Study and experience have fostered in me a vision of the needs of human nature and how our homes can fulfill them. Below are some of the issues I am passionate about:
Access
As may be seen in our family picture, one of my sons is a part time wheelchair user. (Actually, two of them are, now.) We aren’t shy or upset about this: our electric wheelchairs have done so much for our family that we have given them names (Firebolt and Stormbreaker) and want them in family pictures. They’ve expanded our sons’ world and given them wings. (They also do a really bang-up job of carrying luggage while traveling!)
The way this has impacted our homebuilding is that we want to make as many of our spaces accessible as possible. We pour as many garage and porch floors as we can with flush entry to the rest of the slab. We enlarge hallways and doorways. We make our showers curb-less. We forever advocate for removing barriers that most don’t see as barriers at all, believing universal design is essential.
Natural Light
The beauty of natural light speaks to a deep human need. It guides us even when we don’t realize it and enriches us greatly when we do. To learn more about this, look at our design page here: link.
In former times, before artificial lighting became universally available, we had no choice except to design our buildings to let the light in. After the invention of the light bulb, we began to treat daylight access as optional. This has proven again and again to be a terrible mistake costly to human health.
Human beings need access to natural light to maintain circadian rhythms that regulate such important things as sleep, digestion, and mood. Without it, we suffer.
Knowing this, we always advocate for natural light in every space you will spend an appreciable amount of time. We consider it a reasonable test of our success to ask whether you can comfortably spend the entire day in all the important spaces in your home when the power has gone out.
Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
Ecclesiastes 11:7
Energy Efficiency
Insulation
We always advocate for investment in above average insulation and air sealing of homes because we live daily with the benefits that brings. Do you like being cool in summer and warm in winter without effort? Say no more, this is a given in a Tyler Upchurch Home.
In a typical house, we specify a skim coat of closed cell foam sprayed on all envelope walls for air sealing, R-15 mineral wool batts in our walls, and R-38 loose fill cellulose in all of the ceilings, including vaults. We also use energy efficient windows with Low-E coatings and gas between panes.
HVAC
Unlike most in our region, we only work with companies that perform a Manual J calculation for every house. We use rigid mastic sealed ductwork on trunklines for greater airflow efficiency and minimize the amount of ductwork in your attic to avoid heat gains and losses.
We typically employ a dual fuel approach to heat with heat pumps supplying most of the heat needed in our mild winters and gas or propane during the really cold temperatures.
Resiliency
Storm Resiliency
We recommend that every home have a storm shelter and have installed a variety of them in our projects. Most of them are so well integrated with the home that they appear to be just another closet at first glance.
Energy Resiliency
You don’t want to leave your home when the grid goes down. Each of our homes comes with at least a portable generator hookup and transfer switch. This will keep the lights on, the freezer working, and the well providing pressure. Many of our customers have also chosen to install whole house generators.
Water Resiliency
We avoid placing water pipes in exterior walls whenever possible. This keeps them warm. We also encourage everyone utilize Freeze Misers on exterior hose bibs. This keeps the water moving automatically at just the right speed to keep it from freezing. Instead of being a breakage risk, this turns your hose bibs into an asset in the winter, keeping the water in your pipes above freezing. We also encourage installing water heaters in insulated closets if they are located in the attic.
Always Learning
The bottom line is that we’re always learning and improving. Every situation we handle refines our process, benefiting you. We want to serve you and make your home strong, useful, and beautiful.