INSULATION
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Staying comfortable through the summer often comes at a price (after all, air conditioning ain't cheap). If your energy bills have your blood pressure rising fast...
Most people choose to decorate their windows with traditional curtains, blinds, or fabric valances. But finding the perfect covering—one that blocks the sun, ensu...
It might as well be one of the laws of nature: As outdoor temperatures drop, electricity bills rise. In much of the country, it takes a lot of energy to keep your...
Keep the cold out, the heat in, and your energy bill down with these cost-effective tips for winterizing your home.
The typical garage isn’t designed to stay warm inside when outdoor temperatures are frigid. It lacks insulation, and ...
Drafty homes waste energy, yet most homeowners don’t have a clue as to how energy inefficient their homes may actuall...
2018 is shaping up to be a big year for residential remodeling. Home values are up, which means it’s a good time to invest in your house by making key upgrades. K...
This article has been brought to you by Amvic Building System, who provided BobVila. com with a complimentary product...
Insulation is a vital component in any home that aims to be energy-efficient. Typically placed in areas where air esc...
Caulk comes to the rescue in myriad projects around the house, from outdoor maintenance to indoor decorating. What makes this humble material so good at what it d...
As the weather cools, it’s the perfect time to gird your garage against the colder temperatures on the way, especiall...
If your house could talk, it would tell you that spending a little money now on small repairs could save you big bucks down the road. We’ve put together 15 of the...
If you have an unfinished basement, you probably don’t want to spend a ton of time down there. The air is musty, the floors are damp, and it feels just a tiny bit...
Does your blood pressure rise and fall with the ups-and-downs in your monthly energy costs? Particularly during heati...
Winter is coming! Is your house ready to deal with harsh winter winds, blowing snow, and frosty windows? A well winterized home has what it takes to stand up to w...
If you have a crawl space in your home that’s not adequately sealed and insulated, you’re probably wasting money on i...
If a plumbing pipe ruptures inside your home, it's likely going to be a disaster. But properly installed pipe insulat...
If you know anything at all about pipe insulation, you know that it goes a long way toward preventing frozen pipes. T...
Though garage doors do a pretty good job of keeping bad guys away from your car, they're not so good at keeping out t...
Drafts got you down? As outside temperatures plummet, leaky windows can make the inside of your home feel downright frosty—to say nothing of costing you money as ...
Looking to put a dent in your monthly heating and cooling bills? The answer may be right over your head. If your atti...
Not all homes are created equal, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to home insulation. There are many factors to consider when selecting insulation, inclu...
Are you getting the sense that your heating and cooling costs are going through the roof? You might be absolutely rig...
The crisp snap of autumn weather is a reminder that even colder days lie ahead. Get ready for them by performing a few simple chores now that will keep you toasty...
Door drafts can be a cause of real discomfort. Besides the immediate unpleasantness of a chilly gust invading the war...
With energy costs ever on the rise, more homeowners are thinking of adding insulation to reduce energy use. Here’s wh...
There are several different kinds of insulation—fiberglass batting, rigid boards, and spray-on foam to name a few. Fo...
Weatherstripping is a time-honored method of minimizing window and door drafts. In the winter, weatherstripping preve...
In these energy-conscious times, many people are adding insulation, installing solar panels, or taking a number of ex...
Insulation is the strong, silent type. Although it operates behind the scenes for the most part, it plays a vital rol...
If you need to insulate your attic, blowing in cellulose insulation is an easy job you can do yourself by renting a ...
Autumn’s falling temperatures get many of us thinking about apple cider, trick-or-treating, and… R-values. If your ho...
Once the mechanical rough-ins are complete, insulation will be installed in the wall cavities. Insulation is relative...
When your thoughts turn to energy efficiency and comfort, you may start thinking about new windows, a furnace, or an ...
Ceramic coating has been around for almost 20 years and is highly effective in preventing unnecessary heat loss or ga...
Paying attention to what’s underneath your floors can have a profound effect on noise reduction and sound control in ...
Blown-in insulation products are competing to bring improved performance per square inch and the least amount of sett...
Insulation is a non-structural material used to reduce heat transfer. The most typical forms of insulation available ...
Making homeowners’ heating systems energy-efficient is the answer to lower utility bills, the experts say. Thankfully...
Next time you pull on a pair of jeans, consider this: You can use denim to keep your house cool in the summer and war...
Looking to cut energy costs and improve home comfort? Focus on your heating and cooling systems. While it is imperati...
I grew up in a split-level, the house style that dominated suburbia in the decades immediately following World War II...
You have the desire, the energy, and the skills to beef up the insulation around your house, but the cost of material...
Weatherstripping your home is a fairly simple do-it-yourself project that can save you a significant amount off your ...
Whether you live in a hot or cold climate, the most important area to insulate is your attic floor. This fully insula...
A small crack or one leaky window might not seem like a big problem, but taken together, your home’s small drafts can...
Contain the Heat How much insulation does your home need and where? It depends on your climate and the energy costs i...
