When it comes to insulating and air-sealing tricky spaces, spray foam is often the go-to solution. In this New England walk-out basement, Aron Jones of Big Dog Construction Inc. uses Froth-Pak™ 200 Foam System to separate the unconditioned basement from the conditioned living space above. The result is a durable and efficient layer of insulation that’s drywall-ready.

By now, almost all builders know the importance of installing a water-resistive barrier (WRB) behind siding. Most types of siding leak, so it’s a good idea (and a code requirement) to install a WRB to protect your wall sheathing from any wind-driven rain that gets past the siding.

According to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, there will be around a million-and-a-half housing units built in the United States this year (unit includes apartments, condos, and single-family houses). Most of these units will be built to the standard of the applicable building codes. That sounds like a good thing, but remember that the code is a minimum standard, so a house that simply meets code requirements is the worst house you can legally build.

When it comes to minisplit heat pumps, you get to play by different rules. With a traditional split-system heat pump (or air conditioner), there’s one outdoor unit and one indoor unit. But with minisplits, you have the option of connecting multiple indoor units (aka heads) to a single outdoor unit. Sometimes you’ll see this called a multisplit heat pump. Interesting idea, eh? Sounds like it might save money and make things simpler to have only one outdoor unit. But what are the downsides?

Mold isn’t a bad thing. Without it, we wouldn’t have beer, blue cheese, or penicillin. When mold starts attacking the inside of your house, however, it is a bad thing. Even before the memorable onslaught of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, we’d seen a lot more moldy buildings. Mold claims in Texas alone increased by five times a few years ago and cost homeowners’ insurers more than $1 billion in 2001. Why?

In my role as production manager at TDS Custom Construction I am responsible for producing several different budgets for each project as it moves through our process, beginning with an initial suggested construction budget and ending with a fixed-price contract. From a client’s first interaction with us through the entire process of schematic design and design development, my budgeting work allows the client to become an informed part of the project team. You may have noticed that nowhere in that brief overview of our process did I refer to my work as “estimating” or to my deliverable to the client as an “estimate.” This is by design.

Nowhere in building design has there been more confusion or more dramatic change in recommended practice than with vapor retarders. Thirty years ago, we were told to always install a polyethylene (poly) vapor barrier on the warm side of the wall. Then we were told to forget the poly and go with an airtight layer of drywall (airtight drywall approach). Insulation contractors, meanwhile, often said to skip the vapor barrier; we need to let the wall or ceiling cavity dry out.