Library | Building America Solution Center

Showing 101 - 150 of 258 results:

Fort Devens: Cold Climate, Energy-Efficient, Market-Rate Townhomes

2013

Zoeller William,

Grab Joanna,

Slattery Matt

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings,

CARB,

Steven Winter Associates,

SWA,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

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.

Foundation Design Handbook

2013

Carmody John,

et al.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

University of Minnesota

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.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations

2022

Williams Randy

Green Building Advisor,

GBA

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

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations 1

2010

Holladay Martin

Fine Homebuilding

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.

Frost-Protected Shallow Foundations Reduce Costs, Save Energy

2014

Hooker Kenneth A

Concrete Construction

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

Guide to Insulating Sheathing

2007

Building Science Corporation

BSC

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

HardiPlank Lap Siding Butt Joint Flashing

2021

Fratzel Todd

Home Construction and Improvement

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.

Header Hangers in Bearing Walls, Code Notes Article 126

2011

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

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

Heat Island Group - Berkeley Lab

2023

Heat Island Group,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

LBNL

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

High Performance Builder Spotlight: NextGen Home, Las Vegas, Nevada

2009

U.S. Department of Energy

DOE

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

High Performance Building Details - Advanced Framing I

2010

Steven Winter Associates,

Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings

CARB,

SWA

Brochure describing advanced framing techniques.

High Performance Walls in Hot-Dry Climates

2015

Hoeschele Marc,

et al.

Alliance for Residential Building Innovation,

ARBI,

Davis Energy Group,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

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

High-R Roofs Case Study Analysis, BA-1006

2009

Straube John,

Grin Aaron

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

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

High-R Walls for New Construction Structural Performance: Integrated Rim Header Testing

2013

Wiehagen Joseph,

Desjarlais Andre O,

Kochkin Vladimir

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

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.

High-R Walls for New Construction Structural Performance: Wind Pressure Testing

2013

Desjarlais Andre O,

Kochkin Vladimir

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

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.

High-R Walls for Remodeling: Wall Cavity Moisture Monitoring

2012

Wiehagen Joseph,

Kochkin Vladimir

NAHB Research Center,

National Renewable Energy Laboratory,

NREL

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

Hockey Pucks and Hydrostatic Pressure, BSI–057

2012

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report covering control of hydrostatic pressure in wall assemblies.

Home Builder's Guide to Construction in Wildfire Zones - Technical Fact Sheet Series, FEMA P-737

2008

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

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

Homeowner's Guide to Retrofitting - Six Ways to Protect Your House From Flooding, FEMA I-235

2020

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

Brochure describing FEMA documents and foundation tips for floodproofing homes.

House Siding Options, Plus Costs, Pros & Cons 2020

2020

Siding Cost Guide

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.

How to Insulate a Basement Wall

2012

Holladay Martin

Green Building Advisor,

GBA

Blog entry describing methods for insulating basement walls on the interior or exterior.

How to Insulate Your Basement

2022

Mathews Erin

This Old House

An article and video of a breakdown on the preparation and installation of basement insulation.

How to Verify New Construction Compliance

2020

IBHS Fortified

IBHS

Checklist for verifying FORTIFIED levels and documentation needed.

How You can Strengthen Your Home for the Next Big Earthquake in the Los Angeles Area

2005

City of Los Angeles,

Department of Building and Safety

City of Los Angeles

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

Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast: Mitigation Assessment Team Report, Building Performance Observations Recommendations and Technical Guidance, FEMA 549

2006

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FEMA

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

Hurricane Mitigation Retrofits for Existing Site-Built Single-Family Residential Structures

2006

Florida Building Code

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

Hurricane Retrofit Guide - Wood Frame Walls

2010

Florida Disaster

Florida Division of Emergency Management

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

Hybrid Wall Evaluation for Ten New Construction Homes in Wyandotte, Michigan

2013

Lukachko Alex,

Grin Aaron,

Bergey Daniel

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

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

Hygric Redistribution in Insulated Assemblies: Retrofitting Residential Envelopes Without Creating Moisture Issues

2013

Lstiburek Joseph W,

Smegal Jonathan

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

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.

Hygrothermal Performance Study: A Field Study Comparison of the Energy and Moisture Performance Characteristics of Ventilated Versus Sealed Crawl Spaces in the South

2005

Davis Bruce,

Dastur Cyrus,

Warren William E

Oak Ridge National Laboratory,

ORNL,

Advanced Energy,

U.S. Department of Energy,

DOE

Report outlining results from a 2005 hygrothermal pilot study in the South.

ICC-ES Evaluation Report, ESR-1679

2021

ICC Evaluation Service

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.

Impact Resistance of Brick Veneer Structures to Hurricane Debris

2005

Bennett Richard M,

et al.

Canada Masonry Design Centre,

CMDC

An impact test report from projectile missile tests against brick veneer, verifying that brick veneers perform well to resisting hurricane force wind driven debris.

Improving Drainage and Drying Features in Certain Conditions: Rain Screen Design for Absorptive Cladding

2008

National Association of Home Builders

NAHB

Guide detailing best practices on how to build wall assemblies with absorptive claddings such as brick, stone that drain and dry well.

Information on Construction Requirements - Flame-Spread Ratings

2021

Louisiana Office of State Fire Marshall

LASFM

Site showing flame spread ratings and definitions for common building materials.

Innovation in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

2019

Green Home Institute

Video describing how a frost-protected shallow foundation (FPSF) is constructed and including use of a stay-in-place EPS (expanded polystyrene) footing form that provides insulation and simplifies the installation of frost-protected monolithic concrete slab foundations.

Innovation in Frost Protected Shallow Foundations

2019

Green Home Institute

Installation of Cavity Insulation, Info-501

2009

Building Science Corporation

BSC

Article explaining installing cavity insulation.

Insulated Concrete Form (ICF) Training and Continuing Education

2024

Fox Blocks

Insulated Siding as Home Insulation: Guide for Users and Energy Raters

2021

Vinyl Siding Institute,

Polymeric Exterior Products Association

Vinyl Siding Institute,

PEPA

A guide for users and energy raters of insulated siding as home insulation.

Insulated Siding Provides Continuous Insulation

2011

Dobson Matt

Home Energy Magazine

Article describing how insulated siding can save homeowners energy by providing continuous exterior insulation.

Introducing the Market to High-performance Building on Hilton Head Island, RR-0703

2008

Rudd Armin,

Feldman H

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report about promoting energy efficiency for Hilton Head Island.

Inward Drive – Outward Drying, BSI-061

2017

Lstiburek Joseph W

Building Science Corporation,

BSC

Report covering reservoir claddings, back ventilation and vapor throttles.

Is Your Home Protected from Hurricane Disaster? A Homeowner’s Guide to Hurricane Retrofit

2002

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety

IBHS

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

JM Spider® Drill & Fill Installation Guide

2010

Johns Manville

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.