The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes
Product Guide
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Paint Options for Green Builders
My first encounter with paint came from reading the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, who famously had to atone for misbehavior by whitewashing his Aunt Polly’s fence. The whitewash used in…
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On Paint and Perms
The dialogue on moisture mitigation in wood-frame walls has become fraught with confusion and controversy, in part because the answer to many questions about combining interior vapor retarders, water-resistive barriers,…
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The Road Ahead for Insulating Glass
Andersen Window’s 1952 introduction of the Welded Insulated Glass panel was a big deal, at least for homeowners in the northern tier of the country. Now, consumers could buy an…
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A Look at Home Air-Quality Monitors
The World Health Organization attributes a long list of chronic illnesses and millions of premature deaths annually to polluted air inside and outside the home. Instead of offering a refuge…
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Working With ZIP System R-sheathing
Paul DeGroot is an architect in Austin, Texas. His projects tend to be on the modest side in a city that has its fair share of high-end custom homes. He’s…
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Best In Show
I attend many trade shows, both national and regional. This year, for example, my calendar includes nineteen events. It will increase in the next few weeks. You see, I teach…
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A Vent for Every Roof
A freshly immigrated Norwegian carpenter built our two-story house in 1931. It has a walk-up attic that can be aired out in the summer with a pair of windows in…
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How to Choose Insulation
Insulating a new house used to be a no-brainer. It was that step between installing windows and hanging drywall, when the crew spent a few days stapling fiberglass batts between…
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A Composite Alternative To Concrete Foundations
A Wisconsin-based company has developed a way to replace cast-in-place concrete foundation walls with insulated composite panels that can be set in place in just a few hours. Epitome foundation…
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Multipoint Locking Hardware
We have three entry doors in our home: the front door, the back door, and the side door that opens to the basement. Oh, and since the back door leads…
