Trend Report: New Ways to Get Homes Ready for Winter
Ensuring comfort during the coldest months
Photo by Jeff Adams Photography
Processes to suit. A new standard has been set. “At a minimum, we install a 6-millimeter vapor barrier with an acoustical sealant at all edges and penetrations,” says Josh Sundstrom, president of WillowRidge Construction in Anchorage, Alaska. Nathan Harmon, partner at Faure Halvorsen Architects in Bozeman, Montana, also adds window wrap and silicone when putting in windows and doors. As for insulation? “We’re using 2 inches of open-cell spray foam. It can even be soy-based,” says Jeff Capello, principal of Concept Building in Waltham, Massachusetts. “Then we scan the whole exterior using a thermal imaging gun to see where heat is escaping.”
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Processes to suit. A new standard has been set. “At a minimum, we install a 6-millimeter vapor barrier with an acoustical sealant at all edges and penetrations,” says Josh Sundstrom, president of WillowRidge Construction in Anchorage, Alaska. Nathan Harmon, partner at Faure Halvorsen Architects in Bozeman, Montana, also adds window wrap and silicone when putting in windows and doors. As for insulation? “We’re using 2 inches of open-cell spray foam. It can even be soy-based,” says Jeff Capello, principal of Concept Building in Waltham, Massachusetts. “Then we scan the whole exterior using a thermal imaging gun to see where heat is escaping.”
Editor’s Product Picks: Typer House and Building Wrap, TORCHSTAR Portable LED Work Lamp, TAFCO Triple Pane Temp Glass Window
Warm on top. Some roofs now mimic alpine slopes. “We’re seeing a big shift to standing-seam painted metal roofs,” Capello says. “It’s a little bit of the West Coast trickling into the East Coast with more contemporary, boxy homes. It’s what the consumer wants right now.” These roofs are a smart choice in challenging conditions. “Steep roofs shed snow and water well,” Sundstrom says.
Materials make a difference. Products and materials need to be winter-smart and last many seasons. Hampden likes using raw concrete — especially as a snow skirt around the home — along with oxidizing zinc, metal roofs with factory-applied paint, and rain screens finished with stained cedar siding. “Minimizing maintenance requirements is a huge part of building in challenging environments,” he says.
Materials make a difference. Products and materials need to be winter-smart and last many seasons. Hampden likes using raw concrete — especially as a snow skirt around the home — along with oxidizing zinc, metal roofs with factory-applied paint, and rain screens finished with stained cedar siding. “Minimizing maintenance requirements is a huge part of building in challenging environments,” he says.
Benefits of glass. Homes today can be both bright and warm. “Good-quality triple-paned windows are almost as insulated now as walls used to be back in the day,” Hampden says. “With tight windows and a high-quality heating system, putting in big window walls gives an attachment to the environment. When it’s gloomy in the winter, it’s all the more important to have that indoor-outdoor connection.”
Heating elements. Gas furnaces are burning more efficiently than ever, Harmon says: “Coupled with a modulating outdoor condensing unit or heat pump, the result is a system that uses a fraction of the energy of a system built less than 10 years ago.” He also mentions variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology, for a powerful ductless HVAC system. “It’s really gaining traction these days,” he says. Others like underfloor heating. “It’s our first choice for heating a home,” Capello says. “Floors are always comfortable.”
Heating elements. Gas furnaces are burning more efficiently than ever, Harmon says: “Coupled with a modulating outdoor condensing unit or heat pump, the result is a system that uses a fraction of the energy of a system built less than 10 years ago.” He also mentions variable refrigerant flow (VRF) technology, for a powerful ductless HVAC system. “It’s really gaining traction these days,” he says. Others like underfloor heating. “It’s our first choice for heating a home,” Capello says. “Floors are always comfortable.”
Photo by Peter Peirce Photography
Year-round work. As for working in cold conditions? “We try to have all our concrete poured by the end of October,” Sundstrom says. “But we don’t always have the luxury to coordinate schedules around the weather, so we’ve invested in some very bright job site lights, which allow us to work a 10-hour workday, even if there are only six hours of daylight.” Above all, “smile and be prepared,” Harmon advises. “We cannot control the weather; all we can do is be prepared for it.”
More Editor’s Product Picks: WarmlyYours Radiant Prodeso Membrane Roll, Momentive Performance Silicone Sealant, Snow Joe + Sun Joe Poly Blade Snow Pusher
Year-round work. As for working in cold conditions? “We try to have all our concrete poured by the end of October,” Sundstrom says. “But we don’t always have the luxury to coordinate schedules around the weather, so we’ve invested in some very bright job site lights, which allow us to work a 10-hour workday, even if there are only six hours of daylight.” Above all, “smile and be prepared,” Harmon advises. “We cannot control the weather; all we can do is be prepared for it.”
More Editor’s Product Picks: WarmlyYours Radiant Prodeso Membrane Roll, Momentive Performance Silicone Sealant, Snow Joe + Sun Joe Poly Blade Snow Pusher
This story is from our Trade Program Trend Report email series.
Winter isn’t about only snow. Wind, rain and freezing temperatures also affect how a home holds up. Whether through material choice, innovations in insulation or types of indoor heating, the residential building industry is finding new ways to tuck homeowners in and keep them cozy all season long — even when the temperature dips into the single digits.
Snug and tight. “Don’t skimp on the envelope; that’s the biggest single thing,” says Stefan Hampden, principal of CAST Architecture in Seattle. “There’s all sorts of great tech out there, but if you don’t put the money into windows and insulation to begin with, then you’re just trying to plug a bigger hole. So keep it simple and create as tight an envelope as you can at the beginning.”