Even if you live in a quiet neighborhood, laundry and dishwashers, hair dryers and even showers can make your house a...
When the whole family's home, it can get pretty loud. What can you do for noise control between rooms? Well, it depen...
The roof of the new addition is being insulated – in an environmentally conscious way – to retain the heat from the radiant heating system. Moisture- and mold-res...
The new addition's footprint is essentially a whole other house, yet it will integrate visually with a matching roofline to the existing house. New technologies h...
New insulated garage doors will replace the home's originals and be installed on the new garage. They have the appearance of wood and the performance of factory-f...
As the upper-story walls are poured, Bob talks with the builder and contractor about the significant savings in time, energy, and cost that come with concrete and...
The new windows in the baby’s nursery are highly insulated for cold and sound and have health and safety features for young children. They can be installed by do-...
Bob talks with homeowners Nick and Maggie Beasley, who are remodeling, babyproofing, and insulating their home before the baby is born.
Sound attenuating insulation is added to the nursery to reduce the echo effect of noise.
Bob meets with architect Gregory Rochlin to discuss the third-floor structural redesign.
Eric Deutsch, former president of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, gives Bob a tour of the nation's first federal boat-building facility.
George Saylor from Owens Corning is on location to install, and explain the unique properties of, the insulation being used in this project.
Bob meets with Jim Costello from Superior Walls of America to discuss the difference between a pre-cast and a traditional poured-concrete foundation.
At the Cobb Hill co-housing community, Bob and general contractor Mark Albee look at some of the energy efficient and eco-friendly products in use.
Bob is joined by Mike Hobson of Westchester Insulation as the crew prepares one of the Mashpee houses for insulation installation.
Bob joins Joe Sheridan (from Energy Guard) to learn more about the US Greenfiber Cocoon cellulose insulation being used in the barn.
Bob joins insulation contractor Joe Sheridan to witness the process of blowing insulation in behind original plaster walls.
Bob visits the site to watch the Steve Thompson and his crew from Premier Building Systems raise the SIPs walls. Jim Tracy (from Premier) provides SIPs details.
Bob visits the Willamette I-Joist Mill in Woodburn, OR, before returning to Yonkers where the crew is assembling the second floor walls with structural insulated ...
Workers set the glulam for the roof ridge and, assisted by a crane, put down the roof panel system.
An excavation specialist, working under the oversight of a city inspector, digs the trench for new water service to the accessible home. Inside, contractors are a...
Carpenter Bob Ryley and Tim Grether (from Owens Corning) install insulation and vapor barrier in the bathroom. And Jim Larson (from Georgia Pacific) installs a sp...
Remodeling of the attic floor continues with the installation of Hy-Lite acrylic walls, an HVAC system, and insulation.
Bob meets with carpenter Cortney Lofton, who is rehabilitating some old double-hung windows with new nylon-braided sash cords and kerf-in thermoplastic weather st...
Australian-born architect and homeowner, Gavin Langley, shows Bob how attics are insulated in his home country.
Bob and contractor Bob Ryley install sloped glazing on a greenhouse with the help of Mark Santos.
The basement walls are lifted into place and secured. This system is ideal for cold weather installation as the concrete is already cured before delivery. The pre...
Bob helps contractor Bob Ryley install the roof insulation and the false rafter tails, or "jet blocks". Bob discusses the advantages of this type of insulation, e...
Contractor Rick Davenport demonstrates the installation of wet-spray cellulose insulation. Jets of water moisten the insulation as it leaves the blower hose nozzl...
Bob and contractor Bob Ryley review the Insulspan structural insulated panels (SIPs). These Styrofoam panels save steps in construction, since they include struct...
Contractor Bob Ryley is creating a Victorian-style breezeway using modern materials, which will bridge the old and new wings of the home.
Bob and the insulation contractor review how different types of insulation are used in different applications. Blown-in insulation is put into the existing house,...
A vent pipe is installed in the ranch's roof. A hole is cut and a shield is added to create a weather-tight seal around the pipe and roof shingles. Down in the ba...
Insulation contractors Jim and John Case show Bob how to insulate the cathedral ceiling. To ensure airflow and prevent condensation buildup, channels are install ...
Bob tours the ongoing remodeling project, remarking on some of a large project's difficulties. Next, Bob tours the upstairs where he talks about out the new windo...
Once stripped down, an ISBU's exterior is finished with heavy-gauge steel, then faced in sheet-metal wrap and covered with SuperTherm insulating ceramic coating. ...
Ryan Pirro (from RestorationWindows.com) discusses refurbishing old windows with solid-bronze sash chains, new parting beads, and spring-bronze weather stripping ...
Bob meets with Don Schumacher (from NCFI), who explains polyurethane spray-on insulation. Applied directly to the back of sheathing, it swells to 25 times its liq...
Bob is joined by Jim Remick, of Nickerson-Remick insulation contractors, who tells Bob that closed-cell insulation is more and more in demand. Once rigid, the ins...
