An important decision that can go overlooked during the construction process of your new home is the type of insulation to be used throughout the structure. Not doing your homework on the different types of insulators can have costly repercussions throughout the life of your new home. Historically, fiberglass insulation was the standard material used when insulating a residential home, but recent trends show a shift in the market toward spray-foam.  Spray foam is widely recognized by builders as the superior option to traditional fiberglass and here’s why.

Spray Foam has the ability to expand once applied to the area. Standard spray foam consists of two chemicals, polyurethane and isocyanate, commonly found in various materials likely around your house already (mattress and furniture foam). When the compounds are sprayed out of a spray foam gun they expand as soon as they leave the hose. This affords it the ability to completely cover the area in need of insulating. It fills every nook and cranny drastically reducing the airflow when compared to its distant cousin fiberglass.  Spray foams expanding capabilities allow it to save somewhere around 30% in annual energy costs potentially saving the homeowner thousands over the products lifespan.

Another huge benefit of spray foam is the life of the product. The measure of how well a product can restrict the flow of air is the resistance value or R-value. The R- value of fiberglass is 2.2 per inch when it’s brand new and will deteriorate over time with an expected life span of about 10-25 years if it remains dry. On the other hand, spray foam has an initial R – value of 3.5 and maintains that high level of performance for upwards of 80 years. Although foam must be applied by a professional if it needs to be replaced or repaired, there is a slim chance it will take place in your lifetime due to normal wear and tear.

Unlike fiberglass insulation, foam is also impervious to mold and bacteria. One of the worst nightmares to a homeowner is mold appearing anywhere in their house. The open cell foam compound popularly used for residential insulation does absorb some moisture, but spray foam provides no nutritional value to mold or bacteria.  If there is nothing for the mold to feed on, then it won’t be able to grow or spread. Pair that with its superior ability to prevent moist outside air from penetrating the sealed barrier mentioned earlier in this article and you have a solid first line defense from harmful bacteria.

The major negative attribute of spray foam is the initial cost. Fiberglass generally costs about $0.40 per square foot and can be installed by anyone. Spray foam generally costs around $0.80 to cover the same area and must be applied by a professional due to some minor health risks when in wet form. After about a 12-hour curing process where the foam is allowed to harden it becomes safe to touch with no harmful gasses emanating from it.

Spray foam is quite literally a product that will pay for itself over a few short years by cutting down on energy costs and providing a smaller workload for the air conditioning unit. We highly recommend it in every home we build.

One of the first things people notice when visiting your new home is the driveway. There are a ton of different options when it comes to choosing the right materials for the job. Two of the most popular options are decorative paver stones or concrete slabs. The three most important factors to consider are the initial cost, maintenance cost, and overall aesthetic look.  To help you decide which route best suits your specific job, we’ll compare both materials with these three factors in mind.

Initial Cost

There is a slight disparity between the two materials as far as initial cost is concerned. A concrete slab driveway will generally be the cheaper option if you elect against an upgrade to stamped concrete, but not by much. You can plan on saving around 10% when choosing concrete over decorative pavers, but those savings could be forfeited down the road with higher repair costs.

Maintenance Cost

Concrete is relatively easy to maintain but cracking is likely to occur at some point down the road. As the ground moves over time it puts stress on the surface of the concrete causing it to crack in various places. If a minor crack appears it can sometimes be fixed with a spot treatment or patch, but the repair will be easily noticeable with how difficult it is to match concrete poured at different times. If the cracks are severe and over multiple spots you may have to tear up the entire slab to redo it. 

If pavers crack, each one can be easily removed and replaced. You can order the replacement paver to closely match the color of the damaged one thus not disrupting the pattern. If they sink, simply remove the sunken paver, add fill dirt to bring it back up to the proper level and replace it. Both repairs can be done with a much lower cost and labor compared to problems encountered by ground shifts beneath concrete. 

Overall Aesthetic Look

One of the first things people notice when arriving at a new home is the driveway so it’s important to make sure it provides the first impression you desire. Paving stones come in a variety of shapes and colors, providing design freedom to anyone building a new home along with being generally more appealing than a boring concrete slab.

However, there many different practices used to alter the appearance of concrete such as texturing, staining, or stamping.  Stamped concrete is a technique used to mimic the appearance of pavers although you still have issues with cracking and repairs.

Many people prefer the look and benefits of lower long-term maintenance costs of pavers over concrete, but personal preference and budget will go a long way in ultimately determining which route is right for you.  You should look closely at all options and get quotes for both before making a final decision.     

It is good practice to check on any building restrictions that may be attached to the Cape Coral lot you are interested in prior to purchasing it.  Most restrictions can be worked around, however it does take planning, time and additional dollars to complete.  We have compiled a complete outline of the process of verifying lot restrictions that may be in place on lots located in Cape Coral, Florida.

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