Exterior insulation can significantly improve the R-value of a house by eliminating thermal bridging and adding a layer of insulation to the outside of the structural sheathing. Continuous exterior insulation (CEI) is an effective way to save energy by reducing the amount needed to heat your home, saving money on energy bills, and lowering carbon emissions. The amount of insulation needed depends on your climate, heating and cooling system, and the part of the house you plan to insulate.
Improved energy efficiency is achieved by mitigating heat transfer between indoor and outdoor environments, as well as maintaining consistent temperatures within the residence. External wall insulation acts as an extra barrier between the inner wall and the external wall exposed to cold air, reducing the likelihood of condensation forming on the internal wall.
However, there are some caveats to consider when installing exterior insulation. Air leakage can reduce insulation efficiency, so it’s important to use longer nails or Aerogel for the reveal. Walls with exterior insulation keep the sheathing warmer in winter, reducing the risk of condensation during heating days.
Continuous exterior insulation also increases comfort by eliminating condensing surfaces inside walls, reducing outside noise, and making the frame easier to clean. Adjustments can be made by adding or removing insulation to nudge the frame. The thickness of the CI and the type of cladding also play a role in the insulation’s effectiveness.
In conclusion, continuous exterior insulation offers numerous benefits, including increased durability, reduced energy consumption, and improved comfort.
📹 Exterior Insulation – What NOT to do! (And the Correct Way)
Today’s video is sponsored by my friends at ROCKWOOL and we will be talking about how to use their Insulation on the outside of …
What is the minimum thickness of exterior insulation?
The Energy STAR Single-Family New Homes program requires that the exterior foam layer be foil-faced polyisocyanurate or XPS, at least 1 inch thick. EPS should not be used as the outer layer, but EPS Type II can be used as the inner layer. The Compliance tab contains program and code information, with code language excerpted and summarized below. The program requires ceiling, wall, floor, and slab insulation levels to meet or exceed those specified in the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) with some alternatives and exceptions.
If the state or local residential building energy code requires higher insulation levels than those specified in the 2009 IECC, the building must meet or exceed locally mandated requirements. Some states have adopted the 2012 or 2015 IECC, and the U. S. DOE Building Energy Codes Program provides information on these codes.
How to insulate an exterior door?
To increase insulation in your door, tighten all fittings and screws, strip and replace existing weatherproofing, seal glass exterior doors with heavy curtains and drapes, install a weather seal, and use draft snakes or draft blockers when not in use. A well-insulated door helps regulate temperature, keeps energy bills down, and is better at holding elements at bay. Different materials and styles are better at holding elements at bay. Simple insulated door solutions can make a big difference without spending a lot of money on a new door.
What is one disadvantage to installing insulation on the exterior of a building?
External wall insulation boards have two main disadvantages: impermeability and size. Impermeability can cause issues if existing walls allow moisture to pass through, leading to dampness in the walls or insulation material. To address this, a vapor barrier or additional ventilation may be needed. Size is another disadvantage, as external insulation boards can add around 50mm to the exterior of walls, creating problems when installed around windows, doors, or roof eaves. Addressing these issues can require costly adjustments and increase the overall cost of the insulation project.
Where should you not put insulation?
The text emphasizes the importance of proper insulation in a home, advising against removing the backing from fiberglass insulation, which serves as a ‘vapor barrier’ to prevent condensation and rot. It advises against covering ventilation with fiberglass insulation or wrapping wiring with insulation, as insulation can be flammable. It also advises against allowing gaps in attics and adding weather stripping around the edges of attic doors to prevent conditioned air from escaping.
The text also emphasizes the importance of generous insulation in regulating and maintaining temperature, with a high R-value insulation being more effective. It advises against removing old insulation unless it is inundated with mold. It advises ensuring no gaps against walls are left after insulation installation, and avoid using fiberglass insulation in basements due to moisture problems. It advises against placing insulation near hot sources, such as water heaters or oil burners.
The text concludes that while it is recommended to hire a professional for insulation installation, it is possible to install insulation yourself with proper knowledge and care. With proper insulation, a home can become significantly more energy efficient.
What is the minimum depth of insulation?
To determine the amount of insulation needed for your home, measure your current insulation and use a ruler to determine the depth of the insulation in inches. If your attic is uninsulated, you may need a higher R-Value (Resistance-Value) to ensure proper insulation. Determine your temperate zone by looking at the ENERGY STAR map and corresponding number in the checklist. Minimum and recommended insulation amounts vary by state and county. The United States Department of Energy provides a “how much insulation do I need calculator” for customized readings.
For Zones 1-4, the average minimum requirement for attic insulation is 9 inches of R30 fill, with the recommended level being 14 inches of R49. For Zones 2, 3, 4, and 5, the average minimum requirement is 11 inches of R38 fill, with the recommended level being 17 inches of R60. For Zones 5, 6, and 7, the average minimum requirement is 14 inches of R49 fill, with the recommended level being 17 inches of R60.
For a free insulation inspection, check your local codes and requirements or call Terminix® for a free inspection. This will help you determine the necessary insulation and how your new insulation can effectively keep pests out of your home.
What is the life expectancy of exterior insulation?
External wall insulation is a crucial investment for energy efficiency and comfort in your home. Its lifespan can vary depending on factors like material quality, installation methods, and environmental conditions. High-quality systems can last 30-40 years with proper maintenance and care. However, this lifespan estimation is subject to various influencing factors. The durability of insulation depends on the type of material used, with render-based systems being known for their longevity.
Certain types of insulating boards may have a shorter lifespan due to moisture damage or wear. Understanding the specific characteristics and expected lifespan of the chosen insulation material is essential when considering replacement. Signs of wear and tear, such as cracking or flaking in exterior render or cladding, indicate that insulation needs replacement. These issues compromise aesthetic appeal and expose property to potential water damage if left unaddressed.
How effective is exterior insulation?
External wall insulation can significantly reduce energy bills by improving heat retention in your home. This reduces the need for your heating system to work harder to maintain the right temperature. According to the Energy Saving Trust, households can save up to £410 per year on energy bills. Additionally, external wall insulation is less disruptive during installation compared to other insulation methods.
What is the depth of external insulation?
External wall insulation systems in Ireland come in various types, including expanded polystyrene, extruded polystyrene, mineral fibre board, or polyisocyanurate. The thickness of the insulation depends on the material type, ranging from 100mm to 120mm or more for a retrofit and 150mm to 200mm for a new build. It is crucial that the material meets the U-values required by Irish Building Regulations, Part L 2021. Insulation professionals should aim for the lowest U-value possible based on the site and budget of the customer.
