© Todd Remington 2006

Building Technology

Todd Remington's goal is to design a better building. He is constantly exploring cutting edge research and advancements in construction technology. Remington analyzes all potential advancements based on experience and local conditions before incorporating the change into construction practices. Below is a brief description of the building technology Remington currently incorporates into each house. Feel free to call at (303) 279-8558 or email Todd if you have any questions.

Local Conditions
Todd Remington designs each custom project as an integrated, holistic system. From foundation to roof, these sub-systems work together towards a well crafted, comfortable and durable building. This integrated approach begins with an understanding of each site's climate and geographical conditions. Denver, for instance, is considered in the "cold" climate zone, while areas in the upper mid west and some mountain regions fall within the "very cold" zone based on hygro-thermal regions. These regions take into account both termperature ranges and precipitation. To learn more about Hygro-Thermal regions, download a free copy of "Builders and Buyers Handbook" published by NREL's Building America program. In addition to climate, many local soils are expansive and demand special attention with respect to foundations. Fire is also a potential problem for houses along the urban/wildland interface and other wild areas. To learn more about strategies that protect homes from wildfires, visit the Wildland Fire page of South Metro Fire Rescue.

HVAC
HVAC or Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning is primarily understood as creating a comfortable climate for occupants. However, the HVAC system also plays an important roll in building durability and longevity by exhausting moist air out of the building before it can build up within the wall or roof system. Todd Remington helped develop Centerstone's Energy Star Certified Homes Program which combines the latest in HVAC technology to achieve maximum occupant comfort at a minimum energy consumption. These systems are also designed to work in coordination with vapor barriers and other envelope components.

Typical Energy Star upgrade includes:

• High Efficiency Furnaces
• Sealed Duct Sustem
• Manual "J" & manual "D" engineering of system
• High Seer A.C.
• Setback thermostats
• Advanced insulation and sealed envelope package
• Air changers or whole house fresh air venting system
  
  

Roof
A home's roof plays a vital role in keeping the weather out and keeping conditioned air in. The roof can also provide shading and protection for the walls and foundation. And reduce heat gain for the entire home. A primary strategy form many Remington designs is to provide an engineered energy truss. Not only do engineered energy trusses provide longer spans with less material. They allow for full depth insulation all the way to the exterior of the wall. A Deeper truss also provides space for venting from soffit to ridge. Venting of the attic above the insulation is a key component to keeping the roof cool, extending the life of roofing, reducing heat gain, and minimizing moisture build up in the attic.

Remington maximizes the benefits of engineered energy trusses with the addition of an attic venting system. This system is composed of continous soffit venting combined with air scutes as needed and a continous ridge vent. 2 foot wide overhangs are utilized to shade and protect the exterior walls when the home's style allows. Todd Remington designs usually specify gutters and downspouts with extensions. Gutters are a key strategy for keeping water away from the home's foundation. Downspouts should extend several feet from the foundation wall. While the surrounding grade should have a minimum slope away from the foundation for the first 10 feet and a minimum slope for the entire site or to a designed collection system or storm gutter.

Walls
No matter how well constructed a home's wall assembly, water will enter somehow. Todd Remington's wall sections are typically designed to minimize water infiltration with flashing, building paper and exterior finishes. However, these walls are also designed to remove water when it does enter the system. Unlike most architects, Remngton usually specifies CDX plywood instead of OSB on exterior walls. Combined with building paper lapped "shingle style" and a breathable exterior finish, walls dry to the exterior as is recommended by the Building Sciences Corporation and other experts. Remington's commitment to quality construction is further demonstrated by the fact that he usually designs for 2x6 exterior walls insulated to R-19 or R-21. These walls are specified as highly sealed to prevent air infiltration according to Energy Star guidelines. And because the wall dries to the outside, Remington provides a vapor retarder on the inside to prevent moist warm interior air (in winter) from condensing inside the wall.

Foundation
Soils conditions vary from area to area, some are moderately to highly expansive. Each custom new building Remington designs has a foundation specifically engineered to meet the demands of the site's soil conditions. Many projects feature caisson footings to bedrock. Keeping the foundation as dry as possible is a critical part of quality construction. Unlike most architects, Remington usually specifies a double foundation drain system. 4" drain tile is placed on both the inside and outside of the foundation wall. The drain tile is tied directly into area well drains. All drains flow into a sump pit which is designed to accept a sump pump should the need arise. This drainage strategy combined with a positive grade away from the house, gutters, downspout extensions and foundation wall damp proofing help make Remington designed foundation systems far superior to standard practice.

To learn more about the topics discused above visit www.buildwise.org's database. This database contains a large amount of free downloadable PDF's written by leading experts in the building sciences. Documents are searchable by category.

Links to helpful Building Technology information

• Building America
  Building America is the residential energy conservation program sponsored by the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL). This site features many articals on energy efficiency, solar, daylighting and alternative energy. Visit the NREL main website for additional energy information beyond housing.

• NAHB Research Center
  Latest information on building sciences & construction methods.

Note: Graphics for Todd Remngton's Building Technology web page were provided by the DOE Building America Program, and NREL. Because each custom project is unique, the above text shall in no way be construed as a guarantee that any specific technology will be incorporated into a Todd Remington design. The above text is for educational purposes only, but reflects Todd Remington's understanding of the current state of residential building technology at the time of posting this page.

Specializing in Residential Architecture: Homes, Cabins and Retreats