Homeowners often ask if a vapor barrier is necessary for optimizing attic insulation and protecting their homes from moisture-related damage. The answer, however, isn’t one-size-fits-all. Factors like ...

Years ago, when few homes had insulation in their outside walls, no one worried about vapor barriers–there was no need for them. But now homes are better insulated, making it necessary to install a ...

DEAR TIM: The crawl space under my 1910 home is just exposed dirt and leftover building materials. I need to add a vapor barrier and wonder about the best one. The foundation consists of granite slabs ...

Q. A lot of us with older homes (100 years) are getting energy audits with recommendations to blow in cellulose into the empty exterior wall cavities. I have read that without a vapor barrier moisture ...

Imagine a cold, wet, windy day. You can take an umbrella to protect you from the water alone, but that won’t deal with the cold (temperature) or the wind (air convection). You can add in a light ...

Tuesday the addition at Bedlam Manor was insulated. In honor of this milestone, I thought we'd revisit the subject of insulation vapor barriers. Most insulation has paper backing. This is the vapor ...

Improper use of vapor barriers is one of the leading causes of moisture-related issues in buildings today. Vapor barriers, or vapor retarders, are designed to prevent wall assemblies from getting wet.

Air barriers have been used in many different ways throughout the years, and they’re becoming particularly relevant as energy code requirements evolve. But many questions have surrounded the use of ...

Spring, summer, fall, winter — it seems people are always thinking about insulation. It’s not a bad thing to put a little thought into because the choices are so varied and the difficulties (and ...

While waiting for winter to pass, we are converting a Ford E250 cargo van into a camper van. In this episode, we install ...

Question: The crawl space under my 1910 home is just exposed dirt and leftover building materials. I need to add a vapor barrier and wonder about the best one. The foundation consists of granite slabs ...