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From "Best Built Home"
episode DBBH-103F

When we think of durability, the wood and materials that a house is built with often come to mind. Although, there is much more to durability than the materials themselves -- it's how these materials are used together that's important. Host Lynda Lyday heads out to the Build IQ laboratory to meet with CEO Michael Dickens in this final on-air segment. Michael discusses how individually a new building material may be a great idea, but if its not used, or integrated, with other materials properly it may compromise durability.

Michael Dickens, CEO of Build IQ, talks about the integrated approach to home building with host Lynda Lyday in this final segment of the "Durable" episode of Best Built Home.

Figure A

Figure B

Achieving durability for a home is something that starts at the beginning of the home-building process -- the planning stage. This is part of a concept known as the integrated approach, and at Build IQ this is worked on all day long.

What Is the Integrated Approach?

When you're talking about durability, the integrated approach means materials. "It also means the building sciences that affect the home -- really looking at material usage, how you put them together as a system, how you manage the water and how you control moisture," Michael said.

Controlling moisture and water is a key. For example, Oriented Strand Board (OSB -- figure A) is a great product but according to Michael, on its own it will allow water to soak and work into the materials, eventually destroying them. The solution is to apply house wrap to the outside of the material to protect it from water and moisture. Not only will water "not" penetrate the house wrap, it actually breathes in order to allow the wall to dry out and let the vapor go to the outside.
Brick is another great and durable product, but water can also work into it like a sponge and cause problems. Weep holes need to be left in the brick mortar to allow the water to drain out. And house wrap, again, is an excellent product to apply behind the brick.
Cementious Fiberboard (figure B) is a new siding product on the market that is pre-primed in order for the water to drain properly.

Remember to ask your builder if he or she is utilizing the integrated approach to building your new home. If not, durability could be an issue you'll have to address some time down the road.

In the next episode of Best Built Home the steps that production builders take during construction to make a house more energy efficient are explored.