New Home Construction Tips

Plan you new home construction project before construction starts to include key upgrades!

Let's face it, your family's needs do change with time, and the home you currently own may no longer meet those changing needs. Smart builders know this and strive to provide the latest floor plans and modern amenities designed to meet today's ever-changing needs. Whether it is increased energy efficiency, more technology features, or carefully designed floor plan ergonomics, you can find or build the house of your dreams. If you decide to build from scratch rather than purchase a completed builder SPEC, you must keep in mind that certain desirable amenities must be planned for in advance and added at specific stages of construction.

The information in this report will help you consider the types of upgrades you may want to incorporate in your new home when you plan to build from an empty lot. Now the real work begins: you have only a limited time to make plan changes with the builder if you want to have the upgrade features listed below. Part of ARG's job as your agent is to help you understand your options during your home's construction and to provide an alternative perspective to what you are getting from the builder's sales associates and/or construction manager.

After working with hundreds of new home buyers, ARG has developed a list of sought-after features you should consider if you are going to build a new home from the ground up. Adding them during construction is not only cost-effective, but may be the ONLY opportunity you will ever have to add these features to your new home. Getting your home right NOW may mean having fewer and fewer reasons in 5 years to want to move again (and go through all the expenses associated with moving). The key is to get pricing from the builder during contract discussions and then to add those items to your contract BEFORE construction starts.

Time Sensitive Upgrades	Energy Efficient Upgrades
Radiant Barriers	Construction Issues to Consider

Time Sensitive Upgrades - Plan Ahead to Get Key Upgrades Included!

To properly plan your new home, ANY and ALL specifications should be included in your purchase contract. This way, you KNOW that you can, in fact, include these upgrades before you SIGN your agreement.

• Nail Down Hardwood Floors - This makes the list because if your new home is a 2-story, your entire staircase will be affected. If a rug or tile is in front of the bottom step, then adding a nailed-down wood floor after your home is built will mean your bottom step will be about 1.5" shorter than all the rest of your steps. Builders always determine the step height based on the floor material in front of the staircase. If you plan to add wood floors after you close, you will want the builder to ensure they install wood floors in the hallway where your staircase is located. This way, you will avoid the "short step" problem later on when you complete your Hardwood Floors.

• Single Garage Door Width - Don't let your builder put in 8' single garage doors!!!! You need 9' doors, or you will have to fold your vehicle mirrors getting in and out! 8' doors might work if you own a VW Bug or a Fiat, but not with SUVs or Pickups, which just happen to be the vehicle of choice for many Texans. This needs to be known before the slab forms are installed.

• Garage Door Height - Want to park a boat or a lifted F250? Make sure you design an extra-high garage door. It's easy enough to do if the builder knows about it before Framing begins, or better yet, before you sign your contract. This way, the changes you want are tied to you doing business with that specific builder before you write an earnest money check.

• Garage Length and Width - Well, if you are going through the trouble of adding a taller door, then you want to make sure you are at least 22' long if you are to park your F-250 or similar-sized vehicle. Garage dimensions may be limited by lot size, especially if you are building on a lot less than 60' wide or 120' deep.

• Sink in Utility Room - Make it as deep as possible. Plan before the foundation is poured so plumbing and drains can be set.

• Adding a Bathroom - Sometimes, some floor plans just don't work because they lack a needed bathroom, and sadly, many new home buyers who lack the proper number of bathrooms won't figure this out until they resell their new home. Anything associated with plumbing needs to be known upfront, even before your home plans are submitted to the City for a building permit.

• Salad Sink in Kitchen Island - Having a 2nd sink in the Island helps with food prep and cleanup. Don't forget a 2nd sink disposal.

• Refrigerator or Freezer Power Plug in Utility Room or Garage - This must be added during the Frame Stage. This is important because this line needs to be on its own protected circuit to prevent breaker trips on other outlets.

• Ice Maker Water Line to 2nd Refrigerator - This must be done before the foundation is poured.

• Closes Dryer Gas Line - Complete during Frame Stage.

• Gas and Electric Drops for Kitchen Cooktop - If located on an island, this must be known to your builder before the concrete is poured.

