Michael Maines

Understand the hallmarks of this informal style, whether you’re designing a new home or remodeling a classic.

A properly insulated cathedral ceiling provides thermal and vapor control and allows drying in at least one direction.

High-performance-home designer Michael Maines takes a detailed look at the new low-carbon edition of the grassroots building standard.

Watch this panel of experts discuss what they think matters most when choosing windows.

A great choice for exterior foam on foundations is a borate-treated expanded polystyrene (EPS) that performs at a similar R-value to extruded polystyrene (XPS) but is much less environmentally unfriendly.

Hear from the authors of the Pretty Good House book about how the movement got started and how the book came together.

The "pretty good" home was part of a case study on a net-zero community in Cumberland, Maine.

Two example assemblies demonstrate how to incorporate low-carbon strategies for better comfort and energy savings.

While burning wood is sometimes considered a "green" source of heat, when it comes to carbon emissions and occupant health, natural gas or propane is usually a better choice.

HFO-blown foam is significantly better than HFC-blown foam when it comes to global warming potential, but no spray foam has zero environmental impact.