Builder Has Them Seeing Green
Hann Builders opens house to expose energy and building efficiencies.
Houston, Aug. 13 – Many of the new green components
that go into homes
these days are hidden in the walls, roof and attic so Hann Builders decided
to put those on display for a day at one of its signature homes. By hosting
an open house at a home under construction on July 30, Hann caught the attention
of fellow builders, architects, and the home sales agents from The Woodlands,
where the home is located.
“We are always looking for better ways to serve our clients
through better efficiency, less maintenance and better performance over
the long run,” Hann says. “This event lets people
see the kinds of things we are putting into these homes that will give
them a return on their investment long after we’re done building
them.”
The items showcased included:
- AdvanTech decking used as second floor subfloors is a sealed product that
helps to prevent moisture absorption, either during construction or after - ZIPsystem exterior wall and roof sheathing with its built-in water-resistive
barrier locks out moisture - Icynene insulation that completely fills voids in wall cavities
- PEX water system resists mineral build-up, has lower friction from flowing
water so there is less heat transfer through the pipe walls, and it uses
fewer fittings - Tankless water heater heats the water only when needed instead of keeping
a tank hot all the time
The people from the companies that supply those products to Hann were on hand
to explain the products and to help visitors understand the value they bring
to the homes.
Those who stopped by included more than 75 builders, all of the home sales
agents from The Woodlands, Architects Gene Giles, Tom O’Leary and Gary
Marks, and The Woodlands Marketing Director Susan Vreeland-Wendt and Marketing
Coordinator Angie Rhodes.
Information on the showcased products will continue to be available at Hann
Builders and the home will be open at another time when completed so people
can see the results.
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Signature Home Open House
The Woodlands, TX 77382
Please RSVP to Melva Corbett (281) 980-0800 or to Melva@HannBuilt.com
See you there!
Make sure home’s green components aren’t ‘all hat, no cowboy’
With all the hype about green building, the movement could easily end up being sidetracked by meaningless and false promises — as the saying goes, “all hat and no cowboy,” says Stephen Hann of Hann Builders.
It is important that builders take steps to make sure their green messages and practices actually deliver on their promises, he stresses.
“The rush to put green labels on products means people have to be extremely diligent in selecting products that are actually going to deliver those green promises,” he says. “This even includes focusing on aesthetics like granite countertops and bamboo flooring.”
Beneath all the hype, there are sound places to spend money that net the greatest and most proven green rewards when building a home.
For the full article, click here. The original article is at the Houston Business Journal.
Home Plumbing and PEX pipes
Throughout the history of building there have been many different materials
used for plumbing. Clay was one of the original pipe materials and there have
been places in Europe and the Middle East where ancient clay pipes have been
unearthed.
In more recent years a number of materials have been used for home plumbing
and all of them have their pros and cons. Some, like galvanized pipe have largely
been abandoned due to long-term problems. In the case of galvanized pipe it
was rusting on the inside that caused it to fall from popularity.
Today, the lines that supply hot and cold water to faucets throughout a home
are usually copper, CPVC or increasingly PEX. PEX, or in some cases referred
to as PEX-a, has become the pipe of preference for Hann Builders. One of the
main reasons is its resistance to mineral build up. That means the water flowing
through the pipe will continue flowing through the pipe in the same volume
as was designed into the system for a very long time. Little to no mineral
build up also means corrosion in equipment like hot water heaters is reduced.
From an energy perspective PEX allows water to flow through it with a minimum
amount of friction temperature increase so there is less heat transfer through
the wall of the pipe. When this pipe is installed it is installed with a minimum
number of fittings since it can flex around corners. Fewer fittings mean fewer
places for things to go wrong. The installation of this material doesn’t
require the use of solders, flames and chemicals like other types of pipes
require. The pipe is very strong as water can freeze inside it without it bursting.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages is the systems are less labor intensive
to install and through the use of manifolds that join multiple lines there
is the opportunity to optimize how the system delivers water to the various
fixtures. PEX is also an inert material and doesn’t contain volatile
organic compounds.
