I must admit that the first time I saw this magazine I chuckled out loud. Now don’t get me wrong, I was flattered that a home that I had designed and built had made the cover of a magazine… but on a special issue from the folks at Timber Home Living on Energy Efficient Homes?
I do my best to build a tight house, to insulate and caulk everywhere that I can. Stress skin panels and spray-in foam are unmatched in their insulating capabilities but there are two features of my homes that I must confess should eliminate my work from the cover of such a magazine.
First of all, most of my clients, myself included, love having an old antique door for their front entrance. They are beautiful and add so much charm to a house. They also never completely keep the outside air where it is supposed to stay. I can get them tight with an hour or two of fussing, but as soon as the temperature or humidity changes they either don’t close properly, or there is air infiltration leaking around them.
And the second reason for my disqualification is that old log cabins are not air tight… I don’t care how much effort one puts into getting them sealed… and believe-you-me I try harder on each successive one that I build to get them as sealed as much as I can, but when the wind and rain are hollering outside, air is going to find it’s way in.
There is a reason they don’t build submarines out of logs.
I should make myself clear… my homes are very comfortable, the air leakage found around old wood is minimal, not even noticeable unless you are looking to find it. And besides… I don’t agree with the current trend of making a house so tight that there is no air exchange. I don’t think it’s healthy to continually re-breath the same air, air that is contaminated from all the products within the home.
We, at the Bradley home, open the windows and doors wide on every pretty day to let that outside air in. Anyone else an open window fan?
Originally posted 2015-06-02 14:26:32.
Hi Noah! Can you comment on the pros and cons of vented vs. conditioned crawl space? We have a log home in Virginia with original floor system (and floor) in place, and can’t come to a conclusion on what is safest for our home- more concerned with protecting the home than the Energy Efficiency!
I have always built a vented crawlspace… and have never had any problems, at all, with them.
I have seen plenty of info about conditioned crawl spaces… and the argument for them is pretty convincing… I will be addressing, and deciding soon this very topic for my next home. At this point I don’t know which way I will go… but what I can offer you now is that unless you are building on a very wet site or low to the ground a conditioned crawlspace is an option that costs a good bit more money, with only potential long term benefits. If you have an unlimited budget go for it. If you have a very lean budget, don’t even think about. Anywhere in between… it most likely will never make a difference.