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 While
living up north, we used to hear the expression "An educated consumer is
our best customer" on a TV commercial for a clothing company. This
concept can be applied to any purchase to ensure you are getting the
right price for a quality item.
When
we decided to retire in Central Florida and began looking for the right
developer, we knew very little about home construction. "Do we build a
vinyl or stucco home? Is it best to use plywood or what we called
"particle board'? What type of foundation is supporting the home?" These
and other questions swirled around in our minds as we moved from one
development to the other.
When
moving to a new area such as we did, we wanted to be "educated
consumers" before making the final decision to go with a particular
developer. We did a lot of comparing and eventually found that the
Pringle Development home that we built used higher standards than those
required by local building codes.
Without getting too technical, let's look at some of the features that
go into building a quality Pringle home...
Heavy-Duty
Foundation
Most
builders require 2500 lb. PSI (pounds per square inch) concrete for
laying the home's foundation. A foundation that supports a Pringle home
uses 3000 lb. PSI fibermesh reinforced concrete exclusively. This is a
heavier mix with a higher concrete to sand ratio, and since the mesh is
evenly dispersed into a 3-D matrix, it reduces the possibility of
cracks. Some builders use wire mesh on a sub grade at one level only,
which allows for a greater chance of micro and macro cracking.
High Value
Insulation
Let's
look briefly at the type of insulation used in a Pringle home. In most
block homes, dead air space serves as the means of insulation. However,
a Pringle home uses R-Max¨ Thermasheath¨, a rigid foam plastic thermal
insulation board composed of polyisocyanurate foam bonded to reinforced
aluminum foil facers on each side. (For those of us who are not
construction engineers, the R-rating is used to indicate the
effectiveness of the insulation). This material has an R-value of seven
per inch, which has the highest value of any insulation board, along
with the best fire rating.
When
this special insulating board is installed, it is applied directly to
the block wall, and firring strips are installed over the board. This
creates a continuous unbroken barrier, preventing moisture intrusion,
since the moisture is stopped at the block wall itself. Many builders
apply the firring strips directly onto the block wall, then staple on a
thin foil paper, trapping moisture in the area between them.
Top Quality
Framing Materials
 You
may have noticed that in some developments, builders are using sheet
metal materials for framing, and in some cases, the framing is done with
24-inch on center spacing. Pringle uses framing material imported from
Austria which ensures stronger, straighter walls. This type of wood
maintains the sound deadening and structural support qualities that wood
has always provided. In any home, wood is still used when it comes to
supporting cabinets, load-bearing walls, and other areas that require
sound support.
There
are many other advantages that we found in building our Pringle home. If
you come around next month, we will tell you more about these quality
features. Meanwhile, keep these ideas in mind as you consider where to
build that dream home!
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