What is The Dickerson Difference?
Homeowners have been re-evaluating their needs when it comes to a home’s performance—energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and both more and different standard features that match their changing needs. Since 1975, Homes By Dickerson has evolved from a two-person operation to a name that is highly respected in the Carolinas. What is The Dickerson Difference and why does it matter?
The Difference is in Our Commitment to Healthier Homes
Right from the beginning, Homes By Dickerson believed that we would do more than build homes. We believed in our commitment to serving the community, including those buyers and families who put their faith in us.
We didn’t follow the path of other builders and their processes. We explored the ways we could create a unique experience that led to an exceptional new home. Homes By Dickerson’s team remains committed to our mission. We’ve dedicated our efforts to designing and building high-performance homes—energy efficient, healthy, smart, and reflecting the best trends in home building, not just the latest.
High Performance for Quality & Peace of Mind
We talk to homebuyers about “high performance homes”, giving them a perspective they hadn’t considered. What does your home do to support you? How does it provide comfort, convenience, security, and value? That’s the job of your home, isn’t it?
Here are some of the “Built for Life” standard features we include in our energy-efficient homes.
Tankless Water Heaters
A tankless water heater heats water on demand, as opposed to a tank-style appliance that continuously heats the water. If you’ve ever run out of hot water, you know the main drawback of having a traditional water heater. A tankless system uses energy only when you turn on your faucet. You save money on your energy costs and don’t run out of hot water.
Grade 1 Insulation Install
Insulation installation is rated according to its quality in achieving effectiveness, from 1 to 3. Grade 1 is the best. A Grade 1 insulation installer adheres to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR certification requirements. Achieving a Grade 1 insulation installation doesn’t require spending more on the insulation, but focuses on doing it right! We insist on this quality for our energy-efficient homes.
Low-E Windows
A lot of energy can be wasted on windows that aren’t efficient. Low-E—short for low emissivity—windows have a reflective coating that allows visible light to pass through the two panes of glass while preventing the flow of cold and hot air. You can save about 25 to 30% of your heating and cooling costs with double-pane, low-E windows, a Homes By Dickerson standard feature on all of our homes.
The HBD Framing Strategy
We’ve refined our framing technique to require less wood and incorporate more insulation. And we do it without compromising the structural integrity. The result is more cost-effective and energy-efficient homes.
Exterior Air Barrier
A well insulated home prevents water vapor and air from permeating the walls. We use the ZIP SystemⓇ, the leading weather-resistant barrier, for this critical layer of protection.
Radiant Barrier
The radiant energy barrier in a home is installed in the attic to prevent exterior heat from transferring through the roof and into your home. Homes By Dickerson chooses TechShieldⓇ, which reduces the attic’s temperature by as much as 30°F.
Quality Subflooring
The subfloor is the surface that supports your home’s floors, providing strength and stability. A squeaky floor is the sign that your subflooring is sub-standard, which you’ll never find in a Homes By Dickerson home.
Engineered Wood Products
Engineered wood—also known as composite wood and manufactured board—is used to ensure structural integrity. The engineering process adds strength and uniformity that is essential for framing, joists, and trusses, and to conserve wood resources.
Encapsulated Crawl Spaces
The Dickerson Difference is also reflected in the way we extend the thermal envelope in crawl spaces. This step allows for a warmer first floor, controlled space environment, and protection for the HVAC system, which improves the HVAC’s efficiency and extends its lifespan.
15 Years Building High-Performance Green Homes
Since 2009, Homes By DIckerson has adhered to the high standards for building green homes for sale. We continue to build to the highest level of energy efficiency and never stop seeking more ways to improve in sustainable building practices.
Healthier Homes
What steps does Homes By Dickerson take to ensure your home supports healthy living? The Dickerson Difference is demonstrated in these choices and steps in ensuring healthier homes.
Low VOC Paint and Carpet
VOCs are volatile organic compounds, a toxin that can be particularly hazardous to people with certain allergies. VOCs are commonly found in certain pains and carpeting. We’ve committed to only using low VOC materials in our healthier homes.
