Green has certainly gotten a bad taste in people’s mouths over the last few years. Whether it is consumer packaging or the construction industry, an unpolished green-washing has lingered over many parts of many industries; however, it does not need to be that way.
The term Green literally comes with many definitions, but one stands out with particular precedence: “made with little environmental harm and produced in an environmentally and ecologically friendly way, e.g. by using renewable resources”. In basic form, this definition is fundamentally positive; however, some recent transgressions, even up to the global level, have painted this color with impure clarity—tainting its complexion. Fortunately for you, you don’t have to follow that path and can instead break freely into greener pastures (pun intended)!
In the building industry, one key component of Green that we embrace here at Benjamin Obdyke is Sustainability. To homeowners, we offer a multitude of products that are designed to preserve and sustain your living environment—your home. To the architects, builders or contractors (the real ABC’s of home design and development!), we offer products designed to enhance the durability of your creations outer structure—making it truly sustainable. And if there is one thing about Green that everyone can agree upon, it is that a sustainable structure is by definition built to last; ergo, it consumes fewer resources. Now that is Truly Green.
Green is all around us and can be found in places big and small—ever in your own backyard! For instance, we at Benjamin Obdyke get an abundance of wooden pallets at our Pennsylvania-based facility from various shipments coming in and out. Regardless of how many shipments come in and out, the surplus only continued to grow. Coincidentally, around this time there occurred a need for more storage space and shelving within our back warehouse and application testing lab. Stepping back and taking a holistic approach to this situation, we devised a satisfying solution by instead of putting all this useful lumber to waste—put this good wood to work! These pallets were cut down and bound together to form a plethora of functional, heavy-duty storage space that would last for years to come; thus, forming a very Green resolution to this dilemma. I have even heard of other individuals utilizing shipping pallets in resourceful ways: Christmas tree stands when selling Christmas trees (two pallets can support up to 4 trees in the upright position!).
You can pave your own unwritten path and I encourage you to define what Green means to you and to let us know about it! Send us your definition of Green and maybe we will feature your creativity on our website or a future publication!
It is good to be the king, but there is always room to Build Better™.
Following up from our recent talks about unique applications of Benjamin Obdyke products; check out these two high-profile applications in which the builders decided to Build Better® with products from Benjamin Obdyke in untraditional ways.
Cougar Vent® – Not Your Ordinary Ridge Vent! The Journal of Light Construction recently featured a builder with a cutting edge mindset who was looking for unique was to improve his building design—so how did he achieve this when designing his rainscreen wall system? Well, with Cougar® Ridge Vent, of course! Check out this full article on JLC’s website or in their recent issue (Building a High Performance Shell – May 2010; www.jlconline.com). This builder branched out with a unique rainscreen application with Cougar® Ridge Vent in which he applied this ¾” thick product at the base of the wall system to fit between the strapping on the wall and helped to pin the insect screen to the back of the siding1.
1Disclaimer: That was not a typo; sometimes with the right idea you can even Build Better® walls systems with products that are typically found for use in a roof or vice versa! Same goes for foundation products as well or even landscaping products—there are ideas all around us! Across many different industries we have seen products and technologies bridge the gap and serve multiple uses; clothing and building wraps are one great example. Both had to breathe to create a better product and both ending up benefiting from the use of similar technologies.
Home Slicker®– Not your father’s rainscreen! Exterior insulation is a growing trend in the building industry and for good reason too. There are some great benefits to building a wall assembly with this type of construction including, but not limited to increased R-value and enhanced durability. In many of these applications you may be wondering how to incorporate a rainscreen design in junction with your exterior insulation assembly. Well have no fear, Home Slicker® is here! Upon installing your exterior weather-resistive barrier (i.e. housewrap, building paper, etc.) and your exterior insulation, Home Slicker® rainscreen products can then be installed prior to the application of the cladding, but don’t forget to apply Home Slicker® with fasteners that are long enough to hold the product onto the wall before the application of the cladding (note: the same fasteners that would be used to install your siding are sufficient for the application of Home Slicker®, in most cases). Also remember since the wall thickness is greatly increased with these assemblies, you need to use fasteners that are long enough to allow for the properly required penetration depths as per your local building requirements. Benjamin Obdyke also has recently added a new detail to their website application library to better depict this type of application—and check back often as we are continually expanding this library to help you Build Better®. Some builders are already employing this excellent defensive building strategy to help fight the battle against moisture-related building enclosure issues; the highly-acclaimed Journal of Light Construction recently featured a craftsman builder utilizing Home Slicker® with this methodology in mind (Built-Out Trim for Exterior Foam – April 2010; www.jlconline.com).
Bring out the craftsman in yourself today, immerse yourself in innovation, and lets Build Better® together.
Home Slicker And Cedar Breather Fans: We Want You!