• Wet Bar Prep - Rough in for wet bar power, Cabinet Lighting Switches, plumbing, drain, and water supply. This will allow you to install a new wet bar later if the builder doesn't install one during construction.

• Recessed "Can" Lighting - Especially on 2-story homes, you really need to look at this closely, as many homes have insufficient lighting. It is very expensive and difficult to install additional 1st-floor can lighting in homes with a 2nd story above without making many holes in sheet rock. This needs to be added no later than the Frame Stage.

• Art Deco Lighting - This is GREAT for wall recesses, as you can add warm lighting for some of your favorite artwork or family portraits. Remember, all this is EASY and cheap during the build process. Afterwards, this sort of retrofit becomes a mess and can mar sheet rock.

• Solar Light Tubes -  If you love natural light, adding a single solar tube to a kitchen, family room, or any other darker area of your home will really lighten and brighten your living space. Solar lights once installed bring sunlight into your home saving you the need to turn on lights.  Solar Tubes run about $700 per drop. If you are building a 2 Story home, you MUST plan these at the build stage, as retrofitting will be impossible.

• Sconce Wall Lighting - In Media Room or elsewhere, must be completed during Frame Stage.

• Sconce Staircase Lighting - Add at Frame Stage.

• Flush Mounted Soffit Lights - These are so cool. Once you see them, you will want them. They are located in an area protected from the weather, unlike lights mounted close to the foundation. These need to be installed at the Frame Stage.

• High Intensity Fluorescent Lights -  These fluorescent bulbs are narrower or have a smaller radius but put out double the light or more. This type of lighting is a MUST for Utility Rooms, Garage Work Areas, Pantries, and especially the MASTER CLOSET. No, your eyes are not going bad! Most builders simply "poo-poo" lighting in these areas. It is CHEAPER to NOT have them put cheap lighting in, but credit you for the more expensive fixture, which really is only a few bucks more!!!  THIS IS A MUST.

• Automatic Lighting via door open & close switches - these are PERFECT for closets and pantries. These need to be installed at FRAME STATE when the home is being wired. Open the door, and there is LIGHT; close it, and there is NO light! Perfect!!!

• Exterior MOTION Lights - Got a place around the house where you want a MOTION light? Now is the time to put that in. The builder will credit you for the fixture you don't install and price out the motion light fixture.

• Concrete Wall Board for Bathroom Wet Areas. Want to truly bulletproof your shower/tub areas? Use a concrete board versus a green board. Concrete board is impervious to water damage and really grips tiles more permanently. This should be in your contract to build up front.

• Soffit Lights - Under Soffit low-voltage or low-wattage spots add excellent accent lighting and a unique look. See the picture to the right.

• Flat Panel Screens - Cable and power drops in Bedrooms, Master Baths, Garages, or any other "Special" location that allows you to mount a Flat Screen without unsightly power and cables running up your walls. Add at Frame Stage. Also, consider whether you want an outdoor monitor, as plugs and video cables can be installed cheaply during construction rather than retrofitting.

• Video - Power Drops for Media Room Front Projector complete during Frame Stage.

• Whole House Internet - Wiring and Plug-n-play tech center for all TV, Telephone, Internet, and Network equipment, routers, amplifiers, and modems. The fact is, wireless is a DOWNGRADE compared to secure hard-wired communications. Wireless can be much less secure if unencrypted, since your network signal can be picked up all around your home. Add at Frame Stage.

• Extra Network - Additional drops for your home office – I recommend adding 2 drops at the frame stage.

• Adding Fiber Optic Cable Network -  Yes, ARG has had clients who have installed fiber-optic light pipes in their homes. Fiber-optic communications will be lightning-fast, and it is now only a few years away. Add at Frame Stage.

• Home Speaker or Intercom System - Whole-house intercom or speaker wiring for background music. Add at Frame Stage.

• Extra Closet Storage Shelving - This way, if the Builder nails into a PIPE behind the wall, he will catch it during construction. Add before the paint stage.

• Outdoor Speaker Drops - Add at Frame Stage.

• Outdoor Video and Power Drop for Outside TV - Add at Frame Stage.

