Condensation is when moisture in the air hits a cool enough surface to convert the vapor into water.

House wraps and weather barriers can play a critical role in a high performance wall assembly. In fact, the WRB is a BFD

 

Counting down the top pages of 2018. This one is #8. Roof valleys are like gutters with a steep pitch; but the stakes are higher for valleys than they are for gutters

 

The mission of water is to turn houses to mush. Some drip edge flashings may actually help water accomplish this mission.

Recessed into thick layers of insulation, innie windows are protected from the weather

 

Concentrate on the corners and think like water when overlapping the layers

 

I get this question all the time: "Stucco all the way down to the roofing: right or wrong?" Answer: WRONG. and here's why...

 

A tight air barrier is the best way to build an energy-efficient house. Outside the sheathing are many chances to make it better.

A thermal break and solid backing puts the window on the outer face of a thick wall. Now, there's room on the inside window sill for cats and bowling trophies

 

Flash the boot like any other roof penetration, and snap the tube into place—just make sure to align the hole between the ceiling joists...

 

This critical element is often omitted from window installation

 

Ground zero for roof rot is often where roofs meet walls.

Offset the joints and seal the gaps to keep air leaks out of the thick walls

 

Sealing the layers—and overlapping them right—is how high performance building gets done

Holes in walls amount to big walls full of holes unless you seal the hole after you make it

Windows cannot rest on the foam, so they hang from wood bucks

 

Use expensive stretch tape for the tricky parts and regular non-stretch tape for the rest of the window flashing

Wide tape spans the many layers of a thick wall to make an air tight and water tight seal