By Sandy Boda
Executive Officer, Home Builders
Association of Midwest Georgia
Just like
the human body, your home is made of parts, all working in unison, many unseen and unthought of during the course of your daily life. From the roof to the foundation, and from the front door to the back, a home consists of literally thousands of components.
Ideally, these components might all have an unlimited life expectancy. But given the realities of day-to-day use, how long can a home owner reasonably expect a home component such as a window or roof to last?
A new study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and sponsored by Bank of America Home Equity provides insight into the life expectancies of a number of products in the home. The study intentionally overlooked consumer preferences, acknowledging that if they were considered, kitchen counters would be replaced long before the end of their useful life, and rooms may be repainted only once in 50 years. Other factors that can have a significant effect on life expectancy include maintenance, proper installation, the level of use and the quality of the materials. And some components, while remaining functional, become obsolete due to changing technology or improvements.
Insulation
According to the study, all types of insulation can be expected to last a lifetime if they are properly installed and are not punctured, cut, burned or exposed to ultraviolet rays and are kept dry. Proper installation not only extends the lifetime of your insulation, it also ensures that it will perform properly, resulting in reduced energy use and expenses, as well as increased home comfort.
Windows
Windows, because they can be exposed to extreme weather conditions, have a much shorter life expectancy. The study, which polled experts in the various fields, found that aluminum windows can reasonably be expected to last 15 to 20 years and wooden windows can last upwards of 30 years. An important element of maintaining your windows is the window glazing — the putty that secures the glass to the sash. Over time, this glazing can crack, resulting in drafty and loose panes. Available at any hardware store, glazing can be replaced by simply chipping or scrapping off the old putty, cleaning the window thoroughly and installing new glazing with a putty knife or caulking gun. Some types of glazing require a coat of latex paint for weatherproofing.
Roofs
Like windows, the life expectancy of a roof depends on local weather conditions as well as appropriate maintenance and quality of the materials. Slate, copper and clay/concrete roofs can be expected to last more than 50 years. Roofs made of asphalt shingles should last for about 20 years; fiber cement shingles should last about 25 years; and wood shakes for about 30 years. In regards to roof maintenance, it’s important to be proactive to prevent emergency and expensive repairs. Look for include damaged or loose shingles; gaps in the flashing where the roofing and siding meet vents and flues; and damaged mortar around the chimney (especially at the joints, caps and washes). If you see any signs of damage, call a professional to repair it.
Paint
Although some avid decorators may repaint every six months, homes usually need to be painted every five to 10 years depending on the content of the paint (its glossiness), its exposure to moisture and traffic. Quality paints are expected to last upwards of 20 years. Exterior paint conditions should be regularly monitored in order to catch problems early on. Assessing paint for dirt, mold, cracking, peeling, fading and rusting — and repairing immediately, usually through simple cleaning methods such as scrubbing or power washing — can end up saving homeowners much more costly repainting jobs in the long term.
Remember, these numbers are averages, with usage, weather, maintenance and a number of other factors influencing life expectancy. Chances are, changing trends will dictate a shorter life span, as homeowners update and remodel their homes. For more information on home maintenance, visit the National Association of Home Builders online at www.nahb.org/forconsumers, or contact your local home builders association office.
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(Sandra J. (Sandy) Boda attended the 2007 International Builders Show in Orlando, Fl. The HBA of Midwest Georgia serves a membership of approximately 800 builders and associatie members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Meriwether, Heard, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Butts and Jasper Counties. The association can be contacted at 770-716-7109 or at hbamwg@bellsouth.net.)
August 1st, 2007
By Michael Purser
Rosebud Co.
If you are a wood floor contractor and working on an older home you get accu
stomed to a frequently asked question: “How many more times can my floor be sanded?� Thirty years ago, the question might not have been considered too important. That is not the case today. With the increased popularity of wood floors and how much they appreciate the value of a home, homeowners are going to greater lengths to keep their floors in top notch shape. And this is taking a toll.
When do you know?
The most often repeated answer to the “how many times� question is that a floor can be sanded three times. But that is not telling you a lot if you haven’t owned the house the whole time. What I have found gives a homeowner a better indicator to measure by is the age of the house. The younger the house, the less likely it exceeds the magic number of three. More specifically, I use 1950 as the all important time line. Anything built around 1950 or before has usually experienced multiple wood floor refinishing projects. As you would expect, as you regress in time (houses built in the 1940s, 1930s, 1920s and so on) you can almost be assured that your wood floors are at serious risk of not being able to endure any more sanding at all. Homes built in the 19th century would be even at greater risk. Homeowners whose homes are 80+ years or older should exercise extreme caution and make sure that any wood floor contractor they consider has a high level of experience working on older homes. You don’t want to find out after they start that they are lacking this experience.
