Massachusetts Fires Tied to Spray Foam Incite Debate

As Massachusetts investigates the causes of three house fires that ignited while insulation contractors were installing spray polyurethane foam (SPF), observers ask if SPF is being demonized.
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As an insulation product, spray polyurethane foam (SPF) has many great attributes that we've talked about on this website: easy installation in irregular locations, air barrier qualities, and moisture management potential.

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Keeping Water Out of Buildings: Four Pathways

Water moves in, on, and through buildings through the following four paths.
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Poetry used to be memorized, not written down, and handed from bard to bard, memory to memory, down through the generations. Perhaps folks out there have memorized poems back when schools taught such things, or for personal interest.

Not counting things I have written, I know only one poem by memory, written by David McCord. As proof, I will recite it for you here.

Epitaph on a Waiter

By and by

God caught his eye.

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Upofloor's LifeLine CS: Heavy-Duty Resilient Flooring Minus the PVC

LifeLine CS is chemical resistant and won't support bacteria growth.
by Brent Ehrlich
The Finnish company Upofloor's PVC-free LifeLine CS resilient sheet flooring is made for heavy-duty commercial use, with a tough surface that doesn't require sealing or complicated maintenance.

Vinyl flooring is inexpensive, which has made it one of the most popular commercial flooring options, but it contains phthalates and other environmentally problematic chemicals, and it requires a lot of maintenance.

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Water in Buildings: Part Science, Part Magic

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Given how complex we've made our modern residential structures, it takes a hero to delve sufficiently into the mysteries of physics to confront and overcome the adversaries of heat, air and moisture and to transmute them into allies.

[Editor's note: Robert Riversong, a Vermont builder, continues his 10-part series of articles taking design and construction to what he sees as radical or "root" concerns. Enjoy--and please share your thoughts. – Tristan Roberts] 

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Structural Thermal Breaks for Steel Framing

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Fabreeka's Thermal Insulation Material can provide a much needed thermal break between flanged steel framing. Photo credit: Fabreeka International

Steel beams are a prime pathway for transferring heat and cold in and out of buildings. This thermal bridging not only wastes energy, but can also cause condensation, corrosion, mold, and other indoor air quality problems.

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Designing Homes That Live Off Current Solar "Income"

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In the last 200 years, humankind has chosen to live off the "principal" of Earth's core natural resources, not the "interest"--solar income. Here's how we can move forward with home designs that get us on a sustainable path.

[Editor's note: Robert Riversong, a Vermont builder, continues his 10-part series of articles taking design and construction to what he sees as radical or "root" concerns. Enjoy--and please share your thoughts. – Tristan Roberts] 

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The Nine Types of Greenwashing

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Most of the greenwashing we see falls into one of these nine types. Here are tips on how to spot them.

I am going to go out on a limb here, but I would bet that sometime in the last 24 hours you have received a marketing message centered around how "green," how "environmentally friendly," or (if it's really serious), how "sustainable" something is.

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