I have seen people with spray foam cans make a serious mess so start slow be neat -try not to create more work to clean up after it. They make a spray gun which commercial applicators use that is easier than trying to use individual spray cans.

jtpiano! Congratulations on the planned build and forethought to put effort into the most cost-effective form of energy efficiency. I wish more people, especially on this forum, would realize the importance of this strategy and its impact on comfort, energy efficiency, durability, building safety and most importantly to many; keeping bugs out..

I assume you are using a production builder as most custom builders would love to increase the craftsmanship of their homes. Unfortunately, most of the big areas for improvement are directly related to how the home is designed and framed. Its tough to DIY after the fact although its still a good idea to do what you can.

The three general areas to focus on are the foundation, windows and the ceiling or roof. Walls tend to leak the least and plenty of time, money and effort is wasted sealing between wall studs and other pointless locations. The best thing you can do for walls in your situation is insist on ZIP sheating.

Its the transitions that leak the most: foundation to framing, framing to window jamb, walls to roof and of course penetrations. From a building safety perspective, sealing any shared walls with the garage is important and you should avoid combustion appliances especially ones that are not direct or power vented.

I would suggest finding a thicker sill sealer and switching it out with whatever crap the builder supplies prior to framing after the first lumber drop. Weve had good luck with foam concrete expansion joint material in 1/2" thickness but the 1/4" version will be easier on the framing crew. If thats not possible, sealing the mudsill/bottom sill to the masonry is critical.

If you are planning on a ventilated crawlspace, hire a professional to seal and insulate it after the builder is done.

Windows are also critical and they are one of the trickiest area to get right. Window sills should be sloped and flashed, especially on gables or areas of little overhang. I prefer to keep the spray foam to the inside of the opening towards the bottom and filling the space between jamb and framing more as you go higher on the window. This gives the most vulnerable area of the window a better chance of drying between wetting events. We have also started taping the interior jamb edge to the framing from the inside with vapor permeable tapes.

What type of attic is planned? Ventilated? With ducts? Does the builder not offer an upgrade for Energy Star?

I vote for diy if you are willing to take it on,
and no problems with being on site.

caulk is a great air sealer, lasts for a long time
if you invest in a long life caulk.
install, width of opening all effect performance.

foams like great stuff shrink over time & are not
good for air sealing based on my testing.

info asked by brian would be helpful.
we can step by step you through this if
you are serious about the air sealing.

best of luck

Wow, so many replies so quick! Thank you all! Let me answer the many questions that were asked.

Yes, I am using a production builder
I am not sure what type of sheathing is being used bit I'll try to find out. I can tell you the home will be all brick exterior on the first floor.
The foundation will be monolithic slab. I'm pretty sure they don't gasket the sole plate so I'll definitely be adding caulk there.
The "attic" is mostly the bonus space of the house (~750 sq ft and air conditioned) The rest of the attic is unconditioned space consisting of roof trusses and some of the mechanical systems. I posted a picture of the exterior in case it helps. The roof line is predominantly a hip roof with two gable ends at the left and right sides of the home at the front. The back side of the roof has the bonus space and dormer. The garage is side entry (pictured on the left) where you can see the installed vent. I do know the roofers will install a ridge vent. One of the crews (I'm not sure which one) will install a gable vent
I'll have to check and see what programs the builder has for Energy Star Rating.

I did some searching around and could not find any RESNET certified contractors in my area. I guess I'll be doing the DIY route

Energy Rater- yes, I am serious about doing the work it takes to do this right. I am very thankful for the generous offer of assistance.

I am a construction manager for a builder in Austin, and all I have to say is be careful what you do during construction. That home is not yours until you close. If it falls through, you don't want to lose that extra money, and if the builder finds out, you may lose your warranty.

you would have to have access at different stages of construction. will this be a problem?

here is some homework for you:
http://www.southface.org/default-interior/Documents/airsealingkeypoints.pdf

southface inst has some great air sealing information,
mostly in pdf. worthwhile reading & getting familiar with areas to be sealed.

so...recessed lights (bane of my existance)
ICAT insulation contact air tight. not IC only.
buy all ICAT because electrician will not seperate to
install ICAT inside house & IC @ porches etc.

thread with my spec sheet..note that I'm in
a hot humid climate & spec sheet reflects
this location.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/build/msg0115070624800.html

start with hvac choices & planning NOW. invest in load
calc. mastics only to seal ducts/returns etc.

be warned that rooms that share attic space
are surrounded by attic temps. see southface
attachment at the bottom of page 5 for how to seal these walls (often refered to as kneewalls).

window info in spec sheet thread. note that flashing
of windows is a huge deal. each window comes with
specific instructions as to how to make windows
water tight. read the instructions...read them to the
installers. there are long term issues with leaky windows
once water gets into walls...you just don't want to go there!

best of luck.

