Recent Q&A

• No Condensate from Heat-Pump Water Heater

  Just moved into my new home a few weeks ago. I had a heat pump water heater installed (in basement). During the first week or so, it was producing…

• Sealing new exterior door hardware

  Should anything be done to minimize air leakage through door handles/knobs and deadbolt assemblies? Some kind of sealant caulk perhaps? I have a few new exterior doors and am about…

• CZ4 foamed attic, is R-20 enough?

  我在southern edge of CZ4. My spray foam contractor recommended R20 of open cell. That’s what is currently sprayed on my roof deck. The code inspector came by…

• Best foundation-to-sheathing flashing/sealing solution

  I need to seal off some pretty large gaps at my sheathing to foundation junction. I'm considering the use of Grace Vycor Plus. If that is an acceptable tape, what…

• ERV instead of kitchen range hood

  Hi, gents. Kitchen ventilation is not required by code in my city. But it’s still a good idea to ventillate over a gas range. My home will be built tight…

• I Aerobarrier and spray foam overkill?

  I’m getting some competitive quotes on spray foaming my house walls, band joists, and roof deck, etc. I also got an acceptable quote for Aerobarrier. And would definitely go this…

• Badly overdriven nails on Zip: Should I wrap the house?

  The framers building my house severely overdrove 90% of my sheathing nails on Zip-R. It’s into the foam in many cases. Thousands of nails. Not to mention, their tape job…

• Window rough openings and raw edges exposed to multiple rainstorms: Is this a problem?

  I have a Zip-R sheathed house that is still in framing. The window rough openings have been unprotected for two weeks now and several hard, heavy rains have poured down…

• Can a roof be a combo of vented and unvented?

  This is my roof. Naturally, unvented would be a great solution, but could I get away with venting the whole thing and properly sealing it?Is it possible or wise to…

• Rainscreens: a definitive checklist?

  Is there a definitive, authoritative checklist one can use to determine if a rainscreen is needed? Nobody uses rainscreens in fiber cement siding houses where I live. I’m in mixed-humid…