Walls / Discussions

Standard exterior plywood sheathing (on top of ext stud wall, underneath finish ext siding) has formaldyde, glues all of which are toxic.  What can I use that will be non-toxic, or at least much less toxic? Thank you very much! pier charter OSB and plywood exterior sheathing no longer contain Urea Formaldehyde, so they...

Is hemp insulating wallboard available in Canada? I have seen some in the uk We will soon be suppling Hemp Insulation and Hemp Building Products, we are currently in the process of setting that up, so I would suggest Joining Ecohome as a member for free (we don't spam or share addresses) that way you will recieve a not...

I am looking for best approach to insulating a deck over trailer. -frame is 2x6 steel tubing 24" oc (wheel wells under the floor frame) -ideally i do not want to building an entire floor system on the existing trailer frame  -Southern Ontario, Canada climate -Roxul between all the steel frame and build SIP on top of wh...

...walls of the crawlspace are insulated and the dirt floor is sealed with a vapor barrior, but my indoor floors felt cold this last winter, making my whole living space cold.   Would it be ok to add insulation between the floor joists?  Over or under pipes?  I want to do this myself, simply, so was looking at something l...

I'm renovating a 1915 bungalow in masachusetts with no  existing wall insulation. I've opened the wall cavity and plan to use a dense pack cellulose to achieve R-14.  The exterior wall is plank sheathing with paper wrap, followed by shingles, then 1/2 celotex foam board and vinyl siding installed in the 1980's.  No rot...

...walls where I found some mould to see that the previous owners installed batt insulation directly onto the concrete wall and didnt have a vapour barrier. I've also noticed my joists are embeded into the wall. How would I properly insulate my basement wall and the embeded floor joists? Right now the home has roxul insul...

...walls to separate the stud wall from the concrete. Our recommendation would be EPS rigid foam, read more here – Choosing the right Rigid Insulation Panels And yes, I would say running the Rigid insulation from the bottom of the concrete and up covering the above grade stud wall portion is a good idea. 2 is the thicknes...

Building a new raised bungalow in Ontario. 2x6 framed walls with r22 batt insulation and vapour barrier on the inside and just house wrap on the outside was what the original plans called for but I see many new homes wrapping the exterior with rigid insulation, benefits worth the cost? Any specific product recommendati...

Were building a new house and are wondering if you can insulate under slab with foam polyurethane. If not, why?  When building a slab on grade, EPS rigid foam insulation is the most common choice of insulation, for performance and cost. I wouldn’t go as far as saying you 'couldn't' use spray foam below a slab, but I’m ...

...walls can dry Choosing the right weather barrier 

I am replacing the windows and siding on my house built in 1994. The wall construction from interior to exterior is 1/2 " drywall, 2x3 strapping filled with fibergalss insulation, 6 mil vapor barrier, 2x6 wall with fiberglass insulation, 5/8 plywood, 2 1/2 " Type II EPS. Tyvek, siding. I intend to remove the EPS and in...

...walls, insulated and drywalled Crawl space has dirt floor, 3 cement block walls, open lattice wall to access crawl space, exposed floor joists 24'' o.c., height from ground to bottom of joists is 36" If you have a three-sided foundation wall with lattice work on one side and a dirt floor, the whole underside of the h...

Are styrofoam forms a good idea? To find the most efficient Passive House wall, if your intention is to reduce your carbon footprint, starts with choosing materials with low-embodied energy.  Different insulation materials will have different R values per inch - which affects the energy required to operate a Passive Ho...

...walls and windows - what causes it and how to fix it This page as well about winter preparations covers the topic of condensation forming on walls in winter, and other humidity-related home issues –  Tips for preparing your house for winter: how to make your house more efficient and save money For your case specificall...

...walls, roof and floor, so not very energy efficient Drafty on a cold winter night Plumbing solutions can be tricky So it ultimately comes down to lifestyle and cost, hopefully this helps a bit with perspective.   

...walls, and how extensive your energy-efficient renovations will be. The following page will help you understand some of the risks and find the best way forward - The easiest way to insulate walls from the exterior in older homes But to speak to the products you mention - Rockwool isn’t the cheapest, it also isn’t the h...

I read your article about insulating interior basement walls, using eps or Rockwool comfort board then 2 x 4 studs with rockwool bats.  I've also seen the part about possible breaking floor for a complete reno.  I'm just wondering if the poly is against the concrete or between the 2" layer of EPS and stud wall,  as wel...

I live in Climate Zone 6 in a low humidity, cold, and snowy environment. Heating only no cooling. Currently have T1-11 siding, tar paper, R13 FB insulation, and the interior finish is 1/4 plywood panels. The siding is in OK shape but I really want the plywood panel interior gone and replaced with drywall. My idea is to...