Episodes
Listeners write in about off-site construction, displaying old walls, and building outbuildings and ask questions about leaky doors, missing flashing, and insulating kneewalls.
Published 04/12/24
Published 04/12/24
Listeners write in about high water bills, soggy straw bales, and house fires and ask questions about tightening wood-fiber walls, places without inspections, and heat pump water heaters.
Published 04/05/24
Listeners write in about EVs, sources of CO, and structural engineering and ask questions about roof insulation, rim joists, and shrinking houses.
Published 03/29/24
Listeners write in about water conservation, useful books, and work trucks. Questions include builders in Oklahoma, roof insulation, and fixing ice dams.
Published 03/22/24
Listeners write in about the value of FHB and ask questions about basement flooring, condensation on windows, HVAC register locations, and heat-pump water heaters.
Published 03/15/24
Listeners write in about off-site construction and ask questions about board-framed walls, sealed crawlspaces, and overflowing laundry standpipes.
Published 03/08/24
Listeners write in about Super Insulated Houses and water pipes and ask questions about building a house inside a barn, sidewall flashing, and chimney dampers.
Published 03/01/24
Listeners write in about high-performance builds, wall insulation, and EV vans and ask questions about bad building, insulating a lean-to, and minisplit air distribution.
Published 02/23/24
Listeners write in about handyman businesses, NASA’s stuck screws, and leak detectors and ask questions about old houses, sizing beams, and restoring windows.
Published 02/16/24
A talk with Heather Clark Director of Building Emissions for the White House Climate Policy Office and feedback on missing water, Bay Area renovations, and pex manifolds.
Published 02/09/24
Listeners write in about choosing pipe material, finding a good contractor, charred timbers, and PV utility costs, and ask questions about venting metal roofing, air-sealing, and foundation drainage.
Published 02/02/24
Listeners write in about work vehicles and faulty LEDs and ask about extension jambs, charred timber frames, and wood flooring on concrete.
Published 01/26/24
Listeners write in about producer Jeff and moving heavy things and ask questions about WRBs, cavity insulation without sheathing, and IV drips for mold.
Published 01/19/24
Listeners write in about HVAC design, missing water, and a young builder and ask questions about rotted sills, builders and their comfort zone, and roofing shoes.
Published 01/12/24
Listeners write in about home-repair businesses, vertical siding, and click-together flooring and ask about stucco, build teams and building product warranties.
Published 01/05/24
Peter is navigating the Massachusetts stretch building code. Jim needs help choosing a domestic water pipe system. Wayne wants to tighten his attic. Adam asks about long-term tests of AeroBarrier.
Published 12/29/23
The crew hears from listeners about contracting in high-end zip codes and the economy of electric cars. Discussion questions include installing shou sugi ban forest products, saving leftover material, and how to air-seal a floor system that overhangs the foundation.
Published 12/22/23
The editors discuss widening an existing deck, modern timber-frame buildings, inexpensive building products, work vehicles, and installing a vented bath fan in this best-of compilation.
Published 12/15/23
Peter’s DIY addition appears on Google Street View. Ed shares a chart of common house problems. A listener says ethernet cables are not for lighting. Evan asks for help flashing the bottom of a metal building.  Listeners email about energy retrofits and siting new houses.
Published 12/08/23
The crew hears from listeners about protecting buried posts, hydronic HVAC, and building affordable houses. Discussion questions include small low-slope roofs, calculating heating and cooling loads, and encouraging the next generation of trade workers.
Published 12/01/23
The crew hears from listeners about housewrap, replacing windows in brick openings, and managing heavy beams. Discussion questions include wood foundations, raising a ceiling in a ranch, and sealing up panned joist returns.
Published 11/24/23
The crew hears from listeners about tight-fitting batt insulation, integrating HVAC equipment, and housing affordability. Discussion questions include foam insulation instead of a concrete slab, closing gaps in laminate flooring, and rainscreens under board siding.
Published 11/17/23
The crew hears from listeners about stair design, broken tool batteries, and toilets from the box store. Discussion questions include buying rental property, attic venting, and modified Bonfig walls.
Published 11/10/23
Consulting engineer and self-described compulsive measurer Marc Rosenbaum talks to Brian and Patrick about improving the comfort and efficiency of residential buildings.
Published 11/03/23