Features & Specifications

When only the best will do

At Nelson Builders, we realize that individual choice is one of the hallmarks that makes your home your own. To that end, we are a truly custom builder and will work with you to design and build a home unique to you and your needs. As you start to imagine what you want in your home, the lists below may help with some ideas of what to expect (and maybe even something you didn't know could be done). We use only the best materials and the latest innovations in building science to bring you a home of the highest quality.

To better understand what goes into a new home today, we've broken down many common features and specifications for your new home into several categories. In an effort to provide you with the best possible home, we are continually researching new products and designs, and some standard features may have changed. Therefore, these features may not always represent the most current products and processes used in our homes. Please contact us to find out more!

Non-negotiable

To start, these are items that we believe must be incorporated into every new home to make it the most comfortable and best performing home possible, no matter the size or price (we wish other builders would do the same). These are things that are mostly "behind the scenes" that our nearly 50 years of experience have developed into tried-and-true best practices in many different categories. For example, we have found that a focus on air sealing is the single biggest thing that can improve your comfort in your new home. You won't have to worry about drafty windows or air leaking in around outlets and switches when you move in.

Features by price range

Many of the more aesthetic features of your new home can best be described by looking at things in terms of price ranges. At Nelson Builders, we build homes starting anywhere from "move up" homes upwards to $2 million plus. While home size does certainly increase with price, what tends to make a high-end new home more expensive are the details and level of finishes that go into that home.

The following lists are not meant to be exclusive; they are simply items that are commonly found in homes starting in these price ranges. That doesn't mean a home in a higher price range won't use something from a lower price range - for example a $1.5 million home may very well have Delta Trinsic plumbing fixtures. However, it would be incredibly unusual and probably cost prohibitive to put Waterworks plumbing fixtures in a $500k home.

Up to $750k

$750k to $1.5M

In addition to many items from above, this price range can also include the following:

$1.5M and above

In addition to many items from above, this price range can also include the following:

Common in all homes

In addition to everything found above, all homes by Nelson Builders also include the following:

Concrete

  • Minimum 8" poured concrete basement walls with steel rebar
  • Form-a-drain perimeter drain tile system with electric sump pump
  • Sprayed in place rubber membrane foundation waterproofing system
  • 4" concrete basement floor and garage floor
  • Minimum 4" exterior concrete with fiberglass rebar
  • Egress basement windows

Structural

  • Pressure treated sill plates
  • Steel or LVL basement beams
  • Minimum 2" x 10" floor joists 16" o.c., I-joists, or floor trusses as designed
  • 2" x 4" 16" o.c. exterior wall construction with ZIP System R-Sheathing (R-6.6 continuous insulation) OR
  • 2" x 6" 16" o.c. exterior wall construction with ZIP System R-Sheathing (R-9.6 continuous insulation)
  • Engineered roof trusses
  • Minimum 7/16" OSB roof sheathing with plyclips

Insulation

  • R-21.3 total wall insulation in 2" x 4" exterior walls
    (R-6.6 ZIP R-Sheathing over R-14.7 open cell foam)
  • R-32.7 total wall insulation in 2" x 6" exterior walls
    (R-9.6 ZIP R-Sheathing over R-23.1 open cell foam)
  • R-20 open cell foam insulation on exterior floor system perimeter
  • All top plates and ceiling penetrations sealed with R-7.9 closed cell foam insulation
  • R-50 cellulose blown in attic insulation
  • All 3/4" and larger hot water lines insulated with R-3 insulation

Mechanical Systems

  • PEX branch water supply system
  • Plumbing roughed in under basement floor for future bath if no finished basement
  • Minimum 200 amp electric service
  • 4" recessed lights with LED bulbs and trims
  • Low voltage Ethernet pre-wiring
  • Media center panel with Ethernet home run to outside
  • Smoke alarms in all bedrooms, on each floor, and near mechanicals

Interior Features

  • House & garage drywalled with smooth walls and smooth ceilings (knock down texture on request)
  • All walls painted with 2 coats of interior flat latex paint
  • All ceilings painted with 2 coats of interior flat latex paint
  • All trim painted with 2 coats of semi-gloss latex paint