Plastics help make 2022 New American Home attainable, sustainable

Orlando, Fla. — Nobody has to look behind the walls to see the contributions plastic building products bring to this year's New American Home — a three-story dwelling if you count the rooftop deck — on a typical lot in the planned community of Lake Nona in Orlando.

The 2022 showcase residence constructed by the National Association of Home Builders features Ply Gem impact-resistant vinyl windows, Armstrong rigid core flooring, and composite decking and garage doors from Trex and Clopay in addition to plastic products for insulating and plumbing.

NAHB has been unveiling a new home every year that demonstrates the best and latest practices in construction techniques, design concepts and products since 1984. In those nearly four decades, this is the first time vinyl windows were selected and it won't be the last, according to Tucker Bernard, executive director of NAHB's Leading Suppliers Council.

"Vinyl windows have come a long way in the past few years for the ... team to consider in future homes," Tucker said in an email.

A lot of features are different about this year's New American Home, which was unveiled to the media Feb. 7 to kick off NAHB's International Builders' Show Feb. 8-10 at the Orange County Convention Center.

With 4,646 square feet of living space, the 2022 home is about one-third smaller than the average New American Home built within the last 10 years. It's also more affordable and more attainable, sitting on a 50-by-120-foot lot in a community where the median home value is $381,955.

The house was designed to be flexible and meet pandemic-era needs for residences to be places to work, learn, exercise and find sanctuary space. For a strong indoor-outdoor connection, there's a rooftop terrace and all the primary rooms open to a central courtyard that can be used for a pool, lawn, garden or small playground. The 2022 house also has amenities like a shielded, secure parcel nook within the front porch for deliveries.

"The vision was simplicity. Many homes in past builder shows have all been very extravagant, very elaborate $5 million homes. We looked to keep this in the sub $2 million range," Steven Earl, president of Orlando-based Envy Homes LLC, said in an online video.

This year's home does have "some drama," added Envy Homes CEO Serena Hahn.

"It's a courtyard house so you can see every aspect from any angle. That was intentional," she said. "We had a narrow lot, which can create challenges but also chances to do something different, to go outside the box."

Hahn describes the house as upscale coastal but without all the sticker shock.

"I don't think luxury has to have the highest price point," she said. "That's why we chose to use architectural elements as design. You're putting windows in the house. Why not create a piece of art with drama? It started with that."

Extensive windows and telescoping patio doors bring in natural light and blur the lines between interior and exterior spaces.

Cary, N.C.-based Cornerstone Building Brands Inc. supplied the 33 Ply Gem-brand vinyl impact casement windows as well as the sliding patio doors installed in the New American Home. The windows are part of the company's 1570 series that will hit the market in the second quarter. The patio doors are set to launch later this year.

With $2.8 billion in annual sales, Cornerstone is the second-largest pipe, profile and tubing extruder in North America, according to Plastics News data.

Company officials expect the market to embrace the 1570 series of windows. The unlimited size options and a variety of frames, colors, grilles and glass options make the windows suitable for any new construction project, according to Steve Hoffins, Cornerstone's vice president of windows marketing.

The window series is available in single, twin, triple and quad configurations, all featuring a common mullion for a seamless appearance and water-tight performance. The series also offers complementary awning windows, fixed picture windows and a wide selection of architectural shapes.

"The expansive product offering can be combined into stunning window combinations that create a focal point in a home," Hoffins said in an email.

Buyers have a choice of five exterior colors (white, almond, clay, bronze and black) and three interior colors (white, almond and clay) for a custom look.

For performance, Hoffins said the Ply Gem 1500 series vinyl windows feature strong, interlocking components and dual weatherstripping that keep wind and rain at bay. The Ply Gem 1570 window series also received an overall LC 50 rating, he added, which means they meet or exceed stringent building code requirements.

The window series is also recognized as an Energy Star product, partly because of the certified Low-E glass packages that deflect heat in summer and keep warmed air inside during the winter for all-season comfort.

"The 1570 series windows in the New American Home feature our solar cooling Low-E glass, which helps block heat from the sun and is Energy Star-certified in the Southern and South Central zones," Hoffins said.

For added insulation against energy loss, Argon gas, which is six times denser than air, is sealed between the glass panes in High-Performance HP glass packages, and for thermal efficiency there is the option to order HPMax triple-pane glass packages, which provide two separate insulating airspaces and multiple surfaces of Low-E glass, Hoffins said.

