Irrigation – Hiring the Right Guy (Part 2)

May 2, 2011

As discussed in the previous post, searching for irrigation professionals that pursue education in best practices for efficient irrigation design and installation is the first step in putting together your irrigation team. To make this process even easier….if your landscape plan is prepared by a certified professional irrigation designer, neither your builder nor irrigation installer need [...]

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Irrigation – Hiring the Right Guy

April 18, 2011

How much thought have you given to the irrigation system component of your building or remodeling project? For most people, the answer is little to none, but leaving the details of this part of the building process to chance can haunt you for years. Today many irrigation systems are “designed” on the fly during installation [...]

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Building Science – Draining Exterior Stucco Walls

April 4, 2011

Reality: There is no such thing as waterproof exterior cladding. Therefore, exterior walls must include a system that allows water to drain and escape from behind the “skin” of the home. Outdated methods or miss understandings of newer products prevail, resulting in building failures that could have easily been prevented. Remember, 80% of all building failures [...]

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When Peel ‘n Stick Doesn’t

March 21, 2011

Self -adhesive (peel ‘n stick) roofing underlayments are a considerable improvement over felt paper for secondary water protection. When shingles or other roof coverings fail in severe weather, the right underlayment can shield the home from significant water damage. So why did some homeowners here in Florida pay for a peel ‘n stick product only to have [...]

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The Ultimate Water Management Guide

December 23, 2010

Controlling rain and ground water are the single most important factors in the design and construction of durable buildings and in the control of mold. As a matter of fact, according to the Energy and Environmental Building Association (EEBA), approximately 80 percent of all building failures are related to water. The building scientist and founder [...]

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Green and/or Energy-Efficient Home Appraisals (Part 2) 7 Documents that Improve Results

November 24, 2010

Once you’ve found a lender and appraiser experienced with green or energy-efficient homes, you’ll need to give them the supporting paperwork to properly evaluate your project. Since a green home looks like any other, spelling out the differences is necessary. The following 7 documents will state your case: 1. HERS Index: Provide the initial HERS Index determined from [...]

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Green and/or Energy-Efficient Home Appraisals – Knowing Your Rights is Key

November 16, 2010

Green home construction is still in its infancy and so is the supporting infrastructure. Lenders and appraisers are slowing coming onboard but dealing with the current lack of green knowledge in the majority of these institutions is frustrating at best.  However, you can play a part in obtaining the best appraisal for your green / [...]

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Building Science – Air Out Must Equal Air In

October 26, 2010

Ideally, a house should sit at a slightly positive pressure but normal household operation can change the home to a depressurized state. For example: * A clothes dryer can pull as much as 200 cubic feet / minute of conditioned air out of the home * A central vacuum system can also pull as much as [...]

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How to Confirm Proper Installation of Attic Spray Foam

October 11, 2010

My previous post talked about the differences between open-cell spray foams, one of those differences being the thickness required to reach air-impermeable status. That brings up the questions: (1) How can one tell if the attic spray foam has been installed to the correct thickness to truly seal the attic; and (2) why is this [...]

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All Open-Cell Spray Foams are NOT Alike

September 30, 2010

Does it matter which open-cell (0.5#) spray foam insulation you select? They’re all alike, right? Most people think so but this is absolutely not true. Two main points of comparison: 1. The thickness needed into order to reach air-impermeable status.   2. The requirement for an ignition barrier in sealed attic situations. Test protocols for these [...]

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