Spray foam makes houses tighter, right? Maybe. Usually. Having blower-door tested hundreds of homes with every insulation combination you can imagine, I’ve developed some opinions. Spray foam insulations have a […]
Airtightness and Spray Foam Insulation Read More
Life on the Farm My great grandmother lived to be 103 years old. She was born, lived and worked, and died on the family farm in Hildebran, North Carolina.The farm
According to my neighbor’s rain gauge, Asheville has had 16 inches of rain in the past 2 weeks. The 14-day forecast says that 10 days from now we might have
Should green building programs be doing more to address climate change? Read More
Where we build is often as significant as how we build or what we build. A super efficient small green built home in town often has the lowest energy costs
We have always included a solar greenhouse as part of our homes. Our first one in 1983 was an attached greenhouse with leaky French doors that separated it
June is solar energy month! This makes a lot of sense because it’s one of the most productive months for the solar technologies in our house. It’s also time for
Celebrating “solar energy month” in NC Read More
Green Challenges Manifest As the great amphibious philosopher Kermit once observed, “It ain’t easy being green”. This was demonstrated to me firsthand when we visited the USGBC Greenbuild Seminar recently.
Green Challenges Manifest as the great amphibious philosopher Kermit Read More
The green building movement is toward net Zero, where a building produces as much renewable energy as it uses overall. It is a reachable and measurable goal that is attractive
Is solar thermal dead? Should it be? Despite what you may read in popular blogs and hear from people around you, I don’t think so. I have it in my
We should probably all stop picking on solar thermal Read More
Premise; as essential elements of sound building practice, foundations are expensive in time, money, and are carbon intensive. Further, foundations require a considerable sum of human capital or brain-space, to
The Role of Precast Foundations in Green Residential Building Read More
