Green Homes News

Discover how well a mini-split heat pump tackles humidity control

I am building a timber frame home in climate zone 6 in Idaho. So far we've been able to navigate the complexities of wrapping and enclosing the timber frame with…

The cedar shingles on a significant portion of the south and west facades  of our ~100-year-old two-story house in Climate Zone 5A (Eastern Massachusetts) need replacing. The thing is, the…

7/16" OSB 1/3rd the price of Zip sheathing.  Found on this site that you can use Zip tape with 3M 90 as a primer for seams on regular OSB.  Is…

I am working on a "Solar Shed" structure.  Essentially a single slope roof that will mount solar panels, underneath which will be a gravel floor shed.  My intent is to…

Cold Climate Heat Pump Experts!What's the best practice for managing the defrost water, when the heat pump is mounted close to the house?Here's a picture of what mine looked like…

We have a mostly finished basement, except a large utility room. I'd like to insulate this room by putting rigid insulation against the foundation and then building and insulating a…

Hello, I am planning on adding XPS foam board insulation to the basement in my home built in 1920. I am in climate zone 6. I see that using continuous…

I'm planning an extension to my house, with 2x6 studs and 1.5" polyiso insulation on the outside. I'm planning on having the WRB be housewrap on the sheathing before the…

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

Hello, I am in a 1950’s house that I believe is fairly leaky. The ceiling is not air tight as it has many can lights. One room has wood paneling…

Is this level of installation something that should cause concern? The  top of the rigid here is at finished grade.It’s maybe a half inch gap with half the sheets due…

We are starting a DER (Deep Energy Retrofit) on our old 2200 sq ft. house . It was built out of an old church by my Wife's daddy. In the early 80's we…

Hi all. I’m going to be installing metal 5-rib panel roofing onto an 8x8 shed. The rafters are 24” OC and I have installed 3/4” plywood for sheathing due to…

Because of the way our windows were installed, and the need to shim the brackets, our contractor placed 1/2" polyiso insulation around the sill, header, and sides. This was done…

This latest action strips billions from companies actively scaling green building and energy solutions

Hi, I'm brand new to the forums -- been reading nonstop for weeks and have reached the edge of what I can research here and other places.I want to upgrade…

Hello GBA community,Climate Zone 5b for context.I'm building a little studio (basically a glorified shed) that will be a conditioned space, used as an office/spare bedroom. 2x4 walls with fiberglass…

Hello! I am not the most experienced in DIY stuff, so please excuse any deficiencies in nomenclature and the possible bad ideas.I have a shed I am attempting to climate control.…

Hello GBA Community,We're getting ready to install our flooring and have run into a common but tricky detail. The Challenge: We are installing a floating floor on our second-floor landing…