Recent Q&A

• Attic insulation: how much of a concern are uncapped wall cavities?

  On a retrofit of a leaky balloon-framed building in upstate NY, we found that most walls, both interior and exterior, did not have top plates and were open to the…

• Spray foam basement ceiling to block moisture and improve efficiency?

  Upstate NY--The homeowner bought a home not realizing that it was in a flood plain. Over the last 5 years the basement and crawl space have flooded up to the…

• Basement retrofit–is a waterproof membrane necessary between foundation and sill?

  In "BSI-041 Rubble Foundations note" Dr. Joe describes a recipe for fixing old leaky basements. Among other things, he recommends jacking up the foundation and inserting a waterproof membrane between…