Renovation / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Basement and crawl space encapsulation: a homeowner's and pro's guide Basement and crawl space encapsulation is a comprehensive moisture management strategy designed to seal the foundation from the damp earth. Whether you are dealing with a dirt floor crawl space or an older concrete basement floor lacking a vapor bar...

Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF Blocks); are they the best way to build a basement? For decades, the highest standard for building a basement was a formwork of wood or steel, which is then filled with poured concrete and is stronger and less prone to water leaks than a CMU or stone foundation wall that are found on earli...

...renovations The best time to air seal an old house is during a major renovation when walls are open and the attic or basement is accessible. A deep retrofit provides the opportunity to create a complete and continuous air barrier. See our page here on how to insulate and air seal attics in old homes. The Envelope-First...

...renovations that would disturb it, the safest option is to leave it in place and seal it off. You can read here how to know if vermiculite insulation has asbestos and what to do about it. Choosing attic insulation: which is best? For insulating an old home attic, blown-in insulation is an ideal choice for both profess...

...renovations helping seniors aging in place, find more pages about sustainable green home building techniques here :  Our top home buying tips for seniors looking to downsize  Home renovation tips: how to succeed when renovating See designs for backyard ADUs, tiny houses and granny suites Smart home features for...

...renovation techniques are very different from  wooden homes of the 1900s and forward. Here we will explore a few of the options for types of insulation, where to put that insulation, and even options without insulation but using super-efficient heating systems. The efficiency problem with stone houses is the fact that ...

...renovation project, establish a realistic budget and secure financing. Consider the following: Renovation costs: Factor in costs for materials, labor, permits, and contingency funds for unexpected expenses. The type of home you purchase can significantly impact renovation costs. For example, insulating a brick home ca...

Why fix a leaky toilet flapper? Another of the jobs that sat on my Honey-Do-List for quite a while longer than I care to admit has been to fix the leaking toilet flapper in the bathroom at the cabin - made worse by us being off grid and only having a relatively small amount of water available in our outside rainwater c...

...renovations and want to avoid any unwanted repairs and costs then we say invest in a ventilation system if you don’t have one, there are countless benefits for health, durability and energy efficiency.  Now you've learned all about interstitial condensation in walls and roofs, why it happens and how to prevent it, ...

Should we consider adding a bidet? Although quite popular in Africa, Asia and Europe, the bidet has been slow to gain popularity in America.  Could it be that we are just creatures of habit? Does the idea of a jet of water blasting your nether regions seem a hard leap to make at first? Well, you’re probably not the on...

...renovation and insulation project is educating yourself, so you don’t get talked into the wrong wall system by a poorly-informed general contractor. Start by watching our ‘building science made easy’ video below.  What is the right amount of insulation for walls?  Determining your climate zone will help decide on an a...