Walls and Roofs

Tips for preparing your house for winter: how to make your house more efficient to save money on heating, more durable to save disasters & maintenance issues & more comfortable to keep the family toasty through the winter. Top Tips for preparing a home for winter Extremely low temperatures over winter can test your…

Learn how to fix Ice dams on your roof before they cause damage - if you look up and see icicles hanging on the gutter then it's probably ok to say "Ice, D@mn!". Ice dams form at the bottom of roofs, letting water penetrate and cause damage to the interior of walls and roofs. When snow melts on a roof it runs down…

A roof leak isn't really a roof leak if it’s leaking in on a sunny spring day as the snow finally starts to thaw. It's more likely a build up of frost and ice in your roof space - so how to prevent it. Frost in attics: why is there ice in my roof? When a warm sunny day arrives after a long cold stretch and it seems…

No, it doesn't work. Don't buy the hype about insulating paint, this is snake oil in its truest form. Can paint insulate walls of homes? No it cannot. Despite engineers  having long ago debunked this nonsense, insulating paint still occasionally finds its way into buildings. So what are the magical claims…

Weather barriers (or more accurately water-resistive barriers) keep bulk water away from vulnerable building components and allow walls to dry at the same time. A technical guide to understanding the role weather barriers and rainscreens play in a wall, choosing the right products and installation tips for optimum…

Odds are that at any given time the air pressure in a house is out of balance & either drawing air in or forcing it out. Learn the causes, the effects & the solutions for air leakage in homes & why it's important. Air tightness in houses - all about balancing air pressure in the home We go on incessantly here about…

Replacing old windows in all but the most extreme cases will not save money in your lifetime. Repairing old windows or adding layers may be a more cost-effective solution. Windows, replace or repair? We often get asked if it is a good idea to replace old windows with new and better performing windows to save money…

How to reduce sound transmission through interior partition walls. How to soundproof interior walls The key to building smaller homes which don't sacrifice quality of life is ensuring that they are designed to make the best use of their space no matter how limited. However, you must also ensure that there is…

A living green roof can last far longer than many other roofing systems when installed properly. DIY green roof installation The following DIY green roof video shows the steps needed to ensure your green roof will not leak. Watch more Green Building Guide videos from Ecohome on YouTube here The most common building…

Skylights bring natural light into homes but can cause significant heat loss and often lead to condensation and roof leaks in cold or wet climates. Here are key tips for choosing and installing skylights - or deciding not to bother and to choose a suntube. So are skylights a good or bad idea? It has been said that…

Tips for window installation that will give you the best performance and durability. How to install windows correctly to avoid air or water leaks The Edelweiss LEED Platinum V4 Demo House has been oriented towards the south to increase passive heat gain and reduce energy demand during operation. Choosing higher…