Tag: building code

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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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Why Knowing Your Climate Zone is Important

Figure N1101.7 (R301.1) Climate Zones-2021 International Residential Code (IRC)

This climate zone map is published by the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and is included in the International Residential Code, chapter 11, Energy Efficiency.  ASHRAE’s purpose is to create standards of how an engineer or HVAC professional calculates and designs heating, air conditioning and ventilations systems to match the insulation, air sealing, and moisture profile of a building.  When designing these often-complicated systems, where the structure is located becomes key, this is the reason the map was created.

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