Tearing a Historic Home Foundation Apart- Pouring a Passive House Concrete Slab and Shotcrete Wall

Our friends, Builder Matt Hoots (https://www.youtube.com/@sawhorsedesignbuild) and architect Chris Laumer-Giddens (https://www.youtube.com/@LGSquared) have made lots of progress on the 1920's Passive House Retrofit since our initial blower door test, the leakiest test I've ever seen. See and hear the details of how this is working, and what's to come down the road for this project.

Here was the blower door test before they started the renovation:

How to Design and Install Kitchen Exhaust and Make Up Air Ventilation (Case Study)

Another installment in a series with Healthy Indoors Magazine (http://HealthyIndoors.com) follows the real-life, gritty planning and installation of the make up air system in a 1950's ranch over a crawlspace. The goal here is to install effective ventilation for the kitchen range with an exhaust hood AND make up air that will hopefully be the path of least resistance. We're using a Broan exhaust hood paired with an Aprilaire KV make up air damper, or an 8144NC (in an experimental application, as explained in the video). This house is not airtight by any means, and some might think make up air is overkill in an older home, but obviously we disagree enough to suffer through this.

Learn more about making your home healthier at: http://HealthyIndoors.com

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Building Science of the Stone Age in the Amazon Rain Forest

From Serbian building scientist Atila Novoselac (Prof. Civil, Arch, and Env Engineering at University of Texas-Austin) comes reflections on a Sloan study of microbiology in homes from the Stone Age, which are still constructed today in the Amazon rain forest. Hear what makes modern homes different from someone who's been to the other side, and why modernization itself can be a major building performance problem.

Watch this entire series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsc2-5fAgMq4I_Bjpvmb1Z39Y0uEMGEC9

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Advice on Foundation Insulation Cladding?

After carefully exploring the options online, I believe no one in the high performance building world has published a truly durable and beautiful solution for cladding exterior insulation on a foundation wall. Here's my particular conundrum, and my concept for a product that would solve the issue. Any heroes out there who can point me in the right direction?

Foundation Backfill: Geotextile, Insulation, Waterproofing and Drainage

Watch the Lunsford family finally backfill their conditioned crawlspace foundation, describing and demonstrating what a high performance foundation wall system can do. More on this project at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

High Performance Insulated Foundation Walls

See what we've been up to on the ground, so to speak. 2” Rockwool ComfortBoard 80 getting glued to Platon dimpleboard drainage mat, with sealed top edge to ForceField sheathing WRB.

How to Protect Your House from Subterranean Termites

Corbett's family build is getting a layer of durability all new homes should have: a perfectly installed, class I vapor barrier that ALSO is termite proof. See how Pango Wrap is installed and what it'll do for the home's longevity.

More at: http://PangoWrap.com

High Performance Crawlspace Walls

Corbett, Grace, and their crew of awesome nerds pour a high performance crawlspace foundation wall and totally skip the slump test, on purpose, which they know will get a lot of loving kindness in the comments section.

More at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Geotechnical Engineering for Foundation Footings: Dirt Performance and 4-in-1 Form-A-Drain

Corbett hired Geoff Hebner of Padstone Geotechnical Engineering to ensure the house being built will stand for a hundred years or more.

In part 2, Corbett shows the grading and leveling process with 6-8" lifts and 4x compaction using a remote-controlled trench roller.

In Part 3, Geoff returns to run a simple geotechnical test on the compacted dirt before pouring concrete, and Corbett finds out he's not as slick as he hopes.

FINALLY, we get to pour the concrete once the footings are finished with rebar, and well-supported per Geoff’s geotech engineering specs.

Learn more about this build at: https://homediagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead/

15,000 lbs of Rockwool Insulation: Crossfit Challenge

Maybe you've seen people wrestle with tires or climb ropes or do push-ups. They are all ninnies. This is how you work out for real- by hugging Rockwool (aka Roxul) and strutting around your acreage. Stay tuned to see all these rocks get installed in a perfectly performing house.

Learn more about this awesome insulating material at: Rockwool.com