Green Homes News

I have a 1970’s 2-family house, upstate NY Saratoga region, zone 5a, electric heat with a full unheated basement resulting in cold winter floors and exacerbating heat loss and heating…

I'm building a small 900 SF cabin in Northern Wisconsin and trying to figure out what makes sense for ERV / HRV and bathroom exhaust and kitchen exhaust.Its slab on…

Ductless minisplits can get surprisingly dirty—and keeping them clean comes with a cost

Good day Green Building World,I come to you with a building question from the esteemed four seasons of climate zone 6A. My question is such:I'm residing my house and adding…

Climate zone 4A -- 1960's construction basement walkout - above grade exterior wallsI have a 2 wythe masonry wall in my walk-out basement. the outer wythe is full brick and…

Part 4 of a series on a Kansas home built from reclaimed materials examines how a high-performance enclosure reshaped the project's mechanical design

My question is about the suitability for 3/4" maple or similar plywood for the interior cladding of the exterior walls for a cabin in climate zone 7.   No walls…

I have a lower garage with a 10' overhead door. 19.5' wide by 34.67' deep (676 SF). 3 sides are concrete, overhead door side is framed / drywall. I want…

Hi team, New two story house with portion of second floor on top of a 20ft x 20ft garage. Garage is slab on grade while rest of house has basement.…

As Europe continues to define and refine balcony solar, it may offer a preview for what’s to come on this side of the pond

A newly renovated home stays cool, but summer humidity is much too high. What’s going wrong?

I currently have a duct line that is leaving the basement furnace into a living room on the first floor.  A flexible 8in round duct needed to be in the…

Hi all — hoping to tap into some collective experience before I finalize a solar shade order.The situation: I'm replacing solar shades on a large south-facing (slightly east) window on…

A bit academic for me as I'm not in the climate zones where they can be used, but I'm curious:Where the ports are used, and the permeable insulation is at…

I will soon be insulating and finishing an interior scissor truss ceiling in climate zone 7 with a vented attic above.  The bottom truss chords will be insulated with rockwool…

Editor's note: The following article by Allison Bailes originally appeared in Fine Homebuilding #265, March 2017. While many discussions about ductwork focus on wasted energy and comfort, this article explains…

We are building a 1½-story home in Houston (Climate Zone 2) and are trying to achieve a high-performance building enclosure without using spray foam. Our current design is to insulate…

Still sealing this rim joist and have run into this gap between double joists, which, unfortunately, I have a few of.   As you see in the photo below there is…

Hello!  We are getting ready to install siding and are going to use the Everlast Board and Batten product.  It has a (small) integrated rainscreen of about 1/8" (20mm), and…

Hi everyone, Building a “Pretty Good House” in Climate Zone 5. Attic is specified at R-60 blown cellulose, with a 6:12 roof and currently a 22" raised/energy heel. Builder suggested…