Frosted Windows?
Our extreme cold weather can wreak havoc on our daily living. Near the top of that list is the nuisance of ice and condensation build up on our windows.

We’re here to tell you that it’s something to attend to but not that uncommon in freezing temperatures.

With extreme cold outside temperatures, beads of moisture or condensation can accumulate on the inside glazing of your windows. Then a layer of frost or ice develops on the glass or in the corners near the window frame, it’s natural to worry. What are the causes, and if your windows have this problem, what can be done?  

The primary culprit for this condition is interior humidity levels, lowering your humidity will reduce moisture and sweat or ice build-up on your windows.

When ice forms on the insides of windows, it is cold air from the window itself coming in contact with the moist air in your home and freezing.

Contrary to our common sense, don’t close heavy drapes during freezing temperatures as they only serve to trap more moisture against the cold glass.

Be sure all your kitchen, laundry and bath vents are working properly and vented to the outside. Running your ceiling fans, reverse setting (clockwise and slowly) to pull warm air up, is also a helpful to keep air circulating in the room.

The Right Humidity
One key way to stop condensation forming on your windows is to pay attention to your Indoor humidity levels in winter. The humidity level of your home needs to reflect the outdoor temperatures. If you have sweaty or frosty windows, your indoor humidity levels are too high. A cold day such as 10 degrees means the humidifier recommended setting would be for 30% relative humidity. Most people aren’t aware that unless they have an “automatic” humidifier that comes with an outdoor temperature sensor, they need to change the setting of the humidifier based on the outdoor temperature. See chart in this blog.  


Whole House Humidifiers
Most of us are familiar with the benefits of small portable humidifiers. Portable whole house humidifiers are much larger to improve the air quality in a larger area. If you use one, we suggest you buy a hygrometer, also known as a humidistat from a hardware store to measure the humidity level accurately.  
Alternatively, you can opt for a whole house humidifier that installs directly into your cooling and heating system to ensure that your indoor air quality remains consistent year-round.

In a cold snap like ours, your windows get colder than ever and cold air can’t hold as much moisture as warm air, if there’s too much humidity in your home – yep – frosty windows.

Old Windows vs New
If your windows are old and you’re experiencing condensation and frost buildup during severe weather, it could be that there is poor or no insulation around the window frames, the glass may not be well insulated or the seals are broken. Windows do wear out and need to be replaced.

If you have replaced your old windows with new ones, or live in a newer home, you might see more condensation. Frankly, condensation on new windows is a sign that your windows are doing their job and holding heat inside your home. The dual pane, gas filled, thermal spacers and weather-stripping all are designed to maintain an incredible temperature difference between the inside and outside. New windows are also rated for condensation resistance (CR).

The difference is that your old drafty windows allowed cold air in and warm air to flow out, reducing the humid air inside the house. The new energy efficient windows minimize heat loss from your home in winter. Signs of condensation or frost is again, likely due to high humidity.  Keep in mind, humidity is caused by several factors as well.  Things not thought of at times such as steam from a shower.

Parting thoughts. If you do get ice build-up try all of these remedies, reduce the amount of humidity in your home, pull back the drapes or open the blinds, turn your ceiling fans on in winter mode and let the warm room air melt the frost or ice. Don’t try to scrape your windows as you may damage the glazing or the frame.


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To design, create & build the finest homes, through a collaborative effort founded upon quality, passion, & integrity.
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Truly Custom Homes are unique, and built for you!

​Scott Grant

Among the many words of advice that one will receive, when discussing the possibility of building a new home, is that you should not have a home built in the winter months. As is the case with most free advice from casually informed people, the value of said advice is somewhere between very little and not very much.

Many myths have been perpetuated over the years about winter building and like so many other myths, what seems to be based on common sense becomes, over time, accepted as fact. Let’s look at a few of these myths and clear up some common misunderstandings.

MYTH # 1. Concrete poured in the winter contains additives that make the concrete weaker.
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It is true that calcium chloride is added to the concrete mix to accelerate the curing process in cold weather conditions. What is ultimately important however, is that the concrete with additives as compared to concrete without additives is not significantly different in strength, when both are fully cured. Concrete walls with additives in the mixture must, and do, meet building code requirements. This treatment has been successfully used for many decades so I would classify it as a proven approach in cold weather.

Obviously there are low temperature limits which make pouring concrete no longer feasible. There are ways to protect newly poured concrete from the cold such as blankets or straw, but even this type of protection has limits to their effectiveness and waiting out a cold snap may be the best approach.
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MYTH # 2. Cold weather plays havoc with lumber exposed to the elements in the framing stage.
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It is true that, in a perfect world, every day in the framing stage would be 72 degrees and sunny with low humidity but we rarely are fortunate enough for that to be the case. Since inclement weather is more likely than not to occur, the lumber industry has and continues to develop procedures that are used in the milling process that inhibit the deleterious effects of poor weather.