What to look for?
Knowing the age of the home is a good starting point but there are other ways of double checking how much wood you have left. One of the first things you will see with most tongue and groove floors are the tips of the nails securing the flooring to 
the subfloor. In this picture, just above the pencil is a line of shiny objects. These objects are the tips of the nail used to secure the flooring to the sub-floor. Notice that the row of nail heads are at a 90 degree angle to the direction the wood is installed. At the time of the original installation, these nails were well below the surface of the floor and not visible. But the loss of wood from repeated aggressive sanding has exposed them and they are bright because of the sanding process. This floor is about 90 years old. The wood in this photo is pine and has probably been refinished a total of four times.
Another very obvious sign is when the wood splits along the parallel seams following the direction of the wood. This split happens when the wood has become so thin that even small am
ounts of pressure cause the wood to break. This pressure would come from furniture, musical instruments, high heels and simple walking patterns of the residents. In this photo you can see that the break exposes a large gaping hole. You are looking at the actual tongue and groove configuration used to fit the pieces of wood together. At this point, the damage is catastrophic and the floor is ruined. If a homeowner wants a sturdy and structurally strong floor, the owner will need to replace this floor with a new one. This project had numerous other failures like this. Homeowners often ask that these cavities be fill with a wood filler but this will not provide a permanent solution and the wood filler will eventually crack and disintegrate.
Now What?
Replacing an old wood floor is very costly and extremely invasive to your home and your lifestyle. You really want to be diligent to avoid inheriting a floor that needs to be replaced or losing one with a well intentioned refinishing project. The most important point here is to detect the warning signs before you see the wood splitting. Most old floors still have a very useful life and can provide decades of service. Most can still be refinished but not in the traditional manner. Homeowners really need to make sure they exercise caution in selecting a contractor and find one that has plenty of experience working on older wood floors. Most contractors are taught to attack a floor with aggressive and coarse sanding as this is the most time efficient way of completing the work. The excessive loss of wood always occurs as a result of aggressive sanding. Fortunately there are techniques and equipment available that dramatically reduce the amount of wood lost during the sanding process. The focus is on removing just the old finish and little, if anything, else. This approach will typically take more time and require a more skilled worker so be prepared to pay more but it beats having to install a new wood floor.
In summary, wood floors in any older home represent a significant and sizable asset. It is one of the reasons people covet these older structures and you don’t want to the owner who finds out they are at risk of losing this asset. Do your homework before you start a wood floor project. Look for the signs I have pointed out in terms of wear, erosion and damage. But your best insurance is simply finding a contractor who has the track record to take on the project in the first place. They know what to look for and have a better idea of how to handle the situation. This is no time to be betting on a lower price or cheaper work.
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(Since 1973, Michael Purser has been the owner of Rosebud Co. When people ask him how he ended up in the wood flooring business, he tells them he is a product of genetic engineering. His father, William B. Purser of Charlotte, N.C., started in the business in 1946. So, like his two brothers, he grew up around the trade. Originally from Charlotte, Michael grew up around the wood flooring trade and started his own company in Inman Park, one of Atlanta’s oldest inner city neighborhoods. These 100+ year old homes had been neglected and abused for decades and became the focal point of the rebirth of Atlanta’s old and original tree lined suburbs His interest in older homes prompted him to research and write about traditional methods and products used in refinishing wood floors over the ages. He has gone on to write articles, papers and make presentations for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Association for Preservation Technology, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and other preservation groups. He has also become involved with contemporary wood floor products and materials and has written extensively for Fine Homebuilding and The Journal of Light Construction. He has continued to work in the preservation field and has pioneered Passive Refinishing®, a unique process that allows for the restoration of wood floors without sanding. More information is available about Michael and Rosebud Co. on the internet at www.rosebudfloors.com, or you may contact him directly at mpurser@rosebudfloors.com.)
June 18th, 2007
By Jeff Waddle, President
Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia
“In like a lion, out like a lamb.” As the old adage says, the month of March can be blustery. And while it may be a great time to bring the kites out of the attic, extreme winds can damage your home if it’s not properly protected.
With a few preventive modifications, however, you can combat strong winds and minimize damage to your house and landscaping during future windy seasons.
“There are lots of things you can do to make your home more wind-resistant,” said Devin Rutkowski, Certified Graduate Builder (CGB) and president/CEO of Laurel Park Ventures in Sarasota, Fla. “But homeowners should remember that nothing replaces authentic materials and good, old-fashioned craftsmanship.” Here are a few ideas to consider:
Improve Your Roofing’s Performance
Your roof, and the deck beneath it, forms one of your home’s most critical shields to wind and rain. Unfortunately, during high wind storms, it is often the first to be damaged. Loss of roof covering such as shingles, tiles or metal panes can make your home more susceptible to water damage. Loose roofing becomes wind-borne projectiles that can cause further damage to other structures.
