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Northern Built

Northern Built

A Cold Climate Construction and Energy Blog

Tag: Insulation

Posted on January 19, 2021

Construction Design-Continuous Exterior Insulation

You would think that in my very cold climate of Northern Minnesota, we would be putting as much insulation in our walls and roofs as possible.  Not the case.  The majority of new homes I blower door test have the code minimum R-21 of wall cavity insulation Continue reading “Construction Design-Continuous Exterior Insulation”

Posted on November 29, 2019April 18, 2020

Construction Design-Concreteless Slab on Grade-Walls

The concreteless slab on grade home was in the planning stage for over a year.  One of the first conversations I had with the owners was they wanted a home that was comfortable, healthy and had low operating costs.  Extra insulation and good air sealing is how we planned on accomplishing these goals. Continue reading “Construction Design-Concreteless Slab on Grade-Walls”

Posted on March 17, 2019

Construction Design-Fixing Ice Dams from the Interior, Part 2

This past winter has been one of the snowiest and coldest I can remember in my 50 years living in Minnesota.  I wasn’t completely sure what to expect from the home I purchased late last fall.  I know it has issues, especially with the roof air sealing and insulation. Continue reading “Construction Design-Fixing Ice Dams from the Interior, Part 2”

Posted on February 24, 2019February 24, 2019

My Cape-Office Build-Out

We moved into my 1952 Cape last December.  Winter was upon us, no time or desire to start any of the major renovation and energy updates I have planned.  My office was moved temporarily into the extra basement bedroom with a plan to build-out a new office adjacent to the bedroom. Continue reading “My Cape-Office Build-Out”

Posted on November 18, 2018

Construction Design-Below Grade Insulation-Existing Homes

Last week we talked about Minnesota code requirements for insulating foundations in new construction. This week we’ll hit existing homes.
Continue reading “Construction Design-Below Grade Insulation-Existing Homes”

Posted on October 7, 2018

Construction Materials-Spray Foam

Expanding spray foam is a two-part chemical process involving isocyanate and poly resin, which when combined in the right mixture will expand 30 to 60 times it’s liquid volume. Continue reading “Construction Materials-Spray Foam”

Posted on August 26, 2018July 10, 2019

Building Science-Building Shell Layers-Thermal Control Layer

Last week we talked about interior moisture drive through the building shell, the vapor control layer. This week we will continue with the building shell layers discussion, number 4 on our list is the thermal barrier. Continue reading “Building Science-Building Shell Layers-Thermal Control Layer”

Posted on July 22, 2018

Construction Materials-Rigid Sheet Insulation

Today, we are going to have our first dedicated discussion about a specific building material, sheet insulation.  I originally had this blog named Foam Insulation but changed the name because not all sheet insulations are a type of foam, there are a few non-foam products, one that I will discuss last. Continue reading “Construction Materials-Rigid Sheet Insulation”

Posted on June 3, 2018

Building Science-R-value

In our northern climate, how quickly a structure loses heat is dependent on three factors, the first is transmission heat loss which includes the difference between inside and outside temperatures, called the delta T, and the resistance to heat flow, or R-value of the building assemblies. Continue reading “Building Science-R-value”

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Welcome to Northern Built, where we discuss building science, construction techniques, and energy for homes built in a cold climate.

Reach me at: northernbuiltpro1969@gmail.com

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Recent Posts

  • Construction Materials-ThermalTight February 7, 2021
  • Energy Audit-Blower Door Testing-A Deep Dive February 4, 2021
  • Construction Design-Continuous Exterior Insulation January 19, 2021
  • Opinion-5 Reasons to Own A Blower Door January 7, 2021
  • Energy Audit-Advanced Blower Door Testing-Zonal Pressures December 18, 2020

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