HIGHVIEW
Construction
Management
Construction
Management
Paul Lunick*
If you are considering building your own home in Western New York (WNY), read this short informative article. Paul Lunick, a custom home builder / construction manager with HighView Construction Management discusses custom home design, and best building practices, applicable for custom built home construction and general residential construction in the Buffalo Niagara Region.
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The Buffalo Niagara region of WNY is located east of the Niagara River, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. This region is comprised of 8 counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genessee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming. The Ice age ended about 6000 years ago in this area of the ‘Niagara Frontier’, when glacial ice retreated northwards across New York State, leaving an altered landscape for residential construction behind it. Erie county, surrounding Buffalo, currently represents the densest area for residential construction in this region.
The Buffalo Niagara region may be separated into 3 essentially flat levels, that ascend up 2 steps from Lake Ontario to the Allegheny Plateau:
The current characteristics of the land are set by these ancient geological features, and the alteration due to glacial activity. The entire Buffalo Niagara region is built on sediments, with occasional rocky moraines (deposited in approximately east-west lines) that signal the position of the retreating glacial front. Thus, custom home design and residential construction in the area must take account of land features that date back thousands of years. Custom built home foundations must be designed and constructed with these local geological factors in mind.
Popular residential construction areas such as much of Amherst are built on flat land that is essentially swampy in nature. Grand Island in the middle of the Niagara River and much of nearby Tonawanda is built on thick clay sediment, with a local moraine crossing the north of the island at the shoreline of ancient Lake Tonawanda. Foundations and basements must be built and drained correctly in order to remain stable and prevent crack formation. If you are considering building your own home in this area, it is wise to consult with a competent local builder / construction manager, who understands the land, and uses suitable residential construction techniques to deal with these factors.
The Buffalo winter season is internationally famous, and Buffalo real estate has to withstand all of its rigors. A winter season in this area typically includes heavy lake effect snowfall, high winds (which often cause massive snow drifts) and sustained freezing temperatures. However, the summers can be hot and humid, requiring effective use of windows and air conditioning for comfortable living. If you are building your own home, remember that custom built homes in this area must be thoughtfully designed and carefully constructed, with suitable techniques, materials, and regard for energy efficiency, to allow comfortable living.
Various ‘architectural styles’ may be successfully deployed in residential construction in the Buffalo Niagara region. Indeed, the area real estate is rich in a wide variety of custom home designs. Particular success has traditionally been found using:
Availability of modern technology to the construction manager has significantly improved insulation practices and increased the overall energy efficiency of residential construction. Ongoing improvements to furnace design and air conditioning unit efficiency are particularly important in this region – where energy costs are relatively high.
As energy efficiency has improved, recent custom home design has significantly increased the range of ‘architectural styles’ that may be successfully built in the Buffalo Niagara region. This has stimulated the building of very popular Contemporary designs, with large open living spaces, very large viewing windows, and high cathedral ceilings. If you are considering building your own home in this region, it is wise to consult with a competent local architect or custom home builder / construction manager who can advise you on the latest proven technologies, materials, and techniques to apply in the construction of your custom built home.
Within the residential construction industry, the phrase ‘house types’ is usually used to denote the number and arrangement of levels within a dwelling. All ‘house types’ may be adapted for comfortable living in the Buffalo Niagara region, and these include:
The most popular custom home designs in Buffalo Niagara region residential construction are built with wooden frames, filled with ‘batts’ of glass fiber insulation. In a typical custom built home, 2×4 or 2×6 framing is externally sheathed with plywood or compressed wood panels. These wooden frames are usually lined internally with drywall product or decorative wooden panels, although brick, tile, or stone are also often used for special effects, particularly around fireplaces.
External cladding must be suitably durable and weatherproof. Regional construction managers apply relatively low cost vinyl siding, which is available in a range of attractive colors. Many skilled fitters know how to apply this product quickly, with optional attractive custom arrangements and patterns. Aluminum cladding is now only rarely available, due to the superior cost and performance of the vinyl siding product.