• Security Cameras - Front and rear entry Video Cable Drops added at Frame Stage

• Christmas Light Outlets - Installed under the roofline in the Soffits. These convenience plugs are added at the Frame Stage. For added convenience, add an indoor on/off switch and MAKE SURE this outlet is on its own individual circuit breaker in your main breaker panel.

• Outdoor Spotlights - Tree Lights or exterior house lighting. Frame Stage. Choose low-voltage lights to help save on electricity costs. 

• Built-Ins -  These may include kitchen cabinet garbage pull-outs, wine rack lattices, Pasta Bins, Butler Pantry Cabinets, a kitchen "bread box," bookcases, and entertainment built-ins. It must be known a few weeks before the cabinets are installed. Butler's Pantry would have to be designed in at the early planning stage.

• Shower Head in Master that is HIGH ENOUGH!!! - You'll be glad you added this one at the Frame Stage during Plumbing installation.

• Extended Patio - This needs to be planned before the slab is poured, especially if you want the Patio extension to be part of the foundation structure. You can always add afterwards, but be prepared to tear up sprinkler lines and sod. Seems to me it would be cheaper to include day one!

• Outdoor Gas Line to Grille - Add at Frame Stage.

• Outdoor Kitchen - Any outdoor plumbing and power drops for an outdoor kitchen should be added before the foundation is poured.

• Extended Driveway - Handy for additional parking, this must be decided before the foundation is poured. It is cheaper for the builder to add this from the Cement Truck than to mix up individual bags afterwards, PLUS all the Cement matches.

• Extra Power Drops in Garage - These may include speaker drops, video drops, or extra outlets on construction benches. The Garage is a UTILITY ROOM, so give it MORE UTILITY! Like to spend time in the Garage? Maybe these features will help! Add at Frame Stage.

• Attic Storage - Locate a logical space in your attic for storage. At Frame Stage. To do one better, identify an area under the roof that can be included in the interior space. If you insulate this space, it will help keep storage items within a more tolerable temperature range WITHOUT adding AC and Heating ducts. Better home builders include this in their plans. Texas is not the kind of place to store valuable items in an unconditioned attic.

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Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Energy upgrades are critical for many reasons. Not only will it save you money on utility bills and help lower our national dependence on Mideast oil, but it will also provide increased year-round comfort. A drafty, cold house in the Winter, followed by a difficult-to-cool home in the summer, combined with high utility bills, will be a huge let-down, especially if you went through the trouble to build your home from the ground up.

Here are key suggestions that have proven to help:

• Solar Light Tubes -  If you love natural light, adding a single solar tube to a kitchen, family room, or any other darker area of your home will really lighten and brighten your living space. Solar lights once installed bring sunlight into your home saving you the need to turn on lights.  Solar Tubes run about $700 per drop. If you are building a 2 Story home, you MUST plan these at the proper build stage, as retrofitting will be impossible.

• Whole-house radiant barriers - these go under the brick veneer and the 2nd-floor cement siding. If this is not added during construction, you will forever forgo having this cost-effective, energy-efficient feature on your home. The Radiant Barrier works by reflecting over 99% of heat-carrying infrared radiation away from your exterior walls. Your home's exterior walls are where most cooling efficiency is lost. When barriers reflect heat-producing radiation from your home's exterior walls, your insulation becomes more effective, and your AC System works less to maintain a comfortable environment. In fact, most homes with whole-house radiant barriers need their AC Systems' tonnage downsized to prevent short cycling. Smaller AC Systems cost less!

• Radiant Wall Barriers for Winter Efficiency Too! - In the Winter Radiant Barriers will also provide an effective radiant barrier against heat loss through infrared radiation transmission from your home's exterior walls.  Most homes can be wrapped for $ 1,000 to $ 2,000, depending on their size. Many foil barriers carry a lifetime warranty and can be purchased with tiny perforations that allow the wall to breathe, helping prevent moisture or mold problems.

• Adding Attic Radiant Barriers - These include Barriers other than foil that are glued to the inside of your new home's roof decking. Proper placement of Radiant Barriers is critical for achieving maximum comfort and efficiency in living spaces.

