Wood-burning masonry fireplaces are nice but come at a cost: They don’t offer much... More
Commissioning is not a word we hear much in residential construction, but it's a... More
Let’s start with some obvious mistakes that aren’t even visible to most builders... More
There are no clear policies for the two biggest IAQ hazards - carbon monoxide and... More
A 20 minute version of my HVAC presentation to the AIA Austin Chapter in August 2013. More
If there are bad odors in the HVAC system of a newly-built home, they are likely... More
I have customers who wants me to build a log home that will be used seasonally, for about two months of the summer and another two months in the winter. During the rest of the year they want to leave the house closed up and unheated. We're at the edge of the Rocky Mountain Front Range in eastern British Columbia, and winter temperatures often fall to 20F. I've discouraged the clients from installing a hydronic heating system because of the difficulty of draining it twice a year (draining the domestic water will be headache enough), but what other potential problems should I be thinking about? I'm concerned that the radical swings in temperature could damage interior finishes More
Q: My company has been contracted to build a new bathroom. Plans include a tile floor installed over a radiant-heated slab. Will the heat generated by the hydronic tubing embedded in the slab cause problems with the wax seal between the toilet and the dra More
If condensation is appearing on windows, green timbers might be contributing to... More