When installing external wall insulation (EWI), it is essential to fix any problems with the exterior walls beforehand. The insulation contractor can identify any issues during the initial site survey. External insulation may require extension or replacement of window sills and eaves, and downpipes may need to be relocated. Once the exterior walls are in good shape, the insulation can be installed.
Following the installation, a fibre mesh and base coat is applied to increase strength and impact resistance. A primer is applied to increase water resistance and adhesion. A render finish is applied to give the house a new look, typically an acrylic render in various colors and textures. The result is a fully insulated home with fresh new exterior walls.
How thick can exterior insulation be?
It is recommended that external walls be insulated to their full thickness. For walls constructed with 2×4 framing, a minimum of 4″ of insulation is required, while walls with 2×6 framing should have a minimum of 6″ of insulation.
Should exterior doors be insulated?
The exterior doors of a residence can have a considerable impact on air leakage and energy consumption, particularly if they are aged, uninsulated, improperly installed, or inadequately air sealed. The application of weatherstripping can result in a reduction of energy losses. Newer doors are designed to fit and insulate more effectively, making replacements a prudent investment. In the event that one is constructing a new residence, it would be prudent to consider the purchase of doors that are energy-efficient in order to reduce the costs associated with heating and cooling.
What insulation is used in exterior doors?
The exterior door will be insulated and sealed using spray foam insulation, which should be flexible and expand as the foam expands to ensure its longevity.
📹 External Wall Insulation ~ The Ugly Truth?
Roger looks at the disadvantages of external wall insulation and the misguided efforts of the Insulate Britain protests. EWI Store: …
That “exterior window jam extension” looks terrible. I would have had one custom welded up, with a slope away from the house incorporated into the bottom blade. Those corners not only look like a hack made them, but also look like the perfect website for water to bypass your siding, rain screen, and exterior insulation.
I’ve been in the construction field since the 70’s, been a licensed contractor in California going on for four decades now, so I’ve seen the construction industries gone through a number of evolutionary phases. The irony I’ve noticed is that even though buildings were much less efficient back in the days of cheap energy up to about the early 70’s, the conventional building practices and building technology up to that point were reliable tried and true methodologies that typically were free of chronic failure issues. It was when energy conservation became an ever increasing goal beginning in the 70’s that building construction practices began being plagued with ever increasing chronic system failures. And what I’ve also noticed to compound the problem is a growing failure of understanding the fundamental proper practices because there’s and serious lack of experience and education among new architects and contractors. An example is a low rise condo/apartment building in a local city who had the window and door fenestrations torn out and reinstalled up to three times do to poor system design and practices caused by a lack of experience and knowledge in today’s building industry. So the long story short is your efforts in correcting these problems are very refreshing! 👍
Totally ghetto but on my house as we redo things in stages I have been converting the exterior walls where practical to a ‘poor mans 2×6’ by ripping 2×4’s in half and screwing them to the studs and top/bottom plates to make a false wall extension of sorts. An R23 rockwool batt fits right into the added depth, massive improvement to the original R7 crapola that was in there.
Matt, as a long term member of the building community I enjoy your articles. They’re full of great info on the newest products and trends in the industry. However, guys like you just don’t get certain things when it comes to building durability. Caulk, sealants, tapes and self stick building wraps will not keep out water long term in all but the driest, warmest climates. Even then it will not totally prevent water damage, although it can greatly delay it. What works is what has always worked. Carefully, and properly applied flashing,( real flashing, not tapes,and other self stick products.) and over hangs on a building. A building with out over hangs will eventually have water infiltration. My own home was built by my company over 35 years ago. It has none of the high tech water sealant products you use. It does not have a drainage space between the siding and the sheathing to allow for water drainage. What it does have on my 2,700 sq ft ranch style home is a hip roof with two ft over hangs all the way around. After 37 years there is zero water damage of any type. This is despite the 45 inches of precipitation we have in my area per year.Often wind driven. Get the point? Many modern building designs will have water infiltration no matter what products you use to prevent it because the design does not include over hangs. No one wants to accept this, I didn’t either when I was younger,but one must often decide between building esthetics, and building durability. Hope this gave you and your viewers some food for thought.
At 18:30, I would think you would tape around the window rough-out, with the tape coming to the inside of the rough-out before framing. I’m not a builder, just an ol’ dyi’er, but don’t understand why you wouldn’t cover bare window wood before installing the window. Or is that overkill? And Matt, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
I have a question about exterior insulation on an existing brick home. I live in the Chicago area in a brick house which was built in 1951. Typically, when these houses were built, there is a concrete slab foundation (or basement in my case) with brick on top of that. There are actually 2 layers of bricks on the exterior with a gap of 2-4 inches between the 2 layers of bricks. It was believed at the time these houses were built, that, that gap would actually help insulate the house, obviously that has been long ago proven to be wrong. I have seen a system where small holes are drilled into the mortar joints near the top of the house, and an expanding closed cell foam is injected. When the space between the 2 layers of brick is completely filled, the mortar joint is patched and resealed. I have heard plenty of good about this process including insulation improvements, water and bug/critter prevention. What if any experience have you had with this procedure and what are your thoughts on it??
@MattRisinger any chance you will cover other exterior options? I’m in west tennessee, mixed humidity 7A climate zone and I’m looking at doing ICF with a basement in heavy red clay soil. I’m interested in exterior insulation to explore the possibility of exploiting the thermal mass of the concrete walls.
So do you feel it is easier to sell this one at a time to a customer or do you tell your customers about your YT website and expect them to already be prepared for the additional cost. The reason I ask is with the hundreds of your articles that I have watched, you never date a article by saying: Here we are in August or 2018 for reference AND you never say what the topic should cost per 100 square feet AT THAT TIME!! (Today in August of 2018 for future reference). Otherwise, I think most everyone can figure out the lingo you use as most of us probably had also, but I sometimes watch and think: Some poor schmuck homeowner is not going to know what he just said. A quick example from this article was, you said “about 15 years ago when I, bla, bla, bla. So if someone really wanted to know when it was typical that some building material was not really tested and builders were sued because they were told this way to use it or we will not back it, bla, bla, bla. They could go to the date of post and figure it out, BUT I think it would be far more professional for you to give actual dates. This happened to me on aluminum soffit panels. I new I could have had it all replaced at their cost. but I wanted to go deeper and do a much better job on my home. So you are not alone, but you are far better than those people. I know you cannot give it all away. I get it!! BUT,,,, some things I would really like to know the actual prices on, or the expected difference with or without a product along with it’s cost and difference in time and labor.