Framing lumber is kiln dried and delivered to the job site at 19% +/- moisture content. This is the case throughout the entire year and it is when ambient humidity becomes a factor. When the predictable rainy day occurs, some of that moisture is absorbed by the lumber. In the summer it is more common than not to have high humidity, day and night, that doesn’t allow this moisture to evaporate from the lumber throughout the duration of the project. Air conditioning can help expedite the drying process but is rarely used during construction and when it is used it is at the very end of construction.

Conversely, lumber that is exposed to the more infrequent rainy day in the dead of winter is exposed to very low humidity and has a chance to lose the absorbed moisture during the remainder of the construction process. Homes under construction must be heated in the winter and in conjunction with the low humidity the drying out is accelerated.

Snow has no adverse effects on lumber during the construction process when measures are taken. Several industry experts say they would rather see a subfloor blanketed with snow rather than prolonged sun with extreme heat as seen in what most presume is the best climate to build in. To further this, most builders building in the midwest use an engineered subfloor product specifically designed for our elements during construction that even offers at least a 200 day no sand guarantee.

Snow and Ice Accumulation. During winter months, accumulation of snow and ice will not normally affect the structural integrity of high performance panels that we use.

MYTH # 3. Workmanship suffers when construction workers are fighting the elements.

Construction workers, by nature, are a hardy and perseverant sort. It is obvious that most everyone would prefer to have beautiful weather to perform their work in but seldom are conditions perfect and that fact is accepted as part of the job. No matter the time of year, there always seems to be some challenge to overcome, be it wind, rain, sweltering heat and humidity or numbing cold. It may be difficult to believe but there are a fair amount of workers who prefer the cold to working in heat and humidity.

MYTH # 4. Homes built in the winter are priced higher than homes built in the summer.
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While it is true that there are additional expenses to account for to get a project completed in the winter, compared to the overall cost of the project they are relatively insignificant. These additional costs may however, be the least of two evils when one takes into account that the price for materials and labor usually increase in early spring. These price increases can easily exceed any additional expenses related to cold weather construction.

For more information about building a home, contact us anytime.

Thank You

​Scott Grant

Today’s hottest house plan style is the Modern Farmhouse and they’re selling in all shapes and sizes. Why is this trend making a comeback? Thanks to HGTV shows like Fixer Upper and House Hunters, popularity for farmhouse details like shiplap and subway tile back splashes have seen a huge surge in popularity. Modern Farmhouse home designs are being built in everything from small ranches to sprawling 2-story homes and virtually everything in between.
The interior farmhouse details are also spilling into the exterior finishes and we’re getting a lot of requests for vertical and shake siding in white with black accents like windows, doors, trim and gutters. In 2017, we began introducing farmhouse plan designs and that has continued to be one of our top selling styles through 2018 and now in 2019. The farmhouse style can also be less expensive to build as often there are only small stone accents or no stone at all. With the increase in popularity board and batten siding, the farmhouse style has become modernized without losing the charm that people think of when they see an old farmhouse.
Open concept floor plans have also been designed into this updated style. Traditional farmhouse designs often had a staircase just off the entry with separate rooms for the kitchen, bath and living rooms around it on the main floor. Today, the kitchen is usually open to the main living area and the master suite can also be situated on the main level. Hardwood floors have become more and more affordable and are a definite must in a farmhouse home, and often are used on the entire main level. Other updated features include accent walls of shiplap, central fireplaces, granite counters and subway tile backsplashes. Grays and whites are the hues of choice and look to be sticking around for some time. The neutral gray pallet provides the perfect backdrop for pops of color through the use of furniture, pillows and accent walls. And, paired with the natural wood tones of wood beams, accent walls and floors, the modern farmhouse delivers on every front.
Here’s a quick list of the interior and exterior finishes of a modern farmhouse:

• Shiplap accent walls either painted or natural
  
• Wood floors
  
• Wooden beams
  
• Stone fireplace surrounds
  
• White kitchens
  
• Subway tile backsplashes
  
• Neutral color pallet with wood tone and bright color accents
  

• Board and batten vertical siding
  
• Exterior stone accents or all siding
  
• White siding with black accents on doors, windows and gutters
  
• Ranches and 2-story designs
  
• Cozy porches
  

The bottom line is that if you like the farmhouse style, chances are that you’ll LOVE the updated version of this style. Check out our farmhouse plans and if you can’t find what you’re looking for, we’ll be happy to search our unpublished library, modify and existing plan or custom design a Modern Farmhouse for you.