Basements

Reader Questions – Basement Ceiling Insulation and Moisture

March 21, 2013
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  Erik, I have been trying to educate myself so that I may finish my house. I have a garage/basement that is above ground. Above that is the finished house. I want to fire safe my house, i.e.. separate the garage from the main house using 5/8 drywall in the ceiling. What I am not [...]

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The Worst House Ever Audited (Was Built in 2008) Part 3

March 11, 2013
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    To recap: Last post I started reviewing possibly the worst house I ever audited. The house had built in 2008, which hit one of my pet peeves: That new automatically means good. But to reiterate a buddy’s favorite saying, “a house built to code is the worst house you’re legally allowed to build.” [...]

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Journal of Poor Homebuilding – Blobs of Cellulose Mold

November 30, 2012
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      This was a first. I’ve never seen dense pack cellulose in a basement. The sills had been netted and packed with cellulose. The netting and been pulled down in some places but the packed cellulose remained. This may not have been a problem if not for the surrounding swamp. The house had [...]

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Journal of Poor Homebuilding v.12 – The One That Got Away

August 8, 2012
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    While going through the archived photos, I had a few specifically in mind. Some old boilers, specific construction issues I’d seen, etc. But one image I keenly wanted was from a Westbrook turn of the century old-style colonial. It was one of my first audits for the old Maine State Housing HELP loan [...]

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How Much Insulation Do You Need?

June 8, 2012
Insulation

  OK…We’re back after that brief incident of real life. Besides the obvious answer – MORE (but you knew that just based on your heating bills, didn’t you?), how much insulation do you need? There are loads of different standards from Energy Star to PassivHaus to your dad (“about this much” … holds hands apart). [...]

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