We always talk about the importance of a air gap to let moisture wicking away and help the drying process. And I like it. But I keep having this vision of a double walled building with an air gap of 12-24″. This large gap could be a “conditioned” space that gets heated or cooled depending on temperature. So you have insulation on both sides of the gap and the structure on the inside never gets exposed to air temperature and moisture swings. Commercial boats are build with double layered hulls. I wonder if such a design has ever been considered
After perusal hundreds of insulation products… wraps, interior, exterior etc… I wanted to ask you to consider my posit. Take one structure such as a shed and use the double foil sided bubble wrap that ductwork is wrapped in in the NE and cover the walls, ceiling.. and maybe floor on the face of the studs INSIDE. Do corners with metal tape. My experiment with the stuff shows about ZERO heat transfer across it. I wanted to build my home doing it but didnt. I bet the results are ASTONISHING. Why not build houses with it under all the shertrock? I tried to send this directly but couldn’t find a way.
Question, why use a low grade 1×4 as the rain screen, when it’s something totally susceptible to rot and damage esp. when its structural to the siding/exterior? Would a durarock or hardieboard style product or a vinyl plank/board/stud work better? Also, since this rockwool gets compressed from improper install, how much sheer strength does it have? I.E. how well does it hold the weight of a heavy exterior siding like stucco, rock or traditional wood siding? I live in earth quake prone CA and have seen exterior foam mounted underneath stucco “tear” away from even minor earthquakes and small impacts(cars or small vehicles hitting side of homes; Once even from a back yard BBQ devolving into a WWF brawl and had one individual thrown into a wall that crushed and tore the foam backing away, and took a 4′ section of stucco with it.). Is that why the photo from the school showed those 2 part mounting clips being used to effectively bypass the rockwool and mount straight to sheeting? Seems labor intensive. Any other options for rigidity? Ty man. love your website.
Matt I just love the idea of Rockwool for an exterior. I have used the Roadenhouse washers too. However, in particular with a stucco exterior, you did not mention how the foot of the Rockwool board is handled. In other words, if I take a mirror and look up the houses’s “skirt,” what will I see? Will I see exposed sheeting and Rockwool? Or will I see a weep screed that is especially designed for 2 inch Rockwool board? Does the Rockwool overlap the junction between the slab foundation and the sheeting? What about if you used Hardiplank instead? Is StuccoWrap enough of an air gap over Comfortboard when applying stucco? Do you recommend something else? Is there an R-4 Comfortboard too? (ie. 1 inch thick) Thanks for cutting edge ideas, but trying to sell them to local inspectors is sometimes tough.
This article comes at a great time for me! I am planning near future improvements to the exterior of my house. I’m in Wisconsin which is zone 6. The biggest hiccup I am running into is my house is sheathed with fiberboard which provides little to no structural strength to meet modern standards. I also have no roof overhang on two sides of my house so designing a system to update and get my house more energy efficient is going to be a big challenge. Any input on this? What would you do if you ran into a situation like this? I like the Rockwool insulation and most likely will be using that to update the insulation. By the time I add that as well as an air gap for the cladding I’m running into an issue of what to do in regards to the sides of my house where I have no overhang.
Hey Matt, i’ve enjoyed your build articles over the years and i have a question for you. I have rebuilt the back exterior wall of my house which is facing west ( original home builder never installed any insulation in the outside walls ) so replaced the Celotex sheathing with strand board then put up a wavy rain screen over that then installed 1″ R max foam board with all the seams taped. i’m ready to put up the 1/2″ x 3″ batten boards, my concern is the siding i want to use is the 8″ LP smart siding, with the battens 16″ o.c. do you think i could have wavy siding once the sun starts to beat on it, if so what would you suggest i use ? BTW i’m a subscriber that lives in colorado zone 4-5 ?
imagine how crappy that YETI would be with a window, the $3 foam throw away would be better. You can have the best thermals if you live in a cave, but once you add the windows then toss that all that into the dirt. Research the BTU’s of the Total Sensible Load. Your windows are 500%-600% of BTU problem, example Walls 250 BTU vs Windows 13,000. I’d take mediocre wall insulation with phenomenal windows anytime.
Matt, Super article here with lots of tangible application info. We are structural steel erectors in Columbus, OH – Climate Zone 5A. We have a 1930’s built rectangular CMU block building perimeter that bears steel beams on 18′ center pilasters to support a traditional 2 x 12 wood framed roof with 1/4″ pitch. We are planning to bring this structure into the 21st century with insulation as there currently is none . Do you have articles or sources to help outline the specifics involved with an exterior insulation system and venting info when working with this type of construction? Thanks
So why wouldn’t I use a perfectly acceptable ZIP Systems R-Sheathing (R9, 2″ thick) with their fluid applied liquid flash seam and nail sealer? Add brick veneer (perhaps with a rain screen) and I’m golden. If I use insulated T-Studs (2×6 sized) as my exterior wall structure and normal cavity insulation (R19 or better) with standard sheetrock on the interior wall surface, I should have a pretty good wall section. Am I missing something?
Not sure what the cause is but home construction is insanely expensive, thats why its been mostly abandoned to the ‘cookie-cutters’. Try working with an architect through the construction of a decent home and about 60% of the population will be priced right out of the gates. So you end up with cheaply built homes that underperform. I’m looking to build a 600sqft ZEB because that appears to be the size I can afford with the details I want but it needn’t be!
Matt I have been perusal your website religiously for a few years now and love your content. We are designing and building a home with metal siding and metal roofing and had hoped you would eventually cover how to effectively install insulation and water barriers in such an instalation, but haven’t come across that topic yet. I know spray foam is generally used for insulative properties and I considered an additional layer of rockwool, but I am not sure if there should be a vapor barrier applied before the metal is applied or if there is a better solution for such an install. I am in the hill country as well so value your building methods because they make sense and are directly related to our building conditions Thank you and keep up the great work
3:41 I wouldn’t try to defend putting up EIFS the way they installed it in the 1990s, but it seems that most of the water that got into those houses came in around the windows and doors. I suspect that if those vinyl windows had come with protruding ledges at the top as well as sills at the bottom and both were angled to carry the water away from the window, instead of into it, that house would have fared better. There were good reasons windows had those details in the past, for protection against both water and fire (ledges were mandated after the London fire of 1666); I’ve never understood the compulsion in recent years to make all windows look like something you’d put on a conversion van.
