Frequently Asked Questions

The amount of time necessary to build a home is dependent on several factors. The largest factor is the weather, especially rain, which tends to slow construction progress. Other factors include the city and community, number of changes requested by the home-buyer, the degree of difficulty encountered to initiate those changes, the size of the home, and the availability of contractors and materials (especially during periods of high-demand). For more information on current build times in your community of interest please contact a Sales Professional.

The majority of Perry Homes have a post-tension concrete foundation. This type of foundation is reinforced with steel cables, which are stressed a few days after the concrete is placed. The exception is where an independent structural engineer recommends another type of foundation after reviewing a soil report. Our post-tension foundations are engineered for the specific soil conditions in each neighborhood. The Perry Homes Project Manager and a representative of the engineering company are on-site at every foundation pour.

Brick veneer is a non-structural type of masonry construction in which brick is an exterior covering on a home or building. It has the appearance of a solid brick wall without the weight or expense. The brick is attached to the house with metal straps, or wall ties, at regular intervals.

The brick work on Perry Homes shows a great deal of care and craftsmanship that you won’t find with most builders. Notice the consistent 1/2-inch spacing between the mortar joints. On the front elevations of the home, look at an inside corner and notice how the mortar joints run straight up the home. The quality of the material is evident in the brick itself. Perry Homes uses a variety of materials for masonry exteriors. These include clay or concrete brick and stone for architectural appeal.

Since brick expands and contracts, the walls are built in sections with an expansion joint approximately every 20 feet. This helps prevent the brick and mortar from cracking.

Plywood decking is made from large logs that are peeled and glued in layers at right angles to each other. When logs are peeled, knots and other imperfections in the wood are incorporated into the decking panels. These imperfections can create gaps or voids. OSB panels are pre-engineered and made from the chips of small, fast-growing trees. These chips are bound by high pressures and advanced adhesives. This procedure creates a uniform decking panel without natural or internal imperfections. Pre-engineered wood products are also friendly to our environment since they reduce our use of large logs from old growth forests.

Because many of our new home communities are built in areas that endure a hot summer season, we do everything we can to protect the cool, air-conditioned temperatures inside the home from the hot, outside air. To accomplish this, we use tinted, double pane, Low-E sunglass windowpanes that reduce the effect the sun has on the inside temperature. Perry Homes has artfully balanced impressive energy efficiency with the aesthetic desire for natural light.

Following energy-efficiency standards, our homes have fiberglass batt insulation in the exterior walls and sloped ceilings. The R-value is the rating of the insulation, and the larger the number, the better the insulating power. The R-value of our exterior walls is a minimum of R-13, and the rating of flat ceilings is R-30.

TechShield is a thin, durable sheet of aluminum overlay laminated to oriented strand board (OSB). This prevents up to 97% of the sun’s radiant heat from entering the attic.

Where allowed, our water heaters are placed in the attic to avoid using valuable living or storage space. Drip pans and drain lines are installed with lines extending to exterior areas. Some cities require the water heater to be installed in a closet or the garage.

The tonnage or amount of cooling power is dependent on many factors. The size or tonnage of the A/C units for each of our designs is determined by the H.V.A.C. (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) contractor. The tonnage will vary from design to design. We incorporate many energy-saving features into Perry Homes.

Even though Perry Homes exercises care and consideration in planning the location of the home in relation to the placement of existing trees, the existence of mature trees within close proximity to the foundation can potentially cause future foundation problems. Existing trees on the homesite may die as a result of construction.

If you are purchasing a home prior to construction, please note that existing trees (other than those removed due to the placement of the foundation) may be removed only if requested by signing an enhancement change order within 10 days after the date of the original earnest money contract. In that event, there will be additional expenses for Perry Homes to remove the tree(s). If you have questions or concerns about the trees on your homesite, please talk with your Perry Homes Sales Professional.

Warranty work will always be completed by a member of Perry Homes’ professional construction staff, unlike some builders who use a separate warranty crew. Our professionals take pride in the work that they do — and they know that if it’s done right from the start, they won’t have to fix it down the road.