It’s Not That Hard
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What Does Green Living Even Mean?
A brief recap of how 1970s environmentalism set my course . . . and the questions I'm left asking
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Using Disaster to Your Advantage
The need for more resilient homes in the face of more severe weather is an opportunity for smart builders
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What Sweating, Beer, and Air Conditioning Have in Common
To understand how air conditioning works, you'll need to know why the sweat on your brow cools you down, while the sweat on your beer bottle warms it up
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“Water in Buildings”
Bill Rose's classic isn't a cheap book. Buy it anyway. It pays for itself if you avoid one leak.
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Learning from Old Barns
Durability is as much a part of green building as is energy efficiency
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How Much Difference Does a Little Insulation Make?
What started as a simple drywall patch for a friend ended with calculations of R-value per square foot
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Building Science Basics: Hot Air Rises
Warm air rising may seem obvious, but its effects can be subtle
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How Do You Estimate What You’ve Never Done Before?
Material costs are easy to quantify. Labor isn't.
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Can We Make Green DIY Easier?
Standard details would help owner/builders, as well as more than a few pros
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Green Speculation
Until spec builders adopt high-performance building practices, we're mostly just experimenting