Matt This fake Styrofoam stucco was a complete disaster for so many reasons. Imagine an 8 story building on the ocean in the Northeast. It rained in the building at the seams. The problem was the building foundation was designed for a light cladding so it was a total loss for some other better solution that weighed more, insulated and kept the rain out. Developers left owners in a mess of constant maintenance and leaking everywhere.
The EIFS story is interesting. I am an architect who used a fair amount of primary barrier EIFS in the late 1980’s through the mid-1990s in medium sized contemporary commercial work. In my region we some very good commercial plaster and stucco contractors who did very good work who always told us that it required good installers who knew what they were doing and everything was detailed according to manufacturer’s requirements. Our designs were relatively simple and planar. We avoided over-articulated facades and always used top-of-the-line commercial-grade silicone sealants and proper flashing. Synergy in Rhode Island provided excellent support. ALL of these installations are still up and performing well. One is almost 40 years old. Here in New England it is almost never seen in single family residential construction. EIFS had been successfully used in Europe for low-to-moderate cost construction for decades…almost always as a finish over structural clay tile substrates…never wood. By the late 90s you saw less and less EIFS except on buildings like CVS drug stores and other miscellaneous strip mall structures. Styles changed and budgets got better. When EIFS hit the overheated Sun Belt residential market in the early-to-mid 1990s all hell broke loose. Misapplication and poor workmanship lead to a cascade of lawsuits that utterly transformed how it was perceived.
I cringe whenever I see the thousands of holes all those fasteners are making in the sheathing. First with the exterior insulation and then with the dimple mat or furring strips for a rain screen. It doesn’t seem like any house wrap, self adhesive, self-healing, or whatever is going to stay sealed around all those screw holes through decades of earthquakes, wood shrinkage, etc. I think a tear down of one of these homes 20 years from now is going to show rotting sheathing just like in the first photos, where water was funneled down the shafts of all those fasteners right into the sheathing. Why do it this way when you could simply frame and sheath the structural walls that enclose the living space, wrap it with a vapor barrier or retarder with windows flashed, then build a second completely vapor open non-structural second stud wall that is not sheathed to hang your siding on ? Nothing attached to the structural first wall, the second stud wall only attached at its own sill plate and the rafter tails, so no penetrations of the house wrap on the walls enclosing the living space. Bulk water would be caught by the siding, windows would be recessed 8″+ from the siding so a lack of overhangs wouldn’t matter, and any water vapor would move back outward or condense and drain out of the weep holes at the base of the cavity between the two walls. The outer wall would age the way 100 year old homes lasted without water damage because they could dry — the difference being the sealed inner wall actually enclosing the living space with all exterior insulation that makes it energy efficient.
Matt, this was a great follow up article. I’d love it if y ou did more of these. The current format where you show off the latest toy that excites you is great. It would be great if there was a second half to each article/follow up where you show some of the techniques for the install of that HVAC, toilet install or whatever with this level of detail would be amazing.
Very nice, informative article, but I don’t see how this is better than a 2×6 with Zip-R or a 2×8 wall with traditional sheathing, and most of the solutions presented here look like they would be far more expensive due to a lot more labor, and prone to fail because it depends so much on a perfect execution. I would prefer insulation on one side of the wall, not both. Pick a side and do it once. For example, using the T-studs featured in a previous article, in 2×8 size, with Zip sheathing and tape, plus blown in fiberglass (or rockwool). I don’t see how any of the solutions here are “better” than that, and I would expect this method to require very little new skills to perform and have a low labor cost. As far as selling the higher performance house, it’s basically out of reach of 95% of the buyers until it can be valued (as we would like it to be) by the estimator & mortgage company. Just about everyone is beholden to financing requirements, and adding things that cannot apply 100% to the value of the house will negatively affect the ability to finance that house. The only way I can think of to fix this is with new code requiring the better performance.
Fantastic article! Maybe the best he’s ever done. He hits all seven steps of the instructional method (attention, motivation, overview, body, summary, re-motivation, closure). Every visual aid is clear, appropriate to the topic, and elevates the point he’s driving home, without adding clutter. In fact, there is an any clutter the entire presentation. He does a good job of using the face cam when what he saying is important, and using the slides when what he’s showing is important. An extremely tight presentation. This is how you do 27 minutes of all killer, no filler.
What I’m wondering any time I see insulation applied, is how the metal fasteners act like thermal bridges. So you have a metal plate on the outside of the insulation that warms or cools to the outside temperature, acts like a plate to transfer the outside temperature to the screw which penetrates the building and inside the screw is a little bridge which will transfer the outside temperature to inside, right? Since metal is an excellent conductor of heat energy, shouldn’t you aim for a layer of insulation that is not penetrated or bridged anywhere in the layer by a conducting material?
Rain screen batten is good if you want more labor and time. But check out Benjamin Obdyke’s products. They solve the rain screen problem with superior tech, in my opinion, and less work work framers or finish carpenters. The problem with batten of wood is it is organic material and of course is susceptible to mold, rot, and other organic organisms and hence failure.
Asbestos was great insulation too, will rockwool be a toxic hazard in 50 years as well? I find myself extremely leery of any rock insulation product like rockwool. I’m not saying I know anything about it, or that I’m not willing to learn, but I would want to see some 3rd party safety data on short term and long term safety in regards to rockwool. Rockwool is made with stone and slag and it “sounds” like it’s made with extremely fine hairlike fibers of rock/slag. Which is eerily similar to asbestos. The description is just giving me the heebeejeebees thinking about it.
If building a passive house or any house for that matter let’s say a window gets broken. Should the external insulation and siding around openings be redesigned so that future window and door replacements or upgrades don’t require deconstruction of an entire wall system? Someone is going to need to get to the external membrane to get that opening back up to passive house air tightness. It would be nice if only a foot or two of siding and insulation needed to be removed around an opening.
I apologize if you have already covered this, or something close. You talk a lot about vapor permeable membrane. I know there are many different brands and varieties. I’ve always been told that Tyvek is kind of the “gold standard” for this, the more of your articles I watch though I don’t really see a lot of Tyvek being used and that makes me question if that is true or not. Would you be willing to break down the vapor permeable membranes and could you also maybe review the different brands and varieties you have used and seen used throughout the years to perhaps clear up any misconceptions?
wth is that gapped top flashing at 14:25? I understand there’s more layers to come, but shouldn’t EVERT layer be constructed to be water shedding to the outside, instead of that terrible top corner gap? shouldn’t all the elements in the vertical treatments be layered akin to shingles, so moisture is always guide down and OUT?
