HOMEBUYING ADVICE
6
DON’T JUST BUY A HOME BUILT TO CODE— BUY ONE BUILT TO ABOVE CODE When you buy or build a new home that has or will be constructed to minimum code, you are getting a home built to the basic minimums required by law. Homes built to these minimum standards are generally less efficient and more costly to maintain. You also run the risk, for example, of not having an air unit that is properly sized to the home, which can present a whole host of problems for you down the road. If instead you make sure to buy or build your new home with a builder who utilizes a program like BUILT TO SAVE®, then your new home will be verified to above-code standards and inspected and tested by a licensed, independent energy rater who ensures that your home will be more energy efficient and offer more comfort, better indoor air quality, and less maintenance. Builders in the BUILT TO SAVE® program invest more of their money to make sure their homes are built to standards superior to minimum code requirements.
7
HAVE YOUR HOME INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL Hiring an independent professional home inspector has saved many people from moving into a home with substandard workmanship or with serious issues not readily visible to the untrained eye. Find an experienced inspector who has your best interests at heart to evaluate the home you are looking at buying Home by Villanueva Construction before you sign the contract. Once you sign, any BUILT TO SAVE® High-Performance Verified existing issues will be your responsibility to fix. A home verified as BUILT TO SAVE®, for example, has CODE COMPLIANCE the advantage of being inspected during construction before Is the new home you are having built compliant with the the walls are put in place, giving homeowners the peace of mind State of Texas’ new IECC regulations? The State of Texas adopts of knowing that what’s behind the walls complies with highthe International Energy Conservation Code that is revised every performance standards. 6 years. The most current one is the 2021 IECC, which is the most energy efficient code to date. While the adoption by the State makes the code the law for new construction, unfortunately not all builders comply with it because some municipalities do not enforce it. For example, it is a requirement that every new home sold after August 2016 should have a blower door test and a duct leakage test and meet the code’s minimum threshold for energy efficiency. Did your builder follow the law? The IECC is not being enforced by all municipalities, so it is important for all, especially builders, to know that the responsibility for compliance is with the builder—not the city building code officials. If a home has been verified by a high-performance home program like BUILT TO SAVE® for example, your home will comply with the current IECC, regardless of whether the city code officials are enforcing the current IECC or not. That benefit alone would be a huge advantage and peace of mind for both homebuyer and builder.
5
May / June / July 2022
7