What’s up with Trusses?

Since the late 1970’s, building code for new home construction changed to require stronger roof trusses depending upon the elevation of the homesite. In Bend, Oregon, that required that the trusses increase to hold up to 25 Lbs. of snow load for a limited time without failing. Trusses are designed to hold around 12 – 18” […]


What to Expect When Building Your Own Home

There are lots of happy stories with happy people that built their own homes and survived to tell about it. Yet for every one of those, there are 10 more that later wished they had hired a good home builder. This is the story of Milt and Chris Ritter who decided to build a net […]


Insulation in New Homes: A Complete Guide for Builders and Homeowners

Insulation plays a vital role in how a new home performs. The right approach helps maintain consistent indoor temperatures, lowers heating and cooling costs, reduces noise, and protects the structure from moisture and air leaks. Modern building science has expanded the range of materials and methods available for new construction insulation—from traditional fiberglass batts to […]


Home Science Series Part 2 : HVAC

You would be hard pressed to find the HVAC system New Era Homes employs in any home under $1M. Once we develop the shell of the home, we install a lifetime HVAC ducting system using a rigid piping system. The most common practice is for builders to use a flex duct system (think Slinky). Unfortunately, […]