The Dostie Difference: Home Insulation
Dostie Homes prides itself in building quality homes that will last for generations to come. Under the beauty and craftsmanship of each Dostie Home are many energy efficient materials that work together to save you money!
The ZIPSystem™ and Radiant Barrier Roof Decking, both covered in previous blog posts, protect your home on the outermost level. Insulation in the ceiling and walls of your home add an extra layer of protection from the Florida heat. Research shows that up to 20% of the cooling load in Florida homes comes from heat directed into the home from the attic. Adequate insulation slows the flow of heat allowing for comfortable temperatures with minimum energy costs.
Insulation is measured in R-values; the higher the R-value, the better your walls and attic will resist the transfer of heat. Energystar.gov recommends attic spaces to be insulated at a minimum R-30 insulation and 2x4 wall studs with a minimum R-13 insulation. The most recent building codes for our climate zone recommend R-38 ceiling attic insulation; however R-30 is still accepted and widely used in our market. Dostie Homes uses R-38 ceiling attic insulation and 2x6 wall construction with R-19 insulation.
So, this “Dostie Difference”, as it relates to energy efficiency, is two-fold. Not only are we using higher than recommended insulation in our attics, our exterior walls are constructed using 2x6 studs with R-19 wall insulation. What does that mean? Well, first the obvious. 2x6 studs are 2” deeper than the standard 2x4 wall stud, which allows for more insulation. In fact, the extra 2” of space allows for MORE wall insulation. The added insulation that a 2x6 wall provides allows your home to maintain cooler temperatures and keeps your energy bills lower!
The combination of R-38 insulation in the attic and 2x6 studs with R-19 insulation in the walls helps reduce your air conditioning bill. A lower power bill translates into more money in your wallet and significant long term savings as energy costs continue to rise!
A few times per month, we will be featuring elements that make Dostie Homes a quality builder. You can rest assured that your decision to build with us is the right choice. Stay tuned for more blog posts on The Dostie Difference!
Q. How did the design process for the Settler's Landing model start?
We had a lot of leeway with the design. Certain elements we took from the inspiration photos. We went with a brighter color palette for summer and garden vibes, so blues and greens throughout the house.
Q. Why did you choose a navy lounger in the Great Room instead of an L-shaped couch?
Sectionals can be bulky in an open space like the Great Room. Making the lounger backless allows for the view to not be obstructed. Having a bench design makes it feel indoor-outdoor, so you can sit on either side and still be inside or outside the house.
PLACE IMAGE HERE
Q. In the master & master bath, you can see black, gold, and brush nickel finishes. Why did you choose to mix metals?
Mixing metals is currently a huge trend. Gold & brushed nickel were the main two we wanted to feature and black & white were used as neutrals. Gold everywhere can be overwhelming, so we wanted to tone it down. Featuring those two metals also helped with the spring/summer themes.
PLACE IMAGE HERE
Q. What was the inspiration for the elements in the Flex Room?
The elements were intentional to match the lake & nature theme of the neighborhood. We wanted everything to feel more playful, but we did want to keep the greens and blues. The rug was the first element and we built off of that. We wanted it to be kid-friendly but stayed away from whites for durability.
PLACE IMAGE HERE
Q. Bedroom 2 has a similar style to the Laundry Room, were they intended to match? Same with Bedroom 3 & the Flex Room?
Yes, they definitely play off of each other. We wanted to tie in the bedrooms with other areas of the house and make it all cohesive. Both bedrooms play off of the garden theme while also incorporating other rooms in the house.
Q. Why did you choose the couch, chairs, and coffee table for outside rather than an outdoor dining set since there is an outdoor kitchen?
We wanted to break it up from the inside design because the flow is living to dining and we didn’t want the outside to duplicate that. We wanted to extend the living room to the outside, so we wanted the pieces out there to be more lounging. However, a dining set could also fit out there.
Q. What was the most difficult room to design?
The Flex Room for sure. The wet bar being open to both sides made it difficult since one is formal and one is geared towards kids. The flex room is also skinnier, so placing furniture to fit the space was harder.
Q. What was your favorite room in the house to design?
The cabana. It is so cute and turned out so well. It was also the easiest to design because it came so naturally. We wanted the cabana to be serene & spa-like since it’s detached from the house, almost like stepping into a beach house.
PLACE IMAGE HERE
Come see Micamy's design work in person at our Settler's Landing Model!
Settler's Landing Model: 79 Harpers Mill Drive Ponte Vedra, FL 32081
Model Hours:
Mon-Sat: 10 am - 6 pm
Sun: 12 pm -6 pm
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