More expensive, cedar panels, Hardie Board (fiber cement siding and backer board), brick and mortar, field stone, block, and stucco-type finishes are also popular, particularly for use on custom built home front fascias. These different products are similarly priced, and are available in various colors and textures. A common residential construction trend (particularly in recent custom home building) is to combine these different external cladding products, often with cost-effective vinyl siding applied at the rear of the property. If you are considering building your own home, a competent local architect or custom home builder / construction manager can help you select cost effective, and aesthetically appealing, interior and exterior finishes for your custom built home.
Careful attention should always be given to roof construction and external roof lines in residential construction. Simple designs are usually the easiest to deploy, but custom home builders / construction managers are increasingly seeking more aesthetic roof lines, in their custom home design, for increased kerb appeal. Complex roof designs must be carefully engineered by competent architects to withstand the necessary snow load in winter.
On sunny winter days, snow can melt rapidly on south facing roofs. However, relatively cool north-facing eaves are potentially prone to ice dam formation – as the air space under the roof heats. This is a common cause of leakage and internal damage in residential construction, and effective roof venting is the simple cure to this problem.
Despite their higher cost, increased roof slopes are often preferred for aesthetic reasons in custom home design. These higher slopes also encourage natural snow removal due to movement under gravity.
Various roofing materials including asphalt shingles (~15-20yrs service life), pre-formed metallic panels (~30-50yrs life) and clay-based tiles (~100yrs life) can be successfully applied to residential construction in the Buffalo Niagara region. Asphalt shingles are available in a wide variety of attractive styles and colors, and are generally acknowledged as the most popular custom built home roof finish, due to their relatively low initial capital cost.
Competent local architects are aware of all the relevant residential construction roofing issues, and can guide the home builder to a suitably appealing and weatherproof roof design for their particular custom built home requirements.
For any custom home design, careful consideration should always be given to site planning and house orientation with regard to the compass points. A South facing rear with many large windows can be warmed effectively on sunny winter days when the sun tracks a low arch across the sky. However, the front rooms of the house will remain too cold for comfort without zoned central heating or sufficient forced air circulation.
Effective use of through drafts and awnings in residential construction can reduce the need for air conditioning in the summer, when the sun tracks higher across the sky. When building your own home, also bear in mind that careful emplacement of shade trees can significantly reduce house temperatures in the summer.
Windows function to allow outside views, natural light, ventilation, and winter solar gain. However, they must also be carefully constructed to keep out noise, winter wind, snow, rain, and cold, as well as summer heat and bugs. Competent custom built home design will account for all of these factors.
Tempered glass should always be used in residential construction, for safety reasons, as dictated by local building code. However, various other characteristics involving window glass thickness, degree of insulation, and light transmission may also be considered in custom home design.
Double glazing usually represents the optimum solution for residential construction in the Buffalo Niagara region. Large windows must be comprised of sufficiently thick glass to withstand wind loads. All types of windows including double hung, casement, fixed, awning, and sliding designs may be applied in WNY. Skylights, bay windows, and bow windows have also become a popular feature in custom home design.
In custom home design, doors primarily function to let people in and out, allow for passage of large objects (such as furniture) and ensure security. Doors for residential construction are available in various styles and materials and, depending upon the application, local code dictates requirements for fire safety etc. Garage doors should also be carefully selected with regard for heat loss. Various styles and grades are available, with different degrees of insulation, and all should seal effectively when closed. When building your own home do not forget that effective insulation of attached garages can save significant energy costs. It is not unknown for a construction manager to skimp on garage insulation in order to save money.
Window and door designs for residential construction are continually being improved with respect to all of the functionality referred to above. A competent custom home builder / construction manager will be aware of the best local supply options for custom home construction.
Footer construction for residential construction must be designed to withstand deep winter freezing. Steel-reinforced-concrete footers are suitable in most instances. Minimum acceptable footer specification must meet or exceed local codes for depth below the frost line.
Basements are a popular feature in Buffalo Niagara region residential construction. A deep basement is a useful extension of living space in any custom home design. The initial extra cost of a deep basement is relatively minor when taken in context of the total cost of a custom built home. Many of the larger residential construction companies will skimp on basement depth in order to increase their profits. In a true custom built home, you get to choose basement depth, so consider investing in a deep basement.
