Fine Homebuilding - Issue 299 June 2021

A new wAy to insul Ate RooFs
This vented and vapor- open approach is energy-smar t and
durable, and a good option for mixed and cold climates
ISSUE 299 // June 2021

ISSUE 299 // JUNE 2021
50
CONTROLLING
SOLAR H E AT GAIN
66
RESPONSIBLE
TEARDOWNS
F U N D A M E N TA L S
OF H VA C 38
FE ATURES
C O V E R S T O R Y
32 A New Take on 50 Trombe Wall Solution 66 A Better Way to Demo
An indirect solar-heat-gain strategy Portland, Oregon, provides a model for

Insulating a Roof
addresses the challenge of orienting a deconstructing houses that is better for
For vaulted ceilings, this vented and
passive-solar house’s views northward people, the planet, and profit
vapor-open approach is durable and
B Y K I L E Y J A C Q U E S B Y A S A C H R I S T I A N A
energy-smart, and a good option for
mixed and cold climates
56 The FHB Interview:
B Y J O S H S A L I N G E R
Christine Williamson
38 All Things HVAC This forensic building scientist
demystifies her discipline for architects

Choosing among heating, cooling,
and construction professionals

and ventilation systems is complicated.
B Y A A R O N FA G A N
Knowing a few basics can lead to
smarter selections.
60 Dedicated
B Y S C O T T G I B S O N
Dehumidification
46 Crawlspaces That Work

To control indoor humidity, consider a
To avoid moisture problems, either

separate system
60
condition or isolate the space
B Y S C O T T G I B S O N
YOU NEED A
B Y J U S T I N F I N K
DEHUMIDIFIER
Tablet editions free to subscribers
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Cover drawing by Dan Thor nton

Private Residence, Chicago Installing contr.: Custom Installations Architect: Kipnis Architecture + Planning GC: Shardon Builders
Distributor: Sheet Metal Supply Photographer: A.J. Brown Profile: Snap-Clad metal roofing Color: Weathered Zinc
Sustainable
Success
“The Snap-Clad standing seam roof is just a nice
element. It’s so easy to attach solar panels to it – it’s
easy to clip on and it’s raised up off the roof. We like
the color selections and the Cool Roof technology
in the finish.”
-Nate Kipnis, FAIA , Principal, Kipnis Architecture + Planning
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in e v e ry i ssu e
8 f i n e h o m e b u i l d i n g . c o m
10 c o n t r i b u t o r s
20
c o M f o r ta b l e ,
12 l e t t e r s
h e a lt h y baSeMentS
16 k n o w t h e c o d e
Energy codes as clear
as glass
20 e n e r g y- s m a r t d e ta i l s
Three ways to insulate
basement walls
16
26 t o o l s & g e a r
get the right
▪ Diagnostic thermostats
windowS
▪ Powerful manometers
72 h o u s e s b y d e s i g n
79
explore new
productS
79 s P e c
▪ Vapor-permeable
flashing tape
▪ Site-built portal-frame
solution
▪ XPS with lower
environmental impact
…and more
82 a s k t h e e x P e r t s
26
▪ Insulating a wall with
MeaSuring
perforMance
no sheathing
▪ Building in the Southwest
▪ Siding on top of siding

72
Solar-powered
and fire-ready
86 b u i l d i n g m at t e r s
Managing water when
insulating old walls
90 k e e P c r a f t a l i v e
Anna Heath, lead
carpenter
no S h e at h i n g ,
no probleM 86
OU R B ON D IS OU R WOR D
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Insulate right with our
newest project guide
As more people strive to build comfor table,
energy- ef ficient homes, grasping the what
and how of insulation is increasingly critical.
From understanding the science to choosing
the right materials and construc tion details,
this collec tion of ar ticles and videos is a one -
stop shop for exper t advice on whatever
insulation projec t you’re working on.
FineHomebuilding.com/insulation
Job-Site Diaries: Benefits Episode 311:
of Building With ICFs Getting off Gas
Builder Josh Salinger explains how an The editors discuss why some municipalities
insulated-concrete-form (ICF) foundation are trying to pressure homeowners to go all-
boosts energy performance on this new home. electric: FineHomebuilding.com/podcast.
Drying in a Roof With
ZIP System Sheathing
In this Shop Class video series,
Discussion forum: Siding

builder Tony Blue walks through
the entire process of installing for extreme wind and rain
waterproof and airtight roof
A homeowner in coastal Alaska asks for advice
sheathing. Watch the seven-part
for protecting or replacing weatherbeaten
miniseries at FineHomebuilding
cement clapboard siding. See what others
.com/blog/shop-class.
suggest, offer advice, or ask a question of your
own at FineHomebuilding.com/forum
Drawing: John Hartman

8 FINEHOMEBUILDING.COM
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Deputy Editor Matthew Millham
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Senior Editor, Kiley Jacques

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www.timber wolftools.com
Green Building Advisor
Managing Editor Samantha Maver
Assistant Art Director Melinda Sonido
Special Projects Jessica Chaloux
Editor
Assistant Editor, Lana Melonakos-Harrison
FineHomebuilding.com
Editorial Assistant Jennifer Morris
Give the Dryer Some Space
Builder-at-Large Justin Fink
Editors-at-Large Kevin Ireton
Charles Miller
Editorial Adviser Mike Guertin
Room to
Contributing Editors Asa Christiana
Sean Groom
Michael Maines
Joseph Lstiburek
Contributing Writers Scott Gibson
Glenn Mathewson
Br ea the
Scott McBride
Video Director Colin Russell
Manager, Video Studio Jeff Roos
Executive Editor, Books Peter Chapman
Fine Homebuilding: (ISSN: 1096-360X) is published
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June 2021 9
contributors
T H E V O I C E S O F E X P E R I E N C E
Publisher Renee Jordan
Senior Vice President, Russell Ellis
Sales 917-767-5338
As one of those kids who took things rellis@taunton.com
Associate Publisher/ Noelle Kennedy

apart and then reassembled them, DAN
Advertising Director 203-304-3530
THORNTON was always interested in how

nkennedy@taunton.com
things work. His illustrations have appeared

Senior Account Manager/ Robert Reed
Integrated Media 630-460-2585

in Fine Homebuilding magazine as far back
Midwest/Northwest rreed@taunton.com
as issue #90. Since then, Dan has illustrated
Group Marketing Robina Lewis
everything from simple jigs to cutaway views

Director 203-304-3532
rlewis@taunton.com
of entire wall systems, constantly building his
Sales and Marketing Kelly Kingston
knowledge of how things are made. In this
Manager
issue, his drawings are featured on the front
Social Media and Taylor Nicole Richards
cover and in “A New Take on Insulating a Marketing Coordinator
Director of Digital John Maher

Roof” (p. 34), and in Ask the Experts (p. 82).
Advertising Operations
Digital Advertising Erin Nikitchyuk
Operations Specialist
Assistant editor LANA MELONAKOS- SVP, Consumer Erica Moynihan
Marketing
HARRISON (Spec, pp. 79-81) has a back-
Director of Consumer Matthew Ulland
ground in communications in nonprofit and
Marketing
for-profit settings. A California native who

Senior Marketing Sara Springborn
Manager
has lived in urban, suburban, and rural areas,
Marketing Manager Danielle Shpunt

Lana enjoys investigating how the built envi-
ronment impacts our experiences, and how
integrating old traditions with new ideas can Single Copy Sales
improve quality of life. She has put these
ideas into practice coordinating public art and

Member
BPA Worldwide
other placemaking projects and participating
in advocacy efforts centered around housing.
In 2007, JOSH SALINGER (“A New Take
Independent publishers since 1975
on Insulating a Roof,” pp. 32-37) founded Founders, Paul & Jan Roman
Birdsmouth Design-Build in Portland, Ore.,
with the goal of designing and building beau- President & CEO Renee Jordan
CFO Mark Fernberg

tiful, high-performing homes that improve
COO Brian Magnotta

the built environment. Josh has certifications
SVP, Sales Russell Ellis
from Earth Advantage’s Sustainable Homes
VP, Human Resources Carol Marotti
Professional course, is an early graduate of
the Passive House Builders training program Publishers of magazines, books, videos, and online
Fine Woodworking • Fine Homebuilding
at PHIUS, and is an accredited EEBA Zero

Threads • Fine Gardening • Green Building Advisor
taunton.com
Energy Building Professional. He lives in the
Mt. Tabor neighborhood of Portland.
write an article
Fine Homebuilding welcomes articles from our readers. We’ll acknowledge all
proposals and return any we can’t use, and we’ll pay for any articles we publish.
For details, check our website at FineHomebuilding.com.
Photos: courtesy of the contributors

ltts
r e a d e r f e e d b a c k
rotide
Shared objectives
As the debate around climate change ramps up, so does awareness of the potential
implications of global warming. This motivates many in the green-building industry to

eht
consider materials and methods with an eye toward the future health of the planet.
For others, this “existential threat” doesn’t resonate. So, where does that leave us in
morF
terms of how we build? If we take the predicted risks seriously and adopt practices
for designing and building homes that lower their environmental impact, and climate
change turns out to be a nonissue, what’s the downside? We would have a new stock
C e d a r- s i d i n g inspiration. Of
a ll s id in g t y pe s, c e da r s h i ng le s
of homes with lower operating costs that are more durable, lower maintenance, more
m ay h a ve th e m os t cre at i v e
comfortable to live in, and healthier for their occupants than most homes built today. po t en t ia l. Th is re ad e r re c re at e d
a h is t or ic a l ce da r- s h a k e de t ai l
Such are the ideas that drive the community behind Green Building Advisor (GBA),
u si ng m o de rn ce d a r shingles.
Fine Homebuilding ’s sister website. Its members come from diverse disciplines and
perspectives, but the collective goal is to build better. What started as a fringe move-
Anot her ceda r detail
ment (green building) has grown up and is based in modern building science, which is
I enjoyed “Sidewall Shingles
physics, not fluff. That’s why we are filling this issue with content from GBA—because With a Flare” in the February/
March issue (FHB #297). We

green building has become best practice.
have an old family home in
GBA covers topics such as environmentally sensitive design, cutting-edge materials,
Oregon with another unique
energy-efficient construction techniques, must-know building science, and relevant
cedar-siding detail. The home
building codes—and that is what you will find in the following pages. Josh Salinger’s was originally sided with 30-in.
hand-split cedar shakes, each

piece, “A New Take on Insulating a Roof” (pp. 32-37), demonstrates the ways in
course 12 in. to the weather.
which green-minded builders constantly innovate around the details of complicated
The original shakes were
assemblies. He has developed methods for building low-energy homes with mini-
hand-split from cedar drift-
mized greenhouse-gas emissions and low embodied carbon. He goes on to share his
wood at the job site. The house
solution to insulating a vaulted ceiling without the use of plastic-foam insulation.

is right on the coast, and in the
1930s there were lots of logs

In “A Better Way to Demo” (pp. 66-71), Asa Christiana takes us to Portland, Ore.,
transported in local rivers and
a city looking to do right when it comes to teardowns. It passed the country’s first
excellent timber could be found
deconstruction ordinance, an updated version of which mandates piece-by-piece dis-

washed up on the beach.
mantling of houses built before 1940, with the goal of protecting human and environ- We wanted to preserve the
original look as we made

mental health. We learn what the process entails and the payoffs it promises.
repairs over the years, but
Determining the right mechanical systems for a house based on heating and cooling
couldn’t find any shakes of
loads and ventilation requirements is a layered process in and of itself. Add energy
comparable size. After consult-
conservation to the goals and you’ve got a bigger ball of wax. In “All About HVAC”
ing with the Cedar Shake &
Shingle Bureau, mentioned

(pp. 38-45), Scott Gibson gives us an abbreviated road map to making smart choices.
in your article, we opted for
At heart, the authors who contributed to this issue comprise a group of people who
the technique of “double
want to build beyond code minimum, no matter the motivation. Here they provide
coursing,” which uses 16-in.
a snapshot of some ways and means for doing that. I hope it proves a valuable step-
cedar shingles in double lay-
ping stone on the path to better building.
— K i l e y J a c q u e s
Email your own
nor dtor, Grn Bdng advor letter to us at
FH@taunton.com.
Photo: ort of Dog Thom

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June 2021 13
letters
C O N T I N U E D
your safety ers, with 12-in. courses and doors no matter the weather or of carpenters setting roof
Home building is inherently thick butts that resemble the the season. Although our house trusses while not wearing hard
dangerous. From accidents original shakes. is finished, it would be nice to hats or any fall-protection
with power tools to falls from As suggested, we used #2 see more articles on screened-in equipment in light of the
ladders, scaffolds, and roofs, shingles on the inner course porches and sunrooms. cover-featured article in the
builders risk serious injury and and more refined #1 shingles — J a n e M o r s e September 2020 issue (FHB
even death. We try to promote on the visible outer course. The v m #293) about the proper use of
safe work habits through our inner course is fasted with 4d fall-protection equipment. I
articles. But what is safe for galvanized nails and the outer Congratulat ions Chuck also find this upsetting because
one person under certain with barbed-shank stainless- As one of his tipsters, I wanted every issue contains a warning
circumstances may not be steel nails, dyed brown since to send Chuck Miller a heart- of the inherent dangers of con-
safe for you under different their heads show. Starter felt congratulations on his 40th struction work and the neces-
circumstances. So don’t try courses are two layers of #2 anniversary with FHB. What sity for safe working habits.
anything you learn about here shingles with #1 shingles on top. an achievement he has earned I fortunately escaped serious
(or elsewhere) unless you’re It really gives the feel of the as a result of his dedication and head injury when I fell from a
certain that it is safe for you. original coarse shakes and the hard work. I can’t tell you how roof when the extension ladder
Please be careful. same deep shadowlines. We are much I value what he does day collapsed under me as I swung
— B r i a n P o n t o l i l o
quite pleased and after 20 years in and day out. My career and around to begin my descent.
 c the building has almost been craft benefit from it every issue. The general contractor on the
completely re-sided. I get that your readers and par- job mandated that hard hats
— d o u g t h o M ticipants are a big part of your be worn at all times. I feel this
v m work. That aside, what you saved me from serious head
do with their ideas—how you injury as the ladder tipped one
More porches, please communicate it—makes all the way and I fell the other. I hit
My husband and I read Fine difference. Having one central, the ground on my side and
Homebuilding magazine for reliable source makes it easy for head. Luckily, I received only
Reader says, ditch the decks.
years and found it very useful us readers to feed you that data. minor cuts and much bruising
S ee in g the we at h e r and
se a so n al d e pe nd e n c e of de ck s , in planning our dream retire- I look forward to continuing to my face and neck.
t hi s rea de r a sk s why m ore

ment home in Michigan. But working with you and FHB in I was partly at fault since I
pe o pl e a ren ’t bu i l di n g mo re
we were always mystified by the future. Keep up the good neglected to secure the top of
po rc he s th a t ca n be u se d in an y
the popularity of decks, which work, Chuck! Please stay for the ladder when I climbed to
we a th e r a nd e v en y e ar- ro u n d .
are unusable in rainy or cold another forty. the roof. I was only going to be
weather and expose the users — M i k e a l e x a n d e r up there for five or 10 minutes
to mosquitoes and other pesky Mv, M. and it was a five-minute walk
insects. When we built our to the other side of the building
home, we made sure to have a Doors should stay put to get a bungee strap. It was a
covered screened-in porch as Regarding the tip “Temporary very windy day with gusts up
well as a small four-season sun- door control” (FHB #297)— to 40 to 50 mph, and of course
room so we can enjoy the out- beyond being something to trip the ladder blew over while I
over, why is it even necessary? was on the roof. Someone came
If a door you’ve just hung along and reset the ladder for
swings open on its own, you’ve me but neglected to make sure
clearly botched the job. A prop- the rung locks were engaged.
erly installed, dead-plumb door Imagine my surprise when
should stay right where you the ladder collapsed under
put it—fully closed, fully open, me as I put my full weight on
or anywhere in between. it. I developed much greater
— a r n e W a l d s t e i n respect and attention to proper
hc, M. work habits after that. It’s very
easy to develop an attitude of
Safet y cont radic t ions “I know what I’m doing,” and
I find it very disquieting that “That won’t happen to me.”
the cover of the March issue — P h i l W a g e n e r
(FHB #297) features a picture v m
P: cy f J M

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kthe
M a s t e r t h e r u l e s o f h o M e b u i l d i n g
b y g l e n n M a t h e w s o n
c Check the label.
T he r a ti ng s l ab el s
on fa c to ry - bu il t
wi n do ws p rov i de
t he p e rf o r m an ce
da t a n ee d ed to
c om pl y wi t h t he
Energy codes
e ne rgy c o de ’s
pre s cr ip ti v e
wi n do w
req u irem e nt s.
as clear as glass
f not for loal ordinanes that onsiderations to many aspets tion. It’s onvenient that they
would likely prohibit it, you of building, inluding window- are bound in sientifi and
i ould, in some half-baked ode provisions. Though mathematial priniples, as
pursuit of energy effiieny, they have evolved, window- this allows different methods
build a house with no win- effiieny requirements today of ode ompliane to be om-
dows—the 2021 International address the same two subjets pared against eah other in near
Residential code (IRc) won’t originally targeted in the ode: equivaleny. In short, energy
stand in your way (and people thermal transmission and air odes are full of options. Values
say the ode is restritive!). You leakage. One requirement disussed in this artile are for
ouldn’t have done this in the that was later added and then the “presriptive” method,
1800s, though. Before eletri dropped is window-to-wall where you simply have to meet
light was allowed as an exep- ratio. Just as you an build a minimum requirements for
tion, windows were required in windowless house, you an also eah performane harateristi. different ompliane paths for
order to provide natural light build an all-window house. From those values, however, different assemblies within the
and redue the use of andles This makes sense on a ouple the performane of individual same home, there are more
and lanterns during daylight levels. For one, windows have features an be traded to yield ways to meet ode for any one
hours (largely to redue fire improved dramatially and an an overall equivaleny, suh home than we ould even begin
risk). More reently, the need oneivably perform better than as a higher R-value in the eil- to over here. Here’s what you
for windows to provide venti- walls in some designs (for an ing insulation oupled with need to know to selet windows
lation has been irumvented example of this, see “Trombe lower-performing windows. using the presriptive path.
by the introdution of whole- Wall Solution,” pp. 50-55). Similarly, another method
house ventilation systems. More importantly, the ode is allows the estimated ost of tm m
Whether windows are designed to address the prob- energy onsumption attrib- Windows are evaluated not by
required or provided by hoie, able, not the possible. The free uted to various subjets to be R-value—the resistane to heat
the ode has long-addressed market will take are of outliers flexible, provided the sum of movement—but by U-fator,
various safety onerns, from like all-glass houses. ost is less than a standardized whih measures heat transmis-
safety glazing in hazardous Unlike other parts of the ode estimate. This method ould sion. This is a mathematial
loations to emergeny esape that are largely aimed at pro- allow for lower-performing relationship, where U-fator
and resue openings (EEROs). teting life and limb within the windows to be offset by a high- is the reiproal of R-value
With the rising importane well-established goals, praties, performane heating system, (1 / R-value = U-fator). A
of energy onservation, it has and assemblies of arhiteture for example. Altogether, the lower U-fator in a window is
added requirements to manage and onstrution, the energy- energy ode provides four (or like a higher R-value in a wall.
the energy penalties that an ode provisions started out as more, depending on how you Just as the minimum R-value
ome with them. outliers. They were loated in ount) different paths to get to inreases in older limates, the
optional “appendix” hapters the ode’s minimum-required maximum-allowed U-fator
P  c cmpc and speialized books, and effiienies, and with the ability dereases in old limates.
The energy risis of the late for aeptane, they needed to mix and math assemblies Lumped together with doors
’70s brought energy-effiieny to be flexible in their applia- and omponents, and even use under the word “fenestration,”
Photo: Brian McAward

16 FINEHOMEBUILDING.cOM

C O N T I N U E D
IRc Table N1102.1.2 provides Air transmission out testing, they’re assigned faing windows ould be lower
maximum U-fators (minimum Heat an bypass all the units default values based on the performing to redue osts,
performane) between 0.50 and of measurement we’ve dis- type of onstrution, given in while being offset by higher-
0.30 for limate zones 1 (warm) ussed thus far when traveling Tables N1101.10.3(1) through performing but basi bedroom
through 8 (old). through a gap on a urrent N1101.10.3(3)]. For new on- windows. This design option
U-fator only measures the of air. Fatory-built windows strution, subjet to maximum an also be utilized in new
non-solar-heat movement must be laboratory tested to air-leakage rates verified by onstrution using presrip-
through the window assembly. meet ode minimums for air blower-door tests, leaky site- tive methods without trading
Essentially, it measures heat lost leakage. A window an have built windows will be revealed assemblies or evaluating energy
from indoor air to the outside no greater air infiltration than and will have to be offset by osts. The intent is to provide
when it’s old out, and heat 0.3 fm per sq. ft. in aor- tighter onstrution elsewhere maximum design and ost-
gained from outdoor air when dane with the NFRc 400 or repaired. analysis freedom.
it’s hot. Though ooling is not standard from the National Though not related to the
required by the ode in the Fenestration Rating counil or Window replacements energy ode, emergeny esape
way heating is, warmer limate with the AAMA/WDMA/cSA Though I often use automobile and resue openings (EEROs)
zones still have requirements 101/I.S.2/A440 standard from standards as a omparison to must be addressed when dis-
to limit the heat gain via solar the—what? Never mind. building-ode standards, the ussing window replaements.
radiation through the window. For the majority of main- analogy falls apart when dis- Replaement windows that
The solar-heat-gain oeffiient stream manufatured windows, ussing repairs and rebuilds. fit inside existing frames often
(SHGc) is like the U-fator in the title of that standard won’t You an’t rebuild a house to redue the size of the lear
that the lower the value, the opening below the minimum
less solar radiation the window size typially required for an
transmits inside. The same EERO. Inspetors have been
table referened previously pro- known to derail window
“Large and ornate main-level,

vides maximum SHGcs from replaements on these grounds.
0.25 to 0.40 for limate zones 1 However, the IRc has taken a
street-facing windows could

through 4. In older limates, larger look at this and allows
there is no SHGc requirement, replaements that may redue
be lower performing to reduce

as the warm sun is typially the opening size, provided they
welome in the heating season are the largest standard size
costs, while being offset by

and an improve a home’s over- the manufaturer makes for
all energy effiieny. the rough opening and either
higher-performing but basic

