The "Whole House System"

Building a home that's structurally sound is one thing. Building a home that's also healthy to live in and efficient to heat is entirely another. And getting all three at the same time in Alaska requires thinking about the home as a system, not a collection of individual problems to solve.

That's what we mean by the Whole House System.

The problem with solving one thing at a time

A drafty home breathes. Fresh air moves in and out through gaps in the floor, walls, and roof, and the occupants don't suffocate, which is good. But it comes with a downside.. it costs money to heat it! In Alaska, every cubic foot of cold air that sneaks in requires money to heat it.

So you seal it tight. Super tight! Problem solved, right? Not quite.

A perfectly airtight home with NO ventilation is essentially a plastic bag. Humidity builds up. Air quality deteriorates. The moisture that can't escape finds itself in the walls and roof structure, where mold and dry rot show up. A home can look fine on the outside and be quietly deteriorating inside.

The fix for this is mechanical ventilation. A system that exchanges air intentionally rather than accidentally. But, even this can go wrong! An unbalanced ventilation system that "pushes" more air out than it pulls in creates negative pressure, which can pull radon gas or combustion exhaust from appliances back into the home. Too much positive pressure and you're now pushing humid household air into the building envelope where it can condense and cause the same moisture problems you were trying to avoid.

This is what a "sick house" is. A home with radon gas, exhaust gases, condensation and/or mold, which can literally make you sick. Sometimes permanently sick. Not good.

How Falcon approaches it

Every home we build is designed around an energy efficient building envelope, air tight construction techniques, and a balanced ventilation strategy. The goal is a home that breathes enough, in the right places - controlled rather than accidental. AND has low utility bills. We call it the Whole House System.

The result is a home that's energy efficient, healthy to live in, and built to last.