Energy Star Home Building Partners
Greencastle is a proud builder of ENERGY STAR labeled homes.
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Building Sites
We prefer to build on In-Fill lots (available lots in established areas) to help maximize density. But you won’t need to worry about noisy neighbors if you live in one of our houses because they are really quiet. Think about it... five inches of high density expanded polystyrene foam, more than five inches of steel reinforced concrete, drywall, stucco, and paint. Wow!
ICF Homes
Foundations
Virtually all Florida builders use concrete slabs for the ground floor, which means trucking in lots of fill dirt. Dirt is becoming so scarce in southwest Florida that people are stealing it! We prefer using a crawl space to minimize the requirement of fill dirt and surpass the FEMA elevation requirements for flood. An elevated wood floor is also much easier on the feet, knees, and back, and allows access for future needs such as additional wiring or plumbing.
Concrete Thinker
Portland Cement
Exterior Walls
Exterior walls are built using ICF (Insulating Concrete Forms) with horizontal and vertical steel reinforcement bar (rebar) and solid poured concrete. This is the method of construction that FEMA recommends most highly for survival shelters not only for it’s ability to resist wind and water forces but also for it’s ability to stop flying debris. It is simply the best!
Amvic
Interior Walls
Interior walls are built using steel studs because they are recyclable, and usually straighter than wood, as well as fire and termite resistant.
Sherwin Williams
Dietrich Industries
Roof
Roofs are built using wood trusses engineered to at least 150 m.p.h. standards, and a minimum of 5/8 inch plywood nailed down according to the latest wind load requirements. Galvanized steel straps are anchored deep within the concrete walls and wrapped around the roof trusses to prevent the roof from lifting during storms. We also use Icynene expanding foam insulation on the underside of the roof plywood to create a sealed attic space. Although we are not aware of any engineering data to confirm our beliefs, it appears to us and others that the foam insulation helps to stiffen and strengthen the roof system as a whole.
Icynene Insulation
Roofing
Clearly the most vulnerable area of a house during a storm is the roofing material. It is also one of the most important aesthetic considerations. Various steel roofing materials seem to hold up the best when things get stormy, but there are other considerations too. Such as, the underlayment, the best way to protect the roof deck (plywood) from the elements is to use an adhesive self-sealing product such as Ice and Water Shield over the entire roof deck instead of felt (tar paper). Because it adheres to the roof deck and is very flat, it dramatically reduces the likelihood of water intrusion during and after a storm .
Polystick
Grace at Home
Windows and Doors
We strongly recommend that impact resistant glass such as Simonton Stormbreaker Plus is used. Impact resistant glass is also quieter and a formidable deterrent to burglars. Additional measures such as Hurricane shutters or fabric wind deflectors may not be necessary but will afford peace of mind in the worst conditions. Solid doors are obviously best for security but generally a concession is made for aesthetic reasons and shutters are provisioned for at least the front door. Garage doors are the most important choice regarding doors due to their size. We prefer at least a 150 m.p.h. rated door system.
PGT Industries
Simonton
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