As in nearly all ode sub- the same style or a style with a
jets, there are exeptions that larger opening.
bedroom windows.“
address speifi onsiderations. Though on paper this may
For example, one might want appear to redue safety, in
a fany glass front door, or reality, many older windows
a window that inorporates matter. The various values old standards like you an a are very diffiult to operate,
Grandpa’s stained glass from and test listings of energy-ode ar. Full window replaements have broken lathes, or are
the old family homestead. Just ompliane are provided on (not simply reglazing a broken sealed ompletely shut. In
as provisions for safety glazing the label adhered to eah win- pane), must meet the same other words, old windows an
have exeptions for deorative dow, typially an NFRc label. standards as new onstrution have more problems than just
glazing (stained glass), so does It’s a good idea to leave those for U-fator, SHGc, and air energy loss. A new window
the energy ode. Not speifi labels on the windows until leakage—but as always, there with easy, smooth, and fun-
to deorative glazing, Setion after you get a final inspe- are options. When more than tional operation may yield a
N1102.3.3 allows up to 15 sq. ft. tion. You won’t need labels, one window is replaed, an slightly smaller opening, but
of glazing to be exempt from though, for site-built windows area-weighted average of all may ultimately offer more
all U-fator and SHGc suh as the stained glass you the windows an be taken for safety in addition to better
requirements in eah dwelling. moved from the farmhouse. both U-fator and SHGc. This energy effiieny.
Additionally, Setion N1102.3.4 Site-built windows are exepted allows for higher-performing
exempts a single opaque door, from air-leakage requirements windows to offset lower- Glenn Mathewson is a con-
often used for a front door, [though not from U-fator and performing windows. Large sultant and educator with
from these requirements. SHGc requirements—with- and ornate main-level, street- BuildingCodeCollege.com.
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smart
f r o m g r e e n b u i l d i n g a d v i s o r . c o m
5 ⁄ 2 -i n . c av it y
3 -i n. po ly i so cy an u r a t e in s ul at i on ( R -2 1)
r ig id i n su la ti o n ( R- 1 9 . 5 )
2 x6 b o tt om pl at e
Ex t e ri or s id in g
⁄ 4 -i n . p ly wo o d or
⁄ 2 -i n . d ry wa ll as
fi reb l oc ki n g
Three ways
1 0- in . c o n c re t e
f ou n da ti o n wa ll
to insulate
1 Ex t er i or g ra d e v ar i e s
2 ⁄ 2 -i n .
po l yi so cy a nu r at e
basement r ig id i n su la t io n ( R- 1 6 )
walls
2 x4 s t ud w al l
b y m a r t i n h o l l a d a y ⁄ 2 -i n . g yp su m
b oa rd in te r io r
asement-wall insulation can be 2 x4 t rea t ed
bo t to m p la te
placed on the exterior side of the
b wall, on the interior side of the wall, S il l se a le r ( ex t en d
u nd e r ri gi d i ns ul a t i o n )
or on both sides of the wall. When the base-
ment wall is insulated from the interior,
there are a few different ways to achieve
minimum R-values. This article illustrates
the three most common options: continuous
rigid insulation, a combination of continu-
ous rigid insulation and insulation batts, or
closed-cell spray foam. Regardless of the
insulation method you choose, here are
some things to keep in mind.
The rst step is to make sure your base- a co n t i n u o u s l ay e r of interior rigid f oa m
One simple way to insulate the interior of a basement wall is with a continuous layer of
ment is dry. Before installing any interior-
rigid foam that is thick enough to meet the minimum R-value for your climate zone. If
wall insulation, verify that your basement
you can’t reach your R-value target with one layer of rigid foam, it’s perfectly acceptable
doesn’t have a water-entry problem. Next,
to install two layers of rigid foam. (If you are installing two layers, make sure to stagger
consider your climate zone and code-
the foam seams.) Rigid foam can be adhered to concrete with foam-compatible adhesive
minimum R-values. Basement insulation
or can be attached with special fasteners like Hilti IDP or Rodenhouse Plasti-Grip PMF
required by the 2012, 2015, and 2018

anchors. Once the rigid foam is installed, you can install a 2x4 stud wall on the interior
International Residential Code (IRC) is

side of the rigid foam, or you can install 1x4 strapping, 16 in. on center, to facilitate
as follows: at least R-5 in climate zone 3,

installation of the drywall. If you frame a 2x4 wall, don’t forget to install fireblocking at
R-10 in zone 4 (except marine zone 4), and the top of the wall.
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C o n t i n u e d
Co n t i n u o u s interior rigid f oa m with a d j aC e n t R-15 in zones 5, 6, 7, and 8 and marine
stud wa l l filled with fi b e rg l a ss or m i n e r a l -wo o l b at t s zone 4. That said, local codes may differ
Many builders prefer to leave the stud bays uninsulated, as shown in the previous
from these general guidelines, so it’s worth
assembly (p. 20), because it’s common for basements to experience occasional flooding,
asking your local building department
and fibrous insulation becomes a soggy mess if it ever gets wet. On the other hand,
about minimum R-value requirements in
you may prefer to boost the assembly’s R-value by insulating between the studs. If so,
your community.
keep two principles in mind. First, your rigid foam layer needs to be thick enough to
Note that the IRC lists two different

prevent condensation problems. A conservative approach calls for at least R-2.5 of rigid
R-value requirements for basement walls:

foam in climate zone 3, at least R-5 of rigid foam in zones 4 or 5, at least R-7.5 of rigid
foam in zone 6, and at least R-10 of rigid foam in zones 7 or 8. Second, mineral-wool a lower number (for example, R-15 in
batts generally perform better in damp environments than fiberglass batts. zone 5) for continuous foam, and a higher
number (for example, R-19 in zone 5) for
“cavity insulation”—usually interpreted
5 ⁄2 in . c av it y
as fluffy insulation like fiberglass installed
in s ul at i on ( R -2 1)
between studs. Since it is inadvisable to
3 -i n. po ly i so cy an u r a t e
insulate a basement wall with fluffy insula-
r ig id i n su la ti o n ( R- 1 9 . 5 )
tion like fiberglass unless the wall has first
been insulated with a layer of continuous
rigid foam or spray foam, it’s generally best
Ex t er i or s id in g
to focus on an approach that uses continu-
ous insulation, and to ignore the “cavity
insulation” approach.
On the interior side of a basement wall,
all three common types of rigid-foam
insulation—polyisocyanurate, expanded
1
polystyrene (EPS), or extruded polysty-
f ireb l oc ki n g
fo u n da ti o n wa ll
rene (XPS)—perform well. That said,
green builders usually avoid the use of
3 ⁄2 in . c av it y
XPS, since most brands are manufactured
in s ul at i on ( R -1 5)
with a blowing agent that has a high
global-warming potential. Problematic
blowing agents are also used in most

Ex t er i or g r ad e v ar i e s
1 -i n. po ly i so cy an u r a t e brands of closed-cell spray foam, so if you
r ig id i n su la ti o n ( R- 6 . 5 )
plan to use closed-cell spray foam, seek
out a brand of insulation that uses one of
the new, more environmentally friendly
blowing agents—for example, Heatlok
HFO spray foam from Huntsman Build-
2 x4 s t ud w al l ing Solutions.
Basement-wall systems should never

T he r i gi d- fo a m
⁄ 2 -i n . g yp su m
la y er sh ow n in th i s
include polyethylene sheeting—neither
b oa rd in te r io r
il l us tr at i on is t hi ck
between the concrete and the foam insula-

e no u gh f or cl im at e
z on e s 4 or 5. If tion, nor between the gypsum drywall and

2 x4 t rea t ed
y ou r b as em e nt is
bo t to m p la te the insulation. In these locations, polyethyl-
lo c at ed in cl im at e
ene can trap moisture, leading to mold or rot.

z on e s 6, 7, or 8,
S il l se a le r ( ex t en d
y ou ’ ll n ee d t h ic ke r
If you live in an area where termites are
u nd e r ri gi d i ns ul a t i o n )
ri g id f o am .
a problem, your local building code may
require that you leave a 3-in.-high termite-
inspection strip of bare concrete near the
top of your basement wall. These require-
ments vary widely from jurisdiction to
jurisdiction, so it’s wise to seek local advice
on this issue.
Don’t forget about airtightness as well.
During the winter, indoor air tends to be
gsmarti
c o n t I n U e d
Inter Ior close d - cell s p r ay f oa m

warm and humid, while onrete founda-
If you plan to insulate your basement walls with spray foam, you’ll want to frame your 2x4
tion walls tend to be old, setting up ideal
walls before the foam is sprayed, leaving a gap of 1 ⁄2 in. to 2 in. between the back of the
onditions for potential ondensation.
studs and the concrete wall. The gap will be filled later with closed-cell spray foam. (Note
You an limit the hane of ondensa-
that open-cell spray foam is too vapor-permeable to be suitable for basement walls.)
tion or mold by preventing any interior
If your basement has stone-and-mortar walls, you can’t insulate them with rigid foam—
air from ontating old onrete. If you
the only type of insulation that makes sense for stone-and-mortar walls is closed-cell spray
are installing interior rigid foam, all of the

foam. Although it’s possible to buy do-it-yourself two-component spray-foam kits for this
foam seams need to be sealed with aulk,

type of job, it’s generally less expensive to hire a spray-foam contractor for large jobs like
basement walls. high-quality tape, or anned spray foam.
If you are hiring a spray-foam ontra-
tor to insulate your wall, make sure that
there are no gaps or shrinkage raks in the
5 ⁄ 2 -i n . c av it y C lo se d- c el l sp r ay f o am foam that ould allow indoor air to ontat
in s ul at i on ( R -2 1) ( R- 26 )
the onrete.
When rigid foam or spray foam is
installed on the interior side of a basement
wall, the foam must be separated from
living spaes by a so-alled thermal bar-
E xt e ri or s id in g
rier—that is, a layer of ⁄2-in. drywall or a
material that has been approved as equiva-
lent in fire resistane to ⁄2-in. drywall. If
you don’t want to install any drywall, you
3
an use Thermax, a brand of rigid-foam
insulation that an be left exposed (beause
fi reb l oc ki ng
it has passed tests for thermal resistane),
or you an use mineral-wool insulation as a
thermal barrier.
fo u nd a ti o n w a ll And remember—if you’re installing inte-
rior basement-wall insulation, don’t forget
Ex t er i or g ra d e v ar i e s
to insulate the rim joists.
2 ⁄ 2 -i n . c lo se d- c el l In most U.S. loations, basement-wall
sp r ay f o am
insulation is required by ode. Properly
installed, basement insulation will save
energy, improve omfort, and redue the
likelihood that your walls will be damp.
With a lower hane of dampness, there
will be fewer opportunities for mold
growth—so your insulated basement will
2 x4 s t ud w al l probably smell better than it used to.
⁄ 2 -i n . g yp su m
Martin Holladay is a retired editor living in
bo a rd in te r io r
Ver mont. Drawings by Alexandra Baczek.
2 x4 t rea t ed
bo t to m p la te
S il l se al e r ( ex te n d
u nd e r ri gi d i ns ul at i o n )
More detail s online
Some of these details are new to Green
Building Advisor’s energy-smart collection. GBA
Pro members get full access to the Detail Draw-
ings library, which contains almost 2500 details
on building better, tighter, more-energy-efficient
houses. To browse through the collections, visit
greenbuildingadvisor.com/detail-drawings.
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N E W A N D N O T E W O R T H Y P R O D U C T S
ECOBEE
E co be e s ma r t th e r m o s t a t s work
wi t h mo s t ty p ic al H VAC s y st e m s
DIAGNOSTIC wi t h st an d ard t h e r mo st a t
wi r in g. Th e d ia gn o st i c s are n’t
as so ph is t ic at e d as H VAC -
THERMOSTATS e qu ip me n t- b ra nd t h e r m o s t a ts
th a t t ie d i re ct l y in t o a sy st e m’s
m ai n b oa rd, l ik e the t h er m os ta ts
sh o wn b e lo w, bu t they do rec ord
knew high-end thermostats and

ru n t i me s so yo u ca n tell how
HVAC equipment were getting o ve r siz e d y ou r system i s. They
I smarter, but one of the first systems we

c an al so add ot he r s ma r t fe a t u re s
to an ex is t in g sy s t e m, l i ke
installed hardly seemed like a success when

a ut o mat i c s et ba ck an d rem ot e
it turned itself off on cold days. However,

m on it or i ng an d co n t ro l.
it was kind of cool to walk up to the ther-
mostat and read a plain-language explana-
tion that the problem was static pressure.
Apparently, the old, undersized ductwork
couldn’t handle the airflow when the

WAT E R F U R N A C E
blower ramped up, so the smart machines S om e Wat er F ur n ac e
th e rm o st at s rec ord the st a t e

turned themselves off for self-preservation.
of ea c h zo n e th e r m o s t at ,
Smart thermostats also learn how long
z on e d am pe r, a nd the ma in
systems run on very cold or hot days,

m ac hi n e’s s ta tu s every
which tells us the real heating or cooling fi f te e n se co n ds . W i - Fi
a cc e sso r ie s u pl oa d do z e n s
load, how much a system is oversized, and
of se ns o r rea di ng s to the
what size will work better. Some thermo-
in t er n et m u lt ip l e times p er
stats also make setting up zone damper

m in u te , wh i ch is h e l pf u l fo r
systems much more reliable. In my experi- di a gn o si ng s tr a ng e be h av i or.
Bu t k e ep d a ta re co rdi n g to
ence with these complicated setups, it’s easy
a f ew w e ek s— I once c rea t e d
to make mistakes like accidentally con-
a m il l io n- li n e sp re a ds h e e t
necting the zone three damper to the zone

th a t m ad e my co mp u t e r c r y.
two thermostat.
Smart modern thermostats that connect
to the internet allow for quicker, more
accurate diagnostics. I can log in from my
home office and see what’s happening on a CARRIER
T he l a te st C a rr ie r
system 50 miles away. I can see if it’s some-
t he r mo st at s c an quickly
thing the homeowner can fix—clogged
v er if y t h at z on e s are s et
filter or wrong thermostat setting—or if

up co r re c tl y a nd t e st t he i r
I need to call a pro. We can even set it up a ir fl o w to set fa n s pe e d s .
T he t e ch n ol og y se e ms to be
so we get emails or texts when the sys-
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tem shuts off because of a problem. Just
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texting you about power-line instability.
us to p rov i de better co mf o r t
fo r our cl ie n ts and fi x
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ISSUE 299 // JUNE 2021
A New Take on
Insulating
a Roof
For vaulted ceilings, this vented and vapor- open
approach is durable and energy-smar t, and a
good option for mixed and cold climates
BY JOSH SALINGER
s the building industry turns its end. In 2020, we made a commitment to stop it’s buildable and cost-effective. All without
focus to the creation of low-energy using plastic-foam insulation above grade. the use of plastic foams.
homes and building practices that (It’s possible to avoid plastic-foam insulation
A minimize greenhouse gasses, below grade too, but we have yet to develop The vaulted-ceiling problem
we’ve made what used to be a difficult and feasible, cost-effective ways to do so.) One Increasingly common in t o d a y ’s home
complex process—creating airtight, super- of the toughest places to avoid plastic foams designs, vaulted ceilings follow the roofline,
insulated houses—building as usual. The is in the insulated roof assemblies of homes adding a sense of spaciousness in single-story
new materials and methods we have adopted with vaulted ceilings, but we have recently homes or additional living space to some
are now baked into our muscle memory, and landed on a solid solution. multistory homes. But insulated roof assem-
it’s no longer especially challenging to build The versatile approach shown here has blies are a bit trickier to detail than walls.
to meet the Passive House standard, for continuous venting, even on roofs with hips, In climate zones 1 through 3, you may be
example, or to achieve net-zero energy. valleys, and dormers. It manages v a p o r, able to meet code-required insulation lev-
At our small design-build firm in Portland, with drying potential in all directions. The els with fibrous insulation in a common
Ore., we are now looking beyond the energy interior air barrier is easy to connect to the vented roof assembly. You can also fill the
consumption of the homes we build to the air barrier at the walls for continuity. And rafter bays completely with fluffy insulation
impact of the materials we build with on both the rafter bays can be completely filled with in an unvented assembly and open a vapor-
people and the environment throughout the insulation—we go with dense-pack cellulose, diffusion port at the ridge in these climate
lifespan of the home, including its inevitable but other types will work just fine. Best of all, zones. By stopping the sheathing short of
Why we’re
avoiding plastic-
foam insulation
Plastic-foam insulation includes EPS,
XPS, and polyisocyanurate rigid foam
insulation, and open- and closed-
cell spray polyurethane foam. While
popular and effective, these products
present problems that are increas-
ingly difficult to ignore.
Despite how some manufactur-
ers have reduced the high global-
warming potential (GWP) of blowing
agents in plastic foam, it is still sig-
nificant, adding to the impact of the
fossil fuels used to make the plastic
in the first place. It is also difficult
to recycle and reuse, contributing to
global pollution by microplastics.
As a building material, plastic foam
has additional drawbacks. Compared
to fiberglass and fire-rated cellulose,
plastic foam can be more flammable.
Some products are prone to dimin-
ished R-value over time. It is not a
reliable air barrier because it is dif-
ficult to seal to wood in a way that
can withstand seasonal movement of
the building. Plastic-foam insulation
also may limit the drying potential of
a building assembly to just one direc-
tion, which can present design chal-
lenges, and its hydrophobic nature is
not always a benefit.
Spray foam has particular problems
of its own. For one, it encapsulates
the ridge and covering the gap with a vapor- roof is a simple gable style, which often is wood in plastic, eliminating its poten-
permeable membrane , va p or c an diffuse not the case. Hips, valleys, and dormers can tial to biodegrade or be reused. It
out of the assembly to prevent condensa- make this type of venting impossible. Plus, also makes repairs and remodeling,
tion problems. It’s an interesting solution the thin plastic baff l e s are so f limsy that even a basic upgrade like adding an
described thoroughly in Joseph Lstiburek’s they often get crushed when rafter bays are electrical circuit, difficult. There are
excellent 2015 article “BSI-088: Ve n t i n g filled with insulation. In other cases, where the adverse health effects for install-
Vapor,” available at buildingscience.com. the rafter bays are larger or smaller than the ers, the potential for improper instal-
In climate zones 4 and up, however, con- typical 16 in. or 24 in. on center, inattentive lation and uncured foam, and the
densation risks are much higher, and for a subcontractors often jam and crush baffles issues of heat created during curing.
few reasons, vented assemblies are not an into place. Another downside of baffles is the
For more informa-
easy solution. These roof assemblies com- space they steal from insulation, which may
tion and alternatives
monly have baffles—often Durovent or an make it impossible to meet code-required

to plastic foam, check
Owens Corning product—on the bottom of R-values, save energy, and improve comfort.
out Bruce King’s
the sheathing, which connect air-intake vents Mixed- and cold-climate builders tend to
book, “The New
in the soffits and exhaust vents at the ridge to turn to spray foam or rigid foam to create
Carbon Architecture”
vent the roof assembly via the stack effect. durable insulated roof assemblies without
(2018, New Society
This approach allows batt insulation and venting. Unvented (hot) roofs are gener-
Publishers).
avoids plastic foam, but only works if the ally created in two ways. One is by applying
JUNE 2021 33
D E TA I L S O F A
H I G H - P E R F O R M A N C E
I N S U L AT E D R O O F
R id ge ve nt al lo ws
a ir fl ow w h il e b lo ck i n g
This surprisingly straightforward
sn o w a nd i ns ec t s.
assembly creates robust vent
channels that follow the rooflines,
with R-44 of dense-pack cellulose P ly wo od ro of
sh e at h in g
insulation (with 2x12 rafters) and
N ot ch ed 2x 4
a simple, effective connection
st r ap pi n g
between roof and wall air barriers.

Ro o fi ng a ll ow s ai r to
u nd e rl ay m en t pa s s th rou g h.
W RB s ta pl e d to
2 x1 2 r af te r s
2 x4 s t ra pp in g s up p o r t s m em b r a ne
an d i n su la ti on an d c re a t e s a
se r vi ce ca v it y fo r electrical ru n s.
2 x4 s t ra pp in g n a il e d
a lo ng ea ch ra ft e r
2 x1 2 r af te r
D ry wa l l
N ot ch ed 2x 4
st r ap pi n g al lo w s ai r
to pa ss t h ro u gh .
D en se - pa ck ce ll ul o se
fi l l s e nt i re ra ft e r b a y.
C or-A - Ve n t S- 4 00
so ffi t s tr ip
Var ia bl e -p e rm
v ap orre t arde r
m em br an e u n de r
r af te r s co n ta in s
c el lu l os e
in s ul at i on and
c om pl et e s
a ir b a rr ie r.
Tru ss s cre ws ,
r at he r t ha n
h ur ri c an e t ie s,
fa s te n r af t er s
wi t ho ut
c om pl ic a ti ng
1
⁄ 2 -i n . p ly wo od
a ir-b a rr ie r
de t ai l s.
S tr ip of s el f -a dh e s i v e
W RB c o nn ec t s ex t e r i o r
a nd i n te r i o r ai r b ar r i e r s .
closed-cell spray foam to the bottom side of goal was to design a solution that had the After the roof is framed but before sheath-
the roof sheathing to at least a minimum durability of a vented assembly without the ing is installed, we staple a layer of a vapor-
R-value that meets code and prevents con- environmental cost of plastic foam. open water-resistive barrier (WRB), like
densation, and therefore the potential for the Tyvek Commercial Wrap used on this
mold and rot. Alternatively, rigid foam such A design-build solution project, to the top of the roof rafters. Next,
as EPS, XPS, or foil-faced polyiso can be One of the benefits of working at a design- we nail flat 2x4 strapping along each rafter
applied to the top of the sheathing, which build firm are the frequent meetings to act as spacers. To attach the sheathing at
prevents condensation on the underside by between the architecture and build teams. the eave and ridge, we install notched 2x4s
keeping the sheathing warm. They are where we find solutions that work perpendicular to the rafters, allowing air
These unvented assemblies can certainly on paper and in the field—like this foam- to pass through. On this project we used
work, but they have limited drying poten- free assembly for vaulted roofs. Here’s the Cor-A-Vent soffit strips to keep insects out
tial and require plastic-foam insulation. Our basic anatomy. of the vent chambers, but we plan to move
Drawing: Dan Thornton

s t i ck- fr a m e d v en t ch a n n el s
to  obu  ,    w- b o  ,  2x4 ppg  g.
Horizontals go on first.
On e ro w of h o ri zo n t a l 2 x4
n ai le r s— wi th a se r i e s of
Roll out the WRB. A 1 0 -f t .- wi de ro l l of w at e r-

V-n ot c he s c ut in them to
res is ti v e b ar ri er wo r k s p er fe c t l y w it h 2 4- in .
a ll ow air to pa ss t h ro u g h —
r af te r s pa c in g. Th e team ro l ls it d ow n or up,
is in st a ll ed at t he r i dg e ,
w hi c he v er is e as ie r, and attaches it with staples.

