Blog
Hi I’m looking to insulate and finish a basement room made of concrete blocks. The foundation exterior walls are covered with a delta membrane and damproofing (bitumen material-black stuff). The concrete block foundation was built are 1960s. It is an extension to my house built in 1950. I live in Quebec City with a climate […]
I happened to see this at a construction site today. One inch XPS directly over the studs, and then sheathing — Zip board — over the XPS. I thought it was a bit curious. Not an expert on framing, but my understanding is that sheathing has to be directly attached to framing to be prescriptive […]
Green Building News GBA connected with industry leaders to discuss some new products that have come to market By Justin R. Wolf | April 28, 2026 Consider this expression: If these walls could talk. It’s an interesting proposition to be sure, and occasionally a sobering one. But let’s take it literally. In the average American […]
Helping a friend who is installing an exhaust fan in a bath that never had one. The duct from the exhaust fan will go to the attic and about 7′ across out a gable end wall. Most plastic vents deterioate within a few years, so I was looking for metal vent, but most of them […]
I am re-siding a house built in 1986 in the Cleveland, OH area. As part of the project, we are doing an energy retrofit. I am familiar with current building science and have reference Joe Lstiburek’s perfect wall literature. Even so, I am stumped. Current walls have aging craft-faced fiberglass in 2×4 walls 16″ OC. […]
Global Cities Urge Faster Transition to Renewable Energy Mayors from across the globe say shifting away from fossil fuels is the most effective path to securing affordable and reliable power. By Jesse Jacobs April 28, 2026 City leaders and national governments gathered at the First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels to advocate for […]