Read more about the article Building A Storm Proof Roof

Building A Storm Proof Roof

Your roof.  Excluding rafters, this two-inch layer is meant to protect the entire structure from the elements.  That includes high and low temperatures, rain, ultraviolet radiation, snow, ice, and hailstones. It’s also required to stand up to hurricanes, tornadoes, microbursts, and blizzards.

Which means, your roof is the most important element of your home in a high wind event. What are you doing to protect it?

In this post, we explore why roofs fail, the best building practices for a high-performance roof, and how seaming tape can help.

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Read more about the article Understanding Building Codes State to State with Joe Nebbia

Understanding Building Codes State to State with Joe Nebbia

We know where the current International Code Council stands, but what does the landscape look like at a state level, where we actually live and build?

We spoke to Joe Nebbia, of Newport Partners LLC, to gain his insight into the sometimes confusing panorama of codes. Nebbia is a building codes expert with 15 years of experience in policy and regulatory analysis, including over a decade spent working on buildings and construction-related issues. He participates in multiple codes and standards developing processes including the International Code Council, ASHRAE, and state codes. In addition to code development and advocacy, Nebbia teaches code classes to builders, designers, code officials, and others in multiple states.

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Read more about the article Building the Perfect Wall 

Building the Perfect Wall 

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The Perfect Wall has one purpose — to keep the outside out and the inside in. | Image via Building Science Corporation

There are a number of ways to build a wall. Just ask any two building professionals and chances are you’ll find yourself in a spirited debate. While opinions and new ideas abound, most will agree that designing the perfect wall for high performance and longevity comes with a set of best practices developed by Joe Lstiburek, PhD, P. Eng, ASRAE Fellow – Building Science Corporation, a.k.a. the “Father of Building Science.”  Yet since that paper was published in 2010, there have been some code changes and technology updates. ECHOtape sat down with Building and Construction Expert Colby Swanson to discuss Building the Perfect Wall in 2016.

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Read more about the article What New Code Changes Mean for Building the Perfect Wall

What New Code Changes Mean for Building the Perfect Wall

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What Building Codes Mean for Building the Perfect Wall | via TAPED, the ECHotape blog
No matter what material you use to build your wall, it needs four principal control layers: Water, Air, Vapor, Thermal.

By its very nature, a wall is an environmental separator—it’s job is to keep the outside out and the inside in. How we do that has been beguiling architects and builders for centuries.  One thing hasn’t changed: No matter what material you use to build your wall — rocks, thatch, logs, sticks, fiberboard or steel — it needs four principal control layers:  

  • a water control layer
  • an air control layer
  • a vapor control layer
  • a thermal control layer

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