Featured Articles

• Notebook

  Marketing on the Internet, steel doors may present safety hazard, new NAHB performance guidelines, standard remod-eling contract offered

   

• Resources: Cold-Climate Construction (Subscriber content)

  Guides for cold-climate builders

   

• Notebook

  Coping with swings in lumber prices, back supports cut injuries, spray foam insulation outperforms fiberglass in extreme cold

   
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  Energy-Efficient Cathedral Ceilings

  It’s difficult to achieve a high R-value in a cathedral ceiling while preserving adequate roof ventilation. Here are four options for packing more insulation into the rafters, by an energy-conscious builder who has tried them all.

   

• New England Update

   

• Notebook

  DOE program to cut home energy use, EIFS homes lose insurance coverage, OSB prices drop

   

• Letters

  Protecting against bad clients, teaching the Japanese to build

   

• Building With Style: Is Manufactured Housing in Your Future? (Subscriber content)

  Sprucing up factory-built house designs

   

• Eight-Penny News

  A closer look at hardboard siding, cellulose insulation guarantee, Humvees for sale

   

• Legal Column: Getting a Fair Shake (Subscriber content)

  Getting paid for imperfect work

   

• Avoiding Foundation Failures (Subscriber content)

  After researching more than $50 million in claims, a site investigator has compiled this list of the most costly foundation problems, along with the techniques used to prevent them.

   

• Focus on Energy: New Energy Design Software (Subscriber content)

  Hot new energy design software

   

• Focus on Energy: Site Glazing with High-Tech Glass (Subscriber content)

  Site glazing with Superglass

   

• New England Update

   

• Focus on Energy: Energy Upgrades -- Cash Flow vs. Payback (Subscriber content)

  Efficiency upgrades

   

• Focus on Energy: A Nearly Perfect Cathedral Ceiling (Subscriber content)

  Airtight, well-ventilated cathedral ceiling

   

• Focus on Energy: Simple Airflow Test (Subscriber content)

  Simple pressure test for ductwork

   

• Vented vs. Unvented Roofs: The Great Debate (Subscriber content)

  In a perfect world, air retarders and careful insulation details would keep moisture out of the roof. But real buildings are never perfect, and venting is still the safest approach, especially in cathedral ceilings.

   

• Eight-Penny News

  OSB maker indicted for fraud, carpet offgassing revisited, code bodies flip-flop on cellulose flammability

   

• Fiberglass vs. Cellulose: Making the Choice (Subscriber content)

  In the insulation industry’s version of the Chevy/Ford debate, builders are faced with conflicting claims and a host of distracting side issues. This no-nonsense comparison shows that, depending on the job, both materials perform well when used correctly.