4 Important Things You’ll Learn While Pursuing BPI Building Envelope Certification
With a history of more than 25 years, the Building Performance Institute sets the standard for determining what makes homes safe, energy efficient, and healthy. One of the programs related to the BPI has to do with what’s known as the home’s envelope. This is basically another name for the home’s exterior boundary or the shell. Opting to pursue BPI building envelope certification will help you know how to provide ratings and advice that property owners can put to good use. Here are some of the things that you’ll learn about as you pursue the certification.
How to Identify Points Where Air Seepage is Taking Place
People who undergo this type of envelope training often think they know quite a bit about air seepage already. In fact, they likely do know a thing or two about seepage as it relates to doors and windows. What they may not realize is that seepage can also be occurring at other points along the home’s shell.
In fact, seepage may be occurring around the foundation, along the roof line, and even via tiny cracks in the home’s exterior walls. During the training, you’ll learn more about how to spot those issues and what type of recommendations you can make to resolve them.
The Impact of Mold and Mildew on a Home’s Exterior
Mold and mildew that appear on the shell of a home are more than unattractive. They also have the potential to cause a great deal of damage to different types of building materials. The extent of the damage is often broader than most people realize.
During the training, you’ll learn more about how much damage mold and mildew can trigger. That includes how it can adversely affect the structural integrity of the home. Along with being able to assess the extent of the problem, you will also learn more about what can be done to get rid of mold and mildew without causing additional damage.
The Importance of Combustion Safety
While you may think of combustion safety as something that applies mainly within the structure, it also relates to the home’s shell or envelope. Simply put, the goal is to evaluate the potential for damage caused by fire to that shell. It’s also about determining how quickly the shell would burn if a fire did commence.
As part of your BPI building envelope certification training, you’ll learn more about how to enhance the fire-resistant qualities of different types of building materials. That includes materials that are used for home exteriors. The information you learn about heat resistance as well as resistance to fire damage will make it much easier for you to perform home ratings and provide helpful tips that homeowners can use to improve the safety of their dwellings.
Spotting Framing and Foundation Issues
Your training will also focus on problems that could negatively impact the integrity of the entire structure. That includes foundation issues like cracking, shifting, and buckling. You’ll also learn about how these issues can put additional strain on a home’s framework and ultimately damage the shell.
As you learn more about framing and foundation issues, you will also become familiar with what type of repairs and restoration work can help remedy the problems. In this way, you provide valuable information that can help property owners ensure their homes are safe for habitation.
These are only some of the topics that will be addressed during the preparation for the certification. Make the most of what the training has to offer and you have a promising future in this field.