a nd a n ot h er at t he e a v e.
Ve r t i c a l s next.
A 2 x4 ru ns
a bo ve ea c h I n s e c t - p ro o f s o ff i t
r af te r, sp a ce d vents. Co r- A -Ven t S -4 0 0
sl i gh tl y up so ffi t s tr ip s bl o ck i n se ct s
fro m t he l o we r a nd d e br is . At th e 2 x4
h or iz o nt al st r ap pi n g th a t co n t i n u e s
st r ap pi n g, to Sheathing completes the channels. Ro o f a lo ng th e r af te r t ai l s ,
a ll ow a ir to m o ve sh e at h in g is fa st e n e d as us u a l , cre at in g a Bre c ke nr i dg e pl y w o o d
fro m b ay to b ay. de c k wh e re ro o fe r s w o n’t e nc o un te r any wi l l fi n ish off t he open-
u nc o mmo n d e ta il s. so ffi t de s ig n.
th otchd strappig lowr ad wrap it mch bttr ailr. Th WRB ot oly acts for this lowr strappig is twofold. First,
with scr i th ftr as a asir way to as th islatio ttig at th top of th roof th mafactrr rqirs it to kp th
accomplish th sam goal. raftrs, bt it kps th vt chambrs clar vapor-rtardr mmbra attachd to th
With ths dtails, wh th shathig gos ad allows th islatd raftr bays to dry to raftrs wh it is sd as ttig for isla-
o, w d p with drabl ad ffctiv th xtrior. tio. Scod, th strappig crats a shallow
vt cavitis, coctd to th xtrior with O th bottom, or i  t  r i o r, sid of th srvic cavity bhid th drywall, whr w
vts at th soffit ad ridg ad coctd raftrs, w istall a va r i a b l -p rm vap or ca istall jctio boxs ad lctric circits
to ach othr at hips ad vallys. Yo might rtardr—sch as Siga Majrx or ProClima withot ptratig th air barrir. Ad
b wodrig why w do’t s 2x2s abov Itllo—which maags moistr ad acts bcas th mmbra is sd as th isla-
th raftrs—w trid that arly o, bt th as th primary air barrir. Blow this mm- tio ttig at th bottom of th raftrs, w
arrow boards dd p big chwd p bra gos aothr st of flat 2x4s, aild mak sr or islatio cotractor dlts
by ails ad stapls. Laid flat, 2x4s mak a o prpdiclar to th raftrs. Th raso th ttig ad its istall from thir bid,
June 2021 35
Air b A r r i er And A s er v i ce c Av i t y
blow h af, h a a wll oa h llulo ulao, follow  appg a wall.
Va p o r- p e r m e a b l e
air b a r r i e r. Th e S ig a
M aj re x is ro ll e d out
an d cut on th e f lo o r,
a nd t h en l i ft ed up and
Ta p e and strapping
install ed perpendi cular
next. All of th e
to th e r af t er s.
se a ms a re se a le d
wi t h S ig a Ri s sa n tape
de s ig n ed for th e
Ma j re x m em b ra ne ,
in c lu d in g t he f la p at
t he b ot t o m w he re the
a ir b a rr ie r e me rge s
f ro m t he top pl at e .
helping us reoup some of the extra labor environment, or if the assembly is wet, the of any given square footage. We used those
and material osts. built-up water vapor will drive toward the to engineer this assembly, and we runh the
vent avity, diffuse through the WRB, and numbers for eah speifi roof.
Drying in both directions esape via the roof vent. On the bottom of the rafters, a variable-
Moisture tends to build up in roof assemblies. The reason this assemb l y wor ks for all perm membrane is the assembly’s vapor-
Inside the home, showers, ooking, breath- types of roof arhiteture is beause the vent- ontrol layer. The permeane of a variable-
ing, house plants, seasonal hanges, and air ing hamber is above the rafters. This allows perm, or “smart,” vapor retarder modulates
leakage all add humidity, not to mention air movement over hips, through valleys, based on humidity. As opposed to a vapor
the moisture released from new onstru- and around dormers. These details blok the retarder that maintains a onsistent perme-
tion materials. Outside, seasons and ondi- flow of air and make venting diffiult in the ane throughout the seasons, a smart vapor
tions are in onstant flux. Our vented roof more ommon senario of having the vent retarder responds to them. During older,
assembly is vapor-open, meaning built-up hannels within the rafter bays. To aom- dryer onditions, when ondensation risk is
moisture an dry to the inside or outside. plish this where one roof area intersets high, this material allows less vapor to pass.
This gives it the greatest potential for drying another—suh as the shed roof and gable During warmer, more humid onditions,
out and avoiding degradation, mold, and rot. roof on the projet featured here—we sim- when drying is the goal, the material allows
Starting at the top, the vent hambers man- ply leave spae in the grid of 2x4 strapping more vapor to pass.
age ondensation under the sheathing via to allow for air to pass from one set of vent Another key piee of the assembly that
airflow from the soffit to the ridge. Vapor hambers to the other. These small spaes manages moisture is the dense-p a k  el -
will always move from areas of more onen- help improve flow throughout the assembly. lulose insulation. As opposed to fiberglass,
tration to less, so, should the interior of the Roofing ode inludes a table that alulates whih is hydrophobi and sheds water, el-
home be more humid than the surrounding the openings needed to properly vent avities lulose is hydrophili, taking on and releasing
Ready for drywall.
T he i n su la t io n su b s cu t
sm a ll s li t s in the ai r
ba r ri e r to fi ll the ba y s
to p to b ot to m , th e
t ea m c ircl e s ba c k to
t ap e t he m o ff , and the
dr y wa ll su bs move in.
moistr ovr tim, frthr mitigatig th i this assmbly is tapd at th sams ad ad asir tha th hrrica tis ayway, so
risk of larg swigs i hmidity. Kow as ptratios, ad coctd cotiosly to thy’r a t tim-savr for or tam, ad th
hygric bffrig, this bilds v mor rsil- th air barrir whr roof mts walls. W do air-sal is mch mor ffctiv. With this air-
ic ito th systm. That said, th assmbly this by placig a strip of WRB—i this cas barrir stratgy, w’v had o trobl hittig
cold still b ffctiv with aothr form of slf-adhrig Siga Majvst 500 SA—ovr th or air-salig targts, which ar grally
blow-i islatio, icldig fibrglass. top plat prior to istallatio of th raftrs, wll blow 1 ACH50.
ad th coctig that to both th vapor- To dat, or tam has do this istall o
Continuous air-sealing prmabl barrir dr th raftrs ad th thr homs. Whil w hav th mai stps
Mch mor watr is dpositd i a bildig WRB o th xtrior wall. It adds abot a diald i, w coti lar w tricks
assmbly throgh air movmt tha vapor hor of labor to th bild schdl for a typi- ad add fficicy. Althogh th approach
diffsio—by a fw ordrs of magitd, cal hom, bt its impact o prformac ad ivolvs som xtra matrials, doig thigs
i fact. For xampl, ovr th cors of o comfort is wll worth th ffort. i a slightly diffrt ordr, ad takig a lit-
yar, a 1-i. hol i drywall ca dposit as With this air-salig stp, yo ca’t s th tl mor tim, it all fls rlativly qick ad
mch as 30 qarts of watr ito th assm- sal H2.5A hrrica tis from Simpso asy ow. Th w valtd-roof assmbly
bly throgh air lakag. Compar that to Strog-Ti for th wall-to-raftr coctio hlps s mt or high-prformac sta-
th ⁄3 cp of watr vapor that may diffs withot th air-salig-origami ightmar dards withot sig foam, dlivrig a wi
throgh a 4x8 sht of th sam matrial i w’v lard to avoid. W s trss scrws for or firm, or clits, ad or kids. □
th sam tim fram. istad, drivig thm p throgh th top
To prvt air laks from wrakig havoc plat ad ito th raftrs. W spcify this to Josh Salinger is founder and CEO of
o or roof strctr ad th hom’s ovrall th strctral gir at th dsig phas B i rd s m o u t h , a design-build fir m in
rgy prformac, th vapor rtardr sd of th projct. Th trss scrws istall fastr Portland, O re . Photos by Asa Christiana.
June 2021 37
All Things
HVAC
Choosing among heating, cooling, and
ventilation sys tems is complicated. K nowing
a few basic s can lead to smar ter selec tions.
BY SCOTT GIBSON
hen it comes to heating and one. Why bother? You won’t be spending
cooling equipment, which is money unnecessarily. You’ll at least know the
more important: lower ini- right questions to ask the HVAC contractor.
W tial cost or lower operating Plus, you’ll be investing in equipment that
costs? Should the equipment be all-electric, makes sense for your climate and house—
or is it OK in the era of climate change to not some hypothetical average.
buy appliances that burn fossil fuels? Is it With that in mind, consider the funda-
safe to invest in new technology, or will that mentals of HVAC design. These are the
turn out to be an expensive mistake? There standard industry planning tools devel-
are many nuanced questions to answer when oped by the Air Conditioning Contractors
planning a new HVAC system or looking of America (ACCA): Manual J, Manual S,
to upgrade existing components. Having a and Manual D. These ACCA manuals are
strong sense of your needs and the available software programs available from a number
products is a good place to start. of companies and used primarily by HVAC most repeated advice from experts is that a
Energy and design consultants working professionals. All of them are important and Manual J calculation is essential to getting
with computer models can offer precise esti- the foundation for good design. a heating and cooling system that works
mates of heating and cooling needs and the properly. Heating and cooling contractors
type of equipment—if not the manufacturer Start by calculating your needs develop their own rules of thumb over time.
and model number—best suited to meet Manual J is the first step in planning a sys- That’s understandable. If you’ve installed
them. When the goal is to certify a new or tem. Its purpose is to calculate how much 500 systems and they all seem to work well
renovated house under a rating program heat your house will lose on the coldest night enough, you’d probably be just as confident
such as Passive House, that level of detail is of the year, and how much cooling you will in recommending one. The issue is that little
a must. Energy consumption right down to need on the hottest day of the year. These are extra a contractor may want to add to the
the kilowatt-hour is a make-or-break ques- the heating and cooling loads, independent capacity of a furnace or air-conditioning unit
tion for certification. of what heating and cooling equipment a simply to guarantee they never get a call in
Whether or not a computer-armed consul- homeowner may choose. Loads are deter- the middle of the night from a homeowner
tant is in the cards, having a grasp of heating mined on a room-to-room basis so a contrac- complaining the house is too hot or too cold.
and cooling basics is a good idea for anyone tor knows how much heating and cooling Manual J is designed to take the guesswork
building a new house or renovating an old you’ll need to stay comfortable. Some of the out of the process and make sure the equip-
Photo: courtesy of Fujitsu General America

Heat pump for cold a i r. E v e r-
in c re a si ng effi c ie n c y at lo w
te m pe r at u re s h as h e l p ed m a ke
m in is pl it he at pu m ps an a t t r a c ti ve
c on te n de r f or cooling a nd
h ea ti n g, e v en in northern reg i o n s .
ment that’s installed is well-matched to the accounts, the opposite is true. Some heating Code (IRC), the dominant model building
house and the locale. Here’s how it works: contractors don’t know how to do a Manual J code in the U.S., requires a Manual J calcu-
After the technician plugs in various bits of calculation. Contractors may want to rely on lation, or other “approved heating and cool-
information—how much insulation is in the rules of thumb they have picked up over the ing calculations methodologies.” Contractors
walls, for instance; the specs for the windows years instead, resulting in equipment that is are required to show local building officials
you’ll be using; and other variables—the oversized and more expensive than it needs that the calculations were completed. But
program should produce a good estimate of to be. Information entered into the software code officials have been known to say that
heat loss or gain. The calculation will show template may be inaccurate because various although they collect the data, they don’t
how much heating and cooling you’ll need assumptions about the house’s construction actually know what it means.
to remain comfortable under the hottest or are wrong, so the results are wrong, too. And Asked whether HVAC contractors typi-
coldest conditions that might be expected in the list goes on. cally have a good grasp of ACCA planning
that area. These values help steer the con- tools, Michael Maines, a residential designer
tractor toward appropriately sized heating Look to reliable resources in Maine and a contributing editor at Fine
and cooling equipment. In one of many articles on the topic at Green Homebuilding, says no. “A few of the best
In theory, a Manual J calculation should be Building Advisor (GBA), Martin Holladay ones do Manual Js in a thorough, honest way,
straightforward. But judging from anecdotal explains that the International Residential but the vast majority just give their supply
JUNE 2021 39
house the floor area and they input standard, in a race to the bottom. There just isn’t any fort level with detailed technical topics—
leaky-home values, leading to grossly over- money in their budget for proper design.” your willingness to wade into the weeds and
sized systems. Most systems I’ve seen do not These are broad brushstrokes that portray figure things out. Here are some possibilities:
look like they were properly engineered.” all heating and cooling contractors unfavor- 1. Do your own calculations. Take a look
Because of these issues, Holladay believes ably. Many contractors no doubt know very at articles that Green Building Advisor
that it’s a mistake to trust the calculations that well what a Manual J calculation is. Still, has published online in the past, including
your HVAC contractor makes. “The bottom warnings like this may prompt homeowners “How to Perform a Heat-Loss Calculation,”
line is that any load calculation supplied by an to ask themselves: If my HVAC contractor and “Calculating Cooling Loads” by
HVAC contractor should be looked at with shouldn’t be doing this, what other options Martin Holladay.
suspicion,” he writes. He spoke with Allison do I have? 2. Use a free online calculator. There are
Bailes III, an energy consultant in Atlanta, There are several, depending on how much many to choose from, but the problem here
who adds: “Contractors are often engaged money you have to play with and your com- is that you have no real assurance that the
CONVENTIONAL DUCTED SYSTEM
S up pl y d uc t
H ea t
e xc h an ge r
A ir
h an d le r
R et u rn
d uc t
C om pre ss or
Option 1. Heat pumps integrated with a
system of ducts send refrigerant to a heat
exchanger in an air handler, distributing
heating and cooling air through the ducts.
n simpler times, choosing heating and cooling equipment A heat pump extracts heat from the air or water and moves
amounted to calling a contractor or two, getting what it somewhere else, without burning any fuel directly. A heat
I seemed like a good price, and letting the contractor do the pump with a COP (coefficient of performance) of 4 gets
rest. Now, faced with whole new categories of equipment 4kw worth of heat for every 1kw of electricity it consumes.
that were virtually unknown a generation ago, homeowners That’s four times as efficient as an electric baseboard heater.
have many more choices of what to buy. In the green-building Efficiency falls off sharply in colder temperatures, but some
sector, heat-pump systems are often a first choice. heat pumps can still produce heat when temperatures are well
Heat pumps were once mostly a fixture of the Southeast, below zero. Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US, for example,
where winter temperatures are mild and summers are hot says its Hyper-Heating Inverter (H2i) units provide up to
and humid. At one time, air-source heat pumps needed 100% of their heating capacity at 5°F and up to 76% of their
auxiliary resistance coils when temperatures dropped much capacity at -13°F.
below 40°F. Led by such companies as Mitsubishi and Fujitsu, Heat pumps do double duty as both heating appliances
manufacturers went on to develop air-source heat pumps that and air conditioners. Running in reverse, a heat pump pulls
could operate efficiently in below-zero temperatures. The heat out of the house and dumps it into the air (an air-source
vastly improved technology has helped make heat pumps, heat pump) or the ground (a ground-source heat pump) in the
especially a kind of air-source heat pump known as a ductless summer. Unlike a conventional furnace or boiler that burns a
minisplit, a big player in the space-heating market—even in fossil fuel, a heat pump isn’t a backdrafting risk and it doesn’t
cold regions like New England. contribute directly to carbon emissions.
Drawing: Don Mannes

results will be accurate. One free program time to find someone who is both available the use of Manual S to size equipment after
that Bailes recommends is Cool Calc Manual and qualified, and it might cost more ulti- load calculations are complete. Assuming
J Software. mately, but in the scheme of things it could your community has adopted the IRC, your
3. Hire a professional. Bailes says a num- be the best option. contractor is required to use Manual S in this
ber of companies do third-party H VA C process (unless local officials have amended
design—including his, Energy Vanguard. Next, choose your equipment the code otherwise).
“An internet search on that term, ‘load calcu- Once the heating and cooling loads are Equipment selection is k e y, no matter
lation,’ or ‘Manual J’ should turn up several known, the next step in the process of what type (or fuel) you choose. The capac-
companies that can help,” he adds. “People designing a system is selecting the appli- ity of the equipment—how many British
can also go to forums like the Q&A at GBA ances. This is where the ACCA’s Manual S thermal units (Btus) per hour the device
or Building Performance Institute (BPI) and comes in. Both the IRC and the International will produce—should align with how much
ask for recommendations.” It could take Energy Conservation Code (IECC) require energy the house needs to stay comfort-
DUCTLESS MINISPLIT SYSTEM
S up p ly and re t ur n lines
C on de n sa te
dr a in to d ay l ig ht
C om pre ss or
H ea d u ni t
Option 2. Ductless minisplits with surface-
mounted interior heat exchangers are
relatively easy to retrofit in existing
houses where there are no ducts.
- PER FO R M A N CE FAVO R I T E
Air-source heat pumps come in several versions. They can compressors, on the other hand, are always running in the
be used with a conventional system of ducts that distribute background, adjusting speeds in real time.”
conditioned air throughout the house, as a gas-fired furnace Designers like architect Chris Briley of Briburn in Portland,
would do. They also come in smaller packages (ductless Maine, who specializes in well-insulated and air-sealed houses,
minisplits) that include an outdoor compressor and one or appreciate the efficiency of ductless minisplits. When heating
more indoor heads that send conditioned air directly into loads are low, a few indoor units can heat and cool an entire
the room without the need for ducts. Ducted minisplits are a house, particularly when floor plans are open. This approach
compromise. They provide conditioned air to a few adjoining is cheaper than installing a conventional HVAC system with
spaces with a limited amount of ductwork. a fuel-burning furnace or boiler, a distribution system, and
Heat pumps also may feature what manufacturers call separate air-conditioning equipment.
“inverter technology,” in which the outside compressor Ductless systems work best when an outside compressor
converts AC to DC and modulates the amount of power to serves only one or two cassettes inside. “The more zones you
meet heating demands more precisely than a fixed-speed have, the more cassettes you have,” says Briley. “And the
compressor. According to Heather Buchicchio, director more refrigerant lines you have, the more manifolds you may
of product marketing for Mitsubishi Electric Trane, those have. We all know that multizone systems are still suffering
one-speed systems are either on or off. “This can lead to from some of those efficiency issues. So all of a sudden your
unpleasant temperature swings as the system strains to simple and efficient heat-pump system has just gotten way
maintain a constant temperature,” she says. “Inverter-driven more complex and expensive.”
JUNE 2021 41
T H R EE WAYS TO K EEP CO O L
ooling strategies run the gamut—from a whole-
house fan in the attic that flushes out hot
C indoor air at night to a fully ducted mechanical
system. In some parts of the country, AC is needed
only a few days each year. In others, life is miserable
without it. So, what are some of the options?
Whole-house cooling
Most central air-conditioning systems are split systems,
which include a condensing unit that sits outside on a
concrete pad, and an indoor coil connected to ducts
that move cool air around the house. If you have a
forced-air heating system, you already have the ducts
for the air conditioning. Houses heated by some other
means—a boiler, for example, or some other appliance
that doesn’t need ducts—will have to be ducted sepa-
rately for the AC, or you’ll have to choose a different
type of air conditioning.
An air conditioner moves heat with the help of
a refrigerant that alternates between a liquid and
gaseous state. Inside the house, the refrigerant
absorbs heat in a coil that cools indoor air. The
refrigerant is then routed outside where the heat is
ejected in an outside coil. This refrigeration cycle is the
magic that pulls heat from inside the house and dumps CENTRAL AIR CONDITIONERS
it outside. The process involves the same mechanics as
your refrigerator, which is just moving heat from inside the thermostat before the system has had a chance to
an insulated box to your kitchen. remove all the moisture. This is why experts suggest
Air conditioners also dehumidify. Cold air holds less the best scenario is when the air conditioner runs for
moisture than warm air. When the air handler inside longer periods of time; if the AC is running more or
blows warm (moist) indoor air over the evaporator less constantly on the hottest afternoon of the year,
coils, moisture in the air condenses on the coils. This it’s been sized properly.
water can be collected and sent down the drain and
out of the house, so the air inside is drier and more Space cooling
comfortable. When the AC unit is too big, it cools Window-mounted air conditioners are an excellent
down the air in the house very quickly and satisfies choice for people who don’t want a whole-house
able. That concept seems like a no-brainer, capacity (humidity) also change. That’s why ment when it’s operating at design condi-
but like many other HVAC issues, this also the same air-conditioning system operates tions, meaning the conditions specific to that
becomes complicated. differently in the arid Southwest than it will location and not some hypothetical num-
David Butler of Optimal Building Systems in the hot, muggy Southeast, no matter what bers that have nothing to do with where the
explains that there’s a difference between the nameplate capacity might be. house is.
the nameplate capacity of a device (what His point is that contractors should stick to
the manufacturer says it will do) and what Manual S, not to the nameplate attached to For distribution, use Manual D
it will actually do once it’s installed. A num- the device. In Manual S, the procedure for The “D” in Manual D is for ducts, the means
ber of variables can affect the performance choosing a furnace is simple, Butler says: by which a forced-air heating and cooling
of an air conditioner, Butler says, including The output should be between 100% and system moves conditioned air around the
indoor and outdoor temperatures and indoor 140% of the design heat load. It gets more house. Not all houses have ducts. Instead,
humidity. If one of those variables changes, complicated for air-conditioning equipment they may rely on hot water (hydronic heat-
the air conditioner’s capacity to change sen- because the contractor needs to know both ing systems, such as radiant-floor heating),
sible capacity (the temperature) and latent the latent and sensible capacity of the equip- radiation (such as a wood or pellet stove),
Photos: top left, galinast/123RF; top right, Michael Ronin/Shutterstock.com;

bottom, courtesy of General Electric.

system and are content to cool just a room or two. 5000-Btu unit for rooms of up to 150 sq. ft. and go up
They are less expensive to install and run than a from there. Remember, bigger isn’t always better. AC
central system, and for several reasons, they use less units that are too big will bring down the temperature
electricity for cooling. Smaller units will run on an 115v quickly and then power down even though the unit
circuit. The downside is that they don’t cool the entire hasn’t run long enough to bring humidity levels down
house, so there will still be pockets of uncomfortably to a point where the room is comfortable. Longer run
warm and humid air. Also, they are noisy. times will make for a more comfortable environment.
Cooling capacity (measured in Btu per hour) should
be based on the room size, with some adjustment for A dry-climate option
factors such as solar gain, occupancy, or location in a Most of us equate air conditioning with devices that
kitchen. Energy Star’s recommended sizes start with a use sealed refrigerant loops, but that’s not the only
way of lowering indoor temperatures. One alternative
is the evaporative cooler, also called a swamp cooler.

