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Library

This library contains research reports produced by the Building America program and other building science resources used to support this Solution Center. The materials cover both new construction and existing homes. Use the search box and/or the filters to explore hundreds of residential building resources. Access to some references not produced by Building America may require purchase from the publisher. Documents are listed alphabetically. While we continually update our database, links may have changed since posting. Please contact our webmaster if you find broken links.

Showing results 101 - 150 of 221

Author(s)
Siding Cost Guide
Organization(s)
Siding Cost Guide
Publication Date
Description
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.
Author(s)
Florida Disaster
Organization(s)
Florida Division of Emergency Management
Publication Date
Description
Report describing the hurricane retrofit guide with focus on walls and wooded framed walls.
Author(s)
ICC Evaluation Service
Organization(s)
ICC Evaluation Service
Publication Date
Description
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.
Author(s)
Bennett Richard M,
Borchelt Gregg J,
Bryja Jim,
Kjorlien Bill
Organization(s)
Canada Masonry Design Centre,
CMDC
Publication Date
Description
An impact test report from projectile missile tests against brick veneer, verifying that brick veneers perform well to resisting hurricane force wind driven debris.
Author(s)
Dobson Matt
Organization(s)
Home Energy Magazine
Publication Date
Description
Article describing how insulated siding can save homeowners energy by providing continuous exterior insulation.
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report covering reservoir claddings, back ventilation and vapor throttles.
Author(s)
Johns Manville
Organization(s)
Johns Manville
Publication Date
Description
The purpose for this document is to provide basic guidance on the use of proven installation techniques that can be used by installers to help ensure correct “dense pack” application of JM Spider® in drill & fill applications.
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
BSC,
Building Science Corporation
Publication Date
Description
Article describing walls and moisture development on them.
Author(s)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Organization(s)
EPA
Publication Date
Description
Website describing best practices for minimizing exposure to lead while doing repairs and renovations in homes built in 1978 or earlier.
Author(s)
Francisco Paul W.,
Rose William B,
Merrin Zachary
Organization(s)
Partnership for Advanced Residential Retrofit,
PARR,
Indoor Climate Research and Training,
Illinois Sustainable Technology Center,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report on the impact of air sealing between the foundation and the living space on radon transport reduction across the foundation and living space floor assembly at fifteen home.
Author(s)
Blanchard Tobie,
Reichel Claudette Hanks
Organization(s)
LSU Ag Center Research Extension
Publication Date
Description
Web article describing many ways homeowners, contractors, and builders can make homes more resistant to hurricanes, tornadoes, high winds, floods, and hail.
Author(s)
International Masonry Institute
Organization(s)
International Masonry Institute
Publication Date
Description
Webpage featuring hundreds of illustrations of masonry construction details for brick, congrete, stone, tile, stucco, etc.
Author(s)
Ply Gem Siding Group
Organization(s)
Ply Gem Siding Group
Publication Date
Description
Siding installation guide for Ply Gem Siding Group products.
Author(s)
Grin Aaron,
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Measure Guideline research report providing simple, long term, and durable solutions when using tapes and flashing membranes in conjunction with the exterior face of rigid polymeric foam sheathing to create the drainage plane of a wall system.
Author(s)
Natarajan Hariharan,
Puttagunta Srikanth,
Klocke Steve
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA
Publication Date
Description
Information sheet providing information on installing Rigid XPS foam board insulation to existing brick masonry walls.
Author(s)
Schumacher Christopher,
Ueno Kohta,
Straube John
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL
Publication Date
Description
Report summarizing the importance of properly insulating and air sealing masonry walls, providing step by step instructions and approaches.
Author(s)
Dickson Bruce
Organization(s)
Integrated Building and Construction Solutions,
IBACOS,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report covering the fundamental waterproofing strategies for tub and shower assemblies.
Author(s)
Lstiburek Joseph W
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.
Author(s)
LePage Robert,
Schumacher Christopher,
Lukachko Alex
Organization(s)
Building Science Corporation,
BSC
Publication Date
Description
Report explaining moisture-related concerns for high R-value wall assemblies and discusses past Building America research work that informs this study.
Author(s)
Kochkin Vladimir,
Shah Nay B
Organization(s)
Home Innovation Research Labs,
HIRL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
The next generation of building enclosures is a key step toward achieving high-performance goals through decreasing energy load demand and enabling advanced space-conditioning systems. Yet the adoption of high-R enclosures and particularly high-R walls has been a slow-growing trend because...
Author(s)
Arena Lois,
Mantha Pallavi
Organization(s)
Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,
CARB,
Steven Winter Associates,
SWA,
National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
NREL,
U.S. Department of Energy,
DOE
Publication Date
Description
Report describing evaluation of several configurations of wall assemblies to determine the accuracy of moisture modeling and make recommendations to ensure durable, efficient assemblies.