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Note: The Fine Homebuilding Podcast team is always looking for ways to improve, so we’re switching up our video strategy. But don’t worry—you’ll still be able to watch all your favorite clips from the show. Check out our YouTube channel or keep scrolling to see more! 

Chris offers advice for second careers in construction. Noah is managing Habitat for Humanity construction. Caleb thinks his humidity is high. Evan asks about using floors for AC returns. The team discusses removing ceiling texture.

Check in:

This August, Benjamin Moore is encouraging renters to paint the interiors of their homes without having to live in a white space rental or sacrifice their security deposits.  

From August 1-31, 2024, 10,000 renters who purchase a gallon of Benjamin Moore Regal Select Interior Paint in any of the 3,500+ colors can use their receipts to redeem a gallon of white paint from July 15, 2025 – September 15, 2025 before moving out. 

Ian:  The house flipper that I rented from and worked for always used the same color combo. Lemon Chiffon OC-109 with Shaker Beige HC-45 accent walls. Trim was always basic white and the ceilings were always standard ceiling paint. I have always been partial to Decorator’s White CC-20 myself.

Listener Feedback 1:

Chris writes:

Hey Guys,

Just throwing in my two cents on changing careers later in life. I would start by learning something as a hobby. You can now teach yourself almost anything with YouTube if you have the drive. I wish this had been around when I was a teenager or in my twenties.

You definitely want to steer clear of really demanding trades like concrete or flooring. Choose something, get some tools, and start working on your own house or do work for family and people you know to get proficient.

Then start working for yourself. This way you can pace yourself on the jobs you take on and can pass on stuff that’s over your head or might be to demanding. Also, let’s face it, even with the shortage of workers, employers are going to be leery of hiring an older worker with no skills. And that applies to any field.

Lastly, there’s no reason someone can’t do painting, drywall repair, handyman work. etc. when they are 60 and older. I would argue it’s a great way to stay active in old age instead of sitting in your Lazy Boy watching Rockford Files reruns on your 12-inch B&W. And you can make some extra money.

Chris in Chicago

Listener Feedback 2:

Noah writes:

Hi FHB,

I’ve been a longtime reader/absorber of FHB magazine and listener of the FHB podcast. I particularly appreciate Mike Guertin’s practical experience and Brian Pontolilo’s forward thinking.

A few months ago I shut down my construction company to take a job as the Construction Manager for Ulster County Habitat for Humanity in New York’s Hudson Valley. Though I miss some aspects of running my own business, it has proven to be a rewarding career move. Our area (and many others) is experiencing a true housing crisis as the increase in rent and home prices far outpaces wage increases. Though there is much more work to be done, to be a small part of the force to improve housing affordability in my community grants me much satisfaction every day.

I’m reaching out for a couple reasons. The first is because I know Patrick has mentioned his time working for Habitat in Pennsylvania (Philly?) and I am looking for any insight you may have about running a successful Habitat volunteer crew. In addition to occasional volunteer groups of 5-15 people, we have 15 dedicated volunteers who show up at the build site at least once a week, many of them for the past several years. It is an honor to get to lead a crew of volunteers who help to build these affordable homes out of pure generosity. They are the best volunteers a manager could ask for, but I am interested to know if you found any techniques or policies that allowed your crew to work even more efficiently and with higher quality in your tenure with HFH?

The second reason I’m reaching out is because we are about to launch our biggest project to date: a development of 10 homes, essentially a small Habitat community, to be completed in a three-year span. We have purchased the land and are in the process of coordinating the site clearing so we can begin construction. This is an expensive process! It will cost us close to $1 million just to have the land cleared and a road installed with all the municipal services, not including the construction of any homes. I’m curious if there may be an opportunity to get a feature on the podcast or in the magazine to help raise awareness for our project and for the good work of Habitat in general. I believe there’s a great opportunity to bring the building science world into the realm of non-profit home building—we strive for comfort and minimal maintenance in our construction just like everyone else. I’m not an author but with some guidance I would be happy to write an article for the magazine about our new project if that is captivating for your readers (I’m pretty fascinated with the process so far) or perhaps even a little series over the next few years as our development manifests. Perhaps it could be called HFHFH (Habitat For Humanity x Fine Homebuilding).

Thanks for your time, I’ll keep tuning in!

RELATED STORIES

• Habitat for Humanity Volunteer Information
• Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House by Larry Haun
• Community Effort Makes Homes More Affordable
• 5 Tips for People New to a Home-Building Job Site
• Passive House Standards for Everyone
  

Question 1: What constitutes high humidity and how should it be dealt with?

Caleb writes:

Good morning Patrick and the podcast crew!

I had a quick question I thought I’d run by you guys. My wife and I have been living in our home for a year. We absolutely love the house, but we notice that year round our humidity levels are fairly high. I’m looking into getting an energy audit and blower-door test done. I believe that our house is tight enough to require makeup air, so I am considering an HRV. I wanted to know if you guys felt I was on the right track with that? The house is a 10-year-old modular with a conditioned basement in upstate New York. I also have been considering installing a heat-pump water heater that I was hoping would help us with high energy bills and possibly help with our high humidity issues as well. Thoughts? And any brand recommendations? As always thank you for your hard work and look forward to hearing back from you guys!

Many thanks,
Caleb Carpenter
Rad Woodworks

RELATED STORIES

• Tight Houses and Moisture Problems
• Dedicated Dehumidification
• Choosing Between HRVs and ERVs
• Makeup Air for Tight Houses

Question 2: How can you seal a return pathway for HVAC in a floor cavity?

Evan writes:

Good morning FHB crew,

I have an interesting one for y’all. In Texas, I sometimes come across slab-on-grade houses that are built on a screeded floor of 2×4 sleepers. To further complicate this design, the floor cavity is used as a return pathway for the closet updraft HVAC system.

A neighbor has this house design and has recently been struggling with mosquitos in the house originating from the cavity, which means moisture is coming in somewhere from the exterior or perhaps around plumbing penetrations in the slab. Investigation is tricky since it’s a 4-in. cavity under the wood floor. He is not ready to replace the HVAC systems just yet so he can’t abandon this floor-cavity return pathway just yet.

When he is ready to replace the HVAC system and stop using the floor cavity what are some options for sealing this cavity? I’m concerned that spray foam under the floor would become a sponge if the moisture source isn’t corrected.

My idea was to take up the wood floor, seal all subfloor penetrations, then build the floor using the superinsulated slab idea since he has about 4 in. of space to fill to bring the floor level with the exterior doors. Do y’all foresee any issues or alternatives?

Thank you!
Evan Bache-Wiig
All Mold Pro Dallas

RELATED STORIES

• Detailed Assemblies for an Airtight Small Home
• How to Insulate a Floor over a Crawlspace
• Create a Sealed Crawlspace

Question 3: What’s the best way to remove textured ceilings?

Patrick talks about removing textured ceilings and discusses an upcoming FHB feature with Noah Kanter.

RELATED STORIES

• A Fine Finish for Wood Exteriors by Noah Kanter
• Spray Texture from a Can

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Well, unfortunately that is all the time we have for today. Thanks to Ian, Brian, and Andres for joining me, and thanks to all of you for listening. Remember to send us your questions and suggestions to [email protected], and please like, comment, or review us no matter how you’re listening—it helps other folks find our podcast.

Happy Building!