Document Search

As materials and equipment have improved, energy reduction as a goal has increasingly been replaced with the goal of net-zero energy use. But the general approach to building energy efficient homes… Read More

Wood moves. Drywall does not move. Interesting problem. The more you attach drywall to wood, the more cracks you have. Easy, attach the drywall to less wood, and, in a way, that allows the wood to… Read More

One-third of the energy you buy probably leaks through holes in your house. Reprinted with permission from Fine Homebuilding, October/November 2012, pages 45-49.

Smarter strategies can save money, speed construction, improve energy efficiency, and cut down on jobsite waste. Reprinted with permission from Fine Homebuilding, October/November 2005, pages 50-55.

Top ten blunders that rot your house, waste your money, and make you sick. Reprinted with permission from Fine Homebuilding Magazine, April/May 2004, pages 52-56. 

This article addresses the issue of top chord bearing truss in conventional residential construction framing in Phoenix AZ consuming considerably more wood than should have been used resulting in… Read More

Houses are environmental separators – they keep the outside out and the inside in.   Houses have walls, roofs and foundations that each have to be connected to each other (Figure 1).  To function as… Read More

This two-story slab-on-grade enclosure is designed for Sacramento, CA (Hot-Dry/Mixed-Dry Climate). It features a vented attic with a raised heel truss and cavity insulation at the attic floor, and… Read More

This one-story slab-on-grade enclosure is designed for Albuquerque, NM (Hot-Dry/Mixed-Dry Climate). It features a vented attic with a raised heel truss and cavity insulation at the attic floor, and… Read More

Phase II is a continuation of a charitable residential community in New Orleans called Project Home Again. Project Home Again is a not-for-profit organization that is overseeing the construction of… Read More