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tag: water and moisture control
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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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Ventilation Strategies for Houses in the Hot-Humid South: Good/Better/Best
Build tight, ventilate right. I learned that from building science guru Mark LaLiberte. But what is the right way to ventilate a house in Texas (or anywhere in the hot/humid South)? I'll give you my recommendations for three strategies.
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Best Practices: Methods for Installing Brick or Stone Veneer
4 commentsBrick is a wonderful building veneer and is the original "Rain Screen" method of separating your cladding from your building with an air gap. Rock on the other hand is often devoid of that air gap here in the South and can lead to building failures. In this post I'll show you a Best Practice Rock veneer approach with a vented air gap.
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Drying Wet Framing Lumber
5 commentsIt's not unusual for a house to get wet during construction before it's "dried in". In this post I'll share some techniques I've used to dry my houses prior to sheetrock. This is a follow up to my last post about using a Moisture Meter.
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Flashing A Recessed Window using Liquid Tyvek
1 commentFlashing a recessed window is tricky, this new product from DuPont Tyvek called Fluid Applied (Liquid Tyvek!) makes the process much simpler. In this jobsite video we will take you through the steps to form a water tight, air tight, and vapor permeable window install.
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After the Hurricane: How to Repair the Damage to Siding, Windows, and Roofing
1 commentWe've assembled this collection of videos and article to help people rebuild in the wake of superstorm Sandy
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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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How to Air-Seal Doors and Windows with a Spray-Foam Gun
4 commentsRemodeling contractor Mike Sloggatt demonstrates how to use a professional spray-sealant gun to make this patio door (or any door) more energy efficient
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"I can't install this" - Poka-Yoke on the job site
5 commentsHow do you prevent job site mistakes? The Japanese Management Technique of Poka-Yoke of course! See how I use this principle on my jobs to ensure we don't cover up a mistake that could cause problems years down the line. -Matt Risinger
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How To Build a Healthy House
1 commentThe home in this video was built for a person with a severe chemical sensitivity, but the goal of building with healthier materials and details should be important to every homeowner
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Installing Commercial Windows In A Residence - Best Practice
I love the look of Modern Architecture, but these modern details involving no overhangs & commercial windows require a lot of fore thought on the part of the builder. In this video I'll show you the Best Practice Install for Commercial Windows in Residential Construction.
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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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Vented siding section drawing: Cedar shingles above fiber cement; over exterior foam
3 commentsThis detail from Green Building Advisor was the basis of our front wall design..
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After the Storm: Tales of Home Repair
Storm damage can range from broken rafters to smashed windows and shredded roof shingles. Repairs don't always go as smoothly as they should, and sometimes uncover shortcuts taken in the past
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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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Basement Addition Harper & Company Homes
2 commentsWe completed this basement addition by excvating the crawl space beneath the existing home and adding a new foundation. The addition added over 1300 square feet to the house and provided the...
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Window Flashing - New-Construction Best-Practice Tyvek Method
14 commentsIn this video you'll see my carpenters setting an Andersen 100 series window utilizing DuPont Tyvek products. I consider this the best practice method for setting a window in new construction.
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How to Remove a Damaged Roof Shingle
3 commentsBY STEPHEN HAZLETT Some roof repairs—nail pops, for example—require replacing single shingles. Removing the damaged shingle without damaging the surrounding shingles is the tricky part...
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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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A Damp Basement has a Dehumidifier Running Overtime
6 commentsA homeowner in Atlanta has taken all of the usual precautions to keep moisture out of the basement. But he's still running a dehumidifier around the clock. Is there something else he can try?
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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
