Archives: thermal insulation

How To Insulate Basement Walls

By Todd Fratzel on Basements, Foundations, Insulation

How To Insulate Basement Walls Insulating a basement properly is rather challenging in cold climates. In this article I’d like to discuss how to insulate basement walls in cold climates. Insulating basement walls in cold climates is a great way to keep your home warmer and drier. However, special care should be used when insulating…

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Insulated Door & Window Headers

By Todd Fratzel on Framing, Insulation

Energy Efficient Door & Window Headers With a continued focus on energy efficient construction (Green Construction) we are always looking for ways to improve upon residential construction techniques. Insulated door and window headers are one way to improve on standard framing methods. Old School Headers Years ago we used to build door and window headers…

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Basement Vapor Barrier For Basement Insulation

By Todd Fratzel on Basements, Insulation

Basement Vapor Barrier and Insulation We’ve written several articles about basement insulation and a cost effective approach to basement insulation using foam board and fiberglass insulation. Since writing those articles we’ve received quite a few questions about when to use a basement vapor barrier and when not to. So we thought it might be a…

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What Are Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)?

By Todd Fratzel on Design, Energy Conservation, Framing

Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) A reader asked me the other day to explain what’s the difference between Structural Insulated Panels and Prefabricated Wall Panels. Before answering the question on the difference it is important to answer the of: What Are Structural Insulated Panels or SIPs? Structural insulated panels (or structural insulating panels), SIPs, are a…

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Certainteed BIBS Insulation System

By Todd Fratzel on Insulation

Blow-In-Blanket® System with OPTIMA® Fiber Glass Insulation Recently I had the pleasure of trying a new insulation system on one of our projects. We’re using the Blow-In-Blanket System with OPTIMA Fiber Glass Wall Insulation by Certainteed for a major addition to a private school. Blown In Wall Insulation We’ve been using more and more blown…

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DIY Foam Insulation

By Todd Fratzel on Insulation

DIY Foam Insulation for Basements Basement Insulation is one of the toughest things to accomplish correctly for a reasonable price. The best approach for insulating basements is having a professional install spray foam. However, it can be quite expensive and it’s a project best left to professionals which flies in the face of many of…

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Black & Decker Thermal Leak Detector Review

By Todd Fratzel on Product Reviews

Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector With all the talk about saving energy these days we wanted test a tool that helps you located potentially hidden problems with your buildings insulation. So we contacted Black & Decker and asked if we could test their TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector. The Black & Decker Thermal Leak…

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How To Insulate A Concrete Floor

By Todd Fratzel on Basements, Foundations, Insulation

Insulating Concrete Floors If you live in a cold climate then you’re no stranger to cold concrete floors in the winter. If you’re planning on finishing a basement or portion of your home that has a concrete floor then it may be a good idea to insulate it before installing basement flooring. Concrete floors are…

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