Concrete block single-story detached homes are popular residences in Florida, but construction materials and methods must undergo changes to combat rising prices and material shortages. Those systems with the greatest pressure of price or material shortage will change first. When current costs and methods are examine, it is found that two systems, roof and exterior walls, have the greatest need for changes in the immediate future; and one system, thermal insulation, needs an empirical study. The roof is of materials which are in short supply and rapidly increasing in cost. The study concludes that, with present cost trends, metal frame members for the roof or a reinforced concrete slab roof are feasible alternatives. The exterior walls have excessive labor costs, and the feasible alternative may be cast-on-site masonry tilt-up panel walls. Power prices, electrical and fuel, create a need to establish new guidelines for the extent of home thermal insulation. The heat gains and losses are examined to direct future studies of the home's thermal insulation problems. The concrete block home will continue to be viable if the necessary innovations are implemented to reduce cost rate of increase and to reduce operating and maintenance costs.

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