• Whole House Perforated Cement Soffits (pictured below for reference)- for increased attic ventilation. ARG can show you what to look for. If your Attic is uncomfortably hot, your AC System is operating under overly harsh conditions, which means it must run longer to overcome duct losses. Attic Ventilation is the most critical parameter to control and is essential for maintaining interior comfort and lowering utility bills. 

• Adding Additional Roof Vents Using Turbines and Ridge Venting - Attic airflow is critical to achieving a cooler attic. A cooler attic means your AC system operates in a cooler environment, and heat absorption into your home from a hot attic is reduced.

• WINDOWS - According to the Texas Window Initiative, windows account for 46% of a home's heat load and energy loss! This is HUGE! TXU Electric estimates that utility costs will rise by 15% each year over the next 10 years. This means a $300 Electric Bill today could cost over $ 1,000 in 10 years. Clearly, Windows are a major factor in how your home performs and what you pay each month. On December 22, 2008, Mike Askins of ARG visited Darling Homes at Tucker Hill and took Infrared Temperature measurements from their windows, comparing them to a 2005 Highland Home with Low E windows. The temperature was 27 degrees outside. This was the 3rd consecutive day of cold weather, with the low around 17 the night before. The Darling home's thermostat was set at 72F, but was significantly warmer than the older Highland Home, set at 74F, with a Gas Log Fireplace insert running 100% of the time. The reason is that aluminum-framed windows versus vinyl-framed windows. Darling Home's Jeld-Wen Vinyl windows indicated a 72F temperature reading on the inside glass, compared to 51F on the inside of the double-pane aluminum-framed windows. Quality windows will pay for themselves in energy savings and interior comfort.

It is very self-evident that Aluminum Windows are Colder in the Winter and HOTTER in the Summer and this does nothing but hurt energy savings. Darling has the right window, not cheap vinyl windows but high quality high efficiency Jeld-Wen windows.

• Vinyl Windows - for South and South West facing window locations that are not shaded by trees or a porch. ARG can help you understand your choices in these critical locations. As more and more builders switch to High Performance Low-E Vinyl Windows, the cost of producing these energy-efficient alternatives has decreased. The benefit is absolutely easy to discern, especially when you compare a West-Facing Aluminum Window at 5 PM during a HOT Texas Summer afternoon to a modern high-performance Vinyl window. The difference is amazing.  
• Thermal Break Aluminum Windows - Vinyl windows are high-performance windows; their lifetime will not match the durability of an Aluminum Frame. Hence, the new addition to the window lineup - "Thermal Break." This window is manufactured with an exterior and interior Aluminum frame separated by a Fiberglass center. The Fiberglass prevents the heat or cold on the outer frame from jumping across the insulator. In the Summer, the inside frame will remain near room temperature, while the outside frame can reach 130 degrees. Standard Aluminum frames would transmit the outside heat into the room, increasing the workload on your AC and Heating system.

 

Visit http://www.thermalwindowsdfw.com

• Blown Cellulose Insulation - in exterior walls, 2nd floor walls that face attic space, and ceilings. Cellulose provides up to 1.5x more R-value per inch, greatly reduces air gaps in walls that are common with fiberglass, and provides much-improved soundproofing. Combine this with Foil Barriers for a very noticeable difference in your new home. If you install this in your home, you will need to downsize your AC tonnage, as your home's efficiency will increase.

• Rock Wool Insulation - This is an inert type of insulation made from rock. Basically, rocks are carefully shredded, and the "wool" that results is used to insulate your house. Rock wool is very efficient: it doesn't settle over time like cellulose can, bugs can't eat it, and moisture can't hurt it.

• Foam Insulation - A partial or Full application will provide the most energy-efficient home possible with the lowest possible air leakage. The cost of this insulation material is higher, but the payback is much faster. PLUS the interior comfort levels are very uniform on both the first and second floors, and the AC System in the attic operates in near ideal temperatures (mid 80's) for maximum efficiency. This type of system requires a dedicated AC ventilation system to introduce fresh air into your home. If you have ALLERGIES, this type of whole-house foam insulation is perhaps the best way to control your indoor air quality when combined with a whole-house humidifier and an electronic HEPA air-cleaning system. CLICK HERE to obtain more information on whole-house spray foam insulation.

