Custom Homes benefit from better insulation: Why We Use Blown Cellulose Insulation

Posted by JerniganHomes on

There are many options for insulating a custom home today, from the traditional fiberglass batts to foam insulation. We choose to use blown cellulose insulation in the majority of our homes. Here’s why: 

But first of all, what is blown cellulose insulation?

Blown Cellulose Insulation

Blown cellulose insulation is a small particle, dense packing material that is sprayed into place into wall cavities and in ceilings and floors. Blown cellulose insulation can be applied dry or “wet”, with a liquid mixed with the material to help it stay in place in wall cavities. When used dry, a net material is stapled to the joists or studs to hold the insulation material in place.

The type of blown cellulose insulation we use is made from recycled newspaper.

custom home insulation Hampstead

And now, the reasons we use blown cellulose insulation in our custom homes:

 

  1. Stops Air Leaks: According to the Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, blown cellulose insulation is 30% to 40% more effective at stopping air infiltration than a similar house insulated with fiberglass batts installed in the typical manner. As we strive for greater and greater energy efficiency (which means smaller and smaller energy bills), air infiltration (meaning air gained or lost through the walls and floors and ceilings of a home) becomes more and more important.
  2. No “Hot Spots” : Blown cellulose insulation fills cavities without voids, and it covers pipes and wires without gaps, which is close to impossible using traditional batt insulation. Less air voids mean less “hot spots” in the exterior walls.
  3. Peace and Quiet: Blown cellulose insulation is much more dense than fiberglass batts, and is an effective sound dampener. Walls insulated with blown cellulose do not transfer much sound, making for a much quieter house.
  4. Cost Effective: Blown cellulose insulation comes at a higher cost than traditional batt insulation, but is less expensive by far than spray foam insulation, and offers many of the same qualities as spray foam. All in all, blown cellulose offers fantastic bang for the buck.
  5. Fire and Vermin Resistant:Treated with borates, cellulose is fire resistant and unattractive to vermin. Exposed to fire, blown cellulose insulation will blacken but will not burn.custom home insulation

Jernigan Homes has been using blown cellulose insulation made from recycled newspaper for ten years with great success. This is a small part of what makes our custom homes more energy efficient and more comfortable than the competition.

Interested in building an energy efficient, comfortable custom home in Hampstead or Wilmington or Leland? Contact our team today to get the process started. 

We Build Energy Efficient Custom Homes In Wilmington NC

Posted by JerniganHomes on

Have you ever suffered the crisis of not knowing what to tell people you do when they ask what you do for a living?

I do.

“I’m a builder.” doesn’t ever seem to quite cut it. “What do you build? Bridges?”

“I”m a custom home builder.” Oh neat, we had a home built a little while back.” This doesn’t get the reaction I would like.

So maybe I will just say “I build energy efficient, high performance homes in Wilmington, NC” Maybe that will cover it.

If nothing else, that phrase gets me excited. There is nothing much more fun than crafting a home that garners a terrific HERS score. It is crazy fun to get a text from a home owner saying “we just got our first power bill, and it was only $120!” (this happened last week, from a homeowner I moved into a beach piling house last month). It’s also super satisfying knowing that what we are building excellent homes that are going to last a long time, and be an asset to the owners, both financially and in terms of maintenance (low maintenance, that is) and in comfort and durability.

What do we do to make our custom homes energy efficient? We insulate our slab foundations, we build our exterior walls using 2×6 studs (standard is 2×4) to allow for more insulation (as well as make the wall stronger), we insulate our headers, we seal our plates, we blower test our homes and our hvac systems to detect and fix leaks, we use low-e windows, we use radiant barrier sheathing, we use CFL or LED lights everywhere, we pay close attention to our hvac systems to make sure they are super efficient, to name a few of the things we do to make our custom homes energy efficient, low maintenance, and comfortable.

If you are interested in learning more about what I do for a living, and how it can benefit you and your family, contact us to start a conversation.

Why We Use Tyvek® Housewrap For Our Custom Homes

Posted by JerniganHomes on

I’ve heard this question several times over the years building custom homes in Wilmington, NC; “why do you use Tyvek® on your houses?”

Good question.

In the past, we would only use felt paper (sometimes called tar paper). Felt paper was used for many many years as the go to choice for protecting wood walls from rainwater, and it was very effective.

So why did we switch to Tyvek®?

We actually resisted for many years when housewrap was first in vogue, because we were not convinced that it would work effectively long term, when we had proof that felt paper had long term staying power.

The impetus to switch initially had nothing to do with long term endurance, but was all about windows and window warranties. Window manufacturers began issuing official installation guidelines demanding housewrap and housewrap tape, or else the warranty would be voided, at which time we reluctantly switched from wrapping our houses in felt paper to Tyvek®.

Over time, as we began to learn more about the science of how buildings work, and about how to make our houses more comfortable, we began to see the advantages of housewrap. A smart housewrap will keep rainwater out while allowing some water vapor to pass through. This is super important in hot humid climates such as what we have in Wilmington, because we need moist air to be able to move through our walls without being impeded by a vapor barrier, which can cause rotten wood and mold inside our walls – something we as builders are constantly seeking to guard against.

Another question I have heard often, this mostly from building supply stores, is “why do you use Tyvek® when there are cheaper options?”

Another good question.

Two reasons:

1) Science: I saw a demonstration a few years ago by a leading building science expert who wanted to test whether the resins in wood sidings could break down housewrap, so he boiled cedar chips to create a resin “stew”, and poured it over several brands of housewrap. Only two of the brands held up to the test; Tyvek® and Typar®. Between these two, I judged Tyvek® to be a better fit for our climate due to it’s vapor openness (more open than Typar®).

2)Experience: My experience with every other housewrap I have used (other than Typar®), is that they had a tendency to stretch easily, which pulled the fibers apart (read: big holes), while Tyvek® stayed intact. I’ve also noticed that other housewraps, left exposed to the elements for a short while, begin to break down from the UV rays and fall apart. Not good.

This is possibly more information than anyone cares to know, but now you know why we use Tyvek® on our custom homes in Wilmington, NC.