How to reduce ice dams, improve thermal performance, and boost the durability of homes with vented, insulated attics

Two ways to insulate a brick veneer wall, from the Inside

 

For cutting rockwool insulation, retire your old bread knife and pick up a pair of these

Glue the rim joist, caulk the gaps, and overhang the wall sheathing to tighten this leaky building assembly

 

Rinse off with cold water before the hot shower.

You can't simply go down to the hardware store and buy a box labeled air barrier

 

Doubling the square footage of a house while cutting the air leakage in half delivers extraordinary value

 

Whether using roof trusses or stick framing a roof frame, if you make space above the exterior walls, your energy performance will thank you.

 

Using theatrical smoke to illustrate air leakage pathways to customers and new employees

Exterior insulation can create transition problems. Here are a few solutions

Vapor barriers cause a lot more harm than good in many parts of North America. Understanding vapor barriers begins with knowing what it means to be one

Thin foil can block massive amounts of heat transfer, but it needs a massive temperature difference to be effective. So, insulation sort of makes radiant barriers irrelevant.

A collection of five videos on a Passive House Retrofit in Sharon, CT (climate zone 5) executed by Ben Bogie, Built to Last, LLC

For walls with a pre-applied weather barrier, make sure the tape is compatible with the WRB coating—or use a primer

 

Furring and foam on the INSIDE for better walls in really cold places.

Keep mechanical equipment within the envelope to improve the quality of houses and homes

The most effective (and easiest) time to detail the air barrier is during the framing stage. If it isn't specified during design, ain't no way the framers are gonna get it right.

18 Videos, articles, and animations showing you how to get through Section 1 of the Energy Star Thermal Bypass Checklist. It is about the continuity between various components of the air barrier system and the thermal envelope.