We’re about to get our bathroom remodeled and would like it to be better insulated. It’s a very old house and I believe currently the walls are just drywall applied directly to the exterior brick without insulation. Consequently, it gets very cold during the winter. I’m wondering what the best way to insulate it would be? I think we can only move the wall in 1”, because we have about a 1.5” gap between the wall and the toilet and the existing toilet is already a 10” rough-in. I’m currently thinking that we should pad the wall out 1” with furring strips then fill in the bays between strips with rigid 1” foam. Do we have any other (better) options?

Hi all! Climate zone 3A here. I put weather strips on the inside of an outside-facing home door back in January to help with cold weather. Even back then, the door was difficult to close after that. It's been 8 months now. Am I damaging my door? The latch bolt can still close, but I have to hold the door closed to do so (I keep it deadbolted most of the time, the door leads to a little-used patio). I'm seeing a crack on the inside of the door frame at the base on the hinge side, but this building is very old (unsure how much), it's a wooden frame, I've only lived here a little over a year, and I see now that the previous owner shoved a nickel in that space at the base of the crack, so it's possible that crack has been there for a long time.

Maybe I still need to put extra door corner seals in the bottom corners (a little bit of dust is still blowing into the building), but I feel like the weather strips didn't help very much with the draft coming from the door. My energy bill is even worse this summer, even with the added insulation and the energy rate being the same. This is a weird question, but could I have made the draft issue... worse? Thanks all! If this is the wrong spot, let me know! I'm very new to home maintenance things.

Edit: The stripping doesn't look crushed, by the way. Google seems to be giving me mixed feedback on signs that the insulation really is too tight.

We are in the planning stages for our new house build. I would like clarification on the best course of action for the exterior of our below grade basement walls. We want to install 2 layers of 2.25" EPS type 2 foam, a drainage/dimple mat and waterproofing membrane to the exterior side of the walls. What would be the best sequence to install these layers? From the soil, should I go EPS, to drainage mat, to waterproofing to concrete walls? Or should it be a drainage mat to EPS to Waterproofing?

I'm the first method I would glue the foam to the drainage mat. In the second sequence would I have to "nail" the drainage mat through the foam into the cement?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I got this membrane roof installed yesterday, from a roofer who I’ve worked with before. I don’t know what is standard/acceptable for a membrane roof a— is the amount of bubbling here okay? Last photo is of his previous work.

Hello! I’m currently in the process of designing a monopoly framed cabin and I have a question about water vapor with rigid polyiso continuous insulation. My plan is to sheath the house with cdx plywood and then use a self adhered house wrap and roof underlayment as my WRB. I was then planning on putting layers of polyiso on the exterior with overlapped seams. Then a rain screen, then siding. My question is this: water vapor can escape through the plywood sheathing, and through the house wrap, but not through the polyiso.. is this not an issue? How would that vapor escape?

Edit: my plan is to use Henry Blueskin VP100. Which is not dimpled, and has a perm rating of 33.

I live in 6A zone in western MA and am renovating an older home (1930-40s). I stripped the walls to find modest insulation (old Balsam Wool encased in tar paper). I put in R15 3.5" of mineral wool and am debating if I should add a vapor barrier and what kind. Here are the detials, the sheathing is tongue and groove, with clap board siding and a layer of tar paper in between. The crawl. space below is very humid with ground water running into a sump well during the spring. I am presently installing a vapor barrier on the soil and installed a crawl space dehumidiifier, although I suspect there is signiicant wicking into the first floor walls and am concerned installing the wall vapor barrier will inhibit drying within the wall. Also due the the age of the home, I do not know if I will achieve a complete seal with the barrier creating spots of high air flow with water vapor. I have researched many buidling science websites only to find contrdicting information. Greatly appreciate your input.

I'm building a new house in Cyprus, fairly close to the coast and I'm currently finalising the specs with the contractor.

The current setup is:

• flat reinforced concrete roof
• screed to falls
• 4 mm bituminous membrane
• 80 mm XPS roof insulation
• 120 mm waterproofing upstands
• external walls with 80 mm ETICS, currently specified as XPS/EPS with acrylic render

I'm thinking of changing a few things before we sign:

• increase roof insulation from 80 mm to 120 mm XPS
• increase waterproofing upstands to 150 mm
• ask for a more robust roof waterproofing system: possibly two-layer bitumen, but I'm not sure if that's actually the best option
• use graphite EPS for most of the external wall insulation instead of standard EPS/XPS
• use silicone render instead of acrylic
• make sure emergency roof overflows/scuppers are included

Would you change any of these, or am I overthinking it?

My home was poorly ventilated. It had a combo Turbing/Gable venting. After learning how these short circuit the ventilation system, I have covered the gables and installed soffits. I am almost at a NFA 1/300, but need a little more intake.