Matt, I think you are saying that moisture will always find a way inside the wall. From rainwater leaks to high humidity & condensation the material inside the wall must NEVER EVER hold water in the liquid state. Please consider this…The steam you demonstrated on the rock wool shows it to be a wide open path for humidity. Did you know that humidity inside insulation acts as a thermal bridge to conduct the cold from outdoors into the inner walls of the house? Insulation must be dry to get the full R-value. Without a true vapor-barrier humidity will move through a porous substance by molecular pressure (No Air Movement). It moves through concrete! What you are advocating is to allow this moisture to condense in the insulation but have enough air circulation inside the wall to evaporate the condensation before it can do damage to the wood. This humidity load can be 30% of the energy consumption if we want a controlled Rh indoors.
Personally, I would go with a permeable Low density fiber board as you showed they use in Switzerland. Working around microscopic glass fibers just does not seem to be smart. Wood is a renewable resource. fiberboard utilizes waste wood and up scales it to a higher value. If you are concerned about atmospheric CO2, renewable wood fiber placed in a building sequesters the carbon for the life of the building.
Hey Matt I had a quick thought I wanted to share with you. Some coworkers and I were discussing the similarities between stucco, and spray on truck bed liners, and that got me thinking. Could spray on truck bed liners be used as a replacement for exterior stucco on homes? Spray on bed liners could be water proof, bug proof, and could potentially increase the overall sheer strength of a house! What’s your opinion on this? Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
You keep talking failure without a link to an approved schematic for building code by year and vendor. I have a 1978 house has upgraded windows and change to 15 year old vinyl siding. 100″ rain with old house wrap in coastal WA with 60 mph winds in winter. Would be interesting to see real retrofit code and install. Much failure rain and high humidity.
Great stuff! Just went down the rabbit hole of exterior insulation -> vapor permeable wall assemblies -> ratio of exterior to interior insulation, etc, etc. Ended up at BSD-163 on Building Science Digest. Looks like it would pencil out fairly well with an R8 exterior board and R23 rockwool in a 2×6 stud bay for a Marine 4 climate. This assumes indoor RH of under 50%. Does it sound like I’m interpreting things correctly?
Rain screen or air gap furring strips’ orientation The Rain screen or air gap furring strips’ orientation must be vertical to allow for unobstructed continuous water, air, and moisture flow. If your siding needs to attach to horizontal furring strips, they must be attached as battens over the required unobstructed vertical furring strips. Source: Hammer & Hand / Horizontal Rain Screen Furring for Vertical Siding
Hi, great stuff. I’m in Phoenix…Most of our building is done by under staffed production builders…i can say from experience, we never seem to have the time to look at the latest best practice. Most builders can barley keep up with existing backlog .That said, having been to a few constitution instruction meets the ext insulation practice has been discussed but we still don’t even do a full ext shear in the valley so it will take some time for this to catch on here. I had a couple questions for my own insight….How do you deal with insects and pests inside those exterior air cavities? Also what are you doing to insulate the exposed slab? Lastly, how do those ext walls sit on the slab? With a 3-4″ wall you must be moving them all into the home instead of using an extra wide weep screed or something for the moisture to run off? Thanks
Matt hate to be down on things but I have a great friend that has done remodels for years like 30 plus. He just tore into a super sealed house with zip sheeting inside and out mold and rote. The insurance company stated in there findings that the house breathability was lacking and dented the clam. My proplem is I know you are sponsored by thees products but have you really done your home work just asking. I think people need to do there home work and check with quality contractor’s to see what they have used and what works. Just my opinion
Mat this article nailed it for me, i do construction in commercial Building as a sheet metal worker, an were going to build our first home with little knowledge of home building, were building through ‘Ubuild it’, but being around other trades an getting to know them an perusal your articles give me confidence to go through with it, this article an the last was great, keep up the great work, never miss a article from u
Matt, Few follow up questions to this article please… 1) The one sealing point that I dont recall you discussing is the bottom edge of the ROCKWOOL exterior seething boards. How do you deal with an otherwise exposed bottom edge (assume typical lap siding) so that mice and rodents dont see that as an open invitation to tunnel into it and make a house high rise? How would this sealing be different if you used the vertical rain boards behind the siding? 2) Can/should you use a product like Tyvec (or similar) over the ROCKWOOL so that any water that does get past the siding or window/door edges, drains to the bottom and not have an opportunity to be absorbed by the ROCKWOOL? Does this answer change if you use the rain drain vertical boards you talk about at the end of the article? 3) You talked about laying a 2×4 flat all the way around window/door framing to help compensate for the ROCKWOOL board thickness. Would it make sense (assuming no code issues) to only do this at the corners and maybe a small blocks along long edges between corners so that the ROCKWOOL board can be under most of the window flanges to help compensate for the otherwise wood thermal short at the flanges? Note: One aspect you didn’t touch on that might be another benefit, is that the ROCKWOOL board likely does a lot for sound canceling out outside->inside noise, although I suspect that most outside->inside noise likely comes through windows and not really the walls.
In other Country’s rockwool is used for many decades. America should learn from other country’s like Germany where I am from. My dad is a home builder for 3 decades and our Walls are so much better constructed. Two stones and in between is insulation and pipes running. Very thick walls compared to US. The US does everything cheap and crappy. I guess just my opinion from living most of my live where we value quality. Even the windows are European windows where you open with a handle leaves no are gaps. It’s more like a casement window but just not as weird funky looking. We love modern not old grandma style homes. 🤣 also people don’t have air conditioners. They are really dependent on good insulation. But I rather would have good insulation and have low bills.
Is there a reason that in all of ROCKWOOL’s publishings that the exterior insulation is located outside of the water/air/vapor barrier/membrane even if the insulation is sandwiched between two layers of sheathing? Why is it cladding, underlayment, sheathing, insulation, barrier/membrane, sheathing, framing, and not cladding, underlayment, barrier/membrane, sheathing, insulation, sheathing, framing?
Can I use Tyvek on the sheathing and 2 inch rigid insulation over that with a rain screen then siding? I’m climate zone 6A. I just did all new osb 5/8 sheathing and sealed all the seams. I already have the 2 inch R-10 Kingspan Greenguard stacked up in the driveway ready to go. I already have the tyvek on, taped and sealed. Should I install a membrane over the tyvek, before I install the Rigid insulation? Should I tear the tyvek off and replace with a membrane or am I good as it is?
