Green Homes News

Should you use a polyethylene vapor retarder on the interior of a foundation wall?

https://buildingscience.com/sites/default/files/migrate/pdf/PA_Foam_Shrinks_FHB.pdfIn this FHB article, Lstiburek writes:"Window film is a poor substitute for the right glazing at the time of the deep-energy retrofit, we used the best windows we could buy:…

I've been asked to work on this house and I'm mulling different ideas to improve the energy efficiency while maintaining the character.It was built circa 1967. It was built as…

Can anyone help with debug of a mini split problem ?MSZ-FE18NA/MUZ-FE18NA, Single Head, Hyper HeatI have had a long list of frustrating experiences with local service folks over the years.…

Hey All,Building a house on a steep lot in CZ 6. The uphill-side of the home's basement concrete wall is the basement is the actual basement wall and will be…

My roof assembly is 2x12" rafters.I want to use r40 Batts@11.25" so I need to increase the depth to allow a 2" vented channel.All the details I've seen here add…

Hello community,I live in Northern California, Zone 5, in a dry climate, hot dry summers, and rain/snow in the winter.  Our basement and crawl space is not heated but the basement…

Hope everyone is well. Always found good advice on this forum so figured I would ask. I’m in the planning phases of a 20x14ft rear 2 story addition (full basement)…

I understand that for sheathing and adjacent rafters this is a bad idea, but what about a stepdown attic space where it's a separate roof? I am thinking of sealing…

We are planning to go with a liquid applied WRB on our remodel, and I'm having a bit of a hard time picking between the different options, was hoping the…

I'd considered getting a 1.25gpm showerhead to decrease water use but was worried it wouldn't be enough since our current showerhead is rated at 1.75gpm, which we've been perfectly happy…

I think that I need a visit from an indoor air quality professional that can give me a whole house evaluation. Where do I find one and what, if any,…

We are in the process of shelf building a 20x36ft two story house. Our plan was to use 11 7/8 L/480 I joists to span 20ft 16oc, however, after reading…

I've been electrifying my house over the last couple of years and the last thing on my list is the HVAC system.  I'm looking for thoughts/opinions how to best go…

I recently went through the same search and found some great options! Based on my experience, here are some of the best robot vacuum cleaners with intelligent navigation for homes…

I'd like to replace our furnace with a Mitsubishi hyper heat system and would love a sanity/reality check. The house is 1,000SF plus unfinished basement in zone 5b. The design temps…

I thought folks here would find this of interest.David Roberts produces Volts, my favorite energy sector podcast. In this interview he speaks with with Beverly Craig, who runs the building…

My Fujitsu 9RLS3H heat pump (installed in 2018) has a leak somewhere. The tech ruled out the flared connections at the outdoor unit. While it's possible there's a leak at…

Assumptions:- 2000 SF home (2 level, conditioned crawl space)- Pretty Good House: Tight, r26 walls, r60 vented roof spaceAssuming the home is going to have a ducted heat pump system…

Hello, I have a walk out attic space on my second floor that has a transition over some house space and then goes above garage. I don't know the actual term…