• Install an Energy Brace Backing Sheathing on all 2nd-floor walls PLUS Radiant Barrier Foil that faces any unconditioned attic space. This actually allows insulation to perform better, resulting in better temperature control for your 2nd-story living space. Energy Brace is inexpensive and is easy to install.

The photo shows Energy Bracing Material applied to the exterior of the wall insulation. This is an Energy Star requirement. Using Foam and or a radiant barrier would also improve your insulation factor while reducing your energy bills.

• AC Ducts - It is imperative that these are laid out properly if you are to achieve the maximum SEER rating of your AC Units and properly distribute air throughout your home. 14 SEER AC Systems matched to an inefficient Duct result in poor airflow distribution, uneven temperatures, and increased energy usage. It is somewhat shocking to see how many builders do not require energy-efficient duct placement, Radiant Barriers, and upgraded insulation options, as these upgrades are EXTREMELY COST-EFFECTIVE and will pay back quickly. As an ARG Client, we will help you understand what to look for and how to ensure your home performs to its full potential.

• 16+ SEER AC Systems - AC systems can go up to 21 SEER. Yes, they cost more, but during the last 12 months, prices have really come down. When you are building, consider upgrading your AC to a higher SEER rating. If you add the insulation upgrades suggested on this webpage, you will need to downsize your Tonnage to prevent "short cycling" of the AC system. Short cycling means your home is so efficient that the units do not stay on long enough, and this is bad because humidity is not being removed properly. To prevent short cycling, the size or tonnage of your AC system needs to be reduced, and this alone will reduce your AC system cost. Smaller tonnage draws less amps, and this in turn saves you a lot of money.^ Back to Top

Radiant Barriers

• Retrofitting New Inventory Homes or Existing Homes can also be considered. I have found that Rima International provides good consumer information about how foil barriers work.

Radiant Barrier Retrofit. A double layer was added over the insulation

GENERAL DISCUSSION

In the picture above, foil radiant barriers have been installed over the attic insulation to prevent infrared radiation (IR) from the underside of the roof from being retransmitted into the insulation that sits directly over the living space below.

One of the requirements for a radiant barrier to work is that it must have an "AIR GAP" in front of the foil that is facing the source of incoming IR. That is why the barrier is on top of the insulation in the home pictured above, rather than glued or spray-painted to the underside of the roof decking. Placing the foil over the insulation prevents IR that is retransmitted from the underside of the boiling-hot roof decking from striking your attic insulation, helping the insulation over your living space stay cooler. I have been in countless homes and can tell you that the undersides of Texas roofs, with or without a radiant barrier, painted or glued to it, become boiling hot during the summer months.

WHAT IS INFRARED RADIATION (IR)?

Infrared radiation is a frequency that has no temperature in and of itself until it strikes a surface, where it then transmits heat energy into that surface. That is why space vehicles are "foil wrapped on the outside." In Deep Space, the temperature is approximately -270 Celsius (-454 Fahrenheit), yet there is an exceptional amount of IR present. This suggests that applying foil over your shingles would actually give you the most beneficial radiant barrier effect: reflecting incoming IR before it strikes a temperature-absorbing surface like your dark gray tar-based composition shingles on your roof.

That is why a big Texas tree is your best radiant barrier! Think about it! The tree prevents IR from the Sun from hitting your roof's shingles! If shingles stay cool, your attic stays cool. Once a surface gets hot, it begins to re-transmit IR. In the case of a typical Texas house, that means IR is re-radiated from the underside of your roof decking plywood sheets into your attic insulation - NOT A GOOD THING! In my opinion, gluing a radiant barrier to the underside of your home's roof decking does little, as the physically attached foil quickly adjusts via "direct heat conductance through a solid" to the HOT roof's temperature and acts like a huge hot radiator surface.

I know one of the technical properties of a true foil radiant barrier is extremely low emissivity, which means the hot foil has a very low rate of IR retransmission. However, the hot foil quickly heats the attic air, making it feel like a Dutch oven. The point here is that homes with radiant barriers glued or painted to the underside of roof decking still have hot, hot, hot attics, which compromise a home's energy efficiency. Ensuring soffit ventilation draws in cooler outside air and vents heated attic air through a system of roof peak ridge vents. 