E VA P O R AT I V E COOLERS
These are often mounted on the roof and look like
a louvered metal box, but window-mounted and
portable units also are available. According to the
Department of Energy, evaporative coolers can lower
air temperature by as much as 40°F, although the air
coming out of an evaporative cooler is typically not as
cool as air blown from a window AC unit.
Inside the cooler is a thick pad moistened with
water. Hot, dry air drawn through the pad by a fan
evaporates water in the pad as it moves, lowering the
temperature of the air. The fan pushes that cooler air
into the house. Evaporative coolers are much simpler
than a split mechanical system, so they cost less and
are much less expensive to run because they use
relatively little electricity. Some come with air filters
that reduce airborne allergens, variable-speed fans,
and remote controls.
The fact that an evaporative cooler does not need
a chemical refrigerant is a big environmental plus
because refrigerants typically have high global-
warming potentials. But there is a catch: Evaporative
coolers are best suited for dry climates. Where relative
humidity is high, they are not as effective because
when air is laden with moisture, evaporation slows
down and with it the cooling effect.
W I N D O W- M O U N T E D AIR CONDITIONERS
or an air handler (with a ductless minisplit 1. Ducts should not be located in an uncon- 3. Rigid ducts are less likely to restrict air-
mounted on the wall or a direct-vent heater ditioned attic or crawlspace. Ducts can be flow. Insulated flex duct works, but it doesn’t
burning propane or kerosene). Even houses insulated, but a thin covering of insulation work very well when an installer allows it
that don’t have forced-air furnaces, however, is no match for searing summertime tem- to sag haphazardly. Flexible duct should be
may need ducts for central air conditioning, peratures or the deep cold of winter typical supported by straps, not wire, to avoid pinch-
whole-house ventilation, or dehumidifica- for an unconditioned attic. It doesn’t make ing off airflow.
tion. That’s where Manual D comes in. sense to spend a lot of money to heat or cool 4. Ducts should be sealed, ideally with mas-
The physics of moving air around a house air only to squander the energy before it can tic. Leaky ducts cause all sorts of problems,
is more complex than it might seem. Unless do its work. So, put ducts in places where from wasted energy to pulling mold and
you are interested in such topics as static they don’t get too hot or too cold—interior other allergens into your distribution system.
pressure, effective duct length, and blower chases, conditioned attics, and conditioned Duct tape isn’t suitable for sealing ducts at
capacity, duct design will prove a difficult crawlspaces. seams between sections because it will even-
topic to understand. But there are general 2. Joist bays and stud bays d o n ’t make tually dry out and begin to leak. Mastic is
rules about ducts that should be helpful: good ducts. messy but effective. Another approach is to
JUNE 2021 43
BU IL D T I G H T, V EN T I L AT E R IGHT
ouses with low rates of air leakage
are better able to maintain indoor
H temperature, humidity, and overall
comfort. But as houses get tighter, the need
for mechanical ventilation to maintain indoor-air
quality goes up. As with all HVAC systems, there
are choices.
Exhaust-only systems
Exhaust-only ventilation is relatively simple,
often consisting of just one or more bathroom
fans. The fans can be set to run continuously
at a low volume, or they can be used as spot
ventilation when someone is showering. A
single-port fan (a self-contained, usually ceiling-
mounted unit) has a single inlet and an exhaust
duct that sucks moist air out of the house.
A multiport exhaust fan can handle larger
bathrooms with toilet and shower enclosures,
or even multiple rooms. These units include an
inline fan and two or more inlets. Because the
fans can be placed some distance from the inlet
grilles, these systems are pretty quiet, and they
are available in a variety of sizes.
Bathroom fans and range hoods have one
thing in common: They depressurize the
house relative to the outdoors, meaning that
with the fan running, there’s a faint vacuum
inside the building. The air that is pulled from
the house must be replaced by air from the
outside. Without any dedicated supply ducts,
this replacement air will find its way through
whatever cracks and voids there are in the
building enclosure. In other words, you don’t
really know where the air is going to come from,
just that it will inevitably get in.
use a proprietary product called Aeroseal, a For example, if you’re replacing an exist- First, the importance of cost vs. higher
method of sealing ducts from the inside with ing gas furnace but planning to move in two efficiency is a question that even homeown-
an adhesive aerosol that plugs leaks as wide years, do you buy a top-of-the-line condens- ers planning to stick around will want, or
as ⁄8 in., according to the manufacturer. ing gas model with a great efficiency rating need, to ask. Money saved up front with a
when it costs twice as much as a less efficient less expensive appliance is always attrac-
Questions not covered in but more affordable alternative? Even an tive. But higher efficiency that reaps bigger
ACCA manuals economy furnace should last a decade, so rewards over time may be a better long-
The ACCA manuals can guide HVAC deci- the new owners of the house will be the ones range investment.
sions on a quantitative basis: How big a fur- who are stuck with lower efficiency and “It depends on what their priorities are,”
nace do I need to stay warm in winter? What higher energy bills. Spending a lot of money Maines says of how he might advise clients
output do I need from an air-conditioning on a piece of equipment you’re about to leave on this question. “In most cases, I would say
system to stay comfortable in July? But behind may not make much sense when the that higher efficiency is best, but if it comes
there’s other criteria that may have just as simple payback on the purchase d o e s n ’t at a huge premium, it may make financial
much relevance. equal its added cost. sense to scale back on performance specs. An
Photo: Chris Green

Supply-only ventilation
To p of the line. An en e rg y -
In a supply-only system, a fan brings fresh air into the house with exhaust air leaving
rec o ve r y ve n ti la to r is am o ng
t he m o re s o ph is ti c at e d o p t i on s
the building through gaps in the building enclosure. The fan (or fans) can be installed
fo r e n su r i n g an a d e q u at e
in a mechanical room through an exterior wall with incoming air filtered or mixed with
a mo un t of f re sh ai r i n d oo rs . An
room air to lessen the temperature difference.

ER V t ra n sf er s h ea t and s o me
m oi st ure b e tw ee n i n c o mi ng An existing air handler—what you’d have with a forced-air heating system or central
a nd o u tg oi n g ai r s t re am s.
AC—also can be used. Air from the outside is ducted into the return side of the
furnace. To keep operating costs lower, the air handler can be run at a fraction of its
usual speed as long as it provides enough fresh air to keep the house comfortable or
meet the guidelines of ANSI/ASHRAE standard 62.2.
Supply-only systems pressurize the house. Some builders worry that this could
cause problems during the winter by driving moisture into wall cavities. Energy expert
Bruce Harley says not to worry about that. The upper part of a house already is under
positive pressure in the winter from the stack effect, he says, and the relatively small
airflow of the ventilation system won’t have much of an impact.
Balanced systems—the preferred method
Balanced ventilation systems match outgoing air with incoming air to eliminate
pressure imbalances. One problem with whole-house ventilation systems is that in
removing conditioned (heated or cooled) air from inside the house and replacing it with
outdoor air, the ventilation system runs up an energy tab. The incoming air is fresh, but
it also must be heated or cooled to keep the indoor temperature comfortable.
Balanced systems have a way of dealing with this problem. Outgoing air and
incoming air go through a heat exchanger, so much of the energy that would be lost
is transferred to the opposite air stream. In winter, indoor air transfers its heat to
incoming fresh air; in summer, the opposite occurs. This type of system is called a
heat-recovery ventilator (HRV). The two airstreams have no direct contact with each
other. Heat transfer can be remarkably high—greater than 90% with the most efficient
models on the market.
A second type of system is the energy-recovery ventilator (ERV), which in addition
to capturing some of the heat in the air stream also transfers some of the moisture.
This is helpful in certain climates. In a hot, humid environment, for example, outgoing
indoor air in summer has been cooled and dehumidified by an air conditioner. An ERV
is designed to transfer some of the moisture in the incoming fresh air to the stale
indoor air that’s on its way out the door. With an ERV, there is some mixing of the two
air streams. If you buy a top-of-the-line ERV system like the Zehnder ComfoAir, expect
to pay $7000 or more, depending on the number of ducts and other features. From a
cost-savings point of view, spending that kind of money makes more sense in very cold
climates than it does in moderate ones.
energy model should be helpful in making for themselves. If the source of electricity production might be used to charge elec-
that decision.” is renewable, an all-electric house is very tric vehicles or offset the use of electricity
More pressing is the immediate need to appealing—as long as the grid stays up and by other appliances, such as a water heater
lower carbon emissions in order to blunt cli- running. But in some locales, power out- or kitchen range. Decisions on heating and
mate change. Should homeowners limit their ages may be all too common, forcing home- cooling equipment also can be guided by the
search to appliances that do not burn any fos- owners to backstop their houses with both interior design of the house. Ductless mini-
sil fuels because they may help reduce carbon a gas-fueled generator and a fuel-powered splits would do well in a well-insulated house
emissions? Some municipalities around the auxiliary heater. “Whole-house batteries are with few interior partitions; not so well in an
country are already making that decision for getting close to being an effective alterna- older house with a number of small rooms
home buyers by banning gas connections in tive,” Maines adds, “but we aren’t quite there and lots of doors.
new construction, and more restrictions are yet on the financial front.” In short, one size does not fit all. □
likely to follow. Avoiding fuel-burning heating equipment
For now, it’s both an ethical and practi- also may be the logical choice when the plan Scott Gibson is a contributing writer at
cal question homeowners have to answer is to add solar capacity to the house. Excess FHB and G re e n Building A d v i s o r.
JUNE 2021 45
Craspacs
To avoid mois ture
problems, either
condition or
isolate the space That Work

By Justin Fink
ears ago I was working with a has to be a means of removing moisture from Rs s   r
builder on a job in New England the crawlspace when the crawlspace is con- Declaring that all vented crawlspaces are
where a small crawlspace foun- nected to the house. …Houses are ‘condi- dangerous is misleading. In fact, vented
Y dation was being poured for an tioned’ and conditioning means controlling crawlspaces in arid climates tend to fare well
addition to an old house. The builder had temperature and relative humidity.” all year long. This can also be true for regions
set metal foundation vent openings into The way to control temperature and relative where summers are hot and dry even if win-
the foundation formwork, but told me that humidity is to exchange crawlspace air with ters are cold and damp.
as soon as the building official did his final the living space above the crawlspace in some A study of crawlspace performance in
inspection he planned to seal the vents from way instead of relying on air flowing through marine and cold climates of the Pacific
the inside using rigid foam. Warm outdoor from the exterior. But in order to perform Northwest published by the American
air, he explained, holds more moisture than as intended, the crawlspace needs to be pro- Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
cooler crawlspace air. When that humid out- tected against moisture, insulated, and air- Conditioning Engineers in 2010 concluded,
door air enters through the crawlspace vents, sealed to isolate the space from the exterior. “The combination of relatively dry summers
it condenses on the cool surfaces and can lead This is relatively easy in new construction, with low dew points (even in the marine cli-
to rot, mold, and poor air quality. but can be difficult in retrofits. Approaches mate) allows vented crawlspaces to perform
Yet, according to a report published by the vary, but perhaps the most popular is to insu- adequately.” Over the 18 months they moni-
U.S. Department of Energy, builders and late with spray polyurethane foam or rigid tored the moisture content of framing facing
designers often stick to this failure-prone foam board applied to the walls of the foun- the crawlspaces in their study, the authors
“vented crawlspace” approach because they dation (on the inside or outside face) as well found “moisture content was below 13% in
believe the code doesn’t allow them to build as the rim board of the floor framing. The all cases, well below the 20%+ level normally
an unvented one. Therein lies the confusion. floor of the crawlspace doesn’t need to be needed to induce mold or decay.” □
First, vented crawlspaces can work, as long insulated, but it must be covered with a con-
as they’re detailed correctly—most aren’t. tinuous layer of at least 6-mil polyethylene Justin Fink is b u i l d e r- a t - l a rg e . Drawings
Second, the building code typically does sheeting sealed at all transitions and seams. by Peter Wo j c i e s z e k .
not allow “unvented” crawlspaces, but it
does allow the construction of sealed, “con-
ditioned” crawlspaces. A successful crawl-
Although vented crawlspaces have earned a bad

space, from a moisture perspective, must be A Vented
reputation over the years, they do have their place,

either part of the conditioned envelope of
C R Aw l S PAC e
particularly in flood-prone areas where a sealed
the house, or completely separated from it.
CAn wo R k if
approach won’t work or in very dry regions where
Anything in between is a recipe for disaster.
it’s not necessary to condition the crawlspace.

done Right
But many vented crawlspaces are doomed to fail

Uv? Say “c”
from day one. Most include the use of fiberglass-

As building scientist Joseph Lstiburek warns,
batt insulation on the underside of the floor (the

the term “unvented” has led to a lot of crawl-
crawlspace ceiling) in an effort to separate the

space problems over the years. “Unvented
conditioned living space from the unconditioned

implies that you just d o n ’t install vents.
space below. But fiberglass batts are air and

Wrong. Big time wrong,” he wrote in a
Building Science Corporation article. “There
Ven t
o pe n in g
A ir- a nd v a po r- i mp e r me ab l e i n s ul at io n
a pp li ed to c r aw ls pa ce ce il in g
G ra de sl op e d aw ay fro m f o un da t i o n
m in . 6 i n. w i th in first 10 ft . f ro m w al l
C la ss 1 v a po r ret a rd e r, e x te nd s
6 i n. up w a ll s, s ea l e d , m ec ha n i c al ly
I nt e ri or and ex t er i o r d r a in a ge
sl o pe d to da y li gh t or su mp
vapor permeable, so they do little to prevent reach the framing, you’ll never have rot. Still, it’s
humid crawlspace air from reaching the relatively a good idea to install a Class 1 vapor retarder on
cool framing lumber and sheathing of the floor. the crawlspace floor, sealing all the seams and
Moisture content in the lumber climbs, has little around the perimeter. Including the vapor retarder
opportunity for drying—especially if the interior not only reduces the amount of moisture coming
flooring is vapor impermeable—and rot sets in. up from the ground, it also allows you to downsize
The key to a successful vented crawlspace is the vent openings from the model-code-required
to treat the assembly as if the house is built on minimum of 1 sq. ft. per 150 sq. ft. of crawlspace
piers. Instead of fluffy insulation, choose air- and floor area when there is no vapor retarder to 1 sq.
vapor-impermeable insulation such as rigid foam ft. per 1500 sq. ft., which can reduce the amount of
or spray polyurethane foam. If the humid air can’t moisture-laden air allowed into the space.
June 2021 47
F lo or re gi st e r
G ra de sl op e d
a wa y f ro m
fo u nd a ti o n mi n. A ir-s ea l ed
6 i n. wi th in fi rs t a nd i n su la t ed
10 ft . f ro m w al l pe r im e te r f ra mi ng
C on di ti o ne d- a ir supply
Ter mi t e
in s pe ct i o n
ga p (if no t
in a t er mi t e
inside a
a re a , do not
le a ve a ga p )
se a le d and
co n d i t i o n e d
F oa m c r aW l s pac e
in s ul at i on
A safe, stable, happy crawlspace is one
that is air-sealed, insulated, and included in
the conditioned boundaries of the home.
Whether building new or retrofitting,
these are the details to get right.
I nt e ri or and e xt er i o r d r a in a ge
sl o pe d to da y li gh t or su mp
Mi n . 6 -m il p o ly
Wall insulation v ap or re ta rde r,
se a le d at se a ms
Sealed and conditioned crawlspaces should be insulated on
a nd e d ge s
their walls, and sometimes their floor, but not in the floor
framing. Choose an insulation that isn’t sensitive to water and
effectively blocks the flow of air to prevent humid crawlspace Floor covering
air from coming into contact with the cool concrete surfaces. Generally speaking, crawlspace floors don’t need to
Foam-insulation materials, either spray-applied or in board be insulated to perform well. They do require a vapor-
form, are ideal choices for this application. The greater the diffusion-resistant groundcover, though, such as heavy-duty
permeance of the insulation, the better it will allow for inward polyethylene sheeting carefully detailed around all piers and
drying. Because vapor permeance varies by type of insulation, other obstructions and taped at all seams and boundaries.
the thickness of the insulation will vary, too. According to This poly sheeting, which serves as the vapor retarder and
research sponsored by the Building America program, the air barrier, should be at least 6 mil thick, but twice as thick
following insulation options and thicknesses meet the vapor- or more is even better. Although not an easy task for a
permeability requirements for the walls of a crawlspace: remodeling situation, best of all is to lay the poly, tape the
- 2 in. of unfaced extruded polystyrene (XPS; R-10) seams, and then pour a thin layer of concrete over it and seal
- 4 in. of unfaced expanded polystyrene (EPS; R-15) the perimeter and control joints to ensure it stays protected
- 3 in. of closed-cell spray polyurethane foam (R-18) over the long haul.
- 10 in. of open-cell spray polyurethane foam (R-35) If the floor of the crawlspace is below the level of the
Be sure to check with your local building department to exterior grade, it’s best to include a drainage system and
determine if your chosen insulation requires a layer of gypsum slope the floor toward the drain or collection point, just like in
or equivalent fire-retarding layer to protect the foam, and that a basement. As always, pitching the exterior grade away from
the R-value meets local energy-code requirements. the foundation is a must.
air “Conditioning”
Exhus   he exe

To satisfy building-code requirements and eliminate moisture
If you don’t have ductwork or an air handler, then exhaust-

problems, the air in sealed and insulated crawlspaces must
only crawlspace ventilation can be an attractive solution. The

be conditioned. There are several methods to choose from,
idea is to install a small fan in the crawlspace that exhausts

and all will work. The choice depends on budget, availability
to the exterior. Replacement air enters the crawlspace by

of a furnace or central air conditioner, desired energy use,
way of grilles in the floor or through short ducts and grilles in

and more.
partition walls, bringing conditioned air into the crawlspace.
According to BSC’s Joseph Lstiburek, the exhaust-only

Pve supply/eu  
approach works well for houses with moldy crawlspaces that

By connecting the crawlspace to the ductwork of a furnace
are being retrofitted. “Sometimes there are limited funds

or air-conditioning system, it’s possible to condition the
available to completely decontaminate a moldy crawlspace,”

crawlspace air, removing moisture. If there are already
he wrote. “Continuously depressurizing the crawlspace

ducts running through the crawlspace, this is an attractive
relative to the house uncouples the crawlspace from the

solution, and likely the most common approach to a healthy
house. Of course the original moisture problem causing the

crawlspace. This strategy works well for removing moisture
crawlspace mold needs to be addressed. An exhaust fan does

as long as the heating and cooling equipment are sized
not solve ground water problems. But installing a ground

properly for the house they’re operating in. An oversize air-
cover, sealing crawlspace vents and running an exhaust fan to

conditioning system, for example, can meet the temperature
the exterior does address most other issues.”

set point faster than it can actually remove excess humidity
from the air. As a rule of thumb, Building Science Corporation
a  ehumfe
(BSC) recommends that the air handler should run for at least
According to building scientist Allison Bailes III, choosing a

5 minutes per hour.
dehumidifier to condition a sealed and insulated crawlspace

When using this supply-air approach, you need to deliver
is a no-brainer. “It’s controlled by the conditions in the

50 cfm (cubic feet per meter) of airflow for each 1000 sq. ft. of
crawlspace, not the house above, so this method will do the

underfloor area. You also need to provide a planned pathway
best job of keeping the crawlspace dry,” he wrote in a blog

for airflow between the living space and the crawlspace,
post. ”If you want dry air in your crawlspace, a dehumidifier is

such as a jump duct or transfer grille, to equalize pressure
the way to go.” If you go with this approach, the IRC requires
between the two spaces. BSC recommends a minimum of
dehumidification sized to provide 70 pints of moisture removal

two 4-in. by 8-in. transfer grilles. Note that in order for this
per day for every 1000 sq. ft. of crawlspace area.

approach to succeed the crawlspace must be properly sealed
Bailes suggests that a standard off-the-shelf dehumidifier

and insulated.
may be sufficient to keep a small crawlspace dry. For medium

Some argue that trying to condition the air in the crawlspace
to large crawlspaces, it’s best to go with a more robust model,

based on the conditions of the living space above can be
like the ones made by Therma-Stor (see pp. 60-65).

trickier than it sounds, because the conditions are different.
C ra wl sp a ce a ir
P er im e te r sp r ay foam
e xh au s te d to
se a ls d u ct p e ne tr a t i o n s
th e o u td oo r s
a nd f r am in g .
Ba t h f an e x ha us t s
c ra wl sp a ce air an d p u l ls air
fro m c on di t io ne d sp a c e .
F lo or re gi st e r
June 2021 49
Trombe
Wall
Solution
An indirec t solar- heat- gain
s trategy addresses the challenge
of orienting a passive -solar
house’s views nor thward
By Kiley Jacques
h ownrs of this crtifid Passiv Hos in Ann Arbor,
Mich., chrish thir narly fiv-acr proprty, which
backs p to wildlif-rich woods and filds. Sing that
T natral baty from th hos was a top priority. Thy
wantd most of th glazing on th north sid in ordr to opti-
miz thir viws of natr in that dirction and to nsr privacy
on th othr sids of th hos, which ar sbjct to potntial
ysors from ftr dvlopmnt. Orinting windows to fac
north typically limits a hom’s ability to rap any potntial bn-
fits from solar gain, bt thy wantd to s that fr nrgy to
hlp hat thir Passiv Hos in coldr months. Th soltion was
to incorporat a passiv-solar storag and dlivry systm in th
form of thr Tromb walls.
Passive solar in a Passive House
Thr is a distinction to b mad btwn Passiv Hos, th
bilding standard, and passiv-solar dsign. Th formr mpha-
sizs an xhastiv list of rqirmnts to rdc nrgy con-
smption, whil th lattr is focsd on nontchnological mans
of harvsting, storing, distribting, and controlling solar nrgy.
Whil a dbat contins arond th viability of sing passiv
solar in sprinslatd, high-prformanc homs, thr ar fiv
basic fndamntals of passiv-solar dsign: 1. At last on sid of
th bilding nds an nobstrctd viw of th sn and shold
b orintd toward it (d soth in th Northrn hmisphr);
2. Windows ar rqird on th sn-facing xposr to allow
in dirct snlight dring th hating sason; 3. A mdim is
Continued on page 54
Optical illusion. T he th ree l a rg e -f o r ma t w in d o w s on th e
ba c ks id e of t he house a re a c t u al l y th e outer la y er of the Tro mb e
wa l ls . Th e y a re f u n c t i o na l in that th e y l et light in to h ea t the
c on cre te - bl oc k w al l s b e hi n d t h em , b ut th ey o ff er no v ie ws .
JuNe 2021 51
Z ol a C la ssi c C la d t r i pl e - p an e transom wi n d o w
Pe e l- a nd -s ti c k fl as h i n g
Hi g h- te m pe r at ure
a ir-s ea l in g ta p e
Ex p an d in g- fo a m t a pe
G ro u t- fi ll e d CM U wall
C em en t it ou s p arge co at
A lu mi nu m p a ne l wi t h
sp e ci al c o at i ng to
m ax im iz e s ol ar he at ga in
Fi x ed wi nd ow w it h
h ig h- t ra ns mi ss i on glass
A ir s pa c e
Me t al
Z- f la sh in g
Wat er- re s is ti ve
ba r ri e r
A ir-s ea l in g t ap e
C em en t it ou s p arge co at
Pe e l- a nd -s ti c k me mb r a n e
Woo d- fi b er i n su la t i o n bo ard
fo r a ir- ba rr i er continuity
Di m pl e m at
1 5- mi l po l ye t hy le n e fo r
ai r and va p or c on t ro l
S el f- a dh er i ng w at e r p ro o fi ng me mb r a n e
Drawing: Christopher Mills

