Green Home Builder To Answer Question

[Rusty55]

I am a Green Home builder out of the Boise, Idaho area. If you have questions about building a structure, finish work, anything to do with building I would love to help.

I may ask about building a 1976 FJ55 in return.

Here is my project.

IH8MUD™ Forums

 

[MoJ]

Thanks for the offer.

It might be outside of your area of concentration but...

How about a list of the top 5 green improvements a do-it-yourselfer can make to an existing home?

 

[Hallmark]

Green Home Tips

Rusty55

Another for the green home improvements, would love some do it yourself tips for the old Montana Homestead....

Kick down Brother...

 

[JB740i]

Thanks for the offer.

It might be outside of your area of concentration but...

How about a list of the top 5 green improvements a do-it-yourselfer can make to an existing home?

DITTO

 

[Rusty55]

1.) Insulation is your best and Cheapest home savings. Attic and crawl space. R44-R60
code and energy star is an R38 which works well with 2x6 walls.

2.) Get your duct work pressure tested if you have a forced air system. 2.1 Mastic your duct work, and furnace to seal it.

3.) Radiant barrier in the attic. (New constructions 2x6 walls with High Density R15 and a radiant barrier and 1" air space does amazing things for your heat and cooling bills).

4.) Seal off all penetrations on the outside walls, floor and cieling. 2 or 3 tubes of caulking does wonders. Outlets and lights ect...

 

[John Galt]

We take it a few steps further with new construction.

2x6 studs at 24"o/c are used, then a continuous air\vapor barrier of 6 mil polyethylene is applied on the inside of the wall studs and the roof trusses. All joints and seams in the air\vapor barrier are sealed with acoustical sealant or red sheathing tape. Then the ceiling is strapped with 1x4 and the walls are strapped with 2x3 horizontally at 16" o/c. The whole building is sealed as one big room before the interior partitions are erected. Only then is the electrical wiring run so all electrical is inside the continuous air\vapor barrier. Both the 2x6 space and 2x3 space is filled with insulation. The exterior is clad with Tyvek type air barrier which lets any moisture escape which might get into the walls. Plywood sheathing is NOT used, diagonal wind bracing is used instead for strength. The wall exterior is strapped diagiagonally with 1x4 and then the siding is applied.

We use the best windows we can afford. Typically triple glazed, lowE coated, argon filled, with most of the window area to the south east for optimal solar gain.

Ventilation for fresh air is provided with an air-to-air heat exchanger or HRV. This unit recovers heat fron the exhaust air and uses it to heat the incoming fresh air.

We've been building houses like this since the 1980s with the Canadian R2000 housing standards. For more information look here:
About R-2000