LOW EMISSIVITY CAN STILL BE A HOT PROBLEM!

Even if a major characteristic of a radiant barrier foil is low emissivity, which means when the foil itself gets hot it has a very low rate of retransmitting infrared radiation towards your attic insulation, the foil can still become a very hot surface and when you multiple a hot radiant barrier by the large surface area that most roofs represent, you still have a very hot attic by the fact that the hot surface will impart its heat energy into the attic air itself. Just touching a radiant barrier in the hot afternoon will confirm the fact that foil barriers can and do get scorching hot.

As a Realtor, I have closely examined a number of radiant barrier installations by various home builders, and I can tell you that some of the hottest attics had radiant barriers glued to the underside of the roof decking. This means that if you rely on the low-emissivity principles of a radiant barrier, you must have adequate attic ventilation. At best, the 'underside' radiant barrier becomes a time-delay device for heat build-up, and for it to work correctly, it depends entirely on sufficient attic ventilation (air exchanges).

So if you are going to retrofit a home and can't improve the ventilation aspects of your attic so hot air can freely circulate to the peak of your attic and out ridge vents, turtle vents, or power vents, then you should be considering installing the radiant barrier over your attic insulation.

This leads me to conclude that the primary intended purpose of the radiant barrier is not due to its low emissivity characteristics, but rather to primarily defeat incoming infrared radiation by reflecting it away from surfaces directly underneath the foil barrier, hence preventing that surface from getting hot in the first place means an external barrier application over and not under a surface.

If inside radiant barrier foil applications really work (on the low emissivity principle) or are the primary intended use of a radiant barrier foil, then why are space vehicles not employing the same technology that the housing industry seems to embrace? The last time I checked, all spacecraft have a radiant barrier on the outside.

There are lots of opinions out there, and you have read mine, but it seems more logical to shield your living space with a perforated radiant barrier foil, either directly on top of your attic insulation or over your roof's shingles, to achieve optimal results from radiant barrier technology. But that is impractical with tar roofing shingles. This way, you preserve the required "air gap" needed for a radiant barrier to reject or reflect incoming IR Radiation before it strikes a heat-dissipating object like your home, or you can find a BIG TREE and place it close to your house on the South West Side, but it will cost you much more.

Good luck with getting city zoning approval for an external highly reflective radiant barrier over your roof shingles! Anyway, I would love to hear opinions on this subject. You can post them on my BLOG.

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Construction Issues to Consider

Over the years, many traditional building materials have been replaced by man-made materials. This was often done to add durability, prevent warping, and, in some cases, save money. The issue of plumbing goes down the same lines and is bringing changes to the way new homes are being built. How this may affect you will be discussed. ARG has no position on what product is best suited or how either product is installed. We suggest contacting a licensed building engineer for advice on plumbing products.

50-year warranty on copper tubing

• Plumbing - Copper or Plastic? What is best? What lasts? What are the potential hazards or future problems? These are some common questions people ask when considering the type of pipe to use for new plumbing. Many new home builders in the DFW/North Texas area have switched to PEX plumbing systems in their new homes over the last 4 years. Although there are no long-term studies to determine suitability and longevity, the building industry has taken the position that PEX is superior to Copper. Earlier generations of this product were prone to failure due to chemical interaction with Chlorine in water. Unlike copper plumbing, which is the traditional and mostly reliable standard for in-home plumbing, you may either accept the industry shift to PEX or build a new home with Copper. Copper will cost you about $2K-$5K more per home, depending on the size, number of baths, etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions. 

The picture shows Poly Lines that will run into the new home through the soil and concrete. The slab has yet to be poured.

• Structure - What sheathing to use on the exterior frame? What you must do to achieve a more solid wall construction.

• 2nd Floor Decking - Real Plywood versus OSB? Weight-bearing considerations for heavy 2nd-floor furniture and longevity questions.

The professional team at Askins Realty Group in Sherman, TX, will be happy to answer any questions you may have about new construction or real estate in Dallas-Fort Worth and the surrounding area. Please email or call 214-727-3686 for more immediate needs.

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