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This home consists of nearly 6,000 sq/ft
of heated living area located on 3 levels. In addition
to the living area constructed in PolySteel, the garage
and garage foundation are all constructed of PolySteel
as well. The project consists of 1,113 PolySteel 6”
straight forms and 343 PolySteel 6” 90 degree corner
forms. While this was the very first PolySteel project
for all parties involved, not a single budge or form
blowout occurred.
The exterior of the home is predominately
Synthetic Stucco with some cultured stone and wood shake
siding used as well. Given the extensive moisture and
wood rot problems that have been associated with the use
of stucco on wood frame construction in this area, the
homeowners felt very secure using stucco applied to a
PolySteel wall. This one issue sold them on the use of
PolySteel and all the many other benefits were
considered to be merely a bonus at that time.
Since moving in, the homeowners have come
to realize the remarkable thermal efficiency of their
new PolySteel home with their winter energy bills
averaging only $200 per month. This $200 is outstanding
when you consider the 6,000 s/f of living area to be
heated, the home utilizes an electric heat pump and the
very very cold winter that North Carolina has
experienced this year.
During one cold spell in December an ice
and snow storm devastated the state leaving over a
million homes without power for several days while
temperatures remained below freezing. The Federal
Government declared the State of North Carolina a
disaster area. During this crisis, the homeowners
lost power and their only source of heating for several
days. The interior temperature of their home
remained consistently above 70 degrees despite the power
outage and cold temperatures. At the same time, hundreds
of thousands of Carolinians had to seek emergency
shelter as the interiors of their wood frame homes
rapidly cooled within hours of losing electrical
service. The highly efficient thermal envelope created
by the PolySteel walls of this home has proven itself
and its value within a few short months.
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