Build BetterTM isn’t just a philosophy at Benjamin Obdyke—it is a way of life. We develop, support and offer products for our fans that will help them. And we immerse ourselves in the understanding of their many uses. Two of more popular product lines have served a multitude of functions both relevant to the building industry and not. These products, Cedar Breather® and Home Slicker®, are known by many names—wall breather, vent mats, rolled rainscreens, Slicker, Rain-Slicker—but no matter what you call them, they’re main functions remain the same. Put simply—let it drain and let it dry. That being said, these products may have been designed for a specific purpose; however, they have served the needs for a growing list of unique applications.
Over the years we have collected some of the more intriguing uses of our products and now we have decided to share them with our fans:
Column-Trim Spacer – check out the image to the right and click here to see how well-recognized building expert Gary Katz’s addresses a “Caulk-Free” Column Wrap!
Deck Trim Spacer – if you are looking to apply some trim to “spice” up the look of your deck, Gary Katz also provides some great details and recommendations for using Home Slicker as a spacer between the rough lumber and the trim to allow for moisture ventilation & drainage (see image right). Check out the full article from Gary Katz Online here.
Deck Ledger Spacer – protect your deck-ledger board. Deck ledger flashing can be complicated, but is a vital step to assist in preventing deck-ledger rot. Why not take it a step further by adding in some drainage and ventilation to the back side of the board as well by applying some Home Slicker to create a capillary break? This will provide you with some added worry-free relief and will help ensure that your masterpiece doesn’t “fall off the edge”.
Deck Board Spacer – as Gary Katz’s says “sandwiching two pieces of material together traps moisture and causes rapid material failure”; so why not space-out you deck-boards to prevent moisture from getting trapped—another great Home Slicker application.
Cushioning Underlayment for Camping—definitely not a common use of the product; however, our fans find their own ways to maximize their use of our products! Simply roll-out any of our Home Slicker or Cedar Breather products prior to setting up your tent and viola! You have a homemade “cushy for your tushy”.
Coasters – cut some Home Slicker plus Typar into a 4” x 4” square (Martha would be proud!) and you have your very own “table-ring” saver. Disclaimer: Benjamin Obdyke cannot prevent beverage spillage!
The list goes on and on! We have heard everything from outdoor shower and hot-tubs applications to uses as floor cushions for employees who stand all day and need some relief. Regardless of the application, Benjamin Obdyke is here to support your innovations. We can’t always recommend it, but we can at least help steer you in the right direction! What unique applications of Cedar Breather and Home Slicker have you created? Let us know, and who knows maybe we will feature your creativity in a future update or newsletter.
Benjamin Obdyke, the company which introduced the first rolled ridge vent and the first rolled rainscreen product to the construction market, is seeking an alliance partner to commercialize the recently patented Hydrofilament®Drainable Housewrap, the fastest draining housewrap available on the market today.
With the patent for this innovative moisture management technology secured, Benjamin Obdyke envisions the technology to be the perfect fit for a manufacturer with an established presence in the housewrap market. The technology will allow an alliance partner to differentiate its brand by offering an enhanced housewrap that provides the added benefit of managing moisture behind the exterior cladding.
Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap has been extremely well received by builders and members of the trade media since its introduction to the residential construction market this year, according to Mike Coulton, director of marketing and new product development. It was recently named among the “100 Best New Products in 2009” by Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler magazines. It met the magazines’ criteria for products that exhibit technological advancement and challenge the industry to respond to new building practices and needs.
Tests of Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap show that it drains moisture 80% faster than the next best-performing drainable housewrap and delivers 140 times more drainage than a standard housewrap. The patented technology creates a 1-mm gap, allowing any moisture behind the cladding to drain, ensuring that exterior walls dry more quickly. This moisture management feature results in an uncompromised building envelope that contributes to the sustainability of the home, Coulton noted.
“An alliance partner can reap quite a few benefits by collaborating with Benjamin Obdyke,” said Geoff Ehrman, director of business development. “These include shortening or even eliminating a new product’s development time, reducing time to market, building the company’s competitive advantages, reducing risk and capital investment, increasing their sales revenue, and being at the forefront of an emerging building practice.”
Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap retains the properties of housewrap products, functioning as a water resistive barrier that resists moisture and air penetration into the building and contributes to a structure’s energy efficiency. Its breathable structure allows moisture vapor from the interior to pass through to help promote a dry wall system.
Drains 80% Faster Than Next Best-Performing Enhanced Housewrap.
Hydrofilament® Drainable Housewrap by Benjamin Obdyke – the fastest-draining housewrap available on the market today – was named among the 100 Best New Products in 2009 by Professional Builder and Professional Remodeler magazines in their annual list of the most significant products introduced to the building industry each year.
Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap has been shown in tests to drain moisture 80% faster than the next best-performing enhanced housewrap and delivers 140 times more drainage than a standard housewrap. When installed, it ensures that the wall behind the home’s exterior cladding will drain moisture that may penetrate the cladding faster and more efficiently, leading to a better building envelope and a wall system that improves the sustainability of the home.
Professional Builder, with an audience of builders, developers, and architects, searches each year for products that support innovation and new technology in new home construction. Professional Remodeler reaches experienced remodelers. Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap fulfilled the magazines’ criteria for technological advancement, new product introduction, and increasing the competition of a product line.
The patented technology of Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap creates a path for moisture trapped behind the cladding to flow freely, ensuring that exterior walls dry quicker. The filaments create a 1-mm gap that makes it the market leader for drainage capabilities among housewraps and sets it apart from competitive products.
Unlike other competitive enhanced housewraps, Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap has performance characteristics that are maintained over time, even after ongoing exposure to wet conditions. Like all housewrap products, Hydrofilament Drainable Housewrap is a water resistive barrier that resists moisture and air penetration into the building and contributes to a structure’s energy efficiency. Its breathable structure allows moisture vapor to pass through the wall, resulting in a dry wall system. With building codes that regulate weather protection becoming more standardized, this product can provide the necessary liability protection and defense against callbacks for builders.
Philadelphia-Area Builder Sees Rainscreen Wall Construction As Solution.
Imagine the shock a homeowner experiences when he or she discovers that the new, multi-million-dollar home they purchased less than 10 years ago is riddled with damage caused by water intrusion behind the stucco or manufactured stone exterior. More and more such homes built just a short time ago – using the best building practices known at the time – are experiencing problems with moisture trapped behind the exterior cladding.
“The root of the problem is often the technology and products being used a decade ago,” explained Lee Haller, owner of Haller Custom Homes, a builder of high-end individual homes and residential neighborhoods in the Western Philadelphia suburbs. “Today, building science experts have found that some building products and faulty installation methods used just a short time ago have contributed to the structural damage that homes are currently experiencing today. Backed by this research, the construction industry has taken great strides to create new approaches to avoid bulk water intrusion, and to drain and dry any water that does manage to penetrate the exterior cladding.”
But the problem remains: what’s to happen to the newer homes that were built before the newer technology was introduced? That’s where Haller Custom Homes comes in. The second-generation builder and developer has established a very successful niche for itself as a remediator and restoration specialist of moisture-damaged homes near the Philadelphia Main Line. “Our reputation led homeowners to us who were looking for a firm that could help them solve their dilemma,” he said. “From there, satisfied clients referred us to others in their communities who are experiencing the same type of problems with bulk water intrusion, which can lead to mold growth. Communities that were built at the same time – using the same contractors, building practices, and materials – often share the same problems.”
One solution to avoiding the problem of bulk water intrusion that has the enthusiastic support of the building science community is the incorporation of a rainscreen system in the home’s design. A rainscreen system, as described by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Research Center, is a moisture-management system incorporating cladding, an air cavity, and a drainage plane to shed moisture and prevent moisture intrusion and the resulting premature decay in homes. The NAHB recently issued an educational guide that discussed the need for better drainage behind so-called “absorptive” exterior claddings, which include any materials that are semi-porous and may transmit or retain some water. This can include stucco, manufactured stone, stone veneer, and even fiber cement siding. Among the products referenced that can be used as part of an effective building envelope system is a wall drainage spacer, described as an “open-weave plastic mat.”
That describes the product that Lee Haller counts on when his crew does its work removing the damaged stucco and repairing the walls as needed. He sees the use of Benjamin Obdyke Inc.’s Home Slicker® Stone & Stucco as the best way to provide a continuous drainage and ventilation space in a rainscreen wall assembly behind the newly applied stucco or manufactured stone. The product’s vertically channeled matrix forms an air space for drainage and drying, while a breathable fabric attached to the product blocks mortar from clogging the newly formed cavity.
Because masonry is a porous substance, it absorbs a great deal of moisture during wind-driven rain events. The stucco can become saturated with water, which in turn can be trapped behind the stucco when no drainage space is in place to allow the moisture to drain and dry. In addition, moisture has the ability to penetrate masonry materials through a variety of ways, such as improperly installed windows, which can lead to water intrusion.
As to the use of the Home Slicker product, Haller noted, “I’ve been putting it on homes since it first became available. I think it’s one of the best products on the market.” The product extends the service life of wall components and reduces moisture problems by creating a pressure-equalized air space and capillary break immediately behind exterior cladding. It speeds the drying of moisture that accumulates in the wall assembly by providing a drainage space and allowing air to move in a convective fashion throughout the wall cavity. Haller installs Home Slicker Stone & Stucco for masonry applications and Home Slicker for wood, fiber cement, and vinyl cladding systems.
