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Quality construction in
homebuilding is not limited to what the homeowner sees.
Quality starts below ground level and is built in continuously
throughout the project. So what sets a Shadden Custom Home apart
from anyone else?
Soil Report
We have a soil analysis
performed on every homebuilding site. There are significant
variations of soil composition within the Texoma area. Even
within a 1 mile radius one can find variations of “potential
vertical movement” of less than 2” to
greater than 8”. Even recent weather patterns (like a drought)
impact the likelihood of soil movement.
Foundation Engineering
Don’t spend your money for a
foundation plan with your architect. It is unlikely that an
architect will warrant their design against shifting. Without a
soils report they can’t know the potential vertical movement of
the soil to know what must be done to protect the foundation.
The right way is to turn the soils analysis over to a
registered engineer for design of a proper foundation.
Framing
There are a multitude of
‘little’ things that go into properly framing your home
correctly.
All framing that rests on the
slab must be ‘Wolmanized.' To use anything else invites
structural pest problems. Framing lumber should be straight,
plumb, and square. When an interior wall meets an exterior wall
the corner must be insulated by the framer. After the exterior
is sheathed there is no way to properly insulate the corner.
If this is not done, you have over two square feet of uninsulated
exterior wall.
‘TGI’ type
trusses (the ones with a slotted 2x4 top and bottom with a piece
of particle board edgewise between) are fine for decking over a
garage for a storage area, but floor joists for upper floors should be
engineered trusses. They provide clear access for routing
power, heating & cooling, plumbing, and other wiring without jeopardizing
the strength of the joist. Engineered trusses provide long term
dimensional stability and make a far better platform for a
‘squeak-free’ floor. All interior and exterior wall studs
are on a minimum of 16" centers.
Sheathing (oriented strand
board, commonly known as OSB) on the exterior of a house provides structural
integrity. Many builders will only provide this material only 4 feet from
any corner,
leaving the rest of the studs open. Other builders may apply a
fiber board to these open spaces – but the fiber board does
nothing for structural integrity. We at Shadden Custom Homes
wrap all exterior walls with sheathing.
Roof decking on our homes
consists of metallic foil backed 7/16” OSB as standard. This
results in a typical 20 to 30 degree temperature difference in
the attic over non-backed decking, saving you on energy costs.
Insulation
Insulation of the home begins
with 1/2” double foil foam board applied to the sheathing.
Every exterior wall, including garage, is filled with a minimum
of R-13 batts. If you choose to upgrade your exterior walls to
2x6’s, the insulation is increased to R-19. Insulation is
included in key interior walls (bathrooms and utility rooms) to
reduce ambient noise levels. All windows are double pane, low
‘E’ glass with either wood or vinyl frames. Ceiling insulation
in confined areas and garage will be R-19 batts. Every open
attic space will have 15” of blown insulation (equivalent value
is R-38) over the living area. Every wall top plate
penetration is sealed as is every exterior wall penetration to
stop air leaks.
For those desirous of greater
energy savings we offer whole house spray foam insulation
packages.
Plumbing
Recent technological
advancements resulted in significant improvements in plumbing
methodology. We now utilize PEX lines and
MANABLOC® manifold systems
for our plumbing. The MANABLOC® system is like an
electrical circuit breaker panel. Every water faucet now
has its own individual shutoff valves. This technology
reduces the total number of plumbing fittings within a home,
assures faster hot water delivery, balances water pressure
throughout the home, reduces water surges, and eliminates
unnecessary pressurized water lines under your foundation.
Electrical
Anti-Arc circuit breakers are
now mandatory on all new construction. We have already
incorporated this technology in our homes. Some builders
save money by utilizing light weight 14 gauge wire and 15 amp
circuit breakers. In today's homes with the amount of
technology requiring power, we wire with 12 gauge copper wire and
20 amp circuit breakers. Many of today's ceiling can
lights do not tolerate attic insulation touching the sides or
top. The quality ceiling cans we utilize are fully
insulated and permit full insulation applied in the attic,
saving on your heating and cooling.
Heating and Cooling
This is quite possibly the
single most important investment in your whole house. Your
largest recurring cost to live in your house is heating and
cooling. That is why nothing is left to chance.
Utilizing your home plans a system is sized to provide the
optimum operating efficiency based upon construction materials,
size and number of windows and doors, and exposure. We recommend American Standard air handling equipment with
its one year labor and ten year parts
warranty. Not familiar with American Standard?
They are the parent company and makers of Trane equipment.
Inspections
Many counties have no permit
or inspection process for homebuilding within their
jurisdiction. While inspections don't cover general
workmanship, they do give one a sense of confidence that
important things were done right. If there is no
inspection authority for the location where we are building your
home, we can contract with a state licensed, independent agency to
perform inspections at different points in the construction
process if you so desire. In any event, we build each home to meet the same
high standards standards regardless of inspection.
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