Recent Q&A

• Looking for curbless shower floor in concrete slab details.

  I've heard that builders take different approaches to dealing with the lowered area of the slab. Some form the depression intergal with the rest of the floor while others block…

• Request for comments on this wall mock-up.

  CZ 6B - SW Colorado - 7000'

• Does my ICF foundation require additional protection or barriers applied before backfill?

  In my case the house is located in southwest Colorado at 6900' elev. on a sunny south slope. The soil is moderately expansive clay so the foundation is 48" on…

• Triple pane IGU question

  I'm looking at two manufacturers of uPVC windows. They use different frame profiles that are nearly identical, the colored foils are from the same supplier, the spacers and glass are…

• Are uPVC windows a good or bad idea at 7000′ elevation and high solar insolation?

  I am considering the purchase of Intus eForte windows for a new house. The windows would have be transported over several mountain passes up to 11,000 ft and then be…

• Move the interior 2×24 vertical EPS to the outside of foundation?

  For anyone who naturally performs THERM calculations in their head, the answer would be intuitively obvious, but to know for sure I'd have to stop and learn THERM (which wouldn't…

• Low-Cost Method for Forming Concrete Footers

  I am using ICFs to form a foundation stemwall and am pondering different ways to form a 16" x 8" footer that doesn't require a ship load of 2 x…

• About to break ground, would like to hear feedback on design

  This will be located in SW Colorado climate zone 6B (ICC zone 5B). Long axis due east-west with a 45 deg bend on the west 1/3. Attached is a pdf…

• Envelope air tightness sanity check

  Designing a "Contemorary Industrial Passiv Ranch Haus" for DIY build in SW Colorado (CZ6B). Working through data entry in PHPP now and I know the one level elongated ranch style…