‘IT’S UNCONSCIONABLE’
Haller believes that ignorance about building construction techniques or lack of the right building products are no longer adequate excuses for not including a rainscreen system in an exterior stucco wall system. “I think it’s unconscionable to not incorporate a rainscreen system with what we now know. How can a stucco contractor accept many thousands of dollars from a homeowner to take down and restore a stucco wall and not go the extra yard to include a drainage product behind it in order to prolong the life of the wall assembly? Some of these homes are worth several million dollars and the cost of the remediation and restoration, when needed, is very high,” Haller said.
He added that builders constructing homes without a rainscreen system behind any absorptive cladding like stucco, stone, or fiber cement should also think twice. “I know for a fact that the builders who are dealing with liability issues for the repair of the original construction are finding that the cost of the repairs totally erase the profit they made on the home when it was first built, and then some,” he said. “I say spend the little bit extra when the home is being built and avoid the huge possible expense down the road, not to mention the angst and emotional energy, these situations generate. And don’t forget the damage to a builder’s reputation these bulk water problems can cause, as well.”
One of the main reasons why homeowners are coming to Haller Custom Homes for the remediation and restoration of their homes is because the firm is much more than a stucco contractor. “Stucco contractors are usually limited to removing the damaged areas of stucco and re-applying a new cladding. It’s that simple. As a custom home builder, we can also make recommendations when new windows are needed, a new roof is appropriate, or when new gables should be built out to create deeper overhangs and help prevent water infiltration,” Haller noted. Many of the customers come for the remediation but call upon the Wayne, PA, company’s expertise for a number of other home improvements.
Lee Haller’s company has created its own system of removal and repair that he is confident will maintain the home’s structural integrity for many years to come. While each situation calls for its own solution, this is a typical approach:
After studying the home’s condition, erect scaffolding and begin removing the stucco.
Examine the sheathing. If the OSB or plywood is damaged, replace it. With OSB , run a circular saw around the joints of the OSB to create a 1/16-inch gap.
Replace damaged 2 x 4s or other structural framing.
If windows are damaged or other specific conditions are present, re-install them or replace them using the latest wrap products and flashing for moisture-resistance. Cover the windows for protection.
Remove the cornice and apply the water-resistant barrier to the entire wall, including behind where the cornice had been. Gables are extended to create an overhang to prevent water entry.
Install Home Slicker Stone & Stucco.
House is water tight at that point and ready to stucco.
Lee Haller admits that he may be taking one or two steps more than most builders when he completes his stucco repair. “But when it comes to our work, we want to be sure we’ve taken every step possible to ensure a solid home that will serve a family for generations,” he said.
Developer Goes ‘Extra Mile’ With Addition Of Rainscreen System To Home.
Chad Ludeman, founder of the development company Postgreen, has achieved his goal of building a new, LEED Platinum home in Philadelphia for only $100,000 by keeping the design basic and the building technologies green.
A key green aspect of the design that will contribute to the home’s sustainability is an exterior wall assembly that includes structured insulated panels (SIPs), fiber cement siding, and a vented rainscreen system using Home Slicker®.from Benjamin Obdyke. “After deciding to go with [fiber cement] siding and SIPs, our main question was whether or not to employ a rainscreen,” Ludeman wrote on his blog, which traced the developer’s design process, budget questions, and construction decisions. “It is widely recognized as the most effective method for preventing moisture issues in modern homes and is even required in…Canada and parts of Europe. It is not a requirement for LEED to use a rainscreen in our area, but we wanted to go the extra mile if we could accomplish it.”
Called the $100K House, which describes the hard construction costs (not including design costs), the demonstration project is located in the East Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. The 1,150-sq. ft., two-story, three-room home is Postgreen’s way of showing that green design should be available to the average working family and is meant to be a prototype that will be repeated with variations in other neighborhoods. The idea is to boil the home’s design down to the essential components, while minimizing its carbon footprint. Because of components that include solar panels, radiant heating, and the SIPs sheathing, Postgreen expects annual energy costs to be approximately $1,200.
On the decision to use Home Slicker, Ludeman said he was familiar with the product through a professional colleague. Home Slicker is a component of a rainscreen system that alleviates moisture problems in wall assemblies by providing a continuous ventilation and drainage space. Rainscreen systems are recognized by building science experts as the optimum method of wall construction in areas prone to moisture, high temperatures, and humidity. It is applied between the weather-resistive barrier – which can be a synthetic housewrap or felt paper – and the exterior siding and is vented at the top and bottom of the cladding to allow any accumulated water to drain away and air flow to dry the space.
Ludeman is forthright about its value to the sustainable design of the 100K House. “It’s simply the best and most robust way to build an exterior wall assembly in this and other climates that receive a decent amount of rain,” he wrote.
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