Another issue often ignored by the new home builder / construction manager is positioning of support posts in basements. Thoughtful design using correctly selected steel I-beams, and correctly positioned footers, can minimize the number of vertical support posts required in the basement (and indeed on other floors). This can allow for a basement design in your custom built home with large open and unrestricted areas.
Concrete is effectively used to great extent for footers and basements in residential construction in the Buffalo Niagara region. Ready mix for severe weather application must be applied in the necessary thickness, depending upon load, local conditions, and local code. A competent local custom home builder / construction manager, or concrete sub-contractor will be able to advise on specifications.
Residential construction built in swampy areas, such as parts of Amherst, or in deep clay, such as parts of Grand Island will require an especially effective drainage and pumping arrangement if basements are not to be flooded during the spring thaw or due to heavy rainfall. Additionally, particular attention should be paid to correct drainage of run-off from gutters and drain pipes, away from the foundations. Experience has also shown that investment in a small generator will pay off during the occasional power cuts that can occur in the Buffalo Niagara region.
Paths and driveways for residential construction are most commonly built with steel reinforced concrete on suitably compacted gravel-base fill. Typical concrete construction is 4in thick, and a range of attractive surface finishes and colors are available to suit your custom built home from a competent concrete sub-contractor.
The norm in residential construction is for a builder / construction manager to sub-contract plumbing, electrical and heating / cooling functions to locally approved, experts. Competent local plumbers, electricians, and heating / cooling experts know how to calculate for correct service of all the necessary appliances, fixtures and fittings, required for comfortable living in modern custom home designs.
Forced air convection heating from natural gas burning furnaces is the most common heating selection in residential construction. Some rural areas use bottled propane. Oil fired furnaces and electrical heating are less popular in new residential construction and custom home design. Although the use of highly efficient heat pumps has recently become more popular, especially as an additional source of heating / cooling in areas that may be difficult to provide heating ducts to.
Recent incentives to install solar energy devices in residential construction have caught local media attention, but the capital cost and maintenance issues associated with this technology are still barriers to entry for most home builders to incorporate into their custom home design.
When building your own home remember that experienced and competent custom home builders / construction managers will ensure effective communication between these independent sub-contractors, so that the work proceeds economically and on-time with the minimum of waste.
Custom home building / general contracting requires a complete knowledge of all the different phases of residential construction work. A competent and experienced builder or construction manager will foresee and avoid potential problems, and find the occasional but inevitable mistake early, while doing his/her own daily inspections at the construction site. The best builders / construction managers are familiar with all the local applicable residential construction codes, and inspection requirements, and will carefully manage the entire building schedule around important inspection milestones. A building task list, for a typical custom built home is available (link to expert advice section 3). Contact US for more information on inspection points.
When building your own home, carefully select a well-organized and knowledgeable local builder / construction manager, with the same research effort that you would put into any other important investment. A competent builder must be an excellent manager and a good communicator, communicating regularly with you and with the tradesmen, subcontrators and local building inspectors.
Your new home builder / construction manager should decrease the stress involved in your custom built home project by taking complete control, only hiring competent subcontractors, staying in close contact with them, managing around inspection milestones to avoid costly mistakes and waste, and communicating regularly with the local building inspectors and you.
Competent residential construction in the Buffalo Niagara region must take all factors of local geology and climate into effect. If you are considering building your own home, you would be wise to choose a competent local builder / construction manager in order to build a comfortable and durable product.
Established competent local builders / construction managers know both the regional land and the climate.. We use the finest custom home designs to produce optimized custom built homes, with proven cost effective techniques, for durability with low maintenance.
Roadside Geology Of New York – Bradford B Van Diver.
The Visual Handbook Of Building And Remodelling – Charlie Wing.
How To Plan Contract And Build Your Own Home – Richard M Scutella and Dave Heberle.
The Complete Guide To Contracting Your Home – Dave McGuerty and Kent Lester.
Custom Home Construction From The Point Of View Of a New Home Builder / Construction Manager – Paul Lunick.
*Paul Lunick is President of Highview Construction Management. A high-quality cost-effective custom home and townhouse builder serving the Buffalo Niagara Region of Western New York.