Green Homes News

The question of how deep a ventilation space is required for over-roof ventilation in an extreme snow region (climate zone 7) to keep the underside of the roof sheathing close…

Hi all, my 2nd story floorplan calls for a closet that extends over the stairwell (drawing below). The code-required 6’8” headroom makes it so that a dropped joist won’t fit…

I live in climate zone 4a. I'm wanting to use three layers of 2 inch Mule Hide Poly ISO 2 panels that have a permeable glass-fiber face on each side…

Hi,I was planning on insulating my basement walls and slab. It has never been wet or showed signs of water intrusion in 10 years. I have found a good price…

I am currently building my house and will be coming up on siding soon. Really like the idea of a rainscreen under our siding to promote drying and longevity of…

Hello all. I have an oldish shed that I am looking to insulate and finish. I have a mini split that I am looking to install and have already ran…

I'm planning a two-story garage with living space above in coastal Maine. The site has heavy clay soil, and I'm trying to determine the best foundation approach for a cold…

I'm planning to build a simple, 24'x40' high-performance house in coastal Maine using locally milled rough-sawn 2×6 lumber. My goal is to build primarily with local materials sourced from local…

Hey all, please see photo for better understanding of what I am about to describe.I am wrapping my timber frame with polyiso foam board. 2 layers of 2" on my…

Low-VOC labels are a good starting point, but they're only part of the story

Thank you https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/author/Antonio_Bettencourt for reminding  us about managing domestic hot water to avoid Legionnaire's Disease, for example in this article: https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/the-myth-of-energy-efficiency-are-we-measuring-the-wrong-thing#0Our federal government's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)…

We're building a pretty good house in Nova Scotia. 30 x 60 ft single storey on screw piles. We have planned a double wall assembly, so from inside to out…

I have a question regarding a smart wall design that is both affordable but well built. My initial design was 2×4 framing, cdx sheathing, peel and stick wrb, 1 1/2"…

Hi all. I'm a homeowner looking to get some feedback on my garage HVAC. It’s a 2-story detached garage with a gambrel roof. Zone 5. I’m going to be doing…

Hello, Addition in No NH shed roof terminates back of house wall. Contractor plan shows pine boards (ceiling) on rafters, 8 inches polyiso, 2 layers of strapping for ventilation, 5/8…

I need advice on radon mitigation. My home was built in the 1940s in the Appalachians of Virginia. It has a dug out basement with a crawl space. The basement…

A clogged downspout turned into an unexpected fountain, offering a reminder that managing rainwater is one of the most important parts of protecting a home from moisture damage.

I have a project coming up in Charleston, SC (Climate Zone 3A) that's elevated on wood pilings — the space under the house is open to the outdoors, only enclosed…

Greetings,I'm a general contractor in Eastern Iowa, working on a mixed commercial and residential remodel on a historic building. This is a complex remodel; we have started from scratch in…

Energy efficiency measures how much energy we use. Exergy asks whether we're using the right kind of energy in the first place.