M A SS AND G L A SS
TRO MBE WA L L CO N S T R U C T I O N
From outside to inside, a Trombe wall consists of a layer or more of glass,
a narrow air space, and a masonry wall coated with a dark, heat-absorbing
material. Energy from the sun passes through the glass, gets absorbed by
the dark surface, and is stored in the wall, where it can be distributed to
the interior. Mike Mahon, owner of Adaptive Building Solutions, is a strong
proponent of the Trombe system. Before constructing these walls, he drew
lessons from a project he’d heard about, in which the builders poured
concrete into forms—as would be done for a basement wall—and stacked
a second level on top. They had a tough time keeping the wall from leaning
because it didn’t have structural supports, so here, Mahon and his crew used
grouted concrete masonry units. They framed the floors, walls, and roof
before tackling the Trombe walls. “That approach enabled us to build the
walls with controlled precision,” Mahon says, adding that filling the cores
ADVANTAGEOUS ANGLE
creates density for increased thermal mass. The wall is capable of giving off
Trombe walls can be used in conjunction with
radiant heat for 10 to 12 hours; had the crew left the CMUs hollow, they
windows, eaves, and other elements to balance
wouldn’t have nearly as much capacity to store and deliver heat.
solar-heat delivery. The upswept soffits allow
After the walls were up, they installed a “selective surface”—in this case
sun to enter the upper windows and the Trombe
aluminum coil stock with an indium-tin-oxide coating on one side. The

walls for maximum heat absorption during
selective surface improves the wall’s performance by reducing the amount

the heating season. In the cooling season, the
of energy reflected or radiated back through the glass—about 90% of solar

overhang blocks the sun to prevent overheating.
energy is absorbed and conducted inward. “That coating is basically a one-
way valve for energy,” explains architect Michael Klement.
Mahon points out that this component could be made less costly by simply
painting the wall surface black. He also describes working with the tin-oxide
coil stock as tricky because it needs to be cut from a roll into panels, and
is sensitive to fingerprint oils. To ensure a solid surface for the panels, he
screeded the CMU wall flat with a thin coat of mortar. To install the panels,
he applied contact cement to both the wall and the back side of the panels,
and used a minimal number of fasteners as temporary support to prevent
sagging until the cement set up. Regarding the material, Mahon offers this
advice: “Get it right the first time to avoid wasting panels, which you can
only get in 100-ft. rolls —and they are expensive.”
Given the assembly, the Trombe wall has windows on the exterior only.
For both air-sealing and flashing around the rough openings, Mahon used
SOLID CORE
2-in. Hannoband expanding-foam tape, a more-flexible alternative to low-
Filling the concrete blocks densifies the walls,
expansion spray foam. The windows are detailed like those in a supertight
which increases the thermal mass for holding
envelope—for a Trombe wall to work properly, it must maximize total heat
and transfering heat.
gain from the sun while minimizing any losses during cold temperatures.
SELEC TIVE TIME L AG
SURFACE High-performance homes
Applied to an that rely on solar panels
aluminum panel, do not generate energy
a indium-tin-oxide at night. The solar energy
coating made by collected in a Trombe
Almeco Group wall takes 8 to 10 hours
absorbs radiant to conduct through the
heat from the concrete mass to the
sunlight that hits interior, at which point
it and conducts it it begins to radiate heat
inward to the wall. into a room.
JUNE 2021 53
Continued from page 51 principal of Architectural Resource, took an indirect-gain approach,
needed to absorb heat from the sunlight in the heating season; 4. The using a space-heating passive-solar wall system popularized by
design should allow for the stored heat to be distributed where it’s French inventors Jacques Michel and Felix Trombe in the mid-1900s:
needed through natural conduction, convection, and/or radiation; Trombe walls. A Trombe wall consists of a sun-facing masonry wall
and 5. There has to be a way to stop or limit solar gain during the behind glass, with an air space in between them. It blocks sunlight
cooling season, when it could overheat the building. from entering the living space directly, but it doesn’t waste it. The
The most common passive-solar designs take a direct-gain masonry is ideally coated with a dark, heat-absorbing material that
approach, using the interior space itself as the medium to absorb and collects heat from sunlight and stores it in the wall. There are vari-
distribute heat. In these designs, the long axis of the house is oriented ous approaches to distributing this stored energy. One is to use vents
in an east-west direction and most of the windows are arranged on to move the heat to the interior using natural convection; another
the sun-facing exposure to allow in sunlight. Extra interior thermal is to utilize conduction to move heat to the wall’s interior surface,
mass, usually in the floors and/or walls opposite the sun-facing win- where it’s radiated into the space; another tactic is to combine the
dows, absorbs heat from the sunlight throughout the day and releases two techniques.
it at night. The rooms people occupy most get arranged on the sunny Klement designed three south-facing Trombe walls for this single-
side of the house to take advantage of the warmth and daylight, and story house using grouted concrete masonry units faced with indium-
the utility rooms, bathrooms, closets, stairways, and hallways get tin-oxide-coated panels that absorb nearly all of the possible heat from
pushed to the shaded side, where glazing is kept to a minimum to the infiltrating sun. Two of these walls are in the main living area,
minimize heat loss. Roof overhangs are usually designed to shade the and the third is in the primary bedroom. This allows for harvesting
sun-facing windows during the summer months and allow low win- passive-solar energy from the south while keeping the preponderance
ter sun to beam straight in. of conventional glazing on the north side to take advantage of the view.
Given the homeowners’ stipulations for views to the north, this proj- “The beauty of the Trombe wall,” says builder Mike Mahon, “is
ect couldn’t use the direct-gain strategy. Instead, Michael Klement, that it’s a nonmechanical form of free heat. As long as there’s sun-
A N O R T H - FAC I N G PL A N V iews of the
woods and fields
The common spaces and glazing on the main floor
are all oriented to take advantage of the views
to the north; the heat-collecting Trombe walls sit
to the south of the main living area and primary
N or th
bedroom. The entire first floor was designed with
accessibility in mind, as the homeowners
0 4 8 16 ft .
O ff ic e /l ib ra r y
intend to age in place.
Me c h an ic a ls
Up
G re a t G ar a ge
E nt r y
roo m
Be d ro om
L au nd r y
Pa n tr y
First floor
Tro mb e w al ls
SPECS
Be d ro om
B U I LT F O R E N E R G Y E F F I C I E N C Y
Bedrooms: 3
Climate zone 5 R values slab, R-30; foundation

Bathrooms: 3
walls, R-30; above-grade walls, R-50; roof, R-90

Size: 4970 sq. ft.
Blower-door results 0.6 ACH50 HERS score 14
Location: Webster Township,
Total energy demand 10,896kwh/yr

Mich.
Be d ro om
Dn
Energy use intensity (EUI) 6.3 kBtu/sf/yr
Architect: Architectural Resource
EUI with PV 1.4 kBtu/sf/yr PV array rating 7.0kw

Builder: Adaptive Building
Total PV production8734kwh/yr Second floor Solutions
Floor-plan drawings: Martha Garstang Hill

shi, it wo’t fail. It ca vr
brak dow. I t ’s basically a
thrmal battry.”
Architecture as a
problem-solver
Accordig to Klmt, th
dsig cocpt for th hos
was “21st-ctry Craftsma
Prairi”—aftr th Prairi
School architctral styl of
th lat 19th ad arly 20th
ctris. It is visally distict
for its log, xtdd hori-
zotal lis mat to mlat
th plais, ad th two-story
ctr sctio, which hoss
th gst bdrooms. Th hip

The beauty of the Trombe wall is that it’s a
roof is otably dtaild with
“
1
nonmechanical form of free heat. As long as there’s
5 ⁄2-ft.-dp ovrhags with a
proocd kif dg. Th
sunshine, it won’t fail. It can never break down. It’s
ovrhags ar k  y. Drig
th hot smmr moths, th

basically a thermal battery.
”
walls (ad itriors) ar flly
— Mike Ma hon, ow n e r of Ada p tive B uild ing Solu tion s
shadd; com lat Dcmbr,
low witr s is abl to rach
th Tromb walls thaks to pwardly agld soffits. projcts. Th prssrizd spac iclds two hrmtically sald
Of cors, high-prformac bildig matrials ad mchaical doors that prvt sbstatial amots of coditiod air from scap-
systms cotribtd to th hos’s rgy fficicy ad tight v- ig wh popl tr ad xit; Klmt ots that th vstibl also
lop, which masrs 0.6 ACH50. Th sothast iform roof pla srvs as a dcotamiatio zo drig th COVID-19 padmic.
spports a 7kw PV array, ad th otdoor mchaical its (s “Ths days, soltios rly o throwig rgy at problms,” says
blow) ar statiod o that lvatio. Th driv srptis arod Klmt. “Wh possibl, I prfr rvisig pr-fossil-fl tchiqs
to th orthast d of th hos, whr th mai try is locatd. A for savig rgy.” □
airlock brzway, which is otsid th thrmal vlop, cocts
th hos to th thr-car garag. Th airlock is a omchaical Kiley Jacques is senior editor at G re e n Building A d v i s o r. Photos
rgy-savig lmt that Klmt has startd icldig i rct courtesy of A rc h i t e c t u r a l R e s o u rc e .
Energy-saving sys tems
The all-electric HVAC sistent thermal comfort. drafts associated with
system includes compo- Compared to conven- some ventilation sys-
nents considered to be tional systems with their tems. It is coupled with
on the cutting edge of leaky ductwork, it deliv- a Zehnder ComfoFond-L
new technologies. Heat- ers more of the condi- eco brine geothermal
ing and cooling are han- tioned air it produces, heat exchanger, which
dled with a Mitsubishi which saves energy and extracts heat from the
M-Series exterior com- lowers utility bills. A outside air and transfers
tank, and can save up to

up to 95%. The hybrid
pressor, which powers Zehnder ComfoAir 550 it to the ground during
$480 annually in energy

electric water heater,
two ducted and two Luxe HRV handles the summer months; in win-
costs. The upfront costs

one of Rheem’s Profes-
ductless minisplit inte- ventilation. Because ter, it preheats the out-
of the entire package

sional Prestige ProTerra
rior heads. The multi- the supply air is heated side air using the heat
are steep, but energy

models, is said to be
zone inverter-driven close to room tempera- stored in the ground—
and cash savings over

four times more efficient
system automatically ture, occupants don’t resulting in heat recov-
time are guaranteed.

than a standard electric
adjusts to provide con- feel the unpleasant ery with an efficiency of
June 2021 55
Christine Williamson
This forensic building scientis t demys tifies her discipline
for architec ts and cons truc tion professionals
by A Aron FAg A n
hristine Williamson may have followed in the footsteps Williamson has become one of the industry’s most in-demand
of her father, building scientist Joseph Lstiburek, but she speakers, well worth catching at the next local or national confer-
is forging a path all her own. Williamson graduated from ence you attend. She shares her experience and expertise freely via
C Princeton and then went on to study architecture at the her very creative Instagram handle @buildingsciencefightclub—it
New School of Architecture + Design, graduating with a master’s is worth joining social media for. And her website, which bears
degree in Architecture. She’s a practicing forensic building scientist the same name, is an educational platform for architects to learn
who investigates failures in enclosures, mechanical systems, and the building science that will make their work as durable as it is
material. As a consultant, she offers risk mitigation on everything beautiful. Williamson may be focused on educating architects, but
residential, from custom homes to high-rise towers. She has also it’s safe to say that anyone in construction should be listening to
worked on well-known buildings outside of the residential sphere. what she has to say.
AF: Is building science becoming more us think we build forever.” Yet you’ve job day to day is to respond to very prac-
widely understood by nonspecialists? said, “We shouldn’t be designing build- tical concerns, and we’re working within
CW: I don’t actually know. As a practitio- ings that never fail.” A re these state- a culture that is more immediate. Then
ner, the focus is always on acquiring deeper ments compatible? there are other people—Fine Homebuilding
technical competence. As I’ve advanced in CW: I like seeing that John Ruskin quota- readers. They have to remain practical and
this profession, I’ve found the industry— tion repeated. I find it not so much to be an employed, but there’s a deep culture of pride
not just building science, but the whole instruction for every type of building—not that accompanies their day-to-day work.
building industry—is phenomenally com- every building is a monument or intended It’s a different way of approaching things.
plex. And you really only get to understand for multiple generations—but I think I think that’s what that Ruskin quotation
small parts of it. There are wonderful nobody would deny that when we get an encourages us to have: a culture of care.
practitioners who are very talented, but the opportunity to work on a project that is So I think we would be better if we col-
band of their experience is really narrow. intended to last that long, it’s a humbling lectively valued those things more, but also
A lot of the failures we see in building and inspiring experience. I had a chance to I think it would be silly to think that this
science can be better understood as conse- work on the restoration of Belvedere Castle quote applies to every setting all the time. If
quences of poor decisions voluntarily made. in New York’s Central Park, which was we built to that standard all the time, there’d
I don’t want people to have to deal with the designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, whom be a lot of people who don’t live in homes
negative consequences of their decisions, I learned about in architecture school, and who otherwise might. So, sometimes there
and there are a lot of areas of life where we what a humbling and joyful experience are trade-offs that reasonable people make.
humans prioritize our short-term interests to know I touched something that will be
over our long-term interests. around for many more generations. And AF: A realistic response to nature rather
lots of other people did, too! I just love that. than a platonic ideal.
AF: The epigraph for your father’s Builder’s I also like that the quotation is address- C W: I learned from fabulous teachers,
Guide series begins, “When we build, let ing something cultural, not scientific. Our including my own father, but what I was
Drawing: Joe Ciardiello

june 2021 57
engaged in day to day was not this “let us those parts are installed—it really helps AF: Historically, so much emphasis has
build forever”–type stuff—it was in mak- architects draw better details. If you can been given to the amount of insulation
ing daily decisions about products and account for construction sequencing, you for thermal comfort, but what’s the point
details. This is one of the things I try to can make it less likely that you’ll have an of insulation without air-sealing?
teach well. Something that’s phenomenally installation error. The general contractor’s CW: Yeah, people are really surprised by
frustrating for practicing architects is this job is to coordinate among a whole bunch of that when I teach. Air control is a greater
acknowledgement that no one individual different trades. The more you understand contributor to thermal comfort and energy
controls all of the variables. That’s where construction, not even building science, the performance than insulation levels. When
professional judgment is particularly help- more it will help you draw or design in a I learned it, it was a very powerful way of
ful. I think when you’re in a more academic way where the delineation between one ranking priorities in design. If you were
setting, it’s easier to pretend that you have person’s area of responsibility and another’s to list indicators of how energy-efficient a
these infinite resources and that a single building will be, the top three enclosure-
person gets to make all the decisions, and related things at are: First, what is the
People feel
that that person is enlightened and shares glazing ratio—how much glass is on the
your particular set of values. Those are

“ building and how good is that glass?
pretty good about
some pretty big suppositions! Ask practic- Second, how well is it air-sealed—how well
managing risk they

ing professionals and I don’t think any have have they separated the inside from the out-
had a client whose values have perfectly side? Third, how well insulated is it? And
understand.
”
aligned with their own. that order is surprising to a lot of people—I
I think people find building science really think many people would reverse it.
helpful as an intellectual tool or a scientific is clearer, and the clearer it is, the less likely Another thing I challenge people to
tool to make some of these decisions with you are to have installation errors. do—because people know that they like
more confidence and awareness. Most rea- light—is calculate the window-to-wall
sonable people understand the concept of AF: What’s the low-hanging fruit for us to ratio in their own house, just as a point of
risk, and they’re willing to take on some make the housing industry better? reference. They hear that something is 40%
risk, but it’s a whole lot better when they CW: From a performance perspective, I glazed, for example, and that doesn’t sound
know where the risk is, and then they can think there’s no question that it’s air-sealing: like that much. But when they realize they
weigh whether or not it’s appropriate. The comfort control, pest control, acoustic con- only have 15% glass in their house and that
stuff that really makes people uncomfort- trol, and having control over separating the it’s comfortable and bright and happy, they
able is the unknown. People feel pretty inside air from the outside air is going to understand. I don’t ask them to do this
good about managing risk they understand. be key. And then I would say attentiveness because people are bad at math. It’s a simple
to general detailing to that end. There are calculation, but it’s helpful to attach mean-
AF: I’ve heard you speak about organi- some ways we put things together that seem ing to the numbers.
zational problems versus design flaws or almost designed to make it harder to air-
installation errors. Would you share more seal. But I think our progress on this front AF: What are some of the most misun-
about what that means to you? is one of the reasons we’ve seen so much derstood building-science principles by
CW: Speaking of tools to help people make success in how our residential buildings, architects and builders?
decisions better, one of the most helpful on average, continue to use less energy per CW: That we’re in the business of keep-
tools to help architects understand their square foot than they have in the past. Our ing water out, when we’re actually in the
buildings better, and make better design codes are pretty great in that regard. business of managing it. If you fill up your
decisions on the front end, is understand- It’s also no coincidence that better air con- bathtub with water, take a bath, and then
ing construction sequencing—how the trol also produces enormous comfort ben- drain it, and then the next time you want
actual building gets put together by differ- efits for occupants, such as a quieter and to have a bath, you fill it up again—nobody
ent trades. One of the things that’s fascinat- less dusty home. Especially for people with considers that to constitute a failure. You
ing about buildings is nobody knows how allergies or asthma, there’s a real value to drained it. That’s part of how the system is
to build them. Nobody. No single person indoor-air quality for health and quality of designed to work. The bathtub has a drain,
knows how to build an entire building. life. I think people are a lot more inclined to and it’s intended to be used. When we add
Even if you’re building a log cabin. Did think about indoor-air quality, particularly drainage to our walls, suddenly people view
you machine the tools that cut down the now after COVID-19 and the California that as a secondary feature that should only
trees? Did you grow the trees? Go back wildfires. Air control and air barriers are come into play when there’s been a failure.
far enough, and there are a lot of hands in partial design solutions for that. We ’ v e But the drainage isn’t to account for failure,
what we’re doing. But it’s extremely helpful come a really long way, and we’re going to the drainage is part of a functioning system.
to understand how the job gets divided up continue to see improvements. I think it’s Maybe it seems like splitting hairs to make
into different parts and the order in which one of the achievements in our industry. that distinction, because functionally what
mattrs is whthr th drainag is thr or our industry to b mor nvironmntally Also, I rally njoy taching. T h a t ’s a
not, but from a practical prspctiv, it’s a rsponsibl. I think th passion thr is joy I sort of discovrd partially through
failur to undrstand that this is part of th wondrful, but I also think my advic is— Instagram, and I’v sinc startd taching
propr functioning of th systm, and that and it sucks to har; I flt th sam whn I for mony. So, Instagram has bcom a lit-
failur to undrstand winds up lading to hard it—you’r not comptnt to chang tl prviw of th taching I do for profs-
a lot of problms—bad window dtailing, th industry yt. Undrstand it first. Thn sionals. Instagram is informal, though, and
and all kinds of othr bad dcisions. For w can work on changing it. Sk to undr- ths concpts rally can’t b comprssd
xampl, popl think cladding is supposd stand why somthing is th way it is bfor down to a fw minuts.
to b compltly imprvious to watr and w go in and chang vrything. But it’s still hlpful. You larn both ways.
thn dtail it that way, but that spcification Somtims you’r cracking a txtbook,
is usually not th cas. AF: The popularity of your Instagram somtims you’r attnding an actual lc-
T h a t ’s th biggst misconcption. W account Building Science Fight Club is tur, but a lot of th larning you nd to do
don’t dsign anything not to fail vr, w encouraging. I appreciate the way you is xprintial. This is rally what I st out
dsign it for th conditions w intnd to us demystify specialized terminology. to mimic whn I startd on Instagram—a
it for. CW: W nd up confusing th mtric or fornsic sit visit. Th most concntratd
trminology w us for what it’s intndd to tim of larning in my carr was whn I
AF: People d o n ’t necessarily think of rprsnt. W striv for vr lowr blowr- was working for a woman namd Fiona
a house as a system. Is there a way to door tst numbrs, for xampl, and w can Aldous, an Australian who practics build-
encourage people to think about building somtims los sight of what it is that w’r ing scinc in th U.S. Sh was a phnom-
more along those lines? actually trying to do. Th blowr-door tst nal mntor and tachr to m. W would
CW: No. I agr our homs ar systms lik is maninglss in and of itslf. I don’t car walk a job sit togthr, and I would ask
a lot of things in lif and thy’r vry com- hr to tll m what sh saw. I wantd to
plx, but unfortunatly, I’m not sur popl know what hr innr monologu was. I
will vr chang. Popl pay attntion to No single person wantd to har how sh was thinking and
th systm whn thr’s a failur. Whn

