Building Resilience Season 2: A Project Based Approach to Better Building

Season 2 is back in Minneapolis for a large-scale retrofit of a 111-year-old house: Tightening up the envelope, adding durability to the shell, and dramatically improving the interior conditioning and IAQ

We're diving into the meaning of deconstruction and demolition, and we're doing it, too

Transferring different loads through many engineered lumber beams is central to remodel framing

Sealing a crawlspace against bulk water and soil moisture using rigid foam and spray polyurethane foam

Last time on Building Resilience, we were cutting styrofoam, gluing the back, and sticking it to the walls in two crawlspaces, where we had already plopped it on the floor. That’s when we broke out the froth packs."Spray foam insulation. It’s a big part of how we build today, it’s one of the key ingredients in our building type.

House wrap that sticks to the wall eliminates cap staples and some window flashing

Hydroflash LA and Invisiwrap UV make a watertight, airtight, and UV-safe opening behind the open cladding

PVC moves in response to temperature swings, but it doesn't move like you think it does. To make the movement predictable, Install TIGHT and fasten RIGHT 

Open cladding lets rain flow through, so a watertight—and UV Resistant— WRB is critical

It's like installing wood bevel siding, except it won't warp or rot

A look back at a resilient renovation to a 100-year old house