Category: Construction Materials

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Construction Materials-Window Performance Labels

This post first appeared at Professional Resources for Andersen Windows & Doors| Andersen Windows.

I’ve heard it said, if we didn’t have to put windows in houses, we could build one heck of an efficient home.  But who wants to live in a house where you cannot see outside or let daylight and fresh air in.  Windows are an important part of every home.  When choosing a window, do you understand what that sticker stuck to the window glass is telling you?  You should have at least a basic understanding of the information.

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Construction Design-Caulking 101-Sealant Chemistry

Part 3 of the caulking 101 series.

You’ve done the work, installed that new bathroom vanity and countertop.  You’ve got the plumbing hooked up and tried out the faucet, yep, everything works.  All that’s left is to seal the countertop to the wall, that finishing touch that completes the installation.  Is that bead of sealant simply cosmetic or is it to prevent water from flowing behind the countertop and vanity possibly causing damage?  Do you use a cheap caulk from the hardware store?  Maybe some silicone?  Which product is right for this job?

Probably the most difficult decision for any caulking job is knowing what to use when and where.  With so many choices, walking down the caulking aisle in any hardware store can make your head spin.  With this post, we are going to talk about the chemistry of sealants, just the basics, enough information so you can make an informed decision the next time you need to choose a sealant.

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Construction Design-Caulking 101-Terminology

Before having a conversation with someone about a specific topic, you really should know the subject matter, the definitions and terminology related to the topics being discussed.  Talking about sealants and caulking is no different.  In the coming blogs, we will be chatting about many different topics with regards to sealants, this thing we are calling caulking 101.  This blog post is the prerequisite for those conversations.

Caulks, sealants, adhesives-what are the differences?

Caulk is a type of sealant that has less movement or flexibility to other sealants.  It’s often used as a cosmetic solution instead of a true “keep things out of a joint” product.  To caulk or caulking can also be used as a verb, the application of a sealant.

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Construction Materials-Air Sealing a Garage Door

This post originally appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.

According to code, a garage is considered an accessory building when detached from a dwelling, and outside the conditioned envelope when attached to the dwelling structure.  They don’t fall under the same energy code requirements as a dwelling.  That being said, it’s common in my market for both attached and detached garages to have some sort of heat source (I live in a very cold climate).  If you are going through the trouble and expense of conditioning a garage, it’s probably wise to also think about its efficiency, both insulation and air sealing.

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Window R-Values

This blog post originally appeared on the Alpen Window’s website.  https://thinkalpen.com/.  I had the opportunity to tour the Alpen plant recently and was very impressed with the windows they make.  There will be more content featuring Alpen Windows in the near future.

Heat is a funny thing; it wants to move from someplace warm to someplace cold, (the opposite of being a snowbird) and it’ll continue to move until it has reached equilibrium.  In the heat of the summer or cold of winter, that means if we can’t slow the movement of heat, the temperature of the outside will be the same as the temperature of the inside.  This might be 110°F or -25°F, neither is appealing.  Of course, we heat and cool our buildings to maintain comfort, but these systems work best when we’re able to slow this constant march of heat leaving or entering the building, we do this with insulation.

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Windows-Water and Air Sealing

I’m going to make a statement that not everyone will agree with, windows leak water.  Not all are leaking now, some will develop the leak later, as the window and the sealing products used to install the window age.  The leak may be an error or failure in the installation, or it could be the window itself that is leaking.  It could be a design error, water funneling off a roof over a window, such as in the photo.  The leak may only be an incidental amount of water, or it could be a major bulk water concern.  The leak may also only be active during the once every ten-year major rain fall event.  The point is windows will leak water.

Photo by Eric Strommer-Strommer Home Improvements

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The Thermal Bridge

Thermal imaging is an awesome tool, it can be used to find areas of missing insulation and other temperature anomalies in the building shell.  It can help us find issues with electrical, plumbing and heating systems.  And when used in conjunction with a blower door, we can often “see” the air leaks.  The photo below was taken without the assistance of a blower door, I was at this new home to conduct a blower door, but the test hadn’t begun at the time this photo was taken, can you say thermal bridge!

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Construction Materials-Success with Construction Adhesives

This post first appeared in the December 2022/January 2023 issue of Fine HomeBuilding Magazine.

For hundreds of years, adhesives were created with organic compounds made from animal parts and natural resins for wood joinery, book binding, and other tasks requiring materials and surfaces to be bonded together. Today, most construction adhesives are made with synthetic acrylic resins, polyurethane monomers, hexane, and other nonpolar solvents, all man-made compounds.  Modern adhesives are used extensively by manufacturers, builders, and homeowners, and some form of them can be found in nearly every product around you.  While adhesives are available in buckets, sticks, drums, tubes, cartridges, and more, this article will concentrate on the fluid adhesives often used in construction and commonly found at hardware stores, lumberyards, and home improvement centers; the differences between them; and how each of them should be used. Continue reading “Construction Materials-Success with Construction Adhesives”

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Construction Materials-Airtight Electrical Boxes

Working as a residential electrician back in the late 1990’s, I remember learning of a new electrical box that we were asked to use on all exterior walls and in the ceilings of unconditioned attic spaces.  At the time, they were called “vapor tight” boxes.  These boxes were designed to reduce air movement through wall or ceiling cavities by sealing the electrical box to the wall or ceiling air barrier and also to seal the electrical wires where they enter the box.  Air will contain at least some water vapor, by air sealing the electrical box, we were also reducing the amount of water vapor that could potentially enter a wall or ceiling.   The name “vapor tight” was at least partially correct.

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