“ procssing things. Thos momnts wrn’t
knows how to build

you do somthing wll, it just bcoms part long—a small snippt from sombody who
of th background. has xprinc in a particular ara walking

an entire building.
On of th imags I find rally tlling and

” through th ins and outs of just on thing.
insightful is th G. K. Chstrton quot, what a blowr-door tst dos. I don’t know, You still nd that othr intnsiv compo-
“Don’t vr tak a fnc down until you I don’t car what it is in my hous. What I nnt in a diffrnt contxt—at a diffrnt
know th rason why it was put up.” Th do car about is what that tst was intndd tim, that’s still important—but th littl
oldr I gt, th mor I s that playd out, to hlp m do, which is to dsign a mor snippts add up to a lot. So, I was trying to
ovr and ovr again—whr in th idal- nrgy-fficint, comfortabl intrior nvi- kind of imitat that. I would train myslf
ism and xcitmnt of youth you want to ronmnt. I think this happns frquntly in whn I was not with Fiona. I would look
chang things and mak thm bttr and our profssion with crdntialism as wll— at a job sit that was not my own, just stand
diffrnt. Th truth is a lot of things that w mistak undrstanding th trminology thr and look at it for a littl whil, and say,
w sk to chang ar part of systms w for undrstanding th concpt itslf. “OK, what’s th structural systm?” And I
don’t undrstand yt. That’s why I lik that I’v bn rally plasd that Building would say it to myslf, out loud: “This is
lin; th instruction is not “don’t tak down Scinc Fight Club has gottn so big for a concrt and wood-framd building with
th fnc” or “don’t chang it.” Th instruc- a bunch of rasons. On a kind of p  r- on story blow grad. Th watrproofing
tion is don’t chang it until you undrstand. sonal lvl, I struggld along th way to would hav had to b a blind-sid systm
I think that’s tru for our i ndustr y as a larn ths concpts myslf. Having th that was applid first.”
whol. Th Chstrton is rally similar to Instagram account gt so popular is sort Just say what you’r sing. It’s a grat
th Ruskin quotation in that, if you’r wait- of an acknowldgmnt that a lot of othr way of larning, bcaus it tachs you to s
ing to fully undrstand th fnc bfor w popl hav th sam struggl, so ths po- stuff. This is good advic for young popl
tak any action, mayb w nvr tak any pl ar all acknowldging it is hard. I lov who ar practicing: Larn th nams of
action at all, so w can’t quit abid by that that popl actually ar bnfiting from things. Bcaus whn you know th nams
in its ntirty all th tim. But it’s also tru it and njoying thi r p r of ssional pr ac - of things, you s thm. And if you don’t
that w would do wll to undrstand sys- tic mor as a rsult. And it maks m so know what it’s calld, you won’t s it. □
tms bfor w propos changing thm, immnsly happy that popl actually us
spcially dramatically. th information to bttr srv thir clints, A a ro n Fagan, a for mer associate editor
Thr ar a lot of young popl who ar to fl bttr on th job sit, to dsign mor for Fine Homebuilding , is a f re e l a n c e
attractd to architctur as a profssion, comptntly and confidntly, to intract writer and the author of t h re e books of
spcially with rspct to grn building, with thir clints bttr, and to intract with p o e t r y, including A Better Place Is H a rd
th Passiv Hous standard, and moving thir collagus bttr. to Find (The Song Cave, 2020).
JUNe 2021 59
Dedicated
Dehumidification
en Gehring was the president of a able to extract from the a i r. The temperature
To control
Wisconsin company that produced heat- can drop to the set point in a matter of minutes,
indoor recovery water heaters and other devices prompting the AC to cycle off, but the air still feels
K for the dairy industry when, in the early uncomfortably clammy.
humidity,
1990s, his research helped him recognize a budding H VA C contractors and engineers consider
problem for many homeowners: The air in their cooling loads in two parts: the “sensible” cooling
consider a
houses was too damp, and air conditioners weren’t load (temperature), and the “latent” cooling load
separate
solving the problem. (moisture removal). As newly built houses gradu-
Air conditioning makes indoor air cooler, but it ally became better insulated and better air-sealed,
sys tem
also makes it drier as airborne moisture condenses the problem of inadequate latent-load manage-
on the cold fins of the evaporator coil. If the air con- ment grew worse, not b e t t e r. Protected from
ditioner runs long enough, the air inside the house outdoor conditions more effectively, house inte-
by Scott GibSon
should dry to a comfortable level—roughly 50% riors didn’t get as warm as they used to in sum-
relative humidity. But as Gehring came to realize, mer. The sensible load was smaller, requiring less
the AC equipment in increasingly tighter houses AC run time. But the latent loads were about the
wasn’t coping with increased moisture levels. The same as they had been, so the imbalance became
equipment ran just long enough to reduce the air more pronounced.
temperature to the set point on the thermostat, but Plus, in the shoulder seasons of spring and fall,
not long enough to remove much moisture. AC might not be needed at all in many parts of
Oversized AC equipment, which many experts the country because air temperatures are relatively
say is a rampant problem in U.S. homes, makes mild. As a result, air conditioning doesn’t run, and
the situation worse. The faster the air tempera- without it, there is zero moisture removal unless
ture drops, the less moisture the equipment is other means are employed to deal with it. The end
Photos: this page and facing page top, courtesy of Aprilaire;

facing page bottom left, courtesy of Therma-Stor; bottom right, courtesy of Resilient Building Systems
S ta r t with the right eq u i pm e n t
a deumdfe fom e pplnce soe s ofen fne fo keepng  bsemen oom dy, bu ese
consume-gde pplnces on’ ve e long lfe of e g-cpcy deumdfes offeed by
deumdfcon-equpmen speclss nd hVaC-equpmen mnufcues. tese evy-duy mcnes
ve eplceble componens nd longe nes, nd ey cn be conolled  emoe umdss.
tey cn be nslled unduced,  e on ducok, o neged no cenl hVaC sysems. hg-
cpcy deumdfes cn lso conol umdy n elly e spces lke ooms   pool o sp.
Right tool for humidity c o n t ro l .
W it h l on ge r-l as ti n g co m po ne n ts ,
h ea v y- du t y ca b in e t s , an d
hdsa w  
pro v isi o ns for du c t e d i ns ta l l at i o n ,
B l o c k - o ff la
h ig h- ca p ac i ty d eh u mi di f ie r s
c an dry we t b as e me n t s a nd
c ra wl sp a ce s or be used for
wh o le - ho us e d eh u m i di fi c at io n.
Ol
I m p ro v e d c o n t ro l . H i gh -
c ap ac it y d e hu mi di f i e r s a re
o ft en co nt rol le d with rem o t e -
m ou nt e d hu m id is t a t s t h at ke e p
t ra ck of h u mi di t y levels an d
r un the de h um i di fi e r as n e ed e d
to ke e p th e i nd o or air at the
il
sp e ci fi e d rel at iv e h u mi di ty.
S om e m od el s a re co mp at i bl e Codsa l
wi t h H VA C co n tro l s f ro m
o th e r ma n uf ac t ure r s .
Hidden in plain sight.
At 33 pi nt s p er d a y,
t he U l tr a A ire M D3 3
h as l e ss c ap a ci ty t h an
m os t h ig h- ca p ac it y
de h u mi di fi er s , bu t i t ’s
t he o n ly one th a t c an
be bu i lt i nt o a 2x4 or
2 x6 s t ud w al l ( se e it
h ere h id d en u n de r
t he p a in t i n g to the
P ro t e c t i v e filtration. The fi lt e r on a co n su me r- le f t) . T he ma ke r s ay s it
gr a de de h um id i fi e r is m e an t to k e ep th e evaporator c an de hu m id if y up to
c oi l fro m cl o gg in g with du s t or pet ha i r, not to 1 20 0 s q. ft. Co m mo n
im p ro v e in d oo r- a i r q u al i t y. Bu t h ig h - c ap a c i t y u n it s a pp li ca t io ns i n cl u d e
c an h a ve hi gh - pe r f o r m an ce ai r fi l t e rs th at p ro t e ct ba s em e nt l iv i ng
th e e q ui pm e nt and cl e an the de h um i d i fi ed a i r. T h is sp a ce s, c o nd o s, and
S an te Fe m o de l h as a 2-in. t hi ck , M E R V- 1 3 fi l te r. se n io r h o u si n g units.
June 2021 61
Ducts i m p ro v e mixing.
A l on g d uc t on th e outlet
si d e of th is h i gh -c a pa ci t y
de h u mi di fi er im pro v e s
t he air di st r ib ut i o n in this
la rge cr a wl sp ac e, so the F re s h - a i r inlet
e nt ire s pa c e is adequately
de h u mi di fi ed . A s i m pl e -
t o- cl e an c o nd e ns a t e trap
Outlet duct
wi t h a b ru sh ma ke s it easy
to pre ve n t ov e rf lo w s , and
a s ec o nd ar y c on d e n sa t e
pa n e q ui pp e d wi th a w a t er
a la rm al er t s re si d e n t s if t he
pr i ma ry dr a in is c l o gg e d .
Inlet
Tr a p
cleaning
brush
Condensate pump Condensate trap Wa t e r alarm Secondary condensate pan
result was that houses were being built more els, and ongoing research has provided an a relative humidity of only about 24% when
carefully and were, overall, more comfort- evolving view on the relationship between the air is warmed to 70°F.
able and energy efficient. But they were get- damp indoor air and poor health. In 2004, A more precise measure of moisture in
ting wetter. there was sufficient evidence to link damp the air is dew point. This is what the air
Into this void Gehring’s company, Therma- indoor air to just a few conditions, such as temperature would have to be for the RH
Stor, introduced what is credited as the first wheezing, coughing, and worsening of to equal 100%; moisture will condense on
ventilating dehumidification unit, a device asthma. By 2011, the list was much longer surfaces that are at or below this tempera-
that could dry a large space and could be and had grown to include eczema, the devel- ture—that’s when dew forms on the grass,
ducted to dry and filter air throughout the opment of asthma, allergic rhinitis, respira- and droplets of water materialize on a cold
house. A few years later, Aprilaire intro- tory infections, bronchitis, and shortness of glass. The higher the dew point, the more
duced its own line of dehumidifiers, and the breath. Damp indoor air also can promote humid the air. Unlike RH, the dew point is
two companies now supply about 90% of this the growth of mold and dust mites. not dependent on temperature. Dew points
growing market segment. The moisture content of indoor air is usu- of 60°F and above feel muggy and are com-
Dedicated dehumidifiers allow humidity to ally measured as relative humidity (RH), mon in much of the eastern United States in
be controlled separately from temperature; which is the amount of moisture relative to the summer. By the time the dew point has
indoor air can be drier without resorting to its potential saturation at that air tempera- reached 70°F, the air is what weather fore-
overcooling, a condition that raises problems ture. A relative humidity reading of 50%, casters would call “oppressive.”
of its own. The question is, do you need one? for example, means that the air contains 50% So what’s comfortable, and what’s healthy?
of the maximum moisture it could hold at Allison Bailes III, a Georgia building consul-
Damp houses are unhealthy that temperature. But RH is a moving tar- tant, says the optimal range is between 40%
There are many potential health problems get because warm air holds more moisture and 60% RH, although it should not stay
associated with high indoor moisture lev- than cold air. Air with 100% RH at 32°F has at 60% for extended periods of time. John
Photos: this page, courtesy of Neil Camparetto;

facing page left, courtesy of Carrier; right, courtesy of Therma-Stor

where it’s located, what the overall ventila-
Adding duCt work adds options

tion strategy is, and how many people live
there. Therma-Stor’s Ultra Aire line includes
cg   h , , 
eight models with capacities ranging from
h  f  hgh-y hf h
33 pints to 205 pints per d a y. Efficiency
y g   fy   y
ranges from 5 pints per kwh of electricity to
  h hf   h 
7.6 pints per kwh, depending on the model.
 h –g     
Krueger says that in ne w c onstr uc tion,
  h  f h h. l  Hvac
Manual J calculations should be available to
, hf  h 
show latent and sensible cooling loads. The
    h    gh
ACCA’s Manual S—which is used to select
 . ay  h  h 
heating and cooling equipment—recom-
g-   h  . Fx

mends that dehumidification equipment be
 h   gh    

sized to take care of 85% of the latent load on
 z    . Hgh-y

the assumption that AC equipment will take
hf   fg y

care of the rest. Still, there’s plenty of leeway
f h  f   

in choosing capacity, Krueger says. The big
hzy f   .

downside to more capacity is higher operat-
ing costs, but the penalties for oversizing are
Convertible
less significant than they would be for heat-
duct c o l l a r.
ing or cooling equipment. “You can’t really
C ar r ie r an d o th e r Ve r t i c a l and
oversize a dehumidifier,” Krueger says, “but

m an u fa ct ure rs ’ horizontal
o ut le t c o l l ar s ca n options. you can undersize it.”
be pl a ce d on th e U lt ra Ai re an d
Prices for whole-house dehumidifiers—
t op of t he u n it S an t e Fe , b ot h
not including installation—can range from
fo r o v er h ea d T he r ma -S to r
about $1150 for a 70-pint Aprilaire for a

du c ts or on t he br a n ds, off er
fro nt fo r l ow - bo t h h or iz o nt al small home or condo to over $2600 for an
h ea d ro om area s a nd v e rt i ca l
Ultra Aire 155-pint model designed for
li k e a tt ic s a nd h ig h- ca p ac i ty
spaces up to 3500 sq. ft.
c ra wl sp a ce s. A de h u mi di fi er s
pl a st ic b l oc k -o ff f or b a se me n t,
pl a te co ve r s th e c ra wl sp a ce , a nd isalla ps
u nu s ed o ut l et . attic applications .
At its simplest, a dehumidifier can be parked
in a basement, crawlspace, or closet without
any ducts or outdoor-air inlets. Condensate
is gravity-fed or pumped to a sump or drain.
Bloemer, executive advisor and engineering compression cycle similar to a conventional Given enough time, and with an open floor
fellow at Aprilaire, says most people will still air conditioner. The device draws indoor plan, an unducted dehumidifier will bring
be comfortable when the indoor tempera- air over an evaporator coil that has been RH levels down throughout the house. This
ture is 74°F and the RH is about 60% (a dew cooled below the dew point, the moisture approach doesn’t work as well in houses with
point of roughly 59°F); when the tempera- in the air condenses to a liquid state on the a lot of interior walls and doors.
ture reaches the mid-70s and the RH is 65%, coil, and the dehumidifier expels heat (much The most common way to install a high-
people will begin to feel uncomfortable and of it the latent heat released when airborne capacity dehumidifier in a house with a
moisture issues may develop. moisture changes phase from water vapor to forced-air heating system is to connect
And where dew points are high, the need liquid water) as a byproduct. Dehumidifiers it to the existing ductwork for distribu-
for dehumidification is higher. The east- are rated by the volume of water they can tion around the house. A separate duct can
ern half of the U.S., and particularly the remove from the air in a 24-hour period. be connected to the outdoors to br ing in
Southeast, are the nation’s most humid. In “The industry really has three buckets,” fresh air.
many parts of the West, the air is much drier says Bloemer. “In a basement you might get Although a dehumidifier can share duct-
and the need for dehumidification equip- away with a 70-pint unit. A whole home, you work with other ventilation equipment,
ment that much lower. typically are in the 90- to 95-pint range. A according to David Treleven of Therma-
large home [5000 sq. ft. or more], you might Stor, the gold standard for installation is
Chs a ehmfe get into the 150-pint range.” to have the dehumidifier installed sepa-
There are different mechanisms that can be Nikki Krueger, building science and busi- rately with its own ductwork. As Treleven
used for dehumidification, from desiccants ness development manager for Therma- explains, when the appliances are installed
to ionic membranes, but the most common Stor, says general sizing recommendations independently of each other, they can oper-
type of dehumidifier for residential use is a are based on square footage, but there are ate simultaneously without causing static-
self-contained unit that works on a vapor- many variables: how leaky the house is, pressure problems and without requiring
JUNE 2021 63
Tie in To H VAC for
w h o le - h o u s e d e h u m i d i f i c at i o n
Cct a hgh-capacty
dhumd t th tuk l
 a a hadl, ctal hat
pump,  cd-a uac 
whl-hus humdty ctl
 th mld sass. Th lt
sd  th systm stats wth
a tap t th HVAC systm’s
ma tu duct  a ddcatd
gst  a ctal hallway.
o
Th dhumd’s utlt Bkr
pr
duct dlvs dhumdd a
t th tuk l usg th

h
pp
dhumd’s bult- blw.
A backdat damp  th
i
dhumd’s utlt duct
pvts blwg cdtd
a m th a hadl t
th dhumd.
hg-py
r
sry
c rp
 p
Whole-house c o n t ro l . Th e o ut l et s id e of this Ul t r a A i re u n it c on n ec t s to th e p l e nu m over a high-
e ff ic i en cy ce n tr al h e at p u mp . T he inlet side is c on n e c t e d to the ma in re t ur n d uc t. Th e s t a nd - a l o n e
de h u mi di fi er he lp s c o n t ro l h u m id it y at night an d in the s ho u ld er s e a s on s w he n the he at p u mp runs
le s s fre qu e nt ly.
Keep outside air
out. D uc t wo rk
m us t be we ll -
se a le d w he n t he
de h u mi di fi er is in
an un c on d it io ne d
sp a ce . O th e rw is e
t he i n le t s id e
c ou ld b r in g in
Systems can be small. I ns t al le rs

h um id o u td o or air
fa c ed wi th a sm al l me c ha n ic al
t ho u gh l e ak s in the
roo m c an s t il l of t e n s qu e ez e a
du c tw o rk or l os e
sm a ll h i gh -c a pa ci t y de hu m id i f i e r
de h u mi di fi ed ai r
on a 2 -f t . by 2 - ft . wall se ct i o n and
to th e o ut d oo rs
c on n ec t it wi th fl e x d u ct . C o m pa c t
t hro ug h l ea ks on
m od el s al so e xi st for l o w- cl e ar a nc e
t he o u tl e t si de .
a tt ic s a nd c r aw ls pa c e s .
Photos: this page left, courtesy of Therma-Stor; top, courtesy of Shawn Jessup;
bottom, courtesy of Chris Conway; facing page, courtesy of Trane

oversized ducts. The downside to this though outdoor air may be very humid, it houses often lack central air conditioning is
approach is higher cost. looks like drier air to the ERV, which will to open windows at night and use box fans
Jacob Straub, chief innovation officer for dump the moisture it’s extracting from the in the windows or a whole-house fan in the
Ripcord Engineering in Portland, Maine, bathroom back into the incoming air stream attic to bring in cooler nighttime air. But the
says dehumidifiers are often combined with and into the house. minute the windows go up, moisture-laden
other H VA C systems to save space and Heat-recovery ventilators (HRVs) are dif- air is coming in.
money, but it’s probably not going to be the ferent. They capture more incoming or out- Butler isn’t so sure that an air-conditioning
best option from a performance standpoint going heat than an ERV but do nothing to system is bound to fail in keeping up with
because dehumidifiers and ventilation equip- recover humidity. Because of their advantage latent loads, even in humid parts of the coun-
ment have different purposes. in what Straub calls “sensible t r y. The k e y, he says,
“A ventilation system is a ventilation sys- heat recovery” (the percent- is to design the system
tem, and these dehumidifiers are really age of heat from exhaust air correctly. That is, don’t
latent-heat-management systems,” he says. that is transferred to incoming oversize the AC equip-
“Combining that latent-load-management air during the winter), HRVs ment and make sure
machine with the ventilation machine not are sometimes the first choice it’s adjusted for optimal
only gets complicated in some ways, but it for residential designers who moisture removal. Even
may or may not work well. Let’s say, for are focused on saving Btus Gehring, father of the
instance, you had a condition where you and money. ventilating dehumidi-
weren’t going to run the ventilation system “ERVs are not dehumidifiers, fier, would agree that a
at a high rate. Well, if you have your dehu- but what they do is help man- well-designed AC sys-
midifier connected to that, it means you’re age the latent load,” Straub tem should be able to
not going to be dehumidifying when maybe says. “They manage sensible keep a house comfort-
you need to. That’s the downside of tying and latent load. If you choose A p r i l a i re
ably dry—at least dur-
Ma d is on , W is .
things together.” an HRV in a low-load home ing the day. But, he adds,
a pr il ai re. c om
you probably need to think as the sun goes down
Factoring in whole-house about using a dedicated dehu- Carrier and the sensible load
Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
ventilation midifier if you plan on running drops off, the AC starts
c ar ri e r. co m
Many high-performance homes are equipped a cooling system in the sum- to cycle on and off, run-
Honeywell
with whole-house ventilation systems. One mer, because you’re not going ning for 15 minutes and
C ha r lot t e, N. C.
type is an energy-recovery ventilator (ERV), to have the latent management shutting off for 30. And
h on e yw el lh o me .c o m
which is designed to exchange moisture as capability you would have with the minute the system is
Lennox
well as heat as air streams cross paths in a an ERV and a cooling system.” off, nothing is drying the
Ri c ha rds on , Tex a s
heat exchanger. The idea is to save energy. air. That’s where a dedi-
le n no x .c o m
In a hot and humid climate, an ERV will First, try to keep cated dehumidifier starts
Therma-Stor
remove some of the moisture from incom- moisture out to shine.

Ma d is on , W is .
ing air and duct it outside with the exhaust A dedicated dehumidifier th e rm a st or.c o m Kristof Irwin, a profes-
air. This helps lower air-conditioning loads may be the only practical way sional engineer, former
Tr a n e
inside the house. of controlling indoor humid- builder, and a principal

D av i dso n , N .C .
tr a ne . co m
Some homeowners may look at an ERV ity, but Butler believes there at the Austin, Te x a s ,
as a kind of dehumidifier. But these devices are other ways of minimizing consulting firm Positive
will, in fact, raise indoor humidity levels, not a moisture problem. E n e r g y, would argue
lower them. “The ERV will never dehumid- “Pretty much anywhere in the country that health and comfort should be para-
ify your house because it can’t do anything other than the West, you’re going to have mount considerations in this equation, but
about the moisture that’s already in your huge summertime latent loads,” he says. are often overlooked by an HVAC industry
house,” says David Butler, an Arizona-based “The way to manage those is to keep the that is too focused on the lowest first cost
building systems engineer and principal at moisture out to begin with—source control.” and thermal comfort rather than air qual-
Optimal Building Systems. “What it can do This amounts to paying a lot of attention ity. People living in a house are not unlike
is mitigate the amount of moisture you’re to the building enclosure and air-sealing the fish in a home aquarium, he says, completely
introducing with ventilation. An ERV is not structure carefully. Pitch the grade away immersed in their environment and subject
anything like a dehumidifier, it just reduces from the house and manage water coming to all of its biological hazards. The differ-
what you otherwise would have introduced off the roof. Indoors, make sure dryers and ence is that fish are provided with aerators to
into the house.” range hoods are vented to the outside and use improve oxygen levels and filters to remove
ERVs can make indoor humidity much spot exhaust in the bathroom, kitchen, and contaminants. “We treat our fish better than
worse if installed improperly, Butler says. any other area where moisture may accumu- we treat ourselves,” he says. □
For example, when an ERV exhausts air late. Don’t over-ventilate, which can draw
from the bathroom, it will pick up very outdoor moisture inside. A popular cooling Scott Gibson is a contributing writer in
damp air when someone is showering. Even strategy in some parts of the country where Portland, Maine.
JUNE 2021 65
Por tland, Oregon, provides a model for
decons truc ting houses that is bet ter
for people, the planet, and prof it
BY ASA CHRISTIANA
s people and money pour into thriving cities and blight first deconstruction ordinance, making piece-by-piece dismantling
spreads through others that struggle, an increasing number mandatory for all homes built before 1916. In January 2020, the cutoff
of old homes are crunched by the excavator and dumped year was expanded to 1940. So far, more than 300 homes have been
A in the landfill. Asbestos-wrapped ducting goes undiscov- deconstructed in the city.
ered inside walls, lead is hidden in layers of paint, and when the exca- The rules are simple and the benefits far-reaching. The ordinance
vator shovel comes crashing down, a wide array of toxic substances prohibits the use of heavy machinery for the structural work and
are released as airborne dust. At the same time, valuable building requires that it be done by a city-certified deconstruction contractor,
materials go unrecovered, with a high cost in embodied carbon. who must submit receipts for the donation, sale, or proper recycling
None of these things is good for the health of people or the planet. and disposal of all materials. This guarantees a process that creates
In 2016, pushed by neighborhood organizations tired of this kind of less dust, enables more-effective abatement of hazardous materials,
“crunch-and-dump” demolition, Portland, Ore., passed the nation’s and allows valuable materials to be salvaged for reuse.
DEMO
By all accounts, Portland’s program has been a success, keeping out to lower-paid laborers, who cut corners or ignore existing rules
neighborhoods quieter and healthier, reducing the waste stream, feed- altogether. Making matters worse, municipalities lack the staff to
ing the city’s retail reuse marketplace, and creating a new category of enforce demolition regulations and respond to complaints.
skilled labor. More importantly, the idea has caught the attention of Another problem is that the rules vary by locale. Most places lack
municipalities across North America, many of whom have connected an ordinance for lead abatement during whole-house demolition, for
with Portland for advice and guidance, and launched deconstruction example, saving those for occupied spaces. And while many demoli-
programs of their own. tion permits require walls to be sprayed and debris to be kept wet to
keep dust down, practices vary widely in the field.
The problems with mechanical demolition According to a 2013 study in Public Health Reports, dust from
Traditional demolition is generally seen as unskilled labor, to be mechanical demolition sends unsafe concentrations of lead, arsenic,
accomplished in a day or two by the construction crew—or subbed chromium, copper, and manganese up to 400 ft. from the project
JUNE 2021 67
Deconstruction, step by step
Dismantling without
machinery allows
for more thorough
abatement of lead and
asbestos and makes
it easier to salvage
materials, as shown in this
deconstruction project in
southwest Portland.
Asbestos is first
Asbestos abatement
is done by a separate
subcontractor certified
for the task. Siding
and duct wrap are two
common targets.
soft stripping
The deconstruction
contractor starts by
stripping out cabinets,
doors, lighting,
plumbing fixtures, and Lumber-pAckAge prize
cabinets. There’s not The piece-by-piece dismantling of
much resale value in interior trim, floors, and walls reveals
these items, but all a treasure trove of old-growth fir in
are donated to a local the studs, beams, and planking.
nonprofit reuse center.
site. Draw an 800-ft.-diameter circle arond any rban lot,
and it’s likely to inclde 50 or more homes. In cities economi-
cally pmmeled by otsorced manfactring, the inventory
of otdated, failing strctres is immense, and the effects of
mechanical demolition extremely harmfl to those living
close by. In 2018, after blood tests revealed alarming levels of
lead in children, Detroit pased all demolitions in its worst-
affected zip codes ntil better mitigation measres cold
be introdced.
“There is no safe level of lead in the body, and children are
most vlnerable to the potentially devastating health effects,”
says Jordan Jordan, manager of the deconstrction program
at Earth Advantage, a Portland nonprofit that provides train-
ing and certification for green-bilding practices. “Elderly

