Recent Q&A

• Steel Siding on Historic Home

  I’ve taken a lot of advice from this forum and remodeled multiple historic homes on the brink of getting dozed.But this house was my first. I sprayed 3” of closed…

• Produce a given amount of heat with 1 vs 2 heat pumps

  With resistance heaters, any given fixed amount of heat produced, it’s going to use (pretty much) the same amount of power whether you do it with 1 massive heater or…

• Steel or Aluminum Siding Compared to Alternative Options

  不是经常使用在我的区域,布鲁里溃疡t the the ease of recycling steel and aluminum siding has piqued my interest - among other factors.My initial concern would be towards…

• Encapsulated Crawlspace Humidity and Temperature

  I have a crawlspace/cellar that I encapsulated with closed cell foam and poly sheet - it also has an exhaust fan (only) moving around 70cfm outside. The house is ancient, and…

• Fill the remnants of a chimney for thermal mass

  A couple weeks ago, I demo’d a chimney that protruded into the unconditioned attic down to the floor joists.I was thinking about the “fireplace” that’s still there and the two…

• Ventilation in Tight Homes where an ERV isn’t appropriate

  Some of the common posters may have seen by now that my M.O. is rebuilding century homes and making them more energy efficient. It’s a good market in my location…

• Exterior Siding Options

  Like all the homes I punish myself with, it’s a 100+ years old. It’s sheathed in ancient 2x12’s, so structurally it’s good to go. I always planned on doing wood,…

• Dealing With a Chimney Below the Roof Line

  I have an old fireplace in my living room with a big brick mantle. The chimney was knocked in below the roof line when it was redone, but it still…

• Balanced Ventilation in Attic

  I’m working on an early 1900’s house that had essentially zero attic ventilation. There is a gable opening on one side and the eaves are non-existent - so no way…

• Encapsulating an Unvented Attic

  My attic has poor ventilation and while it performs well(ish) in Kansas winters, the upper level is hot in the summer. I encapsulated my crawl space and the difference was…