Green Homes News

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…

Still sealing this rim joist and have run into this gap between double joists, which, unfortunately, I have a few of.   As you see in the photo below there is…