WATchful eyes
people and those living with health problems also sffer dis-
Representatives from the city, the builder, and a third-
proportionately from toxins and particlate matter dispersed

party certification group are on hand for the first day of
by traditional demolition.”
structural work.
Toxicity isn’t the only blow to the environment from dirty
demolition. Lost to the landfill are valable, resable bild-
ing materials—from old-growth stds and planking to
cabinets, architectral finishes, and vintage fixtres, each
embodying the fossil fels it took to prodce them. “Most of
the greenhose gases associated with new bilding materi-
als [are emitted dring] manfactring, not transportation
and installation, so if yo can rese them, that’s a very good
thing,” says Bryce Jacobson, a solid-waste-system planner for
Portland’s metro region.
In Portland, constrction and demolition debris acconts
for 30% of the waste stream. Aside from “rendering hn-
dreds of tons of resable material worthless,” Jordan says,
mechanical demolition also damages healthy soil, trees, and
other matre landscape featres, and it harms watersheds
A sAfe, quieT process with toxic rnoff.
The neighborhood is relatively unaffected; prohibiting
T  an t a

the use of heavy machinery for the structural work keeps
The first step in a typical deconstrction project is asbestos

noise levels down while reducing toxic dust.
abatement, carried ot by a specialized contractor. Next,
while waiting for the permit, the deconstrction contractor
can get started on “soft stripping,” which refers to things like
plling ot cabinetry, doors, appliances, lighting, and plmb-
ing fixtres for donation. Those are often picked p by a local
nonprofit on the same day.
Once the permit is granted, lead abatement can begin. The
focs is on exterior siding and trim, where paint contains
the highest lead concentrations. This step is now reqired in
Portland for both deconstrction and demolition of all homes
bilt before 1978; a rle that was inspired, at least in part, by
the deconstrction movement. All deconstrction contractors
are certified for this work.
After exterior lead abatement, the togh work begins. The
roof, siding, interior trim, floors, tile, and lath/plaster or dry-
NoThiNg lefT buT The fouNdATioN wall are stripped away piece by piece to reveal the “lmber
After every bit of building material has been removed— package,” which is the most valable material for resale. In
and either recycled, sold, or properly disposed of—the old Portland homes, the stds, beams, and wall and sbfloor
foundation and hardscaping sit untouched until new planking tend to be old-growth fir, with tight, beatifl grain
construction begins. At that point, they are typically no longer available from fast-growing modern forests. In
demolished by the excavator and recycled. homes otside the Pacific Northwest, other desirable woods
JuNE 2021 69
are often exposed. In the end, all that’s left is the foundation and wrapped ducts are revealed, they are marked with red paint and the
hardscaping, which will be broken up and recycled properly when asbestos contractor returns for them.
excavation begins. For deconstruction contractors, the sale of salvaged materials is
built into the bid, helping to offset the premium for deconstruction
Better abatement and incentive for salvage over mechanical demolition. Clients also receive a tax benefit for
One of the many benefits of deconstruction is the continued abate- donated materials.
ment of lead and asbestos as the project progresses. If lead-painted For Dermod Lovett, who has been deconstructing historic houses
trim is found on the interior, it goes in the same plastic-lined dump- in Portland for 20 years—both remodels and tear-downs—the new
ster as the exterior trim. If lead paint is on the plaster, that can go ordinance means more business, better awareness, and less explain-
down a chute to the basement, to be collected safely later. As asbestos- ing. “We recycle plastic bags and bottles,” he says. “The very least we
can do is recycle houses. The material in these homes is stunning. Our
old-growth forests are no longer there, but the lumber still exists in
these old houses. If we crunch it and throw it in the landfill, we are
Third - par t y cer tif ic ation losing those forests.”
es tablishes s treet cred

Green jobs and lessons for other cities
One of Portland’s early steps toward an ordinance was The process is better for workers, too. Lovett’s field employees get
hiring a local nonprofit to make key industry connec- competitive wages and benefits, and much safer working condi -
tions and provide critical tions than the typical demolition crew. For example,
training. Earth Advantage they wear respirators well after lead and asbestos have
(EA)—a Portland-based orga- been abated, to keep drywall dust and fiberglass out of
nization that certifies sustain- their lungs.
able building practices— Notably, Lovett has more competition these days.
played matchmaker between Wi t h 12 certified deconstruction contractors and
local builders, developers, counting, Portland’s ordinance has created a new cat-
and reuse shops; they trained egory of green jobs, with a knock-on effect for the
deconstruction contractors, city’s entire salvage ecosystem, including private retail-
providing invaluable feed- ers who sell reclaimed wood, local contractors and
back to city officials along furniture makers who use the material, and nonprofit
the way. When the facilitator donation centers like Portland’s ReBuilding Center—
role was no longer necessary, EA turned its newly won the city’s largest and longest-operating reuse center—and the Habitat
expertise into a third-party standard for deconstruc- for Humanity ReStores.
tion. Called Safe + Sustainable Site Certification (S+S),

Portland’s deconstruction discussion turned serious around 2013, in
conversations between employees and city officials at the ReBuilding

the program offers local builders a way to certify their
Center. The tipping point came two years later, when demolition per-
deconstruction projects, whether mandated by the ordi-
mits were peaking at 600 to 700 homes annually.

nance or not. It enables them to market a comprehen-
“It got ugly,” Jacobson says. “A wave of established neighborhoods

sive commitment to sustainable building practices.
were at war with developers. That’s what got our ordinance going.
The additional S+S requirements and $750 fee made
The idea is the little house still gets replaced, but [the ordinance] adds
sense for Josh Salinger of Birdsmouth Design-Build.
additional care and increases the cost for redevelopment.”

(He is building a Passive House on the deconstruction
Portland’s neighborhood associations joined forces and met with the

site documented in this article.) “Certifying the process
mayor and city commissioners, who in turn met with developers and
means the community doesn’t have to take our word for
industry professionals and made recommendations to the city council.

doing the right thing,” Salinger says. “They’ll know that
In this way, the ordinance was shaped and passed.

a third party has verified that all of the processes have
A key condition for success was the strong local market for sal-
been done correctly and kept us to our word.”
vaged materials. P o r t l a n d ’s long-standing DIY movement has

Among the elements mandated in the S+S standard
always embraced reuse, and reclaimed wood and vintage items have
are clear and effective communication with neighbors
always been a big part of the Portland aesthetic. They are seen in cof-
and neighborhood associations, increased measures for
fee shops, boardrooms, and living rooms around town, and are now
job-site safety, erosion control and other site-protection
exported to hip spots across the U.S.

measures, better management of hazardous materials
As for the builders, “a few were ruffled by costs going up,” Jacobson
and dust, and more-detailed deconstruction methods.
says. “But once they saw that there was going to be equal enforcement
Although the S+S program is currently focused on
for everyone, and accommodations for special cases, they were OK.
projects in the greater Portland metro area, the com-
And after they tried it, they saw it wasn’t so difficult.”

pany is interested in finding nonprofit partners and sup-
Because of the money rolling into Portland—from California and

porting pilot programs nationwide. To learn more and
beyond—the new ordinance and the premium paid for the process
get in touch, visit safe-sustainable.org.
haven’t slowed the pace of development. But neighborhood associa-
tions are pleased with the new normal—enjoying the health benefits, in some cases. Minnesota’s Hennepin County, for example, offers up
the reduced noise, and the knowledge that old houses will be recycled to $5000 to homeowners choosing deconstruction.
and reused.
Each time another friendly yard sign reading “I’m required to Conditions for success
be deconstructed to maximize materials for reuse!” goes up, it Portland, Vancouver, and Palo Alto had a number of critical elements
announces the new demoli- in place to make a mandate
tion process. Neighbors wan- feasible: a metro government
der by and ask questions, and committed to waste reduc-
Green building has a glaring
that increases awareness. tion and recycling, the ability
“ to absorb higher constr uc ti on

blind spot when it comes to
Green shoots far afield costs, and a robust market for
redevelopment: The embodied

Shawn Wo o d is P o r t l a n d ’s salvaged material.
Johnny Appleseed for the In Milwaukee, Wis., however,
energy lost by putting an entire
deconstruction movement. He which passed an ordinance sim-
is the construction waste spe- building in a landfill has a decade- ilar to Portland’s in 2018 cover-
cialist for Portland’s Bureau of ing homes built through 1929,
long payoff period.

Planning and S u s t a i n a b i l i t y, the conditions were different,
and is responsible for lead- — Jorda n ”

Jorda n, Ea r th Ad va n tag e
forcing the city to issue a stay
d e con s tru c tion p rog ra m ma nag e r

ing the earliest discussions at on enforcement one year later.
the ReBuilding Center. In fact, Because the city owns most of
i t ’s his phone number on the the aging inventory, the proj-
deconstruction yard signs. Well ects were city-run, with higher
before the first ordinance passed, wage requirements, among
Wood was the point of contact other impediments. Secondly,
for other cities looking to follow the city lacked a robust salvage
suit. “There was a lot of fanfare marketplace. Without the abil-
when Portland ‘cracked the ity to take the lumber sale off
nut,’” he says. the bid, costs were prohibitively
Shortly after the first ordinance high. “It’s all labor,” Wood says,
passed, Portland was chosen to “just hand-demolishing with no
host the annual Deconstruction financial payoff.”
and Reuse Conference, held by Portland experts agree. “There
the Building Materials Reuse is currently a lot of focus on sal-
Association (BMRA). EPA offi- vaging—keeping stuff out of
cials attended, Wood says, and the landfill—but less empha-
helped set up the Bay A r e a ’s sis on reuse, which means that
Deconstruction Work Group, there aren’t sufficient resources
which draws interested p a r- to circulate those materials
ties from around the U.S. and back into the c o m m u n i t y, ”
Europe to its quarterly meetings. says Jackie Kirouac-Fram,
Soon after the work group executive director of Portland’s
was launched, Palo Alto, Calif., ReBuilding Center.
made deconstruction manda- Reuse d o e s n ’t have to hap-
tory for every demolished struc- pen l o c a l l y, Wo o d points out,
ture in the c i t y, regardless of citing a nonprofit program in
age. Soon after that, Vancouver, Baltimore that pays for decon-
B.C., issued a deconstruction structing row houses by selling
ordinance for all homes built the reclaimed southern yellow
Old f o re s t s re c l a i m e d . T h is b ig s t ac k of o l d - gro w t h -f ir s t ud s ca m e
before 1910, as well as a pen- pine to a company called Room

fro m t he h o us e in so u t h w e st P o r t la n d f e a t u red in t hi s a rt i c le .
alty for any demolition that S al va g e Wo r ks k il n - d r i e s ev e r y p i ec e of re c la i m e d lu mb e r it s e ll s ,

& Board for a line of sustainably-
a nd has a bi g b an ds a w that ca n s ki m off l e ad p ai n t.

d o e s n ’t meet basic reuse and sourced furniture.
recycling requirements. “We can do whatever we want
A mandatory ordinance isn’t the right path for every municipal- in Portland to fight climate change,” Wood says, “but if other places
ity—at least initially. Denver, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, don’t follow suit, it’s a waste of time.” □
San Antonio, San Francisco, and Seattle, among other cities, now
offer some type of support for deconstruction practices, including Asa Christiana is a contributing editor and f re e l a n c e writer in
online guides, links to local reuse organizations, and cash incentives the Pacific Northwest. Photos by the a u t h o r.
JUNE 2021 71
houses
a r c h i t e c t u r a l c h a l l e n g e s a n d s o l u t i o n s
by design
c u r a t e d b y K i l e y J a c q u e s
F i r e - r e a dy and n o n t ox i c
This solar-powered ranch sits on a four-acre parcel within the
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) of Sonoma County, Calif.,
which means it had to meet the required WUI fire-resistance
standards: Roofs must be noncombustible and siding must have
reduced flammability. “Wood can still be used, but exposed
structural members must be a minimum 4-in.-nominal thick-
ness, and wood siding must be at least 1-in. nominal thickness,”
architect Bill Wolpert explains, adding that exterior soffits
must be enclosed. Here, he spec’d a metal roof with continu-
ous mineral-wool insulation and extrathick board-and-batten
siding. Mechanical systems were put in the crawlspace, where
a 10-mil reinforced vapor retarder was added to keep moisture
in check and reduce the number of vents needed. Fewer vents
means fewer opportunities for embers to get into the assembly.
Energy efficiency and indoor-air quality were also key objec-
tives. A heat-pump water heater serves the domestic hot-water
demand as well as the radiant Warmboard hydronic floor heat-
ing system, which in the main living area is covered in slate.
Extra insulation in the roof and natural cross-ventilation from
strategically placed windows and doors keep the house cool
without the need for mechanical cooling equipment. Large
sliders open onto a south-facing patio; on the north side, a shady
courtyard-inspired outdoor space provides respite on hot days.
d Green Building Architects, greenbuildingarchitects.com
b Artisan Builders, artisanbuilders.net
l Sonoma County, Calif.
P Eric Rorer
We design tight attic
“
spaces that do not require
ventilation. Continuous
insulation over the roof helps
that work without resorting
to all foam.
—Bill
”
Wolpert, Green Building Architects
June 2021 73
C O N T I N U E D
One Wa L L at a time
This hose belongs to Jesper Krse, fonder of Maine Passive
Hose. He bilt it in 2000, and recently completed a retrot that
meets the Passive Hose EnerPHit standard.
The 15-year-old Brosco wood windows needed pgrading, bt
Krse felt it didn’t make sense to pt high-performance windows
into a 2x6 wall; he needed to improve the walls too. He started with
the soth wall and worked his way arond the hose, one wall at a
time, as bdget allowed.
He added Larsen trsses to the existing shell and filled them with
dense-pack celllose, installed 10 in. of rigid foam to the exterior of
the frost walls, replaced the old windows with Ecliptica nits, air-
sealed with ProClima membranes and tapes, and installed a Lnos
ventilation system. The trss roof had 16 in. of loose-fill celllose
on the attic floor, which was moved ot of the way in order to add
a membrane for air and vapor control. Now, warm, moist air from
the conditioned space below is discoraged from entering the attic.
Visally obvios changes inclde reverse board-and-batten ver-
tical pine siding and cedar clapboards treated with black-tinted
Seal-Once wood sealer. The front door was relocated; the deck
was extended; the woodstove was moved into the open kitchen
rather than the den, which was always too hot; and the opening
between the kitchen and dining area was reworked to allow for
barstool seating. This hose is a good example of how approaching
a project methodically can achieve high-qality constrction on a

Dsgr/buldr Maine Passive House, mainepassivehouse.com
Loco Maine Phoos Emily Delamater, courtesy of Maine Passive House

modest bdget.
JuNE 2021 75
C O N T I N U E D
F LO O D - R E A DY
PA SS I V E H OUSE
This deep-energy retrofit is the first certified Passive
House and net-positive residence in Cold Spring,
N.Y. The unique nature of the site—which includes
an easement across the front of the property for
pedestrian access to a nearby state park—and the

B e f o re
condition of the existing one-and-a-half-story house
made it an exceptional undertaking.
During Hurricane Sandy, the original home flooded with over a foot of
river water, which ruined the uninsulated basement and boiler. The rest of
the house had also seen better days. The plan was to build within the same
footprint; salvage what was possible of the nontraditionally framed and poorly
built structure; and improve energy performance, thermal comfort, and
flood resilience.
Toward that end, the builders added 12 in. of recycled EPS rigid foam on top
of the existing slab, added a vapor barrier, and poured 3 in. of new concrete
on top of it. This sandwich-like assembly raised the floor above the flood line.
Mechanicals were mounted 4 ft. above the floor, cementboard was used on the
interior walls to ensure a more water-tolerable surface, and rigid-foam insula-
tion was installed on the exterior of the original block foundation walls and
given a stucco finish.
Of course, raising the slab reduced the basement height, but because the
existing 2x4 wood frame was jacked up off the foundation, and 4 in. of
Foamglas insulation was installed to create a thermal break between the stem
wall and the framing, the studio has a comfortable 8-ft. ceiling height.
The majority of the existing framing and sheathing was retained, and the
west-facing windows are all in the original locations. Larsen trusses were
installed to the outside of the original frame and filled with dense-pack cellu-
lose to meet Passive House−level energy performance.
The pre-patinaed zinc roof wraps down onto the wall on the south-side bal-
cony, creating a waterfall effect; the material was chosen for its rich luster and
because it facilitated easy installation of a 5kw solar array. An arbor was incor-
porated into the reframed deck for a semi-sheltered outdoor living space, and
the locally sourced hemlock siding was given a light shou sugi ban finish.
On the interior, a new stair with black walnut slat screens organizes the
compact floor plan—connecting all three floors, while allowing natural light
to filter through the rooms. (Previously, the only connection between the floors
was via rickety outdoor deck stairs.) The location of the existing center beam
and new stair resulted in an asymmetrical layout, which means one of the two
new bedrooms is much smaller than the other. It is just one of many restraints
that give the house its quirky and endearing character.
Designer River Architects, riverarchitects.com
Builder Nugent CM, nugentcm.carbonmade.com
Location Cold Spring, N.Y.
Photos Brad Dickson, courtesy of River Architects (“Before” photo courtesy of River Architects)
June 2021 77
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N E W A N D N O T A B L E P R O D U C T S
VAPOR-PERMEABLE FLASHING TAPE
ZIP System Flashing Tape from Huber is a favorite
among builders for reliable seals on sheathing
seams, window installations, and other building-
envelope details. But many cold-climate high-
performance homes require vapor-open building
materials to let accumulated moisture escape as
the seasons change. To address this issue, Huber
recently released their new Vapor Permeable
Flashing Tape, which is compatible with all Zip
System sheathing products—plus it can be used
with wood windows as well as vinyl, aluminum, and
galvanized metal. What makes this flashing tape
distinct from other products in the line is its 3-perm
rating—much higher than the standard ZIP System
flashing tape. Made of a UV- and heat-resistant
adhesive and a vapor-permeable monolithic
backing, the tape is worth adding to your materials
list if you’re building to Passive House standards or
just want to ensure that your well-insulated home is
as durable as possible. The vapor-permeable tape
comes in 3 ⁄4-in. by 90-ft. rolls. Contact a Huber rep
or your local lumberyard for pricing and availability.
—Lana Melonakos-Harrison, assistant editor
Photos courtesy of the manufacturers

JUNE 2021 79
C O N T I N U E D
SITE-BUILT PORTAL-FRAME SOLUTION
A typical stud wall relies on properly fastened
sheathing for lateral resistance to racking. But
when walls are skinny, such as on a facade with a
garage door or big windows, those skinny walls
have to pick up the slack. There’s a broad spectrum
of options to deal with this issue, from expensive
factory-built shear panels to the affordable but limited
approach of following the IRC’s prescriptive Portal
Frame with Hold-Downs (PFH) method.
Now Simpson Strong-Tie has a solution
somewhere in the middle, and with some
impressive capabilities.
The Strong-Wall Site-Built Portal Frame
System (PFS) is a kit that allows framers
to build their own portal frame, similar
to the PFH method—but the new
Simpson Strong-Tie system can meet
code in as little as 9 ⁄4 in. of wall
width. The kit includes hold-downs,
metal straps, structural screws, and
standoff bases to accommodate
built-up 2x10 or 2x12 posts. Yes,
you read that right—this system is
designed to rely on sandwiches
of wide dimensional lumber and
sheathing spacers or double
LVLs as the posts. The headers
are made of two plies of either
LVL or solid-sawn lumber, with spacers required in some
configurations spelled out in the product’s ICC-ES Evaluation
Report, ESR-4455. PFS is available in single and double kits, for
about $75 and $120 respectively. —Justin Fink, builder-at-large
SIZED-UP ELECTRIC HEAT PUMP
Continual advances in technology are making
new HVAC systems a popular way to update
home comfort and energy efficiency. One great
option is Mitsubishi Electric Trane’s expanded
line of SUZ heat pumps. The manufacturer added
three new capacities this year, bringing the total
for this improved line of outdoor units to seven:
9000, 12,000, 15,000, 18,000, 24,000, 30,000, and
36,000 Btu per hr.
Mitsubishi’s Hyper-Heating Inverter technology
(H2i) enables the heat pumps to operate at
performance levels in outdoor temperatures
as cool as -13°F, with the potential to provide
up to 100% of their rated capacity at 5°F.
The technology is adaptable to a variety of
indoor units and air handlers—all of which are
Energy Star certified—allowing homeowners to
reduce reliance on fossil fuels and opt in to a
more sustainable and reliable mode of energy
consumption. —L.M.H.
Airy And Bright SkylightS
With spring upon us, we are all too eager to open up our homes and let
the longer daylight hours and fresh air drive out the musty and the stale.
These dreamy Awaken Skylight windows from Marvin seem like a great
addition to any home to make it more comfortable and functional for all
times of the day. The one-of-a-kind skylights come with built-in and tunable
LED lights that match the spectrum of natural light, adjustable according
to the user’s wants and needs through an app, wall switch, or smart-home
system. In a society in which our activities don’t always correspond with the
sun, customizable skylights seem like an invaluable way to improve how we
experience our surroundings. In terms of air quality, the glass panels rise
up and out, bringing fresh air in more efficiently than with a typical hinged
skylight. A perimeter screen keeps bugs and any floating debris from
coming into your sanctuary. Ultrex pultruded fiberglass frames and insulated
safety glass panels ensure that the skylights are sturdy, secure, and energy
efficient. Marvin offers a few popular finish options to make the skylights
a seamless addition to the outside and inside of any home, including a
classic stone white color for the interior and either ebony or gunmetal on
the exterior. Awaken skylights come in sizes up to 48 in. wide and 90 in. tall,
and align with standard rafter sizes, making the installation process even
easier. —L.M.H.
XPS inSulAtion With A loWer ClimAte imPACt
The climate impact of extruded polystyrene (XPS) in insulation has
helped steer some builders toward other rigid-foam options, including
expanded polystyrene (EPS) and polyisocyanurate. To reduce its
contribution to global warming and to comply with updated regulatory
standards, Owens Corning has reformulated its XPS. This new version,
Foamular NGX—short for Next Generation XPS—went on sale in
the United States and Canada on January 1. Unlike older versions
of Foamular, NGX is made without the blowing agent HFC-134a,
a compound with a global-warming potential (GWP) more than
1400 times that of carbon dioxide. Instead, the blowing agent used
in Foamular NGX has a GWP of less than 80, while still maintaining
a rating of R-5 per inch. It’s available with compressive strengths of
up to 100 psi and thicknesses of between ⁄4 in. and 4 in. in various
common sheet sizes.
In states that have banned HFC-134a, Owens Corning will be
allowed to sell boards made with the old formulation until supplies run
out. —Scott Gibson, contributing writer
June 2021 81
kthe
y o u r q u e s t i o n s — p r o a n s w e r s
ig   Bdg  h sh
N ew i nt e ri or
h  hhg I ns ul a ti on I’m a builder in Massachusetts who’s plan-