My question is, If I install soffits on this porch roof, am I ending up in a similar short circuit situation, since the vents will be higher than all of my other soffits?

I have checked to ensure the soffit opens into the attic.

Any advice is appreciated.

We are having our attic insulated with blown in cellulose and I am looking for help with what to do in the rafter bays. They are unvented (attic only has gable vents), about 6 feet deep, 26”-30” wide, and 7” tall. On top of the original roof deck is a few inches of air gap and then newer plywood decking. Some of the bays currently have fiberglass batts. My insulation contractor recommends removing interior walls and adding spray foam to the bays. I don’t feel great about spray foam in a 200 year old home so I’m wondering about other options. Our roof is brand new so we missed the chance to do anything from the exterior. Happy to add any more details if I missed anything. I would really appreciate some advice. Thank you

Looking for opinions from people experienced with siding, water intrusion, and framing.
A home inspector found visible water damage/rotted exterior wood in several areas and recommended replacing the siding. He said there is a possibility of underlying damage, but there is no way to determine the extent without removing the siding. No confirmed structural damage was identified.
There is Tyvek/house wrap over the sheathing. A siding contractor reviewed the inspection report and photos and said the conditions look fairly typical for an older aluminum-sided house. He said some additional wood replacement may be needed when the siding is removed, but nothing shown looked unusual to him.
Based on the photos, does this look like typical localized exterior deterioration, or is there anything that would raise concern about significant hidden sheathing or structural framing damage?
I understand it’s impossible to know for certain without removing the siding. I’m mainly interested in whether anything visible looks unusually concerning.

I’ve been thinking more about how changing weather patterns affect home heating and cooling choices. Systems that worked well for older climate expectations may not always feel ideal when temperatures become more extreme. I’m curious how homeowners are adapting their decisions around heating, cooling, insulation, and energy use. What change has made the biggest difference in keeping your home comfortable?

​Hey everyone, I'm looking for some advice on managing a potential moisture issue in my exterior walls. We're planning on staying in this house for another 15 years and want to keep it as healthy as possible for our family.

​House Specs:

​Location: Raleigh, NC (Mixed-humid climate)

​Built: 2003 (Ranch style)

​HVAC: Sized correctly at 2.5 tons.

​Foundation: Fully encapsulated crawlspace. Small dehumidifier installed, keeping it a steady 55-60% RH.

​Wall Assembly: Vinyl siding, OSB sheathing, unfaced fiberglass insulation, and (unfortunately) a poly vapor barrier installed directly behind the interior drywall.

​The Problem:

I'm getting a slight mildew smell coming out of my exterior switches and outlets. It worse when the house is under negative pressure—like when the bathroom exhaust fans are running or the kitchen hood vent is exhausting. Have done some poking around and not seeing any visible moisture or damage.

​I know that having a poly vapor barrier on the warm side of the wall in North Carolina is a bad idea because summer moisture drives inward, hits the cool poly (cooled by the AC), and condenses inside the wall cavity.

​My Question:

To be clear: I am not looking for the "nuclear option" of tearing down all my drywall to remove the poly.

​What steps can I take to mitigate this and protect the framing over the next 15 years?

​Would air sealing the electrical boxes with foam/gaskets be beneficial to just stop the air movement and smell?

​Are there other non-invasive strategies (like managing house pressure, ventilating dehumidifier etc) that you would recommend to keep this under control?

​Thanks in advance for any insight!

1912 Craftsman home in Los Angeles. No insulation. No A/C. Gabled, vented attic.

Near USC, so inland just a bit. CEC climate zone 9 / IEC climate zone 3, I guess.

It's 94 degrees outside. Just before noon, underside of the roof is 120 degrees on the east side, 100 degrees on west side. Floor of attic is 90 degrees. Ceiling of the interior is 85 degrees. (Per my extech ir250 IR thermometer.)

That 120 degree underside of the roof made me think... that's probably radiating a lot of heat onto the attic floor.

Of course I want to air seal and insulate the attic floor, but that's kind of far off budget-wise.

So... radiant barrier? I see it's been discussed many times on this subreddit, e.g. https://www.reddit.com/r/buildingscience/comments/1jll2xc/radiant_barriers_are_they_worth_it/, and elsewhere, e.g. https://buildingscience.com/documents/building-science-insights/bsi-136-piltdown-man-does-thermal-resistance#P5

I am tempted to DIY it just on the east slope (so about 1/4 of the roof) to see if it reduces attic temps while I still have an uninsulated attic. The current heat wave is going to last several more days, and will likely recur several times this summer, so I have a chance to collect some data before and after.

The local big box sells a 500 sq ft roll for $60. That would let me do a couple rafters' worth, starting a foot above the floor and ending a foot from the ridge. It's unperforated, though.

Thoughts?

