Building Science

Residential building science involves using the most current and up to date information available in the areas of engineering, construction, medicine, building materials and the environment when designing and building a home.

On the most basic level, it involves all of the following:

• Managing the flow of air, heat and moisture between the conditioned space in our homes and the outside environment.
• Engineering homes so that the lifetime cost of operating and maintaining the home is greatly reduced.
• Designing homes to enhance comfort, without sacrificing energy efficiency.
• Building homes that have far fewer components that contribute to health problems such as asthma, allergies, and cancer.

A BPC home built using residential building science does not have to look unusual. In fact, the difference between a home built using residential building science and a conventional home is only discernable behind the walls or under the flooring and foundation. Just as with any other highly engineered product, such as a fine automobile, the engineering is not visible, it remains unseen, allowing the home to offer you unparalleled efficiency and comfort while contributing to your good health.

Here are some of the many ways using residential building science is different than using conventional building practices and building code as your guide.

• We use advanced building techniques and materials to build truly waterproof and radon-proof foundations.
• We install energy efficient windows and doors with proper flashing details to prevent moisture damage.
• We back-prime all wood siding materials and install them over a drainage plane (an air space between the siding and the sheathing) to eliminate moisture related problems and damage, such as mold, mildew, insect infestation and rot.
• We use sophisticated building techniques and materials to build air-tight homes with optimum levels of insulation installed for maximum efficiency.
• We specify high efficiency heating/cooling systems that assure you optimum temperature, humidity and indoor air quality.
• We install air handlers and duct systems entirely within the conditioned envelope, and we ensure that they are engineered properly and air tight. This maximizes the efficiency of your system and prevents insulation and other pollutants from getting into the air system.
• We ensure equal air pressure between all zones in the house and between the house and the outdoors to eliminate dangerous uncontrolled air flows.
• We install whole house air filtration to make the air in your house as clean as possible.
• We install continuous mechanical ventilation to provide fresh air to ensure that pollutants are exhausted.
• We install point-source ventilation for bathrooms and the kitchen range to eliminate odors and excess moisture
• We maintain relative humidity at 20-55% at all times to maintain comfort, respiratory health, and to eliminate microbials and dust mites.
• We select zero combustion or sealed combustion space and water heating to eliminate the danger of combustion byproducts, such as carbon monoxide.
• We select building materials low in volatile organic compounds (dangerous chemicals found in adhesives, sealants, and paints that outgas into the interior air) to further reduce the level of indoor pollutants.

These are some the essential strategies that allow BPC to build high performance homes. Residential building science is not a secret, but it does require builders to change the way they have done things for the past 30-40 years. As a group, builders are adverse to change, and residential building science requires sophisticated engineering and computational expertise that most builders don’t have. This situation will change slowly but you don’t have to wait. No one would accept 30-40 year old technology and practices for their phone service, cars, or computers. Your home represents your largest investment. Why should you settle for construction technologies and practices that the leaders of the building industry have put behind them?

At BPC, we attend national conferences every year to maintain our cutting edge expertise. These conferences typically run 3-6 days and feature seminars led by the foremost experts on building science in the country. The residential construction field is advancing so rapidly at this time that it is imperative for every builder to stay current. This means that every home we build incorporates the best information available at the time.