Recent Q&A

• Paradigm Windows

  Who's used them and what do you think of them? None of the references I found here were from people actually using them, curious what the drawbacks are. Aside from…

• Air/vapor barrier question

  My house was built in the 50's, and as is typical for homes in this area, has 1/4 drywall with a real plaster job over it. My question is is…

• What’s wrong with this wall?

  From inside out... 1/2" Drywall 2x4 framing Cellulose Diagonal T brace or let in 2x bracing 2" XPS caulked and taped (doubles as WRB) Horizontal Furring strips Extira Siding CZ5…

• Compressed Batts

  I appreciated the chart Martin posted on R-value of compressed batts, but I am curious of one thing. What effect would compressed batts have on sound? I have a hard…

• Air Sealing an attic

  Getting ready to blow some insulation in my attic. the house was built in the 50's and walls/ceilings are the old 1/4" gypsum w/ full plaster job on top. So…

• Polyiso sheathing

  Most if not all references to polyiso sheathing on here seem to be towards the foil-faced variety as opposed to felt covered typically used in roofing. I'm curious: why? Is…

• Insulated Vinyl

  一个问题,鉴于IECC建议R7.5 for exterior foam (in my area) is it asking for trouble to use the insulated vinyl products? It seems like they are…

• Calculating Savings

  Is there a way to figure out an exact cost savings made by upgrading equiptment/insulation etc? Anecdotally, my parents upgraded to a 95% furnace last year, and are seeing the…

• A question, universally…

  I apologize if this is a dumb question, I'm kind of a new comer to this site. I haven't really heard anyone mention anything in regards to universal design as…

• Insulation retrofit

  I have a '50s-era home that i would like to insulate better. It's a conventional stick-framed roof with all of a 3-inch heel at the outside of the wall and…