After trying out a Diablo construction blade for close to a year while building our new house, something surprising happened that convinced me this is the only framing blade I’ll buy again. I’m not saying this is absolutely the best saw blade ever made, and every other blade is junk; I’m just so satisfied, I…
Building an Off-Grid House Part 7: Installing Windows
In part 7 of this off-grid build series, I discuss all things windows: the kind of windows we chose, how we installed them, and lots of other details.
Building an Off-Grid House Part 6: Sheathing, WRBs, Air Sealing, and Thermal Breaks
In this part of the off-grid build series, I discuss one of the most important parts of any build: sealing the envelope. This entails sheathing, weather resistive barriers (WRBs), and air sealing. I also talk about a technique I’m using to create thermal breaks within the assembly.
Building an Off-Grid House Part 5: Courtyard Deck and Insulating the Slab Edges
In part five of this build series, I go over how I built the floating deck for the courtyard, and I also discuss insulating the edges of the slab-on-grade foundation.
Building an Off-Grid House Part 4: One Year Progress Update (Ceiling Framing, Wall Framing, and More…)
It’s been one year since I started building our new home. In that time, I excavated the land, built retaining walls, built the slab-on-grade foundation, and framed up the walls and the ceiling. Here’s a detailed overview of the frame, plus a little extra stuff.
Colors That Reflect and Absorb Radiant Heat: Coolest to Hottest
My wife and I recently decided to purchase a few shipping containers to turn into a workshop. We haven’t bought the containers yet, but I’ve already started to think about possible color schemes. I’m thinking about colors this soon because I know the containers will need to be painted. The original colors we end up…
The Pros and Cons of Spray Foam Insulation (Open Cell and Closed Cell)
*If you don’t want to read the entire article, scroll to the bottom for a quick summary of the pros and cons* I’m going to be using a little bit of spray foam here and there in the new house I’m building, so I thought it might be a good time to talk about the…
How to Put Up Heavy Wall Frames by Yourself
I’m in the process of framing a house using 2×6 studs. If you’ve discovered this post through a search engine, I’m going to assume you just realized how heavy a 2×6 wall frame is – or even worse, a 2×8 – and you’re looking for a way to make it easier to erect. If, like…
Flat Top Grill (Griddle) vs. Traditional Grill: Pros and Cons
I’m in the process of building a new house, so my wife and I have been taking a lot of trips to Lowe’s lately. Whenever we’re there, we always spend some time window shopping grills, as well as other appliances, fantasizing about what we’re going to get for our new house. The last time we…
Building an Off-Grid House Part 3: Framing Exterior Walls
Eight months ago I started building a new house on my off-grid property. By the end of this month I’ll be finished with the exterior walls, so I thought now would be a good time for a video update. Check out the progress below…