As a custom builder, the last thing I would tolerate--let alone be legally responsible for--would be diy homebuyers wandering through a project doing anything, let alone "improving" on my job.

Of course, If you want to be your own contractor, by all means go ahead.

If you're having the home custom built, you can spell out all the specifics as far as air-sealing and the like.

A better approach would be to contract for a home built to IEEC 2012, already in effect in six US states. Or contract for a home whose performance is proven by a blower door test. Or, as suggested above, seek out builders who specialize in Energy Star, Leeds etc.

As a custom builder, the last thing I would tolerate--let alone be legally responsible for--would be diy homebuyers wandering through a project doing anything, let alone "improving" on my job.

Of course, If you want to be your own contractor, by all means go ahead.

If you're having the home custom built, you can spell out all the specifics as far as air-sealing and the like.

A surer approach would be to contract for a home built to IEEC 2012, now in effect in six US states, but not Alabama. (See summary.) Or contract for a home whose performance is proven by a blower door test. Or, as suggested above, seek out builders who specialize in Energy Star, Leeds etc.

This post was edited by worthy on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 1:09

I am glad to see that somebody agrees with me on this. I am all about a high quality, energy efficient home. If the builder doesn't have what you want, go with a different builder. If the construction manager is any good, he will notice if you try and sneak anything in there. I build 10 to 20 houses at any given time, and I always know what is going on in them.

It looks like the crowd has given you good direction on air sealing, and my two cents would just be redundant.

Instead, I would echo the sentiment of looking for other builders if you can.

The reason is that the biggest energy efficiency improvements you can make are to the shell and they come in the form of air sealing, insulation and thermal bridge free design. It's not easy to improve these after the fact and by default, they are for the life of the building. As a homeowner you will feel the effects in terms of comfort and utility bills. Less comfort/higher bills if not done right.

I hope you are able to look around for a better builder. Worthy's list of standards is a good one. Adding to that list, I would look for DOE challenge home builders.

Good luck!

it isn't Resnet certified builders, but energy raters.
many builders work with the energy rater
to build energy efficient homes.

blower door testing & duct testing are
standard for energy raters.
the rater will also give you specific to
your build, location & budget recommendations.
and is the third party verification that works
for you the homeowner.

best of luck.

Some municipalities have their own energy savings programs. Some builders will work with DIY'ers and some will not.

I found this company:
Ecosouth Green Building Services
2070 Bankhead Parkway
Huntsville, AL

I haven't written the contract with the builder yet. I'll try to find out what they will allow. IF I can do it myself great, if not I'll see what options they have for building to a certain standard. I have also looked into the heatpump system SEER and HSPF ratings and am strongly considering upgrades. Another area I looked at was a hybrid water heater. I have considered a number of areas to help keep costs down as it relates to energy usage. We'll see what the builder says in the next few days. More to follow. My posts above were just some of my initial thoughts and trying to have some foresight on new building. As many have said it is easiest/best to consider air sealing now before the structure is complete. It is harder and less effective to go back afterward.

If the builder will not build to your specifications and it's not too late, move on.

Obviously this is regional, but it could certainly be that the OP has no option for builders in the area he wants to be.

In my area, it is easy to have a custom build lot but if you want a large neighborhood (pool, playground) then you have to do production. There are a lot of pros for large neighborhoods and these have to be balanced against the advantages of custom.

I live in a custom neighborhood but I think my wife would prefer to live in a production neighborhood given the choice today.

IMO, in my area, production makes sense for neighborhood only. What surprises me is that Huntsville doesn't have better standards. You might find a production neighborhood that has better standards. You also might be comforted to know that your climate doesn't demand insulation like other climates do.

In the end a/c costs are primarily based on solar gain and your heating costs are probably pretty low. A new house built to relatively poor standards is still far better than an older house as the standards have improved over time.

You might look at your neighbors utilities to get an idea of what kind of money you are talking about.

I have fiberglass in central NC. Even doing it again, it was the right financial decision. Before I had solar installed, my a/c bill was right at $300 a year and heat was $600 for 5000 sqft. There are plenty of things I would have done differently but fiberglass isn't the biggest sin.

I'm surprised your builder doesn't do that. It's code here in NC, so our builder is doing all the air sealing above and beyond the code.
We are in a newly built apartment and if you put your hand in front of an electrical outlet on an exterior wall you can feel cold air BLOWING in. So this is definitely something you want your builder to do.

We also looked into upgrading our hvac to 15 seer with a variable speed air handler to make it more efficient and that would have added $5000 to the cost.
But they came back with the option to leave the hvac 13 seer and do a variable speed air-handler with a humidifier and that would have added $2800. Another option was the same as above but instead of variable speed just do multi-speed air handler with the humidifier and that would add $1800 and it would be the equivalent of 14.5 seer. So that's what we are going with to get the most bang for our buck.
You might want to look into that as another way to save money on top of the air sealing.