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Town & Country Homes • Centennial Crossing • Vernon Hills, IL

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About the Builder - Town & Country Homes

In 1996 Town & Country Homes built nearly 1,500 homes. This achievement didn’t come without problems. The major problem was the nearly $1 million spent on warranty callbacks. In that same year, Town & Country had an average of 2,376 homes in warranty monthly, writing an average of 3,000 work orders per month that year. 

1997 found Town & Country writing only 1,486 work orders monthly, a 50% reduction. A major factor in this reduction was how Town & Country Homes approached warranty issues, finding the real cause , fixing it, and ending repeat visits. During this time Town & Country Homes’ specifications and contract were revised to include draftstopping , sealing penetrations, and drainage plane. 

Town & Country Homes also brought Joseph Lstiburek, Building Science Corporation Principal, into the picture who introduced them to the Department of Energy’s "Building America" program. A community was designed using details that would make these homes at least 30% more energy efficient then comparably sized homes built the standard way. A major difference was "O.V.E." framing. This means using less lumber and stacking framing for greater structural integrity. The first advantage was 2x6 framing allowed R-19 insulation. Less wood and more insulation definitely eliminated comfort complaints. Secondly, less lumber means less contact points with drywall. Structural movement when the wood dries out and settles is the largest contributor to drywall cracks. This concept alone reduced drywall repair costs to $ 150 per home from $ 1200 to $ 1500 per home. In fact, some of their smaller homes actually have "zero item" drywall inspections after 11-months. 

Town & Country Homes has taken most of these specifications and built virtually every house since this community using these concepts. 

Each Town & Country Homes community is a little better than the last. The work orders clearly indicate a pattern. 

In 1998 Town & Country Homes averaged 1,710 homes in warranty monthly, writing 1,058 work orders. This represents another 29% reduction. 

1999 shows Town & Country Homes writing only 884 work orders monthly. This while they still have 1,477 homes in warranty per month. This is another 16% decrease since 1998. Thus far in 2000, Town & Country Homes is averaging around 686 work orders each month, another 22% reduction. 

What Town & Country Homes has done was not simply put the burden of repair on the individual contractors. They have changed how they are building homes. Town & Country is building "Durable Homes" that don't require excessive amounts of time or expense to service after closing.

Design Philosophy and Application

Town & Country has changed how they build homes. They have taken the high road and raised the bar. They are building more durable homes that neither they nor their trades have to spend excessive amounts of time or expense to service after closing. This just so happens to have a direct relationship with the bottom line AND satisfied customers.

Town & Country Homes Features

Mechanical System Characteristics 

• 80% AFUE furnace 
• 10 SEER air conditioner 
• 0.54 EF Natural gas water heater 
• Continuous exhaust-only ventilation 
• All ducts and air handling equipment within conditioned space 

System Improvements 

• Exterior air flow retarder and drainage plane system, sealed rigid foam sheathing 
• Interior air/vapor retarder system, air-tight drywall approach 
• Spectrally selective, high performance glazing 
• Programmable setback thermostat 

Envelope Characteristics 

• Floor area: 3,720 square feet 
• Foundation: Full depth basement, 8" poured concrete, uninsulated
• Wall System: 2X6, 16" o.c., R-19 fiber-glass batts, R-5 XPS sheathing 
• Attic/Roof: Truss system, R-38 
• Windows: Vinyl framed, double glazed, Low-E coating U: 0.36, SHGC: 0.45

Measured Leakage Characteristics:

• Total envelope CFM at 50 pascals: 1,515 
• 2.1 ACH at 50 Pa