Why Do We Build Homes Like This? Matt Risinger on Building Performance Podcast #89

As part of our upcoming Season Two of 'Home Diagnosis' TV, we sat down with high performance home builder and YouTube celebrity Matt Risinger to discuss the deep-down parts of the home building and contracting industry and this career choice. Hear about the obstacles and conflicts that keep builders from embracing scientific advances, and see a side of Matt you don't often get to see when he's on camera for The Build Show (https://www.buildshownetwork.com/).

Subscribe to Matt's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFCTrfb1JUJjs3Im8OZDtBw

Check out the 'Home Diagnosis' TV series: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Staircase with Built-In Pantry and Powder Room, HVAC and RailFX Cable Railings

One of the central design elements in our high performance forever home (aside from the lighting, which is coming soon) is the staircase. We took the tiny house strategy of multifunctionality to a new level to challenge ourselves with, and hopefully to wow our visitors! Here I show the DIY install of the RailFX cable railings (http://railfx.net), the powder room underneath, and the amazing custom cabinetry my dad built into this 2x12 wall.

See more about this house at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Healthy Interior Finishes: Low Chemical Impact, Non-Reactive, Non-Toxic Materials for Homes

From flooring and cabinetry to drywall and paints, we made a ton of decisions on our new home that affect air quality and the health of our home for our growing family. We go very in-depth here about what exactly we chose, and why, and what the installation was like. For the deep indoor materials investigators, this whole thing is likely a treasure trove. For those of you looking for something specific, here are the highlights:
1:20 Flooring
10:14 Tile
11:19 Cabinetry
12:53 Countertops
15:19 Pecan Trim
19:29 Decorative Surfaces
20:51 Drywall
22:15 Paint
24:08 HomeChem Basics for Decision-Making

Learn more about this whole project at: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv/atlanta-homestead

Wild Kingdom Around Us 24/7: Microbiology of Homes with Rob Dunn

In one of my all-time favorite (and longest) interviews, we talk with Rob Dunn, a researcher and expert on ecology within homes and author of the amazing book 'Never Home Alone' (http://robdunnlab.com/). The conversation ranges from black mold in drywall to biofilm in plumbing to the extreme environments within our 'normal' American homes- and where we're headed.

You can help support the making of this podcast for as little as $5 a month at: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Air Cleaning System for Healthy High Performance Homes

Our family's forever home has some super sophisticated systems (that sometimes require super wacky tweaks to other things in the house). Here you'll get a full tour of our fully-ducted Fantech SER150 energy recovery ventilator (ERV) and CM 3000 HEPA filter unit.

Learn more about these specific products at: http://Fantech.net

Dehumidifiers How/What/Why: Installation and Testing of Ultra-Aire 120H and MD33

Modern homes need dehumidifiers, separate from the air conditioner. We chose the highest performance units available, Ultra-Aire's 120H and MD33- here we'll give you a full tour of the planning, sizing, installation, and testing of these machines in our performance-tuned, self-built home.

See these two dehumidifiers we selected for our home:
120H - https://www.santa-fe-products.com/product/120h/
MD33 - https://www.santa-fe-products.com/product/ultra-aire-md33/

The Testo 440 kit I use in the video can be found at: https://www.trutechtools.com/Testo-440

See the first-ever TV series about the Science of Homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

How to Design, Install, and Test a Perfect Kitchen Exhaust and Make Up Air System

Using Fantech's hood liner system (https://www.fantech.net/our-solutions/kitchen/exhaust-air-system/) and active make up air system (https://www.fantech.net/our-solutions/kitchen/makeup-air-systems/) with custom grilles from Stellar Air Vents (https://stellarairdecorativeventcovers.com/), we made our home a test lab for tuning indoor chemistry with state of the art ventilation. Thanks to LBNL’s Brett Singer for helping me get in high gear on this topic.

Get a quick and easy crash course in how your kitchen exhaust should work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y08HOnzafM8

See the first-ever TV show about the science of homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Become a member and support our work sharing this info: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

Advanced Blower Door Testing Tips for Historic Home Renovation

Demo is starting soon on this 1920's home in Atlanta, and as an introduction we test the most important aspect- air leakage. This turned out to be the leakiest house I've ever tested (the test DOES include all attic spaces, since we're wanting to compare the same test before and after, and these attics will be a lot less confused when they're officially inside the house).

Check out the work of Matt Hoots at Sawhorse Design-Build:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1JqnAmtx8YqF-pzp1Pmdfg
https://sawhorse.net/

Check out the work of Chris and Jodi at LG Squared Architects:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2sJ6CQzqJ3DdeP7acjPRrg
https://www.lgsquaredinc.com/

Permaculture Prep: Learning the Science of Our Home's Landscaping

We're about to embark on our next great leap forward in our understanding of the science of homes, with the study of the physics, chemistry, and microbiology of the outdoors. Stick with us as Grace takes a 12-week Mastermind course in understanding permaculture with Atlanta's own Shades of Green (http://ShadesOfGreenPermaculture.com) and starts transforming the system of our outdoor environment for the better. More to come soon.

Join us to support our educational content and get exclusive access to us and our behind-the-scenes life: http://Patreon.com/HomeDiagnosisTV

How to Make My Home Healthy: Ventilation, Filters, and Dehumidifiers 101

In this final chapter in our Santa Fe series, we lay out the exact systems of products that you can use to tune your home's chemistry and microbiology. Always important to TEST before you start throwing money and time at a home, and after you think you've solved something, to make sure you're done.

Learn more about Santa Fe and Ultra-Aire systems: http://santa-fe-products.com

Lessons Learned Building High Performance Forever Homes: Factory-Built Modular Home & Self-Build DIY

For the national home performance conference, we presented side-by-side with our longtime friend and collaborator Bill Spohn (https://spohnhome.com/) about our simultaneous building of family forever homes. Pretty different approaches, and yes, this is a long presentation- hope the super nerds out there will enjoy hearing the breakdown.

Find Bill through his company, TruTech Tools: https://TruTechTools.com

How to PROVE You Build a Healthier Home

Modern homes are not just vulnerable to moisture damage, rot, and microbes- now we also have to worry about the health of the air, and contaminants including viruses. Homeowners are seeking homes with proven safety and breathability- but what does that mean, and how do you deliver it? In this fiery one-hour course, learn key methods for measuring, fixing, and communicating the health of the homes you work on every day.

To learn a LOT MORE, visit our main site: https://BuildingPerformanceWorkshop.com

See the systems developed by Santa Fe and Ultra-Aire: https://www.santa-fe-products.com/

Watch the first-ever television series about the Science of Homes: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv