The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes
Recent Articles
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The Viability of ThermalBuck
ThermalBuck inventor John Brooks is a very clever, passionate building professional who is job-site savvy. He saw a weak component of high-performance walls: wood window bucks in exterior walls with…
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How (Older) Homes Work
Opportunities for builders to obtain building science education may seem scant, but opportunities for people who own and operate buildings -- particularly homeowners -- are even rarer. About two years…
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Wingnut Testing: Soffit-to-Ridge Roof Venting
So far, I have performed wingnut testing on PSA tapes and on basement waterproofing products. Very recently, I started working on wingnut testing of roof venting, using an easel made…
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Pete’s Puzzle: Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Moisture Problem
Taking a look at only the first three images in the photo gallery for this blog, can you guess what the contraption is (was) in the middle of the basement…
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Never Home Alone
Every single one of us — those of us who lives indoors — is cohabiting with all manner of living uninvited guests: bacteria, fungi, insects, plants, and even rodents. And…
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Pete’s Product Puzzle: Cetco RX-101 and Sika 703
What's the scary thing about the two products in the photo above? The scary thing is that it is rare to find a residential builder or architect who has seen…
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R-10 Vacuum-Insulated Glazing
For twenty years or so, companies like Pilkington (Spacia) have been cranking out R-5ish (center-of-glass) vacuum-insulated glazing (VIG). The attraction of glazing units with a very thin profile, relatively low…
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High-Performance Dehumidification
The basement of our well-insulated and air-sealed 100+ year old home is dry, but enough moisture (as vapor) makes its way through our concrete walls and slab that dehumidification is…
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Pinless Moisture Meters
I got a call the other day from a builder client, who said, “Hey Peter, a new homeowner of mine is super-worried about moisture and mold and is getting scary…
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Do Solar Panels Need to be Cleaned?
I was at my brother’s house in Lee, New Hampshire, recently and looked up to see that his photovoltaic (PV) panels looked a bit dull (see Image #2 below). His…
