The Basics of Building Science

We all live in buildings, but how many of us actually understand how these buildings work? As a builder you know how to build a home. But do you know how exactly a home works? Chances are, you don't. Builders and contractors know how to build. Even so, many of them don't understand the fundamental rules of building a home. Don't worry. Building science isn't all that complicated.

Here are the three fundamental rules that govern all buildings:

A building is a system

A house is basically a system consisting of a number of components that interact with one another. Your plumbing, electrical, framing, HVAC - they all work together to create a home. You will hire different contractors to install these systems and in most cases, they are only interested in their work. A plumbing contractor may overlook the impact of their work on the electrical or HVAC system. This is a mistake.

The performance of a home depends upon three elements - building envelope, weather shell and the mechanical systems. The job of the weather shell is to keep the elements out. The building envelope is the boundary between the conditioned space inside and the unconditioned space outside. The building envelope comprises insulation and an air barrier. The building envelope can get compromised in many ways.

The mechanical systems also play a significant role in determining the performance of the home. Besides increasing or decreasing the temperature levels, your cooling and heating systems also affect the pressure and moisture content inside and outside the home. All of these things play an important role in making the home efficient, comfortable and healthy. Make sure that your cooling and heating systems are of the proper size.

Consider the climate

The same house can't be built in all climates with the same specifications. While building the home, you need to consider the weather elements. Vapor barriers that work in one climate zone will not work in another climate zone. This explains why you should pay attention to the climate. The climate can be dry, wet, hot, cold or mixed.

Homes in Miami or Minneapolis will probably need a vapor barrier, but you don't need it in Memphis. The purpose of a vapor barrier is to reduce the diffusion of vapor into the wall cavity. It tends to work in one-way climates. For example, in Miami, the humid air tends to be outside the home, so the vapor retarder/barrier also goes outside. On the other hand In Memphis, the humid air is inside the house for six months and outside the house for the remaining six months. So if you install the barrier inside the house, you will be wrong for half of the year.

Don't forget the rules of thermodynamics

Hot air moves up and cold air moves down. In the same way, moisture tends to move from wet to dry. These are the basic laws of thermodynamics. If you are planning to build against these rules, you need to be extra careful. If you want to control moisture, you should know what climate the home is in. This will help you decide what type of cooling and heating systems you need to install.

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