How we design a building
By designing for health, we're also designing for resilience.
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Putting a "dry" wall in a wet environment never made much sense to us. Neither the compressed gypsum inside the boards nor the paper backing can tolerate dampness. Mold and decay often follow. In typical construction, these problems are hidden inside a stud wall or ceiling and can’t be detected or mitigated without destruction. With our open construction approach, we solve both problems at once: our walls are either solid masonry or removable panels (cement board, hardwood, eco-composites, or metals) with easy and complete access to the mechanical spaces inside the wall. Drywall cannot do the job.
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A broken pipe leaking inside a wall or ceiling can lead to widespread destruction, often before the homeowner is even aware of the problem. We never install pipes, valves, traps, or other plumbing components out of reach. To achieve our open construction goal, we strategically place bathroom and kitchen fixtures along exterior walls or interior service cores, and we provide full access panels where necessary. As a result, very few pipes run inside our walls and all of them can be easily inspected and maintained.
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Dust, mold, and other irritants build up inside AC ducts, circulating for years through our homes. It’s easy to change a filter on an AC unit but almost impossible to properly clean the air ducts in modern houses without tearing the whole ceiling out. Our open construction approach to air conditioning is different. We specify and design networks of smaller modern air conditioning units, eliminating most ductwork (if any remains, we make sure it can be cleaned by the homeowner). As a bonus, these systems are often more energy efficient as well.
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We elevate our floor slabs as far above the ground as local code allows, ensuring our homes are protected from sea level rise for at least 100 years. This also helps keep rising damp, termites, tree roots, ants, and other pests outside where they belong.
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VOCs, carcinogenic solvents, heavy metals, phthalates - the amount of toxic materials in the products inside our homes is a significant health concern for many families. A Caplow Manzano home is designed to protect your health, not endanger it. All walls, floors, ceilings, cabinets, fixtures and finishes inside the home are made with non-toxic, low or no-VOC materials. We follow, or in many cases exceed, WELL and LEED standards for indoor air ventilation and air quality.
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Solar power, together with a well-insulated building envelope, is a natural fit for global citizens in a sunny and warm climate. Our homes are designed with large rooftop solar arrays, saving money and energy while reducing the home’s carbon footprint. The solar array helps keep the power on after big storms, and pairs well with onsite batteries and electric vehicles.
