"Building science"

Building science / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Healthy indoor air quality

Why you should Never Install Air-Con in a Home with a Vapor Barrier

...building envelopes. "Building codes are making you do stupid things. The laws of physics trump code." - Joe Lstiburek This article was inpired by building scientist Joe Lstiburek, one of the most globally trusted and well-known names in building science who has left an indelible mark on the building codes of the Un...

Basements improvements

Why are basements moldy? How to fix or Prevent a Moldy Basement

...Building Science Corporation has to say about this type of basement wall assembly - "The experience by the Building Science Consortium with these two approaches has been bad. The Building Science Consortium has concluded that these two approaches are unsuitable for use by the home building industry due to serious probl...

Wood and organic materials

Which is better, OSB or Plywood for Roofs, Walls & Floors?

...building industry experts that we have read and spoken with, is that OSB has a perm rating of 2 and plywood has a perm rating of 10. Those are the perm ratings you will find on many building information websites, though it conflicts with what is found in section 9.25.2.1 of the Canadian National Building Code, which ra...

Architecture and plan design

How to design for thermal comfort in a home

...building design prioritized thermal comfort for occupants, it is likely we would see a lot more radiant heating, and certainly better building envelopes. If you are custom building a new home, your best chance for a comfortable and efficient final product would come by employing a designer who leans towards high-perfor...

Efficient home design

The pros and cons of thermal mass in buildings

...building envelope will store and release heat, the more dense they are the more pronounced the effects are. Intentionally adding greater amounts of thermal mass in a building can be an advantage or a disadvantage depending on a lot of factors, and there is no right answer as to whether or not it will benefit you speci...

Efficient home design

Phase change building materials - natural heat storage in buildings

...building science makes mundane tasks like folding laundry a joy. This particular episode was about phase change building materials (PCMs) and how they can be incorporated into buildings to improve energy-efficiency by harnessing a naturally-occurring physical reality, 'the melting point'. When looking for commercial...

Efficient home design

Thermal batteries: how to passively store heat

...building materials with thermal mass benefits is concrete. In contrast to paraffin, 1 kg of concrete (Cp = 0.88 kJ/kg·K) would need 15.8 kJ to do the same. For water (Cp = 4.18 kJ/kg·K), the amount of energy required would be 75.2 kJ. The amount of energy put in is the amount of energy stored in a material, as this ene...

Efficient home design

Insulation in green home building, a balanced approach to putting it where it does the most good

...building codes might save you money not only in the future, but immediately. The purchase and installation of greater levels of insulation will increase building costs and your mortgage payment every month, but that can often be offset entirely when you are rewarded with lower utility bills. Meaning, your monthly expen...

Wall assemblies - renovation

Winter preparation for your home - are you ready for the cold?

...Building advice, see our Green Home Building guide pages to learn more about easy energy efficient home improvements, how to properly insulate an attic, When to replace old windows and when to repair them, How to choose the best windows and everything else you need to know about planning a renovation or new building pr...

Slab on Grade

Raft slabs - How to build Insulated Frost Protected shallow foundations (FPSF) on problem soils

...building to passive solar principles, here's a general timeline for building an insulated and frost protected slab-on-grade foundation. Remove the approximately 6 inches of organic material, two feet beyond where the building footprint will be. Build a retaining wall if necessary to create a level building surface. ...

Air and vapour barriers

Choosing the right house wrap / weather barrier, which is best?

...building materials. That gap in a rain screen doesn't need to be significant, just enough for water to drain and air to rise. If the weather barrier is tightly attached, as in the case of a peel-and-stick membrane or is part of a rigid board product, building scientists say as little as 1/16th gap provides a capillary ...