A recent conversation with a prospective new home buyer inspired us to jot down our thoughts about the areas in new construction that call for extra effort during the construction phase compared to the typical building practices in our market. During a tour of the most recent new home we built, the prospective buyer said, “I live in an older home, and I worry about my basement flooding during heavy rains.” He also asked about power outages that occur every now and then in the Chicago suburbs.
Redundancy usually means that important things should be doubly protected to ensure that no single point of failure leads to a disaster in your new home (but see an example of added convenience in #4 below). In contrast, standard build assumptions are usually code-minimum practices that do not emphasize the most important areas of your new home. Home builders might offer these items as “extras” or not discuss them at all with the home buyer. The additional cost involved might strain the budget or cause the home buyer to question whether the expense is worth it.
Below is a list of four items included in our new homes, and we encourage new construction buyers to give these serious consideration even if it means there are budget trade-offs elsewhere:
Dual sump pumps in two sump basins with backup power. Most new construction in our area includes a basement, and a sump pump in a single basin is standard. The extra effort to install a second basin and separate pump with backup power is a relatively small price to pay to prevent flooding. A number of reputable sump pump manufacturers such as Zoeller, iON, and Wayne offer primary and backup pump systems with alarm systems in case of a problem and battery backups that will operate the pumps for a period during power outages. Even better is a standby generator to generate critical power for extended periods of time.
Standby generator. Most new construction homes do not include a standby generator as a standard included item, but they probably should be. A whole home generator automatically turns on when there is a power outage so that the home can be cooled during a heat wave, or remain warm during a deep freeze. It can operate sump pumps during stormy weather to keep the basement dry, and they can prevent the refrigerated food from spoiling during prolonged outages. We can expect power outages to increase in frequency and severity as our aging electrical grid strains under increased electrical consumption that grows each year.
Low air leakage and high insulation values. One basic goal of a home is to keep the outside out and the inside in. Tight air sealing refers to multiple steps your builder has taken to focus on this specific topic when constructing the envelope of your home. While some of these steps might seem redundant, they are intended to prevent uncontrolled air from entering or escaping the house. High quality doors and windows, along with careful installation, are an important piece of the puzzle. The building code states the minimum amount of air leakage and insulation that is permitted, but it varies from one suburb to the next. One suburb has adopted the code from 2012, while another suburb 15 minutes away has adopted code from 2018 and will soon adopt the 2021 enhanced requirements. The bottom line is that drafty homes with poor insulation values and builder-grade door/window packages won’t cut it today: they are uncomfortable to inhabit and expensive to heat and cool. Building a home that meets or exceeds the 2021 code minimum is a worthy goal, even if it is not yet a building standard or the required practice in your neighborhood.
Expanded kitchen functions. This one falls somewhere between a nice-to-have feature and a necessity in large custom homes. When we design a new home and have the footprint that allows for it, we recommend planning for two areas with separate sinks, dishwashers, and food prep/storage spaces. The underlying reason for this redundancy is that the kitchen has taken on greater importance today. Kitchens have grown in size and function. Everybody seems to congregate in or near the kitchen. Distinct areas for food prep, seating, dining, cleanup, and storage fit the expanded role a kitchen plays in our lives. In this case, redundancy is more about convenience and new expectations rather than protecting a vital part of the home.
We hope this short list helps you prioritize the plans for your new home. We’ll be exploring these topics again as we tour a new construction home in Wilmette, so stay tuned and don’t hesitate to contact us at hello@uncommonresidential.com if we can assist you with your new home.