Hudsonville has grown steadily from an agricultural community into one of the more sought-after places to raise a family in Ottawa County, and its housing runs the whole range from century farmhouses to subdivisions completed last year.
At the older end we are looking at buildings that have been altered repeatedly over a long life, where additions meet original structure at junctions that leak, wiring has been extended across several eras, and outbuildings may be in considerably worse condition than the house. At the newer end we are looking for the omissions that come with pace: unsealed duct joints, thin insulation at the attic perimeter, penetrations left open, and grading that has not been finished to match the house as built.
West Michigan weather is the common factor. Freeze-thaw works on foundations, drives and flatwork every year without exception, and lake-effect snow loads roofs and creates ice dams at eaves that are not properly ventilated or insulated beneath. Attic ventilation is one of the most consistently under-appreciated items in a Michigan house and one of the cheapest to correct.
Ottawa County is EPA Radon Zone 3, where the predicted average indoor level is under 2 pCi/L. That is the lowest risk category, but county predictions are not house measurements, and testing is the only way to know your own number.