After I saw this article, on my old home I purchase, 1 Pallet 12 bundles of rockwool R15then another 1 pallet Owins R21, For the attic. I have to removed the R13 that was in the attic but whom ever installed they put the insulation upsidedown. So at the same time I was cleaning and removing old news papers, and old ironing board. I dated the ironing board is from 1800″s
I’m tearing down an old farmhouse now that has been totally 100% neglected for at least 45 years. Abandoned for at least 25. But the tar paper and oak boards under the exterior poplar clap board siding is as new as the day they were installed probably 100 years ago. I doubt that these modern building systems will have that kind of life.
Here in the U.K. cavity wall insulation is a bad word. Most are now trying to take it out before problems arise. The issue here is most builders have no idea what they are doing, no professional standards for builders. Basically if you can use a hammer your a builder. Not being over dramatic but from my perspective 8 out of 10 builders come from the cerebrally challenged mindset.
Maybe I’m missing something. Who the hell frames a house with 2X4?!? The house I lived in during high school had 2×4 with exterior insulation. That house was built in 1989 in a crappy little city outside of philly. When I started building on my own the only thing I knew was 2X6 exterior framing thinking we should go to 2X8. Almost twenty years later I still think I’m cheating building with 2X6. When you are building as expensive home750k+ why are you trying to throw good money on top of bad. Get rid of all the cost of labor not materials. I’m a general contractor in the PNW. I will frame a house for the same labor cost at 2X4, 2X6 or 2X8 for labor. It’s the same amount of cuts and time for me sheet and stand walls is the same. It’s a no brainier for me. The air gap makes sense but to go through all that trouble of labor doesn’t. To put a batt on every stud then side the house is way faster and economical than exterior insulation. Thicker cavity is more economical long term. Buy once cry once is the way I go. I have been building for over half of my life and the entire part of this millennia. Many of the ideas you share on this website are good ideas but in some ways poorly executed. I know you mean well and I do learn from your website but that’s what you are to me, a YouTube website not a builder, sorry.
The examples are interesting but the costs just keep climbing. I don’t know if ordinary folks can afford all the “belts and suspenders.” If someone was paying the market rates for all of these improvements what would be the anticipated price for square foot? Just saying there is a price to build well but I think you are beyond that number.
I am having a concrete block house built in the southern Philippines. No one in the town I am building in knows anything about exterior insulation. I feel it is absolutely essential. There are not even styro panels r Rockwool bats known about. Keeping the heat out is essential in my books. Are there any significant problems with just following the basic exterior methods as explained for temperate climates? Simple materials only. I will probably need to source insulation itself from Manila.
I’m in a cold climate (Buffalo, NY) and remodeling a kitchen in a 1964 brick ranch. I learned quickly that the brick wall has a one inch air gap and the exterior wall sheathing is a fiber board impregnated with asphalt I think (Buffalo Board, etc.) The insulation in the stud cavities was about 1/2 inch fiber glass, foiled on the inside and paper on the outside. I know I’m stuck with the exterior as is with the design of the house, but is there anything I can do to get these exterior walls as close to modern codes as possible? All I’ve come up with is using spray foam in header and framing gaps, and R-13 3.5″ fiberglass insulation with vapor retarded backing in the stud cavities.
Nobody never says true only facts that are worth to highlit. Let say I watched first 5 minutes and decided to use Roskwool because it’s so great. But. 1. Take your butane torch and try to lit ekofiber or hempcrete. I’m sure there is more. Any prize for finding those materials? Forgot foam glass. 2. Water repelling? Does it means if I like military look (slab surface is similar to anti magnetic coating on WWII Tiger tanks) I can leave it without render? Great. 3. Steam going trough? Hmm…, can you remove vapour barrier in your house and check what will happen to rockwool? If temeprature outside will be -10 Celsius can you do the same? Or maybe steam will condensate somwhere in the middle and insulation will loose it’s properties? Will it dry? How fast? Rockwool is great material but in amateur hands can easily turn into disaster.
Those window bucks, wouldn’t you want to put that zip stretch tape over it before installing window and insulation? There are so many facets that can change how a house us build. I really appreciate you explaining the science and showing solutions. I would think most builders have to compete on pricing to the bottom because everyone wants it cheap. Totally agree with Steve’s quote. Unless building code requires it, we will continue to see poorly build homes. My own building project will be in cold northern Maine. I want it super insulated because it’s very cold in the winter. But considering climate change and how local weather will be affected, I might as well also consider summers with 110°F and high humidity becoming a norm. My second goal is to build hurricane and tornado proof. The cost can be steep. I will be building with ICF. To make it affordable, I will go down in size, 1200-1500 sqf. Monopoly style. It’s going to be another 6 months before I’ll have an architect draw up the plans. It’s exciting.
Would you use a vapour perimiable mebrane like Tyvek wrap on the shething surface first and then apply to product like the 1 inch SilveRBoard? My options are limited at the local building supply store and thickness of external insulation because of electrical mast postioning. I own a older home with 1×6×8 shething material built in 1941 in currently removing the oldclap board siding.
Looking at the Thermal Buck product, you are still relying on caulk at the corners for your seal behind the window. I must not be seeing the advantage- looks like you are taking a big step backward in waterproofing your windows. I lot of effort needs to be made behind everything to still make sure the inside corner is protected. As a stand-off it’s just “ok,” but I would never rely on it for the actual protection.
You probably covered this in other articles… cold bridges. Cold bridges tend to concentrate condensed water when below dewpoint of air. Over time, they can encourage mold and rot. Many of the examples you give in this article minimize or eliminate cold bridges. It is important. Likewise attention to the HVAC system is also important. Well insulated houses with minimal infiltration need ventilation and humidity control in most climate areas. For example, if you insulate you home but do not install double glazing or better, the moisture will often condense on the inside of the windows at night and on the outside during the day. It can be a large amount that damages your building. Great article!
I’ve become a big fan of the build show and Matt your clearly awesome. When perusal I can usually keep up but sometimes your using terms I don’t know. I’ve been interested in super insulation for many years. What’s good for me as an amateur who has built 1 house and light remodels is seeing the build from a professional contractor angle causing me to up my game to build better by understanding the situation differently . In other words when you are explaining concepts remember amateurs like me are trying to take it all in. Love all your shows keep it up.
