Blower doors or sucker doors? What should they really be called? This and other informative questions about the mysterious blower door are answered by Jake, Pete, and Steve in this episode of the UnBuild It Podcast.

With 2020 closing out the UBIP crew decided to record a Q&A podcast and release it as an unscheduled surprise to the listeners. Without your support we wouldn’t be here. Thanks for the support!

When the nerd is away the other hosts will play. In this episode of the UnBuild It Podcast Jake and Steve take advantage of Pete being gone by not even talking about Building Science.

On this episode of the UnBuild It Podcast Jake and Peter welcome Gary Nelson of The Energy Conservancy. You may not know Gary, but you should because you are probably very familiar with his product the Minneapolis Blower Door. Gary shares the story of how he accidentally started TEC and manufacturing blower doors, some good history of the blower door, and some really interesting nerdy stuff about the blower door.

The final episode in the 4 part series, control layers, is about thermal resistance...in other words, an R value.

A big part of what makes a house a home is a sense of place. High performance is as much about neighborhood as it is structure. You will get a kick out of hearing two building science geeks, Jake and Pete, veering off in this episode to talk context with Jeff Speck, who literally wrote the book(s) on walkable neighborhoods, towns, and cities.

Jeff Speck offers three reasons why we need walkable places to live: economic, human health, and the health of the planet. Jeff is smart, funny, and wide open for a rambling conversation with Jake and Pete.

Some inspiring quotes from Jeff to pull you into this episode:

“The typical household makes 13 one-way trips per day. Now that means that someone isn’t getting home at night!”

“The automobile should be an instrument of freedom, not a prosthetic device.”

“Transportation systems beget settlement patterns.”

“The automobile was the first means of transportation that was not nodal or linear.”

“Transportation systems beget settlement patterns and once you have a good settlement pattern you can have a better transportation system.”

“Walk Score works despite the algorithm being crap.”

Every time a home is taken apart something can be learned. Sometimes a flashing detail shows its age, sometimes a lap joint appears right on the surface but takes a turn for the worse. However, sometimes nothing is damaged and just as much can be learned. On this episode the guys discuss different learning experiences across their careers that have reinforced the unbuilding to learn ideas.

Every time a home is taken apart something can be learned. Sometime a flashing detail shows its age. Sometimes a lap joint appears right on the surface but takes a turn for the worse. However, sometimes nothing is damaged and just as much can be learned. On this episode the guys discuss different learning experiences across their careers that have reinforced the unbuilding to learn ideas.

Peter and Steve talk building science and building science solutions with Ken Kiefer, NE Regional Sales Rep from Siga. Get in touch with Ken directly here, kenneth.kiefer@siga.swiss

The conversation about control layers continues this week with the UnBuild It Podcast crew talking about Vapor! Learn about smart vapor retarders, what is a grain of water, why Steve doesn’t like to talk about vapor, and the uniformity of vapor loads, all on this episode of the UnBuild It Podcast.

Follow along as the guys discuss sensitive issues. Pressure sensitive adhesives are everywhere in construction. Can we trust them…do they perform as promised? The guys explain that the ASTM standards are probably not the metric we should use to answer those questions. Real world testing methods are then discussed, as well at Peter’s Wing Nut Testing.

Peter and Jake welcome special guest Allen Sealock, ZIP System Product Director, to disucss building science, wood products and Huber Engineered Woods.

On this weeks episode the conversation about control continues. The conversation about air barriers, air movement, and how it's considered in our buildings is expanded upon by our intrepid trio. They cover what the code says, what it actually means, and what real success looks like.

Jake and Steve welcome special guest Matt Risinger to discuss how building science has affected his business.

What is a rainscreen? What does it do? How big of a gap should it be? What makes the rainscreen ventilated? Why would you need a rainscreen? In this episode the guys attempt to solve these questions and others about rainscreen claddings.

I have no idea who thought to give us each a mike and then turn us loose for an episode, but there you have it…not surprisingly, we wandered a all over the place: universal design, high performance design constraints, the lack of building science knowledge across our industry, even “Sticky Business” (how dependent we are on high performance PSA tapes, sealants, and mastics). But you won’t want to miss these gems: Jake talks about brotherly love, Steve sees red over client’s stuck on cost per square foot, and Pete gets called an old goat for his lack of social media skills. When UnBuildIt goes “Off the Cuff” it’s a bit like catching Jake, Steve, and Pete with their pants down, but in a good, not scary, way…

Steve tries to play architect lifeguard as builder Jake and BS Pete practice their own water management strokes on Steve. It's a hefty podcast moving all the way from design to perimeter drain cleanouts, from roof overhangs to capillary breaks at footings. And this session steers clear away from rainscreens cause that is a whole other upcoming session. And the podcast ends with an a cappella solo by Pete...you don't want to miss that.

Steve Baczek and Peter Yost do some reminiscing with Nathan Yost but also put Nathan to task on indoor air quality, building performance, and the new reality with COVID-19. Super-interesting to get Nathan Yost's unique expertise and perspective. Nathan is a pulminologist and a building scientist having spent time in the medical profession and investigating building failures places him in the perfect place to discuss health and buildings.

The Gents gather round the mics to continue the discussion on control layers. With water management in the rear view mirror, they are looking forward to air tightness, vapor movement, and thermal protection. With nothing but gentlemen charm and persuasion in this enlightened conversation, you are sure to come away with some favorable opinions to add to your knowledge of building science. The guys do a great job highlighting the areas of concern, prioritizing values, and “unbuilding” the complexities of these three control layers. As always, the guys round off the corners of hard discussion with their gentle banter, and provide some thoughts based on sound building science. Give it a listen, and move a few seats up on the learning curve…

The Gents dive in on Episode three to start the discussion of control layers. They start with identifying the layers, prioritizing them, and then giving their unique take on them. The episode finishes up with a preliminary outline of the “Water Management” layer. Listen in to hear why water management is the key aspect to defining control layers. Water is ALWAYS a hot topic, and the guys certainly don’t take it lightly.