sh i pl ap
My clients have a new, two-story post-and- ning to retire soon. My wife and I will move
W RB
beam barn with shiplap pine siding and an from the Northeast to the Albuquerque,
unfinished interior except for the ceilings, N.M., area and build our last house. Clearly,
D ra in a ge
which have been insulated with two layers m at ri x the climates are very different. Big picture,
F la sh in g
of 3-in. rigid foam and covered in shiplap how does that affect the materials and
ta p e
pine. They would like to insulate the walls how we should think about the design of
and cover them with shiplap as well. What our house?
approaches might work best here? — J o E
— C H a r l i E K r u K o w s K v em
Z -f la sh in g
v em
David Crosby, a builder and construction con-
Ben Bogie, a project manager with BPC sultant in Santa Fe, N.M., replies: One of the
Green Builders in Ridgefield, Conn., replies: foremost onsiderations for durability, ease
Ex i st in g
sh i pl ap
This is a tough one with no quik or easy of maintenane, and lower operating osts
si d in g
solutions, at least not any that are good in the Southwest is limate. With an aver-
pratie. The key here is to always assume age of about 300 days of brilliant sunshine a
that water is going to make it through the year, it is very unusual to see loudiness that
siding and allow for it to drain down and lasts more than two or three days. And the
out while provide some air spae for drying. greater intensity of the sun has impliations
D r a i n a n D i n s u l at e
The most effetive solution would be to for the way we build. There is useful info
A lw ay s a ss um e that w at er is g o i ng to
just go over the exterior of the siding with fi n d i ts w ay th ro u gh siding and prov i de
and maps from the National Renewable
a w ay to d ire ct it b ac k o ut si de wh il e
a water-resistive barrier (WRB) and on- Energy Laboratory (NREL) available at
pro v id in g i nwa rd- d r y i n g p ot e n t ia l.
tinuous insulation. If you used rigid foam nrel.gov/gis/solar.html.
as the exterior insulation, you ould treat An approah that works elsewhere in the
it as the WRB if detailed orretly. Then ountry an result in a badly overheated
re-side over that, preferably with a rain- produt). This should be taped at the seams house in the Southwest. For muh of the
sreen between the foam and siding. This is and to the timbers with a high-quality ountry, a daily variation in temperature
assuming the bak of the existing siding is aryli flashing tape. Ideally you’d pry the may be 5°F to 10°F depending upon the
aesthetially pleasing on the interior. This is siding from the horizontal timbers so as to time of year and humidity. In the Southwest,
probably the most ostly approah, but also have the drainage material and WRB pass a 35°F to 40°F variation is not unommon,
the most effetive and durable. between and down to daylight. and it’s entirely normal at higher elevations
If you’re stuk working from the inside, Easier would be to ut the siding and for plants to be growing on the south side of
a good option to promote drainage and integrate a Z-flashing through this ut (you the house with snow on frozen ground on
drying is to apply something like a mesh ould bend the “up” leg of the flashing after the north side. calulating solar exposures
matrix rainsreen material to the bak side slipping it through the wall). Integrate the and window plaement and using overhangs
of the existing siding, and bak that up with Z-flashing with the WRB, and with the to shade the house between the spring and
a WRB (some are available as a two-in-one horizontal timbers, and you’ve reated a fall equinoxes is inexpensive and effetive.
way to drain any water that makes it in (see Whether a house is intended to be passive
drawing, above). You ould then frame a 2x solar or not, this must be taken into aount
nd h? wall inboard of this to ontain your insula- not just for thermal gain but also for materi-
Get ne y cn tt fm the tion and at as nailing for your shiplap. als seletion and envelope design.
expeenced p t FHB. Em y You an use whatever insulation you like Stuo is ommon in the Southwest beause
qetn t Expet@FneHmebdng.cm. in there. Any need for a vapor retarder will it withstands the solar radiation and tem-
be ditated by ode and your limate zone. perature extremes better than onventional
Dng: Dn Thntn

,
IT’S A DIFFERENT WORLD ENTIRELY.
We make the right product s to do the right job, the righ t way, the fir s t time.
region or climate, you can count on ZIP System building enclosures to streamline the per formance of your air, water and thermal
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askthe
C O N T I N U E D
siding and paint. Flashing and drainage- when it does you an get a lot of water in a speifially allowed by the manufaturer to
plane details are every bit as important in short period of time, and it an do a lot of be applied over another layer without risk.
the desert, espeially with syntheti stuo. damage. Unlike the relatively stable soils of Both #15 and #30 felt have high enough
When it rains here, it rains hard. New England, it is ommon to find ollaps- perm ratings to make them safe as well.
Arhiteture in the Southwest, espeially ible soils, expansive lay, poorly graded fine But the real question is if you need to
in New Mexio sine the turn of the 20th alluvial soils, well-graded gravel, or obble; install anything at all. In my view, the fiber-
entury, often inorporates low-slope roofs sometimes two or more of those types on ement siding ould be applied diretly over
and parapets reminisent of older adobe one site. You’ll want to make sure that the the existing T1-11, assuming it’s in good
onstrution. For durability, ease of main- provisions of International Residential code shape, with no risk of trapping moisture or
tenane, envelope integrity, life-yle ost, setion R401.3, onerning positive grading hurting performane in the middle of the
and working out solar exposures using away from the house, are observed. walls. The risk is at the transitions, speifi-
overhangs and porhes, you’re going to be ally at the door and window openings. It
better off with a traditional pithed roof Siding on top of siding would be safe to leave the existing trim in
with metal or lay-tile roofing. Hip roofs I’m hoping to add fiber-cement shake plae, but I suspet you plan to replae it to
with dormers on adobe homes are ommon panels on top of T1-11 siding. The T1-11 stand proud of the new siding. Pulling the
throughout northern New Mexio in rural is in good shape, and the house is in the trim will almost ertainly damage the WRB
areas, but you won’t see asphalt shingles mountains of western North Carolina. It has detailing, and you’ll have to address that.
very often—the intense UV and frequent 2x4 walls, fiberglass batts, ⁄2-in. plywood Taping over the existing window flashing
freeze-thaw yles are very hard on them. sheathing, housewrap, and then the T1-11. tape with a ompatible tape is pretty safe.
If you are stuk with a low-slope roof, it’s Should I use felt under the fiber cement? You have to lean the existing tape arefully
best to observe best praties (see “Guide to Tyvek? Some other housewrap? Nothing? to allow for good adhesion, and be metiu-
Low-Slope Roofing,” FHB #269), paying — B r A D 4 2 1 lous in proper detailing and laps, espeially
partiular attention to the number, size, via FHB.com at head-flashing orners.
and loation of roof drains. UV and hail I would also take this opportunity to
resistane is also a onsideration; premium- Travis Brungardt, a builder at Catalyst air-seal from the exterior. You ould add
quality modified-bitumen roofs with a Construction in Prairie Village, Kan., replies: another layer of Tyvek and metiulously
refletive oating tend to hold up well. It’s great to onsider the risks of overing detail it, or seal the T1-11 panel seams to
One of the most ommon and serious existing finishes with new ones rather than redue air leakage. I would suggest aulk-
problems in modern Southwest homes is removing them. Tyvek has extremely high ing these at a minimum.
drainage. It doesn’t rain very often, but vapor permeane (56 perms reported) and is The bottom edge is probably harder.
Likely, the panels will sit too far out from
the foundation to reate an effetive air
barrier with sealant. This is a good spot
for a vapor-permeable tape like Siga
Fentrim 430, whih will adhere tenaiously
to the foundation with no primer needed.
Attahing it to the T1-11 is harder. Best
would be to apply it to the Tyvek or ply-
wood behind the T1-11. If there is a bottom
trim board, remove it and tape to the ply-
wood sheathing. If not, separate the T1-11
from the sheathing with a flat bar and are-
fully ut off the bottom inh of T1-11 to
expose the sheathing. Tape, then hang the
new siding low enough to over the gap.
This is a good opportunity to introdue
a rainsreen to enhane drying potential
behind the new siding. You an get as fany
as you like with this, but an inexpensive and
Built for e x t re m e s . M an y m at e ri al s an d methods u se d in the e as te r n, ce nt r al , an d
effetive solution is to roll out sill gasket
n or th w es te r n Un it e d S ta te s d o n ’t work in the s u n -d ren ch e d So u t h we s t. Asphalt s h i n g l es
vertially at the stud loations and tak it up

a re v e ry ra re, and wood an d p ai nt do n’t h ol d up to th e UV ex p o s ure . S ha d i ng to p re v e nt
o ve r he at i ng is c ri t i ca l , as is d ra in a g e . W he n it ra i ns , it co m es h ard a nd fast. before you begin siding.
Photo: Amadeus Leitne, coutesy of NEEDBASED, Inc.

FHB
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Join the editors of
Fine Homebuilding as
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on job-site topics.
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bmatters
e m B r a c i n g t H e f u t u r e , r e s p e c t i n g t H e p a s t
B y a n d y e n g e l
Managing water when
insulating old walls
ne summer about Not one did it ross my mind newer than the first Roosevelt Warm air esapin throuh
40 years ao, at a time that the sidin on almost every administration. More than the upper level of a house dur-
O when I was deidin house leaks, never mind the a few of them miht have in the winter reates sution
between oin to ollee and sidin on a post−World War II hosted geore Washinton. that draws old air in throuh
workin while doin neither, vaation house in a ommunity Every time I or the rew I small and lare openins in
my father hooked me up with my hopper-feedin friend’s am workin with open up an the lower levels. Basements
a job insulatin the walls of father referred to as “the poor exterior wall, we insulate it. and rawlspaes that are wet
a shoddy summer home that man’s Lake Tahoe.” And my first thouht is never durin the sprin and summer
was bein lived in year-round. What happens to newspaper maximizin the R-value of dry out in the winter beause
My dad knew everyone in the when it ets wet? It stays wet. the wall or eilin. It is always of this air movement. Moisture
lakeside ommunity where While ellulose itself is usually how to insulate without reat- from this air movin throuh
he lived, and one of his drink- treated with borates that retard in moisture problems. walls an ondense on the bak
in buddies, whose business fire, mold, and deay, the sid- of old sidin or sheathin.
name ended with the word in and framin of that house How o   One the moisture has iven up
“Enterprises,” sold ellulose ertainly didn’t have that pro- All sidin leaks. Old houses enouh heat to hane phase
insulation and owned a blower. tetion. I’m sure I reated a hell survived only beause the from vapor to liquid, it takes
Another of his buddies owned of a mess for someone down the walls weren’t air-sealed or the same enery input to make
the aforementioned summer road to lean up. insulated, and the leakin heat it evaporate.
house. And I wanted work. It and hroni airflow dried the Soures of moisture also
was meant to be. i’  bo w assembly before the moisture inlude ookin, showerin,
So, on a hot and humid New Don’t et me wron—ellu- ould peel the paint off the sid- and oupant respiration.
Jersey−summer day, I found lose has advantaes over most in or rot the framin. Doin Historially, interior moisture
myself drillin 3-in. holes in the other insulations, not the least the riht thin by insulatin soures have been iven muh
sidin of that rattletrap house,
stuffin in a hose, and blowin
ellulose while one of my simi-
“…my firs t thought is never maximizing the

larly underemployed friends
fed shredded newspaper into
R-value of the wall or ceiling. It is always how to

the hopper.
As my sweat mixed with el-
insulate without creating mois ture problems.”

lulose dust, enasin me in a
papier-mahe arapae, I had
little understandin of what I
was doin. I had no idea, for of whih is that it sequesters and air-sealin has the potential more attention than is deserved,
instane, if there was blokin arbon. From a thermal per- to destroy the buildin. That’s resultin in solutions suh as
that would keep the ellulose spetive alone, almost any insu- why builders of modern, hih- plasti vapor retarders. In many
from fully insulatin the bays, lation added where there was performane homes spend so ases, suh vapor retarders do
or how important it was that none before is a benefit. But any muh time and effort detailin more damae than ood by
the insulation be blown densely insulation installed improperly water-resistive barriers (WRBs) trappin moisture in the walls.
enouh to avoid settlin, whih an reate moisture problems, with flashin tapes.
would render it less effetive. partiularly in old buildins. Moisture from wet founda- Bo 
But that was the least of it. For the last two years, I tions an be transported by the Installin new windows and
I never thouht about water. haven’t worked on a house stak effet up throuh walls. doors is aruably the most
86 FINEHOMEBUILDINg.cOM
You’ve built
a movement.
Over the past four year s, the Fine Homebuilding
and Green Building Advisor communit y has stood
up in suppor t of trade education and has championed
those who aspire to design, build, and remodel the
best homes possible. Over 70 students from across
America have received a coveted Keep Craf t Alive
scholar ship through your generosit y and suppor t.
You, along with our par tner s in the construction
industr y, have invested nearly $200,000 in their future
and in the future of home building. Ever y dollar donated
to Keep Craf t Alive goes directly to suppor ting our
scholar ship fund with SkillsUSA , a U.S. organization
ser ving more than 395,000 high school, college,
and middle school students enrolled in trade,
technical, and skilled ser vice programs.
Together, let’s continue to encourage those
with the passion for building to follow their
dreams and continue to honor the men
and women who keep the spirit of craf t
alive in design of fices and on job sites
across Nor th America. As a communit y,
let’s fuel the oppor tunit y for the nex t
generation of tradesmen and women.
# KeepCraftAlive
To learn more about KeepCraf t Alive, and to make a donation in suppor t of the 2021 scholarships, visit
KeepCraf t Alive.org
blgmatters
c o n t i n u e d
Wat er- re p el le nt
ri g id i ns u la ti on
important moisture-ontrol
Mi n er a l- w o ol
ation that an be taken on an in s ul at io n

i n d o o r
old house. If I have the oppor- Dr y wa ll
r A i n s c r e e n
tunity to replae them, I’ll take
When insulating an old
it, arefully flashing the new
wall, leaving an air gap
windows and doors to diret

between the back of
water outward to the fae of

the old siding and the
the siding. That said, replaing new insulation—similar
old windows and doors is rarely to a rainscreen detail
on the exterior—
a winning finanial hoie in
allows for any

terms of paybak on invest-
moisture to dry.
ment. The next-best hoie for
ontrolling moisture is repla-
ing the exterior trim while leav-
ing the jambs, sill, and sashes in
plae, and fousing on doing a
S pr a y fo am
great job flashing the new trim.
The next most important

1
⁄ 2 - in f u rr in g s tr ip
thing to do is air-seal. While
the assembly is open, I blok off

P ri me r
open stud bays in both exterior
and interior walls. This is an
opportunity to install fireblok-
ing at the same time, so I like
to use 2x material or ⁄4-in.
plywood to lose vertial bays.
Many old houses are balloon-
framed, and the joists rest on
ribbons let into the studs. The
floors and walls are diretly
onneted, allowing air and fire
2 x1 0 j oi st
to flow freely. I also blok these
bays. Small holes and imperfet
joints in my bloking get air-
sealed with spray foam. Ri b bo n b oa rd
Regarding the interior vapor
2x fi reb lo c ki ng
retarder: You need to be in a
very old limate suh as north-
ern New England before a plas-
ti vapor retarder is required by of primer rolled or sprayed on isn’t possible.) If the insulation with spray foam. The entire
ode. In most ases, two oats the bak of the siding when the is spray foam, I’ll staple house- avity an be paked with rigid
of latex paint on the walls is all wall is open is a good idea. wrap to the sides of the studs in insulation, or you an do an
you need. Installing a rainsreen—a the bays to maintain separation. inh or two of that followed by
system of materials that reates Beause of its environmen- batt insulation suh as mineral
Allw f yg an air gap behind the siding to tal penalties, spray foam isn’t wool—depending on your li-
It’s a pratial impossibility to enourage drying—is beoming usually on the table. A better mate and insulation-thikness
keep water out entirely, but if standard pratie in new on- approah is to tak some ⁄2 in. requirements for the assembly.
you do a good job in the three strution. For the same reason, vertial furring strips to the Old houses take thought.
areas I mention above, there I like to keep new insulation bak of the siding, right next to There are no universal solu-
shouldn’t be muh getting in. from diretly ontating the the studs. Then, pressure-fit a tions, and that’s what makes
Still, water is a relentless enemy, bak of old siding. (That’s a water-repellent rigid insulation working on them so muh fun.
and I like to allow for drying, downside of blowing new el- produt from a manufaturer
if only to keep the paint on the lulose into an old wall—leaving like Gutex or Steio between Andy Engel is a remodeler and
siding. For that purpose, a oat a gap between the two materials the studs and seal any gaps for mer FHB editor.
Drawing: Christopher Mills

2020 Fine Homebuilding House
Wa
ter
pr
oof
in
g
ove
r Di
tra
-H
eat
Waterproofing Strategies
Stripping the 2020 Fine Homebuilding House to its bare bones al l o we d the team n ot
only to focus on mak i n g it mo re e ne rg y e ffi ci ent, but also to co mp l etely u p gr a d e t he
interior fi nishes, in c l u di n g in th e s even full b athroo ms an d o ne hal f-bath. Inst a llin g Schl ut e r
Systems waterpro o fi n g produc ts befo re t i li ng ensures all of the spac es a re d ur ab le and fu lly
waterproofed, wh i c h is partic ularly impo rt an t in wet areas o utfi t t e d with Dit r a- H eat .
Follow the build: @finehomebuilding and FineHomebuilding.com/fhb-house
THANK YOU TO O UR 20 2 0 SPONSORS

C e l e b r a t i n g p a s s i o n f o r b u i l d i n g
nna Heath’s engagement in the building
A community belies her tenure in the con-
struction industry. She’s young, but her experi-
ences have been intensive.
Anna got her start as a carpenter just a few
years ago working under Jesper Kruse at Maine
Passive House, a rm whose philosophy is
grounded in mastering traditional craftsman-
ship, having a thorough understanding of build-
ing science, and meticulously executing every
phase of a project. It’s an environment primed
for growth and learning, and Anna is a product
of its process. She is now a lead carpenter and
project manager for the company, as well as a
Certied Passive House Consultant involved in
the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association,
Passive House Accelerator, and the local
building-science community. She somehow also
manages to spearhead building programs at
the Center for Ecology Based Economy that are
tailored to diminish the barriers to entry in the
“th h h
trades and create a more inclusive environment
for those wanting to work with their hands.
 m  h i
Despite her enthusiastic embrace of the
building scene, Anna wasn’t always intent on
     h

a career in construction. That may come as a
surprise when you consider her family history—
cmm ch
they have been building in Maine for the last
100 years. “I never even considered it as an
 i    

option,” she says now. “That probably reects
a bigger cultural thing that’s going on, because
 ch h h

it didn’t even occur to me. I also grew up in
a generation, I think, where everyone was
  k k.

pushed really hard to go to college after high
school—really hard.” As is the case with many
i  k  

young people, Anna felt that college was the
only real option on the table at the time.
  h,  

In talking to Anna, you quickly realize her
commitment to shifting the building land-
   xm.”

scape—not only in the performance, caliber,
and quality of the homes that she helps
construct, but in terms of who is building them

anna HeatH
and from what backgrounds they come. —Rob Lead Carpenter
Yagid, executive director, Keep Craft Alive norway, Maine
Keep Craf t Alive is our campaign celebrating those who have chosen to passionately pursue
a career in design, building, and remodeling. Find out more and show your suppor t by visit-
ing KeepCraf t Alive.org, and use #KeepCraf t Alive to share your passion for the cause.
Photo: courtesy of Maine Passive House

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Fine Homebuilding - Issue 299 June 2021

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Fine Homebuilding - Issue 299 June 2021

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A new wAy to insul Ate RooFs

This vented and vapor- open approach is energy-smar t and

durable, and a good option for mixed and cold climates

ISSUE 299 // June 2021

32 A New Take on 50 Trombe Wall Solution 66 A Better Way to Demo

An indirect solar-heat-gain strategy Portland, Oregon, provides a model for

addresses the challenge of orienting a deconstructing houses that is better for

For vaulted ceilings, this vented and

passive-solar house’s views northward people, the planet, and profit

vapor-open approach is durable and

energy-smart, and a good option for

mixed and cold climates

56 The FHB Interview:

38 All Things HVAC This forensic building scientist

demystifies her discipline for architects

and construction professionals

46 Crawlspaces That Work

To avoid moisture problems, either

Tablet editions free to subscribers

Our new digital editions include all of the magazine’s

content, plus searchabilit y and a host of interac tive

ex tras. Download the app at FineHomebuilding.com/

apps. Access is free with your print subscription or

FineHomebuilding.com online membership.

Cover drawing by Dan Thor nton

“The Snap-Clad standing seam roof is just a nice

element. It’s so easy to attach solar panels to it – it’s

easy to clip on and it’s raised up off the roof. We like

the color selections and the Cool Roof technology

-Nate Kipnis, FAIA , Principal, Kipnis Architecture + Planning

Energy codes as clear

Three ways to insulate

get the right

▪ XPS with lower

▪ Building in the Southwest

▪ Siding on top of siding

Managing water when

insulating old walls

Anna Heath, lead

solutions you can rely on each and ever y time.

digital exclusives and more

Insulate right with our

newest project guide

As more people strive to build comfor table,

energy- ef ficient homes, grasping the what

and how of insulation is increasingly critical.

From understanding the science to choosing

the right materials and construc tion details,

this collec tion of ar ticles and videos is a one -

stop shop for exper t advice on whatever

insulation projec t you’re working on.

Job-Site Diaries: Beneﬁts Episode 311:

of Building With ICFs Getting off Gas

insulated-concrete-form (ICF) foundation are trying to pressure homeowners to go all-

boosts energy performance on this new home. electric: FineHomebuilding.com/podcast.

Drying in a Roof With

ZIP System Sheathing

In this Shop Class video series,

Discussion forum: Siding

the entire process of installing for extreme wind and rain

waterproof and airtight roof

A homeowner in coastal Alaska asks for advice

sheathing. Watch the seven-part

for protecting or replacing weatherbeaten