Green Homes News

Hello experts, With no quality experience I signed up for my first house with a renounced local builder in north Dallas area (Celina).  Now they are framing it.  I found studs…

I have read various articles on Monopoly framing, and really like the idea of making the attic a conditioned part of the home. This would allow the furnace and water…

How much more energy would a ductless minisplit that is rated at 19 SEER vs 22 SEER, use? Price wise, the 22 SEER is more money but trying to figure…

I'm contemplating encapsulating the pier and beam foundation in CZ-2.  The existing walls are a stucco skirt, about 1" thick, relatively smooth.Is it acceptable to attach the rigid foamboard insulation…

I'm in the planning phase of adding external insulation, new windows and siding to a 1906 craftsman style 3-story house in ND. Making the trade-offs of cost of materials, simplicity…

A 2" rat slab in crawl spaces is a general spec. Would a crushed stone, perhaps a large size to a certain depth also prevent rats from access to a…

This house is in climate zone 4A and is four years old, full basement and one floor above. It has spray foam insulation and is very tight. HVAC is (are?)…

Builders share lessons learned from building science–related failures to help others safeguard a home's performance

I am brining life back to a 100 year old home, deciding to add exterior insulating and replace the siding on the house after we had the windows replaced with…

I am working (still) on a PGH house design. Playing with a PWF design based on Building Science Corporation (BSI-020) - see attached. The soil type is sandy loam and…

I replaced a super old range hood fan with a Panasonic OTR microwave 400cfm and regret it big time, the fans are in the back and is useless for steam…

Hello, I am hoping for some reassurance to help us survive the rest of the weekend until we can talk to our contractor again Monday…I noticed loud creaking in the…

Hi,I am doing a concrete free slab in coastal Maine.  When I lay my subfloor, it will be over compacted sand, 4 inches of EPS, a vapor barrier and sleepers. …

Does anyone have experience with dealing with some rotted OSB?  It took 20 years to get like this and thankfully does not appear to be effecting the building structurally.Rather than…

Hello, I removed the baseboard in the basement and saw that most walls had spots of black mold behind the baseboard. I am pretty sure that the wall base plate is…

I have a GSHP (Geothermal) supplying warmed water to a hydronic underfloor heating system which is controlled in six zones by six Warmup 4ie thermostats which do not have a…

I've seen a few details on how best transition an air barrier on the exterior of the building walls to the interior of a ceiling. It had always seemed a…

I'm working on an intermittently occupied 1950's ski lodge at 7,000 or so feet high, technically IECC Zone 6B dry.There's a section at the highest point of the building that's…

Looking at a Q600 quote for our build. 2150 conditioned feet on main level and another 2150 conditioned feet in the basement.Quote came to $16,783 and does not include commissioning.So…

I miscalculated my fan size my bathroom is 11x13 and 8 foot ceiling I bought a 110cfm fan. According to the calculations I was suppose to get 143cfm. The fan…