Host:
This is the Home Remodeling Show, brought to you by Edge Construction, online at EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That’s all one word: EdgeConstructionCompany.com.
If you haven’t visited the website recently, head on over. They’re always updating it with some of the latest projects they’ve been working on. You’ll also find links to Pinterest, Facebook, and Houzz, where you can see a huge portfolio of Edge Construction’s work.
If you’re thinking about remodeling, they’d love to talk with you. Give them a call at 608-636-3343. That number again is 636-EDGE.
Joining us this morning from Edge Construction is Mike. Mike, how are you doing?
Mike:
I’m doing well.
Host:
You’re from up north originally, right?
Mike:
Yeah, I grew up in the Fond du Lac area.
Host:
I know some folks from Fond du Lac. There’s definitely a hockey culture up there.
Mike:
There is. If you ever get a chance to go to a game up there, it’s a lot of fun. Hockey is a big deal.
Host:
And you come from a pretty entrepreneurial family too, don’t you?
Mike:
I do. My journey in construction really started with my grandpa. After World War II, he started selling siding out of the Montgomery Ward catalog. He borrowed money from a farmer next door, bought a car, and started selling siding and putting it up. Eventually he built a fairly large flooring company.
He also started making laminate countertops in his garage. Someone would ask him to do a countertop, then they’d say, “Can you put in some flooring too?” and that’s really where the flooring business took off.
Host:
That entrepreneurial spirit is pretty cool.
Mike:
It really is. And on my mom’s side, my grandparents owned a restaurant called Petri’s, a German restaurant that was open for something like 75 years. There are a lot of great family stories there too.
Host:
That sounds like a whole show by itself.
Speaking of growth, Edge Construction has grown over the years too, and I know you’re always looking for good people.
Mike:
We are. On the remodeling side, it’s usually not the place people start their careers, but we do look for skilled people with specialized experience. Maybe someone is really good at tile, or trim, or cabinetry. We do have a few people who can do a little bit of everything, but often we’re looking for someone who brings a strong skill set to the table.
We try hard to be a great place to work and to take good care of our people.
Host:
This week we’re talking about high-performing homes and home performance. Some of that can sound like a buzzword, but a lot of it is very important — comfort, efficiency, indoor air quality, and all the things that make a home work better. Modern homes really are aiming for that high-performance standard, aren’t they?
Mike:
Sometimes, yes. A lot of builders do build for performance by category, but to me a truly high-performing home hits every button. It performs well energy-wise, it feels good, it’s comfortable, it has good indoor air quality, it doesn’t use much energy, and it fits its surroundings.
It should also be well designed so someone doesn’t hate it in 20 years, and it should be built with products that last.
When the word “green” really became popular, everything suddenly started getting marketed that way. But just because something has a green sticker on it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s truly green. A cheap product might use a little less energy, but if it only lasts a couple of years and has to be replaced, that doesn’t seem very green to me.
So when I think about a high-performing home, I think about durability, comfort, health, design, and energy use — not just one certification.
Host:
And one of the things you’ve talked about before is how frustrated you get when homes here aren’t built to last the way buildings are in some parts of Europe.
Mike:
That’s true. I’ve seen how they build in Germany, for example, and they’re building with the expectation that those houses will last hundreds of years. They insulate heavily, they design thoughtfully, and the whole mindset is different.
If you’re building for the long term, then design matters more and the products you put into the house matter more too.
A good example is flooring. Luxury vinyl tile and vinyl plank have become very popular, and yes, they’re durable in some ways. You can hit them with a hammer, put them in water, and they won’t immediately fall apart. But compared to a real wood floor, it’s a different conversation.
We’re refinishing wood floors right now that are 100 years old and still have another 100 years left in them. That’s an amazing product. I don’t know that a vinyl plank floor is going to be doing that decades from now once those locking connections start wearing out.
Host:
That’s an interesting point too — newer isn’t always better.
Mike:
Exactly. There’s a reason some materials have been around for so long. Real wood floors, good insulation, durable finishes — those things last.
A lot of products get chosen for the wrong reasons. Builders like some products because they install quickly and cheaply. Homeowners like some products because they seem easy. But sometimes the best product isn’t the one that goes in the fastest.
Host:
You also brought up VOCs and indoor air quality.
Mike:
Right. A truly high-performing home should check all those boxes too. If you’re putting finishes, adhesives, and engineered materials into a house, those products can release compounds into the air. We’ve gotten a lot better over time with things like water-based finishes, but it took time. The early versions weren’t as good, but now many of them outperform the older products.
