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19 Answers

I've been following this site ever since our very uninformed decision to purchase a 1 1/2 story house

Good morning All!
First of all, many thanks for the invaluable information and advice....been following this site ever since our very uninformed decision to purchase a 1 1/2 story house in Twin Cities, MN. If only we knew.... Paying dearly for it but ig...

I have the impending siding job so adding the gables would be quite easy at this point

Asked By MN2008 | Apr 23 18

1 Answer

Heated bath floor - system and flooring?

Is there any metric by which to measure the efficiency of electrically heated bath floors? Is there any system that if preferable to others? What about the Schluter Ditra system? If you have one, would you do it again? If so, what would you change about how it is installed?

Asked By c l | Apr 23 18

3 Answers

Vinyl siding over Zip system

If you intend on installing vinyl siding over zip system, should you be using galvanized or stainless fasteners to install the zip sheathing? I am at a point of starting sheathing with zip system on a new build and would rather not install a WRB though I am concerned that using bright nails will rust and maybe eventually make its way onto the siding. Has anyone dealt with this in the past? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Asked By Brian Ducharme | Apr 23 18

2 Answers

Is this a vapor-permeable air barrier?

1960's home... wall construction is as shown, with face brick on the back side. Silver faced material is thin (maybe 1/8" thick).

I did not notice originally, but in good light, once can see what may be perforations in the surface.

Does anyone recognize if this is a vapor permeable sheathing material?

Asked By Rossn1 | Apr 21 18

6 Answers

Are these calculations wrong?

Hi all; we're building a 2300 sqft ranch with a basement for a total of 4600 sqft of conditioned space in climate zone 4-A. The slab is 4" concrete with R15 under it. The foundation walls are 8" concrete with R15 against them. The rest of the walls are aerated concrete with insulation for a minimum of R21.5 - 11.5 for the block and another 10 for the foam. The windows have a low .20s U-factor and a SHGC of .26. Most of the windows face East with a few facing West and North. There is only one small South facing window. We will be using an ERV for ventilation.

Asked By Michael Grundvig | Apr 22 18

8 Answers

Heat runs to unfinished basement? Pacific NW area

I realize the basement is considered part of the conditioned space, but I was a little startled at an HVAC guy proposing to cut heat runs into the basement (which we do not plan ever to finish). It's a 1901 basement with concrete walls to ground height and wood joists above that. Previous owners had put fiberglass insulation in the joists, which was a really bad idea as one can see from old water stains. That's long gone, but when we first lived in the house we used to get water coming up through the floor drain during storms (no leaks through the walls that I am aware of).

Asked By Irene3 | Apr 20 18

10 Answers

Need to replace clothes dryer - what technology?

My wife informs me that our electric clothes dryer is nearly kaput. Should I replace it with the same kind?... as I understand the technology hasn't changed in years. I also hear of newfangled tech like condensing (ductless) dryers, heat pump dryers, and of course gas dryers.

What is a efficiency / cost savings / payback period of these alternatives? We live in New Hampshire, so heating-dominant climate. Electricity costs me $0.17/kWh, propane is currently going for $1.90. Would probably cost $200 to bring a line over to that side of the basement.

Asked By Tyler Davis | Apr 21 18

2 Answers

Crawl space: To vent or not to vent?

Building here in Chattanooga (CZ-4), there is possiblity of a basement due to shallow soil before bedrock. And we're on a slope, so crawlspace it is.

I've been preparing myself for a conditioned crawlspace but have run across info from 475 that is making me question. If the underside of batt insulation is sealed with a product like one of their Solitex Mento products, airtight yet vapor open, would this be an alternative to sealing the entire space? Thoughts?

Asked By Ytsehoos | Apr 23 18

12 Answers

Painting old wood siding?

I'm looking to remove the vinyl siding from my house and either paint the old wood clapboard siding or remove it and replace with it LP, Hardie, or cedar - or maybe Boral polyash. Still doing the research on which siding to use. I've removed a small section of vinyl and the old siding is in pretty good shape but I've been told I'll regret leaving the old wood because paint will never stick to it. Blown in cellulose has been installed directly behind the clapboards and I've heard that also reduces the life of the paint. Thoughts?

Asked By Michael Mohr | Nov 28 17

5 Answers

Can Housewrap 'melt' under steel siding?

I am installing metal siding on a new construction Home and planned on installing Hydrogap by Benjamin Obdyke underneath. The siding contractor has expressed concern that the paper or the dimples on it may melt.
Has anyone ever experienced housewrap 'melting' from the suns heat.

Asked By user-7015584 | Apr 22 18

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