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Tracking Down a Stubborn Leak
GBA reader Megnchris is experiencing one of the more frustrating parts of home ownership—dropping a chunk of cash on a repair doesn't necessarily make the problem go away. Writing in…
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The BS* + Beer Show: Inside the Wingnut Testing Facility (WTF)
Because we've made mistakes in the past, I like to ask the architects, engineers, and builders I interview what mistakes we may be making with the way we build houses…
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Thinking Like a Roofer
Roofers have a distinct way of looking at buildings. Scanning a building from the street, a roofer’s eyes usually start at the ridge and follow an imaginary raindrop all the…
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The Origin of That Humidity and Health Factors Chart
The classic chart demonstrating the importance of keeping to the middle of the relative humidity spectrum has been shown to countless attendees of classes, conference presentations, and webinars on building…
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Learning from Old Barns
Last night, I began reading American Barns and Covered Bridges by Eric Sloane. In the author’s note, he talks about the unique qualities of early American architecture, particularly northeastern American…
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The BS* + Beer Show: Pushing for the Win
Happy belated Independence day everyone. To celebrate the holiday a little early, we did something a bit different on the BS* + Beer Show last week. Instead of our usual…
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Are We Comfortable Yet?
I recently pulled out the notes I made last year about a kerfuffle that arose after a writer quoted a decade-old ENERGY STAR publication titled “A Guide to Energy-Efficient Heating…
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Rammed Earth: Creating a 500-Year House
The rammed-earth construction technique is several thousand years old and is thought to have originated independently in both China, where original rammed-earth sections of the Great Wall are still standing,…
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A Beginner’s Guide to Cooling
In 1973, a little less than half of all new single-family homes in the U.S. had mechanical air conditioning. By 2018, according to government statistics, only 7% of new homes…
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The Importance of Windows in Hot Climates
When designing homes in a hot climate, be sure you’re looking at the right loads. Apologies to readers if this is a bit basic, but it was one of the…
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