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The art of building a home
By Erin Michaud
Sep 15, 2003

Building a house can be a lot of stress, as well as a hassle, but in the words of Suzanne Broussard, a woman in the process of building a home in Bells, “I am having so much fun doing it!” Mrs. Broussard and her husband, Kit, will be moving to Bells from McKinney. They were looking to get away from the crowded city and happened upon some land in this area. “We found the land, and instantly fell in love with it. The gently rolling hills, relaxed atmosphere, and friendly people were really great.”

The Broussards next step was to build a home once they had the land in their possession. As with all people looking toward that end, they had a lot to consider. Decisions had to be made on the location, materials, people, companies, etc. They wanted a traditional looking but high performance, low maintenance home that would last for generations, much longer than the usual 2x4 framed homes built today. They designed the house to look like a traditional ranch style homestead with covered porches running the length of the house in the front and back.

Choosing the materials was next on the agenda, and it was done after much research. “We decided to use several different things, instead of just the usual Timber Frame. Besides that, we are using Perform Wall Systems (also know as ICFs or Insulating Concrete Forms), and Structural Insulated Panels (SIPS).” Perform Wall ICFs are hollow blocks or panels made of 85% recycled polystyrene (styrofoam) and 15% cement that construction crews stack to form the walls of the building. The workers then reinforce the walls with steel rebar and fill the centers with concrete to create the structure. When completed, the house frame is made of steel reinforced concrete, not 2x4 sticks. A home built with Perform Wall Panels is extremely resistant to fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, insects, earthquakes and fungus and mildew, including black mold. Because of the thermal-mass of the completed wall (around 10 inches), the temperature is almost always constant, thus reducing your heating and AC bills. SIPs are high performance building panels that can be used for floors, ceilings, and walls. SIPs are made with a six-inch layer of polystyrene sandwiched between two plywood sheets. The thickness of these panels provide superior insulation and keeps air drafts down to a minimum, thus providing a more energy efficient building. And, the Broussards used the timber frame because they love the look of wood. “Look around, and then tell me why not to use wood!” Suzanne said. “It is absolutely beautiful, and reminds me of an old homestead, or a barn. My husband and I really like that look.” With advantages such as these, the Broussards decided to make use of this technology.

To get the construction process going, Kit and Suzanne chose North Texas Help-U-Build. “The decision to use North Texas Help-U Build (NTxHUB) was an easy one, after talking to Michael Michaud, the owner of the company. He was really easy to work with, and had the interest of the homebuilder, and not himself in mind.” North Texas Help-U Build is a custom home construction and consulting company that specializes in helping people build their own homes at a lower total cost by enabling the homeowner to act as their own general contractor. NTxHUB is based in Bonham, but works with clients from Texarkana in the northeast to Glenrose in the southwest. His approach to the building process is with the customer’s long term objectives in mind instead of what is easiest for the builder. “I recommend highly efficient, green-building technologies such as ICFs to my clients. While the initial cost is a little higher, the payback to the immediate homeowner and conservation of our nation’s energy resources is huge.”

As for why they chose Hearthstone Timber framers, which is a specialty timber-framing company, “The people are extremely friendly, wonderful to work with, and very knowledgeable. They really know what they are doing. They also have a beautifully engineered product that makes the building process less stressful.”

Mr. Chris Adkins, a Hearthstone Timber Framer who worked on the Broussard’s house, said that using the ICF and SIPs technology with timber frame creates the sturdiest structures that he has ever seen. “I really like this technology because I know that we are building quality homes that will withstand the elements for people to enjoy.” Hearthstone Timber framers have worked on jobs for people all over the United States, from Tennessee to Illinois, Texas to Mississippi and all in between.

Suzanne and Kit are pleased with the work that both North Texas Help-U Build and Hearthstone Timber framers have provided for them. “It is amazing how much difference the people can make when building a house.” When asked if she had any advice for anyone interested in building a house, Suzanne responded, ”Get help! Don’t do it by yourself! It will turn out to be a bigger job than you first thought. Get help from the experts, and make use of their knowledge. You will be glad you did.”

If you would like more information on either North Texas Help-U Build or Hearthstone Timber framers, please feel free to visit their web sites. http://www.ntxhub.com and http://www.hearthhomes.com