The New American Home is designed to be a symbol of energy efficiency that meets or exceeds requirements for Energy Star certification. The house also achieved emerald-level status for the National Green Building Standard and is zero-energy ready, which means a renewable energy system, such as solar panels, can offset all or most of its annual energy consumptions.

A lot of the building products that go into the energy rating of a home are behind the walls. They seal air and moisture leaks and insulate walls and pipes.

For the 2022 New American Home, builders used a new oriented-strand board product called LP WeatherLogic that is manufactured by combining wood strands oriented in cross-directional layers with waxes and resins to add strength and stiffness. LP promotes the product as "structural defense" for a house.

The builders also went with Benjamin Obdyke products such as Slicker Max, a patented polypropylene rainscreen, and HydroGap SA, a self-adhered weather-resistive barrier (WRB) with a tri-laminate PP composition and a continuous breathable acrylic adhesive.

The rainscreen has vertical channels that direct water out of the wall assembly for drainage and ventilation. The product protects against mold and rot while eliminating the need for furring strips, which saves time and labor.

HydroGap, which hit the market a year ago, is billed as the first and only self-adhered WRB that incorporates a true drainage space for moisture to escape. The adhesion is different, too.

"While other self-adhered housewraps on the market use a butyl-based adhesive, the acrylic technology provides greater UV resistance and longevity from higher temperatures," the company website says.

Moving into the wall assembly, the builders went with Fi-Foil Co.'s Flex Foam R 4.5, which reduces radiant heat transfer to maintain indoor comfort, as well as a reflective foil called M Shield for another layer of energy efficiency.

After the drywall was installed, the synthetic sealant AeroBarrier was sprayed to fill air gaps and holes. Manufactured by a division of Aeroseal LLC, which is based in Centerville, Ohio, AeroBarrier acts as an air barrier around ceilings, walls, floors, doors, windows, and electrical and plumbing fixtures.

The house also has a rooftop deck with a 270-degree view, full kitchen, dining area, seating areas and a louvered pergola as part of its outdoor living spaces. Trex Co. Inc. supplied its Trex Enhance decking in a color called Coastal Bluff.

"You can go up to the rooftop and see that you're in a metropolis, see the airplanes coming into the airport, and see the downtown center. The house is really a two-story with a magnificent terrace up top," Early said.

Trex Enhance decking, which is made from reclaimed wood and recycled polyethylene, has a scalloped underside to reduce material use and product costs as well as make the boards as lightweight as lumber.

Trex passes the material savings on to consumers to close the spending gap between composite decking and pressure-treated lumber.

With $881 million in annual sales, Trex is the No. 6 pipe, profile and tubing extruder in North America, according to PN's latest ranking.

Inside the house, the builders used Armstrong Empower-brand flooring, which has a fiberglass-reinforced mineral rigid core that the manufacturer says outperforms traditional rigid core in both indent and stability.

The product is made by Lancaster, Pa.-based Armstrong Flooring Inc., which announced Dec. 31, 2021, that it hired a firm to assist with a process to sell the company and consider other strategic alternatives.

Armstrong Flooring lost $29.7 million on sales of $168.5 million during the three months ending Sept. 30. While sales were up 7.6 percent in the third quarter, the company says inflation in product costs as well as higher domestic and ocean freight continued to outpace pricing actions.

The company owns seven production facilities, including five in the United States and one each in China and Australia, after selling a facility in South Gate, Calif., for $76.7 million in March 2021.

The New American Home shows a new Armstrong flooring product that looks like wood but can be installed in direct sunlight and three-season rooms. Empower-brand flooring also has an attached underlayment to reduce noise as well as the company's Diamond 10-brand technology, which is a coating that protects against scratches and stains.

Armstrong also provided its VersaStyle engineered tile, which can be grouted for a true look and features a no-wax urethane wear layer to repel stains.

For the garage, Clopay provided the Canyon Ridge Modern doors. The garage doors are produced from a durable, low-maintenance faux wood composite material that resists rot and weathering. The doors also feature an energy-efficient polyurethane foam insulated steel core that provides an 18.4 R-value.

Out the door, this year's model of the New American Home is expected to sell for about $2.6 million.