Library

Fact sheet describing basic design and installation tips for various types of siding for high-wind regions, including vinyl, wood, and fiber cement and discusses sustainable design issues; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

ASTM designation regarding two radon control options for low-rise residential building construction. This standard was produced in the year 2008, and is available for preview and purchase at the reference link.

Detailed requirements for testing, exposure modeling, and allowable limits for modeled indoor air concentrations.

Article describing three ways to strengthen the roof-to-wall connections in an existing home.

Discussion of building sheathing.

Fact sheet describing recommendations for exceeding NFIP regulatory requirements for new construction and for repairs, remodeling, and additions, including building foundations, enclosures below the Base Flood Elevation (BFE), use of nonstructural fill, use of space below the BFE, utilities...

The Technician's Guide equips practitioners with the knowledge to properly implement all of the measurement procedures required in the HVAC QI Specification.

Research study exploring retrofit procedures and simulated post-occupancy data for three homes in an effort to determine the effectiveness of retrofit packages.

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

Article describing the perfect wall and and in what order to control rain, air, vapor, and heat.

Even as the worst housing market correction in more than 60 years appeared to turn a corner in 2009, the fallout from sharply lower home prices and high unemployment continued.

Document providing an overview of the Thermal Bypass Checklist for the ENERGY STAR Qualified Homes program.

Fact sheet outlining best design and construction practices for tile roofing in high wind areas; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Report discussing Building America whole house systems research within the broad effort to reduce or eliminate the environmental impact of building and provides specific recommendations for future Building America research based on Building Science Corporations experience with several recent...

Report describing actions home and business owners can take to deal with underground storage tanks that are displaced by flood waters and preventative steps they can take to reduce the likelihood of tank displacement in the future.

Technical fact sheet highlighting important building connections and illustrating the proper use of various types of connection hardware; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Fact sheet describing the purpose of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs), how to obtain FIRMs, DFIRMs, and Flood Insurance Studies (FISs), and highlighting features that are important to coastal builders, including flood zones and flood elevations;; also...

Document providing a case study of commissioned performance measures that justify costs for these demonstration and "live" show homes.

Fact sheet describing the certification requirements for structural design and methods of construction in V Zones; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact Sheet Series.”

Standard that defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended to provide acceptable indoor air quality in low-rise residential buildings. This version of the standard was published in the year 2010, and is available for...

Document describing the measured annual performance data from 12 recent-vintage very low energy homes in the US.

Report describing concentrations of 54 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ventilation rates that were measured in four new manufactured houses over 2 - 9.5 months following installation and in seven new site built houses 1 - 2 months after completion.

Standard that provides expanded and updated requirements for producing, marketing, and specifying plywood for construction and industrial uses.

A guide describing how to do wall bracing calculations and evaluations.

A preparedness guide guiding homeowners on how to secure an indoor home water heater safely to wall studs.

Factsheet describing the importance of system charging, superheat and subcooling.

Report providing guidance on how to improve the wind resistance of existing residential buildings in Mississippi and across the Gulf Coast.

Fact sheet describing flashing detail concepts for window and door openings that provide adequate resistance to water intrusion in coastal environments, do not depend solely on sealants, are integral with secondary weather barriers (e.g., housewrap), and are adequately attached to the wall...

A hurricane retrofit guide describing techniques for strengthening roof-to-wall connections for family homes.

Report summarizing information on wood as an engineering material, and presents properties of wood and wood-based products of particular concern to the architect and engineer.

Fact sheet describing typical wood-pile-to-beam connections; basic construction guidance for various connection methods, including connections for misaligned piles; and pile bracing connection techniques; also published in FEMA P-499 “Home Builder’s Guide to Coastal Construction: Technical Fact...

Research study describing demonstration homes that provided a wealth of information for the building community in terms of the science, effort, and cost of increasing the energy efficiency of our nation's housing stock.