"Are You Up-To-Speed on Your New Home's REScheck Requirements?"
Mentioning to clients that they need a rescheck for their house often brings about looks of confusion and raised eyebrows. It is something that is becoming more common as all the building codes get updated. The option has been around for a long time, but only recently our townships and other municipalities began requiring this form at the time of plan submission for a building permit.
What A Rescheck Is
To explain in as few sentences as possible, it is a document that describes the overall efficiency of your insulation in your building. If it does not meet the overall efficiency that is required by code, it will fail and you will not get a building permit.
You should not even try to get a building permit if the minimum efficiency form requirements are not integrated into your specific plans. If your municipality does not require one, you still need to meet certain insulation requirements based on the regular building codes.
A Typical House Example
Let's do a quick example just to give a better idea of how this system works. With the software that I use, it requires entering the total square footage of the ceiling, the total square footage of the windows, and total square footage of the walls and floor. I then enter the R-value of each individual area of the house. For example, the roof might have R-value of 38 for that insulation. The walls might have an R-value of 19. The floor system might have an R-value of 30. In a typical house like this, it would very likely pass by a 15% to 25% margin.
Other Variables Of Consideration
Windows and doors are rated on a different system than solid structures like walls and roofs. Their heat-resistance rating is measured by what is called a U-factor. Each individual brand of doors or windows will have their own U-factor value. All of these numbers need to be added into the res check software.
When everything is complete, the system automatically calculates the necessary insulation requirements for the geographical zone that was entered. Then you can instantly see whether that specific building passed or failed to meet the IECC codes, and by what percentage it passed or failed. By the way, IECC stands for International Energy Conservation Codes.
Several other factors commonly play into correctly prepping the rescheck form. They involve skylights, heated or unheated basement areas, different types of wall construction, and even different versions of the IECC codes. Trying to explain every last detail would be a waste of time, but I want to make sure you solidly grasp the basics involved.
If the software reveals that everything is acceptable you are well on your way to building your new home. If not, it’s back to the design phase to tweak the variables required to meet proper energy efficiency.
The Main Purpose
The rescheck form is a great timesaver for the local building inspector. He or she can look at this form, see the location, instantly see the square footages of the walls and roofs, compare that to the square footages of the doors and windows, and instantly see that the building meets or exceeds the necessary insulation requirements.
Reschecks are not that difficult to do if one knows all the variables that go into it. I would be more than happy to help you out with any questions you have concerning the code compliance of your new home or addition in doing your plan's energy evaluation for you.
Click here to get your REScheck ordered...
Return from Rescheck page to the House Plans Guide page
Go to Larry's House Plans Guide home page
 |
A Free Gift for You Because I Truly Care How You Will Experience Living In Your New Home...
Jump-start your dream home planning by claiming your "Fast Start Home Design Guide" below. Simply fill out the following form...
A Few Comments:
"Thank you! Received the plans yesterday. They look great. We will definitely recommend you. I'm so excited now to have a visual. We'll have you out when it's all done.
Take care and God bless."
- Tommy & Christine
Mohnton, PA
"In my line of work I build both log and conventional homes. It can be difficult to find someone who can draw prints for both styles. I received a flyer in advertising Larry's Home Design. I was planning to build a house for myself and decided to try Larry's that way I could guage whether I would use him for my clients. I was very impressed and since then Larry's Home Design draws prints for all our customers."
- Marvin Fisher
Denlinger-Fisher Builders
New Holland PA
You might find this helpful if you are looking for even more personalized design strategies before finalizing your own plans…
"…very easy to work with and quickly understood what we wanted. Larry, I truly enjoyed working with you on the design. You were always there to talk to me… It was wonderful for me getting to help the guys build the house and see it come to life. It was a lot of work, but now we can enjoy the fruits of our labor. Please stop in and see us whenever you can. You are always welcome."
- Keith Johnson
Bainbridge, OH
"Believe me, Larry & his ability to design structures, is a 'jewel in the rough.' I was referred to him as an experienced log home designer & I had either a log (or log slab) home in mind. I contacted Larry, & in no time, had plans & the specifications. This was to the last nail & piece of siding.
Larry's work is reasonably priced & excellent quality. He knows builders & suppliers who can have you in 'front of the fireplace' in no time."
- James E. Vaughan
Groveport, OH
Larry,
... Thanks again for your help with these. You have been by far the best designer we have dealt with, both communication wise and product quality wise. Everything I have looked at had been excellent. Keep up the good work.
- Thanks Gary
Crockett Log Homes