Here is what the new owners said about Absolute Construction and Development:

“We chose to work with Absolute because they came highly recommended. Our expectations
have been exceeded at every turn. Nelu and Lisa Skumpija are a wonderful team who make a
daunting project as stress-free as possible, and in the process you get to know them as friends.
Absolute’s subcontractors are part of the team, and their competence and commitment are apparent
when you first meet them. Everyone pulls together to overcome any challenge, no matter how large
or small, to build a quality house and meet the clients’ needs. We could not be happier with the way
this project has gone.” Bev and Pat, Chapel Ridge

See the full gallery here:

The grand wrap around covered porch features Azek decking, perfect for nature watching. This house is Energy Star certified, which includes spray foam insulation and a sealed crawl space.

The main house features all hardwood floors, roughed in speakers and a security system. The stamped concrete patio in the back of the house is perfect for outdoor entertaining.

This house built by Absolute Construction and Development is truly an oasis with happy home owners.

The gallery for this beautiful house can be found here: Gallery

“We never wanted to build a house, heard too many stories of problems with the process, but build we did and we are so happy with our decision.  Absolute Construction, Nelu and Lisa Skumpija and their vendors and sub-contractors gave us a beautiful and well constructed house.  They involved us in each step of the process, gave us a list of vendors and a timetable for meeting deadlines for their product lines, and kept us apprised of costs so we stayed in budget and within the parameters set for completion.  Nelu listened to our suggestions for changes and accommodated as many of these ideas as was practical and suggested a few of his own. The end result is more than a quality, Energy Star efficient house; it is our home, unique to us and our needs.   As we live in it we hope to take as good of care of it as Absolute Construction did in building it.

Thank you Nelu and Lisa and all your wonderful workers for making our dream come true.” 

Rod and Susan H. – Chapel Ridge

See more pictures in the Gallery.

We are proud to announce a 3rd year in a row Gold Medal winner in Chapel Ridge in one of the few categories that had 5 houses in it!  The front elevation, kitchen and pantry won the Special Feature awards.  The house was completed at $131/square foot which included plans, permits, landscaping, spray foam insulation, 2 fireplaces, central vac, Energy Star certification, 4″ red oak hardwood floors on first floor, screened porch, granite counterops in bathrooms and laundry and many more items which most builders consider upgrades!

One judge gave a perfect score of 395 points!  Some of the judges’ comments included:

“Kitchen is best in show. ”

“Nothing else compares in any price range.”

“Trim package is very nice.”

“About as good as it gets.”

We just started our 13th house in Chapel Ridge and look forward to working with many more landowners!

It’s that time of year – the 2011 Parade of Homes! If you are in the area please come visit our 2011 Parade Entry in The Estates of Chapel Ridge. Judging was today – the awards are given Tuesday. We are anxiously awaiting the results and hope we can add an award to our 2009 and 2010 gold medals!

This year’s Parade home was built just under $130/square foot and includes Energy Star certification, spray foam insulation, gourmet kitchen with fireplace, stainless steel appliances, custom designed pantry and closets, granite in kitchen, all bathrooms and laundry room, 4″ plank red oak floors, steam shower, screened porch, floor to ceiling stone 2nd fireplace, custom cabinets – many beautiful options.

Parade days and times are October, 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 and 16 from 12-5. If you would like more information on our homes and can’t make the Parade please contact us at 919-929-1057 or info@AbsoluteHomeBuilders.com. Look forward to hearing from you!

“We selected Absolute Construction as our builder for a variety of reasons, but after visiting the homes that Nelu built, we were sold! The craftsmanship, style and attention to detail were exactly what we were looking for and our new home can now be added to the list of beautiful homes in Chatham County.

Living out of state for the entire building process could have been a significant disadvantage and we were concerned about it at the beginning. However, Lisa and Nelu were diligent about keeping us informed of the construction progress and expenses. We received electronic photos regularly which thrilled us to no end. When we were able to visit, Nelu arranged meetings with contractors according to our schedules and they were generous with their time and attention to us. 

Nelu and Lisa are a complete package and an effective team throughout the process. Lisa’s attention to detail in all things financial is something that cannot be overlooked. She acted as a liaison with the vendors, intervening on our behalf when necessary and settling any potential conflicts. They are both true to their word and honored all commitments to us. 

