House wrap / Guides

...housewrap or home wrap with staples creates a lot of little holes where air can enter and escape. Also, when exposed to the extreme temperature shifts between summer and winter and the endless movement of a loose weather barrier due to wind and air pressure differences, the solvent-based tapes we most often use may bec...

...house wrap, even the polyethylene we normally install as a vapour barrier can act as an effective air barrier, but only if you set out with that in mind and properly seal it. The difference between air barriers and vapor barriers © Ecohome What the above diagram attempts to illustrate, is how ...

...house is powered by solar panels, and heated by a woodstove and radiant floors warmed by a propane boiler. A double exterior wall system reduces heat loss to a fraction of what you would expect from most other new houses being built. Off Grid Homes can also be attractive © Bala structures Ex...

...Houseplants. According to NASA not only do houseplants absorb carbon monoxide and release oxygen , but certain house plants, such as bamboo palm and english ivy, can actually help to eliminate benzene, formaldehyde and/or trichloroethylene. NASA recommends 15 to 18 good-sized houseplants in six- to eight-inch (203 mm) ...

...house, it dries inwards ( or at least it should - depending if you have a vapor barrier) . A well-ventilated air space between sheathing and cladding is an important part of the strategy needed to allow walls to shed moisture in all seasons and conditions. Drainage planes (building paper, house wrap, etc.) allow any ...

...house with the shoreline. We have a screened view of the water, which actually makes those glimpses out onto the bay more special. Building Envelope: When first considering how much insulation to put into the house, I looked to the Passive House certification system. To achieve Passive House certification, there is...

...wrap my head around it. And I certainly couldn’t bring myself to drop my drawers and park my butt on it for a blast of water, that’s for sure. And make no mistake, your first spin on a bidet will seem a little unusual to be quite frank about it. Bidets save water - no, really! Another thing that I didn’t quite get,...

...house. Pot lights : they are not so much a problem due to the heat they generate, but they are very hard to seal. And worse than other air leaks, as it passes by the bulbs, this heated air magnifies the problem. Snow: this may be hard to wrap your head around, but snow has an R value of between 1 and 2 depending on...

...house walls from the outside and the pitfalls to avoid... Find more pages about how to build energy efficient and durable walls here : Choosing a house wrap, which is best? How to choose between OSB and Plywood sheathing for Walls The difference between air barriers and vapor barriers How to i...

...Wrap . "If the Earthship were a gasoline engine, Thermal Wrap and double or triple greenhouses would be fuel injection. I am ready to race any conventional heating system." - Michael Reynolds, Earthship Biotect . Thermal mass does store and release heat, but the magic happens by separating the interior and exterior...

...house wrap (WRBs) , tightly sealed sheathing, insulation that slows airflow, and well-sealed gypsum board (drywall). To explain this further, Gypsum board (drywall) is vapor permeable, but stops air flow. This means water vapor can diffuse through it, but air cannot pass through it. So if you were to have a home with...