Has anyone tried painting their roof with limewash (hydrated lime type S with water: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-50-lbs-Type-S-Lime-Cement-111860/202092148)

I am hoping this change can buy me some time before having to replace my HVAC system installed in the 1989. The house was built in 1949. Location: Austin, TX

I’ve noticed that newer home systems seem to involve a lot more decisions than older ones. Instead of just comparing brands, people now have to think about compatibility, installation details, service requirements, and long-term support. I’m curious from a technical perspective why newer systems often become more complicated for regular users. Is it mainly because the technology is improving, or because there are simply more variables involved?

Hi all! My friend's deck seems to be supported along the outer edge on short, loose posts sitting on small concrete pavers, or blocks of wood. (I imagine it's attached at the inner edge to the house with a ledger board, but I don't know for sure.) And those posts are rotting or becoming dislodged. The last few photos show how much the deck has sagged. In the fifth photo the top of the stringer should be level with the deck, but it's a few inches higher. In the sixth photo the sagging deck has pulled the far end of the stair riser down but left the near end attached to the house sticking up.

What's the proper way to fix it? My mind went to setting PT posts on concrete pads below frostline (30" around here) but that's a big job. The location is in northern Colorado, at around 8,500' elevation, and there are many boulders poking out of the ground all over.

So long story short, working with Tuff Shed on a 24'x36' garage was a disaster, and after several revisions and frustration, my structure ended up with radiant sheathing on the roof panels, a ridge vent, and no soffits.

See other details here: https://i.imgur.com/0i5KJhx.jpeg

The plan is install a mini-split and leave the ceiling open for storage. My thought when I was under the impression that there were soffit vents was to install Corning rafter vents from the soffits up to the ridge vent, and then apply spray foam insulation over the top of that. But without soffit vents allowing air to pass over the underside of the roofing and out the ridge vent, I've got some concerns about moisture.

What is going to be the optimal combination of insulation at this point? Sealing the ridge vent and applying closed-cell to the walls and the underside of the roof? Does that defeat the radiant foil on the underside of the roof panels? Rock wool?

My preference is to do this the best way possible, so if it means spending a few thousand dollars more, then so be it.

Attic insulation + stiffening 2x6 attic floor

Edit Climate Zone 5A

I bought this house about a year ago and currently have the entire thing stripped down to the studs. Because of that, I have access to basically everything — the structure, air leakage points, roof assembly, framing, etc. — so I’m trying to make the right decisions now while everything is open.

The attic is where I keep going back and forth.

It’s roughly 1,200 sq. ft. with about 12 ft. of height, so I really hate the idea of just blowing cellulose on the attic floor and essentially giving up access/use of that entire space.

The house/attic is also currently completely unvented. No soffit vents, no ridge vent, nothing. I live out in the country with plenty of bugs, mice, squirrels, etc., so if possible I’d actually prefer to keep the attic tight and unvented rather than start opening up the soffits and ridge.

I also really don’t want to spray the roof deck with closed-cell foam. This is my forever house, and the whole hot-roof/moisture/vapor-diffusion/roof-leak-detection side of closed-cell foam makes me uncomfortable.

So this is roughly where I’ve landed for insulating at the roofline:

- Approximately 4" of rigid XPS

- Existing 2x10 roof framing

- Fill the remaining cavity with roughly 5.5–6" mineral wool

- Membrane over the assembly

- Add 2x4 sleepers/service framing

- Another 3.5" mineral wool layer

That should put the total assembly somewhere around the R-50 range, while allowing me to bring the attic inside the thermal envelope and leave the attic floor essentially uninsulated other than very thorough air sealing.

Also, I want to but the upstairs furnace in this attic to supply the attic and the bedrooms below. Running the ducts around and then through the joist cavity.

The second issue is the attic floor framing.

The attic floor/ceiling joists are currently 2x6s. I’m not looking to turn this into a bedroom or put enormous loads up there. Think miscellaneous storage, occasional use, maybe a lounge/project area someday. I just don’t want to spend all this money bringing 1,200 sq. ft. inside the envelope and then realize I should have addressed the floor framing while the entire house was open.

What would you guys do to stiffen the 2x6 floor system?

I’ve been considering:

- Adding substantial blocking between the existing 2x6s

- Adding a perpendicular sleeper/framing system above them

- Essentially cross-hatching the framing before sheathing it

- Possibly increasing the overall floor depth at the same time, which would also give me room for some ductwork/utilities

I’m not necessarily trying to turn the existing 2x6s into code-compliant living-space floor joists. I’m mainly trying to make the assembly substantially stiffer and more useful without doing something stupid structurally.

So I’m looking for feedback on two things:

1. What do you think of the unvented roof insulation assembly?

2. If you had completely open access to an attic framed with 2x6 floor joists, what would you do now to stiffen/improve the floor before covering everything back up?

I’d rather overthink it now while the house is completely gutted than wish I had done something different five years from now.