| STANDARD CONSTRUCTION Standard construction is generally the "stick and brick" house. This would be 2x4 stud-framed walls with 3 1/2" fiberglass insulation batting, with an exterior such as brick, or stucco, and the inside finished off in 3/8" or 1/2" or 3/4" sheetrock/drywall/gypsum board. Minimum "to-code" insulation factors for the El Paso, TX area (zone 6) are these: Walls= R-11 Roof= R-26 Slab Perimeter= R-0 As a comparison, the 'standard construction' homes we have designed and had built have these insulation factors: Walls= R-17 Roof= R-30 (or more) Slab Perimeter= R-5 Standard construction also utilizes standard gable or hip rooves, which could also include shed or split-shed style rooves, etc. Nearly all homes in America, and those who are looking for the "American Dream" have these kinds of rooves. Unfortunately, they also usually incorporate a wasted attic space, which adds excess heat to the home in the summer, and is useless space in the winter, or any other time of year since the space cannot be lived in or used for anything else except to hold more insulation. Anyone who's been into their attic in the summertime knows how swelteringly HOT it is, and how some of that heat that is trapped within leaks to through the insulation and ceiling and affects the inside temperature of the house. Some attics are built differently and have actual space for storage or living, however the main insulation is still above their heads in between the ceiling and the roof itself. This is perferable to attics and is an option that some contractors are leaning towards these days. It is certainly a preferable option for the homes we design and have built too. There are two key words you need to be familiar with. One is "mass" and the other one is "insulation". Mass, or "thermal mass" as it's more commonly referred to, is understood simply, as a conductor of energy. An insulator, of course, keeps energy from passing through the material it is made from instead of conducting it. These principles are opposites and are both necessary for the proper functioning of a Living House. We all pretty much know what an insulator does, but what exactly does "thermal mass" in a house mean? Let me as a question. Where where is the first place a lizard goes on a cold morning? A rock which is sitting in the sun. Why? A rock has "mass", or "thermal mass". The rock heats up in the morning sun and becomes warm, and then the lizard, who is cold-blooded and whose body is cooler than the rock, climbs atop it to absorb the energy from the rock so that he can warm up. This energy transferrence is exactly what happens in your house, whether it is built with standard or alternative construction. The idea is to make sure you have the right amount of thermal mass (to absorb sun's energy during the daytime) and also the right amount of insulation (to keep the heat from escaping during the night). The principle of thermal mass and insulation is also good for the summertime, because the house, properly designed to keep the sun OUT in the summer (just as it lets the sunlight IN during the winter) will hold the COOLER temperatures in to keep the house COOL in the summer. Most standard construction homes, which are out on the market, whether new or old are NOT OPTIMALLY USING THIS SIMPLE PRINCIPLE of thermal mass and insulation in the correct ratios. In fact, a "stick and brick" house has the thermal mass (brick) and the insulation (fiberglass batt insulation) in the OPPOSITE places they should be! In an ideal home, the thermal mass should be on the INSIDE of the house, to keep the inside warm/cool, while insulating the envelope to hold in that heat/cool inside to achieve maximum COMFORT. The "stick and brick" house always has the thermal mass (brick) on the OUTSIDE and the walls with the insulation on the INSIDE. No wonder peoples' utility bills are higher than they should be! Some people might say, "Well, what about a concrete block house? Or what about those old adobe homes that are drafty and cold and dark?" Those homes do indeed have plenty of thermal mass within them, but they are still NOT UTILIZING THESE PRINCIPLES of having the propert ratio and placement of thermal mass to insulation. None of those too-hot-in-the-summer houses, or too-cold-in-the-winter houses have insulated the envelope on the oustide to keep the thermal mass from releasing it's energy. So in the summer the sun heats the wall to overbearing temperatures and the cold bitter winds rob the home's heat during the winter. To have mass without insulation on the outside is just as inefficient as having insulation without mass on the inside. So how what does all this mean to you? How does this affect which type of construction you should go with? Well, it empowers you with information you weren't aware of before, and/or helps you to make a better judgement on which kind of house you want to choose next time. Realize that thermal mass can come in the form of not just the walls, but also the floor. A 4" thick concrete slab is an adequate amount of thermal mass (any more than that is a waste), as long as it's not covered over with wall-to-wall carpeting (which is an insulator and ruins any usable properties of your thermal mass). Here are some examples of standard construction materials which have mass and insulative properties: MATERIALS WITH THERMAL MASS (CONDUCTIVE QUALITIES) Brick Rock Concrete/concrete block Metal/metal studs or beams Adobe (is considered alternative or standard, depending on location) Stucco/plaster Tile Glass/glazing MATERIALS WITH INSULATIVE QUALITIES Wood Pre-fab (wooden) panels Drywall/gypsum board/sheetrock Chipboard polystyrene foam boards cellulose fiber fiberglass batts phenol or rigid urethane board What about alternative building materials? Click here to find out. |
| Standard or Alternative Construction Which one should I choose? Continued..... |