Tag: energy efficient

Time to Improve: Benefits of Adding a Covered Porch

by carlsonexteriors 6 Comments
long covered porch

As the New Year rolls in, you are probably thinking of all the home improvement projects you want to tackle for 2017! If you have more projects than you have the motivation, time, or budget for which one should you start with? A covered porch or patio might be the perfect place to start.

If done correctly, you’ll be asking yourself how you ever lived without a covered porch. The extra living space can become a great entertaining spot or a nice, relaxing space while adding value to your home.

covered porch with decorative landscaping and patio furniture
You can spruce up a covered porch with landscaping.

Outdoor living areas are trending right now (for very good reasons!). Covered porches can be very elaborate and versatile by being a living area, dining space, and sometimes an extra kitchen!

covered porch with full kitchen and fire place
If you don’t want a full blown kitchen like this covered porch but want a cooking spot, consider building a brick oven, pizza oven, or fireplace.

Since the space is sheltered from some environmental elements you can even decorate the space. These furnishings will last longer by being sheltered from most weather conditions. You can feel better about investing more money into decorations, rugs, and furniture if it will endure longer.

A more embellished covered porch for luxury outdoor living
Covered porch with ceiling fan, TV, and fireplace

You might find that adding a covered patio or porch will reduce your utility bills since it increases the amount of shade around your home. Depending on where you live, you might find that it’s a good idea to add ceiling fans or some outdoor heaters to help lengthen the span of usable weather.

Lastly, putting in a quality covered porch will increase the value of your home. If you happen to live in a more competitive housing market or put your house up at a competitive time of year, the extra outdoor living space might give you the edge.

 

EnviroDri vs. House Wrap

by carlsonexteriors Leave a comment
Enviro Dri water barrier

You may or may not have noticed a few new construction homes in your city that get this black coating instead of any house wrap paper products. The black coating is an exciting, newer product called EnviroDri; we believe EnviroDri is more efficient in function and cost savings than any other type of house wrap. This product streamlines the construction process and eliminates any worry a potential homeowner might have about any leaks or energy efficiency.

Enviro Dri water barrier
Enviro Dri water barrier

Homes need to have some sort of water resistive barrier over the sheeting to prevent water from entering the house from the outside but breathable for moisture to escape from the inside of the home. Typically, house wrap was been used as this water-resistive barrier; it is taped onto the home in large paper sheets. Any place the house sheeting meets another piece of sheeting the seam should be taped then the wrapping should be layered to provide protection as the house settles with age. Since the wrapping is put up in large sections, it’s common practice to add staples through each section to prevent the wind catching the paper and ripping it before the siding can be installed over it. As you can imagine already there are a few possibilities where this form of house wrap can fail. Any place the paper has been mechanically fastened (stapled) on to the home is at risk for a leak since the barrier has been penetrated. This is a very low risk, but, still a possibility. Depending on how fast your home is built, there could be a good span of time where your house sits with only house wrap on it while it waits for the siding or brick install; strong winds or storms can pull this house wrapping off or tamper the seals if not installed properly. While it is in the manufacturer’s installation instructions to overlap over sheeting seams, the installer might not follow this in efforts to cut their own material costs. Let’s say everything was installed properly and you been living in your home for a few years without any leaks or problems but a storm comes and blows off some siding. Your house wrap in that section is now exposed and if the storms or strong winds continue, the house wrap could become shredded in the exposure.

EnviroDri is a water resistant membrane that is sprayed onto your home after it’s been sheeted. The membrane and the wooden underlayment function as one unit once the membrane is cured. All seams have a water resistive “mesh” applied over and then sprayed again by the EnviroDri membrane. The mesh flexes with the seams the house settles, effectively protecting it throughout the shifting. Since EnviroDri is sprayed on there won’t be any mechanical fasteners piercing the barrier, so absolutely no risk of leaks due to that. Since the membrane is adhered to the sheeting, if your siding blows off your house is still protected from any storms or high winds.

EnviroDri is more energy efficient than any other form of house wrap. It’s more efficient because it’s a tighter protection than any form of house wrap because there is no space between the sheeting and the barrier. This allows you to go from a a 2×6 wall with R-19 insulation to a 2×4 wall with a R-13 insulation and still see energy improvements. The attic insulation can also go from a R-50 to an R-30. All of this saves money on materials and energy in the long run.

Learn More Here

Why wouldn’t you want your house EnviroDri’d?