Recent Q&A

• Planning for solar

  The house I'm building will have a pretty good roof for solar. It's a simple 8/12 gable, with the south side facing a little east of south. The only real…

• Sill slope? Sealant tape?

  How much slope is recommended for window sills? The house isn't in an coastal or otherwise very exposed location, but isn't in an arid or especially sheltered place either. I'm…

• Unheated slab on grade

  I'm planning to build a house in Southern Ontario with a slab on grade (actually about 2' above grade) foundation. The slab won't be heated, but will be very well…

• Importing windows to Canada

  Has anyone recently imported high performance windows to Canada? I'm currently looking at both Canadian and European windows for a house in southern Ontario and would be very interested to…

• Stem wall ledge for slab support

  我倚代为ds doing a slab on grade foundation with a stem wall for a new house, and have been thinking about slab edge insulation details. The most common approach…

• Transfer fans from hallway to bedrooms

  I'm looking at a few different heating and cooling options for a (very) efficient two storey house with no basement. An option I like is using one ductless minisplit air…

• Pier and beam foundation in Climate zone 5

  I'm planning to build an efficient house in southern Ontario, and am looking at different foundation options. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Here is one approach I'm considering: pier…