New home construction defects are far too common in residential buildings. According to a white paper from Professional Warranty Service Corporation, 25 percent of new homes may experience some form of structural defect, and most latent defects appear between the first four to seven years. Most of those problems can be avoided with good, thoughtful design and good training.
Rachel Wagner, a Wisconsin-licensed architect and BPI-certified Building Analyst, is the owner of Just Housing SBC, a Minnesota-based public benefit firm focused on designing homes that are good for people and the planet. She shared her thoughts with us this week on how we fix what’s broken in residential construction and priorities of resilience that should be at the forefront of homebuilding.
Top of Mind Solutions for Fixing Homebuilding
Just Housing focuses on high-performance homebuilding and training for the home builders so that our workforce understands building science and the “why” behind the processes. Her emphasis is not only on high performance but also on resilience, a much-needed aspect of modern home building.
Wagner said the two most essential fixes for building better homes are using critical thinking skills and being well-versed in building science.
“We need critical thinkers in homebuilding. Understanding and implementing building science involves critical thinking. Houses are complicated. There are so many types of buildings we deal with, and most are not built to standardized specifications in a factory like cars, Wagner noted. “We also need to include resiliency in our definition of high performance. If we don’t, we’re short-sighted.”
She defined resiliency as a home’s ability to withstand stressors and recover from them. “Buildings need to be durable and also repairable. The way designers and builders approach insulation, air sealing, and high-performance enclosures needs improvement, especially with regard to considering the future.”
Wagner uses energy modeling for all her designs, which are typically designed to be 65 to 75 percent more energy-efficient than the state’s building code requires. “The biggest reasons for our conservation-based approach are resiliency, long-term affordability, and the ability to make houses Net Zero capable without a very large PV system.
With increasingly destructive storms driven by climate change, resilience can’t be overlooked. “Building for occupants to stay safe, secure, and healthy in their home is not an option, but a necessity.”
“When you’re building a new home, that’s the best opportunity to incorporate resilient features. It will never be that easy or cost-effective again,” Wagner said.
Resilience Can Be Affordable
Builders may think that resilience adds costs, but Wagner said that it’s not cost-prohibitive if buildings are designed from the start to be efficient and resilient.
“Understanding building science principles and using critical thinking is the best approach to getting a resilient and affordable home. Don’t be married to one type of building, system, or approach. Recognize the importance of the location of a building and an appropriate building design for the climate and site. Design of the enclosure impacts the building energy requirements and the systems needed to meet those requirements. A more durable, energy-conserving enclosure can keep occupants safe and comfortable during both extreme weather and power outages.
Investing in a much better building enclosure (more durable materials, greater insulation, and better air sealing) can pay off with reduced maintenance, lower mechanical system investment, and lower operating costs. A more energy-conserving enclosure can use smaller mechanical systems, shorter distribution runs, and smaller ductwork. That’s how you get affordability.”
Another piece to consider is that we replace systems in buildings far more frequently than we replace components of the enclosure. When you invest extra in the enclosure, you’re investing for longevity. “And in 10 to 15 years, when it’s time to replace a heating system, for instance, we can do that with ease and install something even more efficient than what was there previously.”
Wagner authored a recent article in Fine Homebuilding titled “10 Strategies for Resilient Housing.” It’s a mini masterclass in homebuilding fortification, grounded in critical thinking and building science.
The Takeaways
The bottom line is that builders should focus on good design and construction practices rooted in building science, building to create homes that are repairable, but also resilient. To do this reliably and cost-effectively, train employees in these methods and encourage critical thinking to ensure people can repeat the processes that make for durable, sustainable homes.
“If builders are just building to code, they’re not building for long-term sustainability.”