Library

Information sheet about what length screws should be used, and how closely to space the screws when fastening furring strips to a foam-sheathed wall.

An example of a commercially available thermally expansive fire stopping product for controlling the spread of fires in a rainscreen cavity.

Study characterizing how foundation heat exchangers (FHXs) used in residential ground source heat pump systems represent a potential cost savings due to their lesser first cost over other types of heat exchangers.

Documents describing the similarities and differences between the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) minimum requirements and the requirements of the International Codes® (I-Codes®) and ASCE 24, Flood Resistant Design and Construction, a standard referenced by the I-Codes., and illustrating...

Article explaining what a continuous load path is and the key connection points that make it up.

Fact sheet discussing designs for prefabricated safe rooms built to ICC 500 standards mentioned in FEMA P-361.

Research study evaluating the dynamic heat transmission characteristics through two identical Insulating Concrete Form (ICF) wall assemblies in Ottawa, Canada.

A guide for designers, architects, engineers, and fire experts on how to design rainscreen and ventilated cavities such that they don’t contribute to the spread of a fire.

Report describing dry floodproofing technologies for non-residential buildings, including information about regulatory requirements, design considerations, and descriptions of floodproofing methods and equipment.

Article discussing flow-through assemblies of walls.

Journal article describing lessons learned from updating a 16-year-old deep-energy retrofit.

Article describing the effective R-values of various subslab insulation products, including foil bubble pack.

Information sheet with manufacturer specifications about insulated concrete forms.

Report about development of effective strategies to reduce the overall building energy use in line with Building America goals in this modestly priced market rate project.

Checklist highlighting the requirement for metal structural connections and materials fasteners used to retrofit or construct FORTIFIED buildings less than 3,000 ft from saltwater to be suitably protected from corrosion.

Checklist intending to clarify FORTIFIED Home™ eligibility requirements that relate to a home’s foundation.

Handbook providing guidance on the design and construction of foundations for homes, including insulation, air sealing, and water management details for basements, crawlspaces, and slabs.

Article describing a numerical model that can be used to size foundation heat exchanger (FHX) systems.

Web article discussing the primary approaches to waterproofing concrete foundations.

Article describing what the building codes say about frost-protected shallow foundations as a cost-saving alternative to conventional concrete foundations.

Guides describing frost-protected shallow foundations as an alternative method for building an energy-efficient foundation for a house in a cold climate that uses less concrete and saves on labor.

Article describing frost-protected shallow foundations with construction drawing details.

Guide providing information on using exterior foam insulating sheathing in building wall assemblies to enhance thermal performance.

A article about the best practice method of installing fiber cement siding, to install flashing at the butt joints of the siding boards, rather than face caulking the butt joints afterwards.

Document providing supplemental information for code enforcement professionals about header hangers in bearing walls.

LBNL webpage introducing heat island effect and cool materials concepts, and providing links to LBNL pages explaining cool pavements, cool roofs, and cool walls.

Case study of new home construction in the hot-dry and mixed-dry climate zones.

Brochure describing advanced framing techniques.

Article from NREL on wall construction guidelines for homes in hot climate zones.

Report assessing slab-on-grade foundation insulation energy savings.

Report that considers a number of promising wall systems that can meet the requirement for better thermal control.

Report providing testing methodology to evaluate structural rim header designs over openings up to 6 ft. wide and applicable to one- and two-story homes.

Report with test results that serve as a baseline of data for further material tests of other high-R wall systems and for comparison to whole-house wind pressure testing.

Research study presenting results of an existing home monitoring project designed to measure wall cavity moisture characteristics.

Report covering control of hydrostatic pressure in wall assemblies.

Report containing 37 fact sheets that provide technical guidance and recommendations concerning the construction of coastal residential buildings.

Report providing a collection of fact sheets describing guidance for constructing homes in wildfire zones.

Report presenting seismic design and construction guidance for one- and two-family houses for homebuilders, knowledgeable homeowners, and other non-engineers.

Brochure describing FEMA documents and foundation tips for floodproofing homes.

A starting point for ballparking and comparing the cost of different siding materials and a brief overview of the pros and cons of different siding materials.

Checklist for verifying FORTIFIED levels and documentation needed.

Report describing ways to retrofit a home to make it more resistant to earthquakes.

Guide discussing observations, recommendations, and technical guidance as a result of Hurricane Katrina

Code describing the requirements for existing site-built single-family homes to receive roof-to-wall retrofits when re-roofing.

Report describing the hurricane retrofit guide with focus on walls and wooded framed walls.

Report detailing the design and construction of 10 new houses under the Wyandotte Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2.

Report exploring four questions to determine the level of risk associated with adding drained exterior insulation to the exterior of an existing home during an energy retrofit.

Report presenting system design packages for cold and mixed-humid climates.

ICC-ES Evaluation Report reviewing proprietary steel shear wall panels developed by Simpson Strong-Tie Company to resist vertical and lateral loads in walls resulting from wind or earthquakes.