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Brighton Construction - Liberty Village: Lincoln, NE
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Objectives: |
- Capture installation time and material cost of PEX and copper supply water systems so that builders can benchmark their potential success with new technologies. The performance of each system will also be determined based on flow rates at the fixtures and delivery time of hot water.
- Capture cost and labor time involved with various methods of installing sill plates to foundation anchorage hardware to help builders with the process of identifying, specifying, and correctly installing materials and components that will increase durability and stand up to the effects of extreme weather conditions.
- Evaluate the wetting and drying characteristics of traditional light frame wall cavities with various exterior water and interior air barrier details.
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General Construction Information: |
ENERGY STAR®, two-story homes and townhouses targeted toward multicultural first-time homebuyers. All units have rear- facing garages served by an alleyway that is paved with pervious concrete.
The 20-unit project includes 16 detached single-family homes and 4 townhouses. Homes will be priced from $120,000 to $145,000. |
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Significant Results: |
- The time and motion study indicated a savings of 16 labor hours for PEX over copper and a material cost savings of $130 of copper over PEX. Both systems performed satisfactorily in the pressure and flow rate tests. The smaller diameter PEX pipes used for certain fixtures were advantageous in minimizing the initial delivery time of hot water.
- The intended focus of the foundation tie down study was the potential savings associated with selecting certain sill plate anchorage hardware. However, scrutiny of the still plate installation process indicated that there is potential for nearly equal savings in sill plate size specification and proper layout.
- The wall cavity wetting and drying characteristics study is underway.
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