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 I feel the earth move under my feet1 To state the obvious earthquakes are a major threat to the structural integrity of homes.  New homes and existing homes need to be connected to foundations to… Read More

  I, as an engineer, am born with a genetic defect….as all engineers are…the “efficiency gene”.  We can’t help ourselves.  The more efficient a thing is…the better it is…in our engineering brains….I… Read More

Stucco over concrete masonry units (“CMU’s)1 aka “block walls” is a Florida thing….that sometimes migrates north.  We know a lot about how they work…but sometimes we forget…  And then subtle things… Read More

My pappy said, “Son you’re going to drive me to drinkin’ if you don’t stop framing that hot rod1 buildin’…” Have you heard the story of the frame wall race Where spruce and pine were settin’ the pace… Read More

My Spidey sense is tingling [1]Note that this is an “opinion column” [2]Work with me on this: In response to COVID, the CDC and others are now recommending a room air change rate of 4 to 6 air… Read More

Hanging cladding – hang on cladding, cladding hang on[1].. Continuous exterior insulation is such an obvious thing to do….and we are finally getting serious about it…but we still seem to go out of… Read More

Surface tension can cause all kinds of problems in buildings. Rainwater can flow around a surface as a result of surface tension (Figure 1).  The traditional way of dealing with surface tension is to… Read More

Thirty years ago I said the moldiest buildings in the United States were air-conditioned hotels with vinyl wall coverings that operate under a negative air pressure….they literally “sucked”…. Not… Read More

This has nothing to do with a pony or Nebraska1.In general there are two main types of fire issues: fires emanating from the interior of a building and fires emanating from the exterior of a building… Read More

Don’t get hit by a wave1….Don’t get too wet…and…Make sure you dry…The best way to design for floods is to build in places where you don’t get floods. Yeah, right. We have gotten pretty good at… Read More