Green Building Blog

Facebook, friends, fans, pages, Twitter, tweets, followers, YouTube, Flickr, Digg, blogging, CMS―do you feel overwhelmed by the social media networking craze? You are not alone! But think about this: Where would Microsoft be had it failed to update its Windows operating system? Even today, Microsoft refuses to stay behind, because it too uses Facebook and Twitter.

You are not alone out there in the run up to new lead paint laws that take effect on April 22 of 2010. For us the law won’t alter the way we do business on a whole bunch of jobs since the majority of our projects are on homes born after 1977--homes to which the law does not apply. We work mostly in the suburbs, and considering the enthusiasm with which this city sprawled through the last quarter of the 20th century, there is no shortage of 15-30 year-old homes that need help.

Even well-designed mechanical systems can become sources of indoor air quality problems (or can waste energy) if they are incorrectly installed, so it's important to make sure heating and cooling systems work as designed before the house is occupied. It's critical to test the systems (including duct work) before anyone moves into the house. That's almost always cheaper than dealing with the equipment after problems become obvious.

This testing — sometimes called "commissioningProcess of testing a home after a construction or renovation project to ensure that all of the home's systems are operating correctly and at maximum efficiency. " — should follow the "TAB" approach: test, adjust, balance.

Editor's introduction: With energy prices rising again, many homeowners are planning energy-efficiency improvements to their homes. But most people are unsure of where to begin, and even seasoned builders don’t always know which priorities should rise to the top of the list. Betsy Pettit, an architect at Building Science Corporation, recommends starting where you can get the most bang for the buck.

Step 6: Buy Energy StarLabeling system sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy for labeling the most energy-efficient products on the market; applies to a wide range of products, from computers and office equipment to refrigerators and air conditioners. (or better) fixtures, appliances, and lighting

This house is down the road from mine. The paint job was new a couple of years ago. Before that the paint was in pretty good shape on all walls of the houses except this one: this wall looked like it does now. I suspected then that there was some sort of moisture problem going on. After they re-painted, and the wall re-peeled so quickly (within six months), I was sure that it wasn't poor prep or cheap primer.

This is the north side of the house (sunlight is visible because the sun is setting).

What do you think? Why is this paint coming off in sheets?

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Visit the Green Building Advisor / Fine Homebuilding Booth

Once again, we'll be at the National Green Building Conference, this year in Raleigh-Durham, NC. Swing by the booth for a chance to talk to Pete (Technical director of GBAGreenBuildingAdvisor.com), Dan (Senior web producer for GBA and FHB), and Brian Pontolilo (editor of FHB). Also, expect Carl Seville and Michael Chandler to be milling about.

Everyone has their own reason for wanting to build green. A couple of years ago as a fun little experiment I asked people at Building Science Summer Camp what the most important aspect of Green Building was. I expected a pretty straight across the board "Energy Efficiency" answer. I wasn't surprised to get health, global warming, durability, and forest conservation as answers, but I was surprised that I got them so frequently.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Today everyone is talking about the things we talk about at Green Building Adsvisor every day — today we're fashionable!

We at Green Building Advisor want to know why it is that you have chosen to design, build, and remodel according to green building guidelines. Environmental reasons? Quality reasons? Moral obligation? Financial opportunity?

Editor's introduction: With energy prices rising again, many homeowners are planning energy-efficiency improvements to their homes. But most people are unsure of where to begin, and even seasoned builders don’t always know which priorities should rise to the top of the list. Betsy Pettit, an architect at Building Science Corporation, recommends starting where you can get the most bang for the buck.

Step 3: Insulate your walls

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