Our goal at Centerstone is to build a better house. We are constantly exploring cutting edge research and advancements in residential construction technology. Centerstone analyzes all potential advancements based on our experience and local conditions before incorporating the change into our construction practices. Below is a brief description of the building technology Centerstone currently incorporates into each house. Feel free to call at (303) 778-8745 or email Don if you have any questions.

HVAC or Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning are primarily understood as creating a comfortable climate for occupants. However, the HVAC system also plays an important roll in building durability and longevity by exhausting moist air out of the building before it can build up within the wall or roof system. Centerstone's Energy Star Certified homes combine the latest in HVAC technology to achieve maximum occupant comfort at minimum energy consumption. These systems are also designed to work in coordination with vapor barriers and other envelope components.

Centerstone's Energy Star upgrade includes: High Efficiency Furnaces Sealed Duct System Manual "J" & manual "D" engineering of system 13 Seer A.C. Setback thermostats Advanced insulation and sealed envelope package.

A home's roof plays a vital role in keeping the weather out and keeping conditioned air in. The roof can also provide shading and protection for the walls and foundation. And reduce heat gain for the entire home. A strategy of Centerstone is to provide an engineered energy truss where practical. Not only do engineered energy trusses provide longer spans with less material. They allow for full depth insulation all the way to the exterior of the wall. A Deeper truss also provides space for venting from soffit to ridge. Venting of the attic above the insulation is a key component to keeping the roof cool, extending the life of roofing, reducing heat gain, and minimizing moisture build up in the attic.

Centerstone maximizes the benefits of engineered energy trusses with the addition of an advanced attic venting system. This system is composed of continuous soffit venting combined with air scutes as needed and a continuous ridge vent. 2 foot wide overhangs are utilized to shade and protect the exterior walls when the home's style allows. All Centerstone homes come complete with gutters and downspouts with extensions. Gutters are a key strategy for keeping water away from the home's foundation. Downspouts should extend at least 5 feet from the foundation wall.

No matter how well constructed a home's wall assembly, water will enter somehow. Centerstone's typical wall section is designed to minimize water infiltration with state of the art flashing, building paper and exterior finishes. However, our walls are also designed to remove water when it does enter the system. Unlike most builders, Centerstone uses CDX plywood instead of OSB on exterior walls. Combined with building paper lapped "shingle style" and a breathable exterior finish our walls dry to the exterior as is recommended by the Building Sciences Corporation and other experts. To read more about moisture download their research paper "Insulation, Sheathings and Vapor Diffusion Retarders" (BSC 2003). Our commitment to quality construction is further demonstrated by the fact that Centerstone homes have 2x6 exterior walls usually insulated to R-21. These walls are highly sealed to prevent air infiltration according to Energy Star guidelines. And because the wall dries to the outside, Centerstone provides a vapor retarder on the inside to prevent moist warm interior air (in winter) from condensing inside the wall.

The Denver Metro area has many soil types, some are moderately to highly expansive. Each home Centerstone builds has a foundation specifically engineered to meet the demands of the site's soil conditions. Many of our projects feature caisson footings to bedrock. Keeping the foundation as dry as possible is a critical part of quality construction. Unlike most builders Centerstone provides a double foundation drain system. 4" drain tile is placed on both the inside and outside of most Centerstone foundation walls. The exterior drain tile is tied directly into area well drains. Drain tile connects to a sump pit which is designed to accept a sump pump should the need arise. This drainage strategy combined with a positive grade away from the house, gutters, downspout extensions, and foundation wall damp proofing help make Centerstone's foundation system far superior to standard practice.

To learn more about the topics discussed above visit the Building America Information Resources Search database. This database contains a large amount of free downloadable PDF's written by leading experts in the building sciences. Documents are searchable by category.