Blower door testing Port St Lucie projects doesn’t always come with much notice. This week was a perfect example, and one that reminded me why the service side of Stellar Building Performance is every bit as important to me as performing the testing itself.
This week’s field work brought me to a new DeLeon Contracting home in southwestern Port St. Lucie, in the residential area around SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard and SW Tulip Boulevard. The contractor needed blower door testing completed as part of moving the home toward its Certificate of Occupancy, and the timing on this one was especially tight. DeLeon Contracting contacted me at approximately 2:15 PM needing a blower door test completed on a new construction home in Port St. Lucie as part of getting the residence to Certificate of Occupancy.
By 4:40 PM, I was onsite performing the test. Before 5:00 PM, DeLeon had the completed report. From our first conversation to a finished job, the entire process took less than three hours.
For builders working around final inspections, construction schedules and closing deadlines, responsiveness can make a real difference. If you have a Port St. Lucie project approaching final energy-code testing, contact Stellar early when possible, but if the schedule gets tight, give me a call and I’ll see what I can do. My goal is to give you the best service possible.
Table of Contents
Blower Door Testing Port St Lucie Result: 4.07 ACH50
The home was depressurized to approximately 50 Pascals using our Retrotec blower door system and measured 765.7 CFM50. Based on the volume of the home, that equated to a final result of 4.07 ACH50.
ACH50, or air changes per hour at 50 Pascals, provides a standardized measurement of the overall airtightness of the building envelope. The blower door measures the amount of airflow required to maintain the 50-Pascal pressure difference, and the home’s volume is then used to convert that airflow measurement into ACH50. What made the 4.07 ACH50 result particularly interesting to me was how this home’s air barrier was constructed.
Unlike some of the tighter spray-foam homes we’ve recently tested, this house uses blown insulation at the ceiling rather than spray foam. That makes the air-sealing work at the ceiling plane particularly important to the performance of the finished building envelope.
A result of 4.07 ACH50 is a great example of the kind of envelope performance that can be achieved with this construction approach when the air barrier at the ceiling is completed well.
For contractors using conventional attic and insulation assemblies, Stellar can perform blower door testing to measure the completed building envelope and provide the documentation needed for project closeout.
Good Air Sealing Doesn’t Require Spray Foam
We’ve recently tested some impressively tight spray-foam homes, including our 1.42 ACH50 blower door test at Lucaya Point in Vero Beach and additional blower door testing at Highpointe. Those projects provide good examples of what a spray-foam building-envelope strategy can accomplish.
This DeLeon Contracting home gives us a different example.
The house uses blown insulation, so the ceiling plane has to function as an effective air barrier between the conditioned space and the attic. That also means the quality of the air barrier matters.
The final blower door test gives us a way to measure how all of that work performs together once construction reaches the testing stage.
In this case, 4.07 ACH50 demonstrated a well-executed air barrier without relying on spray foam to accomplish it.
That’s something I want these Project Updates to document over time. There isn’t only one way to construct a good building envelope. Seeing results from different builders, assemblies and construction strategies gives us real field examples of how homes throughout the Treasure Coast are actually performing.
If you’re a builder who wants measurable feedback on your building-envelope performance in addition to the required testing documentation, talk with Stellar about incorporating blower door testing into your construction and QA process.
A Small Home With a Modern Luxury Feel
The blower door result wasn’t the only thing that stood out about this project.
At approximately 1,200 square feet of living area, this isn’t an enormous house, but DeLeon did a great job giving the home a modern luxury feel within a relatively compact footprint.
The black-and-white exterior immediately gives it a contemporary look. Inside, that style continues with glossy flooring, black fixtures, pendant lighting, a large kitchen island and clean modern finishes.
It was still under construction when I arrived, with cabinetry and other finishing work underway, but you could already see what the completed home was going to look like.
These details obviously don’t affect an ACH50 calculation, but I think they’re worth including.
One of the things I enjoy about doing field testing is seeing the variety of homes being built throughout Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach and the rest of our service area. The technical reason I’m there might be a blower door test, duct leakage test or another energy-code requirement, but I still get to appreciate the craftsmanship and design choices that go into the finished project.
Our Project Updates capture these smaller day-to-day field visits, while our more detailed Projects take a deeper look at larger projects, builder relationships and interesting building-performance work.
Building in Port St. Lucie? Stellar works directly with contractors and builders who need reliable energy-code testing without adding unnecessary friction to the construction process.
From First Phone Call to Completed Report in Under 3 Hours
The part of this particular project that gives me the most pride actually has very little to do with the 4.07 ACH50 result.
It was how easy we were able to make the process for the contractor.
DeLeon called at approximately 2:15 PM. They needed the blower door testing completed to keep the home moving toward CO, and I had an opening that allowed me to accommodate the project that afternoon.
The contractor didn’t need to wait at the house for me.
The necessary paperwork was left on the kitchen counter, access to the home was arranged, and I was able to handle the rest independently.
I arrived at approximately 4:40 PM, completed the blower door testing and documentation, secured the house when I left, and delivered the finished report before 5:00 PM.
DeLeon was able to keep working on everything else they had going on without losing part of their afternoon waiting for an inspector or testing contractor.
That’s the experience I want builders to have when they work with Stellar Building Performance.
For builders with homes approaching CO, Stellar can coordinate directly with your team to make testing and documentation one less thing your superintendent or project manager has to chase down.
More Than an Inspector, a Trade Partner
This project is a great example of what I mean when I describe Stellar as a trade partner rather than simply an inspection company.
The testing still has to be performed correctly. A tight construction schedule doesn’t change the test procedure or the result.
But everything surrounding that test can make a contractor’s life easier or harder.
Communication matters. Showing up when you say you will matters. Respecting and securing someone’s project matters. Getting the documentation turned around promptly matters. And being willing to work with the construction schedule when possible matters. That’s customer service in this industry.
I don’t want to promise that every 2:15 PM phone call can result in a completed report before 5:00 PM. Scheduling doesn’t always make that possible. But when I have the ability to help a contractor keep a project moving, I’m going to make the effort to do it.
DeLeon was delighted with the experience and expects to call Stellar again when their next home reaches the testing stage in about a month. That’s the kind of recurring builder relationship I’m proud to build.
If you’re looking for an energy-code testing company that approaches your project like another member of the construction team, request testing with Stellar or give me a call to discuss what’s coming up.
Blower Door and Energy Code Testing in Port St. Lucie
Stellar Building Performance provides blower door testing and energy-code field testing throughout Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County for home builders, general contractors, HVAC contractors and owner-builders.
Whether it’s a single home approaching CO or a builder with multiple projects in the pipeline, the goal is the same: perform the testing correctly, communicate clearly and make the closeout process as smooth as possible.
You can see more of our day-to-day testing in the Blower Door Testing and Project Updates archives.
Have a home approaching final inspection or CO? Request Services from Stellar Building Performance or call to discuss your testing schedule.
Comments are closed