A home with good bones is one that most anyone would be happy to move into, but especially those who are looking for long-term stability and low maintenance requirements. Homes with good bones possess characteristics and features that make for easy remodeling as well as long-term, trouble-free living.
In order to bring you up to speed, let’s take a look at some features that a home should have if it’s to be considered as having good bones.
1. Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is how efficiently a home uses the energy it consumes. This typically refers to the air-tightness of the walls and roof, as well as the condition of the HVAC system, lighting, and plumbing.
A home with high energy efficiency should not have many leaks in these areas, as this leads to the wasting of resources and requires you to use more energy to achieve the same effect. Properly installed siding, for instance, often means that there won’t be any air leaks near the outside door trim or other places known for leaking air.
2. A Good Foundation
While Central Texas homes are prone to settling, getting an expert evaluation to determine foundation stability is an imperative step when purchasing your next home. A home with a good foundation should be as level as possible, and not be built on soil that’s going to settle or shift over time. Cinder blocks are the base material for almost all foundations, but the framing within the walls can vary from typical wood-frame construction to ICF’s.
Insulated concrete forms are one likely sign of a strong foundation because their durability and interlocking setup allow for less possibility of air and moisture leaks. A home built with a tilt up wall construction method is also much better off with an ICF foundation.
3. Durable Surfaces
Within the interior of the home, you want to look for surfaces that are durable and won’t require regular maintenance. Highly durable materials for surfaces include quartz, premium hardwood, and acrylic solid surfaces. Acrylic solid surfaces, in particular, possess long-term durability and are easy to clean thanks to their seamless design.
4. New Shingles
Shingles tend to wear out over time, with most not lasting much longer than a decade. Finding new shingles on a roof is a sign of good bones because it means you likely won’t have to replace them anytime soon.
Worn out shingles can lead to water intrusion, rot, and mold growth without you noticing it until it’s too late. You want a home with newer shingles or shingles of a more durable variety, such as synthetic cedar shingles as opposed to regular asphalt ones.
A Home with Good Bones Should be Trouble-Free for Many Years
If you want a home with good bones, start by looking for one that has all the characteristics listed in this article. By ensuring your home has new or synthetic shingles, durable interior surfaces, a solid foundation, and high energy efficiency, you can minimize the amount of potential for future problems to arise, as well as lessen your maintenance requirements and make life easier on yourself for decades to come.
Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.
