High-Efficiency Homes: Five Builder Mistakes That Sink Performance in Florida
A high-efficiency home is a highly controlled box: air + heat + moisture + indoor pollutants must be planned for and managed, or the “efficient” envelope turns into a comfort and durability nightmare. Below are the five missteps we see most often—and how to avoid them.
1 | Air-Sealing Amnesia
In a tight house, every pinhole acts like a pump. Over-cut window rough-opens, oversized hose-bib drills, loose light cans, “good-enough” door shims—tolerances that used to disappear behind trim now become super-highway leaks. Warm, wet Florida air races through, condenses on cool surfaces, and breeds mold long before the warranty expires.
Builder playbook
Treat the air barrier like finish carpentry: Decent isn’t good enough. Take your time.
Mock up the air-seal details for each penetration before framing day. Know where, how, and why you’re making every cut before you make it.
Test with a blower door before insulation hides the sins.
2 | No Strategy for People Pollution
You’ve locked humidity and construction off-gassing chemicals inside the envelope—then the occupants move in. Breathing, cooking, showering, DIY projects, even laundry all load the air with CO₂, moisture, VOCs, and bio-aerosols. Without an engineered exhaust-and-fresh-air plan, that cocktail just recirculates.
Builder playbook
Design balanced ventilation (i.e. ERV or dehu with a fresh-air intake) based on expected occupancy—not just square footage.
Capture point sources: vented range hood, timered bath fans, laundry room exhaust.
Filter incoming air at MERV-13 or better to keep outdoor pollen and spores out of the loop.
3 | “Humidity? The AC Will Handle It…Right?”
Even in leaky homes, Florida families already fight indoor RH > 60 %. Seal the envelope and all that people-generated moisture has nowhere to escape. Cupped wood floors, musty closets, and fogged windows follow. And that’s just the stuff to can see…
Builder playbook
Specify a dedicated, whole-house dehumidifier (or conditioned-crawl-space unit) sized for latent load.
Duct it to pull from wet zones and deposit dry air into common living areas. Or create a “central dehu” setup.
Target 45–50 % indoor RH year-round for mold prevention and comfort.
4 | HVAC Guesswork
Oversized equipment short-cycles, undersized systems run endlessly, and bad duct layouts starve bedrooms. Owners don’t care which rule of thumb you used—they just feel rooms that never hit setpoint.
Builder playbook
Partner with an HVAC designer who uses load calculations and airflow balancing tools.
Keep supply and return paths clear, short, and well-insulated.
Verify the system meets the thermostat settings under real-world conditions before hand-off.
5 | Performance Verification with the Pros
A shiny thermostat and Energy Star sticker mean nothing if the house doesn’t perform. Third-party testing is your proof of promise. Green Check is your partner for getting it right and keeping it right.
Builder playbook
Schedule blower-door and duct-leakage tests at pre-drywall and final.
Document ventilation rates, pressure balance, and RH trends during a short monitoring period.
Deliver a performance certificate to the homeowner—fewer callbacks, stronger reputation.
Bottom Line
High-efficiency isn’t a product you buy off the shelf; it’s a process you prove. Address these five areas with intention and testing, and your next build will feel as good as it looks—while saving clients money and headaches for decades to come.
