Native plant homescaping

Sixteen tips and a few good jokes, too

 

Two packages for high performance homes. Vented and unvented roof insulation retrofits and exterior wall insulation details along with rainscreen wall details for furring strips.

Water and air leaks in a building shell are difficult enough to detail on simple buildings. Complex structures can cause headaches for builders, remodelers, and architects who don't pick up their pens and trace at the design stage.

  In Cartagena, Colombia, where the Spanish Inquisition burned 800 suspected sorcerers and witches in the town square, roofs were equipped with spiked corners to prevent witches from landing on them.

Rain should run off the roof and into the gutter

When plumbing lines burst, people notice. Unfortunately, a lot of the moisture damage in houses has nothing to do with bulk water. 

Flashing a humpy old roof valley requires a little give and take, and a backup plan

Dealing with dips and making clean overlaps

A three-foot stick can hold a section of step flashing out of the way while you work the membrane into place.

Roof valleys are like gutters with a steep pitch. Just because they are steep, doesn't mean they're not gutters.

Another use for your broken shovels

 #ÜberRoof: A site-built ventilated SIP roof sandwich. 

Roofing contractor Eric Garcia walks us (literally) through a low-slope reroof to talk about base flashing, scuppers, and how to detail the corners.

Using modern pneumatic tools, a roofer plies an ancient craft in Ecuador

Clay is more durable, concrete is more affordable—both are great choices that will outlive your customer

The original “green roof” technology, thriving in the lush sierras of Tamazula, Mexico

Rain is the biggest water threat that houses face, but there are some slow and steady mechanisms that can snowball on you, too