4 Top Considerations When Building Your Home for the Cold Climate

Posted on: 29 August 2018

Building your new home can be an exciting experience. However, the whole process can be quite overwhelming too especially if it's your first house. Building a new home is a costly affair, which is why you need to be careful when making decisions about its design. You need to design a house that will be practical for years to come. One crucial element you need to think about when designing your home is the climate. Will the house be able to withstand the climatic conditions in your region? If you're building your house for the cold climate, here are a few key things to have in mind.

Consider a Sloped Roof

The roof is a significant part of new homes. It can determine how functional and energy-efficient your home will be. Cold regions tend to be snowy and may often experience heavy rains too.  A sloped roof will ensure the snow sheds of quickly and easily. The weight of snow can affect the structural integrity of your roof and even result in collapsing in worst cases. If the region experiences heavy rains, you need a roof that will prevent water puddles. Water puddles on your roof can result in leakages and costly repairs.

Consider Double Walls

Walls play a crucial role when it comes to moisture, air and heat loss. In a cold region, you want to minimise as much of these three elements as possible. To do this, budget for double walls (for the exterior walls). Double walls will allow you to insulate your home perfectly. That's because as the name implies, double walls are made of two stud walls with a space between them. The insulation can then be installed between that space.

Consider a Sheltered Entrance

You should also consider covering your entrance. A sheltered entrance will ensure that anyone at the door, especially visitors waiting for someone to answer it don't suffer from the snow or heavy rains. A covered porch or a portico should do the trick in this regard.

Avoid High Ceilings

Lowering your ceiling is another design element you should think about when building your home in a cold region. High ceilings are poor when it comes to maintaining heat. That's because heat rises. Therefore, if you have high ceilings, it will only end up in a space where no one can feel it. That means you will have to resort to your central heating system, which can drive up your energy bills.

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