Since finishing our new office up in Kechi and a highly educational jaunt to the International Builder’s Show back in January, we’ve started experimenting with some of the Home Automation devices (the skeptical might call them ‘toys’) that are available. The two devices we’re playing wi-, I mean, professionally using at the moment are
It may not seem like the most fun way to spend your spring break, but if you’re not laying on the beach in Florida, you might as well be productive, right? Cleaning out your attic is one of the best ways free up storage space for all of the random stuff you’ve accumulated throughout the
There are a lot of different ways to build a wall. There’s standard 2×4 walls, 2×6 walls, ICFs, SIPs, concrete block and steel stud, to name the major ones. Then, there’s what to put on the outside the wall (siding, brick, stone, EIFS, etc.), inside the wall (fiberglass, cellulose, spray foam, etc.), then the interior
A blower door tests the tightness of the home’s envelope by pressurizing or depressurizing the structure and then measuring the amount of time for the entire air supply in the house be replaced with fresh air. For the NAHB’s Field Demonstration of Alternative Wall Insulation Products study, four builders insulated different houses with the various insulation
Controlling moisture flow in a building has significant impacts on occupant health and safety, comfort, building durability and energy efficiency. This section will cover the basics of moisture and its effects on the house system. It will also discuss how geographic location and house type can affect choices of moisture control strategies. Applied building science
Over the past few months, we’ve discussed some of the main factors in creating a comfortable and safe home. The end of most of these articles contained a note about reducing risk and increasing tolerance. Let’s talk about how these ideas fit together. In the last 50 years, home building has changed dramatically – increased insulation, tighter homes, smaller chimneys, more efficient
