Holes in the House: JULY 2015 Building Forensics Mastermind

In the past month, I've investigated and tested a lot of homes, and made a lot of home improvement recommendations in each of them- it's always hard to boil it down to 30 minutes of material, but here's this month's crazy fast crash course through a few of my favorite jobs that used scientific testing to help homeowners, architects, developers, and contractors get their homes under control!

Building performance testing guru Corbett Lunsford walks you through four building investigations he was hired for in June, and often the opportunities popped out before any diagnostics were performed at all! See the Infrared Fail house get fixed, kitchen exhaust hoods and fresh air intakes get tested for airflow, and two homeowners who thought they needed new windows but actually didn't.

Every month's series episode is on the First Wednesday at 1pm Central, and it's always totally free!  Sign up now and be reminded at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/3137914191179677698

More than an 'Energy Audit' for Manufactured/Mobile Homes

Oh Guru of Home Performance,
Would you shed some light on the intricacies of auditing manufactured homes?? I have an audit to do on a 17 year old mobile home- I will do a blower door test with infrared... other than the walkthrough assessment and evaluating the duct-work, checking the underneath for the insulation quality, and what else possibly could be tested?
Thank you! Sincerely,
Kevin J.

Hi Kevin-
Thanks for reaching out!  If you keep your head in the 4-3-2-1 space (see below) and listen to the client’s pain (comfort/EE/air quality), then use testing to pinpoint the opportunities for improvement, it’s the same as analyzing any other type of building.  Your approach sounds solid, and I’d use any other diagnostics to solve the client’s specific pain points.  Think about what Motivational Metrics you can use to help your client take action with solutions.
Use my book Home Performance Diagnostics to help you perform any tests that seem applicable to pinpointing the cause and proving the measured home improvement.
Best of luck, and TAKE PICTURES AND DOCUMENT YOUR PROCESS SO YOU CAN WRITE A COOL ARTICLE ABOUT IT!  Have a great weekend.
Looking Forward,
Corbett

Become a Green Dream Groupie and get all the new videos! http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=greendreamgroup Easy to understand overview of building science and the basis for all home energy audits from Home Performance Diagnostics author Corbett Lunsford. Home energy audits and home performance contracting make building, maintaining and improving your home simple and guaranteed.