A healthier and more efficient home starts with the shell. Nothing is more critical—the efficiency battle is lost or won when building the shell. A properly designed and built shell seals the home to outside elements such as temperature fluctuations and water.
Most homeowners are aware that water is one of a home’s most formidable foes year round. As seasons change, the barrage of water comes in many forms: rain, fog, sleet, snow, hail, freeze-thaw cycles, and even flooding. All this water is constantly looking for entry points into a home—roofing, windows, walls, and foundation. St. Louis residents are especially challenged with a climate zone that includes a wide range of weather, including a difficult freeze-thaw pattern in the winter.
While building codes specify new homes provide minimal protection against water via damp proofing the foundation, even small amounts of water in the home can create serious problems such as mold, mildew, rotting wood, or damaged drywall. Builders who use best building practices and apply a (limited) lifetime waterproofing membrane to the outside of the foundation help boost homeowners’ trust that their homes have an extra layer of protection from water and moisture.
Another piece of the waterproofing puzzle is a home’s drain tile system. Quality-minded builders install both exterior and interior drain tile systems because they know they only get one chance to get this part of waterproofing right. Doing so gives homeowners a higher degree of control over their homes’ drainage and water management.
Additional waterproofing measures include installing exterior insulation boards, designing landscapes to keep water away from the home, grading the land surrounding the home so water is diverted away from the home, and extending downspouts from gutters to direct water away from the foundation.
This blog was pulled from R.E.A. Homes’ most recent FREE eBook – Custom Not Commodity: Why Custom Homes Are Better For Your Family. To learn more about benefits of a custom home download this Free eBook:
R.E.A. Homes builds high performance luxury homes with the customer’s entire well-being in mind. To learn more about our custom-built homes in St. Louis, Missouri, visit our blog or Facebook page.
