Q&A: A Forum for Green Building Experts and Beginners

Looking for an answer before I start this project. I live in northern MN. I had my attic spray foamed 4" behind knee walls, 3" in the living space. This is a 1 1/2 story with a non-vented roof. I want to know if its O.K. to use foil faced 1" rigid sheets to cover studs [Editor's note: I think David means "rafters"], with the foil facing down between the knee walls. I did plan on filling all voids and foil taping the joints. Then 1/2" sheetrock over the foam. Just want to make sure this isn't considered a double vapor barrier, and if this would be considered good construction.

Hello everybody.

I am currently designing a new single family vacation home in southern New Jersey on the beach. The project is going for LEED for Homes and Energy Star certifications. My main wall section from inside-out calls for 1/2" gypsum, 2x6 stud wall w/ batt insulation, 1/2 plywood, 1-1/2" rigid foam, WRB, 1x4 furring/air space, fiber cement siding. Air sealing details are similar to those offered in the GBA detail library. As a summer vacation home the main usage would be during the cooling season.

We currently stay in a cottage 3 hours north of Toronto, Canada. The main level of the cottage has standard 2x6 insulated walls. I don't know what the roof insulation is like, but I will find out.
This cottage has so far only been used in the summer, but we plan to stay in it over the winter and want to do some permanent and/or temporary fixes to stay through the harsh Ontario winter in this cottage.
My biggest concerns are:
- only electric baseboard heat available right now, with very high electricity cost here

We are building a new home soon and I really want to include a small cold cellar to age a few beers and keep some wine cool in lieu of a beverage refrigerator. I also want keep our chest freezer (we buy full animals to process) in here to lower its run time.