Green Homes News

Hello everyone,I'm building a 16 x 20 addition on an existing timber frame in climate zone 6 (central Maine). As part of the process, I would like to experiment with…

Part three of this series examines how a Kansas home uses reclaimed insulation within a carefully defined system of air, water, and thermal control layers to achieve high performance.

Longtime lurker, first-time poster. I'm in the early planning stages of a Cape Cod-style carriage house in coastal Maine: a 24' × 38' two-car garage with a one-bedroom apartment above.…

I am currently working on building a small cabin sized at 14x16 feet with a cathedral ceiling. It is going up in climate zone 3A in far western North Carolina…

I know we've probably got the largest number of North American A2W heat pump users here on this forum... at least 3 of us!  I've got a Macon 035z, nearly…

The spray foam industry is attempting to develop a new performance number—but key details remain unresolved.

Any opinions on which is better? Been seeing more RTU heat pumps being used for warehouse and events spaces with high ceilings where the unit could be installed directly above…

I'm renovating a 1960s home, and I'm trying to determine the exact wall thickness before ordering replacement windows and planning some built-in shelving.The walls aren't perfectly flat, and the measurements…

I have an existing detached garage with a wall that is made of 10" CMU hollow core and stucco on the outside. The garage is located in Minneapolis and my…

An HVAC contractor’s equipment calculations are hampered by fuzzy spray foam info

I am working renovating on a my rental house after a hoarder moved out. There were obvious holes in the roof, but the cool thing was the roof was sheathed…

I was thinking about switching out my bathroom fan from under the soffit to an inline fan. Even though the soffit had been blocked around the vent there was enough…

We have a 1951 Cape Cod in the DC area (climate zone 4A)-- the north side-attic has no formal venting (but is likely pretty leaky) while the south side appears…

I'm so grateful for the help I've received from GBA for our new house build, thank you!  We're about to have concrete poured for our front porch. We have heat-sheet…

30 Years later I'm fixing up a second story 2"x4" wall from the outside. Climate Zone 6. Two layers of 1 1/2" rockwool, 1"x3" wood battens for rain screen, with…

If you look at the attached diagram, there is an inverted j-channel at the top of the window opening. This is clearly going to fill up with water and debris,…

I was going to use aluminum screen to cover the gap at the bottom of the rainscreen, because it stands up better than fiberglass screen in standard use. Now I'm…

Every two years, students in a rural Illinois high school build a complete home. This latest project demonstrates that high-performance construction isn't reserved for custom builders—it can also be taught in a classroom

I am in the PNW CZ 4C where we have long wet shoulder seasons (although I'm not so sure how that might play here). I have a 1 car garage…

After three years of radon testing, I finally installed a mitigation system. Here’s what I learned—and how well it’s working so far.