“If you are going to live there, you actually will notice.”Scott Hobbs
Scott is talking about the difference between looking at a house and living in it. In his conversation with architect Robert Cardello, the examples are practical: a roof, a window, the heating and cooling. They are purchases made during construction and experienced for years afterward.1
A photograph gives you very little help with some of these decisions. It cannot tell you how a sash moves in its frame or what the room feels like when the heat comes on. Those are worth investigating while there is still a choice.
The roof
Follow the water.
Scott begins with wood roofing and the differences a buyer may not notice during a short visit. The larger question is how a roof has been specified and put together. Thickness alone cannot tell that story, and the label “custom” cannot answer it either.
Look at the places where materials meet. At a sloping roof beside a wall, step flashing carries water down the roof; a kick-out at the lower end directs it away from the wall and toward the gutter. Those pieces need to work with the drainage layers behind the cladding.2
That is a useful conversation to have over construction photographs. Ask how the roof and wall meet, and what will be covered when the finish goes on. It is easier to understand the assembly while you can still see it.
The windows
Open one. Then read the label.
Scott describes two clients looking at an expensive window. One notices the joinery and the way the pieces fit. The other looks through it at the view. His advice is to understand which differences matter to the person who will live with the choice.
The feel of a window deserves a hands-on comparison. Its performance needs a different kind of evidence. NFRC ratings let you compare properties that a sample in a showroom cannot demonstrate.3
A window label, explained
Heat through the window
U-factor describes heat transfer. A lower value means better insulation.
The room
What happens when the heat comes on?
Scott’s mechanical-system example contrasts a basic arrangement with a more elaborate installation using additional zones, radiant heat and variable-speed equipment. The point is the experience in the room. A sudden draft across your neck is a difference you can feel.
The number of zones is not, by itself, a measure of comfort. The equipment has to suit the heating and cooling loads, and the distribution and controls have to work with it. The Department of Energy warns that sizing by rules of thumb can produce oversized systems that cycle too often and compromise comfort.4
For a homeowner, the questions can stay straightforward. Which rooms need different temperatures? Where will air enter and return? How will the system behave in milder weather? The answers should follow the way the house is occupied.
Decisions to make in person
Bring the way you live into the meeting.
At the windowOperate the sample. Look at the sightlines, hardware and finish. Ask for the performance ratings of the actual configuration being specified.
Over the drawingsDiscuss the rooms you use together, the rooms you close off and the temperatures you prefer. Give the mechanical designer something more useful than a room count.
During constructionAsk to see the assemblies before they are covered. Keep a photographic record with the project documents.
In the original conversation, the large differences in window and mechanical budgets describe particular choices being discussed in 2021. They are not current price allowances. Their value is in the question they raise: which parts of the house will you appreciate enough to choose differently?
Builders, since 1954.
More About Hobbs
Hobbs, Inc. has been building and renovating homes since 1954. The Journal draws on that work and on conversations with architects and craftspeople about the decisions behind a finished home.
Discover HobbsSources and conversation
For a closer look
- Hobbs Conversations: Super Houses
Scott Hobbs and Robert Cardello, Boroughs and Burbs, April 16, 2021. Source of the window comparison and Scott’s quoted observation.
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Roof-wall flashing
How step flashing and kick-out flashing connect roof and wall drainage systems.
- ENERGY STAR: Independently tested and certified energy performance
Definitions of NFRC window performance ratings. These ratings measure different properties and should be read together.
- U.S. Department of Energy: Proper sizing of HVAC systems
Heating and cooling load calculations, equipment selection and the limitations of sizing by rules of thumb.
A few practical questions
How can you assess construction quality beyond the finishes?
Ask to see drawings and photographs taken before the finishes went on. Roof and wall junctions, window installation and mechanical coordination are useful places to start. Ask the builder to explain how those details were resolved.
What should you compare when choosing windows?
Try the hardware and sash, look closely at the joinery, then compare the performance ratings. U-factor, solar heat gain, visible transmittance and air leakage describe different properties. Read them together with the climate, orientation and use of the room in mind.
Does a larger heating or cooling system make a home more comfortable?
Size alone does not establish comfort. Equipment should be selected from the heating and cooling loads of the house, with attention to air distribution and controls. Ask how the proposed system was sized rather than relying on a rule of thumb.
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