That’s part of the bigger picture. I don’t just want a home that uses less energy. I want one that feels good, lasts a long time, looks good, and is healthier to live in.
Host:
One of the things you measure is air infiltration. Explain that a little bit.
Mike:
We use a blower door test. It’s basically a large fan mounted in a doorway that depressurizes the house so we can see how much air is leaking in. Then you run the numbers through a model that factors in square footage, wall height, windows, doors, and so on, and it gives you an idea of how many air exchanges are happening.
That tells you something about how tight the house is. But again, a good number on a test doesn’t automatically mean the house will last or perform well forever. If the materials or methods aren’t right, things can still deteriorate over time.
Host:
And that gets into the “envelope” of the house.
Mike:
Exactly. The envelope is basically the shell of the house — the framing, insulation, air sealing, vapor control, and all the systems that separate inside from outside.
One of the biggest issues is moisture. Air carries moisture, and when that air moves through your walls, that moisture can get trapped. That’s when you start seeing rot, mold, and other problems.
A lot of houses are still built with a sheet of plastic on the inside behind the drywall. In theory, that slows air movement, but it can also trap moisture in the wall. We use a product called MemBrain, which is a smart membrane. When the wall is dry, it behaves like a vapor barrier. When there’s moisture present, it becomes more permeable and lets the wall dry out.
That one change alone can help houses last longer.
Host:
You also use rigid insulation on the outside of the home.
Mike:
Yes. A lot of builders assume that if you want a better wall, you just make it thicker with a 2×6 wall instead of a 2×4 wall. But if we build with a 2×4 wall and then put rigid foam on the outside, we can get better overall performance.
That insulation is out where the cold is, which is where we need it. If you don’t do that, cold can penetrate farther into the wall, and when cold meets warm, you can actually get condensation — even ice — forming inside the wall. We’ve opened up walls before and found ice in them.
That creates moisture problems and long-term damage. The good news is, there are ways to solve it. But they do cost a little more, and a lot of builders don’t want to spend that extra money.
Host:
You mentioned products like Tyvek too.
Mike:
Tyvek helps. It’s an air barrier and it does some good things. But once you staple it on and punch a bunch of holes through it, it’s not ideal. It doesn’t self-seal.
We use products like Blueskin, which is a peel-and-stick membrane. It’s thicker, very sticky, and self-seals around fasteners. It’s more of a pain to install, but it covers every crack and gives you a much better barrier.
There are better products out there. A lot of the challenge is just changing the culture of how homes are built.
Host:
What about passive solar design?
Mike:
That’s another great example of smart building that doesn’t necessarily get enough attention. Passive solar really doesn’t cost much. It’s about designing the house to take advantage of what’s already there — the orientation of the lot, sunlight, shade trees, hillsides, and all of that.
If your best view is to the south and you have a lot of south-facing glass, that’s going to create a lot of heat gain at certain times of year. That can be a good thing in winter if managed properly, but in summer it can make rooms uncomfortable.
Shade trees, roof overhangs, window placement, and thermal mass can all help manage that. It’s not glamorous, but it’s smart. A well-built house that works with its surroundings can be far more comfortable and efficient.
Host:
Let’s talk about mechanical systems too.
Mike:
That’s a huge part of a high-performing home. If you tighten up the envelope and build the shell properly, you also need to control how fresh air comes into the house.
That’s where an ERV comes in — an energy recovery ventilator. It brings fresh air into the house and exhausts stale air out. The two air streams pass through a core where heat is transferred, so in winter the outgoing warm air helps warm the incoming cold air. The new machines are very efficient at doing that.
That means you’re bringing in filtered fresh air instead of relying on outside air leaking in through wall cavities. It helps with comfort, indoor air quality, and health.
We put one in my own house, and both my wife and I noticed a difference. She usually has a nagging winter cough, and this year she hasn’t. The filter on that thing catches an incredible amount of dust and debris.
Host:
Can something like that be added during a remodel too?
Mike:
Absolutely. If we’re already opening things up for a kitchen remodel or another project, that can be a great time to add or upgrade systems like that. We’re often looking at return air, uncomfortable areas of the house, and whether there are ways to improve airflow and balance while we’re already in there.
Host:
It’s always interesting because a lot of what makes a home perform well isn’t necessarily the flashy stuff people notice right away, but it really matters over time.
Mike:
That’s exactly right. The beautiful cabinets matter, the finishes matter, and good design matters — but all the things you don’t see are often what make the house truly comfortable, durable, and healthy.
Host:
If you’d like to learn more, head on over to EdgeConstructionCompany.com. That’s EdgeConstructionCompany.com. You can also call 608-636-3343 — 636-EDGE