GCP Products Shield Coastal Luxury Home

Since 1989, Jeff Sweenor and his design and construction team have been crafting distinctive luxury homes along the Rhode Island coast. The award-winning firm is frequently featured on This Old House, and was recently named a Custom Home Builder of the Year finalist by the National Association of Home Builders.

The Project

Sweenor Builders recently built a breathtaking home featuring a “reverse living” design that will allow the homeowners to make the most of the spectacular coastal views. Located in Narragansett, Rhode Island, the 3,300-square foot home was constructed with an elevated design to protect against water surges and coastal flooding. 

The Challenge

Located across the street from the ocean, the three-story Sand Hill Cove home will be subject to punishing wind and rain, so it needed exceptional protection from the elements. In addition, the builder set out to achieve high standards for energy efficiency to provide the new homeowners with greater comfort as well as lower heating and cooling costs. 

The Solution

To ensure the highest degree of weatherproofing, Sweenor Builders relied on GCP Applied Technologies products, including VYCOR® enV-S™ weather barriers, GRACE ICE & WATER SHIELD® self-adhered underlayments and window flashing products for the entire building envelope. “GCP products are engineered to adhere to each other and the structure, giving us a tight seal for the home,” said Sweenor. 

GCP’s Field Support team worked closely with the building crew to help ensure the project ran smoothly. “Working with GCP was seamless in terms of selecting the products and getting the project done quickly,” said Jeff Sweenor. “Our guys are well skilled, but there’s a learning curve to any product. The GCP Field team set out the step-by-step lapping and installation sequence to make sure the materials were installed correctly – and keep water out.”

The crew applied GRACE ICE & WATER SHIELD® self-adhered underlayments to the entire roof deck for full coverage protection. Prior to installing the home shingles, they installed VYCOR® enV-S™ weather barriers. These membranes bond to the sheathing, self-seal at overlaps and seal around siding fasteners. This membrane design protects the home against air leakage. They then installed SLICKER® from Benjamin Obdike on top of the weather barrier to provide a drainage plane in case water got behind the siding system. 

With these products in place, Sweenor Builders was able to deliver a home with superior energy efficiency. “We typically achieve an air change rate of one per hour, and we were able to cut that in half for this home,” said Sweenor. “These building envelope products combined with our building methodologies were contributing factors to getting an airtight seal. That will cut the costs to heat and cool the home considerably.”