Green Homes News

I'm framing a 2-story garage that is attached to the main house via a mudroom. The plumber wants to run his waste lines under the stairs through the mudroom floor…

I'm in NH (CZ 6A) doing an exterior remodel on my 1950 ranch using 7 1/4" Larsen Trusses over a 2x4 structural wall.  The existing wall is standard drywall, 2x4…

Our planned finished floor is high troweled concrete. We are opting for this over polished concrete. We're unsure what we should ask for when it comes to sealers, densifiers or…

Hi there, I am just wondering if there is a non-toxic or low VOC spray foam option that can be used for our upcoming replacement window install?

I've got a plan, slab on grade, that has a walkout slider opening to a 10'x 24' outdoor 4" thick concrete patio. The patio is contained by  5' frost walls…

A failed open cell spray foam application, could the issues have been avoided?

I'm building a house next year - single-story 2300 sqft ranch in Zone 6 (Maine), and want to use 2 x 8 wall construction, 24" O.C., R-30 Roxul, sheathed with…

Building details: Walls 24" OC, double top plate, roof trusses 24" OC. Question: Can the trusses be offset from the studs by 2"? I made the rookie mistake of beginning…

Hello all! I'm in the planning stages of a new small home and would like some advice on my insulation strategies. First I'll give some info on the idea. The…

Maybe a detail for this already exists on GBA, but I couldn't find it. How does one prevent thermal bridging under a garage door through the slab on grade? We…

What is the recommended gauge for a standing seam metal roof?

Hi All. We recently purchased a 1914 bungalow in coastal Maine (climate zone 6A). We are wrapping our heads around the scope of our remodel (the last upgrade was in…

We are in the process of a new build and are building a conditioned, non ventilated attic. We are in a wildfire prone location so are trying to optimize how…

I have two questions: one is spacing, one is product. Working on details for my roof and can't seem to find a solid answer on spacing for the super long…

We're constructing a new shower on a concrete slab. I'd appreciate recommendations for the most "bomb-proof" approach to ensure decades of leak-proof use. Years ago we had a skilled, experienced…

I am planning on insulating a crawl space. It’s not conditioned but is connected to a conditioned full basement. I’m in Climate Zone 6A (Madison WI). There is a vapor…

Recently saw this article from BSI: https://buildingscience.com/sites/default/files/document/BSI-150_Alice%20Cooper%20Does%20Heat%20Pump%20Hot%20Water%20Heaters_%C2%A9_0.pdf BSI stuff is usually well researched but there are some real issues with the article. When they are doing the calculations for heat…

Hi, MD clubs contractor installed new hard pipe ducts. Upon close inspection (peeling back the bubble wrap) it appears as though all the taps/take offs were installed with the flange…

These smart air-sealing details illustrate how producing a great air barrier begins on the drawing board

Reasoning Readily available Cheap 410A