With so much to recommend it we see PEX as a valuable addition to our building
technologies.
Advances in Home Insulation
When it comes to home insulation fiberglass has been the industry standard
for many years. There is no doubt that there is a significant advantage to
fiberglass especially when coupled with foam sealants around pipes, ductwork
and electrical equipment. But just as the move to fiberglass from earlier forms
of insulation was a major advance the one from fiberglass to Icynene spray
foam is also.
One of the key advantages to Icynene spray foam is the fact that it bonds
to the structure. So, over time it won’t settle in the wall cavities
like other types of insulation may. Also because it bonds to the structure
there aren’t any gaps in coverage where air can leak through. Because
air infiltration is more effectively controlled we can improve the sizing and
efficiency of heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment.
Perhaps one of the greatest advantages to this insulation is that it cuts
down the potential for moisture to accumulate in wall cavities. Homes are living
structures that have to process a lot of moisture just due to the human activities
that go on within. Cooking, bathing, washing cloths and even breathing contribute
to the moisture that is poured into the air of today’s homes. By eliminating
places for moisture to collect we eliminate places for mold and mildew to grow.
That makes for a healthier home.
There is one more important advantage to this insulation and that is that
it makes your home incredibly quiet. Along with high quality windows Icynene
insulation will greatly reduce the amount of outside noise that gets into your
living spaces. At Hann Builders we have adopted Icynene insulation as one of
our initiatives to make the homes we build more energy efficient and healthy.
Tankless Watter Heaters
Many homeowners seldom give a second thought to just where all the hot water
comes from that they use for bathing and washing clothes and dishes. In a way
that’s how it should be since we don’t build houses as showcases
for equipment, we build them to live in.
At Hann Builders we have recently taken a close look at where all that hot
water comes from and have compared the traditional tank-type water heaters
to the tankless ones. One part of our efforts was aimed at increasing the energy
efficiency of the homes we build and another part of it had to do with space.
The traditional tank-type water heater holds 30, 40 or 50 gallons of water
and keeps it hot and ready to use all the time. As energy costs have risen
the value in supplying hot water this way has decreased to the point that today
it is getting to be too costly both from an economic perspective as well as
from an environmental perspective.
We are now incorporating tankless water heaters in the homes we build. Since
the water is only heated when it is needed, and that happens instantly, costs
go down from not having to keep a tank of water hot all the time. Here are
some examples of the savings you get with a tankless heater compared to a tank-type
heater:
- Savings of 24-34 percent for homes that use 41 gallons of hot water or
less per day; - Savings of 8-14 percent for homes that use as much as 86 gallons per day;
and - 27-50 percent savings if tankless heaters are installed at each hot water
point-of-use.
The other benefit to these water heaters is that they need a lot less space
so that space becomes available for other things or purposes.
Building Green Homes
There is more and more emphasis
on building green and for good reason. Our buildings, according to an article in
the Scientific American, produce a third of all green house gas emissions from
this continent. The article also points out that by building more energy efficient
buildings and upgrading insulation and windows in existing buildings we could
cut those emissions by 1.7 billion tons each year.
Of course the benefit to the
people who live and work in our buildings will be lower energy costs. From
my perspective anything I can do to increase the quality of the air in the
homes I build while at the same time providing energy savings that will continue
for the lifetime of the home will have positive effects for everyone.
So, I took a course recently
on green building that was offered by the National
Association of Home Builders as part of the qualification to earn the designation
as a Green Building Professional This was a very mind opening event and I left
it with a headful of ideas and techniques that will make my building efforts
greener. Here are some examples of changes in materials I am moving forward
with.
- Icynene spray foam insulation with air barrier system – This can save up to
50 percent of a building’s energy costs, does not emit harmful gasses
and it controls moisture so mold and mildew are stopped in their tracks. - Tankless water heaters – these offer significant energy savings since you only
heat the water as it is needed; - PEX-a plumbing pipe – this pipe is quiet, has low-thermal transfer, is virtually
sweat-free, and is resistant to freezing and the negative effects of aggressive
water and soils.
