What the Foch (based on the lead-in quote from Jake)? I honestly was not prepared for how riveting an impromptu discussion of floor framing could be but listeners won't be surprised to hear Jake and Steve blow up the "simple" decision of floor framing systems with issues like: HVAC integration, finished floor materials, air barrier penetrations, fire protection for engineered wood systems, kitchen island stability, lumber yard availability of different floor framing systems. This UnBuildIt podcast will simply floor you...

Pete's Resource: Chapter 5 of the code and specifically, sections R502.2 and R502.8, and on the UnBuildIt YouTube channel the new series from Steve called "Before the Build."

And yet, in homes, whole-house ventilation is a "brand-new" concept in much of our industry. The boys go through all the whole-house ventilation systems citing pros and cons and their own experiences with different systems in their projects across the board.

Holy smokes--so much to consider: the boys range from roof pitch to venting, from color (heat absorption) to texture (water retention), and even planning out plumbing penetrations based on roof cladding layouts (or air admittance vents...). And by the way: this podcast only covered pitched roof claddings--roof membranes on low slope roofs waits for another UnBuildIt day.

Steve--the Zen master of deep discussion on all things building--explains how he thinks of these two terms. If you don't integrate, you end up solving during application, be it moving water off the building or transferring structural loads. This approach to designing, specifying, and constructing means the window package is connected to the HVAC system, the roof plan connects entryways to gutters, and a problem popping up on paper won't get better or easier on the job site. Although you might get discouraged with the dubious initial focus on beanie babies, hang in there for some insightful exchanges with Steve, Jake, and Pete.

Jake lays out the three major sound issues in homes--inside/out, room-to-room, sources of noise inside the home. Pete draws analogies between early 1980s airport noise abatement and early air tightness work. Steve, always listening carefully, finally offers how he designs for sound management.

On his own, Steve blindsides Pete and Jake with this: how important is each of our backgrounds and how does that affect our approach to building? And how can each of our perspectives be shared to build better buildings?

Funny that we want to both make indoor spaces separate from the nasty outside but also connect to the outdoors when it's peachy. Jake kicks it off admirably by linking air quality to CONTROL (surprise, surprise). This podcast will be one in a bit of a mini-series on the broader topic of Indoor Environmental Quality (including things like thermal comfort and acoustics) and the connected topic of ventilation and its IAQ role.

Join us as we learn all about solar 101 with Dan Shifley of Dogwood Solar out of Columbia, MO.

Doors--tougher than windows, in terms of what we ask of them and proper installation. The boys talk about everything from deciding on swing/slide/pivot to thermal performance to triple-point hardware. And Steve gets pretty riled up, providing all of us a "door" into his thinking as an architect...

This week Jake & Peter are joined by Bob Kelly of Wickright. A long career in the construction industry has taken Bob from high-end woodworking to roofing artist. As the owner of general contracting business in Chicago focussing on low-slope roofs in split face block buildings Bob has developed system solutions for repeat problems. He now owns a materials company that can be found at wickright.com

UBIP LOVES Q&A! This episode is nothing short of far-ranging: passive cooling techniques for hot climates, the need for roofing underlayment underneath ZIP roof sheathing, several details for interior basement insulation, and finding high performance building professionals for different markets. And the best is saved for last: Pete tells a story connecting moisture, modeling, and pornography!

Steve and Jake take the lead describing how they communicate as builder and architect, BOTH of them sounding out the importance of EVERYONE spending quality time at the job site. Pete finally pipes up with a Scopes of Work program he and Steve worked on in the Building America program. All three wrap up with the idea of Balanced Building: run your job sites and your business as high performance operations.

No, Steve, the most challenging is not the one-armed paper hanger. Both HVAC & Insulation contractors need to up their game because their equipment and materials have become so much more advanced and complex. This session covers common HVAC and insulation problems and solutions.

Steve Baczek drives the discussion and he is fit to be tied regarding labels like high performance, sustainable, green—you name it. And he goes after “slackers” in our profession who need to up their game when it comes to building performance. Here is Steve’s premise, see what you think: Prioritizing for high performance means put on your big boy pants and meet the needs of your client and the planet. If you can’t figure out what those priorities are, find an easier industry to make hay…

What happens when a couple of UnBuild It contributors get invited to Switzerland by Siga to learn about how it’s done across the pond? You’ll have to listen all the way through this one to find out.