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Minimizing Concrete in a Slab-on-Grade Home
Whether your goal is to cut construction costs, minimize environmental impact, or both, there are practical ways to build a home with less concrete
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The Best Reason to Have an All-Electric Home
When you have to make a choice between electricity or natural gas, it's clear that electricity is better for the environment and maybe for your checkbook, too.
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How to Install Doors in Thick Walls
Super-insulated walls make it challenging to install standard-size doors. Here are a few proven options for making jamb and sill extensions that work.
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Wingnut Testing of Soffit-to-Ridge Venting, Round 3
On site testing of real cathedral roof assemblies with a theatrical fogger
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How to Look at a House like a Building Scientist (Part 2: Heat)
A nuanced look at thermal imaging and how it can shed light on much more than heat loss
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Indoor Air Quality and VOCs
Volatile organic compounds are a real health risk in our homes. They don't have to be.
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Windows in Thick Walls
Thick-wall assemblies offer better comfort and energy efficiency, but installing windows presents a challenge for builders
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Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral (Part II)
An environmental microscopist's perspective
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How to Look at a House like a Building Scientist (Part 1: Air)
Using diagnostic tools to find air leaks that make homes inefficient, uncomfortable, and are often the cause of moisture-related problems
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The Third Worst Place to Put a Duct
And the multiple reasons to change it if your house has this problem
