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If the air space is confined, I don’t think it would affect the ratios. An area of dead air, such as between two layers of batts, will act as a combination of poor R value per inch (relative to whatever the batts are), and potential convective air flow, but that convective air flow will only […]
Hello, I have an old cellar converted to a basement. I’m sure there is nothing modern about its assembly – merely concrete poured over the dirt. It has a sump pit and pump. The pump was tied to the waste water sewer line at some point. The pit is 2 ft deep, looks to be […]
Green Communities A woman-led natural building project shows how craft, community, and sustainability can shape housing at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage By Nathaniel Carlsen | February 10, 2026 In researching the content for this series, I returned to Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage to speak with natural builders and residents. The first building I visited was the Hub […]
I am working on an existing lake cottage in Massachusetts, Climate Zone 5. The project needs to meet the stretch energy code and the client is interested in high-performance or passive house strategies for reducing energy consumption as much as possible. The existing is an uninsulated, 2×4 wall construction (old enough to be a true […]
Building Matters A look at influential residential design books from the 1990s—and how they continue to shape good design today By Rachel Wagner | February 9, 2026 In 1998 a revolutionary new book arrived: The Not So Big House, by architect Sarah Susanka. Susanka offered both theory and a “how to guide” – in the […]