Following Lot #8...Sealing the home up before Siding.

This post I will point out a few key areas that can cause problems in your home if not sealed up properly. Arbor Custom Home goes to great lengths to make sure your new home can withstand our wet Oregon climate. The assembly of these systems will help keep moisture out of your home. Unwanted moisture in the walls can lead to mold and rotting of materials. It is for this reason that Arbor Custom Home hires a contractor that specializes in just the professional installation of windows and doors. It is critical that they are put in properly. Many builders simply have their framing crews slap them in! This would consist of nailing them in and that's it.  

This picture is of a Quick Flash panel that seals around the hose bib. Since a hole has to be put through the framed wall, the hole now has to be addressed to block any potential water & air flow. The Tyvek wrap goes on first, then this rubber & plastic piece that seals tightly around the pipe. The portion of the waterline inside the garage or home also receives a spray foam seal.

Slider doors have the house wrap pulled around the stud, helping create a continuous barrier. It is then tacked down & back sealed with spray foam insulation. Around the base of the bottom of the door is a flex seal that has a sticky backing and creates a pan type of effect underneath the bottom of the door. This would direct any moisture outwards. 

A typical window installation. Note the flex wrap, foam sealing, DrainWrap and the yellow is a core-x styled plastic that gives the window a slight tilt...directing any water outwards.

The Tyvek DrainWrap has ridges that allow space between the wrap & the back of the siding. This allow for air & moisture movement. That way if any moisture gets behind the siding...it can travel downwards and out an open cavity. The blue dots are plastic washers used around the heads of the nails that hold the wrap against the house. This seals up any holes and keep the nail from pulling through the material. 

The house is wrapped up tight with the Tyvek DrainWrap, all the areas around the window are sealed with flashing tape and we're ready for siding.

Following Lot #8 at Alpine View....Electrical & Low Voltage

Ok...so electrical systems may not be too exciting, but I thought I'd point out a few items most people never see. Have you ever worried about popping a nail into an electrical wire or water line when trying to hang a picture? These items should give you some peace of mind. The first two pictures show steel nailing plates that are installed on the studs, behind the Sheetrock. If your were to use a stud finder and then attempt to nail into wall, the plates would stop you from piercing the wire or tubing. Cool, huh?

Arbor homes & our low voltage contractor, Azimuth Communications are trying to help future proof the home for you. Seen here is the rough wiring of the structured wiring system. This panel is located in the upstairs laundry room. By installing Cat5e & cable wiring in various rooms, you will have lots of possibilities of how to use it in the future. This panel also have an electrical outlet at the base. The system enables you to have one modem for the entire house and then distribute the signal out to wherever necessary. The homes are also pre-wired for future alarm systems. This includes a "drop" outside the front door that could be used for a video surveillance camera.

Following Lot #8. Siding, Mechanical & More

Our siding installer is seen here putting the finishing touches on our 100% James Hardi exterior. Notice how he is wearing a safety harness & is roped off. All new homes now have a bracket on the backside of the roof for workers or homeowners to attach to.

More siding detail work happening at the front porch. Even the facial boards will have Hardi-plank siding over them. This will create a more even appearance and greater longevity.

Like all new Arbor Homes...It will have a 92% efficiency gas furnace. This one is a Carrier brand.

Close up of the Whole House Ventilation Timer. This controls how often the furnace will turn on and bring fresh air into the home. This air will be filtered and heated if necessary. A healthy home needs to have fresh air circulation. 

During construction, Arbor covers the heat duct to keep debris & other "stuff" out of your duct work. Notice the gray mastic sealer that eliminates air leakes around the duct & the flooring.

 Gary...This one's for you! All Arbor Homes are Central Vacuum ready. We pre-install piping in the walls that would be difficult to do after completion. This picture shows where the Vacuum head would connect in the garage. Next to it is a dedicated 20amp circuit we install. There are a great many benefits of having a Central Vacuum system...especially if someone in your household has allergies. I will cover this further in future blogs.

This is our heat ducts passing through the web joists. Notice the mastic sealer around all connections. This helps to eliminate air leakage. The ducts you see here are located between the first & second levels. Shorter runs & ducts located in "conditioned" spaces creates much better efficiency.

This is gas stub for the future kitchen island cooktop. You can faintly see blue lines on the subfloor. This is the outline of where the cabinets will be.

This home will have a gas fireplace in the living room. These heatilator models feature an efficient, electronic ignition. Therefore it will not have a pilot light. Older or lesser quality gas fireplaces us a pilot light system. Those models burn unnecessary gas when not in use and heat the home too. Pilot lights can make fixtures hot to the touch and can be dangerous for small children.  

Saturday at the Street of Dreams

Saturday April 23rd, 2011

What a beautiful day up on Bull Mountain! Here is our home getting all reading for its siding. The tyvek drain wrap is on and the guys from JB insulation are working away.

Wow...What a Day & What Great Views of Mt Hood from Alpine View!!!

Taken Friday April 22nd, 2011.

I think Spring is FINALLY here. Check out this great view of Mt Hood! Many of our homes have some kind of views of Mt. Hood, Mt St. Helen's or other snow capped ranges.

Alpine View, Lot 46, SOLD!




Sold!

 

Alpine View, Lot 12, SOLD!

SOLD!

Following Lot 8...Framing

Arbor only use Kiln Dried(KD) lumber for interior stud walls. They're much more expensive, but well worth it! The kiln drying process removes the water from the wood and closes the cells from future saturation. High quality wood like this eliminates the twisting and turning from boards that dry out while in the wall, which causes nail pops in the sheetrock and other finish work issues due to shrinkage. Most other builders cut corners by not using KD lumber!






Example of the Hurricane Ties installed at the ends of the web trusses. These are located between the first & second floor. They are designed to protect against loads from wind uplifts and earthquakes.



Blocking between the studs where the cabinets will eventually be hung.

Photo updates from the Street of Dreams

 The Outdoor Fireplace under the covered patio.

Great room w/framing for it's fireplace. Rolls are flexible piping for the gas lines.

View from master bedrooms with yet another fireplace...

 The Media Room w/plumbing stubs coming out of the flooring.

 View from Media Room.

Arbor Custom Homes is building on Lot #12.