Green Homes News

Good afternoon,I am currently renovating my foyer and living room on my 100 year old house located in zone 4A.  The house is balloon framed with planked sheathing, some kind…

A more sustainable home renovation does not begin with choosing recycled finishes or energy-efficient appliances. It begins much earlier, with a clear plan for how the space will actually be…

Considering putting 1/2" cdx on inside side of vapor barrier, then covering with what will be painted 1/2" drywall?  Vapor sandwich issue?  I thought drywall, even painted with latex would…

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…