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Serious Materials, which recently acquired window innovator Alpen Energy Group, is tackling the wall’s most inefficient component with a new line of windows boasting unit R-values of 5 to 15. The company achieved this level, which is significantly higher than the R-2.5 to R-3 of a typical...
Performance requirements for wood-framed wall systems have changed considerably. Here’s how to meet today’s conditions and set new standards.
You can't gauge the truth of an opinion by the frequency of its repetition. Exhibit A: Builders' opinions concerning energy, insulation, heating, and cooling. A fair percentage of these beliefs — derived in part from product marketing, obsolete recommendations from "experts," and oft-repeated tales...
Of the many principles incorporated into green building, moisture management is key to succeeding in at least two: health (in terms of avoiding mold) and durability (in terms of avoiding premature deterioration of materials). And while the business of building homes gets more difficult and more...
A narrow lot, a bay view, and a full range of green features shape this Martha Rose construction home.
The decision to specify energy-efficient windows in your new homes or remodeling projects is a relative no-brainer; in fact, they’ve long since passed mainstream status given energy codes, local requirements, and buyers’ awareness and demand for more efficient products. Energy Star–rated windows...
When builder Mike Scarlett signed on to participate in the HBA of Greater Dallas Green Built Parade of Homes, which debuted in September, he had never so much as built an Energy Star house. But he rose to the challenge, hiring a consultant to help him decode such eco-measures as spray-foam...
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Technology and Commonsense Design Are Your Dest Defenses Against Moisture
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The increasing demand for eco-friendly homes is driving interest in building materials and methods that conserve energy. One such product is spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation, with manufacturers reporting double-digit growth annually.
Most builders know by now that as homes have gotten tighter, indoor air quality has declined. Brian McElroy is proving you can have it both ways.
Today a working knowledge of daylighting needs to be part of every lighting designer's skill set. But in fact, Daylighting is a broad term that encompasses many methods and techniques. This article explains some of the fundamental principles of daylighting with windows and clerestories, aptly...
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As the general manager of a custom home builder in Orlando, Fla., Mike Williams is very familiar with concrete and steel as building materials. His usual routine, as it is for most Gulf Coast builders, is to construct a first level of masonry block over a concrete slab foundation and then top that...
The pleasure afforded by a lovely view has always come at the expense of thermal efficiency, glare, and compromised security, a meager tradeoff for the many favorable attributes that windows afford. They frame scenes of the natural and manmade environment, and they let natural sunlight permeate our...
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Don Ferrier is your customer, even though he doesn't buy the bulk of his framing lumber from you anymore. In fact, except for what he needs for interior walls, Ferrier doesn't buy framing lumber at all. For the envelopes of the half-dozen custom homes he builds every year in the Fort Worth, Texas...
The latest in green products. LP. Installed like traditional OSB, LP TechShield radiant barrier sheathing can prevent up to 97% of radiant heat in the panel from entering a home's attic, and produce summertime energy savings of up to 20%, the maker says. Standard panels measure 4 feet by 8 feet in...
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It all started with the goal of building an affordable, healthier, more durable, near-zero energy home that could resist natural disasters and be faster to build than a standard wood-frame house.
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During its seven years as an ENERGY STAR partner, Parkersburg, W. Va.-based Simonton Windows has seen a 25 percent increase in requests for products meeting ENERGY STAR guidelines according to a recent company statement.
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The latest surface treatments respond to the demands of sustainability.
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When San Dimas, Calif.-based North American Residential Communities began installing radiant barrier sheathing in its homes, the builder's managers noticed a difference in their workers' break-time habits. Employees used to eat their lunch in the shade of the homes they were building, but now they...
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Structural insulated panels are an energy-efficient framing alternative.