Monarch Custom Homes LLC

Zero roof pe*******ons—so where do all the vents go?

Many of you asked, so here’s a closer look. On this home, the plumbing vent, ERV intake and exhaust, and makeup air all terminate through the sidewalls, keeping the roof free of vent pe*******ons.

We use InOvate vent covers for our fresh air and exhaust terminations, giving each opening a clean, finished appearance.

This is an approach we bring to every home we build. Each system is planned together because a home is a system, designed and crafted on purpose.

Building science doesn’t stop at any stage of building a home.

Today, our painters started prepping the exterior for paint. This is another stage where the little details matter—especially knowing where to apply sealant and where to leave a clear path for water to drain. We follow James Hardie’s installation instructions and make sure flashing details and drainage openings aren’t sealed shut.

We set clear expectations with our crews, and we appreciate working with talented trades who pay attention to these details. Their care makes a difference in the finished home.

A home is a system, designed and crafted on purpose.

Back at The Cottage comparing the standard plastic wall vents found on many homes to the products we choose.

Plastic vents can become brittle, crack, and lose their flaps after years of exposure to the Texas weather. That leaves an important opening in the building envelope protected by a part that may need to be replaced far too soon.

That’s why we use InOvate wall vents. Their powder-coated Galvalume steel construction provides a cleaner appearance and long-lasting durability.

Building a better home isn’t always about major upgrades. It’s about paying attention to every detail and choosing materials that will continue performing for years to come.

A home is a system—designed and crafted on purpose.

Another big box of goodies just arrived from .com!

They consistently have the quality products we need in stock and get them delivered quickly. This shipment included several wall vents in 4-inch and 6-inch sizes, Duct Saddles, a ceiling access panel, and a few other exhaust vents.

We also ordered these 8-inch wall vent boxes as an alternative because, as far as I know, InOvate doesn’t offer an 8-inch version yet. If they do, someone please point me in the right direction—because I would love to use one!

This is not a paid or sponsored video. I simply enjoy sharing quality building products with fellow builders and homeowners who want better-performing homes.

Go check out SupplyHouse.com!

Back at The Cottage, we’re beginning the exterior cladding and carefully detailing the TamlynWrap® Drainable WRB around every window opening.

The double-sided seam tape secures the WRB at the horizontal and vertical laps while maintaining the shingle-style installation required for proper drainage. Around each window, the WRB is integrated with the flashing so any incidental water that reaches the opening has a continuous path down and safely back to the exterior.

These details will eventually be hidden behind the cladding, but they are essential to the long-term performance of the wall assembly. Every layer is installed with purpose and in accordance with Tamlyn’s installation instructions.

A better home is built through the details you may never see.

Texas heat is hard on exterior building components—even the small ones.

For the exterior ventilation terminations on this home, we’re using InOvate® vent covers. These are manufactured from heavy-gauge Galvalume® steel with a durable powder-coated finish, rather than the typical plastic vent covers you see on many homes.

Here in Texas, I’ve personally seen plastic vent covers become brittle, warp, and even deform from years of exposure to the sun and heat. That’s not a detail we want to have to replace a few years down the road.

These covers are designed for long-term exterior exposure and durability while also giving us a much cleaner, more finished appearance on the home.

It may seem like a small detail, but this is exactly what we mean when we say a home is a system designed and crafted on purpose.

Now that the headwall flashing is complete and the guys have finished all the siding on this home, we’re ready for the next step: paint.

Before we move forward, this is a great opportunity to show a detail we get asked about all the time—how do we handle venting without adding unnecessary pe*******ons through the roof?

The answer is: we handle it on purpose.

We design our homes to minimize roof pe*******ons wherever possible. On this home, the roof pe*******ons are limited to the skylights and the dedicated fresh-air intake and stale-air exhaust for the ventilation system. Plumbing vents and other mechanical exhausts are intentionally handled without adding unnecessary pe*******ons through the roof.

Every roof pe*******on is another detail that has to be properly flashed, sealed, and maintained for the life of the home. Fewer pe*******ons mean fewer potential points of failure.

It’s another example of treating the home as a complete system and making every detail intentional.

Next up: paint.

The last 2% of the exterior is all about getting the details right.

The roofing crew has installed the headwall flashing anywhere the metal roof meets the exterior cladding. This is an important transition—it gives us the proper termination for the siding while also creating the flashing detail the standing-seam metal roof will tie into later.

The metal roofing itself won’t be installed until after the exterior is painted, but the flashing has to be in place first. That allows us to complete the siding and exterior details, finish the paint properly, and then bring the roof into the completed assembly.

Good building is as much about the sequence as it is the materials. Every layer has to be installed in the right order so the entire exterior works together as a system.

This home was built in the early 1900s—long before air conditioning was part of residential construction.

At some point, a previous owner added an HVAC system, and with limited options for getting ductwork through an existing home, they ran it through the crawl space and installed sheet metal underneath to help protect it from moisture.

For its time, it was a practical solution. The problem isn’t necessarily the original idea—it’s what happens when a system like this isn’t maintained.

Over the years, the protective sheet metal has started falling away, leaving the ductwork exposed to moisture. What may have once been a manageable maintenance item can eventually turn into a much bigger repair.

Older homes are full of creative solutions from different eras. Maintaining those systems—and knowing when it’s time to update them—is a big part of keeping the house performing the way it should.

Our second load of ECLISSE pocket door systems has arrived, and the guys are getting them installed.

These are the ECLISSE Classic Series frames. One quick correction from my previous video: I mentioned that the frames were high-strength aluminum, but they’re actually constructed from galvanized steel.

The Classic system is rated for doors up to 220 lbs., and also offers configurations capable of supporting doors up to 330 lbs.

What really stands out to me is how solid these systems feel. Traditional pocket doors can sometimes feel loose or flimsy, but these frames create a much more substantial assembly—and the doors operate incredibly smoothly.

We’re getting them installed now, and once the doors are hung and finished, I can’t wait to show you just how smooth the operation really is.

At Monarch Custom Homes, we’re always looking for products that don’t just look good when the house is finished, but perform the way they should for years to come.