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

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6 Answers
HVAC For Tight Envelope House

Alright...help me out if you can. I'm a home owner designing a 3,000 sf house in West Virginia, breaking ground next year. I'm deep into systems research and have benifited greatly from this site.

In Energy efficiency and durability | Asked By Eric Pories | Mar 11 09
5 Answers
Do you have any advice when a customer insists on using vinyl wallpaper over drywall as an interior finish?

One detail has the building framed with 2 x 6 wall studs and 1/2" cdx sheathing which is covered with a roll-on membrane. Stud space is filled with R-19 unfaced fiberglass batts. Exterior cladding is brick veneer, with 1" air space between sheathing and back of brick. Ventilation of air gap is provided by installing rectangular vents at head joints in masonry, one every 24" at bottom of wall, another row at top of wall. Use of mortar net is called for at vents to prevent mortar droppings from plugging vents and weeps.

In General questions | Asked By Mike Stanhope | Mar 27 10
9 Answers
How can I get help to upgrade my home to LEED standards?

My wife and I are disabled and would like to update our 1920 home to something livable, and be able to share with our family. We have spent lots of time and wasted money, only to have to fix or redo projects over & over due to poor quality.
Thank you,
Walter Moss.

In GBA Pro help | Asked By walter Moss | Mar 26 10
2 Answers
(PACE) Property Assessed Clean Energy

Interesting, I just attended a contractor's orientation (about 100 business people attended) concerning the implementation of a PACE program in Placer County, CA, the second county after Sonoma County in our state to begin implementation of Assembly Bill 811, the PACE initiative in CA. The program allows property owners to borrow funds for energy retrofits, pay the sum back over a 5,10,15, 20 year period.....and the assessment stays with the property if the owner sells. The idea being that you save energy, save money.....and the amount saved will be more than your current energy bills.

In Energy efficiency and durability | Asked By Ed Welch | Mar 26 10
3 Answers
Polystyrene insulation between studs and plywood sheathing?

Putting an addition on my home...thinking about upgrading insulation package to include 1" polystyrene between 2"x6" wood wall studs and 1/2" plywood sheathing (as oppossed to the much used polystyrene over sheathing) in order to increase r-value and to act as a thermal barrier. Ive researched this and havent found much if any information on putting the polystyrene under the sheathing, but in an email exchange with Paul Fissette, professor at UMass/Amherst he said that my idea would be work. I initially had thought of using 1/2" polyiso w/foil facing, but Dr.

In Energy efficiency and durability | Asked By jroy | Mar 25 10
8 Answers
Green Permits

I learned today that a couple of builders I work with "volunteered" me to meet with one of our local Codes Departments next week to explain, and possibly help develop the process for, a streamlined Green Permitting Process. While there is good information here in the Code Green Blog, I am curious if anyone else has been through this process with their Codes Department? If so, I would appreciate any comments or suggestions related to your experience.

In Building Code Questions | Asked By Grant Dorris | Feb 4 10
19 Answers
Vapor-resistant layer - VB film or ADA?

We are building a super-insulated house in the northeast <3" poly-iso on the exterior, 2x6s @ 24" OC with cellulose fill, spray foam at the box sills>. We specified an air-tight-drywall-approach, with the latex paint acting as the vapor-resistant layer. But the insulator installed a 6mil vapor barrier over the netting. My understanding is that an additional VB layer prevents the wall cavity from drying to the inside. Should we tear out the VB and go with the ADA or leave it in and skip the ADA?

In Green building techniques | Asked By Chris Vlcek | Mar 21 10
2 Answers
Does anyone have experience with roll-on or spray-on weather barriers instead of housewrap?

I am building a tight house with 6" SIPs panels and I have been investigating the pros and cons to roll-on or spray-on weather barriers (with little success). The main advantage is a consistent air barrier. Are there any down sides? Does it really provide a drainage plane comparable to a housewrap? I have been looking in particular at Tremco's EnviroDri. Perm rating is a 12. Does the asphalt base or the other chemicals involved cause any additional issues - possibly for air quality indoors? Thanks in advance for any help.

In Energy efficiency and durability | Asked By Brian Burkes | Mar 23 10
20 Answers
Sub pump with 2" discharge pipe clogging up from silt clay in the water.

I have a 10'deep x 5' diameter pre-cast concrete man hole with two pumps alternating for my 6" footing drains located outside of the house. This is a new construction house. I put down 12" inches of trap rock in the basement floor with 4" perforated pipe and grid pattern tied into my six-inch footing drains. I also put down filter fabric before the trap rock went down and over the 6"perforated pipe. What is happening is a orange colored clay is sticking on the inside wall of the 2" pipe closing it down to 1"on the inside walls. Seems like every six months this occurs.

In GBA Pro help | Asked By Peter Fusaro | Mar 12 10
1 Answer
Products with Sodium Per Carbonate

I was looking for a green deck wash product recently and was offered a product containing Sodium Per Carbonate. Is this product with this chemical makeup really green?

In Green products and materials | Asked By Rod MacKenzie | Mar 22 10
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