Luckily, roofing products with high wind resistance are available and a variety of installation techniques can be used on both new and existing homes to help protect against wind damage. Roofing underlayments, high performance shingles, even effective attic ventilation can all increase wind resistance.
To withstand occasional or sustained high winds, it is critical that all shingles are properly installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Recently enacted high-wind performance standards for asphalt shingles have raised wind performance. “These wind standards are important not only for preventing hurricane damage, but also to protect homes everywhere from more common high-wind situations like storms and winter weather,” said Russell Snyder, executive vice president of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) in Washington, D.C.
Protect Your Home’s Exterior
The exterior doors and windows of your home act as its protective shell. If broken, high winds can enter, putting pressure on your roof and walls.
Windows and glass doors should be fitted with impact-resistant laminated windows or covered storm shutters to reduce potential damage or injury, particularly if you live in hurricane-prone areas. In the case of an emergency, temporary plywood shutters can be installed relatively quickly, but don’t wait until a severe windstorm to make them. Constructing them now will facilitate quick action when a storm comes.
Solid wood or hollow metal doors better resist wind pressure and flying debris. Resistance is also increased by doors with at least three hinges and a deadbolt security lock with a minimum bolt throw of one inch. If you have double entry doors, install head and foot bolts on the inactive door. And since double-entry doors fail when surface bolts break at the header trim or threshold, check connections at both places. Surface bolts should extend through the door head and the threshold into the sub floor.
Research shows that new advances in vinyl siding can also protect your home’s exterior. Products on the market now include siding that resists winds up to 250 miles per hour. A house will blow off its foundation at 160 miles per hour. “Your house may blow over Kansas,” said one siding company. “But your siding will stay on.”
Brace Garage Doors
Garage doors can be especially at risk during high winds. Unless you have a tested hurricane-resistant door, winds may force it out of its roller track, especially if the track is light weight or some of the anchor bolts are not in place. This occurs because the door deflects too much under excessive wind pressure and fails.
If you are building a new home, consider installing horizontally-braced, singlewide garage doors as an alternative to double overhead doors. Check with your garage door manufacturer about retrofit bracing kits for existing homes. Some door panels, particularly those that are doublewide, may require both horizontal and vertical bracing for best stability.
Make Manufactured Homes Wind-Resistant
For homeowners looking for attractive alternatives to traditional homes, manufactured homes may offer the solution. Non-permanent foundations can make these homes more vulnerable to wind damage, however, so extra precautions during windy seasons is necessary.
“Most importantly, make sure your home is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions,” said Bruce Savage, vice president of public affairs for the Manufactured Housing Institute in Arlington, Va. “It is imperative to properly anchor down your home, and in the case of severe high winds, follow official evacuation orders.”
To clarify, manufactured homes such as mobile homes and trailers are different than systems-built housing, which often exceed local building codes. Practice safety measures regarding concrete, log, modular and panelized homes as you would for traditional homes.
Landscape to Shield Your Home from High Winds
Properly selected and placed landscaping can provide excellent wind protection for your home. Evergreen trees and shrubs planted to the north and northwest of your home are common windbreaks and can reduce wind speed for a distance of as much as 30 times the windbreak’s height. For maximum protection, plant your windbreaks at a distance from your house two-to-five times the height of the trees at maturity.
To prevent landscaping damage during fierce winds, monitor broken branches. Large broken branches should be cut all the way back to the main branch to impede further destruction. Your best bet, however, is to select landscaping species that can withstand strong winds. Good examples include ashes, dogwoods, hickory, most maples, oaks, sycamores and virtually all evergreens. You can also check the crotch angles (the angle between the branch and the trunk). Those with angles between 45 and 60 degrees have a good chance of surviving strong winds.
Remember, all wind isn’t bad when it comes to your landscaping. Mild to moderate winds can make trees grow stronger, promote better air circulation around your plants, help minimize fungal diseases and of course, pollinate many of your plants.
For more information on protecting your home from wind damage, contact your local home builders association or visit the National Association of Home Builders website at www.nahb.org/forconsumers.
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(Jeff Waddle, who is with David Weekley Homes, is 2005-’06 president of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia, which serves a membership of approximately 650 builders and associate members in Fayette, Coweta, Spalding, Meriwether, Heard, Pike, Upson, Lamar, Butts and Jasper Counties. The Midwest Georgia association can be contacted by calling 770-716-7109 or at hbamwg@bellsouth.net. Formerly Southeast project manager for David Weekley Homes, Jeff became the company’s senior manager for Hilton Head/Savannah in February of this year.)
April 12th, 2006