Category: Construction Materials

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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.

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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.

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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”

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How to Prioritize Energy Upgrades to an Existing Home-Part 2

I purchased my home in the fall of 2018.  I could have decided to build something new or forgo all the maintenance that comes with home ownership and rent.  Instead, I chose to purchase an older home that needed updating, both in appearance and performance.

The 24’ x 32’ home was built in 1952, a Cape Cod design with the normal problems of a Cape Cod, attic knee walls that were both inside and outside the air control layer.  There was some evidence of past water damage and a few old clips on the roof where a heat tape would have been placed, suggesting an ice dam issue.  The high efficiency natural gas forced air furnace appeared to be from the 1990’s, the same year as the electric water heater.  There was also a natural gas fireplace in the small living room.  There was a weird-shaped room on the main level (behind the sun and where the sliding patio door is located, 9’ wide by 24 feet long.  Two bedrooms, and a bathroom were located upstairs, a bathroom on the main level, and an area in the basement that had an egress window well that would support another bedroom. Continue reading “How to Prioritize Energy Upgrades to an Existing Home-Part 2”

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Choosing the Right Vapor Retarder for Crawlspace Encapsulation

This post first appeared on the Green Building Advisor Website.

When I first started working in the trades, back in the mid 1990’s, I was working for my brother as an apprentice electrician.  We had an agreement, he would perform any work needed in attics, I got crawlspaces.  Some of the work we were performing was on seasonal cabins that were being updated for use during Minnesota’s cold winter.  These cabins were constructed decades earlier, built very close to the earth.  Sometimes there were even stumps from the trees that were cut down to make room for the cabin that were left under the structure, in the crawlspace.  More than once, I was sure the fire department was going to have to be called to extract me from under one of these cabins.  Most were vented crawlspaces, some you couldn’t tell if they were vented or unvented, and very few had any type of vapor retarder or soil gas mitigation system present.

One of the many crawlspaces I’ve spent time in. This one featured a puddle of raw sewage and unsealed ductwork. This was a vented crawlspace in a very cold climate, no insulation in the floor system or on the crawlspace walls.

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Winnie Pretty Good House-Working with Huber’s Zip-R Sheathing

As builders and designers, we have so many ways we can improve the performance of a wall assembly.  Deeper wall cavities will allow for more insulation, double wall construction gains you the ability to move the air and/or vapor control to the middle of the wall leaving the inner framing cavity free for mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) equipment.  Then there’s Building Science Corporation and Dr. Joe Lstiburek’s perfect wall, with the right ratio of continuous exterior insulation to interior cavity insulation that lessens the worries of vapor control.  Continuous exterior insulation can be designed in several ways, foam-based products, ridged mineral wool, wood fiber insulation, or nail base products.  And then there’s Huber’s Zip System R-sheathing, what we call on the jobsite, Zip-R.

Zip-R isn’t new, I first became aware of the product back in 2014.  What makes this product unique is that the continuous insulation layer is located between the exterior wall sheathing and framing.  This location simplifies the installation of CI and wall sheathing compared to the traditional location of the insulation, which is exterior of the wall sheathing.  And to add to the advantages of the product, in most applications, it is still a structural sheathing product when installed per Huber’s manufacturer’s instructions.  (Consult a structural engineer if there are any questions or concerns on a specific design or building location.)

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How to Design a Frost Protected Shallow Foundation System

My brother has an upcoming construction project on a property he owns that he’s asked for my help in both the design and construction of the structure.  There are portions of the project that are planned to be covered by Fine HomeBuilding Magazine plus I will be writing several blog posts for Green Building Advisor, Rockwool, and for my blog, Northern Built.  One of the first tasks is to plan the foundation system, in this case it will be a frost protected shallow foundation (FPSF).  The illustration below shows both the foundation and wall construction ideas.

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Where to Locate the WRB when using Continuous Insulation-Inside or Out?

This post first appeared on the Green Building Advisor Website.

Right now, there’s a lot of interest in the residential construction market around continuous insulation (CI) strategies.  CI adds a layer of complexity to a build, and with it, questions.  How much insulation do I need?  How to fasten the insulation?  How to fasten the cladding?  How to integrate windows and doors?  What about vapor control?  And, this question, should the water resistive barrier (WRB) be at the sheathing layer or outboard the insulation?  The answer, it depends, but you have a lot of choices.

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Do You Always Need to Stick with a Manufacturer’s Family of Products?

For the most part, I’m a fan of using a manufacturer’s family of products throughout an assembly.  For instance, if I’m working with Huber’s Zip System sheathing, I prefer to use the Zip family of tapes throughout the assembly.

The Winnie Pretty Good House using Huber’s Zip System for both the walls and roof.

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Membranes…Interior Air-Control Strategies That Can Work

This article first appeared on the Green Building Advisor Website.

I’m from Minnesota, one of the few areas in the lower 48 that still regularly uses polyethylene sheeting as a vapor retarder, we’ve become very good at detailing these interior membranes for use as an air barrier.  (The practice is also very common in Canada and Alaska.)  The average blower door test I conduct for new homes in my market has now moved below 2 ACH50, most achieving these scores only using an interior air control strategy.  I don’t recommend using poly in most cases, instead I suggest moving to a class II vapor retarder, (smart, variable, and responsive vapor retarders), these products can also be used for air control.  Installing the two products is similar, so, what are the tricks to an effective interior air barrier installation?

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