4 Principles for Building Resilient Homes

To ensure lasting sustainability and resilience in the face of inevitable climate crises, builders are meeting the comfort and safety concerns of homeowners acclimating to a changing environment. 

Design principles focused on occupant comfort prioritize both temperature control and energy efficiency with proper HVAC systems and energy performance windows that provide simple solutions to environmental changes. 

Builders need to focus now more than ever on constructing airtight homes with proper ventilation systems.

Another key to indoor air quality is preventing off-gassing from paint and appliances. For example, electric stovetops and kitchen appliances lead to a dramatic improvement in air quality over gas-powered appliances, which emit high volumes of dangerous chemicals into the air. Indoor air monitors can also be installed in homes, giving the occupant the ability to check their air quality from their smartphone in real-time.

Builders must have a plan for draining the site with a slope grade away from the house, draining the ground with a foundation perimeter drain, draining the building with a proper roof system, and more.

If a roof fails in a tornado or a hurricane, the rest of the house is likely to fail with it. Fortunately, minor framing adjustments can make a big difference. A typical roof can be constructed to withstand an EF2 tornado with less than $1,000 of improvements. 

We should also begin, if we haven’t already, our transitions to alternative power sources such as solar. Installation of solar panels on your roof can enable completely carbon neutral powering for the entire life of the home, and the cost is more than made up in the long-term by elimination of gas and electric bills.

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