So Rockwool is amazing in both R value and fire resistance. But what about the brittle nature of the fibers? Traditionally they are brittle and highly irritating. Over time a house is going to have a lot of movement. Perhaps there is a new binder to extend the life/mitigate the brittle fibers? Great article, just wondering.
Matt, a point that you should clear up for us if you will: you have claimed in this article and elsewhere that there should be (or is it that you claim that it’s allright to have one) an air gap between the insulation material and the brick cladding or whatever siding ‘dresses’ the house. And you add that if there is a water leak or humid air leak/draught into this gap it should condensate and somehow drop and vanish. Really? I would have assumed that this air gap was there to add a little more insulation performance to the external wall of the house, just like double and triple glazed windows which usually have some air between the panes, and air being such a poor thermal conductor compared to glass, the cooling of the windows and internal house atmosphere will be minimized. If there a leak into this space then the finishing of the external wall has not been well accomplished. Moreover, why should there a gap. This gap is actually unwelcome! Today there are even better insulators than rock wool, and if you apply these to the wall plus the Sigma water impermeable membrane and finally the brick and mortar, whose sturdiness has been well proven over the millenia, and leave no gap, the thermal insulation will be enough to prevent the internal wall of the house to cool down to the point of condensation!??
That thermo-buck on top of the window is going to allow water to leak not only behind the rock wool but right into the interior jam. There needs to be a flashing over the top of that buck and that flashing needs to be overlapped by the wrap or liquid flash the top. Also that insulated attic gable end will allow any water that gets behind the siding to land on top of that rock wool. Since that rock wool is gonna have that water bead up, it’s going to be a mold problem. Particularly if this is on the shaded side of the house. You need to assume the caulking will NOT be holding up as the house ages and that the homeowner will NOT repair aging caulk he/she cannot see so that water as the house ages is going to run behind the siding at the window corners. Just because everything is vapor permeable today does not mean it will be as years of pollen in that weeping water will clog all the pores up and there will be mold and rot. These “systems” are only as good as the “tradesman” who is installing. These new insulation codes are making it more complex.
Hey Matt, We do things crazy inefficient here in oz so I’m trying to slowly change that here by specifying products that are as similar as possible to the products you have recommendrainscreensed. One question I have about rain screens is…Do we need a ventilation opening at the bottom of the rain screen? I ask this because with our R value calculations here a ventilated air gap is rated differently to an unventilated air gap. I like the idea of a drainage plain for the rain screen, but it appears that in winter months it can reduce my r value.
I like most of Matt’s articles including this one, but he puts forth a lot of ideas about how to insulate a house and I have no idea why one would pick one approach over another. In one article he presented the bare naked studs that provide a thermal break and according to that article they eliminate the need for exterior insulation. Then there is the sheathing with insulation attached. And of course there is foam insulation, that might give sufficient insulation in 2 x 4 walls. but if it doesn’t it would with 2 x 6 walls. I wonder what approach Matt would use for his own house.
I don’t like the foam window buck system since the there is no nail base at the surface. For my project we used 2×6 with ridge foam behind the 2×6 to create an insulated window buck. This way your windows are mounted to a solid wood frame. The foam behind the 2×6 provides a thermal brake. All of the 2×6 was primed and caulk to keep moisture out. Also the entire buck frame was protected with vycor tape with Zip stretch tape on the bottom. Issue with Fluid applied in my location is no one here is trained. One benefit of Roxul exterior insulation is that insects won’t bore through it to make a home inside of your walls. often Rigid foam has tunnels carved out by ants and other insects, which can cause issues. However you can purchase Rigid foam insulation with Insecticide to avoid this problem.
Matt….Nextel was great (PTT, lol); but no ones eye “fashion” was great back than….🤣🤣 Thx for the vid✌🏼 Also, remember the StarTack small flip phones before the Nextel PTT phones became norm for businesses….or bag phone for car😅 So glad tech has gotten better, & the PTT still available on Sprint (as they bought Nextel) but through App only & on certain phones w/ special plan…..even kept the same “chirp” sound👍🏻
It looks to me like that comfort board is just a huge sponge to hold water and then grow mold. Time will tell but I’m sure the failure at the beginning of the article was construction that was sold as waterproof at that time. Old houses have lasted because they did not rely at all on all these manufactured products that cost more and then inevitably fail.
We want to add exterior insulation to our existing home. You show using bent metal to extend the window frame . Is that the only method I could use or can I do something different. On an another article they use PBC for the window frame and as the, how would you say, the extension from the sill to the window frame. If that makes sense.
Does an air barrier need to be added with regular insulated vinyl, or do the doors/windows need the same special trim? my builder is telling me he is afraid to install on it my house because his vinyl installer is telling him there are problems with moisture get trapped between the EPS foam and house wrap.
I’m building my own home in Arizona and turn to your website for knowledge and inspiration. The problem is, the more I watch you the more my build costs go up, lol. I’m building a house that is a combination of shipping containers and stick. articles on my website. My biggest concern is condensation. I learn a lot from you and appreciate the articles. Thank you
Hey Matt, thanks for sharing your infinite knowledge. I follow your website, and am a decent diy-er, where can someone like me get better info on home insulation instalation, to do it right? Or in my case to fix what my home builder did incorrectly? Looking for info on where I should have a waterproof layer, and where should it be permeable. New England home, 14yrs old, 2X6 stick, fiberglass, osb, tyvek, vynil siding. Anyone? I was planning on removing the siding, and adding more insulation, but need to know what should be waterproof, and what should be permeable. thank you all in advance.
Hi Matt, I always thought you were from Texas. However, perusal this article you mentioned that you moved to Texas 15 years ago. Can you settle a discussion my wife and I are having about the area lived in prior to your move to Texas? Also where did you grow up. Thanks in advance. I really enjoy your articles.
Mr. Matt Risinger, your articles are great! I’m not a home builder, nor am I into the construction business of any kind. My question is: When using window bucks or any alternatives to extend your window to accommodate your exterior insulation, do they have the 5% slope to ensure proper drainage from the window sill?
