Sustainable building / Discussions

I have a small crawl space, about 10' x 6' that is mostly gravel, and then an L-shape extends another 3' x 4' under some steps and is a thick concrete slab. I have a radon mitigation tube through the concrete slab (about 2' from the exposed earth) and weaves it's way to the roof (fan in attic). 3 of the crawl space wal...

...building materials are a fantastic way to regulate heat in a home and save energy, though they are regrettably not common. Here is some background on the concept and a bit about pcm building supplies that we know of - All about phase change building materials and natural heat storage in buildings Certainly PCMs in home...

...building supply stores.    

...Building Product Directory and search by location, but most of the major brands of home ventilation equipment would likely be available either in a local building supply store, and if not online I would imagine.  Perhaps you saw this page already, but here is a guide to choosing between HRVs and ERVs 

The grade on the building site drops 8 feet over 72 feet. Is it feasible and cost effective to build three slab foundations that step down in order to deal with the slope. The top foundation would be a for a single story 15 by 24 room. The next level would be a 24 by 24 two story structure and the garage would be at th...

I'm adding insulation to the stud walls in my baserment with 2.25" of close cell spray foam on the concrete walls.  The stud walls are 3-5" " from the close cell spray foam.  I can either (try to) pack the void between the wall and the uneven surface of the closed cell spray foam, leaving the stud bays empty, or leave ...

Building a 24 X 50 Post and Beam Barn.  Planning to insulate on the exterior with no interior insulation as I wish to keep the bones of the barn exposed internally.  Wall currently has 3/4" Shiplap pine sheathing over the Girts.  Looking at emplacing 4" R20 Rigid XPS Panels seam taped. Those would be strapped to the wa...

...building envelope, but yours is a situtation where it may be the best option.  So first read over that link about crawlspaces, and if I’m misunderstanding what you are doing please clear it up a bit and we are happy to help more. Also, where are you building?