Author: Randy

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I’ve Accepted a New Job

On Friday, January 31, 2025, I excepted an interim position of editor at Green Building Advisor.  This job offer came out of the blue, and was something I could not pass up.  For now, it is a temporary position with the possibility of becoming permanent.  The current editor, Kiley Jacques is on a leave of absence, if she decides to return, she will have her position back.

What this means for the Northern Built blog is a little up in the air.  I have, in the past been able to repost the articles I write for GBA, this may come to an end during my tenure as editor.  I will plan on writing one original blog per month for the Northern Build website.  Know that Northern Build will not be going away.

My plan for my business, (Willcon Inc) is to continue performing energy audits and building investigations in Northern Minnesota along with some public speaking and teaching events (If you are heading to IBS in 2025, I will be speaking at the Performance Construction Zone, watch for a schedule).  I have also been taking on consulting roles, mostly helping homeowners and builders with new construction projects.  I will have to decline those opportunities going forward.

If you haven’t subscribed to the site, please do.  The only purpose of the subscription is to notify you when a new blog is released.  I do not sell or distribute the subscription list to anyone.

I want to thank all of you who have helped me build the Northern Built site into what is has become.  The site recently hit 10,000 visitors over the past 30 days and has been growing at a rate of 25% per year.  This wouldn’t have happened without the readers, thank you!!!

Hope to see you on GBA, and on this site!

Randy

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Do You Know About the Four Different Airs Inside Our Homes?

If you’ve been studying the concepts of building science, you’ve probably heard of the four control layers, water, air, vapor, and thermal.  Thinking about each of these building envelope control layers individually, and how they interact together helps in the planning and execution of building a better home.

This concept of separating a home’s assemblies can also be applied to a different topic, the air inside a home.  Most of us probably take air for granted, we breathe it, it’s always around us, but with regards to inside our homes, airflow needs to be managed.    I recently caught a presentation by Pat Huelman, a respected building science educator and researcher from the University of Minnesota.  Part of his discussion focused on the need for projects to include an “air manager”, someone paying attention to how air interacts with the built environment and mechanical equipment.  He discussed the importance of four different types of air in our homes and how each contributes to the quality of the indoor environment, energy conservation, and durability:

  1. Combustion Air
  2. Make-Up Air
  3. Ventilation Air
  4. Circulation Air

Continue reading “Do You Know About the Four Different Airs Inside Our Homes?”

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Using S.W.O.T. to Help Develop a Scope of Work

Back in the early 1990’s, before I joined the construction industry, I was in college taking business classes.  I remember learning how to assess a business by using something called SWOT.  The SWOT acronym stands for strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  I’ve been developing this idea for assessing existing homes that are looking to undergo renovations.  I’ve found that working through a construction project using this theory can help in the development of the plan, the process includes pre-construction data gathering and developing and accessing a scope of work.  As far as I know, this is the first discussion of SWOT being used for analysis in the construction industry.

Continue reading “Using S.W.O.T. to Help Develop a Scope of Work”

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What Happens to Your Home in Extreme Cold?

As I’m writing this blog post, a very cold air mass typically found at the North Pole has begun to move southward, into more temperate climates.  This latest polar vortex is forecast to affect much of the continental US with below average temperatures.

Here’s a question, what effect does that very cold air have on our homes?  Well, it depends!

Continue reading “What Happens to Your Home in Extreme Cold?”

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How to install a Window When Using a Self-Adhered WRB

The first time I used a self-adhered water resistive barrier was in 2019, on my own home.  I had recently purchased a 1950’s vintage Cape Cod design fixer upper that was built using board sheathing covered by 15 lb. asphalt impregnated felt.  I knew I wanted to improve the water management and air tightness of the structure but didn’t want to upgrade the sheathing.  I had been researching self-adhered WRB’s and decided that option would be the best fit based on what I was trying to accomplish.

For the exterior renovation at my home, the Henry Blueskin product was installed over the board sheathing. The assembly also includes a 3/8-inch furring strip for a ventilated rainscreen.

Continue reading “How to install a Window When Using a Self-Adhered WRB”

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How to Utilize Modeling Software and Mock-ups When Designing Construction Assemblies

Missing a detail when working through an unfamiliar assembly can be easy to do.  Getting your head around the movement of water, air, and the thermal boundary with all of the parts and pieces that are required to make the structure often requires more information than can be shown in a simple plan or elevation.  I often find myself drawing in 3-D using a modeling software or even going as far as building a mock-up of the assembly.  Sometimes both are needed.

If you are an architect, which I am not, you’ll have the software tools to make professional, photo realistic drawings.  I do have some formal training in drafting, but that was decades ago, CAD was new, and my instructor believed in drawing by hand first, then move to the computer.  Some of my past designs were simply done on paper or with an inexpensive CAD program, which can work, but not very impressive when trying to sell a client on a design.

This hand drawing is my original design for the concreteless slab on grade home showing the floor system.  Later, with the help of SketchUp, the design was transformed to this.

Continue reading “How to Utilize Modeling Software and Mock-ups When Designing Construction Assemblies”

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A New Tool to Find Air Leaks in Buildings Using Sound

Testing the air barrier or air control layer of a home has traditionally been done using artificial pressure created by a fan, commonly referred to as a blower door test.  Why You Need Blower Door Testing – Northern Built   The advantage of using an air pressure differential testing is twofold, we can quantify the building tightness (CFM50, ACH50 or CFM/ft² of surface area) and locate deficiencies in the air barrier.  Finding the air leaks can be done by watching for fluttering drapery or spiderwebs, feeling for air leaks, using synthetic smoke created by smoke generating tools, by thermal imaging, or measuring pressure differentials between spaces inside the building enclosure using a manometer.

Continue reading “A New Tool to Find Air Leaks in Buildings Using Sound”

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Considerations When Adding Exhausting Equipment to an Existing Home

I was recently contacted by a friend who wanted to add a kitchen range exhaust hood to their 100-year-old home.  They were looking for insight on how the fan might be added, where the ducts could be located, sizing of the system, and any other concerns that might need to be considered.   One of my first questions was what equipment was presently used for space heating and water heating.  A critical question that needs to be considered before adding any type of exhaust system.  Why?  Health and safety of the occupants. Continue reading “Considerations When Adding Exhausting Equipment to an Existing Home”
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How to Integrate a Window into a Water Resistive Barrier

The building science community talks a lot about control layers.  I’ve written on the topic several times, basic overview of these principles which can be found at: A Crash Course on the Four Control Layers.  Let’s take a deeper look at water resistive barriers (WRB) and how windows and doors need to be integrated into the WRB.

Continue reading “How to Integrate a Window into a Water Resistive Barrier”

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How a Window Manufacturer Tests Thier Products

As builders and homeowners, we are interested in how a window or door performs, their longevity and durability, and how easily they install, and of course the cost.  Have you ever given thought to how a window or door is tested by the manufacturer?

I recently had the opportunity to tour Andersen Windows and Doors research and development department, a place called the Garofalo Center for Research, Development and Innovation.  This is the facility where, in the words of Andersen, they “test to failure”.  Stated in another way, they don’t test to see if a product simply passes a required testing standard, Andersen wants to know at what point their products fail. Continue reading “How a Window Manufacturer Tests Thier Products”