Blocking the eve vents with the insulation is one of the most common causes of moisture problems in attics. The insulation should extend over the top of the outer wall and stop short of the vents, not touching the roof in such a way as to block air passages from the vents into the attic.Batt...
When we talk about insulating roofs we are usually dealing with situations in which there is no attic: either it doesn't exist or it has been converted into heated living space. So, we are talking about cathedral ceilings, flat, and basin-type roofs. Cathedral roofs are slanted and drain l...
Much of this book has been concerned with controlling humidity in the house. A double-glazed window is a perfect alarm system to warn us of dangerous humidity conditions. A double-glazed window has just enough thermal insulation to allow comfort in the house without producing condensation on th...
For you DIY fanatics, the answer is YES.The University of Saskatchewan published a plan for one in the early 80's. It works; I even built one on TV. But it was hard to defrost, impossible to clean and we never did manage to get it out of the basement so it has been left there to be discovered b...
Joan from Armstrong, BC is having trouble adjusting the ventilation system in her new home to keep condensation off the windows. She told us the kind of system she has and said that it was required by the building code. Actually no specific system is required by any of the building codes. ...
Sally from Toronto, Ontario has a problem with the neighbours that live below her in a triplex. She doesn't like their cooking odours and they just fill her apartment.There are two things that can be done to temper the smells from the apartment below. First, caulk or foam up all the cracks b...
John in Scarborough wanted to put a ceiling fan above his stairwell, but the existing electrical outlet was not in the middle. He tore the whole ceiling up (attic insulation and all) to manage to move the box over to the middle.We talked about his project and then I showed him the new light weigh...
Gills writes from South Surrey, B.C.:Problem: High humidity in a crawl space. What do you suggest to reduce this problem. Info: Rancher style home (single level), 1800 sq.ft. Crawl space: 6 ft. high, concrete floor No windows The only existing opening is a 6 inch pipe going out side.---------...
Although most people, even contractors, may have a hard time defining the new building code term 'spillage susceptible', it is a term that is critically important for the everyone's health.An appliance, be it gas, oil, propane or wood, is spillage susceptible if it is possible for negative pre...
20 years ago Bob built a geodesic dome in Saskatchewan. As you can see, it was a community effort. After all this time he has finally gotten tired of the snow melting off the roof creating all kinds of ice cycles, so he is asking about the feasibility of putting some Styrofoam right over th...