Our new home is really a life–long dream come true and we are so happy with the end product. We believe that Lisa and Nelu were the main reason that we had an overall fantastic experience. Their flexibility, integrity and skill make them a solid and smart choice for anyone considering building a home.” 

Debra and Eloisa, Silk Hope

“Thank you for building me a beautifully constructed home. Everyone who has seen my house, both in its early stages and in its completed state, has been captivated by the workmanship, care and professionalism exhibited.The quantative evidence of this is the 72 Energy Star rating: energy efficiency must be below 86 to qualify for Energy Star status.

I am also grateful to you both for working with me from the beginning, when I was very much in doubt whether this project could be done, through the difficult financing process. You understood that I had a tight budget and worked with me so well that I had money left to cover  the cost of permits and other such expenses I thought I would have to pay out-of-pocket (and which you graciously paid up front).

All in all it was a fun experience, at least for me. Thank you for helping my dream come true in such a wonderful and gorgeous fashion. I wish you both much happiness in the future.”

                                        C. Phillips, Silk Hope

• What are the line item allowances 
• What is the change order process
• How is the 1-year punch list process handled/managed?

In this day and age, especially with a tough market, some builders are trying to cut profit margins by pricing each job out with different suppliers and trade vendors. But what does that do to the overall loyalty and customer service for each client?  More often than not, you hear horror stories from homeowners, both high and low-end, running into problems after they move into the house that they can’t get resolved.  Our theory is that this is mainly due to a lack of mutual loyalty and respect between the builder and suppliers/trades.  If the builder is shopping around and responding to the lowest vendor, what is the likelihood of that vendor being accessible - or even in business –  in the year after the homeowners have moved in?  We tell people all the time that the 1-year period after moving in as almost as important as the 6-month building process. I would suggest to any homeowner that they need to add the following questions to their qualifying process:

Do you use the same suppliers/trade vendors? How long have you worked with them?

What is the likelihood that they will still be in business the year after our house is built?

Are they local vendors to be able to service urgent needs - such as plumbing leaks or the AC going out in the middle of summer?

Are they accessible 24/7 vs. Mon-Fri, 9-5?

A benefit to using the same vendors, in addition to the accessibility they tend to offer during the 1-year punch list period, is that they tend to work well together and have open communication when building your home. This can minimize any “trade conflict” (such as low voltage interfering with high voltage wiring). All of these factors should be addressed when interviewing builders.

At Absolute Construction and Development, LLC we have used the same suppliers/trades since we started building in NC.  We feel that by giving them our loyalty we in turn receive exceptional workmanship, customer service and the knowledge that they will go above and beyond to meet our expectations. There have been times where we’ve called one of them at 8:00pm on a Saturday and have had them at the home by 10:00am the very next day.  You don’t get that kind of service and loyalty when you are constantly swapping out trade vendors.

  “We were lucky: Our home building process went smoothly due to Lisa and Nelu’s amazing communication and attention to detail. Perhaps the most interactive portion of the process for us came after we moved in. The punch list seemed a little overwhelming at first but Lisa and Nelu really made it easy. All of the things that make them successful were so obvious to us while we worked together on the punch list. The first one wraps up all the details of the build and ensures that your brand new house is shiny and perfect. But, a lot happens in that first year of your new home – with each passing season, your home settles, swells and moves just a little – cabinet doors crack, hardwood floors separate and nail pops need fixed and repainted. Almost a year after you move in, you might expect your builder to care just a little less about your home but this couldn’t be further from the truth with Absolute Construction. Our happiness and satisfaction were just as important to them at that one year mark as it was when we were negotiating the contract. I think that’s amazing and I would recommend Absolute Construction to anyone.”  Michael and Brianne K., Pittsboro, NC

When addressing heat transfer into and out of a housing/building structure, one needs to address all three forms of heat transfer:

1. Conduction – conduction is the transfer of heat through a solid member such as studs in your walls and roof, sheathings, etc… The resistance to conductive heat transfer (R-values) is the current standards used for by the industry to measure the effectiveness of the insulation.
2. Convection – convection is the transfer of heat through a viscous material such as air. Regardless of the R-values, if the insulation material allows air to transfer/move through it, its overall insulation effective performance is significantly diminished. How effectively a structure have been built to resist convective heat transfer can be measured through the use of “blow door testing”
3. Radiant  – radiant heat transfer is the transfer of heat through energy waves. For example, the roof from a conventionally vented attic absorbs heat energy from the sun and heats up to temperature in excess of 160 degree F. The heat is then transferred through the roof sheathing and studs through conductive heat transfer and then re-radiate inward into the attic. The result is an attic with temperature in excess of 130 degree F or more. While reflective sheathings and reflective foil claims to reduce the heat by 17 to 30%, a foam insulated attic will stop up to 95% of total heat transfer into the attic.

