Follow every requirement of the Build HD high‑durability standard to construct homes that last 150 years.
Based on: Build Original SeriesSeries Overview | How to Build to the Build HD Standard | Ep. 0 by Matt Risinger
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What if the house you're building today won't actually hold up 50 years from now — and you wouldn't even know it until it's too late?
Most builders and homeowners assume that passing inspection means the job is done right. But Matt Risinger and Tim Hill of the Build Show have spent years uncovering an uncomfortable truth: building to code is just the starting point. Code is the minimum. And minimum isn't the same as durable, serviceable, or built to last generations. Water gets into assemblies that can't dry. Foundations sit too close to grade. Showers fail flood tests nobody ran. Electrical panels can't handle modern loads. These aren't rare edge cases — they're systematic gaps that show up in houses built every single day.
Imagine handing over a home — or moving into one — that you know with confidence will still be performing at a high level in 150 years. A house where every assembly was designed with forgiveness built in. Where water management was addressed before the walls went up, not after the homeowner calls with a mold problem five years later. Where the electrical capacity was planned for EV charging and heat pumps before the drywall went on. That's what building to the Build HD High Durability standard looks like in practice.
Matt Risinger is one of the most trusted voices in high-performance building. His Build Show channel has educated hundreds of thousands of builders, architects, and homeowners on what it actually means to build better. The Build HD standard he and Tim Hill developed isn't opinion — it's a structured, documented framework with 89 specific requirements, each one benchmarked against the 2024 IRC code baseline and backed by building science. This isn't a list of vague best practices. It's a defined, prescribed path.
This checklist captures every actionable requirement and concept from the Build HD series introduction so you can start applying the standard immediately. You'll know exactly what the foundation elevation requirement is, what compressive strength of concrete to specify, how long your shower pan flood test needs to run, what blower door score to target, and why continuous exterior insulation is now a baseline — not a luxury. Use this checklist alongside the free Build HD standard document and the ask.build tool as you work through your next project. Download it, print it, and build better than code starting today.
Every checklist item comes with actionable notes to guide you — things like "Don't forget to do this before you start," "Avoid this common mistake," or "Set a reminder for 30 days out." Nothing vague, just clear next steps.
+ 16 more action items inside...
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