Green Homes News

The walls of the rental I'm rebuilding are block (built in 1950).  I have read (somewhere) with that with a block wall I should use rockwool on the inside and…

Location: Mather House, 10 Cowperthwaite Street, Cambridge

The famous collaborative experiential FUN game-workshop "Climate Fresk" is happening for the first time in a Harvard House! Climate Fresk is based on the science of the IPCC reports and has been played by more than 1 million people in industry, academia, government, and the general public, at all levels of responsibilities and climate knowledge, and by 400 Harvard grad students.... Read more about Climate Fresk

I am undertaking upgrading an old corrugated iron roof, that features such marvels as no insulation whatsoever and degraded building paper that passes under the purlins! Photo attached. Spectacular, huh!…

I am in the Seattle, WA area (Climate Zone 4 coastal) and spec'ing a heat pump system to cover my home. The attached diagram shows rough layout of our ~…

Hi everyone,I have had great success with monolithic slabs in the past, and I'd like to use one again on a current project I'm working on, but I've not seen…

The International Living Future Institute publishes a new book highlighting the healthy materials movement

Clean energy and transmission projects can bring benefits to the communities that host them. Inviting local interests to the planning table helps ensure that.

I'm building in southern middle TN (zone 4A).  I'm going with a monolithic slab and 2x6 advanced framing.  I'd like to insulate the slab with R10 rigid foam.  I found…

I live in Ottawa. I lifted my house onto helical piles and created a skirt for the crawl space. The City is creating road blocks and isn't satisfied with my…

I recently moved into a new construction single family home on a crawlspace in upstate SC. The builder put in a loose vapor barrier, sealed the vents with foam, and…

Location: Room 111, Gund Hall, 42-48 Quincy St, Cambridge

 

What would our cities look like if they were designed by the people who would ultimately use these spaces? Following their reception of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture and the UIA (International Union of Architects) Award in 2022 for their work by the river Naboganga, in Jhenaidah city, Bangladesh, Kabir and Suhailey of Co.Creation.Architects discuss how designers can enhance collective experiences in the build environment by engaging with people and nature as a driving force for design and architecture.

Learn more and register at the...

Read more about Co-creation with Communities: Lessons from Bangladesh

In conversation with a friend who is a professional woodworker in Switzerland, he mentioned that he has used Thermally Treated Ash (Thermory) for Decks and was very pleased with the…

I am in Vermont.  I am insulating my roof on the exterior only with polyiso.  The roof will be strapped and metal hung on the strapping. I was going to…

Hi folks,I'm building a 7:12 pitch gable roof in Nova Scotia, Canada. Planning on either 1/2" or 5/8" CDX sheathing over the trusses and will cover with Mento 3000 as…

I'm considering retrofitting our house in CZ 6 with an ERV (current setup is exhaust only with passive air inlets). For various reasons (DIY, space, electrical, etc.), I'm considering a…

I have a house in climate zone 5 built in 1918.  The attic is approx 728 sq ft with a single peak around 8 ft and tapers down to all…

Pros and cons of central AC vs. window-mounted untis

From time to time we've talked about ways of using canned spray foam to cover areas. A product that intrigued me was the FoamBeak (on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EAZJWG8 ) which is…

I just got an email from the JLC and they had an article with a link to this series of design guidelines from the Home Innovation Research Lab on how…

 There is quite a lot of discussion on this site aboutpayback time for certain types of construction. Such asheat pumps vs gas heat, or exterior insulation vs doublewall, etc. What…