The key though too much of this
is to make sure the materials are used and installed properly. At Hann Builders
we are moving forward with green building and going the extra mile to make
sure the changes we incorporate really do deliver energy saving value without
compromising air and comfort quality.
Extreme Building
Every now and then it’s fun to take a look at some of the extreme building
that is going on in the world. At Hann Builders we tackle some very innovative,
unique and challenging home designs that require some very special expertise
but so far we haven’t been challenged to build a home underwater.
That’s not the case for engineers and builders working with Crescent
Hydropolis Resorts PLC. According to Hydropolis the firm is building underwater
hotels across the globe. The first one is under construction in Dubai, with
others planned for Isle of Man, London, Monaco, Munich, New York and Qingdao.
There are three parts planned for the Hydropolis in Dubai. The land station
is where guests are welcomed. From there they take a train through a connecting
tunnel to the hotel itself. In order to plan for the unexpected one report
says the hotel was assembled in Germany and then taken apart and moved into
position at its intended location. Built like a giant bowl the structure is
then sunk at its final site and anchored to 7,000 already in-place anchors.
There are supposed to be 220 rooms underwater with one report putting the
daily rent for each one at a little over $5,000. Included in the complex will
be a marine biology station and a retracting roof over the above-water portion.
This certainly must be a challenging management situation as there are reportedly
more than 150 companies involved in the project.
For the time being we will probably keep our efforts on dry land…but,
then again, you never know…we certainly wouldn’t turn down the
chance to build some water-inspired architecture.
There are more pictures and a lot more information about Hydropolis here.
How Involved is Right for You?
Everything a person does in life takes time and all of those moments add up
to a lifetime. So we are always struggling with balancing the time we have
available with our lists of to-dos. It’s never easy when we have to compromise
and give up something we want to do, in favor of something we should do. Still,
those trade-offs happen all the time and we hope that in the end we have made
the right decisions.
When it comes to building your dream home, or remodeling it, one important
thing is deciding your level of involvement. Some people want to actually draw
some of the lines on the plans while others just want to stop by once in a while
to see how things are going. Then, there are all those other levels of involvement
between those two extremes. How do you know the right level of involvement
for you?
Deciding has to start with the people you choose to do the work. If you don’t
trust your architect or your builder you will never have enough time to follow
behind them to make sure things are coming out like you want them to. So, choose
wisely here and then you can feel more comfortable choosing any level of involvement
you want.
At Hann Builders clients decide how much they want to be involved and we work
with them on those terms. There are always key places where you need to be
involved, but for the most part you can select how much time you spend on the
process. And that means you have more control over what you spend your life-time
on.
How much is right for you? Please comment with you opinion.
When a Handshake is Not Good Enough
I’ve often heard people make the comment that a handshake is as good as a contract. Problems come into play though when it is assumed that everyone involved in the deal has the exact same understanding of just what it is they are agreeing to. The simpler things are, the more likely this is the case.
In the example of someone installing a mailbox for you there are not a lot of things that can go wrong as long as both people are reasonably intelligent and committed to the transaction. Sure, it is possible that with no specific instructions the mailbox could end up installed in the back yard, but it isn’t likely.
On the other hand, if someone is installing the electrical wiring and electrical fixtures for an entire house there are a lot of things that can go wrong if the details of what is supposed to be done are not clearly defined. As work progresses assumptions get made and from those assumptions come installations that don’t meet the job requirements.
One of the best practices we have is to make sure first of all that we use contracts. Handshakes, after signing the contracts, are nice personal gestures but to depend upon them to make sure everyone is on the same page is pure folly. At Hann Builders the other best practice we follow is to make sure the contract documents are clearly referenced in the contract so everyone party to the contract knows where to look for job details.
Trades, vendors and those who build alongside us need to have the same depth of job knowledge as we do, so we follow contracting procedures that ensure they do.