Your building is fighting the cold. But how prepared is it? Is it winning? Or is it losing at your expense? Can every building be treated the same? What is the best way to resist the cold with reasonable effort…
Troubled heating
Winter brings out the worst in buildings. Many existing and old buildings have air sealing and insulation deficiencies that can make rooms cold and heating systems overworked, or worse, not able to keep a house or area warm enough. Many…
Why old windows are better than new
We are told old windows are drafty, do not function well, and lose energy through the single panes. Window replacements are pitched as giving us better energy efficiency and longevity. But is it true? And with claims replacement windows can…
A building is a reflection of where it is and what we do to it
There can be consequences for changing a building and its behavior towards its environment. As time passes, the natural environment matures and a building wears. We manipulate and upgrade buildings for energy efficiency, ourselves, and because we have to. We…
Fan Tales
Spontaneous projects are a great way to feel good, but some can become a lot more than we bargained for. I have seen and heard of a lot of easy projects that became a real time challenge, created lots of…
Ice Dams and Your Sick House
The Internet can be a great thing when we are sick, right? We can find some reassurance or simple treatments to get us through or we can find that we are doomed. So to placate our freak out, we go…
Winter House Noises
I am hoping you can talk me down from a night of no sleep. Last night is the second night that our house has been making crazy noises. Both nights the temp was well below zero. When I heard the…