THE SCHELLTER™ ADVANTAGE

Bigger, better exterior walls.

2x6 walls are significantly stronger than 2x4 walls and allow for a lot more insulation, which makes a huge difference in heating and cooling costs. The extra insulation also makes it much quieter inside the home.

63%

more insulation than 2x4 walls

Lower Costs

for heating & cooling

Stronger

than 2x4 walls

Quieter

better noise reduction

Draft/Leakage Prevention

We apply a spray foam to joints and other areas of our home’s exterior envelope to prevent unwanted airflow between the outside and inside of the home.

Completely filling the void.

Insulation’s primary purpose is to reduce heat transfer. BATT insulation, often still used in new homes, loses its effectiveness when cut or compressed to accommodate electric boxes, wires, light fixtures, and other objects in walls and ceilings.

Instead of BATT insulation, dense pack fiberglass insulation is "blown-in" to fill all the voids in the walls and ceilings of Schell Brothers homes, creating a consistent and more effective thermal and sound barrier.

A traditional tank water heater uses a tremendous amount of energy because it is constantly running.

Schell Brothers homes feature a tankless water heater that only runs "on demand" when hot water is needed. It's also about the size of a briefcase, so it takes up a lot less space. Plus it never runs out of hot water, and will last about twice as long, typically up to 20 years.

Tankless water heater vs. traditional:

40%

less energy used

2x

longer life span

Our smart furnace runs at low speed whenever it can.

Typically homes include a single-stage furnace that runs at full power any time it is turned on. Schell Brothers homes use a smarter, 2-stage furnace.

A 2-stage furnace is like having two furnaces in one: an energy efficient low-stage furnace for moderately cold days, and a heavy duty, high-stage furnace for very cold days.

A 2-stage furnace typically operates in the low stage most of the time, producing far less combustion noise than a single-stage furnace.

Eliminating heat loss through the floor.

Insulating and cooling the home's crawl space creates a thermal connection to the ground and essentially eliminates the majority of heat loss through the floor system, not to mention eliminating the discomfort caused by cold floors in the winter.

A vented crawl space, on the other hand, makes the entire home a conditioned island surrounded by unconditioned air on all sides.

Our crawl spaces have no outside vents, are insulated, and conditioned by the HVAC system.

Bigger, better exterior walls.

2x6 walls are significantly stronger than 2x4 walls and allow for a lot more insulation, which makes a huge difference in heating and cooling costs. The extra insulation also makes it much quieter inside the home.

63%

more insulation than 2x4 walls

Lower Costs

for heating & cooling

Stronger

than 2x4 walls

Quieter

better noise reduction

PEX pipes are flexible tubes of cross-linked polyethylene that we use with a manifold in a "home run" plumbing system to provide direct water lines to each faucet.

PEX piping systems have far fewer joints and fittings than traditional PVC or copper pipes, which greatly reduces the potential for leaks. PEX tubing won't pit, scale or corrode and is much less likely than PVC to burst if it freezes.

Our smart furnace runs at low speed whenever it can.

Typically homes include a single-stage furnace that runs at full power any time it is turned on. Schell Brothers homes use a smarter, 2-stage furnace.

A 2-stage furnace is like having two furnaces in one: an energy efficient low-stage furnace for moderately cold days, and a heavy duty, high-stage furnace for very cold days.

A 2-stage furnace typically operates in the low stage most of the time, producing far less combustion noise than a single-stage furnace.

Minimum efficiency reporting value, commonly known as MERV rating, is a measurement scale designed to rate the effectiveness of air filters. MERV values range from 1 to 16. Higher is more effective.

A typical residential air filter is less than MERV 5 and removes only large particles from the air. Most harmful particles such as bacteria, mold, and allergens are relatively small and can only be removed by more advanced filters.

Schell Brothers homes use MERV 13 filters, which remove almost all the harmful particles in the air. In fact, MERV 13 filters are rated high enough to be used in hospitals.

Our crawl spaces are actually healthy spaces.

In the last several years, building scientists have realized that traditional vented crawl spaces included in most existing homes are harmful. The moist, warm air found in vented crawls in the summer months creates a perfect environment for mold and bacteria which can infiltrate the living area of the home through HVAC ducts and air leaks in the floor system.

Our crawl spaces have no outside vents, are insulated, and conditioned by the HVAC system, resulting in a healthy environment.

Draft/Leakage Prevention

We apply a spray foam to joints and other areas of our home’s exterior envelope to prevent unwanted airflow between the outside and inside of the home.