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One of the most iconic images that shaped my career in the early days was from Madelene Rousseau’s presentation at “”Building Science Insight: ’83”…Humidity, Condensation and Ventilation in Houses…… Read More

Below grade water management is necessary for all below grade spaces.  Yes, we were here before (BSI-125: Concrete Basement Foundations – July, 2021), but we covered only two approaches – the… Read More

So here we are…ready for the “big show”…but not quite at the big show.  Think of it this way…to get to zero energy conservation takes us most of the way…and the last bit is the renewables piece… Read More

Water is weird…and I point this out in an admiring manner…  Water by itself is weird…it is a “polar molecule”…think “tiny magnets”….but when it changes phase from a liquid to a solid or from a… Read More

Where foundation insulation is on the exterior of foundations and touches the ground it needs to be protected.   Yes, this should be obvious, but it is often overlooked.  One of the most… Read More

To vent, or not to vent…that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer  The slings and arrows of outrageous moisture, Or to take arms against them And by opposing end them.… 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

Dirty Harry Does Insulation[1] “A good insulation always knows its limitations….” After all these decades thermal performance should be pretty non-controversial.  How complicated can… Read More

One of the most common foundation approaches to residential construction are concrete basements.  They can be insulated on the inside or the outside.  The basis of all basement foundations… Read More

Wall assembly design and construction needs to consider rain, temperature, humidity as defined by the hygro-thermal regions, annual rainfall and the interior climate classes as environmental loads… Read More