrounding climate. 

Permits are required in most states in order to begin the home building process. All states except Texas require home builders to obtain a permit prior to construction. It is especially important for individuals to first research their county’s zoning website to heed their unique permit requirements.

Heating a home is one of the most costly parts of our monthly home expenses. According to the Department of Energy, it takes approximately 30% of your total utility bill. This makes it important to install a system that will be effective, environmentally sound and produces the best quality with the least cost to operate. There are an array of heating and cooling options available. Each comes with their advantages and disadvantages. 

When land is uneven, sloped, or in need of reaching a higher elevation, a “stem wall foundation” is the answer. Stem walls are constructed with a spread foundation to support the added weight of the flooring above. This enables a level floor to be obtained in areas where it is needed.

The term “slab on grade” describes a building technique used to supply a strong foundation for a building structure. This is an effective method to provide needed structural integrity to support walls, upper floor construction and load bearing requirements to complete the building project.

One of the best performing insulations on the market is dense-pack cellulose. This is a term used to describe a cellulose insulation product that can be densely blown in cavities between dimensional lumber.  It is similar to blown in cellulose of years back without the accompanying drawbacks.

Mini splits are an efficient and cost-effective cooling system for many homeowners. A mini split is an HVAC unit that basically has 2 parts. It has an air handling unit and a compressor.