Water is not always a building’s friend. The battle to stay dry is essential to a healthy and low maintenance building. A good building envelope and drainage controls direct water infiltration and moisture when properly done. Beyond controlling water, there…
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…
Holidays are Family Building Time
The winter break is a great time to get grounded with family, sleep a bit more, and complete some home projects. While the recent weather makes us think there is still outside work to do, don’t be fooled, the cold…
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…
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…
Had Enough? Ice Damming and Heating Systems
Fun winter huh? Listening to friends, clients and social media, the top winter woes are noisy and/or inadequate heating systems, ice damming, and shear exhaustion and frustration with the snow. We have not had weather like this for a long…
Wood Stoves vs Pellet Stoves
My husband and I are having an interesting conversation about wood stoves vs. pellet. He bought a pellet stove pre me and I’ve always preferred a wood stove. Just like many others out there he always thought he was being…