To Build or To Buy a Home

 If you want to own a home but haven’t decided whether to build a house or buy one, there are several things to consider. If you love a custom look with features and finishes that are in your taste, then building a custom home would be for you, but if you like historic charm and an older established neighborhood then purchasing a resale is right for you. If your budget is a factor, what is cheaper: building a home or buying an existing one? The National Association of Home Builders and the US Census Bureau reports that the median cost to purchase a home is $410,600 and is less by $28,800 than building a home.

Pros and cons: Building a house

According to the professionals in the industry a basic home can be built for around $150 per square foot. This is for a basic home, but this price can jump up to over $500 per square foot if you want the best of the best. When you build a home you get to choose what you want such as an eat-in kitchen. A new home also has less long-term expenses than an older home. A new home will be more energy-efficient and will have lower utility bills. There are also less repairs and lower maintenance costs.

On the other hand, a new construction home will take longer to get into. Especially nowadays with labor shortages and shipping difficulties. According to the US Census Bureau it takes around 6-8 months to build a new construction home. You will also have an alternative place to live while your home is being built which is an added expense. Since there is a shortage of home inventory, demand is up and the cost of building is higher. The US Census Bureau reports that new construction home costs have risen $84,700 over the same time last year.

Pros and cons: Buying a house

Most of the time, there are fewer construction costs when purchasing an existing home. The only time this will not be the case is when you purchase a fixer-upper. When you purchase a home, the transaction time is also a lot quicker. This would be the best option if you need to relocate or have a short time frame. If location is important, purchasing an existing home will be much easier than finding a lot to build on.

You do not have to build to get an all-new home. You can opt to purchase a new construction home that is completed and listed for sale. You will still have all new everything without the hassle of building a home yourself.

If you are in the market for a new home, find a local realtor who can help you with your purchase of a newly built home, custom-built home or an existing home. A realtor can help you determine which is best for you and your lifestyle. They can also help you with financing options and refer you to a lender.

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Techniques Used to Strengthen Homes During High Winds

Natural disasters are something everyone around the world fears. There are many construction techniques that have been tested and passed approval to improve the resistance of houses during high wind events such as less-severe (EFO-EF2) tornadoes and intense hurricanes.

Data has been collected two ways to see what products pass high wind conditions. The first way Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) which tests different products under controlled wind tunnel conditions. The second way data is collected is by post-storm assessments taken on what works during these high wind conditions by both the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety and the Engineered Wood Association (APA).

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The International Residential Code® (IRC®) created by the U.S. Department of Energy is the ” Code for residential buildings that creates minimum regulations for one- and two-family dwellings of three stories or less. It brings together all building, plumbing, mechanical, fuel gas, energy and electrical provisions for one- and two-family residences.” Homes that have been built to the IRC code have shown high performance during high-wind events but builders are now finding ways to build homes that are above the IRC® standards.

Focusing on other ways to strengthen the roof and enable a “continuous load path through the structure to the foundation” can help builders build homes that can withstand high-risk tornadoes and intense hurricanes. By doing this, homeowners would be able to stay in their homes after a high-wind event and home repair cost would be lowered.

One way they have found to strengthen the roof is by sealing it. If air is kept from being able to seep underneath the roof components the roof will stay intact and not tear off. During a study IBHS did on homes in Florida after Hurricane Michael, those with sealed roof decks held up better than those that were not sealed. Taping the roof deck seams, using tighter nail spacing to fasten roof decking to trusses and rafters, using ring shank nails A, upgrading the underlayment to 30lb felt, properly fastening drip edges and gutters to minimize the ability of the wind to get up underneath roof covering and using self-adhered or synthetic underlayment are construction techniques used to strengthen roofs when homes are under construction.

There are many ways wind can damage a home. As mentioned previously uplift pressure can take the roof off, shear loads can cause a house to lean, and lateral loads can make the home slide off the foundation. Wind load is defined as the load in pounds per square foot placed on a structure by the

wind. Builders are finding ways to allow a constant load path in the construction of homes. To prevent leaning wood structural panels or other structural sheathings (allowed by the IRC®) are used to brace walls, anchors are used against base shear and hold-downs are used against overturning. These types of construction techniques fight winds from tearing a home apart.

When building a home for a consumer, builders can take this information and inform them about these preventions. When living in a geographical area that is prone to these events, it is important for homeowners to be aware of the risk when not using these techniques or materials approved by the International Residential Code®.

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