Green Homes News

Good afternoon, I have a project that upon closer inspection has revealed brick nogging the entire height of the balloon framed structure; from first floor to second floor top plate. The…

I am building a pretty good house with a cathedral ceiling and hot roof. I have a wood stove, and the chimney is framed in. It's a metal Class A…

Hi everyone. I’m in climate zone 6 in northeast Ohio. I have a cinder block wall foundation that I want to plaster or parge over to masks the block lines…

How to choose and communicate two different energy units

What are the main advantages of having a screened porch?

Perfect is the enemy of good so I decided to just order my erv and install the supply into my HVAC system. I have three options. (The erv will have an…

Hi all,I’m looking for some advice on ceiling strapping:- Roof joists: TJIs 24” OC.- First strapping layer: 1x4 strapping perpendicular to TJIs, 20" OC.- Second strapping layer: 2x4 strapping parallel…

I'm planning to improve the insulation in my finished attic space in Northern coastal WA (Climate Zone 4C - Marine) and would appreciate advice on the best approach given my…

I have recently moved to South East Missouri 63956 from northern Canada and I have some questions about my insulation plan. I also have some roof questions. I've attached a…

Part two of the Energy Smart Detail series on integrating windows with continuous exterior insulation

I need some help with making a final decision on my makeup air.  It's a BEST 1200cfm external mounted blower, and the corresponding makeup air kit that opens up when…

Big question for us: do we go all-in on 100% heat pumps?  Or do we go with hybrid heat pumps?  The energy engineer is all-in on heat pumps and thinks…

Dear GBA Community, We are in the midst of building a moderate-to-high-performance home in central Vermont.  Following extensive discussions with our architect, we had settled on the following wall assembly (from…

Does GBA have an article illustrating various ways to detail roof overhangs for an unvented roof where 100% of the insulation is rigid foam on top of the roof sheathing?…

1550 square foot duplex home built in 1900 in Western Massachusetts3 floors: first floor is one unit, second and third floor is a second unitCurrently heated by a 90k btu…

My garage workshop will have interior osb sheathing. The building inspector says I don't have to have any vapour barrier because it's a garage. It seems that the argument against…

We are having a coravent rain screen installed with vertically hinged corrugated metal siding over it. With this siding material, it will be impossible to make sure every nail securing…

What the building industry can do with forever chemicals

I am in the process of finalizing design and beginning build of a 1500 square ft slab on grade ranch in climate zone 5 and I am trying to decide…

My renovation - green I promise - has encountered some difficulties, and I need either a suspended slab or floor joists just below grade.  (The ground cannot support a slab,…