I have been installing Eifs for 15 years in Ontario. The EPS foam is water vapour permeable and has websites in the back side. We do not use that inferior house wrap (tyvek) in our installs. The sheathing is covered with liquid WRB which is applied with trowel and it is thick and has fibers in it. Sheathing seams and corners gets meshed. If applied right, there would be no pin hole so no water could touch the wood from exterior. It is important to slope the window sills and make sure you use very good quality caulking around openings that will last couple years. Not the crap you get from big box stores. Rockwool is also good for exterior application but it is for exterior cladding. Also much more $$$
why did home depot stop carrying Rockwool? now all they have is an Owens version of a wool batt product product that is too stiff and hard to work with. I tried the Owens product and it’s a lot stiffer so it’s hard to push into standard stud wall if it’s not exactly the correct width. I’m having problem sourcing Rockwool in Colorado springs.
Matt Risinger! I tried to get the comfortboard to use on my personal house. I could not find it for sale anywhere without ordering waaaaayyy more than I needed (and it was already expensive). Do you know if they will be providing this product on a consumer level any time soon? I even tried contacting Rockwool with no help from the company on how to get some.
Great breakdown of installation details on the exterior Rockwool. So is there a full vapor barrier in these wall assemblies on the interior, or are they drying to both the exterior and interior? You mentioned that the exterior should be vapor permeable. Is that just for a hot-humid climate? I’d be interested to see what you would use in a cold climate.
Hi Matt, Love your articles, I’ve been perusal as many of them as I can. I wonder how this Exterior insulation code + is going to apply to Log homes? I ask because I’m in the process of planning to build my very first home as an owner/builder in British Columbia. We already have to submit Energy calculations for the entire building and get above a certain level, but will Exterior Insulation codes kill the log homes in the future?? love to hear your thoughts on this. keep up the great articles.
Nice! I’ve seen what looks like 3 inch insulation being put on most of the public building’s exteriors here in Lithuania using those metal brackets you showed for the school. Good to know the theory carries over to here as well. Not a builder, but currently looking for a new home and ideas on costs for different portions of a project.
I made a comment at 14:33 saying a window buck would be a better way to do it, but then I played more of the article and you do talk about the guy who makes bucks. I can’t believe you think that ugly bit of metal stuck on the side looks “really nice” I think you are more trying to convince yourself of that. It looks terrible. The buck I had in mind would only come out to the depth of the insulation board, that way the window would be back in the same plane as if there was no insulation board then weather proof tape it and the siding would hit the window brick mould the way it was designed for. I wonder what you use to say when you installed EIFS system walls, “wow that looks really nice”
And yet, here we are 20 years later and we have these same builders encasing homes in off-gassing foams and relying on expensive HVAC to make them ‘livable’. I suspect a lot of these builders will be retaining defense lawyers and opening checkbooks in the next decade or so. Smh. At least rock wool seems to be a product that doesn’t have obvious health concerns.
EIFS has been around for 40 years. the problem isnt and wasnt EIFS,the problem was the flashings and other components that were not getting installed properly with the EIFS. EPS also allows us to sand and shape the walls. this is not possible with rockwool. Again, the mold crisis had more to do with poor application that it did with EIFS being a bad product. We install over one million square feet of EIFS a year and have never been sued or had a failure due to applicator error.
Matt, surely you realize that the Kiss method has to be used in house building. After looking at this article I am convinced that double walls, 2×6 walls, 2×8 walls, would all be a better idea than this. All of these exterior treatments beg water intrusion. How long do you think 50 year caulk actually last? It reminds me of the auto industry, they are going to sell you a 3/4 ton pickup with a 1.5 liter engine, and they think someone will actually buy it. The housing industry is full of minimum wage jobs, that’s how builders make their money. When you take a 2 step process and make it a ten step process, that workers is going to eliminate 8 of those steps and make it a 2 steps process again.
“On the build show…..” Why all this emphasis on insulation. We are by design as humans able to adjust to temperature variation as it is and besides what are clothes for? What is heating for? We’ve been burning wood for centuries to keep warm and sometimes outdoors in some of the most inhospitable climates you could possibly imagine. Surely a life in a controlled environment where temperature variation is nominal can’t be that good for you? We need temperature variation it’s part and parcel of how our bodies adapt and more importantly we need to spend more time outdoors.
Hi Matt. I wonder why you put on a membrane (you call it vapor permiable, we call it a wind screen) and then cover it with insulation? In Europe usually a membrane goes on after the last layer of insulation. It could be a film type membrane like Tyvek or Delta produces or a hydrophobic woodchip board (Steico). Then goes air gap which is typicaly 50 mm (2 inches) and then cladding. On the exterior side of the frame we typically have a vapor barrier film carefully sealed.
Matt, love the articles. One of the good things I have found is an increasing awareness of exterior insulation amongst existing home owners, who are asking about quotes and best practices for their existing homes (some of which aren’t that old but still do not have exterior insulation). I know you tend to focus on new build, but I am curious if you could do a similar kind of article on exterior insulation onto older homes? Obviously, there are many challenges to existing homes, but the part that confuses me the most are the myriad utility penetrations of all types (electrical, gas, irrigation, cable and phone, etc etc) which feels almost prohibitively expensive to modify on Zone 4 homes. Again, thanks for all the great info.
That is absolutely the wrong installation technique for EFIS despite what the interwebs says EFIS has been successfully used all over the world for a very long time and in far more humid and rainy climates with higher intrusion pressures ….it’s very sad to see the state of building quality fall so far and so much bad information being pass around so easily love your website and thanks for your efforts
When I installed Rockwool in the 90s on commercial elevators and such I literally used a 10ft forked pole to stay away from the stuff as I pressed it into cavities. It was hard and dry sheding a dust as it was handled causing red bumps on the underside of your arms irritating for days. I would not want that stuff making its way into a home. In flawed batches it would have the equivalent of black lightbulb glass shards in it. It’s was the worst floating in the air sticking to your tender parts. I imagine this “comfort” style is the same stuff with finer shorter strands that causes less obvious irritation. I’d not like looking at the sparklies in a ray of light and knowing its the hellspawn that is Rockwool.
interesting that you guys build like this ..but when it comes to interior window dressing … you believe double /triple glazing is all you need … a glorified rag hanging from a rod … IS A GLORIFIED RAG …. I’ve been in the curtain trade for 37 years …. I know what I’m talking about …. proper tailor made double layer curtains and pelmets are the same sort of conversation you are having …. and as for people who buy an $8,000 wall oven for the look, and then refuse to insulate their windows … makes a mockery of your good work
So you mean that we are now required to build houses like a Yeti cooler? Extremely overpriced to provide a design that the average person cannot appreciate? Poor analogy. By the same account, all of our houses should be designed by an architect with stamped drawings for each and every home for the buyer and that the inspectors know what they are doing.