Energy Star Checklist, Section 1: Overall Air Barrier and Thermal Alignment

Thermal shorts and good design don't mix

Water and air leaks in a building shell are difficult enough to detail on simple buildings. Complex structures can cause headaches for builders, remodelers, and architects who don't pick up their pens and trace at the design stage.

It's easy to air seal the middle of the wall where there are no gaps, cracks, or joints. The edges are a different story, especially when one edge is wood and the other is concrete.

Regular walls just won't cut it anymore. Higher-achieving energy codes mean higher-performance walls, airtightness targets, and home energy rating system (HERS) scores. Here are six improvement targets to shoot for.

Sealing the layers—and overlapping them right—is how high-performance building gets done

With blower door tests in the building code, it is up to more than just the insulators or the GC to deliver results: many trades have a stake.

Warm and dry basement living space begins with keeping the basement dry—duh. All moisture from outside must be directed away from the interior walls and slab.

How to reduce ice dams, improve thermal performance, and boost the durability of homes with vented, insulated attics

An affordable insulated slab foundation suitable for climate zones 1, 2, and 3

An affordable insulated slab foundation suitable for climate zones 4, 5, and 6

Adding brick to the outside of a house complicates insulating outside a slab. So Insulate inside.

A four-dimensional detail drawing of an insulated and damp-resistant basement slab

Work the surface with a series of trowels to bring the water to the surface for a smooth finish

You can't stop heat flow, but you can keep your floor from becoming a big ol' heat sink

The biggest crack in the house, revisited for #ThrowbackThursday

Glue the rim joist, caulk the gaps, and overhang the wall sheathing to tighten this leaky building assembly

A carpenter's take on less wood in walls

When using lumber to frame a building, less is more, more or less. Less wood and more thought