Guide describing how to insulate a basement to improve the overall thermal performance of the building and provide more dry, usable conditioned space for home occupants and for HVAC equipment.
Information guide listing Building America Solution Center guides describing ways to air seal and insulate a new or existing home's walls to resist heat gain.
Guide describing how to air seal the gap between the drywall shaft wall (i.e., common wall) and the structural framing between units in multifamily housing.
Guide describing how to provide a strong continuous load path from the roof through the wall to the foundation to ensure a structurally sound building and increase racking resistance in hurricanes, high winds, tornados, and earthquakes.
This guide describes installation procedures for continuous rigid insulation to help provide thermal protection and reduce thermal bridging; depending on the product it may also serve as structural sheathing, or the moisture control layer.
This guide describes air barrier and insulation installation, along with air sealing for double walls - half or full walls included in a home design as an architectural feature that provides a more dimensional appearance.
Guide describing installation of a fully sealed continuous weather resistant barrier to provide a drainage plane to keep rainwater out of above-grade walls.
Guide describing how to install flashing that is integrated with air and water control layers around piping, vents, and other wall penetrations as part of an exterior wall retrofit.
Guide describing materials and methods for incorporating thermal mass into the construction of a home for temperature regulation, energy savings, and resistance to extreme heat and cold.
Guide describing how to upgrade a wall with a floor overhang (or cantilever) on an existing home by adding rigid insulating sheating and or closed-cell spray foam insulation and air sealing.
Guide describing how to apply an air control layer directly over existing wall sheathing and cover with two layers of insulating sheathing held in place by vertical furring strips.
Guide describing how to upgrade walls that separate the garage from the house by providing a continuous air control layer on the garage side of the wall and adding rigid foam insulation.
Guide describing how to construct and retrofit homes built on slab-on-grade foundations in earthquake-prone areas to withstand seismic forces by properly installing wall to foundation connections.