Green Homes News

Hi! How to detail warm roof (dormer flat roof) cold roof (existing front slope of the roof) junction? Will timbers connect differently to each other? How to keep the insulation layer…

The first in a new monthly series unpacks the principles of Pretty Good House—A balanced approach to designing and building better homes

Problem: Looking either for a source of GP DensDeck in the Denver, CO region, or a suitable alternative.We are re-roofing a house in a WUI zone. The old roof (asphalt…

I've from different sources that heat pump water heaters had a high failure rate a few years ago. Is that still true?

We just built a new home and it was recommended by a building science person to monitor the humidity in our ventilated attic to make sure it doesn’t get too…

I'm in Colorado zone 5.  It's common practice to treat below grade stem wall exterior faces with water resistive barriers (be it tar based for water resistive or something more…

I have two ervs dumping moist air into 5 bedrooms in the house via dedicated ducts.Right now the temperature is 70f and 63%-65% humidity.  I would like to have a…

I am updating a 17x23 foot cabin located in climate zone 4. The cabin will be 3 season use with 2 or 3 short-term visits during the dead of winter. …

We’ve decided to install closed-cell SPF directly to the underside of the roof sheathing in the “devil’s triangle” attic areas adjacent to the kneewalls.The existing condition includes faced batt insulation…

Lüften, or house burping is one method of ventilation. There are better ways.

I want to install plywood beadboard ("Plybead") directly to the ceiling joists as the finish ceiling in a rental house in CZ-2.  (No drywall.)  AI says just caulk the ply-to-joist…

Hi,I’m having to replace the siding on a side of my house. On this project I’m going to be replacing a French door as well. I was hoping to find…

How traditional and modular battery systems work, how to size them correctly, and what to expect from performance, safety, and cost

I am working on a 1970s home in Zone 5A with the following exterior wall assembly: interior 1/2” gyp bd, 2x4 framing 16”oc with either original kraft faced batts or…

Hi teamNew house in Zone 6. GC wants to use Zip R12 but engineer requiring osb directly on studs for shear. Aside from obvious redundancy, any moisture or material issues…

We just had blown-in insulation installed by a company, and while checking their completed work, we noticed that a lot of our baffles have insulation in them. Some of them…

BAIE Minerals produces decarbonized minerals for building products while also remediating environmental blight

Hello,I am looking for insight into how others have dealt with the following scenario:We have an exterior wall that will have cedar shake panel siding installed over 1x4” vertical strapping.The…

I'm DIY building a simple two bedroom ~2000sf two-story house in Vermont on a site that's flat Champlain Valley Clay. The drainage is so poor that my septic permit for…

Hi all, Building slab-on-grade home in Zone 6. No basement or crawl due to high water table. Bought reclaimed 4" xps to go under and around the slab. Realized later that 2…