MERV 11 Filter
MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values, which reflects the effectiveness of an air filter to capture particles and prevent them from moving through the filter and getting into the home. MERV filters are rated from 1, which is the lowest protection. Homes By Dickerson requires MERV 11 air filters to prevent up to 85% of particles sized between 3.0 and 10 microns.
Integrated Dehumidification
We also exceed standards in managing moisture to provide healthier homes. Homes By Dickerson includes a whole-home ventilating dehumidification system within the HVAC system. The unit senses the moisture level and, as needed, automatically draws in and dehumidifies the fresh air and house return air.
Sustainable Materials
The materials we source for our homes is part of Homes By Dickerson’s green building initiative for energy-efficient homes. We work with vendors and suppliers who share our concern for eco-friendly practices.
Design
The design of our homes is the result of a fine-tuned process of research and innovation. What do today’s homebuyers need and want, not just in the homes themselves but in the experience of buying and designing?
Flexibility
We design floor plans that give you options to customize the details. Tell us how you want to live in your home and we’ll work with you to shape the floor plan to fit your needs, not the other way around.
Custom Design Options
Homes By Dickerson makes it equally convenient to make your design selections. Visit any of our six design centers throughout the Carolinas. Browse the samples that fill the showrooms so you can better visualize how to bring together the right details for you.
Professional Design Team
You’re not alone in this journey! You have the knowledge, creativity, and guidance of an award-winning professional designer.
Personalized Experience
You’ll also have the assistance of our carefully selected design resources for reviewing and choosing lighting fixtures and specific granite slabs for your countertops.
Quality Vendors you can trust
You don’t invest 50 years in the business of building without cultivating strong relationships with vendors and suppliers. They are part of the Homes By Dickerson team, having proven to share our commitment to high standards.
Certified Green Homes for Sale in North & South Carolina
Going for green is a concerted effort for home builders. There are many industry standards that must be maintained for a variety of sustainability qualities. The Dickerson Difference is also evident in the way we seek excellence in our eco-friendly business practices.
The Importance of Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality is one of the features that has gained importance among homebuyers. After experiencing the outcomes of airborne diseases, we know that maintaining a superior level of indoor air quality isn’t just a nice feature to have. It’s a must—particularly when you consider that indoor air contains up to five times more pollutants than the air you breathe outside! Since we spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, we need healthier homes to ensure we’re breathing clean, healthy air.
As you tour new homes and review floor plans, the energy efficiency and indoor air quality might not be apparent. But what you don’t see makes a lasting impact on the way you live in your home, how it “performs” for you. Homes By Dickerson is committed to offering green homes for sale that truly live up to the name.
HERS Index Rating Certified
Established in 2008, the HERS Index—Home Energy Rating System—is an industry standard for measuring the energy efficiency of a home. The score ranges between 0 and 150. The lower the number, the greater the energy efficiency, based on a baseline of 100 for a home built to 2006 energy efficiency standards.
A HERS score of 70 reflects a home that is 30% MORE energy efficient than this baseline home. A home that has a 150 HERS Index rating is 50% LESS efficient than this reference home.
Homes By Dickerson achieves an average HERS Index score of 56, which means our homes are 44% MORE energy efficient than what the Department of Energy would consider “average”.
ENERGY STAR certification
ENERGY STAR is a program of the US EPA, designed to establish and maintain standards to measure and certify energy efficiency. In order to earn the highly prestigious ENERGY STAR certification, Homes By Dickerson must meet the full set of requirements. Then, we are assessed by an EPA Quality Assurance Provider. Some builders choose not to pursue this effort, but we see it as an uncompromising promise to our buyers.
National Green Building Standard
In almost half a century, Homes By Dickerson has built the most homes in the U.S. certified by the National Green Building Standard. The stringent requirements ensure sustainability that create healthier places and spaces.
Contact Homes By Dickerson for the Best Homes for Sale in N.C. & S.C!
We invite you to experience The Dickerson Difference for yourself. At Homes By Dickerson, we design and build communities of the best homes for sale in NC and SC, in the sought-after areas of Raleigh-Durham, NC, Pinehurst, NC, and Charleston, SC. Raise your standards of what to expect from a home builder. Then contact us to see how we can exceed them!