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Spray foam on a stone or rubble foundation

CAD File

Good water management practices like sloping grade away from house, and installing gutters, perimeter drain pipe, a capillary break, and free-draining soils or drainage mat protect the foundation from water saturation.

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New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Imagine Homes: Stillwater Ranch, San Antonio, TX

Case Study

Case study describing a new home builder that strives to address health, safety, and durability issues in a hot and humid climate.

Over the taped rigid foam board, 2x4 furring strips provide a ventilating air gap and drainage plane under the engineered wood lap siding. The furring strips were attached with structural screws to provide an attachment surface for the siding.

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Install the starter strip for the vinyl siding along a chalk line

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Right: All joints in the rigid foam are taped to keep stucco out of joints for even drying. Mesh tape (shown here) is used with expanded polystyrene (EPS); acrylic sheathing tape or self-adhered membrane is used with XPS

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There is no polyethylene sheeting installed in the crawlspace

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Wrong – The polyethylene sheeting vapor barrier is not attached to the piers with mechanical fasteners

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Right - Basement slab with a capillary break of either gravel or a drainage mat.

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Capillarity - Small Sacrifices, BSI-011

Reference

Article describing correct ways to eliminate water damage by incorporating a sacrificial layer to foundation walls and footings.

Right – Two-thirds of acrylic tape is offset above the joint and over and above the fasteners

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DOE ZERH 2013 Case Study: e2 Homes Winter Park, Florida [2-page summary version]

Case Study

Case study describing the first certified DOE Zero Energy Ready Home—the “Wilson Residence” in Winter Park, Florida.

Building America Case Study Technology Solutions for Existing Homes: Concord Four Square Retrofit

Case Study

Case study describing a four-square Concord home retrofitted by Building Science Corporation in Massachusetts.

Right – two-thirds of the blue butyl flashing tape is above the sheathing seam; the top edge of the butyl flashing tape is covered with clear sheathing tape that is also offset so two-thirds is above the top edge of the butyl flashing.

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DOE ZERH HIA 2013 Case Study: e2 Homes, Winter Park, Florida

Case Study

Case study describing a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home 2013 Housing Innovation Award Winner in Winter Park FL that scored HERS 57 without PV or HERS -7 with PV.

Moisture Control for Residential Buildings

Reference

Report providing extensive guidance on controlling moisture in building envelopes through proper selection and installation on air, water, thermal, and vapor barriers.

Low-Slope ("Flat") Roofs

Guide

A guide describing how to install low-sloped ("flat") roofs with insulation above the roof deck that resist wind pressures during high-wind events.

Roof Eaves Sealed with Self-Adhering Membrane in Cold Climates

Guide

Guide describing how to apply self-adhered asphaltic membranes at eaves in cold climates to help guard against ice dams.

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Lancaster County Career and Technology Center Green Home 3 - Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

Case Study

Case study describing the Green Home 3 project, which achieved a 44% whole-house energy savings over the Building America New Construction B10 Benchmark, DOE Zero Energy Ready Home certification, and National Green Building Standard Gold-level certification.

DOE ZERH HIA 2014 Case Study: M Street Homes, Smartlux on Greenpark Houston, TX

Case Study

Case study describing a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home 2014 Housing Innovation Award winner that scored HERS 45 without PV and 32 with PV and is the first home in the world to use a tri-generation system to supply electricity, heating, and cooling on site.

Spray foam on a stone or rubble foundation

Good water management practices like sloping grade away from house, and installing gutters, perimeter drain pipe, a capillary break, and free-draining soils or drainage mat protect the foundation from water saturation.

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Imagine Homes: Stillwater Ranch, San Antonio, TX

Over the taped rigid foam board, 2x4 furring strips provide a ventilating air gap and drainage plane under the engineered wood lap siding. The furring strips were attached with structural screws to provide an attachment surface for the siding.

Furred-out siding

Install the starter strip for the vinyl siding along a chalk line

Right: All joints in the rigid foam are taped to keep stucco out of joints for even drying. Mesh tape (shown here) is used with expanded polystyrene (EPS); acrylic sheathing tape or self-adhered membrane is used with XPS

There is no polyethylene sheeting installed in the crawlspace

Wrong – The polyethylene sheeting vapor barrier is not attached to the piers with mechanical fasteners

Right - Basement slab with a capillary break of either gravel or a drainage mat.

Capillarity - Small Sacrifices, BSI-011

Right – Two-thirds of acrylic tape is offset above the joint and over and above the fasteners

DOE ZERH 2013 Case Study: e2 Homes Winter Park, Florida [2-page summary version]

Building America Case Study Technology Solutions for Existing Homes: Concord Four Square Retrofit

Right – two-thirds of the blue butyl flashing tape is above the sheathing seam; the top edge of the butyl flashing tape is covered with clear sheathing tape that is also offset so two-thirds is above the top edge of the butyl flashing.

DOE ZERH HIA 2013 Case Study: e2 Homes, Winter Park, Florida

Moisture Control for Residential Buildings

Low-Slope ("Flat") Roofs

Roof Eaves Sealed with Self-Adhering Membrane in Cold Climates

New Whole-House Solutions Case Study: Lancaster County Career and Technology Center Green Home 3 - Mount Joy, Pennsylvania

DOE ZERH HIA 2014 Case Study: M Street Homes, Smartlux on Greenpark Houston, TX

Air Sealing Doors Adjacent to Unconditioned Space

Windows and Doors are Fully Flashed

Disaster-Resistant Roof Venting

Capillary Break at Crawlspace Floor - Polyethylene Sheeting under Concrete Slab

Site Drainage Practices to Minimize Localized Flooding

Footing Drain Pipe

Flashing of Penetrations in Existing Roofs

Below-Grade Water Management for Urban Sites

Roof Valleys and Penetrations Sealed