Category Archives: Air Intrusion/Thermal Envelope

Sealing and insulating the walls, floors and roof.

Trombe Wall in September

Posted on September 8, 2022 by ellen

The Trombe wall is too effective in the hot sunny days of September. The sun is lower in the sky so the overhang is not wide enough to shade the front. Even opening the windows at night and using fans … Continue reading →

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Net Zero Home Energy Rating (HERS)

Posted on July 3, 2022 by ellen

What is a HERS score? An organization of mortgage lenders was formed in the 80’s to study the value of home energy efficiency. Their efforts became RESNET in 1995. They were hoping to add value to homes that would save … Continue reading →

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Last Push before LEED Rating

Posted on May 23, 2022 by ellen

We returned from our camping trip late Tuesday and I had about two days to finish several projects for the LEED final rating appointment on Friday. It was not easy to prioritize. I found an article that mentioned the 10 … Continue reading →

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A-B Polyurethane Spray Insulation

Posted on May 3, 2022 by ellen

It seemed that the best way to insulate the rear wall of the utility room would be spray on insulation. Most of the wall is below grade so I knew it was insulated on the exterior but the top 11” … Continue reading →

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Dryer Vent Debacle

Posted on May 1, 2022 by ellen

My next project was to close the leaky area in the utility room. I started by cleaning off dust and taping the Siga membrane to the back header. I had expected to get the drywall fixed on the ceiling but … Continue reading →

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Drywall Touchups

Posted on April 6, 2022 by ellen

We called our favorite drywall guy, Hector, to return and touch up the drywall. He has been very successful the last five years and we were glad he came back to do more work at our house. We had the … Continue reading →

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Bestway Cellulose Insulation

Posted on March 9, 2022 by ellen

The back area of the house was not on the original gut remodel list. But several upgrades have been made. The crawl space was conditioned early in our thermal envelope work. Completed Crawlspace! The attic above was layered with all … Continue reading →

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Trim Work Phase Two

Posted on November 30, 2021 by ellen

The next trim project took four days. Scott and Robert worked on the “man” doors to the outside first. It was a bit of a scramble to get all the boards planed as they were needed. I planed the boards … Continue reading →

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Disappointing Blower Door Test

Posted on November 28, 2021 by ellen

Since working with the Metro Green Homes Tour I have met several people who have been active in sustainable and energy efficient housing for years. One of these new friends offered to come over with her equipment and do a … Continue reading →

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Moving Up to LEED 4.1

Posted on March 6, 2021 by ellen

All of the documentation on our LEED project so far has been to fulfill the requirements of LEED for Homes 2009. Although I have another year to qualify under the old system, I’ve contacted Energy Logic to finish up the … Continue reading →

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Hoppe Lock Jam

Posted on December 2, 2020 by ellen

We first had this problem when one of the doors was new. There is a piece on the three point lock that is called a mishandling device. This is a latch that releases the top and bottom throw bolts that … Continue reading →

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Insulating the Bathroom.

Posted on March 12, 2020 by ellen

About three quarters of the rear wall of the bathroom is poured concrete below ground and insulated on the outside. I added polyiso to the inside of the concrete wall and replaced the Fiberglas with rock wool. The interior walls … Continue reading →

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Rear Bathroom Gut Job

Posted on March 6, 2020 by ellen

In order to meet the minimum standard for LEED all the substrate around a tub or shower must be paperless including the ceiling. It’s required even under tiled walls. The existing tiled walls had been waterproof for over 30 years … Continue reading →

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Snug as a Bug

Posted on March 26, 2019 by ellen

Facebook reminded me that it has been seven years since we had our energy audit. Seven years since I retired. A bit over seven years since we purchased the house. The good news is that the property values have escalated, … Continue reading →

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Storage Closet

Posted on August 24, 2018 by ellen

Sealing the gap between the walls and the floor in the storage closet has been on the to do list for some time. I emptied the closet and vacuumed the floor to access the gap on the outside walls. The … Continue reading →

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Airlock Entry Interior Door

Posted on December 29, 2017 by ellen

As the cold weather descends and as I set the thermostats a little lower to cut back our electricity use (I’m studying our use to figure out where we use too much electricity) I decided it was time to isolate … Continue reading →

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Foundation Insulation

Posted on December 8, 2017 by ellen

We had some warm December weather and Dave thought he could do another outdoor project so he started digging the trench to repair and replace the foundation insulation. Although we thought the white insulation was EPS with its lower insulating … Continue reading →

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More Tile

Posted on August 17, 2017 by ellen

Unfortunately the tub drain still leaks but I decided to tile the second half of the bathroom instead of taking it apart again first. The wall near the sink plumbing was not square. Squaring the tile with the brick wall … Continue reading →

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A Week’s Worth of Drywalling

Posted on April 30, 2017 by ellen

Our drywall contractor had a problem with his subcontractors. Basically, they didn’t show on the date he set for the job. They probably would have showed eventually, they did send two guys for a short time at the end of … Continue reading →

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Drywall Prep: Membrane Installed

Posted on April 14, 2017 by ellen

The membrane on the rest of the walls has been installed, the seams taped, and the edges caulked to the studs. The caulk is super rubbery and stays flexible. It is recommended for the edges of the membrane. I put … Continue reading →

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