The Homeowners & Trades Resource Center - Latest Comments

Re: 2021 Illinois Energy Conservation Code – Moving Forward

Mike Jones — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 22:03:11 -0000

New codes suck. Just adding so much extra cost, for minimal benefit

Re: Wacky Weds: Belt & Suspenders

SLS Construction — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:53:01 -0000

Many thanks - glad to finally be back posting. Have a great one

Re: Wacky Weds: Belt & Suspenders

Gordon M Grant — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 09:39:52 -0000

Glad to have you back!

Re: FAQ: Does my freezer really need to be kept at 0º?

Lillian — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 08:56:52 -0000

Siegfried...I have the same problem. My freezer is so cold that my produce freezes in my fridge and my ice cream was a solid block. So I changed the freezer setting from 0 F to 3 F. Seems to have worked for the ice cream. Only time will tell if it works for my produce.

Re: Patching a Damaged Shingle Roof

Nicole Morgon — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 06:47:42 -0000

Patching a damaged shingle roof or patching just a hole in the roof can be done pretty cheaply as you probably have leftover shingles floating around. Now if you do not, then you can take a damaged piece with you to try to match it up as best as you can, or grab almost any bundle that might be close enough. Only go a few pieces, no problems as you will only need a few if you are careful and save the undamaged ones to reinstall. Thank you for writing on this topic. Keep moving to further informative stuff so we can keep informed with the modern time. We are overwhelmed that you have put so much effort in writing this.

Re: Air Sealing: The Hot-Roof Option

SLS Construction — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 19:11:56 -0000

First, you can feel free to call me on Friday (I deleted yours off the comment) - number is easy to get (just click the SLS Construction & Building Solutions pic above) and the number is at the bottom of the page...
With that & for others maybe reading... If they did it as you said (& properly down to top plate) you should be good - no insulation is technically needed in the kneewall area. Now as for the rim joist area - hopefully that was sprayed also OR it will need to be insulated.
There are numerous ways of doing that now - foam, cellulose, batts, etc... one of the cheapest & easiest ways many do it after the fact is drill a hole (with a whole saw) in each bay & slide in an onion bag (big mesh bag that will fill the bay)- & spray cellulose in it to it is full. now you can slide the plug back in & caulk around it.
As for redoing the roof - yes you should replace all the flashing though you did mention stucco - hopefully they already have counterflashing there already or you are looking at some stucco repairs. You may wish to review: https://thehtrc.com/2013/ge...

Re: Air Sealing: The Hot-Roof Option

M. — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:53:30 -0000

Hi, thanks. Yes the foam is from ridge to eaves. Shingle roof. So about the soffit void area:-tear out the foam where it touches down onto the floorboards in the knee wall area, right? And lift up those floorboards=they'd have to be cut, then fill in with foam or w/ blocks then foam around the foam blocks, in each area between the joists, right? then replace those cut floorboards? (Whew. How important to tear out that soffit area for this re-roofing job? Should I send you photos of that soffit area on interior, or the patchy-snow on the roof? it's not that bad, just some areas.) It'd help to talk with you on phone or do this by email, since I'm having trouble logging in. My #XXX-XXX-XXXX landline. I'm 76, can't 'walk it w/ them' to inspect tear off, so need photos to tell me whether at tear off if they've disturbed the foam. We have no sheathing, just old boards (1929 house) & the boards are but up against each other pretty good-maybe 1/2" at the most. I also want to replace the original step flashing-done the old way. That is a real custom job & most don't know how to do it right. Thatt's a whole study in itself. Finding the right contractor too. Well, I appreciate any info you may direct me with. ty. maureen

Re: Air Sealing: The Hot-Roof Option

SLS Construction — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 08:11:54 -0000

I am slightly confused - did you spray all the sheathing from eave to ridge, or did you stop at the knee walls & jog down?
First, I wouldn't drill in from the outside - you will not get proper coverage - you will need to attack that from the inside, You may have to pop the soffits off & install blocking like foam board for them to spray the foam against. I would not attack this at all until after the roof is done as the melting spots on your roof could require a replacement sheet due to improper install or... The spots could be due to insufficient depth & while that sucks it might not be causing an issue with the sheathing.
As for sheathing - I would be on site & walk it with them, pictures rarely tell you if something feels off, etc... IWS - I would refer you to my most recent piece & no it doesn't hurt to do the whole roof, but with a properly done hot roof the code minimum should be fine though I would go over the rest of the roof with synthetic. (Note this is assuming shingles - if metal than I would probably due the whole roof) If you are worried about wind tear off then a trick they do in Florida also has merit where all the seams are taped before they install felt / synthetic.
As for is it worth the money - hard to answer. It might not be as you will still have some ice build up, even with a hot roof system, especially if you do have a lot of snow on the roof. For areas with 50lb loads we recommend a ventilated hot roof - where you have sleepers over the hot roof followed by sheathing, roofing etc... Eventually I will get to that article
I hope this helps & feel free to reply with further questions

Re: Air Sealing: The Hot-Roof Option

M. — Tue, 25 Jan 2022 10:38:08 -0000

Hello. I'm in Mpls MN. We have a 1 1/2 story 1929 stucco home, w/ soffits that are also stuccoed. We installed a hot roof 7 yrs ago. The upstairs hall has a ceiling, & above that is a cathedral attic that we foamed, And there's knee walls. that are sheet rocked, so we foamed behind those knee walls. We notice we still have some ice dams, & patches on roof where the snow melts off. When we did the knee walls, we tore off the sheet rock that was covering the rafters, & built out the rafters w/ 2" foam board, then foamed & re-sheet rocked. But we may have missed something in that part of the assembly-maybe missed something important, but what? We also missed something behind the knee wall area-where the rafter meets the floor; we foamed the rafters, covering all & foamed onto the floor. We should have maybe have lifted the floor boards at the eave area (where the rafters meet the floor boards), & in each area (so each space between joists) should've been filled with foam, is that right? Because those areas are allowing warm air from the side walls of the house to heat that area. Does that matter? Maybe not, because the foam stops that warm air at some point there? And what to do at this point, if this is the problem (or one of the problems)? Should we go around the exterior, when we re-roof (shingles) & drill holes either in the stucco & shoot foam into those soffit voids? Or drill holes in the roof boards every 16" on center & shoot foam into the soffit voids there? How would we know how much foam to fill each area with? You can't see what you're doing so you don't know how much foam is going into each hole. *Our heat bills are much improved now, since the foam install, so maybe we should just call it a day? Because this soffit-void fix would be expensive. We are hiring a roofer. We are concerned also with the tear-off-if there's any rotten boards, to put new foam down before re-sheathing. That has to be done right & we're not sure how to write that into the contract. (So far we've written "at tear off, photos of roof for owner to inspect) We also need to know if we should put water & ice shield over the whole roof?

Re: Retaining Block Wall’s – 5 rules to live by

Greg Sungreen — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 09:46:50 -0000

This blog mentioned the five rules or must follow steps to retain the block walls of the house. Getting such info with ease is not something that people should let go of. So I am going to follow these.

Re: Getting the details right: Door & window openings (interior)

Greg sureseal — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 09:17:08 -0000

These door and window openings details are breathtaking, and I will use these details in one of my new projects. I am thankful to the writers for sharing this excellent article here.

Re: Common Sense Building: How much insulation should I install?

SLS Construction — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 06:51:02 -0000

Not from Australia are you? I just ask because I see this a "preferred" option down there compared to using double pane glass. Basically though, why let the heat in (summertime) & then try to block it? During the winter, it can help block some heat loss but due to leakage around it, you get condensation issues especially with single pane glass. Thanks

Re: Common Sense Building: How much insulation should I install?

SLS Construction — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 06:36:14 -0000

Fair enough & interesting - a DC motor on a ceiling fan?