Why is R-value not a true representative example of insulation values?

In a conventionally insulated home, conductive heat transfers only accounts for about 10-20% of the total heat lost and gains. Convective heat lost can accounts for as much as 60% of the total heat lost and heat gains. In addition, radiant heat transfer (heat gains from the sun’s radiant energy) will account for the remaining 20-30%. Furthermore, the R-values of conventional insulations are tested in a laboratory setting and does not take real life conditions into account.  Studies have shown that fiber glass insulation installed where air transfer are allow to circulate through it, will performed only at 30-50% of the claimed insulation values (ie. An R 13 in the exterior walls is only as effective as an R-5 to R-7 in actual performance value.) It is this author’s opinion that the department of Insurance and Department of Energy reconsider the current and obsolete manor for determining the true insulated values of an insulation  by taken into account not just resistance to conductive heat transfer (R-values), but also heat lost and gain through convective and radiant heat transfer. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) conducted an experiment (*) to determine the efficiency of a roof assembly insulated with low density, loose-fill fiberglass insulation and discovered that up to 50% of the heat loss occurred as a result of convection; air circulation through the insulation. This result showed that the air-permeable insulation had loss its anticipated thermal performance level by half and that convective heat transfer had a significant negative impact on insulation performance.

Closed Cell (Medium Density) Foam vs Open Cell (Low Density) Foam.

There currently exist two types of foam being use in residential applications: Open cell – Low density foam, and Closed Cell – Medium density foam. There are positive and negative to both products:

Open Cell Positives:

• High thermal efficiency, performed at 98% of prescriptive R-values
• Lower cost – approximately 50% the cost of closed cell foam for same prescriptive R-values
• Same thermal efficiency as closed cell at half the cost
• Is a registered air barrier at 3.5” for most open cell foam
• Cured in under 1 minute
• Has zero off-gas
• Does not create dust
• When engineered with the HVAC system: provides for a healthy, energy efficient, low humidity, and comfortable indoor air quality
• Adds toward building structure strength
• Is a durable building material – certain manufactures will guarantee the product for the life of the structure
• Excellent at suppressing audible noise
• Has low environmental effects

Open Cell Negative:

• Is not a vapor barrier, so in northern climate zones a vapor barrier (6 mil plastic) is required on the inside of the thermal envelope
• Some open cell foam product will wick water, if this trait is high in a foam product, it could lead to water issues if house is not properly dried in (seek out hydrophobic foam products)
• Requires significant trimming and has large quantity of waste

 Closed Cell Positive:

• Higher R-values per inch when compared to conventional insulation and open cell foam.
• Is a vapor barrier
• Provide significant strength to building
• Excellent at suppressing audible noise
• Is a durable building material – certain manufactures will guarantee the product for the life of the structure
• Does not create dust
• Is a vapor and air barrier

Closed Cell Negative:

• Extensive period of off-gas (up to 2 years)
• Not recommended for people with sensitivity to chemicals, allergy, or have respiratory issues
• VOCs
• In North Carolina, the vapor barrier is placed on the wrong side of the building
• Closed cell foam underneath roof can result in roof rot is roof leaks occur
• Experienced company like Healthy Home Insulation, LLC who installed both open and closed cell foam has made it a practice to not utilized closed cell foam in residential application due to the health water damage liabilities.

Conclusion:

As a consumer, we can significant reduce utility cost for heating and cooling our new and existing homes by 50-70%. We can live in a home with superior indoor air quality, is quiet and comfortable. Foam insulation is the most energy efficient insulation product currently available in the market. The use of foam insulation should however, must be incorporated into the house as a system and not use just as a single building product. Correct sizing of the HVAC system(s) by an experience HVAC contractor or building engineer is strongly recommended and will provide for maximum energy efficiency, long-Gevity of the HVAC equipment, proper ventilation and dehumidification of indoor air quality, comfort and a healthy indoor air conditions. Foam insulation is one of the very few building product that can provide an immediate return on investment for new construction and has a ROI in existing retrofit projects in as little as two years.

Written by: Tu N. Nguyen, Healthy Home Insulation LLC.