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Home Energy-Efficiency Upgrades for Beginners
Advice for homeowners: Inspect your house for these common energy problems to get a better idea on where your money is best spent
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Are you asking for problems if you put a plastic vapor barrier in your walls?
1 commentOnce routine, polyethylene vapor barriers are out of favor in all but the coldest climates. Writing on behalf of a friend in Chicago, Ed says he gets that. But he wonders about the risks of building a house without one when no special care is taken to make the house airtight.
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Project House Weekly Wrap, Episode 5: Housewrap and Exterior-Foam-Insulation Details
Fine Homebuilding editors Dan Morrison and Justin Fink discuss water-management, energy efficiency, and dealing with tricky wall transitions
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Using Polyethylene as an Air Barrier
2 commentsAlthough polyethylene sheeting has fallen out of favor as a vapor retarder in most wall and ceiling assemblies, opinion is mixed on whether it can be used as an air barrier
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Summer is the Time to Head Off Ice Dams
1 commentCorrective action now will prevent ice dams and water intrusion when winter rolls around again
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Insulating an Old House from the Outside
4 commentsA 50-year-old house is about to get an overhaul that will include new sheathing, siding and wall insulation, but the owner is sweating the details
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Ice Dams, Can Lights, Wet Walls, and Water Damage
23 commentsIt's the time of year that I watch my neighbor across the street pulls out her roof rake and begin raking her roof. Now it you all knew my neighbor, you might think nothing of it. This is the lady...
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Hidden rain gutters and down spouts
2 commentsHidden rain gutters and downspouts on the Rainmaker House 2051 Hillside Drive. http://www.therainmakerhouse.com I've never liked the tacked on look of conventional aluminum gutters and down spouts...
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Does Rigid Foam Insulation Trap Moisture in the Walls?
9 commentsYou can seriously cut your home's demand for energy by adding rigid insulation, but will wrapping your home with foam cause the walls to rot?
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After Shock: A Moldy Crawlspace Nightmare Part 2
3 commentsAfter the initial shock of finding so much deterioration of the wood in this crawlspace, its time to plan repairs.
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Zero-Energy Homes Start With Air-sealing, Insulation, and Weatherproofing
16 commentsBasements, walls, and roofs that keep weather out and heat in are the foundation of a durable, energy-efficient home. Read this introduction to how heat, air, and water move and how to control them.
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Flashing Windows in Walls with Exterior XPS Insulating Sheathing
2 commentsThe exterior insulation adds thermal efficiency. Perhaps even more important, in our marine climate, our code (Portland, OR) then allows us to omit the interior vapor barrier, and we can build...
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On stimulus handouts and bargain-seeking brides
3 commentsSome builders argue with Marc Rosenbaum when he reports the results of a blower-door test. He tells them the air changes per hour at 50 pascals, and they roll their eyes and say...
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Craftsman Room Addition phase 8
I hired out the stucco, did the siding, insulation, and sheetrock myself. Keepin' on keepin' on, I would probably be done by Christmas, if I didn't have to replace a Pella door (The new one is...
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How to Paint Fiber-Cement Siding
Painter Jim Lacey shares some tips for caulking and painting fiber-cement siding. read more
