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A typical Las Vegas hot-dry climate home made of wood frame construction and insulated with R-25 expanded polystyrene externally over a drainage plane, with an unvented wood frame insulated attic and roof assembly.

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Clean taping areas and install 3" tape on vertical joint of upper insulation overlapping the horizontal joint

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Retrofit Existing Crawl Space Foundations with Cripple Walls to Increase Seismic Resistance and Thermal Performance

Guide

Guide describing different options for providing seismic and thermal resistance for homes with 'cripple' wall crawlspace foundations, which are known for their instability.

Lateral Bracing in Gable End Walls

Guide

Guide describing how to brace gable end walls to resist wind pressures.

Tape the joint between the top insulation sheet and the Z-flashing with 2" wide tape to improve air tightness

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Wrong – If the insulated sheathing will serve as an air barrier and drainage plane, any cuts and seams must be taped or sealed.

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Exterior Doors Are Insulated, Impact Rated, and Fire Rated

Guide

Guide describing the use of doors that are insulated and are impact rated or have protective coverings for resistance to hurricane, high winds, wildfires, and thermal losses.

Step 8. Attach the new cladding to the furring strips over the rigid foam for the exterior wall retrofit.

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Terminate 4" tape with 2" wide tape placing tape offset high on the joint, 2/3 of the tape should be adhered to the sheet of insulation

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Wall Bracing for Hurricane, High Wind, and Seismic Resistance

Guide

Guide describing how to construct the walls of a home with bracing to resist high wind and earthquake loads.

Right - Foil-faced polyisocyanurate rigid foam is attached to the existing exterior wall with vertical wood furring strips

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This farmhouse was retrofit by removing the existing siding and adding taped insulated sheathing and battens before installing new siding

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Right - Continuous wall sheathing and blocking has been installed to brace the raised heel trusses.

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Rigid foam insulation can serve as the drainage plane when all seams are taped. Furring strips provide an air gap behind the cladding.

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Wrong – The gable end wall failed because the rigid foam sheathing was not backed up by plywood or OSB.

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Step 1. Apply roof underlayment over roof deck and up the sidewall over the rigid foam insulation

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Right - This foil-faced polyisocyanurate rigid foam is installed on an existing exterior wall and the seams are taped so the rigid foam can serve as a water control layer

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This basement is insulated on the exterior with rigid foam over dampproofing, with granular backfill and footing drains to facilitate drainage away from the foundation, a termite shield to protect from pests, and cellular PVC to protect the rigid foam.

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A 1- and ½-story home with a room located in the attic and the thermal boundary located at either a) the walls and ceiling of the attic room with small vented attic spaces or b) the roof line for an unvented attic

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Seismic and Thermal Resistance in Slab-on-Grade Foundations with Turned-Down Footings (Monolithic Slabs)

Guide

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.

High-Thermal-Mass Construction

Guide

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.

Air Sealing Drywall to Top Plate

Guide

Guide describing ways to seal drywall to the top plate of an exterior wall to air-seal the wall cavity.

Tape horizontal joint with minimum 3" wide tape placing tape offset high on the joint, adhearing to the upper sheet without wrinkles

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Managing Indoor Humidity and Ventilation in Cold Weather

Guide

Guide describing steps to take to minimize indoor humidity during cold winter weather.

An Inset Shear Panel constructed with 2x4 dimensional lumber installed into a 2x6 stud bay

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Wrong – Either this tape was not pressed down firmly or the surface was wet or dirty so the tape is not sticking properly even during construction.

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A typical Las Vegas hot-dry climate home made of wood frame construction and insulated with R-25 expanded polystyrene externally over a drainage plane, with an unvented wood frame insulated attic and roof assembly.

Clean taping areas and install 3" tape on vertical joint of upper insulation overlapping the horizontal joint

Retrofit Existing Crawl Space Foundations with Cripple Walls to Increase Seismic Resistance and Thermal Performance

Lateral Bracing in Gable End Walls

Tape the joint between the top insulation sheet and the Z-flashing with 2" wide tape to improve air tightness

Wrong – If the insulated sheathing will serve as an air barrier and drainage plane, any cuts and seams must be taped or sealed.

Exterior Doors Are Insulated, Impact Rated, and Fire Rated

Step 8. Attach the new cladding to the furring strips over the rigid foam for the exterior wall retrofit.

Terminate 4" tape with 2" wide tape placing tape offset high on the joint, 2/3 of the tape should be adhered to the sheet of insulation

Wall Bracing for Hurricane, High Wind, and Seismic Resistance

Right - Foil-faced polyisocyanurate rigid foam is attached to the existing exterior wall with vertical wood furring strips

This farmhouse was retrofit by removing the existing siding and adding taped insulated sheathing and battens before installing new siding

Right - Continuous wall sheathing and blocking has been installed to brace the raised heel trusses.

Rigid foam insulation can serve as the drainage plane when all seams are taped. Furring strips provide an air gap behind the cladding.

Wrong – The gable end wall failed because the rigid foam sheathing was not backed up by plywood or OSB.

Step 1. Apply roof underlayment over roof deck and up the sidewall over the rigid foam insulation

Right - This foil-faced polyisocyanurate rigid foam is installed on an existing exterior wall and the seams are taped so the rigid foam can serve as a water control layer

This basement is insulated on the exterior with rigid foam over dampproofing, with granular backfill and footing drains to facilitate drainage away from the foundation, a termite shield to protect from pests, and cellular PVC to protect the rigid foam.

A 1- and ½-story home with a room located in the attic and the thermal boundary located at either a) the walls and ceiling of the attic room with small vented attic spaces or b) the roof line for an unvented attic

Seismic and Thermal Resistance in Slab-on-Grade Foundations with Turned-Down Footings (Monolithic Slabs)

High-Thermal-Mass Construction

Air Sealing Drywall to Top Plate

Tape horizontal joint with minimum 3" wide tape placing tape offset high on the joint, adhearing to the upper sheet without wrinkles

Managing Indoor Humidity and Ventilation in Cold Weather

An Inset Shear Panel constructed with 2x4 dimensional lumber installed into a 2x6 stud bay

Wrong – Either this tape was not pressed down firmly or the surface was wet or dirty so the tape is not sticking properly even during construction.

Inspection of taped joint

High-R Roofs Case Study Analysis, BA-1006

Step 7. Install a vent hood on the pipe to keep out rain.

The mistake of not staggering siding and foam sheathing joints