Re: Insulation Requirements & 2021 IECC First Look

SLS Construction — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 06:33:45 -0000

Thanks for the comment but I doubt difficult or more expensive applies - as I recall one could easily find those windows years ago when I lived down by those areas. In fact, it can make things cheaper as manufacturers simply drop some glass options, but I have a feeling they have done so already. Good move - yes indeed

Re: Common Sense Building: How much insulation should I install?

rchrd881 — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 21:03:32 -0000

Here in CZ 2 I enjoy how my ceramic-tiled slab functions as a heat sink. All the better if I move air across it with DC motor ceiling fans sipping a couple of watts on low. I would resist any attempt to add insulation here -- I don't care what the prescriptive guidelines call for. 😕

Re: Insulation Requirements & 2021 IECC First Look

rchrd881 — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 20:47:28 -0000

Interesting that zone 2 will require a U-factor of 0.35 down from 0.40. This is going to make life more difficult (and expensive) for the "I insist upon metal-framed windows" crowd. Good move, though.

Re: Common Sense Building: How much insulation should I install?

Henry jack — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 13:24:36 -0000

I am sure that if you hire an expert for it, they would be able to suggest about the insulation. However, for the windows, I think that blinds installation is the best way to go about it.

Re: Getting the details right: 4 biggest roof flashing errors to avoid

SLS Construction — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 20:26:52 -0000

Ouch & sorry but that is just all sorts of wrong. Counterflashing should be over the (for better lack of term) flashing with WRB & siding over that. For metal they don't use step flashing as described in the article about but rather one piece. Beyond that essentially everything else applies.
NO - bathroom vents should never be covered - https://thehtrc.com/2013/ge... - they make special exhaust vents for going through the roofing that the ducting attaches to

Re: Getting the details right: 4 biggest roof flashing errors to avoid

Jessica Leber Akers — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 18:13:51 -0000

https://uploads.disquscdn.c...

Re: Getting the details right: 4 biggest roof flashing errors to avoid

Jessica Leber Akers — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 18:10:34 -0000

My flashing that is at the garage roof and side of house is huge and covering the siding. Should this be how it is installed.
Can you cover bathroom vents with metal roof?

Re: Myths & Misconceptions; Insulating water lines

SLS Construction — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 08:41:19 -0000

Thanks for dropping in but let me say that, no I didn't assume - I mentioned the issue when they are & I did account for that effect under the first "tips." Of course that effect is dependent on piping material, location, & length. Thanks again & have a great one

Re: Myths & Misconceptions; Insulating water lines

Henri — Sun, 07 Mar 2021 04:38:43 -0000

You are assuming all hot water usage events are independent, which is not true in households that have many people. If events of hot water usage are close to each other, then keeping hot water in the pipes thanks to insulation means the next user will use less water and get faster hot water delivery. There is also a well known "warming up time" effect which is the hot water looses temperature as it goes through a cold pipe. If you insulate the pipes in a house that uses frequent hot water then you decrease this effect, saving hot water.

Re: FAQ: Should I always use the Bathroom Fan when taking a Shower?

SLS Construction — Mon, 15 Feb 2021 09:39:28 -0000

I hear you on that, though I am sure you don't miss the politics from there. Thanks for popping in & I hope you are having a great one.

Re: FAQ: Should I always use the Bathroom Fan when taking a Shower?

rchrd881 — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 11:14:29 -0000

I miss living in SoCal on the edge of a desert. Shower humidity would just.... go away. No fan was necessary.

Re: FAQ Insulation Values & Comparisons – Metric and Imperial

SLS Construction — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 09:18:38 -0000

LMAO - well yes it could easily stand for that. My favorite joke is about if you don't live in a place so cold that it takes Samuel L Jackson to describe... I have a friend up in Maine & I hear the complaints about the codes & enforcement. With that said, if you are building or having your own place built, this is what the newest codes are which I compared to other places so no reason why you cant insist on X, Y or Z being done. I much prefer being toasty as compared to freezing. Thanks for chiming in & best of luck