Good Morning,
My wife and I are design/building a house near Syracuse, NY (Climate Zone 5) and would like some feedback on a few areas we are concerned about.

1.  Would like feedback on our roof layers- we plan to do a vented roof R-60 overall but we want to stay as lean as possible with our construction sequencing. Curious about whether to use a vapor barrier or air barrier on the interior side of walls and roof while utilizing R-9 Zip sheathing on walls and just a zip sheathing on roof as the exterior barriers.

 2.  For walls we will pursue R-32 with 6″ stud framing and may order them as panels. Would also like feedback on the zip sheathing as it transitions to the roof layers.

3. We are pricing out window systems and where we show sills at the floor would propose omitting the fin/flanges so that we can position the window inset from the slab edge. Most options are coming back as double pane 0.30 U factor standard for New York code. Any feedback here appreciated.

4.  Has anyone used the CERV system successfully and did you have to supplement with additional cooling? We want to minimize duct runs/sizes and filter maintenance, as well as the use of refrigerants.

We have read previous posts comparing this option to a heat exchanger tied into the ERV supply but not in-depth responses from anyone who has tried it.

Any and all feedback is welcomed and appreciated!

Cheers!
Will & Karen