There was never any question we were going to use Home Slicker on our LEED-H home - especially since we are on the coast and affected so much by the salt air and water. Home Slicker was easy to work with during the installation and in the end will allow our FSC cedar shingles to last longer.

“IT MADE IMMEDIATE SENSE TO US"

Pilot Builders’ slogan of “On the lake, in the woods, next to the fairway, always remarkable” pretty much sums up the Lake Oconee , GA, custom home builder’s business. For more than 10 years, Pilot Builders – under the direction of Doug Tumlin and Chris Hilsman – has helped bring people, their dreams, and their lifestyles together in fine custom homes in the $1 to $5 million range. The award-winning builder incorporates elements of stucco or stone in nearly every home they create. In the past several years, Pilot’s Tumlin began employing Benjamin Obdyke’s Home Slicker and Mortairvent®, the mortar deflection and ventilation system for use behind stone and stucco to keep walls dry and free from moisture.

“Building science experts first brought the improved drainage plane applications such as the Benjamin Obdyke products to my attention through our involvement in the NAHB’s Builder 20 group. We initially began using the Home Slicker behind the cedar shake siding to create the air break and drainage plane. Its use immediately made sense to us since it’s a foolproof product that will continue to perform in place. We build a high-end product that our customers expect to last. And since we build our homes most often near water or in a high humidity environment, the Home Slicker gives us peace of mind that water damage and mold will not be a problem down the road.

“Once we learned of the Mortairvent product, it replaced a stucco-wrap-with-felt system we had been using under stucco and stone. It is a cost-effective choice for us because we can use it with a less expensive flat housewrap rather than the more costly textured wrap for stucco applications because it has a breathable layer the mortar can attach to, leaving a larger drainage plane than other systems on the market. I believe Pilot Builders was one of the first custom home builders to use Mortairvent and now we use it on almost all of our homes.” For more information on Pilot Builders, visit www.pilotbuilders.com

"DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME"

Since 1981, Genesis Construction Inc., a custom home builder in Bluffton, SC, has constructed highly crafted custom homes in the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, and the Caribbean. Under the direction of Bill Mischler, the $1.5 to $6 million homes are constructed utilizing the most professional and talented craftspeople, artists, and contractors, achieving a finished product that is recognized as a home built with structural integrity and unwavering attention to detail. Mischler has been an advocate of Benjamin Obdyke’s Home Slicker® and Cedar Breather® products for several years.

“For more than 25 years, we have been committed to building energy-efficient homes, continually researching materials and methods that support sustainability, while not compromising design. Since so many of our homes are in coastal areas, we need to use construction methods that prevent the buildup of mold and mildew in the wall systems. We initially began using Cedar Breather behind cedar shingles to create a drainage plane and to promote ventilation. Since we became aware of Home Slicker, we now have lock spec’d the two products for our homes when we are applying cedar or cypress siding or cedar shingles.

“Genesis’s claim to fame is that we do things in the best way possible, infusing our projects with some of the good old fashioned American work ethic of doing things right the first time so that our homes become places that the homeowner’s grandchildren will be proud of. When I explain to my clients why I use Home Slicker and Cedar Breather in their home’s construction, it differentiates us from our competition. It shows them we are committed to intelligent, sustainable building design and will not waver from our stance. Moisture in this area is too big of a problem here for us to do things any other way.” For more information on Genesis Construction, visit www.genesis-construction.com