Tim lives in a 13 year old house and is rather disturbed by the fact that he can see the studs and ceiling joists as if they were coming right through the wall.
Don't panic Tim, this is unfortunately very common. It relates to a poor job of insulation in a cold climate.
You see, the ...
Gordon from Montreal writes asking about the use of Celotex foam insulation (with aluminium foil cladding on both sides- 4 X 8 sheets). He writes:
"For your information, the Celotex product is considered by many, to be a premium insulator for residential installations. Ironically it is made in C...
As weather patterns change we are getting longer colder periods than traditionally in many areas of the country -- and with that, more and more complaints of water pipes freezing. Finding the frozen point can be difficult, thawing it can be problematic but if you have done those two, go one step ...
Do I need to place a vapour barrier against the brick wall, then insulation and then another vapour barrier over that? The wall does not leak and is fully underground. Barbara
THE VAPOUR BARRIER
The vapour barrier is more properly called a vapour retarder. It is designed to stop moisture in t...
Can I cut in a door where the basement window is presently?
Ed and Shirley from Dundas, Ontario want to put a door into the basement right where there is presently a window. Can they do it?
If the door is the same width as the window, there will be no structural problems above. If you make the ...
You might also call this entry “Insulating the ceiling of a garage under a bedroom”.
Any floor over a cold space will be cooler than a floor over a heated space, no matter how well you insulate it. So bay window jut-outs always have cold floors as do rooms over garages. For the bedroom over a...
Steve asks: "I have a question about insulating a home from the exterior. My house has got wood siding and I'm going to be removing it and replacing it with vinyl siding and when I do I want to insulate certain areas with blown in insulation but I heard that it settles over time. So if it starts ...
Richard writes in:
Hi, I could not find this second level question on your web site. I am familiar with the humidity levels required in a home to avoid condensation on the inside on a thermal pane window- we are still getting condensation with readings in the center of the room of 20 degree C ...
Often furnace heating and air conditioning duct work is run though an attic and then back down into the house. Personally I think that this is a really bad idea unless there is absolutely no alternative route. Why?
First, most duct work is not sealed where it goes through the ceiling, so a lot o...
Video conferencing, like Zoom, is known for head-to-head talks, but it is also a dynamic tool for interactive inspections, remote on-site consultations, and remote on-site teaching. In 2016 I tried to start a Zoom interactive webinar but back then, not many people were comfortable with video c...
